Microsoft Directors Decided Bill Gates Needed to Leave Board Due to Prior Relationship With Staffer  —  Company's board members began investigation in 2019 into woman's allegations of prior sexual relationship with Bill Gates; Mr. Gates's spokeswoman says decision to leave board in 2020 wasn't related to the matter

How a Jeopardy!  Contestant's Hand Gesture Became Part of a Conspiracy  —  How hundreds of “Jeopardy!” contestants talked themselves into a baseless conspiracy theory — and won't be talked out of it.  —  It is an ironclad rule of the private Facebook group of past “Jeopardy!” …

AT&T to spin off HBO, other WarnerMedia assets in a huge deal with Discovery.  What went wrong?  —  Three years ago, AT&T Inc. marched into Hollywood with big ambitions to be a 21st century media colossus, connecting its booming cellphone business with legendary media properties — HBO …

Teflon Joe muddies GOP's midterm strategy  —  When the National Republican Senatorial Committee sought to attack four vulnerable Senate Democrats in a series of new ads this spring, President Joe Biden was nowhere to be found.  Instead, the NRSC juxtaposed photographs of the senators …

Episode 9: Trump's war with his generals  —  Axios' “Off the rails” series documents the end of the Trump administration, from election night 2020 through the Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol.  —  One important piece is only now beginning to emerge: Former President Donald Trump's last-minute bid …

Chuck Todd clashes with Dan Crenshaw over GOP fraud claims: ‘Why should anybody believe a word you say?’  —  Days after House Republicans ousted Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her leadership position for challenging former president Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud, Rep. Dan Crenshaw …

US investigates second suspected case of mystery ‘syndrome’ near White House  —  (CNN)Two White House officials were struck by a mysterious illness late last year — including one who was passing through a gate onto the property — newly revealed details that come as investigators …

For Trump, Hamas and Bibi, It Is Always Jan. 6  —  There are many ways to understand what is happening today between Hamas and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu of Israel, but I prefer to think about it like this: They are each having their own Jan. 6 moment.  —  Just as a mob was unleashed …

Piggy bank-filling payments for nearly 90 percent of kids will start July 15  —  The federal government will begin sending monthly payments worth up to $300 per child to millions of Americans beginning July 15, in what is perhaps the most ambitious government initiative of the Biden administration so far.

Google, Deloitte, and Citigroup quietly collaborate with GOP group pushing voter suppression  —  Several large corporations that have recently issued public statements supporting voting rights — including Google, Deloitte, and Citigroup — are also funding and collaborating …

The GOP's Telltale Signs of Authoritarianism  —  Trump dominates its money and its mind.  —  The Republican party is an authoritarian party, not just in its unabashed hostility to democracy and the rule of law, but also in its internal organization.  It exhibits many of the classic signs …

US for 3rd time blocking Security Council joint statement calling for ceasefire — diplomats tell ToI  —  NEW YORK — For the third time in a week, the US is blocking a joint statement from the Security Council calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, two diplomats involved tell The Times of Israel.

Social app Parler is cracking down on hate speech - but only on Apple devices  —  Shut down after the Jan. 6 riot, Parler is using a new artificial intelligence moderation system with more stringent standards for the App Store than other platforms.  —  When social media network Parler came …

Franklin Graham worries Trump too old to run in 2024  —  The Rev. Franklin Graham says a potential 2024 presidential bid by Donald Trump would “be a very tough thing to do,” the prominent Christian leader told “Axios on HBO.”  —  Why it matters: Graham, the president of the Billy Graham …

Tax the rich?  Executives predict Biden's big plans will flop  —  President Joe Biden wants to fund his $4.1 trillion infrastructure and family policy agenda with a huge pile of tax increases on corporations and the wealthy.  The business community is dismissing the threat.

The World Economy Is Suddenly Running Low on Everything  —  A year ago, as the pandemic ravaged country after country and economies shuddered, consumers were the ones panic-buying.  Today, on the rebound, it's companies furiously trying to stock up.  —  Mattress producers to car manufacturers …

Trump Has Blown Off Rudy Giuliani's Pleas for Help as Feds Circle  —  Giuliani appears to be in hot water, and his allies keep asking for Trump's help.  But so far, the ex-president isn't willing to ride to the rescue of his one-time lawyer.  —  In the weeks since the feds raided Rudy Giuliani's apartment …

Chinese businessman with links to Steve Bannon is driving force for a sprawling disinformation network, researchers say  —  Guo Wengui, living in self-exile in New York City, is at the center of a digital web pushing election and covid falsehoods, according to Graphika research

Tennessee governor signs bathroom bill criticized by advocates for transgender individuals  —  Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee (R) signed a controversial law regarding access to gender-specific bathrooms late last week, prompting cries of discrimination from advocates for transgender individuals.

Photo emerges of Republican barricading chamber doors during US Capitol attack after he compared rioters to ‘tourists’  —  ‘Do Georgians always barricade doors against normal, everyday tourists?’ one critic asked  —  A photo has emerged of Andrew Clyde, the Republican congressman who claimed …

Supreme Court to review Mississippi abortion law that advocates see as a path to diminish Roe v. Wade  —  The Supreme Court on Monday said it will review a restrictive Mississippi abortion law that opponents of the procedure say provides a clear path to diminish Roe v. Wade's establishment of the right of women to choose an abortion.