Gaetz and Greene Hold Bizarre Outdoors ‘Protest’ After Multiple Venues Bailed  —  Three venues in California bailed on the pair, leaving them with only the sidewalk outside the Riverside City Hall for their planned rally.  —  Republican Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene hoped …

3 Texas Democrats test positive for COVID-19 in Washington, D.C.  —  Nicole Cobler Madlin MekelburgAustin American-Statesman  —  WASHINGTON — Three Texas House Democrats have tested positive for COVID-19 from Washington, D.C., according to Texas House Democratic Caucus leadership.

In Undervaccinated Arkansas, Covid Upends Life All Over Again  —  While much of the nation tiptoes toward normalcy, the coronavirus is again swamping hospitals in places like Mountain Home, in a rural county where fewer than one-third of residents are vaccinated.

Moving Past the Finger Pointing  —  At a time when COVID-19 cases are rising in America, the Biden administration has chosen to blame a handful of American social media companies.  While social media plays an important role in society, it is clear that we need a whole of society approach to end this pandemic.

GOP governor's vaccination tour reveals depths of distrust  —  TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — Free lottery tickets for those who get vaccinated had few takers.  Free hunting and fishing licenses didn't change many minds either.  And this being red-state Arkansas, mandatory vaccinations are off the table.

As Frozen Land Burns, Siberia Fears: 'If We Don't Have the Forest, We Don't Have Life'  —  Northeastern Siberia is a place where people take Arctic temperatures in stride.  But 100-degree days are another matter entirely.  —  MAGARAS, Russia — The call for help lit up villagers' phones …

Say goodbye to your carefree Covid summer  —  A version of this story appeared in CNN's What Matters newsletter.  To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.  —  (CNN)Summer is only halfway done, but the carefree Covid season is over.  —  Case numbers and hospitalizations are up.

National Review Says the Vaccines Are Good: A Collection  —  I interned at The Weekly Standard and harbor none of the same visceral anger toward Bill Kristol that his most vigorous critics do — even if I can't profess to fully understand or remotely agree with the increasingly sharp left turn he's taken.

South Africa's leaders fear fresh wave of violence by Zuma loyalists  —  Attacks by supporters of jailed former president ‘are bid for pardon or to unseat government’  —  South African authorities fear a new wave of attacks aimed at undermining the economy, investment and the rule of law …

U.S. diplomats in Afghanistan face daunting, dangerous mission with little military backup  —  The conclusion of the Pentagon's two-decade effort in Afghanistan lays bare the challenges facing U.S. diplomats and aid workers who remain behind, as a modest civilian force attempts …

FACT FOCUS: A false narrative of 74K extra votes in Arizona  —  Cyber Ninjas, the cybersecurity consulting firm hired by Arizona Senate Republicans to oversee a partisan review of the 2020 election, on Thursday pushed a false narrative that Maricopa County received thousands of mail-in ballots …

Florida leads nation in coronavirus infections in 2020-like surge  —  Nearly one-in-five of the nation's new COVID-19 infections comes from Florida, according to the White House.  —  Updated Earlier today  —  The coronavirus is surging in Florida in ways not seen since the pandemic summer of 2020.

Slip Sliding Away From History  —  WASHINGTON — It is a hoary tradition: Outfox history, if you can.  —  You might call this maneuver: I really wasn't the horrible person I was.  I want to be remembered as the person I want you to think I was.  —  Distancing from failure or embarrassment is part of every politico's skill set.

New York City politicians reveling in new Black power surge  —  It's not quite Chocolate City, but recent election wins by African-American politicians has the Big Apple on the verge of being the hub of Black Power.  —  Not only is the nation's largest city poised to elect …