Scoop: Tucker Carlson sought Putin interview at time of spying claim  —  Tucker Carlson was talking to U.S.-based Kremlin intermediaries about setting up an interview with Vladimir Putin shortly before the Fox News host accused the National Security Agency of spying on him, sources familiar with the conversations tell Axios.

Trump's Social Media Lawsuits Are Full Of Arguments Courts Have Repeatedly Rejected  —  WASHINGTON — Former president Donald Trump's latest attempt at getting back on mainstream social media platforms came in the form of lawsuits on Wednesday against Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube …

Naming the Capitol Police Officer Who Killed Unarmed Jan. 6 Rioter Ashli Babbitt  —  At top, pistol drawn in the House chamber, a plainclothes black officer who fits the description of Michael L. Byrd.  His name was apparently divulged at a hearing as the cop who shot Ashli Babbitt.

Delta variant said to be far more widespread than federal estimates  —  The more-transmissible Delta coronavirus variant is believed to be significantly more widespread than the current federal projections, according to two senior Biden administration health officials with knowledge of the situation.

Breakfast with J.D. Vance, Anti-Trump Author Turned Pro-Trump Candidate  —  “I'm not just a flip-flopper, I'm a flip-flop-flipper on Trump,” J.D. Vance says with a laugh, slicing into a half-stack of breakfast pancakes.  The Hillbilly Elegy author and newly minted Republican Senate candidate …

Rudy Giuliani suspended from practicing law in D.C. court  —  The D.C. Court of Appeals has temporarily barred Rudolph W. Giuliani from practicing law, following a similar decision in New York.  —  A committee of judges in New York determined last month that Giuliani was unfit to keep practicing law …

Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee admits to hiding extreme abortion views to win election  —  Glenn Youngkin said he won't talk publicly about some of his more severe positions on abortion because that 'won't win my independent votes that I have to get.'  —  Virginia's Republican nominee …

Conservative groups mount opposition to increase in IRS budget, threatening White House infrastructure plan  —  The new funding is supposed to be a cornerstone of a bipartisan deal negotiated by the White House and moderate senators  —  Conservative political groups are mobilizing …

Secretary of State Katie Hobbs asks Attorney General Mark Brnovich to investigate possible election interference by Donald Trump, allies  —  Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs on Wednesday asked Attorney General Mark Brnovich to open a criminal investigation into possible efforts …

Deaths and Hospitalizations Averted by Rapid U.S. Vaccination Rollout  —  The U.S. COVID-19 vaccination campaign has significantly curbed the virus's spread and national death toll, saving an estimated 279,000 lives and averting up to 1.25 million hospitalizations

Coronavirus almost certainly came from an animal, not a lab leak, top scientists argue  —  US intelligence working on report about Covid-19 origins  —  (CNN)The coronavirus pandemic almost certainly originated from an animal, probably at a wildlife market in China, and not from a laboratory leak …

Afghan forces say Taliban being driven out of western city  —  Afghan troops have recaptured government buildings in a western city which was attacked by the Taliban, officials say.  —  On Wednesday, the Taliban entered Qala-e-Naw, the first direct assault on a provincial capital since the US began pulling out its last troops.

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.

Exclusive: Documents Reveal Erik Prince's $10 Billion Plan to Make Weapons and Create a Private Army in Ukraine  —  On the second night of his visit to Kyiv, Erik Prince had a dinner date on his agenda.  A few of his Ukrainian associates had arranged to meet the American billionaire at the Vodka Grill that evening, Feb. 23, 2020.

Trump charged Secret Service nearly $10,200 in May for agents' rooms  —  Former president Donald Trump's golf club in Bedminster, N.J., charged the Secret Service nearly $10,200 for guest rooms used by his protective detail during Trump's first month at the club this summer, newly released spending records show.

Michigan Judge Refuses to Allow Sidney Powell, Lin Wood, and Other ‘Kraken’ Attorneys to Skip Sanctions Hearing  —  Mere hours after lawyers for the so-called “Kraken” litigation to overturn the 2020 presidential election asked to skip attending an upcoming sanctions hearing …

California Capitol reinstates mask mandate after COVID outbreak  —  California has reinstated a mask mandate for all lawmakers and employees at the state Capitol regardless of vaccination status following an outbreak of nine COVID-19 cases there.  —  All nine people who contracted the coronavirus …

Allen West's final days as state GOP chair filled with intraparty drama  —  With only days before he steps down from the helm of the state GOP, West is embroiled in a fight with his vice chair and under attack by county GOP chairs.  —  Copy link  —  Allen West's final days as Texas GOP chairman …

U.S. Jobless Claims Edged Up to 373,000 Last Week  —  Initial claims rose 2,000 as many states are ending participation early in pandemic-related jobless assistance programs  —  Jobless claims held nearly steady last week, interrupting a downward trend and showing the labor market's recovery remains uneven …

From corporate America to conspiracy theory promotion: How a Minnesota man made a career out of anonymously amplifying dark plots  —  STILLWATER, Minn. — Sean G. Turnbull displays many of the hallmarks of a successful upper-middle-class family man, a former film producer and marketing manager …

In Michigan, Pro-Impeachment Republicans Face Voters' Wrath  —  Representative Peter Meijer, a Republican who voted to impeach Donald J. Trump, seeks “decency and humility” in Western Michigan, but has found anger, fear and misinformation.  —  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Representative Peter …

Marjorie Taylor Greene Shuts Down Idea That Trump Will be Reinstated in August, ‘Not True’  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is still a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump but she's not in the camp of people who believe he'll return to office before fall.

Biden taunts McConnell for ‘bragging’ about relief bill he voted against  —  McConnell has vowed to wage a “hell of a fight” on Biden's infrastructure plan.  —  President Joe Biden taunted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday for having acknowledged his home state of Kentucky …

Election fraud is the GOP's new fundamentalism  —  False, but not fringe.  —  “Vote for us in this election because we lost the last election” might seem a strange campaign appeal, but it's a theme many Republican candidates have embraced for the 2022 midterms.  —  They wouldn't phrase it quite that way, of course.

Biden's new Cold War with China will result in climate collapse, progressives warn  —  As a new Cold War takes shape between the U.S. and China, progressives fear the result will be a dramatically warming planet.  —  Over 40 progressive groups sent a letter to President Joe Biden and lawmakers …

Stop calling food ‘exotic’  —  “One of the nicest things about Afghan restaurants is that they appeal to even the most timid of diners,” Mark and Gail Barnett wrote in the May 16, 1993, edition of The Post.  “Your visiting aunt from Spokane, Wash., can enjoy the adventure of an exotic cuisine …