The House canceled Thursday’s session after the U.S. Capitol Police warned of a possible plot by a militant group to attack the building. The Washington Post has more. Critics say President Biden isn’t being tough enough with the world’s authoritarian regimes. In the New Yorker, Robin Wright argues that Biden’s actions against Saudi Arabia fall short. Her colleague Masha Gessen writes that U.S. measures taken against Russia are also lacking. COVID-19 vaccines may be a major scientific breakthrough, but they rely on a technology invented over 170 years ago: the hypodermic needle. The Wall Street Journal reports on high-tech efforts to develop new ways of administering vaccines. Mars has captured the human imagination for centuries. In National Geographic, Nadia Drake asks: Why are people so obsessed with the red planet?

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.