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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

FauciEmails Reveal A Career Bureaucrat Who Followed Political, Not Medical, Science  —  Jack Posobiec: “White House staff are actively discussing an exit strategy for Dr Anthony Fauci following the release of his emails yesterday, per WH official” … This has been a terrible, horrible …

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 …

Trump ends blog after 29 days, infuriated by measly readership  —  Upset that it was being mocked for low traffic, Trump ordered his team Tuesday to put the blog out of its misery  —  Former president Donald Trump's blog, celebrated by advisers as a “beacon of freedom” …

Israeli opposition forms government in deal that could end Netanyahu's career  —  Israeli opposition leaders have brokered a power-sharing agreement that will allow them to form a government and drive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from power, one of the top coalition members announced.

Time could be running out for infrastructure deal  —  The White House is making it increasingly clear that time is running out to craft a bipartisan agreement on rebuilding the nation's infrastructure, taking a sharper tone that could soon clear Democrats to act on their own …

Lake Highlands High Valedictorian Pulls Switcheroo on Commencement Speech  —  You know the drill.  Every valedictorian has to get her speech approved before she delivers it at commencement.  You can't let high school kids — even really smart, hardworking, responsible kids — just get up and say whatever they want to say.

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.

NFL pledges to halt ‘race-norming,’ review Black claims  —  PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The NFL on Wednesday pledged to halt the use of “race-norming” — which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive function — in the $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims and review past scores for any potential race bias.

MyPillow Guy Says He ‘Probably’ Inspired Trump's Idea of an August Restoration  —  “If Trump is saying August, that is probably because he heard me say it,” Lindell told The Daily Beast. … Donald Trump now has the notion in his head that he could return to the White House in August.

Tucker Carlson, data wizard  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson has a job in which he can say absolutely anything he wants, so he does: Last month, he misused federal health data to stir up fears that coronavirus vaccines kill in possibly shocking numbers.  Then, on Tuesday night …

NASA is going back to Venus  —  NASA has chosen two new missions to unlock the mysteries of Earth's evil twin: Venus.  —  Why it matters: This marks the first time the space agency will send dedicated missions to the cloudy planet in more than 30 years.  —  What's happening …

Murderer Cop Derek Chauvin Begs for Light Sentence, Citing ‘Broken System’  —  SOME NERVE  —  Derek Chauvin, the white former Minneapolis police officer convicted of the murder of George Floyd, has requested a judge reduce his sentence to time served or probation.

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.

UN sounds alarm over threat posed by emboldened Taliban, still closely tied to al Qaeda  —  (CNN)An emboldened Taliban poses a severe and expanding threat to the government of Afghanistan, remains close to al Qaeda, and believes it can return to power by force if necessary …

Russia-Linked Group Behind JBS Attack Revels in ‘Audaciousness’  — Revil recruits talent online and promises profits for partners  — Companies with cyber-insurance ‘tastiest morsels’ for hackers  —  They patronize hacking forums to recruit affiliates, advertise profit-sharing schemes …

The Fake History of the Filibuster Won't Die Senators keep repeating a made-up origin story.  —  Advocates of the Senate filibuster can be proud of one thing.  They have successfully carried out an extraordinarily effective propaganda campaign.  They have convinced much of the country …

Far-Right Vigilante's ‘Alarming’ Gubernatorial Run Has Some Bracing for Chaos  —  Ammon Bundy is currently barred from entering the Idaho state Capitol where he would ostensibly need to conduct official business.  But his campaign is anything but a joke.  —  BOISE, Idaho—Far-right agitator …

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 …

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 …

UNC and right-wing cancel culture  —  The University of North Carolina is one of America's great educational institutions — that's not easy to say as a Wake Forest graduate married to a Duke alumna.  —  But UNC's cherished history of excellence is being challenged by right-wing political yahoos interfering in its academic affairs.

Judge rules against Noem in fireworks lawsuit; Noem vows to appeal for 2022  —  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A federal court has ruled there will be no Fourth of July fireworks at Mount Rushmore.  —  Judge Roberto A. Lange said today in the ruling that while fireworks on July 3 “at first blush” …

Right-wing pastor gets Covid after saying vaccines were part of ‘mass death campaign’ … A right-wing Florida pastor was hospitalized with Covid-19, weeks after saying vaccination efforts were part of a “mass death campaign.”  —  The pastor, Rick Wiles, wrote Tuesday on TruNews.com …

Taxpayers to foot mounting legal bills over Cuomo probes  —  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Taxpayers are set to foot the bill for a $2.5 million contract for lawyers representing Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office in an ongoing federal investigation over his administration's handling of COVID-19 data in nursing homes, the governor said Wednesday.