Alleged US Capitol rioter who heckled police for ‘protecting pedophiles’ served jail time for statutory rape of 14-year-old girl  —  (CNN)A Trump supporter accused of storming the US Capitol and heckling police officers for “protecting pedophiles” previously served jail time after being convicted …

Sinema and Manchin's Nihilistic Bipartisanship  —  We are in the eye of the storm of American democratic collapse.  There is, outwardly, a feeling of calm.  The Biden administration is competent and placid.  The coronavirus emergency is receding nationally, if not internationally.

Government Finds No Evidence That Aerial Sightings Were Alien Spacecraft  —  The strange objects witnessed by Navy pilots remain unexplained, but officials briefed on a new study say they are not secret technology from a classified American program.  —  WASHINGTON — American intelligence officials …

What whistleblower case reveals about Florida's COVID response |  Miami Herald  —  What Rebekah Jones saw behind the scenes at the Florida Department of Health  —  Just hours after the police entered her home, guns drawn and warrant to seize her electronics in hand, Rebekah Jones …

As Trump readies summer rallies and speeches, allies worry he's stuck in the past  —  (CNN)A cadre of aides and advisers working to tame Donald Trump's obsession with the 2020 election, including his fixation with debunked voter fraud theories and ballot audits, are realizing the task at hand is much tougher than they thought.

Anthony Fauci urges China to release medical records of Wuhan lab workers  —  Biden adviser calls for help on solving question of whether Covid ‘leaked’ from facility  —  Joe Biden's chief medical adviser has called on China to release the medical records of nine people whose illnesses might …

Allen West resigns as chair of Texas Republican Party  —  The move raises speculation that West is preparing to run for a statewide office.  —  Copy link  —  Texas GOP Chairman Allen West announced his resignation Friday morning, raising speculation he could run for statewide office.

U.S. Employers Added 559,000 Jobs in May  —  Unemployment rate fell to 5.8% in a pickup of the labor market's recovery  —  U.S. employers added 559,000 jobs in May and the unemployment rate fell to 5.8%, in a pickup of the labor market's recovery from the pandemic amid signs that businesses struggled to fill job openings.

Facebook to end a longtime exception made for politicians who break its rules  —  The change is part of a series of responses to the Facebook Oversight Board's ruling on former president Trump.  —  Facebook plans to announce Friday that it will no longer automatically give politicians a pass …

A Top Editor Becomes Her ‘True Self’  —  Gina Chua is returning to the Reuters offices post-pandemic as one of the most senior transgender journalists in the country.  —  For most people, the pandemic lockdowns will be remembered as a time that shrank our worlds, stripping away most of life as we knew it.

Former University of Oklahoma volleyball player sues over exclusion from team because of political views  —  Kylee McLaughlin's attorney and the university both declined to comment on the lawsuit  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for June 3  —  Kylee McLaughlin, a former volleyball player …

USA Today fights subpoena aimed at readers of Florida FBI shooting story  —  Gannett, the publisher, contends that demand for details on who accessed article violates the First Amendment.  —  Sections of a USA Today newspapers rest together.  Newspaper publisher Gannett is fighting an effort …

FBI Director Compares Ransomware Challenge to 9/11  —  Christopher Wray points to Russian actors, calls for coordinated fight across U.S. society  —  FBI Director Christopher Wray said the agency is investigating about 100 different types of ransomware, many of which trace back to actors in Russia …

The racist legacy many birds carry  —  The birding community faces a difficult debate about the names of species connected to enslavers, supremacists and grave robbers  —  Corina Newsome is a Black ornithologist, as rare as some of the birds she studies.  —  When she joined Georgia Audubon …

Law enforcement kills man in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood  —  The shooting occurred on a parking ramp after felony suspect drew a handgun, authorities said.  —  TEXT SIZE  —  MORE  —  Law enforcement officers shot and killed a man during an attempted arrest Thursday afternoon in Minneapolis' Uptown neighborhood, sources said.

They gathered in Dallas to call for violence if they don't get their way  —  “Patriots” spent Memorial Day talking about the next act of violence they'll commit if they don't win future elections — and to hand their money to far-right grifters.  I snuck in to join them.  —  15 hr ago

PM Netanyahu shares article calling him an ‘icon of the global right’  —  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu retweeted statements made by MK Avichai Chikli shortly after Likud's Twitter account accused social media sites of “political censorship.”  —  “The overthrowing of Netanyahu will cause …

POLITICO Playbook: Tapper and Wallace take opposing tacks on GOP election deniers  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  Happy Friday, Playbookers.  If you thought President JOE BIDEN'S offer to keep the corporate tax rate at 21% might yield a breakthrough on infrastructure ... not so much.

How Is The GOP Adjusting To A Less Religious America?  —  When Ronald Reagan accepted the 1980 Republican presidential nomination, he ended his speech with a pious request.  —  “I'll confess that I've been a little afraid to suggest what I'm going to suggest — I'm more afraid not to …

Iranian warships appear to begin first Atlantic crossing as U.S. warns against weapons transfers  —  Two Iranian Navy ships rounded the Cape of Good Hope for the first time and appear to be headed across the Atlantic, continuing a journey U.S. officials believe could ultimately end in Venezuela …

Tiananmen: Hong Kong vigil organiser arrested on 32nd anniversary  —  Pro-democracy activist Chow Hang Tung has been arrested by Hong Kong police on the 32nd anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.  —  Ms Chow is vice chairwoman of the Hong Kong Alliance which organises annual vigils …

Spike in Sexual Assault Cases Involving Children Lead to Concerns  —  It is never an easy discussion when a child is victimized in a crime.  It is more concerning when there is an alarming spike in sexual assault cases involving children.  Over time, CMPD's Crimes Against Children Unit detectives …

Will Christians support new Israeli government?  Many will.  But one prominent Evangelical has declared war on Naftali Bennett, sent scathing letter denouncing him with profanity - ‘I will fight you every step of the way’ … JERUSALEM - The apparently imminent demise of the Netanyahu government …