Belarus arrests dissident after forcing Ryanair flight to land  —  Order by President Lukashenko to divert plane to Minsk prompts outrage in Europe  —  European leaders have called for an immediate international response after Belarus forced a Ryanair flight bound for Lithuania to land …

Collins expresses support for Jan. 6 commission, with conditions  —  Sen. Susan Collins on Sunday said she supported the establishment of an independent commission to probe the Jan. 6 insurrection and expressed optimism that Democrats' House-passed bill to do so could make it through the Senate with some modifications.

Dismissed in 2012, this diagnosis of GOP ills has now become undeniable  —  (CNN)The essay described congressional extremists, their rejection of truth, a party turning into authoritarians or “an apocalyptic cult.”  It bore a striking headline:  —  “Let's just say it: The Republicans are the problem.”

Rand Paul: 'I'm not getting vaccinated'  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Sunday that he will not be getting vaccinated against COVID-19.  —  During an interview with John Catsimatidis on his radio show on WABC 770 AM, Paul, an ophthalmologist, said he he's making the personal decision because he's already had COVID-19.

Republicans struggle to define a new governing coalition as Trump closes grip on party  —  WATERFORD, Mich. — The Republican Party's metamorphosis starkly showed this week in the faceoff between a parade float championing Donald Trump and “Mr. Perks,” an 18-foot pink pig on wheels emblazoned with the words “End Washington Waste.”

Influential GOP pollster Frank Luntz's research is a ‘total schtick and scam’ that relies on manipulated focus groups, former employees say  — Luntz is an influential pollster who helps shape Republican talking points  — Former Luntz employee Chris Ingram criticized his old boss in an interview

Fauci ‘not convinced’ COVID-19 developed naturally  —  Fauci's recent remarks show an evolution in the doctor's beliefs on coronavirus origins over the past year  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for May 22  —  Dr. Anthony Fauci says he is “not convinced” COVID-19 developed naturally …

Police records show threats to kill lawmakers in wake of Capitol attack  —  Leaked files show how police stepped up surveillance efforts after January insurrections for signs of violence from far-right groups  —  Washington's Metropolitan police department recorded threats to lawmakers …

Polling places for urban voters of color would be cut under Texas Senate's version of voting bill being negotiated with House  —  Voters in some urban, Democratic areas of Harris and Tarrant counties would see a drastic drop in polling places under the Senate version of Senate Bill 7, a Texas Tribune analysis shows.

Trump's GOP is a Party of Snowflakes and Beta Males  —  MAKE AMERICA SOFT AGAIN … The party's patient careerists believe that swallowing their pride and sublimating their anger, opinions and even familial loyalties is the way to win the long game.  It's pathetic.

George Will: “I'd Like To See January 6 Burned Into The American Mind As Firmly As 9/11”  —  George Will said on ABC's “This Week” roundtable that the Capitol riot on January 6 deserves to be “burned into the American mind as firmly as 9/11, because it was that scale of a shock to the system.”

Biden adviser: President will ‘change course’ in infrastructure talks if inaction seems inevitable  —  Washington (CNN)White House senior adviser Cedric Richmond said Sunday that President Joe Biden will “change course” on his massive infrastructure bill if inaction on the costly proposal seems inevitable.

Columbia Prep students and parents reel after class on ‘porn literacy’  —  Parents at the posh Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School are outraged they were never told of a fourth “R” being added to the curriculum: raunch.  —  In addition to the usual reading, 'riting and 'rithmetic …

Have Trump Republicans lost their grip on reality, or are they just lying to pollsters?  —  Following the 9/11 attacks, the main question on all Americans' minds was who was responsible.  Once it was determined to be al-Qaeda, the second question that demanded an answer was how U.S. intelligence agencies …

Ex-Trump ambassador says former President ‘absolutely’ bears responsibility for January 6 riot  —  Washington (CNN)A former Republican senator and member of Donald Trump's administration said Sunday that he thinks the ex-President bears some responsibility for the Capitol insurrection …

Former Defense secretary: No Republican president I worked for would recognize GOP today  —  Robert Gates, the former Defense secretary under both the Bush and Obama administrations, said in an interview aired on Sunday that of the five Republican U.S. presidents he worked for …

Can America Be America When Jews Are Beaten in the Streets?  —  George Washington's promise to American Jews helped define this nation.  Breaking that promise would define us again.  —  7 hr ago  —  It happened again.  As war raged between Hamas and Israel over there in the Middle East …

QAnon is spreading amongst evangelicals.  These pastors are trying to stop it  —  When Pastor James Kendall stepped on to the stage of his small church in Madera, California he knew that day's sermon was going to take him in a direction unlike most.  He had seen some troubling Facebook posts from members of his congregation.

‘I Said Nothing Wrong’: Marjorie Taylor Greene Doubles Down on Comparing Pelosi to Nazis, Says ‘Rational’ Jewish People Should Also Oppose ‘Overbearing Mask Mandates’  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) doubled down on her controversial comments comparing Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) …

The mob made me do it: Rioters claim Jan. 6 crowd at fault  —  Christopher Grider said he came to Washington on Jan. 6 with no intention of rioting.  But he got caught up in the mob of angry supporters of then-President Donald Trump as they surged into the U.S. Capitol, breaking through police barriers and smashing through doors.

Nikole Hannah-Jones at the Summit  —  The Pulitzer Prize-winning force behind “The 1619 Project” has begun the descent that favored radicals of the past such as Rigoberta Menchú suffered after people began to scrutinize their claims.  —  Nikole Hannah-Jones was having a very good year.

C.D.C. Is Investigating a Heart Problem in a Few Young Vaccine Recipients  —  The agency is reviewing several dozen reports that teenagers and young adults may have developed myocarditis after vaccination, officials said.  But the agency has not determined whether the vaccine caused the condition.

Biden's COVID aid: Is it ‘preference’ or ‘prejudice’?  —  President Biden has spoken out often, eloquently and passionately against the “ugly poison” of discrimination and racism in our government.  So a ruling by a federal district court in Texas this week was particularly jarring …