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.

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” …

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 …

What Did Fauci Tell Trump About Wuhan?  —  Newly disclosed emails about the possibility of a laboratory origin for the pandemic.  —  Highly skilled in the ways of Washington, Dr. Anthony Fauci persuaded a reluctant President Donald Trump to endorse shutting down much of the U.S. economy in the spring of 2020.

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 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 …

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 …

Republican senators' failure to investigate Jan. 6 is worse than their impeachment performance  —  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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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” …

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 …

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.

‘In every single way, we are trying to make it easy,’ says CDC Director  —  CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky talks with Chris Hayes about getting more Americans vaccinated, following President Biden's goal to vaccinate 70% of Americans by the Fourth of July.

White House weighs sending states' unused vaccine doses abroad — before they expire  —  The Biden administration is considering donating states' unused doses of vaccine to countries in need, two senior officials involved in the discussions told POLITICO.  —  States have built up stores …

Tampa man pleads guilty to felony in Jan. 6 Capitol riot; his recommended prison sentence could set bar for other cases  —  A Tampa man who carried a Trump flag into the well of the Senate on Jan. 6 pleaded guilty Wednesday to one felony count of storming the Capitol to obstruct Congress's certification …

The Utterly Embarrassing Failure to Quickly Send Extra U.S. Vaccine Doses Overseas  —  President Biden, speaking at the White House, May 4:  —  We've already committed to work to send 60 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries, starting this month and into June.