The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19's Origins  —  Throughout 2020, the notion that the novel coronavirus leaked from a lab was off-limits.  Those who dared to push for transparency say toxic politics and hidden agendas kept us in the dark.  —  I. A Group Called DRASTIC

Biden offers major change to tax proposal in effort to secure infrastructure deal with Republicans  —  Instead of raising corporate tax rates to 28 percent, Biden has offered to create a new tax floor of 15 percent for businesses that pay very little.  —  President Biden signaled …

Trump Administration Secretly Seized Phone Records of Times Reporters  —  The admission by the Biden Justice Department followed similar recent disclosures to The Washington Post and CNN.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump Justice Department secretly seized the phone records of four …

Veteran's microphone cut off when he discusses Blacks' role in establishing Memorial Day  —  Event organizer turned down sound for part of speech; Speaker says he was censored by Hudson American Legion  —  HUDSON — What at first blush appeared to be a short audio malfunction at Monday's Memorial …

Law Student Who Made Fun of the Federalist Society Will Be Allowed to Graduate After All  —  Update, 9: 30 p.m.: Stanford has concluded that Nicholas Wallace engaged in protected speech, dropped its investigation, and lifted the hold on his diploma.  Wallace has confirmed that he will be allowed to graduate.

Trump has grown increasingly consumed with ballot audits as he pushes falsehood that election was stolen  —  Former president Donald Trump remains relentlessly focused on the false claim that the November election was stolen from him and is increasingly consumed with the notion …

Federal prosecutors looking into whether Gaetz obstructed justice  —  MIAMI — Federal prosecutors are examining whether Rep. Matt Gaetz obstructed justice during a phone call he had with a witness in the sex-crimes investigation of the Florida congressman, according to two sources familiar with the case.

Memorandum on Establishing the Fight Against Corruption as a Core United States National Security Interest … Section 1.  Policy.  Corruption corrodes public trust; hobbles effective governance; distorts markets and equitable access to services; undercuts development efforts …

COVID-19 cases hit lowest point in U.S. since pandemic began  —  The U.S. has brought new coronavirus infections down to the lowest level since March 2020, when the pandemic began.  —  The big picture: Nearly every week for the past 56 weeks, Axios has tracked the change — more often than not …

Candidate interrupted by sex toy on drone, punched at event  —  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M (AP) — A New Mexico sheriff who is running for mayor of Albuquerque was interrupted while on stage at a campaign event by a flying drone with a sex toy attached to it and a man who punched him.

Ellie Kemper and Twitter's Two Minutes Hate  —  Twitter's sidebar points to people who have been declared fair game for punching and the mob gleefully piles on  —  If you've spent any time in the land of online controversies this week, you may have heard that Ellie Kemper …

What Happens When Doctors Can't Speak Freely?  —  Whole areas of research are off-limits.  Top physicians treat patients based on their race.  An ideological ‘purge’ is underway in American medicine.  —  1 hr ago … ‘People Are Afraid to Speak Honestly’

Why the Manhattan District Attorney Should Have Trump Worried  —  Donald Trump's case won't be Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance's first high-profile prosecution.  —  On May 25, the day after Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced that he had convened a criminal grand jury …

Republican senators managed to outdo themselves in cowardice  —  Republican senators have managed to outdo themselves in cowardice — which is quite a feat.  —  Last week's Senate vote blocking a national commission to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol was even more appalling …

Rep. Mo Brooks is avoiding an insurrection lawsuit.  Rep. Eric Swalwell hired a private investigator to find him.  —  (CNN)Republican Rep. Mo Brooks is avoiding a lawsuit from his Democratic colleague Rep. Eric Swalwell that seeks to hold him accountable for the January 6 Capitol insurrection …

Looking to themselves, Palestinians expect little from Israeli changes.  —  Negotiating as the clock ran down, Israeli parties ranging from the left to the far right, including an Arab bloc, agreed on a coalition government. … Here's what you need to know:  —  Israeli opposition makes a coalition deal to topple Netanyahu.

Sources: Dem lobbying firm under federal investigation for Burisma work  —  The Justice Department is investigating the work of a consulting firm linked to the president's son for potential illegal lobbying, four people familiar with the probe told POLITICO.

Want to Stop Ransomware Attacks?  Ban Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies.  —  Let's say you're a hacker who wants to extort money from a big corporation.  A decade or two ago, you might have hacked into their systems, stolen some data, and sold it for pennies on the dark web or demanded money for its return.

Cuomo accuser: 'He's like Darth Vader, he scares everyone' … Lindsey Boylan, the first woman to accuse New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) of sexual harassment, called him an “abusive man” and compared him to “Darth Vader” in an interview on Hill.TV's “Rising.”

Fighting Woke Capital  —  Our biggest institutions are blocking us from pursuing a good American life.  —  The following text is adapted from the keynote speech delivered at the “What to do about Woke Capital?” conference sponsored by the Claremont Institute's Center for the American Way of Life …

Katie Hill ordered to pay $220,000 in attorneys' fees in revenge porn case  —  Former Rep. Katie Hill has been ordered to pay about $220,000 in attorneys' fees to a British tabloid and two conservative journalists she sued in her unsuccessful revenge porn lawsuit.