Special counsel is investigating Jared Kushner's business dealings  —  Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller is investigating the finances and business dealings of Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and adviser, as part of the probe into Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election …

Secrecy Surrounding Senate Health Bill Raises Alarms in Both Parties  —  WASHINGTON — As they draft legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Senate Republican leaders are aiming to transform large sections of the American health care system without a single hearing on their bill and without a formal, open drafting session.

The Empire Strikes Back  —  Along with many others, I have suggested that in the wake of James Hodgkinson's rampage, Democrats should look in the mirror and consider whether the insane climate of hate they have fomented over the last seven months contributed to the overtly political crime committed by one of their fervent supporters.

Why a single gunshot to Steve Scalise's hip could be life-threatening  —  For those of us who experience gun violence via movies or television, the single bullet wound to the hip that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise suffered in a ballfield shooting Wednesday would seem less serious than what could have happened to him.

The surprising number of American adults who think chocolate milk comes from brown cows  —  Seven percent of all American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows, according to a nationally representative online survey commissioned by the Innovation Center of U.S. Dairy.

Justice Dept. releases cryptic statement on leaks  —  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing the Russia probe due to Jeff Sessions' recusal, released an unorthodox statement Thursday night: … The general reaction, summed up by the NY Times' Maggie Haberman, “Have literally never seen a statement like this.”

The bogus claim that a map of crosshairs by Sarah Palin's PAC incited Rep. Gabby Giffords's shooting  —  “Was this attack evidence of how vicious American politics has become?  Probably.  In 2011, Jared Lee Loughner opened fire in a supermarket parking lot, grievously wounding Representative Gabby Giffords …

Trump said foreign leaders wouldn't laugh at the U.S. Now they're laughing at him.  —  Two weeks ago in the Rose Garden, President Trump declared that under his leadership, foreign leaders won't be “laughing at us anymore.”  —  Since then, he's been the butt of jokes in capitals across the globe.

Rage Is All the Rage, and It's Dangerous  —  A generation of media figures are cratering under the historical pressure of Donald Trump.  —  What we are living through in America is not only a division but a great estrangement.  It is between those who support Donald Trump and those who despise him …

Firing Mueller would be an insult to the Founding Fathers  —  Kenneth W. Starr, a former U.S. solicitor general and federal judge, served as independent counsel in the Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky investigations during the Clinton administration.  —  In the natural rhythm of government …

We Got Our Hands On A Draft Of Milo Yiannopoulos's Book.  It's Awful.  —  There's a certain kind of book you really see only at the airport.  You know what it looks like: glossy, with an airbrushed famous person on the cover and a catchy title.  You know what it reads like: frothy …

Father of comatose student freed by North Korea slams Obama  —  The father of the American student left comatose after 18 months in a North Korean prison has criticized former President Barack Obama for not doing enough to free his son.  —  “The question is, ‘Do I think the past administration could have done more?’ ”

Trump Orders Government to Stop Work on Y2K Bug, 17 Years Later  —  The White House is eliminating paperwork for federal agencies  —  Federal workers still report on preparedness for year 2000  —  Seventeen years after the Year 2000 bug came and went, the federal government will finally stop preparing for it.

Commerce Department Removes Sexual Orientation And Gender Identity From Equal Employment Policy  —  The department had explicitly included sexual orientation and gender identity in its anti-discrimination policies as far back as 2010.  After this story was published, the department said they will re-issue the policy.

Poll: Majority thinks Trump tried to meddle in Russia probe  —  A majority of American adults in a new poll thinks President Trump has tried to interfere in the investigation into the Russian meddling in the U.S. presidential race.  —  An Associated Press/NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll found …

Several shots fired at truck flying ‘Make America Great Again’ flag on I-465  —  INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Indiana State Police say shots were fired at a truck carrying a “Make America Great Again” flag and an American flag on eastbound I-465 Tuesday.  —  Officers believe the shots were fired …

One Very Bad Night Launches Baltimore Ahead Of Chicago In Murder Stats  —  Earlier this week we talked about how Baltimore was in a “race to the bottom” with Chicago over the weekend in terms of gang murders.  While there were six people killed in the Windy City and 37 others wounded in gang related gunfire …

Hill GOP stunned, disappointed Trump called their bill “mean”  —  President Trump's private comment earlier this week that the House healthcare bill was “mean” is having a lingering, and potentially devastating, effect on his credibility along House Republicans.

GOP Rep. Steve King: Obama partly to blame for climate that led to Scalise shooting  —  (CNN)Republican Rep. Steve King said Wednesday he partly blames former president Barack Obama for the divided political climate that he argues led to the shooting of House Majority Whip and three others on a baseball field in Alexandria, Virginia.

Hard Questions: How We Counter Terrorism  —  By Monika Bickert, Director of Global Policy Management, and Brian Fishman, Counterterrorism Policy Manager  —  In the wake of recent terror attacks, people have questioned the role of tech companies in fighting terrorism online.

Serbia gets its first female - and gay - prime minister  —  President Aleksandar Vui announces appointment of Ana Brnabi, 41, a graduate of the University of Hull … A gay woman has been appointed prime minister of Serbia in a double first for the EU-candidate state.

Unable To Pay Bills, Illinois Sends “Dear Contractor” Letter Telling Firms To Halt Road Work On July 1  —  Authored by Mike Shedlock via MishTalk.com,  —  The state of Illinois has not passed a budget for close to three years.  —  Arguably it's just as well because Illinois budgets …

Feds Look to Seize ‘Dumb and Dumber To’ Rights and Leonardo DiCaprio's Art  —  The government asserts that funding for Red Granite films came from stolen Malaysian funds and that Leonardo DiCaprio was gifted artwork purchased with embezzled money.  The actor has already turned over a Marlon Brando Oscar.