Police did not clear Lafayette Park area so Trump could hold ‘Bible’ photo op: Watchdog  —  The inspector general's findings shed new light on a major controversy.  —  U.S. Park Police did not clear Lafayette Park and the nearby area of protesters on June 1, 2020, so President Donald Trump …

Trump administration pursued CNN reporter's records in months-long secret court battle  —  Washington (CNN)The Trump administration battled with CNN for half a year to obtain the email records of a reporter and insisted it all take place under an extraordinary order of secrecy, CNN's lead attorney revealed on Wednesday.

From the synagogue to the Senate: The busiest Democratic senator you've probably never heard of … Larry Rosen and Doug Emhoff bonded because of their powerful wives.  As two of the only men in the book club for spouses when their other halves served as senators, they became good friends.

Stephen Breyer's Apparent Retirement Plan Will Backfire  —  The New York Times reported last month that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, age 82, has been resisting calls for his retirement from fellow progressives.  The reason?  Breyer apparently worries that retiring in the face …

Justice Department says it can ‘vigorously’ defend religious schools' exemption from anti-LGBTQ discrimination laws  —  The Justice Department in a court filing Tuesday said it can “vigorously” defend a religious exemption from federal civil rights law that allows federally funded religious schools …

Biden administration to buy 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses to donate to the world  —  The Biden administration is buying 500 million doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine to donate to the world, as the United States dramatically increases its efforts to help vaccinate the global population …

There's A Stark Red-Blue Divide When It Comes To States' Vaccination Rates  —  Loading...  It's less than a month until the Fourth of July, which was President Biden's goal for 70% of American adults to have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.  —  It looks like it's going to be a stretch to get there.

House Republican demands West Point cease critical race theory trainings to military cadets  —  Rep. Mike Waltz said enemies 'don't care about race, religion, or socioeconomic background'  —  Rep. Michael Waltz exposes racial indoctrination at West Point  —  EXCLUSIVE: Republican …

State GOPs Can't Explain Millions In ‘Trump Victory’ Cash  —  “These joint fundraising practices amount to little more than legalized money laundering,” said Brendan Fischer, director of federal reform at the Campaign Legal Center.  —  Months after the Federal Election Commission notified …

Keystone XL Oil Project Abandoned by Developer  —  Decision ends a yearslong effort to pipe more Canadian crude to the U.S.  —  Canada's TC Energy Corp. and the Albertan provincial government said Wednesday they would scuttle the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, bringing to an end …

White House ‘Perplexed’ By Kamala Harris Performance on First Foreign Policy Trip: CNN  —  Unnamed White House “insiders” were left “perplexed” by the performance of Vice President Kamala Harris on her recent trip to Guatemala and Mexico to address the root causes of the immigration problems at the US Southern border.

Democratic Rep. Val Demings announces challenge to GOP Sen. Marco Rubio … WASHINGTON — Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., made her Senate bid official Wednesday, announcing that she plans to challenge GOP Sen. Marco Rubio for his seat next year.  —  Demings made the announcement in a three-minute-long video …

Exclusive: US businesses warn crumbling infrastructure is hurting the economy  —  New York (CNN Business)As infrastructure negotiations between the White House and a GOP Senate group broke down this week, business executives are warning that aging infrastructure is holding America back.

A doctor falsely told lawmakers vaccines magnetize people: ‘They can put a key on their forehead.  It sticks.’  —  Sherri Tenpenny, a Cleveland-based doctor invited as an expert witness Tuesday to a hearing in the Ohio House, had a grave warning for legislators about coronavirus vaccines.

Story retracted  —  Editor's note (6/8/21): Earlier today, Media Matters published a story stating that Texas state Sen. Bob Hall had “appeared on the program of a white nationalist, pro-Hitler outlet that denies the Holocaust.”  After publication, we were made aware that the program in question …

An open letter on U.S. media coverage of Palestine  —  From journalists, to journalists: Why reporting on Palestine has to change.  —  Finding truth and holding the powerful to account are core principles of journalism.  —  Yet for decades, our news industry has abandoned those values in coverage of Israel and Palestine.

Five Former Treasury Secretaries: Fund the IRS  —  The authors are former U.S. Treasury secretaries.  Mr. Geithner and Mr. Lew served under President Barack Obama, Mr. Paulson under President George W. Bush, and Mr. Rubin and Mr. Summers under President Bill Clinton.

Trump is sabotaging the GOP's Senate prospects  —  The former president's growing involvement in primaries is jeopardizing Republican chances of winning back the majority.  —  Former President Trump could have been an important asset for the GOP, turning out voters as it seeks to regain control …

Bogus Social Media Outrage Is Making Authors Change Lines in Their Books Now  —  Elin Hilderbrand writes novels about people who summer in Nantucket and have lots of family secrets and complicated love lives.  The books—whose covers feature beach scenes with women in sun hats …

My Fellow Republicans, Stop Fearing This Dangerous and Diminished Man  —  Ms. Comstock, a Virginia Republican and a lawyer, was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2015 to 2019.  —  When Donald Trump, the patron saint of sore losers, appeared at a Republican event on Saturday night …

The Curious Rise of Twitter Power Broker Yashar Ali  —  I'm extremely upset.  Yashar Ali delivers this news as he settles into a booth in the lobby of Santa Monica's Proper Hotel.  His eyes are red and puffy—he's clearly been crying—and his voice cracks with emotion when he speaks.

Former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci announces campaign for Ohio governor, challenging incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine  —  COLUMBUS - Three years ago, former U.S. Rep. Jim Renacci dropped out of the governor's race to run a half-hearted U.S. Senate bid.  —  Now he's back to challenge incumbent Gov. Mike DeWine.

Jewish Democratic lawmakers consider condemning Ilhan Omar for likening Hamas to Israel and US  —  WASHINGTON (JTA) — Jewish Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives met Wednesday to discuss antisemitism.  The 25 members of the unofficial caucus ended up fulminating about a fellow Democrat …

The case for prosecuting Donald Trump  —  Saving American democracy for the long run requires a clear condemnation of the Trump presidency.  That means making clear that no one is above the law.  —  Norms in a democracy are only as good as our willingness to enforce them.

The Disturbing New Hybrid of Democracy and Autocracy  —  In 2015, Daniel Obajtek was the county commissioner of Pcim, a tiny district south of Kraków and north of the Polish-Slovak border.  “County commissioner” is perhaps a grand-sounding title, but I can't find a better one.

On What Planet Does Louie Gohmert Live?  —  Louie Gohmert asked, during a climate change hearing, if the Bureau of Land Management was influencing the orbit of the Earth or maybe the Moon or maybe something solar flares.  —  Views:  —  Either Louie Gohmert is the best performance artist on Planet Earth, or he's... Louie Gohmert.

Dre(a)dfully fake outrage  —  The New Yorker's contribution to the “cancel culture” rage machine is embarrassing.  —  2 hr ago  —  Last month, I wrote an article about the expansion of Fox News' annual “War on Christmas” narrative into a year-long freakout, which was itself an expansion …

Dog ejected from car during Sunday crash found on sheep farm, herding sheep  —  Tilly, the 2-year-old Border Collie who was ejected from a car Sunday during a crash, has been found.  —  He was found on a sheep farm, where he had apparently taken up the role of sheep herder.

How Far Are Republicans Willing to Go?  They're Already Gone.  —  Mr. Edsall contributes a weekly column from Washington, D.C. on politics, demographics and inequality.  —  Determined to enforce white political dominance in pivotal states like Georgia, Arizona, Texas and North Carolina …

‘Redneck’ TikTok User Burns Confederate Flag After Discovering Its History  —  A TikTok user has documented herself burning the Confederate flag after learning about its history and modern-day use.  —  @TikTok_hates_me__ shared the clip on June 6, writing “I'm sorry I ever showed I was ‘racist’ from a flag.