Still a summit secret: What happened in Helsinki between Putin and Trump?  —  Democrats say they are no longer pursuing records of the private meeting.  —  Ahead of President Joe Biden's meeting Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, congressional Democrats said they are no longer seeking records …

Manchin outlines demands on voting legislation, creating an opening for potential Democratic compromise  —  Sen. Joe Manchin III, the sole Senate Democrat who is not sponsoring a sweeping voting rights and campaign finance bill, has outlined for the first time a list of policy demands …

Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, Forceful on Jan. 6, Privately Are in Turmoil  —  The far-right groups face a cash squeeze, internal discord, social-media cutoff and isolation from the financial system  —  The far-right group the Oath Keepers is splintering after board members accused the founder …

Leaked Audio of Sen. Joe Manchin Call With Billionaire Donors Provides Rare Glimpse of Dealmaking on Filibuster and January 6 Commission … West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, in a private call on Monday with a group of major donors, provided a revealing look at his political approach to the most thorny issues confronting lawmakers.

Republicans move to block inquiry into Trump DoJ's secret data seizure  —  Democrats are pushing for investigations into Trump's justice department for data seizures from Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff  —  Top Republicans are moving to block a Senate inquiry into the Trump justice department's secret seizure …

Gov. Ricketts says he is ‘opposed to critical race theory’  —  Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts this week said he is “opposed to critical race theory,” voicing an increasingly common opinion among Republican politicians.  —  The governor was asked about the concept Monday on his monthly call-in radio program …

Paul Gosar demands name of Capitol officer who killed rioter Ashli Babbitt, saying she was ‘executed’  —  In a hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) abruptly turned his questions for FBI Director Christopher A. Wray toward the Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt …

Why Remote Learning Is a Failure  —  Ms. Almagor teaches fourth grade at a public charter school in Washington, D.C.  —  Our prepandemic public school system was imperfect, surely, clumsy and test-crazed and plagued with inequities.  But it was also a little miraculous …

Leading Manhattan DA Candidate Has Repeatedly Paid Virtually No Federal Income Taxes  —  Tali Farhadian Weinstein, who donated $8 million to her own campaign, and her hedge fund manager husband paid nothing (or almost nothing) to the IRS four times in six years.  —  The Secret IRS Files

Biden Spending Plans Remain Popular  —  But presidential job rating takes a dip  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Joe Biden's job rating has taken a dip as progress on his spending plans has stalled.  The latest Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll finds a majority of the American public continues …

Mo Brooks gets arrest warrant for man who served lawsuit on his wife  —  U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks said Wednesday his wife has sworn out an arrest warrant for the man who served a lawsuit at their Huntsville home on June 6.  —  The Brooks have said they would seek the warrant for misdemeanor criminal trespassing …

Fox News trying to claim that Tom Hanks was ‘canceled’ is proof of its utter desperation  —  You may have a hard time understanding how Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head and Tom Hanks are connected, but that probably just means you haven't been watching nearly enough Fox News recently

Who Is Trump Reaching?  —  “The Republican Party is just a name,” Steve Bannon told me last week.  I had called him to ask about the influence he believes his old boss still carries inside the GOP.  “The bulk of it is a populist, nationalist party led by Donald Trump.”  As for the rest of it?

POLITICO Playbook: The folly of bullying Joe Manchin  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  President JOE BIDEN is scheduled to meet Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN for some five hours of talks in Geneva starting at 7:10 a.m. Eastern time.  It's their first meeting in a decade.

Federal judge blocks Biden's ban on leases for drilling on public lands  —  WASHINGTON — In a setback for President Joe Biden's efforts on climate change, a federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday blocked the administration's temporary ban on new leases to drill for oil and gas on public lands and ordered that lease sales continue.

Joe Biden's deserved, humiliating loss at the Supreme Court  —  You may not have heard, but a unanimous Supreme Court just dealt a well-deserved and humiliating defeat to the Biden administration.  —  Legal, criminal, and administrative questions were involved, but the central question was …

May she rest in peace: An in memoriam to Sen. Tom Carper's ‘Silver Bullet’  —  Dear readers, we have gathered here to say our goodbyes.  —  Here she lies: A minivan that knew her worth - more than half a million miles.  A member of the Chrysler family.  An iconic fixture in Delaware politics.

Israel strikes in Gaza after arson balloons launched  —  Israel says it has launched air strikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, after incendiary balloons were launched from the territory.  —  Explosions were heard in Gaza City in the early hours of Wednesday.

Conservative group launches effort to create an ‘NRA for families’  —  The American Principles Project is looking to unite families as a political force  —  Virginia parents battle school board over critical race theory  —  A conservative group is launching a new effort to create a …

The Forever-Trump Movement Has Won  —  The 45th president lost an election and incited a failed insurrection, but his grip on the GOP is absolute.  What's next for a party at war with democracy — and the future?  —  The heretics left the champagne and orange juice untouched, but the conversation flowed freely all the same.

White House digs deeper on border crisis  —  The immigration press release they sent out today opens on a couple of whoppers  —  Vice President Kamala Harris travels to Guatemala (Getty)  —  The Biden administration has repeatedly refused to take its self-created border crisis seriously.