Top U.S. General Said Trump Preached ‘Gospel of the Führer’  —  General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, likened Donald Trump's effort to hold on to power after the 2020 election to Adolf Hitler, saying the president was preaching “the gospel of the Führer” …

Kremlin papers appear to show Putin's plot to put Trump in White House  —  Exclusive: Documents suggest Russia launched secret multi-agency effort to interfere in US democracy  —  Vladimir Putin personally authorised a secret spy agency operation to support a “mentally unstable” …

FBI failed to pursue Nassar sex-abuse allegations, inspector general finds  —  The FBI failed to properly investigate sex-abuse allegations against Larry Nassar, the former doctor for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University, according to a scathing report by the Justice Department's Inspector General …

Governor Ron DeSantis Urges the Biden Administration to Step Up and Restore Internet Access for the People of Cuba  —  The text of the letter can be read below.  A full copy is available here.  —  July 14, 2021  —  The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr.  —  President of the United States

Britney Spears granted right to hire own lawyer; accuses father of ‘conservatorship abuse’ … LOS ANGELES — Britney Spears was granted a request to hire her own attorney on Wednesday, a development that could mark a major shift in how her 13-year conservatorship case has been handled.

Robin DiAngelo Wants White Progressives to Look Inward  —  The author of “White Fragility” discusses her new book, “Nice Racism.”  —  In 2018, Robin DiAngelo, an academic and anti-racism consultant, published the surprise best-seller “White Fragility.”  The book, which argues that white people tend …

The Deeply Racist Dimensions To Ashli Babbitt's Martyrdom  —  “Who killed Ashli Babbitt?”  —  It's a question that, in recent weeks, has become a mainstream rallying cry among the MAGA crew after growing in volume for months on the far-right fringes.  Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) has asked it repeatedly …

Ron Kind Rented Property to Masseuse Suspected of Prostitution, Human Trafficking  —  Police records show business owner kicked out of South Dakota for illegal activity  —  Before opening an alleged prostitution parlor on property owned by Rep. Ron Kind (D., Wis.), a Chinese masseuse lost …

Exclusive: Stephen Breyer says he hasn't decided his retirement plans and is happy as the Supreme Court's top liberal  —  Plainfield, New Hampshire (CNN)Justice Stephen Breyer has not decided when he will retire and is especially gratified with his new role as the senior liberal on the bench …

GOP Criticism of Defender Judicial Picks Rebutted by Law Groups  —  President Joe Biden's judicial nominees with public defender backgrounds are being “singled out for extra criticism” during the confirmation process, a coalition of more than 50 legal groups, including multiple state criminal …

Pro-Trump Senate hopeful J.D. Vance called then-President a ‘moral disaster’ in 2017 messages  —  (CNN)Ohio Republican Senate candidate J.D. Vance, a venture capitalist and author of the bestselling book “Hillbilly Elegy,” disparaged then-President Donald Trump as a “moral disaster” …

Jared Kushner ‘slow walked’ carrying out Trump's craziest orders until he forgot he ever gave them: Michael Wolff  —  Since leaving the White House, Jared Kushner and Donald Trump haven't been as close as they were during the previous four years.  —  Journalist Michael Wolff's new book …

Two-thirds of Southern Republicans want to secede  —  And that number is rising  —  A new YouGov survey conducted on behalf of a democracy watchdog group finds that 66 percent of Republicans living in the South say they'd support seceding from the United States to join a union with other Southern states.

A US-German ‘Window of Opportunity’ Is Closing, Experts Warn  —  If Biden is to persuade Germany — and NATO's European allies — to take a more aggressive stance toward China, he may have to do it before Angela Merkel steps down.  — EUROPE - WHITE HOUSE - CHINA - ARMY

Democrats Call for a Tax on Imports From Polluting Countries  —  The party's $3.5 trillion budget plan would include a carbon tariff, as well as a host of other climate actions.  —  WASHINGTON — Democrats have agreed to include a tax on imports from nations that lack aggressive climate change policies …

Have You Herd?  The Goats Are Back at Riverside Park.  —  After taking a break last year, goats have returned to help fend off invasive plant species.  New Yorkers can use ranked-choice voting to pick their favorites.  —  It was about 15 minutes into the second-ever “Running of the Goats” …

The Real Cuba Isn't a Potemkin Airbnb  —  Antonio García Martínez on what people taking to the streets are protesting.  —  8 hr ago … The difference between the communist system and the capitalist one is that both kick you in the ass, but in the communist one they kick …

Disgusting: Deliver driver tampered with NYPD officer's food claiming ‘we at war’  —  A Door Dash delivery driver posted a video of himself tampering with food that had been ordered by an NYPD officer in Brooklyn.  The Facebook account where it was originally posted has been deleted but not before it was captured:

Joe Biden's big lie  —  Did you know that black people are not going to be allowed to vote in America anymore?  At least in states controlled by Republicans.  Sounds a bit unlikely, but that's a conclusion you might have come to if you took seriously what President Joe Biden was saying in Philadelphia Tuesday.

Michigan GOP executive who blamed Trump for election loss resigns leadership post  —  Dave Boucher Clara HendricksonDetroit Free Press  —  A Michigan Republican Party leader who faced grassroots pushback after saying the 2020 presidential election wasn't stolen and blaming ex-President Donald Trump …

Justice Department Sought Reporter Records from Security Firm Proofpoint, in Bid to Unmask Leak Sources  —  Documents unsealed by a court this week reveal that the Justice Department didn't just go after email providers to obtain reporter records, but also went after the security firm Proofpoint

GOP messaging guru Luntz advised Biden's Covid task force  —  Frank Luntz, the Republican communications specialist known for his Fox News focus groups, has for months shared research with the Biden White House to help develop its strategy for reaching people reluctant to get the Covid vaccine.

Welcome to Year Zero  —  A Tentative Beginning in a Subdued Key  —  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of America announced last year that it would set diversity quotas for any film eligible to win a best picture award.  In order to enforce these targets …

Former Kamala Harris national finance chair to launch firm to advise corporations, execs on political issues  — Vice President Kamala Harris' former national campaign finance chair is opening a strategic advisory firm that will aim, in part, to guide corporations and C-suite executives …

U.S. Leadership on Human Rights and Ending Systemic Racism  —  This Administration is deeply dedicated to addressing racial injustice and inequities at home and abroad.  On the global stage, the United States is leading by example.  —  Last month, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights released …

‘The Steele Dossier Was a Case Study in How Reporters Get Manipulated’  —  To pick the worst press failure of the past half-decade would be a daunting assignment, but the coverage of the Steele dossier would have to be high on any list.  The document, penned by former British intelligence …

Jenny Erpenbeck Is Keeping Time  —  When the Berlin Wall fell, some called it the end of history.  For Erpenbeck, history just needed saving.  —  Every time I spoke with the German author Jenny Erpenbeck over Zoom, the conversation began with her cheerfully noting the fun …

Another inflation siren sounding: Producer prices post record spike  —  Just one day after reporting the highest inflation for consumers since the Great Recession, the Bureau of Labor Statistics sounded another alarm, this time with June's producer price index.

Poll: 1.8 million Americans have turned down jobs due to unemployment benefits  —  About 1.8 million out-of-work Americans have turned down jobs because of the generosity of unemployment insurance benefits, according to Morning Consult poll results released Wednesday.

Groups sue to block enforcement of DeSantis' anti-riot law as Cuban violators in FL go largely untouched  —  Quality Journalism for Critical Times  —  Civil rights groups have asked a federal judge to block enforcement of HB 1, Gov. Ron DeSantis' crackdown on street protests …