Saudi Operatives Who Killed Khashoggi Received Paramilitary Training in U.S.  —  The training, approved by the State Department, underscores the perils of military partnerships with repressive governments.  —  WASHINGTON — Four Saudis who participated in the 2018 killing …

Voting Rights Bill Will Be Blocked by the Anti-Democratic System It Seeks to Reform  —  Let our journalists help you make sense of the noise: Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily newsletter and get a recap of news that matters.  —  Congressional Democrats' signature voting rights bill …

US seizes Iranian news sites under unclear circumstances  —  DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — American authorities took down a range of Iran's state-linked news websites under unclear circumstances on Tuesday, the U.S. and Iran said, a move that appeared to be a far-reaching crackdown …

Ground Temperatures Hit 118 Degrees in the Arctic Circle  —  Newly published satellite imagery shows the ground temperature in at least one location in Siberia topped 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) going into the year's longest day.  It's hot [Siberia] Earth summer, and it certainly won't be the last.

Biden's Justice Dept may defend Trump in Capitol riot lawsuits  —  Former U.S. President Donald Trump may have an unlikely ally to defend him against lawsuits alleging he incited the U.S. Capitol insurrection: President Joe Biden's Justice Department.  —  The Biden administration paved …

When an Eel Climbs a Ramp to Eat Squid From a Clamp, That's a Moray  —  Moray eels can hunt on land, and footage from a recent study highlights how they accomplish this feat with a sneaky second set of jaws.  —  In the video, forceps nudge a piece of squid that sits on a ramp as an offering.

Gov. Abbott vetoes bipartisan anti dog-chain bill.  Twitter responds with #AbbottHatesDogs.  —  “Pancake” gets some attention after Governor Greg Abbott, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick and Speaker Dennis Bonnen speak at the Governor's Mansion on January 9, 2019.  —  Texans love their dogs, no doubt.

Pelosi to appoint select committee to investigate January 6, sources say  —  (CNN)House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plans to appoint a select committee to investigate the January 6 attack on the US Capitol after Senate Republicans blocked the creation of an independent commission to probe the insurrection …

Trump Wanted His Justice Department to Stop ‘SNL’ From Teasing Him  —  “SNL” amounted to “nothing less than unfair news coverage and Dem commercials,” Trump tweeted in 2018, pondering whether his thought “should be tested in courts, can't be legal?”  —  It was the middle of Donald Trump's presidency …

Scoop: Lincoln Project's Law Firm Concludes Independent Investigation of John Weaver Allegations  —  The independent investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver, and whether the anti-Trump group's leadership covered up those allegations, has concluded.

The Trailer: New York mayor's primary crashes to an end, with plenty of questions and a long wait for results.  —  In this edition: New York City votes, social conservatives bring more Latinos for the party, and Donald Trump returns to New Jersey's airwaves (thanks to Democrats).

Scoop: Longtime C-SPAN political editor Steve Scully leaving network  —  Longtime C-SPAN political editor and on-air host Steve Scully is leaving the network on July 2, Axios has learned.  He will join the Bipartisan Policy Center as SVP of communications.  —  Why it matters: Scully has been with C-SPAN for over three decades.

So when is Trump going to turn on Gov. Ron DeSantis?  —  For most of the summer of 2015, Donald Trump was leading the field of Republicans vying for the party's presidential nomination.  By August, though, he faced a new threat: Neurosurgeon Ben Carson had emerged from the pack behind him to surge into second place.

Rich Lowry stepping down as editor of National Review's print magazine  —  Rich Lowry, the longtime editor of the conservative opinion magazine National Review, is stepping down from his role overseeing the print publication to focus on more strategic long-term initiatives as the company's editor-in-chief, Lowry tells Axios.

Fauci Warns Dangerous Delta Variant Is The Greatest Threat To U.S. COVID Efforts  —  The dangerous Delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading so quickly in the United States that it's likely the mutant strain will become predominant in the U.S. within weeks, according to federal health officials and a new analysis.

153 people resigned or were fired from a Texas hospital system for refusing to get vaccinated  —  Houston Methodist was one of the nation's first health systems to impose a coronavirus vaccine mandate.  —  More than 150 health-care workers who did not comply with a Houston-based hospital …

Garland Rebuffs a Potential Broad Look at Trump-Era Justice Dept.  —  The attorney general said that various inspector general inquiries would help uncover any wrongdoing and that he wanted to avoid politicizing the work of career officials.  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick B. Garland backed away …

How the GameStop Hustle Worked  —  How hedge funds and brokers have manipulated the market.  —  In the aftermath of the GameStop run-up in January, retail investors found telltale signs of a common yet egregious trading fraud by major brokers and hedge funds.

Iowa Poll: Majority of Iowans disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as president  —  President Joe Biden's approval rating among Iowans is underwater six months into his term in office, with 43% approving of the job he is doing and 52% disapproving in the latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll.

“I need you to just be there.  I need you to hold my story.”  —  Andrew Kaczynski on grieving publicly on social media — and his ongoing work to raise awareness about childhood cancer.  —  6 hr ago … We found out Francesca had a brain tumor on September 6, 2020.

They Relied on Chinese Vaccines.  Now They're Battling Outbreaks.  —  More than 90 countries are using Covid shots from China.  Experts say recent infections in those places should serve as a cautionary tale in the global effort to fight the disease.  —  Mongolia promised its people a “Covid-free summer.”

Britney Spears Quietly Pushed for Years to End Her Conservatorship  —  Confidential court records obtained by The Times reveal that the singer has urged changes to the arrangement that controls her life, and her father's role in leading it.  —  In the years since a judge gave the father …

‘Stop talking right now’: University of Oklahoma training shows instructors how to censor, indoctrinate students  —  Do you question whether refusing to use preferred pronouns is hate speech?  You can't — writing on that topic is “not acceptable.”  —  Think Black Lives Matter shouldn't engage in property destruction?

What Biden — and a lot of other people — get wrong about journalists  —  Journalism has never been the most admired of professions, and in recent years the rap on its practitioners has only gotten worse.  —  Gallup puts trust in the news media at about 40 percent nationally …

The big questions on Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and the allegedly ‘all-White’ beach club  —  It's not entirely clear whether Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) has indeed belonged to an all-White beach club.  What is clear is that he has handled questions about it poorly and that it remains inexplicable that we don't know more by now.

White House admits: We won't get to 70% vaccinations by July 4  —  In fairness, this isn't a failure of the Biden administration — at least, not directly.  We have the vaccines.  We have the logistics to deliver them.  In fact, vaccinations are now available on demand throughout the US.

Nearly 900 Secret Service employees got COVID … Nearly 900 Secret Service employees tested positive for COVID-19 between March 1, 2020 and March 9, 2021, according to government records obtained by CREW.  The vast majority served in protection jobs, either as Special Agents or in the Uniformed Division.

Mike Lindell Promises ‘Donald Trump Will Be in Office by This Fall, For Sure’  —  Thousands of right-wing activists gathered in Tampa, Florida, last weekend for a “Restore America” rally that featured a cavalcade of election, COVID-19, and QAnon conspiracy theorists as speakers.

Job Approval of Biden Steady, Congress Down  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fifty-six percent of Americans approve of the job President Joe Biden is doing overall, essentially unchanged from 54% in May. Biden's approval rating has averaged 56% since he took office, with his monthly approval ratings straying …

Iowa abortion law requiring 24-hour waiting period permanently blocked by district court  —  William Morris Stephen Gruber-MillerDes Moines Register  —  An Iowa judge has permanently blocked a state law requiring women to wait 24 hours before getting an abortion.

Shawnna Bolick, author of bill to reject voters' presidential choice, running to be top elections official  —  State Rep. Shawnna Bolick, who sponsored legislation earlier this year that would have allowed the legislature to reject voters' selection in presidential races, is running to become Arizona's top elections official.

America's school teachers aren't the Marxist cabal Fox News keeps depicting … Following George Floyd's murder last year, my principal emailed parents with suggested readings to help students understand the protests sweeping the nation.  Teachers were given the green light — if we felt comfortable — to discuss the events in class.

Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser resigns, blames bitter divorce battle waged by Morgan Stanley executive husband  — Connecticut state Sen. Alex Kasser announced that she is resigning her seat, which represents Greenwich and parts of Stamford and New Canaan.

Exclusive: Biden's top intelligence official says COVID origins may never be known  —  The top U.S. intelligence official said in an interview with Yahoo News on Monday that the true origin of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed 600,000 Americans and almost 4 million people worldwide, may never be known.

Portland police halt minor traffic stops, citing disparity  —  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police in Oregon's largest city are being advised to no longer pursue low-level traffic infractions — including expired plates and broken headlights — unless related to an immediate safety threat, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Tuesday.