Public's Mood Turns Grim; Trump Trails Biden on Most Personal Traits, Major Issues  —  Just 17% say they are ‘proud’ when thinking about state of the U.S.  —  How we did this  —  With less than five months until the 2020 elections, Americans are deeply unhappy with the state of the nation.

Suspicions of Russian Bounties Were Bolstered by Data on Financial Transfers  —  Analysts have used other evidence to conclude that the transfers were likely part of an effort to offer payments to Taliban-linked militants to kill American and coalition troops in Afghanistan.

Republican leaders now say everyone should wear a mask — even as Trump refuses and has mocked some who do  —  The last Republican vice president, Richard B. Cheney, and his Wyoming congresswoman daughter, Liz, say wearing masks is manly.  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) …

The Fall of Jeff Sessions, and What Came After  —  The former attorney general is fighting for his political life in Alabama's Senate race, in the shadow of a president who still despises him.  —  To hear more audio stories from publishers like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

McConnell warns Democrats not to change filibuster rule  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned Democrats on Tuesday not to mess with the filibuster rule if they win control of the chamber in November.  —  He said eliminating the legislative filibuster by reducing …

Senate strips provision from intelligence bill requiring campaigns to report foreign election help  —  WaPo: Russian bounties to Taliban fighters believed to result in deaths of US troops  —  (CNN)The Senate will incorporate the annual intelligence policy legislation into the National Defense …

Mary Trump's Tell-All Book Temporarily Blocked in Court  —  Mary Trump's upcoming, explosive tell-all about the president has hit a temporary setback as a judge grants Robert Trump a Temporary Restraining Order to halt publication.  —  A judge on Tuesday granted Robert Trump …

Seattle mayor slams protesters for showing no ‘regard for’ her ‘safety’ as demonstrators circle her home  —  A group of protesters marched to the home of Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan on Sunday afternoon, upset that she pledged to dismantle the police-free “Capitol Hill Organized Protest” zone, known as CHOP.

A Dire Warning From COVID-19 Test Providers  —  Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers.  Find the collection here.  —  The United States is once again at risk of outstripping its COVID-19 testing capacity, an ominous development …

Carl Reiner Dead at 98, Mel Brooks Pays Tribute to His Best Friend  —  They met in 1950 ... that's 70 years of friendship.  ❤️  —  12:08 PM PT — Dick Van Dyke just paid tribute to Reiner ... calling him his idol.  The legendary actor said Reiner had a “deeper understanding of the human condition” in a warm tribute.

Hampton Inn worker fired for calling cops on Black guests; Police open ‘internal investigation’  —  A Hampton Inn employee has been fired after calling the police on a Black family using the hotel's swimming pool in Williamston, North Carolina.  —  “Hampton by Hilton has zero tolerance for racism or discrimination of any kind.

Florida is “not going back” on reopening, governor says  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters on Tuesday that the state will not reinstate restrictions or close businesses to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.  —  Why it matters: More than 50% of coronavirus infections …

Coronavirus' spread in GOP territory, explained in 6 charts  —  Coronavirus first spread in the United States as a mostly coastal and big-city scourge, sparing many rural areas, small towns and even small cities.  Translated into U.S. political geography: The virus hit Democratic areas first.

Mississippi governor signs bill changing state's flag, abandoning Confederate symbol  —  Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) signed a bill Tuesday abandoning the state's flag and stripping the Confederate battle flag symbol from it, capping a remarkable turnaround on a banner that had flown over the state for more than a century.

Facebook to remove anti-government ‘Boogaloo’ groups  —  Facebook announced Tuesday that it is removing groups dedicated to the Boogaloo extremist movement one month after federal officials alleged the anti-government network's adherents used the platform to plan the murder of a federal agent.

Mueller Memos Part 8: More Revelations About What Witnesses Told Investigators About Trump And Russia  —  BuzzFeed News sued the FBI and the Department of Justice for access to the secret records used by special counsel Robert Mueller.  Today, we are publishing the eighth installment …

Ex-Husband of ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ Star and Lucchese Crime Family Soldier Indicted for Assault and Other Crimes  —  NEWARK, N.J. - The ex-husband of one of the stars of the Bravo television show “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” and an organized crime soldier were arrested today …

Amy McGrath Defeats Charles Booker and Will Face McConnell in Kentucky  —  Ms. McGrath, who raised over $40 million, won the Democratic primary by narrowly holding off a candidate who had harnessed energy from the protests over racial injustice.  —  WASHINGTON — Amy McGrath …

Matt Gaetz Is Living in Donald Trump's America  —  And that's why Trump is losing.  —  Quite inadvertently, Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-Trump) has stumbled onto something insightful.  On Monday, as America absorbed the Die Hard cosplay from this couple in in St. Louis, Gaetz tweeted out his deep thought:

Trump Campaign Has Spent $325,000 on Facebook Ads Featuring Brad Parscale's Page  —  Mr. Parscale, the president's campaign manager, is one of only three people whose Facebook and Instagram pages have been used by the campaign to display ads.  The others are Donald Trump and Mike Pence.

St. Louis lawyers who confronted protesters with guns under investigation  —  The St. Louis lawyers who pulled weapons on protesters marching past their home are being investigated for possible criminal charges, the city's lead prosecutor has revealed.  —  Mark and Patricia McCloskey …

Donald Trump is the king of cancel culture  —  No other politician has spent more time trying to cancel those who offend him.  —  “President Trump stands against ... cancel culture, which seeks to erase our history,” White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany declaimed on Monday.

Science and “Science”  —  Politicians love to say that they are “following the science.”  To hear them talk, you would think they spend hours poring over data and they go where the numbers drive them.  If only.  —  The COVID epidemic has brought out politicians' faux reliance on “science” in spades.

Photos Taken By Aurora Police At Elijah McClain Memorial Under Investigation  —  AURORA, Colo. (CBS4) - Three Aurora police officers are under investigation for taking inappropriate photos at a memorial for Elijah McClain, sources tell CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass.

Report shows $480,000 in donations to cover Pence legal aid  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Donors contributed nearly $480,000 last year to cover Vice President Mike Pence's legal expenses from special counsel Robert Mueller's probe of Russian meddling in the 2016 elections, according to Pence's financial disclosure report.

Fauci warns Congress that new US coronavirus cases could rise to 100,000 a day  —  Fauci: Vaccine might not get US sufficient level of immunity  —  Washington (CNN)Coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci issued a stark warning on Tuesday to lawmakers on Capitol Hill …

S. Dakota Gov. Noem says ‘we will not be social distancing’ at July 3 celebration with Trump at Mount Rushmore  —  Thousands of people are expected for the event.  Masks are optional, too.  —  WASHINGTON — South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem says the thousands of people who attend the July 3 celebration …

Trump's Twitter feed reads like a local crime blotter as he stokes a culture war  —  The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights  —  President Trump returned from his Virginia golf course Saturday afternoon and turned his Twitter feed into a crime blotter.

Trump's Re-Election Strategy: Run Like a Challenger  —  Trailing in the polls, the president hopes to run an outsider campaign from inside the White House, casting Joe Biden as the establishment candidate  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump's case for re-election reprises his pitch for a first term in office …

Trump team's brewing debate: How to message a raging health emergency  —  One group of White House aides wants more attention on the surging virus.  The other wants to leave it to local officials.  Now they're trying to find a middle ground.  —  President Donald Trump.  Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

One graphic explains why Americans are facing an EU travel ban  —  (CNN)US tourists will be excluded from visiting the European Union after the bloc finalized its list of 15 safe countries for travel to member states on Tuesday.  —  The EU has formally agreed a set of recommendations …

‘They basically swallowed hard’: Trumpy Census Bureau hires revive fears of political meddling  —  The White House and Commerce Department forced the Census Bureau to take two new political appointees last week whose unexpected arrival has deepened fears at the agency that the 2020 census will be politicized …

A story in The Oregonian changed his family's life forever, and set his career choice  —  In 1998, The Oregonian/OregonLive chronicled the story of an Iranian couple, who were facing the choice of whether to leave their severely handicapped son, a U.S. citizen, in Portland if immigration authorities deported them.