Mayor of Portland, Oregon, tear gassed by federal agents  —  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The mayor of Portland, Oregon, was tear gassed by the U.S. government late Wednesday as he stood at a fence guarding a federal courthouse during another night of protest against the presence of federal agents sent …

Another 1.4 million workers filed for unemployment insurance last week  —  The tally has been over a million each week since March.  —  Another 1.4 million U.S. workers filed for unemployment insurance last week, the Labor Department said Thursday.  —  This marks the 18th straight week that weekly jobless claims surpassed 1 million.

Republicans scrap Trump's demand for payroll tax cut as they cobble together draft coronavirus bill  —  Trillion-dollar legislation to include direct checks, school funding, limited unemployment insurance extension  —  Senate Republicans have cast aside one of President Trump's key demands …

Comeback: Trump neck and neck with Biden, 45%-47%, approval equal with Obama's in 2012  —  While the media have been hyping polls showing Democrat Joe Biden with a sizable and growing lead over President Trump, the outfit that called the 2016 popular vote correctly shows the 2020 race neck and neck.

GOP considers extending unemployment benefit at reduced level of $100 a week through December  — Republicans are considering extending the enhanced unemployment insurance through the end of the year at a drastically reduced level of $400 per month, or $100 a week.

State Department Insiders Ask: What Is Susan Pompeo Really Up To?  —  Five years ago, a young Kansan named Jakob Provo had almost gotten a job working for ambitious Congressman Mike Pompeo.  He'd aced the interview, he thought, and he was certainly qualified.

I Was Wrong About Florida's Response to Covid-19  —  I gave Governor Ron DeSantis more credit than he deserved for the low death rate in his state.  —  A little after 11 a.m. each weekday, I receive an email alert from the Miami Herald.  It contains the latest Covid-19 numbers for Florida.

Person focuses every woman and man in America on his mental abilities via camera, TV  —  Having taken the functional equivalent of a blood pressure test to evaluate his mental acuity, President Trump has repeatedly bragged about the results.  The president, who claims to be a genius with a remarkable IQ …

2 Cafeterias Used by White House Staff Close After Employee Contracts the Virus  —  The cafeterias are in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the New Executive Office Building, which are part of the White House complex.  —  Two cafeterias used by White House staff members were closed …

House Democrats Considered 10 Impeachment Articles Before Narrowing Their Case Against Trump  —  The question of what to include in the case against President Trump is at the heart of a new book by Norm Eisen, a lawyer working with House Democrats in the impeachment effort.

RNC plans in jeopardy as Jacksonville council president opposes city bill  —  With a month to go until the Republican National Convention, or RNC, comes to Jacksonville, City Council President Tommy Hazouri threw a wrench in the convention's plans, announcing his opposition unless …

Huge Kingdom of Judah government complex found near US Embassy in Jerusalem  —  Among the 2,700-year-old finds: 120 inscribed seal impressions on jars at storage facility holding food collected as taxes for kings Hezekiah, Menashe in First Temple times  —  One of the largest collections …

House Rating Changes  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — Recently-released fundraising reports indicate a mismatch between the best-funded GOP candidates and the districts in which they are competing.  — At this point, Democrats are more likely to net House seats than Republicans …

AP-NORC poll: 3 in 4 Americans back requiring wearing masks  —  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three out of four Americans, including a majority of Republicans, favor requiring people to wear face coverings while outside their homes, a new poll finds, reflecting fresh alarm over spiking coronavirus cases …

Jeffrey Epstein's New York, Palm Beach Homes to List for $110 Million  —  The late disgraced financier's Manhattan mansion hits the market for $88 million, while his Palm Beach estate is asking nearly $22 million  —  The New York City and Palm Beach homes of the late disgraced financier …

Enough Whining About Trump's Mean Tweets  —  You should be eternally grateful that the worst thing you can really say about Donald Trump is that he's mean to knuckleheads on social media - and that literally is the worst thing you can say about Donald Trump without stepping into the territory of my new book …

Blocked gun sales skyrocket amid coronavirus pandemic  —  Internal FBI data reveal a jarring new stat: The number of people trying to buy guns who can't legally own them has skyrocketed.  That came as part of a surge in gun purchases in the first three months of 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019.

Former congressman Ozzie Myers, caught in 1970s Abscam sting, has been indicted again — this time for election fraud  —  A former congressman convicted in the 1970s Abscam investigation was charged Thursday with new allegations that he bribed a poll worker to stuff ballot boxes in local elections.

American exceptionalism was our preexisting condition  —  America is sick.  Still sick.  The fever spikes, abates, returns.  The shortness of breath lingers.  America is waiting in virtual bread lines, listening to bad jazz, on hold with the unemployment office.

What the Conservative Version of Cancel Culture Looks Like  —  It's love Trump or get lost.  —  It is hard to think of a major sector of the culture-shaping industries and institutions of American life—Hollywood, news media, universities, arts, publishing, music, advertising, and so on …

The Rise in Testing Is Not Driving the Rise in U.S. Virus Cases  —  20,00040,00060,000 cases per dayMarch 1July 21April 1May 1June 1July 1  —  Seven-day average of new reported cases  —  About 21,000 coronavirus cases were reported per day in early June, when the positive test rate was 4.8 percent.

At least % of American voters can cast ballots by mail in the fall  —  N.H.  —  Vt.  —  Mass.  —  R.I.  —  Conn.  —  N.J.  —  Del.  —  Md.  —  D.C.  —  States that made a change due to covid-19.  —  *"Can vote by mail" includes states that don't require any excuse …

Big Oil lobbying dropped in Q2  —  Big Oil's aggregate lobbying dipped in the second quarter, newly available public filings show.  —  Why it matters: They provide a guide to specific bills and topics companies lobbied on, and an overall look at money spent.

Republican feuding this week represents broader reckoning over party's future as Trump sinks in the polls  —  Tensions among congressional Republicans fueled by the party's diminishing electoral fortunes broke out into the open this week — as GOP lawmakers sparred over the shape …