GOP frets behind the scenes over potential Trump 2024 bid  —  Republicans largely oppose forming a commission to examine the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, hoping to block out further Donald Trump-induced chaos while they try to retake Congress next year.  —  The former president is making clear he isn't going anywhere.

Democrats Are Running Out of Time  —  Anxiety is growing among a broad range of civil-rights, democracy-reform, and liberal groups over whether Democrats are responding with enough urgency to the accelerating Republican efforts to both suppress voting and potentially overturn future Democratic election victories.

Understanding QAnon's Connection to American Politics, Religion, and Media Consumption  —  THREE COMPONENTS OF THE QANON CONSPIRACY MOVEMENT  —  Three Components of the QAnon Conspiracy Movement  —  The far-right conspiracy theory movement known as QAnon emerged on the internet in late 2017 …

Biden to Propose $6 Trillion Budget to Boost Middle Class and Infrastructure  —  The president's plans to invest in infrastructure, education, health care and more would push federal spending to its highest sustained levels since World War II.  —  WASHINGTON — President Biden will propose …

‘The only Bush who got it right,’ as far as Trump is concerned  —  No Republican political family has been as tormented by Donald Trump as the Bush dynasty.  —  Now Trump has one more opportunity to twist the knife, as George P. Bush — the last remaining Bush in public office …

San Jose Shooter Was Previously Questioned by Law Enforcement Over Hatred of Workplace  —  Samuel Cassidy was detained in 2016 by border officials who also found he possessed books about terrorism  —  U.S. Customs officers previously detained the man who killed nine people in San Jose …

The Senate: Sununu's Vital Choice  —  Dear Readers: Virginia lost one of its most prominent and successful political figures on Tuesday, as former Sen. John Warner (R-VA) died at the age of 94.  Warner served for three decades in the Senate (1979-2009), becoming known for his expertise …

Rush Limbaugh's Radio Show to Be Taken Over by Clay Travis and Buck Sexton  —  Duo's show to begin airing in the coveted weekday time slot on June 21 in hundreds of markets  —  The Rush Limbaugh replacements are in, as Clay Travis and Buck Sexton will take over his three-hour conservative talk radio show …

POLITICO Playbook: GOP dreads the return of Trump rallies  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  FILIBUSTER DAY — It's taken longer than anyone expected, but the first GOP filibuster of a big JOE BIDEN priority in the Senate is expected today when Republicans plan to block legislation to create a Jan. 6 commission.

Emails Tie Top Trump Exec Allen Weisselberg to Yet Another Trump Financial Scandal  —  Allen Weisselberg is in the hot seat—and that's bad news for Donald Trump and his family.  Assorted news reports have identified Weisselberg, the chief financial officer of the Trump Organization …

Gun Church That Worships With AR-15s Bought a 40-Acre Compound in Texas for Its ‘Patriots’  —  The Rod of Iron Ministries has become more militant since leader Hyung Jin “Sean” Moon attended the riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6.  —  TO  —  A religious sect known for worshipping …

Biden Admin Can't Guarantee Taxpayer Aid Won't Enrich Hamas  —  State Department's allocation of $100 million in Palestinian aid prompts concerns  —  As the Biden administration allocates more than $100 million in U.S. taxpayer aid to the Palestinian government and aid groups …

Book reveals Bernie's hotel demands: King-size beds and 60-degree rooms  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is a demanding hotel guest whose requirements would make even the most pampered celebrity blush, according to a new book detailing Democratic Party politics.

Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates Explore Changes to Foundation  —  The philanthropists have discussed adding a board and outside directors in wake of divorce filing, people familiar with matter say  —  Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates are discussing changes to the structure …

A Wave of Afghan Surrenders to the Taliban Picks Up Speed  —  Dozens of besieged outposts or bases, and four district centers, have given up to the insurgents this month, in an accelerating rural collapse as American troops leave.  —  MEHTARLAM, Afghanistan — Ammunition was depleted inside the bedraggled outposts in Laghman Province.

Guilty Parties Two entrepreneurs have built a business dredging up white women's shame.  —  Were White Fragility to be adapted as reality TV, the result might look something like this: A collection of affluent white women, equipped with varying degrees of vanity and self-delusion, gather at a well-appointed dinner table.

Trump's Supporters Are Getting the Lab-Leak Story Backwards  —  Suppose it's true.  Suppose the coronavirus spread throughout the world from a Chinese lab.  What then?  —  A ferocious early promoter of the idea that the coronavirus was a Chinese attack was the Trump White House's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

Atlanta councilman Antonio Brown, who voted to defund police, has car stolen  —  An Atlanta mayoral candidate who voted to defund millions of dollars from the local police department's budget reportedly had his car stolen by a group of young thieves this week.

Prosecutors announce fresh charges against ‘Maga Caravan’ leader, others in January 6 insurrection  —  Washington (CNN)The self-proclaimed leader of the “Maga Caravan,” which led dozens of vehicles to Washington, DC, to a rally held by former President Donald Trump, was charged with allegedly …

‘No vaccine!’:  Woman arrested for allegedly driving through vaccination site in protest, nearly hitting workers  —  As a coronavirus vaccination tent was set up in the hope of inoculating more residents in Maryville, Tenn., sheriff's deputies working at the site this week saw an SUV speeding their way …

Ex-US intel chief to ‘Post’: Biden is surrendering to Iran  —  If Biden administration re-enters a nuclear deal with Iran and lifts sanctions on the regime, this will be like giving them another airplane full of cash.  —  President Joe Biden's national security team appears …

Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities? … ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Built in the 1950s to speed suburban commuters to and from downtown, Rochester's Inner Loop destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses, replacing them with a broad, concrete trench that separated downtown from the rest of the city.

Exclusive: Meet The Murky Russian Network Behind An Anti-Pfizer Disinformation Drive In Europe  —  A network of Russian marketing companies known for selling dubious nutritional supplements and pushing malware is behind a disinformation campaign to denigrate Western coronavirus vaccines, according to a new RFE/RL investigation.

'They wouldn't care if I was dead' — staffer fallout from Jan. 6 continues  —  A congressional staffer froze recently when elevator doors opened and there stood a member of the House who has downplayed the violence of the Jan. 6 insurrection.  Some congressional employees are shaken …

Exclusive: Evictions of Palestinians could spark further conflict, Blinken warns  —  Secretary of State Tony Blinken warned Israeli leaders on his visit to Jerusalem this week that evictions of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem or further unrest on the Temple Mount could spark renewed …

Emily Wilder's firing is a story of bad faith, not bad tweets.  Newsrooms must do better.  —  There's a lot of talk in journalism circles these days about social media rules.  —  What kind of things, exactly, are journalists allowed to tweet or post on Facebook without running afoul of their newsrooms' policies?

UNC board to reexamine tenure for Nikole Hannah-Jones  —  The board's initial decision to give the award-winning journalist a five-year contract, not tenure, reflects a politicization of state university boards that could affect recruiting, learning and equity.

Report alleges Missouri lawmaker had sex with teen when he was a cop  —  JEFFERSON CITY — A Missouri lawmaker allegedly used his position as a cop to receive a “sexual favor” from an intoxicated teenage girl in 2015 and his boss, the Pike County sheriff, is accused of attempting to obstruct …