Thursday morning news briefing: Democracy under siege in US

The production combines music, dance and film

Credit: KIKO HUESCA/EPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

Comment and analysis

• Allister Heath | Covid exposes fragility of precious, decadent West
• Tom Harris | Has Starmer messed up Covid response? Nobody cares
• Madeline Grant | Rhetorical fireworks fail to shed light on exit route
• Michael Deacon | Fear not, folks! Only another 47 lockdowns to go
• Reader letters | Lockdown messaging left people utterly demoralised

You’ve got this: Getting you through lockdown

Business and money briefing

Zoom out | Workers will flock back to offices and power an economic recovery once the Covid pandemic is over, Boris Johnson said in an upbeat call with 250 business leaders. The Prime Minister said fears the city centre is doomed are misguided and that firms will not change their business models to permanently rely on video calls and remote working.  

• Pensions | Is it worth paying £100 to track down old pots?
• Investment tip | This trust is one you can buy and lock away
• Alex is on holiday | Look back at his best cartoons of 2020

Sport briefing

Man Utd 0 Man City 2 | Unlikely goalscorers John Stones and Fernandinho secured Manchester City’s shot at a fourth successive Carabao Cup crown as Manchester United lost their fourth consecutive semi-final. Read James Ducker‘s match report. Luke Edwards says this shows Man Utd cannot win the big games under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.  

• Keep Kids Active | Campaign wins community sport pledge
• FA Cup | Coronavirus causes chaos and a ‘double draw’
• ‘Set example’ | PFA warning as players fly to Dubai from Tier 4

Tonight’s dinner

Smoked haddock and lentil stew with sweet onions | A warming stew by Diana Henry with smoked haddock, rice and lentils. View the recipe and try out our Cookbook newsletter.

And finally… for this morning’s downtime

Amazon is watching you | Amazon’s patent filings and product announcements show a desire to transform the world of security. Technology Correspondent James Cook examines how the tech giant’s new surveillance tools herald a brave new world.