Good morning from Washington, where the Biden White House heaps scorn on Gov. Ron DeSantis over the COVID-19 surge in Florida. Doug Badger fact-checks the critics. A judge effectively slams critical race theory as contrary to civil rights law, Cully Stimson and GianCarlo Canaparo write. On the podcast, learn about a new tool for parents who want their children to learn history and civics. Plus: how China got this way; a silly lawsuit over election reform in Texas; and your letters about the House probe of the Capitol riot. On this date in 1974, Gerald Ford becomes the 38th president as Richard Nixon resigns to end the Watergate investigation that enveloped his administration.

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