The GOP keeps reinforcing the real reason it opposes a Jan. 6 commission  —  It's as if Republicans were trying to prove they were just doing this for political reasons  —  One of the most stupefying aspects of the fast-emerging GOP resistance to a Jan. 6 commission is how they ever even allowed it to get to this point.

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 …

Trump administration secretly obtained CNN reporter's phone and email records  —  Washington (CNN)The Trump administration secretly sought and obtained the 2017 phone and email records of a CNN correspondent, the latest instance where federal prosecutors have taken aggressive steps targeting journalists in leak investigations.

Blinken confirms the U.S. does not want to buy Greenland after Trump proposal  —  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday confirmed that the United States does not seek to buy Greenland, after then-President Donald Trump had proposed buying the island, sparking diplomatic fallout.

Martin Bashir: Inquiry criticises BBC over ‘deceitful’ Diana interview  —  The BBC fell short of “high standards of integrity and transparency” over Martin Bashir's 1995 interview with Princess Diana, an inquiry has found.  —  Bashir acted in a “deceitful” way and faked documents to obtain the interview, the inquiry said.

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.

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 …

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. …

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.

Arizona vote ‘audit’ sinks deeper into insanity as state GOP chair threatens her own officials with arrest  —  The Trump-backed “audit” of the 2020 election in Arizona is sinking deeper into madness, as Arizona GOP Chairwoman Kelli Ward this week threatened her own party's officials with arrest.

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 …

Chickpea of the Sea  —  While meat consumption has for decades been scrutinized for its contributions to climate change, the world is only just starting to reckon with the climate tolls of the commercial-fishing industry.  —  For example, a study published in March in the journal Nature found …

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” …

Military: More than half of force unvaccinated amid hundreds of COVID-19 cases each day  —  The Defense Department admitted Thursday the force is still far from safety as many troops continue declining to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  —  For months, the military has struggled to convince service members …

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.

MBS's lawsuit against a Saudi spy threatens to spill secrets.  The U.S. should intervene.  —  The Biden administration, worried about possible disclosure of sensitive counterterrorism operations, is considering whether to intervene in a lawsuit that pits a former Saudi spymaster against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

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.

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.

CNA Financial Paid $40 Million in Ransom After March Cyberattack  —  CNA Financial Corp., among the largest insurance companies in the U.S., paid $40 million in late March to regain control of its network after a ransomware attack, according to people with knowledge of the attack, Bloomberg News reports.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

Biden signs anti-Asian hate crimes legislation  —  President Joe Biden on Thursday signed into law anti-hate crime legislation in response to the surge of attacks on Asian Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic.  —  “Every time we're silent, every time we let hate flourish …

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 …

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.

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.

Florida Man and Self-Identified Proud Boy Arrested for Assault on Law Enforcement During Jan. 6 Capitol Breach  —  Defendant Became Aggressive and Violent with Police Trying to Protect the Capitol Building from Rioters  —  Note: A full copy of the charging documents can be viewed here.

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 …

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.