Statement by the Department of Defense  —  (Attributable to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby)  —  “At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.

‘Utterly Deranged’ Trump Has Full Meltdown Over Bill Barr, Mitch McConnell  —  The former president attacked the two key figures who enabled his agenda, calling them “spineless RINOs.”  —  Donald Trump issued a lengthy and rambling statement late Sunday attacking two of his staunchest allies during his one term in office.

Trump Returns to the Stump in Ohio  —  And Rep. Anthony Gonzalez responds to his biggest critic.  —  1 hr ago  —  After five months—long months if you liked the guy, short ones if you didn't—former President Donald Trump returned to form on Saturday, holding his first major political …

Trump's Situation Room shouting match  —  Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, repeatedly blew up at President Trump over how to handle last summer's racial-justice protests, The Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender writes in his forthcoming book, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election.”

Republicans ramp up attacks on Biden on ... everything  —  Early in Joe Biden's presidency, Republicans openly conceded how poor a target he was for them.  Their hits on the president simply weren't sticking.  —  That hasn't, however, kept Republicans from swinging away.

Red America's Covid Problem  —  Cases are rising, because of the Delta variant.  —  There was a strange Covid-19 pattern in the U.S. for much of this spring.  The virus was not spreading any faster in communities with low vaccination rates than in those with high vaccination rates.

Toyota is the no. 1 donor to 2020 election objectors — by far  —  The Japanese automaker gave $55,000 to 37 GOP objectors this year.

His Insurrection Inside the Oval Office on January 6.  —  Seems like quite a few crazies," said the president.  —  A little more than three weeks before rioters and revelers stormed the Capitol on January 6, several thousand Trump fans and fanatics gathered in Washington …

Where Jobless Benefits Were Cut, Jobs Are Still Hard to Fill  —  Missouri scrapped federal pay to the unemployed, saying it kept people out of the labor market.  But so far, workers still seem to be choosy.  —  MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — By lunchtime, the representatives …

An Accusation Blew Up a Campaign.  The Media Didn't Know What to Do.  —  Handling a delicate allegation of sexual misconduct is a lot more challenging than covering a horse race.  —  Two days after coming in fifth in the election night count of votes for New York mayor last week …

Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Likely to Produce Lasting Immunity, Study Finds  —  Immune cells are still organizing to fight the coronavirus months after inoculation, scientists reported.  —  The vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna set off a persistent immune reaction in the body …

The brouhaha over infrastructure infighting — a typical D.C. ‘process’ story — comes to naught  —  The gap between what the mainstream, D.C.-based media covers and what concerns ordinary Americans is never greater than when the media decides to hyperventilate over a process story.

Trump Organization attorneys given Monday deadline to persuade prosecutors not to file charges against it  —  Prosecutors in New York have given former president Donald Trump's attorneys a deadline of Monday afternoon to make any final arguments as to why the Trump Organization …

Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry ‘pissed’ national anthem was playing at Olympic trials  —  A U.S. hammer thrower turned away from the American flag as the national anthem played while she and two other athletes stood on the podium at the Olympic trials Saturday, later saying she was “pissed” …

The Last-And Only-Foreign Scientist in the Wuhan Lab Speaks Out  —  Danielle Anderson was working in what has become the world's most notorious laboratory just weeks before the first known cases of Covid-19 emerged in central China.  Yet, the Australian virologist still wonders what she missed.

GOP's ‘critical race theory’ astroturfing is the new tea party … Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, chair of the Republican Study Committee, recently sent a memo to members telling them to “lean into the culture war.”  —  The “backlash against Critical Race Theory is real,” Banks wrote …

Republican lawmaker calls Donald Trump a ‘loser president’  —  Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) gives his thoughts on the state of the Republican Party, speaking truth, and former President Donald Trump as he hits the road again at rallies.Source: CNN  —  FOLLOW CNN POLITICS

Transgender Boy Wins Bathroom Fight as Top Court Spurns Case  — Gavin Grimm sued after being barred from using boys' restrooms  — Thomas, Alito say they would have heard school board's appeal  —  The U.S. Supreme Court refused to question the rights of transgender students …