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.

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 …

‘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 …

How China Can Quash the Wuhan Lab-Leak Theory  —  What a difference a year makes.  In 2020, discussing the hypothesis that Covid-19 originated in a Chinese lab could get your video yanked from YouTube.  Many journalists dismissed such talk as a conspiracy theory, and many scientists insisted it was fake science.

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 …

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?

Are Democrats sleepwalking toward democratic collapse?  —  “I'm not sure people appreciate how much danger we're in.”  —  Donald Trump may be out of Washington, but his spirit very much lives on in the party he left behind.  This month, Republican congressional leaders Kevin McCarthy …

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 …

Democrats Are Running Out of Time  —  Voting-rights advocates are scared that the White House isn't taking Republican threats to the ballot seriously enough.  —  Anxiety is growing among a broad range of civil-rights, democracy-reform, and liberal groups over whether Democrats are responding …

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.

Killer of 8 in California had talked of workplace attacks  —  SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — An employee who gunned down eight people at a California rail yard and then killed himself as law enforcement rushed in had talked about killing people at work more than a decade ago, his ex-wife said.

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.

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 …

Ron DeSantis Forces Cruise Ships to Take Unvaccinated Passengers It's not like they're doing something harmful, like ordering a gay wedding cake.  —  A few years ago, conservatives became obsessed with the legal travails of a bakery that refused to sell a wedding cake to a gay couple.

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.

US democracy is still in the danger zone  —  Threat has outgrown Trump as Republican states seek to control what happens in future elections  —  Early into Donald Trump's presidency, the Economist Intelligence Unit downgraded the US to a “flawed democracy”.  Unfortunately it still belongs there.

U.S. Jobless Claims Extend Decline to New Pandemic Low  —  Claims, a proxy for layoffs, edged lower to 406,000 in the week ended May 22  —  Worker filings for jobless benefits fell again to a fresh pandemic low, extending a steady downward trend and adding to signs of a healing labor market as the economy opens more fully.

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.

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 …

Juan Williams Is Suddenly Out at Fox News' ‘The Five’—And Insiders Are Blaming Co-Host Greg Gutfeld  —  Multiple sources familiar with the matter said Gutfeld said a major driver behind Williams' departure was Gutfeld's desire for “The Five” to return to the studio.

Biden Budget Said to Assume Capital-Gains Tax Rate Increase Started in Late April  —  Congress must still approve any rate changes and retroactive effective dates  —  WASHINGTON—President Biden's budget assumes that his proposed capital-gains tax rate increase took effect in late April …