The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax  —  The Secret IRS Files  —  In 2007, Jeff Bezos, then a multibillionaire and now the world's richest man, did not pay a penny in federal income taxes.  He achieved the feat again in 2011.

Joe Manchin is opposing big parts of Biden's agenda as the Koch network pressures him  — The Koch network has been pressuring Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to oppose key parts of the Democratic agenda, including filibuster reform and voting rights legislation.  — That lobbying effort appears to be paying off.

Capitol Police had intelligence indicating an armed invasion weeks before Jan. 6 riot, Senate probe finds  —  The U.S. Capitol Police had specific intelligence that supporters of President Donald Trump planned to mount an armed invasion of the Capitol at least two weeks before the Jan. 6 riot …

U.S. defending presidency, not trying to ‘save Trump,’ in recent legal moves  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden's Justice Department aimed to shield the presidency, not Donald Trump, with its latest action in a defamation case brought by a woman who accuses the former president of raping her, legal experts said.

Sidney Powell Just ‘Eviscerated’ Her Own Legal Defense, Experts Say  —  “That seems like an extremely damaging admission from Ms. Powell,” a top lawyer says.  —  Sidney Powell lost the plot.  —  To protect herself from a billion-dollar defamation lawsuit, the Trumpist lawyer was supposed …

U.S. report concluded COVID-19 may have leaked from Wuhan lab - WSJ  —  A report on the origins of COVID-19 by a U.S. government national laboratory concluded that the hypothesis of a virus leak from a Chinese lab in Wuhan is plausible and deserves further investigation …

A Ranked Choice Cheat Sheet We asked New Yorkers about their ranked-choice-voting strategies.  —  Picking who to vote for in an election with a crowded field, numerous scandals, and New York City's recovery at stake is already a difficult task — but picking five candidates?

Global sting: Secure FBI-run messaging network tricks crooks  —  THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Criminal gangs divulged plans for moving drug shipments and carrying out killings on a secure messaging system secretly run by the FBI, law enforcement agencies said Tuesday, as they unveiled …

How America Fractured Into Four Parts  —  Nations, like individuals, tell stories in order to understand what they are, where they come from, and what they want to be.  National narratives, like personal ones, are prone to sentimentality, grievance, pride, shame, self-blindness.

Democrats are giving up on their greatest achievement since the 1960s  —  The pandemic boost to unemployment benefits has helped millions of Americans  —  The $600 boost to unemployment benefits passed in the CARES Act last year was the best policy passed in this country since the 1960s.

Why I Stopped Hiring Ivy League Graduates  —  Even those who aren't woke seem damaged by the experience, and they're deprived of role models.  —  I'm not inclined to hire a graduate from one of America's elite universities.  That marks a change.  A decade ago I relished the opportunity …

Antony Blinken's Rock & Roll Heart  —  The U.S. secretary of state talks worshiping Clapton, crashing White House concerts, and the time he jammed with Hüsker Dü's Grant Hart  —  On the plane home from Jordan, Antony Blinken seems relieved to be talking about something other than his day job.

Record-High 70% in U.S. Support Same-Sex Marriage  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. support for legal same-sex marriage continues to trend upward, now at 70% — a new high in Gallup's trend since 1996.  This latest figure marks an increase of 10 percentage points since 2015 …

Why a Judge Has Georgia Vote Fraud on His Mind: ‘Pristine’ Biden Ballots That Looked Xeroxed  —  When Fulton County, Ga., poll manager Suzi Voyles sorted through a large stack of mail-in ballots last November, she noticed an alarmingly odd pattern of uniformity in the markings for Joseph R. Biden.

EXCLUSIVE: Hunter Biden addressed his white lawyer as ‘n***a’ multiple times, used phrases like ‘true dat n***a’ and bantered 'I only love you because you're black,' in shocking texts unearthed days after Joe's emotional Tulsa speech decrying racism  — Text messages obtained …

Sen. Johnson and Colleagues Request Answers from DOJ on Unequal Application of Justice to Protestors  —  WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), along with senators Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas), sent a letter on Monday …

New York Times Made Staff Nix Pro-Union Images, Guild Says  — Complaint filed with NLRB says publisher violated labor law  —  A New York Times Co. employee union is accusing the newspaper publisher of violating federal labor law by restricting its tech workers from showing support for the NewsGuild.

James Murdoch spent $100 million to help fund political causes during 2020 election cycle  — James Murdoch, the son of billionaire media mogul Rupert Murdoch, quietly invested $100 million into his nonprofit foundation, which then used a chunk of the money to fund political groups during the 2020 election cycle.

Rebekah Jones' Twitter account suspended, citing ‘platform manipulation,’ ‘spam’  —  Rebekah Jones, who formerly maintained Florida's COVID-19 dashboard but was fired last year as she raised concerns about transparency, was suspended Monday from Twitter for “platform manipulation and spam.”

Why Cruise Ship Vaccination Requirements Are Different from Those of Other Institutions  —  A huge part of life is drawing distinctions.  —  This requires observation, foresight for likely consequences, and judgment — and even then, you can still get it wrong.  This is hard.

Newsmax turned down embattled Republican Matt Gaetz for a job -spokesperson  —  Conservative media outlet Newsmax, a favorite of former President Donald Trump's, rejected embattled Republican U.S. Representative Matt Gaetz's request for a job, a spokesperson for the website said on Monday.

Erdan to AP CEO: Hamas worked on anti-Iron Dome tech in AP Gaza building  —  Hamas had intelligence, research and development offices in building Israel struck last month.  —  Hamas worked on a device to disrupt the Iron Dome missile defense system in the same building in Gaza …

Democrats control the language of politics and culture — but for how long?  —  Elections are won by creating a contrast between you and your opponent.  Republicans are not doing a very good job at creating that contrast right now; they seem to acquiesce when Democrats define the issues.

Fresh Off Twitter Ban, Naomi Wolf To Headline Anti-Vax “Juneteenth” Event  —  Organizers told me they found that date appropriate because the ending of slavery and resistance to vaccines are both about “liberation”  —  Three groups opposed to Covid restrictions, masks …

Florida's Ron DeSantis Wants to Cancel Education About Systemic Racism  —  An authoritarian governor—and 2024 GOP presidential prospect—seeks to bar teaching on how slavery, segregation, and white supremacy have shaped policy.  —  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is running for president in 2024.