As countries condemn Belarus flight diversion, critics accuse West of similar tactics  —  In an elaborate ploy, a Ryanair flight from Athens to Vilnius on Sunday was forced to land in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, over a bomb scare that Belarusian authorities appear to have engineered.

Key impeachment witness Gordon Sondland sues Mike Pompeo and U.S. for $1.8 million in legal fees  —  President Donald Trump's former ambassador to the European Union, Gordon Sondland, is suing former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and the U.S. government for $1.8 million to compensate …

The Circumstantial Evidence at Wuhan Lab Keeps Growing  —  Did COVID-19 Put Three Wuhan Lab Researchers in the Hospital?  Or Just ‘Common Seasonal Illness’?  —  It would be preferable if this Sunday's big Wall Street Journal scoop had a few more specifics attached to it:

Commerce Department security unit evolved into counterintelligence-like operation, Washington Post examination found  —  An obscure security unit tasked with protecting the Commerce Department's officials and facilities has evolved into something more akin to a counterintelligence operation …

The campaign for D.C. statehood just got a big boost  —  One of the most nettlesome objections to extending congressional representation to the residents of Washington, D.C., is that it requires a constitutional amendment.  Many Republicans say this, which is hardly surprising.

The Associated Press fired a reporter over social media use — and what it means for other news outlets  —  Should journalists be expected to erase who they are for the sake of appearing to be objective?  News outlets need to refine these policies.  —  The big buzz in the media the past few days …

They tried to overturn the 2020 election.  Now they want to run the next one.  —  Republicans who sought to undercut or overturn President Joe Biden's election win are launching campaigns to become their states' top election officials next year, alarming local officeholders and opponents …

Whitmer apologizes after photo shows her at bar violating her own order  —  Lansing — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued an apology Sunday after a photo emerged showing her at a restaurant with 12 other people gathered around tables pushed together in violation of her health department's current epidemic order.

Amazon Nears Deal to Buy Hollywood Studio MGM  —  Deal for the ‘Rocky’ and ‘James Bond’ studio would mark tech company's second largest-ever acquisition  —  Amazon.com Inc. is nearing a deal to buy the Hollywood studio MGM Holdings for almost $9 billion including debt, said people familiar with the matter …

Conservatives have a new target: Biden's IRS plan  —  Add another obstacle to the growing list President Joe Biden faces in his negotiations over his massive spending plans: mounting opposition to one of the ways to pay for his proposal — growing the IRS.  —  Conservative groups have launched …

Judge Reveals More About the ‘Principal Lies’ Paul Manafort Told to Robert Mueller  —  A federal judge unsealed nearly half a dozen files on Monday itemizing the “principal lies” Donald Trump's since-pardoned former campaign chair Paul Manafort allegedly told special counsel Robert Mueller's team …

Bob Dylan Refused to Be the Voice of a Generation  —  As the Boomers' most revered singer-songwriter turns 80, it's amusing to look back at how he rejected the Flower Children.  —  As the children of the Sixties tried to crown Bob Dylan their poet laureate, he refused.

Simone Biles Dials Up the Difficulty, ‘Because I Can’  —  The Olympic gold medalist's new vault is so dangerous that gymnastics, for now, limits the scoring rewards for trying it.  Biles says that's unfair.  —  INDIANAPOLIS — Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in history …

What the Tulsa Race Massacre Destroyed  —  THE MARQUEE BLOCK  —  More than 70 businesses operated in mostly one-, two- and three-story red brick buildings clustered along the block.  All but a couple were owned by Black entrepreneurs.  —  In this stretch alone, there were four hotels …

Matan Arad-Neeman  —  We write to you as proud alumni of your campaign.  Each of us worked tirelessly in your headquarters and in states across the country to ensure your victory.  We were motivated by the unprecedented progressive platform of your campaign that believed in the dignity of every human being …

Weightlifting, Gatorade, birthday calls: Inside Biden's day  —  During a speech in Pittsburgh in March, President Biden held up the index card he keeps in his right breast pocket to track the nation's covid deaths, inadvertently revealing a glimpse of his private schedule on the back side.

As hurricane season looms, Biden doubles funding to prepare for extreme weather  —  Administration will also launch new NASA initiative aimed at collecting better climate data  —  President Biden will announce Monday afternoon that he's doubling the amount of money the U.S. government …

Israel's Problems Are Not Like America's  —  Rereading Exodus, the schmaltzy 1958 best seller about Israel that became a Hollywood movie starring Paul Newman, I was surprised by something I hadn't noticed as a teenager.  The author, Leon Uris, describes a utopia of brave young pioneers in khaki shorts …

EXCLUSIVE: Leaked State Department Memo Indicates Official Support for BLM Agenda  —  A source within the Biden State Department wishing to remain anonymous has shared with Human Events News a document that indicates that all U.S. “Diplomatic and Consular posts” are being encouraged …

National Guard to depart Capitol nearly 5 months after Jan. 6 riot  —  National Guard troops are slated to decamp from Capitol Hill this week, nearly five months after thousands were deployed to safeguard Congress amid fears of further unrest after the violent Jan. 6 insurrection.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs bill stopping social media from banning politicians  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an anti-Big Tech bill on Monday that would stop social media companies from kicking users off their platforms and prevent online censorship.

If Democracy Is Dying, Why Are Democrats So Complacent?  —  If you've followed recent Democratic messaging, you'll have heard that American democracy is under serious attack by the Republican Party, representing an existential threat to the country.  If you've followed Democratic lawmaking …

EXCLUSIVE: Court action seeks probe of Trump's Scottish golf course buys  —  The Scottish government is facing a new legal challenge over its February rejection of a motion to investigate former U.S. President Donald Trump's all-cash purchases of two golf courses, reviving an effort to force Trump to disclose how he financed the deals.

30 observations from my first vaccinated flight  —  Everything you hated about flying is back, baby.  —  Many people took a hiatus from travel last year, because — well, you know why.  Road warriors stayed home.  Newlyweds put off their honeymoons.  But now that millions of people …

The Next Best Option if a January 6 Commission Fails  —  In a bipartisan vote last week, the House passed legislation to create an independent national commission to investigate the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.  A 9/11-style commission is the best option for uncovering the truth …

Are We Entering a New Political Era?  —  The neoliberal order seems to be collapsing.  A generation of young activists is trying to insure that it's replaced by progressive populism, not by the fascist right.  —  Last June, when most Americans could agree that their country was in crisis …