Justice official resigning amid uproar over Dems' subpoenas  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department's top national security official is resigning from his position after revelations that the department secretly seized record s from Democrats and members of the media.

The Health Benefits of Coffee  —  Drinking coffee has been linked to a reduced risk of all kinds of ailments, including Parkinson's disease, melanoma, prostate cancer, even suicide.  —  Americans sure love their coffee.  Even last spring when the pandemic shut down New York …

Former NSA contractor Reality Winner, jailed for leaking secrets about Russian hacking, released early from prison … Reality Winner, the former National Security Agency contractor who was jailed for leaking secrets about Russian hacking, has been released early from prison, her lawyer said Monday.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell On President Biden Judicial Nominees, A New “JCPOA”  —  GOP Senator Mitch McConnell joined me this morning:  —  Audio:  —  06-14hhs-mcconnell  —  Transcript:  —  HH: Joined now by an old friend of show, Senate Leader of the GOP, Mitch McConnell.

There's not going to be a post-presidency revelation that submarines Trump  —  There was a theory, to which I once subscribed, that former president Donald Trump's efforts to remain salient in American politics could be hobbled by what might be learned after he left office.

First on CNN: FBI warns lawmakers that QAnon ‘digital soldiers’ may become more violent  —  Washington (CNN)The FBI has warned lawmakers that online QAnon conspiracy theorists may carry out more acts of violence as they move from serving as “digital soldiers” to taking action in the real world following the January 6 US Capitol attack.

China's ‘Bat Woman,’ at the Center of a Pandemic Storm, Speaks Out  —  Shi Zhengli, a top virologist, said in a rare interview that speculation about her lab in Wuhan was baseless.  But China's habitual secrecy makes her claims hard to validate.  —  To a growing chorus of American politicians …

North Korean defector says ‘even North Korea was not this nuts’ after attending Ivy League school  —  Yeonmi Park escaped the oppressive regime in 2007 at the age of 13  —  'America's future is as bleak as North Korea' says defector after attending Columbia

GOP Senator Says Democracy, Majority Rule Aren't What Our Country Stands For Rand Paul gets a little too honest about his beliefs.  —  One of the edifying side effects of the Trump era has been that, by making democracy the explicit subject of political debate, it has revealed the stark fact …

Schumer apologizes after using outdated term for disabled children during housing interview  —  Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer apologized on Monday for using an outmoded word to refer to developmentally disabled children during a recent podcast appearance.

2020 was the deadliest gun violence year in decades.  So far, 2021 is worse.  —  The shootings have come at a relentless pace.  Gun violence this year has cut through celebrations and funerals, places of work and houses of worship.  It has taken lives at a grocery store and in a fast-food drive-through lane.

Capitol Rioter Who Raided Pelosi's Office Makes Kremlin TV Debut Ahead of Putin Summit  —  BIG DEBUT  —  In the countdown to the summit between the two presidents, pro-Kremlin TV saw it fit to interview an infamous Capitol rioter and describe him as “an American patriot.”

Diamond and Sulk: A Weekend With Mike Lindell and the MAGA Zombies  —  The phone rings and it's Mike Lindell, the MyPillow Guy, recovered cocaine addict, believer that the 2020 presidential count was 20 million off, and, apparently, a fan of 1970s AM Radio.  After saying hello and introducing myself …

Coronavirus infections dropping where people are vaccinated, rising where they are not, Post analysis finds  —  States with higher vaccination rates now have markedly fewer coronavirus cases, as infections are dropping in places where most residents have been immunized and are rising …

House GOP prays Trump can kick his habit of 2020 grievances  —  Donald Trump just can't seem to quit 2020.  That means Republicans can't either.  —  The former president is returning to the national spotlight with plans to play a central role in the GOP's push to reclaim power …

Exclusive: US assessing reported leak at Chinese nuclear power facility  —  (CNN)The US government has spent the past week assessing a report of a leak at a Chinese nuclear power plant, after a French company that part owns and helps operate it warned of an “imminent radiological threat,” …

Are Democrats doomed in the midterms?  Not if they can do this first.  —  The midterm elections will take place in approximately 500 days.  Which is exactly why some Democratic strategists believe it's urgent to begin executing their midterm strategy right now — nearly a year and a half in advance.

Anna Paulina Luna says potential political opponents conspired to kill her  —  Luna said in the injunction that she got word of a plan against her life.  The people mentioned say it's “nonsense.”  —  Updated Just now  —  Anna Paulina Luna, a candidate for Florida's 13th Congressional District …

A Covid Update  —  We have the latest on the Delta variant.  —  It's time for one of this newsletter's occasional updates on the state of the pandemic.  The brief version: The situation continues to look reassuring for anybody who is vaccinated — but has become more worrisome for anybody who is not …

America's contest of nightmares isn't even close  —  America is in a contest of contending nightmares.  —  The dreams of conservatives are currently troubled by “wokeness” and critical race theory.  As with most nightmares, there is a grain of truth within such terrors.

Vermont becomes first state to reach 80% vaccine threshold  —  Vermont Gov. Phil Scott (R) announced Monday that 80% of its eligible population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  —  Why it matters: Vermont is the first state in the country to reach that threshold.

‘Full of s—’: Candidates warned not to fake Trump endorsement  —  Lynda Blanchard donated nearly $1 million to pro-Donald Trump political committees, served as his ambassador to Slovenia and launched her Alabama Senate campaign with a video spotlighting her Trump bumper sticker-adorned pickup truck.

Ana Navarro Defends Jeffrey Toobin's CNN Return on ‘The View’: “He Was Not Sexually Harassing Somebody, He Was Sexually Harassing Himself”  —  On today's episode of The View, the co-hosts tore into Jeffrey Toobin's return to CNN last Thursday (June 07) after he exposed himself on a New Yorker Zoom call last Fall.

These 25 rainbow flag-waving corporations donated more than $10 million to anti-gay politicians in the last two years  —  This month, corporations are plastering their social media avatars with rainbows, sponsoring Pride parades, and declaring their unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ community.

Vatican Warns U.S. Bishops: Don't Deny Biden Communion Over Abortion  —  Conservative American Catholic bishops are pressing for a debate over whether Catholics who support the right to an abortion should be allowed to take Communion.  —  ROME — The Vatican has warned conservative American bishops …

‘Never quit:’ Former Cleveland Mayor Dennis Kucinich running for mayor again  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — Four decades after last holding the position, Dennis Kucinich, the Democratic former Boy Mayor, U.S. congressman and presidential candidate who made his name saving Cleveland Public Power's predecessor …

Barack Obama: Women have found themselves “in an impossible situation”  —  We're the only newsroom dedicated to writing about gender, politics and policy.  Subscribe to our newsletter today.  —  The 19th was recently invited to interview President Barack Obama around a series of themes tied …

Leaked Chats Show Ex-Marine Wants to Make Maine Safe Space for Neo-Nazis  —  “We are white nationalist preppers.”  —  Ben Makuch  —  A neo-Nazi and ex-Marine who coordinated a national counterprotest on the anniversary of George Floyd's murder, is making plans to turn Maine into an all-white ethnostate.

The Enduring False Narrative About the PULSE Massacre Shows the Power of Media Propaganda  —  Politicians and activists should stop ratifying the fiction that Omar Mateen was motivated by anti-LGBT hatred.  It dishonors the victims and obscures the real motive.  —  2 hr ago

Exclusive: Nikki Fried's Campaign Site Was Liberal in English, Moderate in Spanish Until She Was Questioned  —  Nikki Fried, Florida's agriculture commissioner, a rising star among state Democrats who hopes to defeat Governor Ron DeSantis next year if she wins the primary …