Read Britney Spears' Full Statement Against Conservatorship: ‘I Am Traumatized’ … I just got a new phone, and I have a lot to say, so bear with me.  Basically, a lot has happened since two years ago, the last time — I wrote all this down — the last time I was in court.  —  I will be honest with you.

POLITICO Playbook: Biden catches his white whale  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  ENGAGED!  — EUGENE DANIELS, a POLITICO White House reporter and co-author of Playbook from South Carolina, and NATE STEPHENS, a social change facilitator from South Dakota.  Pic ... Another pic ... One more pic ... OK, a final pic

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 …

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs is tired of ignorant bullsh*t from people who don't like to read  —  “I've read Mao Zedong, I've read Karl Marx, I've read Lenin.  That doesn't make me a communist.”  —  As has happened so often recently, a Congressional hearing on the military veered off-topic …

In sentencing regretful Capitol protester, federal judge rebukes Republicans  —  U.S. District Judge Royce C. Lamberth castigated Republican lawmakers on Wednesday for downplaying the violence of the mob that stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, saying in handing down the first sentence …

DeSantis takes aim at student “indoctrination” in Florida  —  Following his successful effort to ban critical race theory in public schools, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis expanded his war against student “indoctrination” on Wednesday.  —  What's happening: DeSantis signed three pieces …

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 …

Covid is already deadlier this year than all of 2020.  So why do many in U.S. think the problem's over?  — U.S. Covid cases have fallen far below the winter peak in recent weeks, with new diagnoses now down at a seven-day average of around 11,310 a day, compared to more than 250,000 at the start of the year.

Michigan Republicans Debunk Voter Fraud Claims in Unsparing Report  —  The report, produced by a G.O.P.-led committee in the State Senate, exposes false claims made about the 2020 election by Trump allies in Michigan and other states.  —  A committee led by Michigan Republicans …

U.S. Confirms Removal of Wuhan Virus Sequences From Database  —  Details of the genetic makeup of some of the earliest samples of coronavirus in China were removed from an American database where they were initially stored at the request of Chinese researchers, U.S. officials confirmed …

Theft Perception  —  Examining the Views of Americans Who Believe the 2020 Election was Stolen  —  Democratic Norms, Elections, Political Parties  —  TABLE OF CONTENTS:  — Measuring Support for ‘Stop the Steal’  — Measuring Devotion to Trump and Its Relationship to ‘Stop the Steal’

A Former NRA President Was Tricked Into Speaking At A Fake High School Graduation  —  In a speech to the James Madison Academy 2021 graduating class, David Keene, a former NRA president and current board member of the gun rights group, called on the teens to fight those looking to implement tighter gun restrictions.

U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse releases statement regarding membership to Bailey's Beach club  —  NEWPORT — U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse released a statement late Wednesday afternoon regarding the controversy he is a member of an elite private beach club that has been questioned about the lack of diversity in its membership.

Staving Off G.O.P. Attacks, Democrats Show New Urgency on Crime  —  A strong showing by Eric Adams in the New York mayoral race and President Biden's announcement of a new crime-fighting agenda signal a shift by Democrats toward themes of public safety.  —  Facing a surge in shootings …

After Repeatedly Promising Not to, Facebook Keeps Recommending Political Groups to Its Users  —  The company announced the policy as a way to stop spreading divisive content  —  Four days after the Jan. 6 insurrection on Capitol Hill, a member of the “Not My President” Facebook group wrote in a post …

Biden administration removes Rodney Scott as head of U.S. Border Patrol  —  The Biden administration has forced out the head of the U.S. Border Patrol, Rodney Scott, clearing a path for a leadership overhaul at an agency strained by a 20-year-high in illegal border crossings …

Mike Pompeo, other 2024 GOP hopefuls head to New York to meet with donors as possible White House bids loom  — Mike Pompeo has been making the biggest push into New York donor circles since the 2020 presidential election ended, according to insiders.  — “He's basically already running …

BuzzFeed Nears Deal to Go Public Via SPAC, Eyeing Digital-Media Rollup  —  Company hopes scale will make it easier to compete for ad dollars with Google, Facebook and Amazon  —  BuzzFeed Inc. is close to a deal to go public through a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company …

‘A lot of people are jaded’: Dems despair amid D.C. gridlock  —  Efforts to forge a bipartisan gun control deal in the Senate have fallen apart.  A sweeping Democratic elections reform bill has failed.  A self-imposed White House deadline for a police reform bill has come and gone.

John McAfee found dead of apparent suicide in Spanish jail after court approves his extradition for tax crimes  — Eccentric antivirus software company founder John McAfee was found dead of suspected suicide in a jail in Barcelona, Spain.  — McAfee died shortly after Spain's National Court approved …

Out-group animosity drives engagement on social media  —  aDepartment of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3RQ, United Kingdom;  —  bDepartment of Psychology, Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003  — Edited by James N. Druckman …

Despite diverging economic views, we all support the Biden plan  —  We are not generally regarded as occupying the same position within economic policy debates.  We have had divergent views on issues relating to spending, taxes and deficits.  But we've come to the same conclusion …

President Biden Announces 17 Key Nominations  —  WASHINGTON - Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate the following 17 individuals to serve in key roles:  — Michael Carpenter, Nominee for U.S. Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), with rank of Ambassador

An Origin Story for the Netanyahus  —  Melekh Bibi—King Bibi—has been dethroned.  Usurped by his former deputy, Naftali Bennett, in early June, Netanyahu was finally dealt an election result with which he could not form a majority government.  For the time being, as of June 13 …

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 …