Maybe This Isn't Such a Good Time to Prosecute a Culture War  —  Trump has gone to the well one time too many.  —  Donald Trump made his name in Republican Party politics as a “birther,” a true believer in — and an evangelist for — the racist conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was a foreign-born, illegitimate president.

Here are some of the billionaires who got PPP loans while small businesses went bankrupt  —  Billionaire property developer Joe Farrell, a prominent Republican fundraiser, received up to $1 million in taxpayer coronavirus relief funds, according to federal data released Monday.

Former Melania Trump Confidante to Release an ‘Explosive’ Tell-All Before the Election  —  Another blockbuster Trump book is set to hit shelves next month and contain “explosive” revelations about first lady Melania Trump.  —  Following months of legal drama, threats, and public controversy …

Pompeo: Trump administration is “looking at” TikTok ban  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News' Laura Ingraham on Monday that the Trump administration is “looking at” a ban on Chinese social media app TikTok.  —  Why it matters: Lawmakers have long expressed fears that the Chinese government …

Deutsche Bank hit with $150 million penalty for relationship to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein  — New York state financial regulators said that Deutsche Bank has agreed to a $150 million penalty in relationship to the bank's lack of oversight in dealings with accused child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, the now-dead investor.

DeSean Jackson shares anti-semitic quotes attributed to Hitler on Instagram  —  DeSean Jackson shared anti-semitic quotes attributed to Adolf Hitler on his Instagram story over the July 4th holiday, and continued to use the quotes as a conversation piece during several posts on the social media network on Monday afternoon.

A Letter on Justice and Open Debate  —  We welcome responses at letters@harpers.org  —  Our cultural institutions are facing a moment of trial.  Powerful protests for racial and social justice are leading to overdue demands for police reform, along with wider calls for greater equality …

Trump's Small Biz Rescue Bailed Out Kushner's Family, Obama's Aides and Other Political Elite  —  The PPP program was designed to help small businesses.  And it has.  But some of the most connected figures in politics also cashed in.  —  When the Trump administration began implementing …

Hogan, Maryland Governor, Plans Book Tour as He Eyes 2024 White House Run  —  Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of a solidly Democratic state, who has drawn attention for his criticism of President Trump's coronavirus response, writes at length about the experience.

Right-Wing Media Outlets Duped by a Middle East Propaganda Campaign  —  DOES NOT EXIST  —  Conservative sites like Newsmax and Washington Examiner have published Middle East hot takes from “experts” who are actually fake personas pushing propaganda.  —  If you want a hot take about the Middle East, Raphael Badani is your man.

U.S. Will Pay $1.6 Billion to Novavax for Coronavirus Vaccine  —  The Maryland-based company, which has never brought a product to market before, just made the biggest deal to date with the Trump administration's Operation Warp Speed.  —  The federal government will pay …

A high-risk Florida teen who died from covid-19 attended a huge church party, then was given hydroxychloroquine by her parents, report says  —  At just 17, Carsyn Leigh Davis had already experienced more challenges than most people face in their entire lives.

Republicans in danger of losing huge portion of their women senators  —  Senate Republicans could lose nearly half of the women currently in their caucus come November after recently making painstaking gains — the latest potential blow to the party in the Trump era.

Tucker Carlson suggests Sen. Tammy Duckworth, who lost her legs in Iraq, hates America  —  Before launching a broadside against Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Fox News host Tucker Carlson acknowledged that it's not easy to go after a Purple Heart recipient who lost both her legs while serving her country in Iraq.

UN slams Donald Trump for killing Iranian General Soleimani because there was ‘insufficient evidence he was behind an ongoing or imminent attack’  — A U.N. human rights investigator issued the report on Monday noting that the January 3 attack which killed Iranian General Soleimani violated the U.N. charter

Trump could sink the House GOP in suburbia  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump's continuing erosion among well-educated voters looms as perhaps the most imposing headwind to Republican hopes of recapturing the House of Representatives in November — or even avoiding further losses in the chamber.

Donald Trump, the unbriefable president  —  Chris Whipple is the author of the forthcoming book “The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future.”  —  In the wake of reports that Russia offered the Taliban cash bounties to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, the question arises …

How “Starship Troopers” Aligns with Our Moment of American Defeat  —  It has become clear, in these last decades of decadence, decline, towering institutional violence, and rampant bad taste, that American life is stuck somewhere inside the Paul Verhoeven cinematic universe.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego says federal government denied requests for COVID-19 testing help  —  The Federal Emergency Management Agency denied multiple requests for a mega-COVID-19 testing site in Phoenix, according to Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.  —  Gallego said her office asked FEMA …

What 9 GOP Campaign Consultants Really Think About Republicans' Chances in November  —  The mood in MAGA-land: “Every shred of evidence points to a likely ass kicking”  —  Shooting rubber bullet grenades at protesting priests.  Catastrophically botching the pandemic response, resulting in a public health and economic calamity.

South Dakota governor, exposed to virus, joined Trump on jet  —  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Shortly after fireworks above Mount Rushmore disappeared into the night sky on Friday, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem accompanied President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One despite having had close contact …

Protective gear for medical workers begins to run low again  —  The personal protective gear that was in dangerously short supply during the early weeks of the coronavirus crisis in the U.S. is running low again as the virus resumes its rapid spread and the number of hospitalized patients climbs.

Here are the governors who hurt so many, so needlessly  —  The Post reports: “Local officials in states with surging coronavirus cases issued dire warnings Sunday about the spread of infections, blaming outbreaks in their communities on early reopenings and saying the virus was rapidly outpacing containment efforts.”

A Leader Without Leading  —  Nancy Pelosi is an expert at obtaining power.  
But what does she want to use it for?  —  Pelosi  —  Nancy Pelosi was upset.  Her blitz of cable news appearances as a high-profile counterpart to Donald Trump had taken her to CNN in late April.

Months Into Virus Crisis, U.S. Cities Still Lack Testing Capacity  —  With cases surging, some cities are seeing long testing lines and slow results.  —  Lines for coronavirus tests have stretched around city blocks and tests ran out altogether in at least one site on Monday …

Everyday words and phrases that have racist connotations  —  (CNN)The words and phrases permeate nearly every aspect of our society.  —  “Master bedrooms” in our homes.  “Blacklists” and “whitelists” in computing.  The idiom “sold down the river” in our everyday speech.

Michael Cohen Allegedly Caught Dining Out While Serving Home Sentence.  DOJ, Bureau Of Prisons Silent.  —  Disbarred attorney and convicted felon Michael Cohen was allegedly spotted in a restaurant in New York City last Thursday night while serving his prison sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Hospitalizations jump 50% in California as coronavirus infections soar  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - New coronavirus cases soared in California over the July Fourth weekend, stressing some hospital systems and leading to the temporary closure of the state capitol building in Sacramento for deep cleaning, officials said on Monday.

Ron DeSantis, on the coronavirus: 'I think we've stabilized at where we're at'  —  The state reported 6,336 cases Monday, with about 14 percent of those tested coming back positive.  —  TALLAHASSEE ― Gov. Ron DeSantis said the growing coronavirus case numbers in Florida are not necessarily …