POLITICO reporter Rachael Levy broke the story that some hospitals have been asking patients to remove their N95 masks — even though they offer better protection. Rachael’s reporting changed a national policy in a matter of days — but the question remains why policymakers in the US are behind on mask guidance. Rachael Levy reports.

Florida’s fight over contentious LGBTQ legislation — the "Parental Rights in Education Bill," dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill by opponents — had its genesis nearly two years ago, not in the halls of the state Legislature but in a September conversation between a Tallahassee mother and her 13-year-old teen. Gary Fineout reports.

On Monday, President Joe Biden released his administration’s new budget proposal. It includes increases in domestic investments and a big boost in military funding. To pay for it, Biden proposed increasing taxes on corporations and the rich — including a new minimum tax on Americans with incomes of $100 million or more. Brian Faler reports.

The Biden administration has issued ominous warnings about looming Russian cyberattacks. The energy and finance industries are of particular focus, but one of the President's top cyber aides said last week that "We should consider every sector vulnerable." Maggie Miller reports.

Days after a 424-8 vote to revoke normal trade relations with Russia, the bill's path through the Senate is complicated. Senate Republicans are demanding the legislation be paired with a separate House-passed measure banning Russian oil imports, and Rand Paul has voiced opposition to expanding the Magnitsky Act. Gavin Bade reports.

A microchip lobbying blitz is happening on Capitol Hill today, and D.C. has pledged to pour billions of dollars into coaxing chip manufacturers back to the U.S. The problem? The money's held up in Congress. Brendan Bordelon reports.

Nearly 50 million people in the U.S. had their sensitive health data breached in 2021, a threefold increase in three years, according to a POLITICO analysis of the latest HHS data. Ben Leonard reports.

Russia and Ukraine combined provide about 30 percent of the world’s supply of wheat and Ukraine alone provides about 15 percent of the world's corn. Russia's invasion into Ukraine is setting off a global food crisis that might be unprecedented. Meredith Lee reports.

Ahead of the midterms, Democrats fret that Biden’s inaction on student debt could burn him with younger voters. Michael Stratford reports.

The furor surrounding transgender youth has been playing out in Texas, but it's not the only state proposing criminalizing gender-affirming care despite opposition from medical experts. Republican lawmakers and conservative groups are increasingly using transition-related medical care as a wedge issue heading into the midterms. Juan Perez reports.

The White House asked for $22.5 billion for covid response funds. Last week, Congress put together a bipartisan $15 billion plan. But so far, exactly zero dollars have actually been agreed upon. And even as the administration warns it may need to cancel new orders of Covid-19 drugs as soon as next week and wind down access to testing soon after that, there appears to be no clear strategy from either the White House or Capitol Hill to secure the funds. Adam Cancryn reports.

Liz Cheney faces a primary with Trump-endorsed candidate Harriet Hageman. Wyoming political strategists say the only viable path to victory for Liz Cheney is with the help of Democrats and Independents who register as Republicans to vote in the primary. Tara Palmeri reports.

The Forest Service has long struggled with staffing shortages, but the challenges have intensified amid a hyper-competitive labor market and cost-of-living concerns. Ximena Bustillo reports.

Over the weekend, Russia intensified its airstrikes on western Ukraine, hitting targets just miles from the Polish border. Pentagon and NATO officials reiterated on Sunday that they do not intend to directly confront Russian forces within Ukraine. But they are sending military supplies, and Russia has warned that it regards those convoys as legitimate targets. Alex Ward reports.

As more banks and payment systems cut off service to Russians, digital asset firms are navigating the same reputational minefields as traditional financial institutions. Sam Sutton reports.

An adverse allergic reaction to a covid vaccine is rare, but just how rare remains to be seen. On Wednesday, the National Institutes of Health announced a new study to try to understand the number of people experiencing moderate allergic reaction to mRNA vaccines, and why. Joanne Kenen — who had an allergic reaction to her first Pfizer dose — reports.

The Chinese government has made clear it will remain a strategic ally of Russia despite its invasion of Ukraine. But the West wants China's help in cutting off Russia. Phelim Kine reports.

The White House is considering a ban on Russian oil imports — even as U.S. gas prices soar and Biden takes hits on inflation. Meanwhile, CERAWeek, the nation's most important oil and gas industry conference, convenes in Houston. Ben Lefebvre reports.

Last week, when Poland considered sending warplanes to aid Ukraine, Warsaw asked the White House to guarantee it would replace the outgoing planes with U.S.-made fighter jets. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the two countries were in talks. Paul McLeary reports.

As the January 6 Committee prepares for its first public hearing — likely next month — some of their evidence is starting to come into shape. In a major release of its findings, filed in federal court late Wednesday, the committee suggested that its evidence supported findings that Trump himself violated multiple laws by attempting to prevent Congress from certifying his defeat. Nicholas Wu reports.

The White House has been reluctant to declare the end of the pandemic — especially after optimism last summer was made moot by the emergence of the Delta and Omicron variants. But administration officials have pointed to vaccine and test availability — and hope that revised CDC guidance and a new 96-page plan from the Biden administration will ease political pressure and a path out of the pandemic.

A national movement to give voting rights to legal noncitizens has found its way to New York City. Pending court battles, it will soon give 800,000 people the chance to shape local elections. Erin Durkin reports.

Sanctions on banking, tech, weapons and more were rolled out against Russia over the weekend — arguably historic in size and scope. But the big question remains, will they have an effect on Putin's war against Ukraine? Nahal Toosi reports.

President Joe Biden selected D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as his nominee to succeed retiring Justice Stephen Breyer on Friday, making history by nominating a Black woman for the nation’s highest court. Josh Gertstein reports on what you need to know about the judge and her looming confirmation battle.

Sanctions are a long-term solution to a short-term problem. They’re the lever that the United States and allies have chosen to use to punish Russia for its brazen invasion of Ukraine. But Biden made clear that any sanctions policy that hurts Americans, such as oil and gas sanctions, would be off-the-table, for now. Alex Ward reports.