Toyota to stop donating to GOP lawmakers who objected to certifying Biden's win  —  Toyota announced Thursday that its political action committee would no longer make donations to Republican members of Congress who objected to certifying the presidential election results in January …

The Delta Variant Isn't Just Hyper-Contagious.  It Also Grows More Rapidly Inside You  —  After months of data collection, scientists agree: The delta variant is the most contagious version of the coronavirus worldwide.  It spreads about 225% faster than the original version of the virus …

Two South Florida men were involved in President Moïse's assassination, investigators say  —  Two South Florida men have been arrested in connection with the assassination of Haiti President Jovenel Moïse, the Miami Herald has learned.  —  James Solages, of Fort Lauderdale …

The rapid decline of White evangelical America?  —  New data suggests a bigger decrease than previously understood — including in the GOP.  —  If there was an epitome of Donald Trump's hostile and often puzzling takeover of the Republican Party, it might have been his alliance with evangelical Christians.

Five undervaccinated clusters put the entire United States at risk  —  (CNN)A new data analysis identifies clusters of unvaccinated people, most of them in the southern United States, that are vulnerable to surges in Covid-19 cases and could become breeding grounds for even more deadly Covid-19 variants.

‘Financially Hobbled for Life’: The Elite Master's Degrees That Don't Pay Off  —  Columbia and other top universities push master's programs that fail to generate enough income for graduates to keep up with six-figure federal loans  —  Recent film program graduates of Columbia University …

The Supreme Court's Latest Voting Rights Opinion Is Even Worse Than It Seems  —  It's been almost a week since the Supreme Court issued its most significant ruling on voting rights in nearly a decade, and each time I read Justice Samuel Alito's majority opinion in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, the angrier I become.

J.D. Vance is scaring America's elite.  Good.  —  Ohio Senate candidate J.D. Vance is being attacked by critics on the left and right for his populist economics and his changed views on former president Donald Trump.  That's a good sign that Vance's message is getting through and that he can win.

Scripps Spelling Bee 2021: Live Updates  —  Zaila Avant-garde spells her way to victory!  —  The last few words were rattled off fast between the two final finalists, Chaitra Thummala and Zaila Avant-garde.  —  First was fewtrils (things of little value), which Chaitra got right.

Disgraced Trump foe Michael Avenatti weeps as he is sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for Nike extortion scheme  — Michael Avenatti, the brash attorney who became a leading foe of then-President Donald Trump, was sentenced Thursday to 30 months in prison for a brazen botched scheme …

Tom Cotton's slimy attack on a ‘critical race theory’ professor is full of holes  —  Sen. Tom Cotton is calling for the firing of a U.S. Air Force Academy professor after she admitted to discussing critical race theory with cadets.  But even a cursory look at the Arkansas Republican's slimy argument shows …

“There's Going to Be a Blowup”: Trump and DeSantis Are on a Collision Course  —  In public it's all smiles, but behind the scenes, Republicans are already preparing themselves for a showdown between former president Donald Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

Why I'm Suing Big Tech  —  If Facebook, Twitter and YouTube can censor me, they can censor you—and believe me, they are.  —  One of the gravest threats to our democracy today is a powerful group of Big Tech corporations that have teamed up with government to censor the free speech of the American people.

Inside Donald Trump's Last Days in the White House and Plans for a Comeback  —  The president's effort to overturn the election alienated much of his inner circle—but solidified his dominance of the GOP.  Now he's planning his return.  —  On the morning of Nov. 7, 2020 …

Deal of the art: White House grapples with ethics of Hunter Biden's pricey paintings  —  White House officials have helped craft an agreement under which purchases of Hunter Biden's artwork — which could be listed at prices as high as $500,000 — will be kept confidential from even the artist himself …

The climate crisis haunts Chicago's future.  A Battle Between a Great City and a Great Lake  —  Chicago has a weakness at its very foundations.  The towering skyscrapers and temples of commerce were built upon a swamp.  —  Chicago has a weakness at its very foundations.

Two Seattle officers trespassed on U.S. Capitol grounds during riot and should be fired, investigation finds  —  Two of the six off-duty Seattle police officers who attended a pro-Trump rally that led to the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol in January trespassed onto restricted grounds and stood …

Va. GOP demands ethics probe of polisci heavyweight Larry Sabato's ‘bitter partisanship’ on Twitter  —  The Virginia Republican Party on Thursday demanded an ethics investigation into the University of Virginia's top elections forecaster, Larry Sabato, over his tweets that they say display “bitter partisanship” in favor of Democrats.

Live free and die: Inside the bizarre political philosophy of America's unvaccinated  —  A couple of weeks ago, I drove two hours north to the hillside town of Olyphant, Pa., just outside Scranton, to meet with a Donald Trump superfan for a book project I've been working on.

‘Call out Fox News!’  Mitch McConnell shredded after saying he's ‘perplexed’ about why GOP voters refuse vaccines  —  The politicization of coronavirus vaccines in America has created a correlation between vaccination rates and whether or not a state voted for Joe Biden or Donald Trump.

Fund the (tax) police  —  Here's one issue that both the left and right should be able to agree on: Fund the police.  Specifically, the tax police.  —  If you care about “law and order,” if you think unpatriotic hucksters are getting away with scamming Uncle Sam or, heck …

Texas Republicans Reveal Bills of Far-Reaching Voting Restrictions  —  In their second attempt to pass a sweeping elections overhaul, Republican lawmakers followed the broad outlines of the first, including a wide range of measures to limit voting access.  —  Republicans in the Texas Legislature …

Rudy Giuliani's Legal Fund Was a Bust.  Now, Its Donation Page Has Disappeared.  —  The Fundly account raised $9,798 before the page disappeared—far short from its goal of raising $5 million in two months.  —  After raising a paltry sum of money from supporters and attracting little interest …

Mark Zuckerberg and Sheryl Sandberg's Partnership Did Not Survive Trump  —  The company they built is wildly successful.  But her Washington wisdom didn't hold up, and neither did their close working relationship.  —  Sheryl Sandberg knew she'd be asked about the attacks on the Capitol.