Biden names Arizona Republican Jeff Flake as his ambassador pick for Turkey  —  Ronald J. Hansen Yvonne Wingett SanchezArizona Republic  —  President Joe Biden intends to nominate former Sen. Jeff Flake as ambassador to Turkey, putting the Arizona Republican on the front lines diplomatically …

Trump unloads on Kavanaugh in new Michael Wolff book  —  Former President Donald Trump, in a book out Tuesday by Michael Wolff, says he is “very disappointed” in votes by Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, his own hard-won nominee, and that he “hasn't had the courage you need to be a great justice.”

Texas House Republicans vote to track down absent Democrats and arrest them if necessary  —  The procedural move carries little apparent weight since the Democrats who fled the state to break quorum are beyond the jurisdiction of Texas law enforcement.  —  Copy link

William Barr clashes with former Trump appointee from Pa. over handling of election-fraud claims  —  A war of words broke out Tuesday among former senior Justice Department officials over Pennsylvania politics and the aftermath of the 2020 election, fueled by former president Donald Trump's release …

Trump said whoever ‘leaked’ info on his White House bunker stay should be ‘executed,’ new book claims  —  Then-President Donald Trump told a number of his advisers in 2020 that whoever leaked information about his stay in the White House bunker during protests last June had committed treason …

‘I Alone Can Fix It’ book excerpt: Inside Trump's Election Day and the birth of the ‘big lie’ … Finally, Election Day had arrived.  The morning of Nov. 3, 2020, President Trump was upbeat.  The mood in the West Wing was good.  Some aides talked giddily of a landslide.

The Atlantic thrived through Trump and the pandemic.  The future is harder.  —  Nicholas Thompson, the chief executive of The Atlantic, gave a presentation to employees last month in which he disclosed some uncomfortable truths about the state of the magazine.

What the Hell Happened to the Claremont Institute?  —  [A printable PDF of this article is available here.]  —  Just before 11 o'clock on the morning of January 6—an hour before President Donald Trump began riling up his “Save America” rally in front of the White House …

There's a Word for What Trumpism Is Becoming  —  “I became worse.”  That's how double impeachment changed him, Donald Trump told a conservative audience in Dallas last weekend, without a trace of a smile.  This was not Trump the insult comic talking.  This was the deepest Trump self.

Manchin draws red line in infrastructure talks  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) warned on Tuesday that he wants both a bipartisan infrastructure bill and a separate Democratic-only bill to be fully paid for.  —  “I think everything should be paid for.  We've put enough free money out,” Manchin told reporters.

Bill O'Reilly's Accuser Finally Breaks Her Silence  —  HER STORY … In an exclusive interview, Andrea Mackris reveals the full scope of Bill O'Reilly's alleged harassment of her—and why she doesn't care if telling all means blowing up her NDA. … New York litigator David Ratner shouted at his client …

Cheney fundraising surge continues, as Wyoming congresswoman sets second straight record  —  Cheney, who was ousted as House Republican Conference Chair in May, hauls in nearly $1.9M in past three months  —  Liz Cheney speaks out after being ousted by Republican Party

Prices jumped 5.4 percent in June, the biggest rise since 2008.  —  A key measure of inflation jumped sharply in June, a gain that is sure to keep concerns over rising prices front and center at the White House and Federal Reserve.  —  The Consumer Price Index climbed by 5.4 percent …

Youngkin to skip marquee debate over moderator's donation to Clinton Bush Haiti Fund  —  RICHMOND — Republican Glenn Youngkin will skip what is typically the premier debate of the Virginia governor's race, saying he objects to the moderator, PBS NewsHour host Judy Woodruff …

Vice President Harris Hints That She Has Discussed Filibuster Changes With Senators  —  With voting rights legislation stalled in the Senate because of Republican opposition, Vice President Harris suggested that she has talked to senators about exceptions to the legislative filibuster …

The obscure foundation funding “Critical Race Theory” hysteria  —  Critical Race Theory (CRT), once a little-known academic concept, is now at the center of the national political discussion.  CRT is discussed incessantly on Fox News.  It is featured in campaign advertisements.

Greenwald hammers media on Avenatti: ‘Utter bulls—t’ to claim they couldn't have known he was a crook  —  'If you can't recognize what Avenatti is, you can't see anything'  —  Journalist Glenn Greenwald blasted the media Tuesday for their coverage of disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti …

REvil, Hacking Group Behind Major Ransomware Attack, Disappears  —  Just days after President Biden called President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and demanded that he act to shut down ransomware groups that are attacking American targets, the biggest of them has gone off-line.  The mystery is who made that happen.

Scottsdale woman indicted for casting dead mother's ballot  —  A grand jury has indicted a Scottsdale Republican woman for allegedly casting her dead mother's early ballot in the November election in a rare prosecution for voter fraud in Arizona.  —  Tracey Kay McKee, 63 …

For white evangelical Protestants, the degradation of democracy is not regrettable.  It's desirable  —  The point is rule by God's chosen.  —  3 hr ago  —  Members of the pundit corps seem to believe white evangelical Protestants (WEPs) have politicized their faith.

Gun laws barring sales to people under 21 are unconstitutional, appeals court rules  —  Laws preventing firearms dealers from selling handguns to anyone under age 21 are unconstitutional and violate the Second Amendment, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling that could have implications …

Taliban fighters execute 22 Afghan commandos as they try to surrender  —  Dawlat Abad, Afghanistan (CNN)Over clear but unsteady video, the words ring out: “Surrender, commandos, surrender.”  Several men emerge from a building; they are clearly unarmed.  —  Gunfire erupts.

‘A Real Disquiet’: FTC Staff Attorneys Are Job Hunting … Seeing a pile of resumes already, several leaders of law firm antitrust practices are predicting many more government attorneys heading for private practice in the coming months as a new-look Federal Trade Commission forms under the leadership of chairperson Lina Khan.

A bank executive is convicted of loaning Paul Manafort money to obtain a job with the Trump administration.  —  A former Chicago bank executive was convicted on Tuesday of financial crimes related to his facilitation of millions of dollars in high-risk loans to Paul Manafort …

Impasse over Capitol Police funding continues as officers face cash crunch  —  As the Capitol Police inch closer to running out of money for salaries, leaders in both parties acknowledged the gravity of the problem but remain no closer to finding a solution.

US's largest registered nurses union calls on CDC to bring back universal mask guidelines  —  The largest union for registered nurses in the U.S. called on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to bring back recommendations for universal masking in public regardless of people's vaccination status.

Lumber Wipes Out 2021 Gain With Demand Ebbing After Record Boom  — Wood prices often drift lower in the summer, rise in September  — Lumber futures still at historically elevated prices  —  Lumber, which at one point was among the world's best-performing commodities …