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 …

Changing on Israel, Democrats Turn Toward Iran  —  There was a time in American politics stretching all the way back to Harry Truman when political and financial leaders in the Jewish community were staunch supporters of the Democratic Party.  Especially the national Democratic Party in presidential elections.

Nord Stream 2: Biden waives US sanctions on Russian pipeline  —  The Biden administration has waived sanctions on a company building a controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany.  —  The US also lifted sanctions on the executive - an ally of Russia's Vladimir Putin - who leads the firm behind the Nord Stream 2 project.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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” …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A Cease-Fire Is Not Enough When It Comes to Hamas  —  Since war broke out in Israel last week, President Joe Biden has walked a fine line.  His administration has touted its high-level diplomacy in hopes of reaching a cease-fire, while also defending Israel's right to defend itself.

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 …

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.

Chief Justice John Roberts: From key swing vote to potential bystander?  —  Almost seven months after Justice Amy Coney Barrett's swearing-in, the Supreme Court is set to take on a case that could redefine abortion law in the United States.  The court announced Monday that it will review …

‘His death is a catastrophe’: Gaza doctors mourn specialist killed in air strike  —  Without warning, an Israeli air strike destroyed the four-storey building in the Gaza Strip where Dr Ayman Abu al-Ouf lived early on Sunday.  —  The doctor, who was head of internal medicine …

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. …

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.

EXCLUSIVE: Former FBI director Louis Freeh gave $100,000 to a private trust for Joe Biden's grandchildren and spoke with the then vice president in 2016 ‘to explore lucrative future work options’ with Hunter as the middle man  — DailyMail.com can reveal former FBI director Louis Freeh gave $100,000 …

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.

Facebook ‘Fact Checkers’ Punish and Censor Debate on Climate Science  —  Steven Koonin is one of the country's top physicists.  He worked for President Barack Obama, a Democrat, as Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy.  Science Feedback, one of Facebook's …

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 …

POLITICO Playbook: Biden's big Bibi test  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  On Wednesday night, it seemed like Israeli PM BENJAMIN NETANYAHU might be heeding JOE BIDEN'S call for peace.  —  Case in point, this news breaking late last night: “Israel and Hamas Near Cease-Fire Amid Mounting Pressure …

Stark Racial Disparities Persist in Vaccinations, State-Level CDC Data Shows  —  Black Americans' covid-19 vaccination rates are still lagging months into the nation's campaign, while Hispanics are closing the gap and Native Americans show the highest rates overall, according to federal data obtained by KHN.

Justin Amash warns of painting Liz Cheney as a ‘hero’ and questions why she spoke out about Trump  —  (CNN)Justin Amash, former Republican-turned independent congressman, argued that propping up GOP Rep. Liz Cheney as “some sort of hero” for breaking with her party about former President Donald Trump …