Top US general rejected Trump suggestions military should ‘crack skulls’ during protests last year, new book claims  —  General's response to Gaetz's question leaves him shaking his head  —  Washington (CNN)The top US general repeatedly pushed back on then-President Donald Trump's argument …

New York Suspends Giuliani's Law License  —  A state appellate court concluded that as Donald J. Trump's personal lawyer, Rudolph Giuliani, had lied about election fraud.  —  A New York appellate court suspended Rudolph W. Giuliani's law license on Thursday after a disciplinary panel found that he made …

FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework … Today, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced their support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and competitiveness in nearly a century …

Nearly all COVID deaths in US are now among unvaccinated  —  Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren't vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine.

Why I'm Leaving Mumford & Sons  —  I loved those first tours.  Bouncing off a sweaty stage in an Edinburgh catacomb we then had to get to a gig in Camden by lunch the next day.  We couldn't fit all four of us and Ted's double-bass into the VW Polo.  I think it was Ben who drew the short-straw …

More than 50 unaccounted for in deadly Surfside, Florida, building collapse, official says  —  Video shows moment building collapses in Florida  —  Surfside, Florida (CNN)An intense search and rescue effort is underway after part of a 12-story residential building collapsed early Thursday …

Inside the extraordinary effort to save Trump from covid-19  —  His illness was more severe than the White House acknowledged at the time.  Advisers thought it would alter his response to the pandemic.  They were wrong.  —  This article is adapted from “Nightmare Scenario …

Does a New Florida Law Require State Universities to Monitor Faculty and Student Beliefs?  —  Why is straight reporting on educational reform measures so difficult.  —  “Florida Gov signs law requiring students, faculty be asked to declare their political beliefs,” blares a headline from The Hill.

Defund the military?  GOP's anti-woke crusade dips into dicey territory.  —  If there's one thing Republicans have made clear over the past year, it's that defunding those who protect us is a dangerous — and politically toxic — idea.  The GOP has utilized a small but passionate portion …

‘Neither I, Nor OAN, Are Suggesting Anyone Should Be Executed,’ Says Guy on OAN Who Suggested People Should Be Executed For Election Fraud  —  On Thursday, One America News host Pearson Sharp attempted to clarify on-air remarks suggesting that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump …

Lord of the Roths: How Tech Mogul Peter Thiel Turned a Retirement Account for the Middle Class Into a $5 Billion Tax-Free Piggy Bank  —  The Secret IRS Files  —  Billionaire Peter Thiel, a founder of PayPal, has publicly condemned “confiscatory taxes.”  He's been a major funder …

Exclusive: 48 Republican Senators Demand Withdrawal of Pistol Brace Ban That Would Affect Millions  —  Forty-eight Republican senators signed a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday slamming the Biden Administration's plan to ban most pistol braces.

Contracts call for probe into Wisconsin vote ‘illegalities’  —  MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Retired police officers hired by Wisconsin Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos are being paid $3,200 a month to investigate “potential irregularities and/or illegalities” in the 2020 presidential election …

The mRNA Vaccines Are Extraordinary, but Novavax Is Even Better  —  Persistent hype around mRNA vaccine technology is now distracting us from other ways to end the pandemic.  —  At the end of January, reports that yet another COVID-19 vaccine had succeeded in its clinical trials …

A heart transplant at 18.  The White House at 31.  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice and Daniel Payne  —  White House deputy director of photography CHANDLER WEST wears his heart on his sleeve …

Why Police Have Been Quitting in Droves in the Last Year  —  Asheville, N.C., has been among the hardest hit by police departures in the wake of last year's George Floyd protests.  About a third of the force quit or retired.  —  ASHEVILLE, N.C. — As protests surged across the country …

House investigates possible shadow operation in Trump justice department  —  Judiciary committee want to know if officials violated policies in issuing secret subpoenas against congressional Democrats  —  Top Democrats in the House are investigating whether Trump justice department officials ran …

FBI tears innocent New Yorker's life into shreds after Jan. 6  —  Joseph Bolanos was a pillar of his community.  President of his Upper West Side block association for the past 23 years, he looked out for his neighbors during the pandemic.  He dropped off masks and kept extra heaters in his rent-controlled apartment for seniors.

Pelosi announces a select committee will investigate Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced Thursday that the House will form a select committee to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob …

Ryan Mac Joining Technology Team  —  Ryan is joining The Times from BuzzFeed to cover tech accountability.  Read more in this note from Ellen Pollock, Pui-Wing Tam, Jim Kerstetter and Joe Plambeck.  —  We're thrilled to announce that Ryan Mac is joining The New York Times to cover tech accountability.

DHS is concerned about Trump reinstatement conspiracy theory, top official says  —  The conspiracy theory that Donald Trump will be reinstated as president in August has sparked concerns at the Department of Homeland Security, a top official there told members of Congress on Wednesday.

Florida cracks down on Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn's “deceptive” fundraising with Defending the Republic Inc. (UPDATED)  —  The Kraken releaser is facing a new enforcement action for publishing lies in response to this newsletter's last article.  —  4 hr ago  —  This story contains an update after publication.

Pence is positioned to counterattack Trump  — Mike Pence must soon decide whether to hit back at former President Donald Trump.  — Trump continues to stoke rage against his loyal former lieutenant.  — Pence speaks Thursday night at a Reagan Foundation event titled “A Time for Choosing”.

Inside the ‘shadow reality world’ promoting the lie that the presidential election was stolen … The slickly produced movie trailer, set to ominous music, cuts from scenes of the 2020 election to clips of allies of former president Donald Trump describing a vast conspiracy to steal the White House.

‘The Rabbi Said It Was OK’: Hasidic Mother of 10 Becomes Doctor  —  An ultra-Orthodox mother navigated strict cultural norms to become one of the few Hasidic female doctors in the country.  —  Years ago, Alexandra Friedman saw a T-shirt bearing a message she never forgot: “Become the doctor your mother always wanted you to marry.”

Two top travel officials for Kamala Harris are departing, just as a rush of touring begins.  —  Two top aides who oversee travel for Vice President Kamala Harris are departing, leaving the vice president with her critical support staff in flux as she seeks to ramp up travel ahead of big vaccine …

Deprogramming of January 6 Defendants Is Underway  —  The entire investigation is an attempt to prosecute people based on their beliefs.  Those who purge their views and admit their wrongthink will be given mercy.  Those who don't will pay dearly.  —  “My lawyer has given me names of books …

Redistricting Holds Key to House Majority  —  It's hard to remember a time when conventional wisdom about the outcome of the midterm elections was this hardened this early in the cycle.  Even folks who don't pay particularly close attention to House elections feel comfortable giving Republicans …

Gaza's Deadly Night: How Israeli Airstrikes Killed 44 People  —  On May 16, Israeli airstrikes destroyed three apartment buildings, decimating several families.  We visited the scene, interviewed survivors and analyzed videos, photos and satellite images to find out what happened.

Meetings.  Why?  —  Does this conversation need to be a meeting?  Does anything?  —  Humanity has spent millenniums confined within the earthly limbo of meetings.  —  Ancient Egyptians, to name one subset of mankind, had multiple hieroglyphs to convey the concept of “council.”

John McAfee, Rest In Power  —  Suicide?  Seriously?  —  2 hr ago  —  Entrepreneur and two-time presidential candidate John McAfee was found in his cell in a Spanish prison yesterday, dead of an apparent suicide.  He was 75.  —  McAfee was incarcerated in Spain last year …