Rise of the anti-"woke" Democrat  —  A growing number of Democrats are ringing the alarm that their party sounds — and acts — too judgmental, too sensitive, too “woke” to large swaths of America.  —  Why it matters: These Democrats warn that by jamming politically correct terms or new norms …

Robert E. Lee statue removed in Charlottesville  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — A statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee was hoisted away from its place of prominence in Charlottesville on Saturday and carted off to storage, years after its threatened removal became a rallying point …

Top Biden ally pleads with him to scrap filibuster for election reform  —  After months of setbacks and gridlock on voting rights, one of President Joe Biden's top allies in Congress is calling for him to support amending the Senate filibuster.  —  House Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.) …

Disingenuous defenses of critical race theory  —  The latest defense for teaching our children to be racially divisive?  It's free speech!  —  Last week, The New York Times published an opinion piece by commentators David French, Kmele Foster, Thomas Chatterton Williams and Jason Stanley …

Biden fires Trump SSA appointee four years ahead of contract date  —  Stop me if you've heard this one before.  A new guy gets sworn in as President of the United States and starts firing people who are appointed to supposedly non-political offices for set terms because he doesn't like the person who appointed them.

Investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection will resurrect democracy  —  On July 4, we celebrated the dawn of American democracy.  This past Tuesday, July 6, marked the half-year anniversary of the U.S. Capitol insurrection, which many mourned as the democracy's sunset.

Texas AG's Office Arrests Houston Voter Hervis Rogers For Alleged Illegal Voting  —  Rogers captured national attention in March 2020 when he waited for hours to vote on Super Tuesday.  —  When Hervis Rogers went viral on social media for being the last person in line at Texas Southern University …

A Landlord Says Her Tenants Are Terrorizing Her.  She Can't Evict Them.  —  A landlord in Queens says her tenants curse and spit at her and owe more than $23,000 in rent.  But an eviction moratorium keeps them from being kicked out.  —  For more than a year, Vanie Mangal …

Who Paid for That Mansion?  A Senator or the Haitian People?  —  Valued at $3.4 million, a Haitian senator's Montreal villa has become a potent emblem of the growing gap between Haiti's impoverished citizens and its wealthy political elite.  —  MONTREAL — He is one of the few lawmakers left in Haiti …

Exclusive: D.C. journalists launch media company with $10 million+ funding  —  Laura McGann, former politics editor of Vox.com and Politico, and Mark Bauman, previously with the Smithsonian, National Geographic and ABC News, are teaming up to launch a yet-to-be named media company.

Covid News: Mississippi Urges Masks for Indoor Gatherings as Delta Spreads  —  Educators' unions praise new C.D.C. schools guidance but acknowledge challenges ahead.  Africa endures its “worst pandemic week ever.”  —  Here's what you need to know:  —  Mississippi urges ‘high-risk’ residents …

Sen. Marsha Blackburn escalates feud with Taylor Swift, says singer would be the ‘first victim’ of socialism  — Sen. Marsha Blackburn escalated her feud with Taylor Swift in an interview with Breitbart.  — The GOP senator said singers like Taylor Swift would be the “first victims” of socialism.

Haiti Calls U.S. for Troops, After Wild Day of Gunfights and Suspicion  —  At least 20 people were arrested in the assassination of the Haitian president — 18 Colombians and 2 Americans of Haitian descent — on a day of deepening mystery.  —  After 24 hours of wild gun battles with suspects …

The Ascension of Bernie Sanders  —  BURLINGTON, Vt. — I want to talk to Bernie about Balenciaga.  And Britney.  And Dua Lipa, Sha'Carri Richardson and Joe Manchin's houseboat.  And whether he prefers red or white horseradish on his gefilte fish.  And the state of capitalism, and the absurd price of a Birkin bag.

How the White Press Wrote Off Black America  —  Mr. Staples is a member of the editorial board.  —  Newspapers that championed white supremacy throughout the pre-civil rights South paved the way for lynching by declaring African Americans nonpersons.  They embraced the language once used …

Eric Adams Has Plans for New York, Beyond Public Safety  —  Mr. Adams, the Democratic mayoral nominee, has stances on policing, transportation and education that suggest a shift from Mayor Bill de Blasio.  —  In the afterglow of winning the Democratic nomination for mayor of New York City …

In Sri Lanka, the Government Looks Increasingly Like a Family Firm  —  Three brothers of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa now hold top posts in his government.  Two of his nephews have official positions, too.  —  The first attempt by a Rajapaksa to return to power in Sri Lanka was brief.

Media Freedom Coalition Statement on Hong Kong's Apple Daily  —  The undersigned members of the Media Freedom Coalition express their strong concerns about the forced closure of the Apple Daily newspaper, and the arrest of its staff by the Hong Kong authorities.

Woman faces a year in prison for stomping a ‘Back the Blue’ sign and ‘smirking in an intimidating manner’  —  The woman was charged with a hate crime enhanced allegation.  —  A 19-year-old woman was charged with a hate crime after allegedly “stomping on a ‘Back the Blue’ sign” at a gas station in Panguitch.