Author: Susan Page, USA TODAY

The Jan. 6 hearing had the feel of a pointillist painting, dabs of details that only with a step back form a coherent portrait.

A new USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll shows the country in a funk, signaling problems for President Biden and Democrats in the November midterm elections.

After all the accolades, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright remembered the slights, too, in a life that was part of a changing world.

Does Joe Biden’s son Hunter bear some responsibility for the controversies around him? “No,” Valerie Biden Owens said. “Hunter walked through hell.”

Fight or fold on Build Back Better? Voters give the White House mixed advice in new USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll.

Joe Biden’s backers used to compare him to FDR. Now some fear the apt comparison will be to Jimmy Carter.

An unlikely suggestion topped the list, which showed concern about the economy rising as COVID fears ebb.

Colin Powell exuded both a sense of authority and a sense of humor, a persona that gave him a reassuring mien trusted by presidents and the public.

Now there are more questions than answers about why the administration failed to foresee or effectively plan for the catastrophe that is unfolding.