Delta Is Driving a Wedge Through Missouri  —  The summer wasn't meant to be like this.  By April, Greene County, in southwestern Missouri, seemed to be past the worst of the pandemic.  Intensive-care units that once overflowed had emptied.  Vaccinations were rising.

U.S. judge blocks new applicants to program that protects undocumented ‘Dreamers’ who arrived as children  —  A federal judge in Texas has largely halted an Obama administration initiative that grants work permits and protection from deportation to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States …

AP: Few Arizona voter fraud cases undercut Trump's claims  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona county election officials have identified fewer than 200 cases of potential voter fraud out of more than 3 million ballots cast in last year's presidential election, undercutting former President Donald Trump's claims …

Trump says Milley should be court-martialed ‘if he said what was reported’  —  Former President Trump said Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley should be court-martialed if it's true that, as reported, Milley thought Trump would orchestrate a coup.

Senior Biden officials finding that Covid lab leak theory as credible as natural origins explanation  —  Inside the fight to uncover Covid-19's origins  —  Washington (CNN)Senior Biden administration officials overseeing an intelligence review into the origins of the coronavirus now believe …

Sen. Joe Manchin, key Democratic holdout on federal voting protections, coming to Texas for fundraiser hosted by several GOP donors  —  The fundraiser comes just a day after Manchin met with Texas House Democrats on Capitol Hill who are desperate for his support of the congressional efforts …

Convincing the Skeptics  —  Vaccine resisters can't be persuaded if they feel disrespected.  —  here's no doubt that vaccination rates have hit a wall of skepticism: 48.5 percent of the population is fully vaccinated, and 56.1 percent have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

How Biden avoided the F bombs  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  This coming week, Senate Democrats will force an end of sorts to bipartisan negotiations around …

Commerce Unit Went ‘Rogue,’ Senate Report Says, Targeting Chinese Americans  —  An obscure federal office operated for more than a decade as an “unaccountable police force” inside the Commerce Department, using extreme and unauthorized tactics.  —  WASHINGTON — Officials …

Psaki excoriates criticism of Biden administration work on vaccine misinformation  —  The White House press secretary ripped Fox News' Peter Doocy for saying the federal government was ‘spying’ on social media users  —  White House press secretary Jen Psaki forcefully defended …

Reuters journalist killed covering clash between Afghan forces, Taliban  —  Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan, an Afghan commander said.

To Trump's hard-core supporters, his rallies weren't politics.  They were life.  —  What 2020 looked like from the front row on the campaign trail  —  Donald Trump soaked in the adoration as he commanded a rally stage inside a massive central Florida arena.  I stewed in my seat and stopped taking notes.

Judge won't let contractor see Capitol Riot grand jury evidence  —  A federal judge has thrown a monkey wrench into the prosecution of more than 500 Capitol riot defendants by denying the Justice Department's request to share grand jury materials with a contractor hired to organize …

Vienna Is the New Havana Syndrome Hotspot  —  Roughly two dozen possible new cases have been reported by U.S. spies and diplomats in the Austrian capital, more than in any other city except Havana itself.  —  Since Joe Biden took office, about two dozen U.S. intelligence officers, diplomats …

Two Fla. police officers charged in new Proud Boys indictment in Capitol riot  —  A father and son, who are current and former Florida police officers, and a North Carolina man have been charged with joining alleged Proud Boys members in the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, according …

Justice in legal knot in Mo Brooks, Trump case  —  The Justice Department is facing a decision over whether to help insulate Rep. Mo Brooks from a civil lawsuit claiming the Alabama Republican was among those responsible for inciting a mob to storm the Capitol on January 6.

Democrats' New Amnesty Gambit  —  If a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill isn't bad enough, how about a $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill that tortures the Senate rules to include a highly contentious, consequential policy change that wouldn't have a prayer of passing otherwise?

Explosive Interview Directly Implicates Trump in Tax Scheme  —  As investigators look into a scheme at the Trump Organization to avoid paying taxes on employee benefits, one witness has set the scene to show Trump was involved.  —  A witness in the New York investigation against the Trump Organization …

Ticket sales are moving slowly for the coming Trump-O'Reilly stadium tour  —  Donald Trump is having trouble selling advance tickets for his upcoming speaking tour with conservative pundit Bill O'Reilly, according to interviews with ticketing officials for the venues.

Leaving Trump behind  —  Donald Trump's cultural and long-term political legacy will be debated for decades.  But his legacy for the Republican Party will be tested far sooner than that.  He has the power to leave the GOP and the conservative movement intact or disastrously divided.

Police officers treat Black and white men differently.  You can hear it in their tone of voice  —  Scientists who analyzed the body camera footage from more than 100 police officers have found a subtle but clear pattern: During traffic stops, officers spoke to Black men in a less respectful …

Naval Special Warfare Welcomes CQT Class 115; First Woman Operator  —  CORONADO, Calif. - Candidates of Crewman Qualification Training (CQT) Class 115 completed Naval Special Warfare's (NSW) assessment and selection pipeline to become Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) …

Monkeypox infection confirmed in North Texas  —  DALLAS, Texas (KWTX) - Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) on Friday reported the first case of monkeypox in a resident of Dallas County, a case believed to be the first monkeypox virus infection in a Texas resident.

Democratic, Republican Confidence in Science Diverges  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sixty-four percent of U.S. adults say they have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in science, compared with 70% when Gallup last measured it more than four decades ago.

California man was arrested with an arsenal of weapons and a racist manifesto, officials say  —  A California man is in custody after police found a cache of weapons, ammunition, and racist writings in his vehicle saying he wanted to wipe out the Black, Hispanic and Jewish populations, officials said Thursday.

Haunted by Past Virus Surges, California Leans on Masks and Vaccines  —  A new indoor mask requirement in Los Angeles County comes as new virus cases have nearly tripled statewide.  Immunization rates, however, should keep any spike below past peaks.  —  LOS ANGELES — Last month …

McConnell calls for withdrawal of Biden public lands nominee  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is joining a chorus of Republicans calling on the White House to withdraw President Biden's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management over a decades-old tree spiking incident.