JENNIFER PALMIERI

Showtime's periodic political series “The Circus” returns on Sunday into both a familiar and changed political climate.

The triumph of a moderate Democrat in the mayoral primary in deep blue New York City has appeared to accelerate the recent trend of some of the party’s most fervent voters to break away from the most progressive candidates.

President Joe Biden’s vaccination campaign hit a snag when federal regulators recommended a “pause” in administering Johnson & Johnson shots.

President Joe Biden speaks about the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, March 12, 2021, in Washington. Biden signed the bill into law Thursday and then extolled it in a prime-time address to the nation that night. He predicted that Biden would be equally relentless in selling the relief package this time. “This is so important that it is literally something you say during the last rally of your reelection campaign.”Biden is expected to appoint someone to oversee implementation of the COVID-19 relief plan. AdBiden’s White House has embraced the strategy of under-promising and then over-delivering, allowing it to frequently beat target dates and goals on, for instance, vaccine distribution.

President Joe Biden speaks about the American Rescue Plan, a coronavirus relief package, in the Rose Garden of the White House, Friday, March 12, 2021, in Washington. Biden signed the bill into law Thursday and then extolled it in a prime-time address to the nation that night. He predicted that Biden would be equally relentless in selling the relief package this time. “This is so important that it is literally something you say during the last rally of your reelection campaign.”Biden is expected to appoint someone to oversee implementation of the COVID-19 relief plan. AdBiden’s White House has embraced the strategy of under-promising and then over-delivering, allowing it to frequently beat target dates and goals on, for instance, vaccine distribution.

NEW YORK – It's high season for books that pick apart Donald Trump's presidency, and Rachel Maddow is a big beneficiary. With less than two months before the election, authors are elbowing each other for space on the best-seller lists. Conservative authors have also sought attention for new books during the political season. That was the case with Schmidt's book. Maddow gave more attention to Schmidt's discussion about why Trump's personal and business dealings with Russia have not been investigated.

The Supreme Court ruled in President Barack Obamas favor on landmark gay marriage and health care cases. In truth, Trump has never had support from a majority of Americans, nor has he seen a political imperative in trying to. The president has made clear that as he embraces the culture wars in the months leading up to Election Day, hell put the Supreme Court in his crosshairs. I cant think of much else that fires up conservatives than the makeup of the Supreme Court, said Jason Chaffetz, the former Republican congressman from Utah. Trump has to worry about his base feeling like hes ineffectual, even with a Trump Supreme Court.___Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.