Republicans offer a vile new excuse for opposing a Jan. 6 commission  —  With Republicans gearing up to kill a commission to examine the Jan. 6 insurrection, they have offered a barrage of comically weak excuses.  They say the commission is “slanted,” that its work will overlap with other investigations …

Chris Cuomo took part in strategy calls advising his brother, the New York governor, on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations  —  CNN anchor Chris Cuomo advised his brother, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, and senior members of the governor's staff on how to respond …

Israel announces ceasefire after 11 days of fierce battle with Hamas in Gaza  —  Egyptian security source - whose country has been mediating between the sides - said they had agreed in principle to a mutual halt in hostilities.  —  The Israeli security cabinet voted to accept a ceasefire late Thursday …

The House: Democrats Would Have a Tough Slog Even Without Redistricting  —  Our hypothetical ratings of House 2022 if no district lines changed  —  KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE  — The reapportionment of House seats and pending redistricting has prevented us from releasing U.S. House ratings so far this cycle.

Fetterman poll shows him with a large lead in Democratic Pennsylvania Senate primary  —  Lt. Gov. John Fetterman holds the lead in a rare early poll of the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, winning 40 percent of likely Democratic voters, with Rep. Conor Lamb, D-Pa. …

Structural Antisemitism  —  When AOC says it's simplistic to say that Israel has a right to defend itself, she's right.  It is simple: Israel has a right to defend itself.  —  14 hr ago  —  Hi all,  —  Structural racism means different things to different people.

First vaccine boosters could be needed as soon as September, executives say  —  The first Americans who received their COVID-19 vaccines could need a “booster” shot of as soon as September, the CEOS of Pfizer and Moderna told Axios.  —  “The data that I see coming, they are supporting …

Barry Meier's “Spooked”  —  In a new book, former New York Times reporter Barry Meier denounces his fellow journalists with great sanctimony for considering information from private research companies like ours, Fusion GPS.  This past Sunday, The Times published an adaptation of the book …

One Claim About January 6 That Just Doesn't Add Up  —  Good afternoon!  There seem to be some technical difficulties on the good ship Substack today so this issue will be presented without pictures.  In the words of our former president: Sad!  —  This is also the end of week four of this newsletter …

J.D. Vance Is Making Everyone Mad on Twitter.  Can It Win Him a Senate Seat?  —  J.D. Vance, the writer and venture capitalist who might run for U.S. Senate in Ohio, became a media darling by building a bridge between two worlds.  Now, he's using Twitter to set that bridge on fire.

Thought Leader Jack Posobiec Joins Human Events Team as Senior Editor  —  Human Events is thrilled to announce the hiring of the extremely talented and influential Jack Posobiec as Senior Editor.  Most recently, Posobiec served as a correspondent and host for One America News Network.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signs law banning mask mandates in schools, cities and counties  —  Leaders of Iowa school districts cannot require students or staff to wear masks and Iowa cities and counties cannot impose mask mandates under a law Gov. Kim Reynolds signed early Thursday.

Sen. Bernie Sanders to introduce resolution of disapproval on $735 million U.S. arms sale to Israel  —  The action comes as Biden calls for a ‘significant de-escalation of hostilities’ between Israel and Hamas  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is preparing to introduce a resolution …

Are Republicans still democrats?  —  The Right's Long War on Majority Rule  —  This week FiveThirtyEight published a piece entitled “How The Republican Push To Restrict Voting Could Affect Our Elections.”  Included in the article is a graph that purports to chart “The GOP's eroding commitment to Democracy” …

Scoop: Biden leaning toward Thomas Nides as ambassador to Israel  —  President Biden is closing in on his pick for ambassador to Israel, with Thomas Nides, a former deputy secretary of state, most likely to be the pick, a source familiar with the process told Axios.

Lauren Boebert Falsely Claims Texas Hasn't Had a Single COVID-19 Death Since Lifting All Restrictions Two Months Ago  —  Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and other Republican lawmakers are rebelling against the requirement that members of Congress wear a mask while on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Statement attributable to UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi on the need to end US COVID-19 asylum restrictions  —  A Honduran family waits in the Kiki Romero gymnasium, Mexico, after being returned at the US-Mexico border under Title 42.  © UNHCR/Jeoffrey Guillemard

Maryland launches lottery for vaccinated residents, with $400,000 top prize  —  With vaccine demand dropping, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is launching a $2 million lottery that will hand out dozens of $40,000 cash prizes to state residents who have received the coronavirus vaccine — along with one grand prize of $400,000.

Inside Trump's push to oust his own FBI chief  —  Then-President Donald Trump sought to oust FBI Director Christopher Wray last spring and replace him with counterintelligence head William Evanina, according to three former Trump officials familiar with the episode.

Oversight Board overturns Facebook decision: Case 2021-005-FB-UA  —  The Oversight Board has overturned Facebook's decision to remove a comment under its Hate Speech Community Standard.  A majority of the Board found it fell into Facebook's exception for content condemning or raising awareness of hatred.

American democracy is in even worse shape than you think  —  Joe Biden so far has been an effective president, particularly in terms of managing the coronavirus vaccine rollout and making hard but necessary policy decisions such as moving to withdraw U.S. troops out of Afghanistan.

The Myth of Labor Shortages  —  Is the U.S. suffering from a labor shortage?  If so, capitalism has an answer.  —  The chief executive of Domino's Pizza has complained that the company can't hire enough drivers.  Lyft and Uber claim to have a similar problem.

Body-cam video shows Louisiana troopers stunned, hit and dragged Black man before his death  —  At first, police told Ronald Greene's loved ones that he died in a car accident — plowing into a tree late one night in 2019 after driving past a traffic stop, according to a lawsuit filed by the man's family.

U.S. Government Seizes 68 Protected Big Cats and a Jaguar from Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe  —  The United States has seized 68 protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids, and a jaguar from Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe's Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, pursuant to a judicially-authorized search …

Why Biden Is Right to Leave Afghanistan  —  Mr. Scahill is an investigative journalist who has extensively reported on the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  He is the author of “Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.”  —  When Joe Biden assumed the presidency in January …

Arizona's Absurd Election “Audit” Could Be Just the Beginning for Trump Dead-Enders  —  Even local Republicans are demanding that Maricopa County stop its dangerous “audit.”  But Trump and his allies are pushing for other states to use the partisan proceeding as a blueprint to undermine the 2020 results.

Selfies, Surgeries And Self-Loathing: Inside The Facetune Epidemic  —  The massively popular photo-editing app Facetune is driving a generation of young women to extreme and obsessive lengths to look flawless online.  —  Sky Lane scrolled through the pictures from an impromptu photo shoot she'd done …

Chinese authorities order video denials by Uyghurs of abuses  —  URUMQI, China (AP) — China has highlighted an unlikely series of videos this year in which Uyghur men and women deny U.S. charges that Beijing is committing human rights violations against their ethnic group.

IRS chief says agency is close to clearing backlog of 2019 tax returns  —  IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig on Wednesday estimated the agency would be able to clear its backlog of 2019 tax returns within 60 days.  —  During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Rettig …

What Happens When Americans Can Finally Exhale  —  This time last year, the United States seemed stuck on a COVID-19 plateau.  Although 1,300 Americans were dying from the disease every day, states had begun to reopen in a patchwork fashion, and an anxious nation was looking ahead to an uncertain summer.

Unnamed Likud officials: Netanyahu drawing out Gaza conflict to stop Lapid forming gov't  —  Sources in the Likud party tell the Ma'ariv newspaper there are concerns Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is extending the fighting in Gaza because Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid currently holds the mandate to form the next government.