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 …

As a vet spoke about Memorial Day's roots in Black history, his mic was cut.  It was no accident.  —  Retired Army Lt. Col. Barnard Kemter was midway through his speech at a Memorial Day ceremony in an Ohio cemetery when he started discussing the role that freed Black enslaved people played in an early event honoring Civil War dead.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

What Happens When Doctors Can't Tell the Truth?  —  I always thought that if you lived through a revolution it would be obvious to everyone.  As it turns out, that's not true.  Revolutions can be bloodless, incremental and subtle.  And they don't require a strongman.

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 …

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.”

Democrats Want to Destroy Democracy to Save It  —  Our democracy is in peril, according to unbiased experts of expertise who really want Joe Manchin to roll-over on the filibuster.  We have to pass the Perpetual Democrat Control Act now, or it's curtains for our democracy …

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 …

India and Israel Inflame Facebook's Fights With Its Own Employees  —  The social network wrongly bowed to government demands to take down content in the countries, employees said, in more signs of internal dissent.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — When India's government ordered Facebook and other tech companies …