Scoop: White House official, Pelosi aide test positive for COVID  —  A White House official and a staff member for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) have both tested positive for COVID-19 after attending the same reception last week, officials confirmed to Axios.

Twitter Suspends Marjorie Taylor Greene for Posting Coronavirus Misinformation  —  The Republican lawmaker from Georgia cannot tweet for 12 hours, after the White House criticized social media sites for amplifying vaccine lies.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter said on Monday …

Axios-Ipsos poll: Most unvaccinated Americans won't get the shot for any reason  —  Many won't budge even if their own doctor gives the shot, a celebrity endorses it or they get paid time off.

Infrastructure deal in precarious state as endgame nears  —  President Biden on Monday took a subtle yet unmistakable dig at Republicans who have backed away from a major funding component in a bipartisan infrastructure package that is now starting to fray, saying pointedly that …

Bezos says space flight reinforced commitment to fighting climate change  —  Jeff Bezos said in an interview hours after flying to suborbital space on Tuesday that there are “no words” to adequately describe the experience, but that it reinforced his commitment to combatting climate change and keeping Earth …

McCarthy makes his 5 GOP picks for Jan. 6 select committee  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has chosen his five GOP appointees for the Democrat-led select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.  —  While the California Republican took his time deciding between naming …

Indicted Trump Organization executive may have defended his Mercedes perks in custody, court documents show  —  NEW YORK — Indicted Trump Organization executive Allen Weisselberg may have offered an unprompted early defense to investigators on the day he was charged in a 15-year tax avoidance …

We're begging you, Gov. DeSantis, stop messing in Texas and save Florida from COVID  —  That's what DeSantis told the conservative TPUSA crowd on Sunday.  —  We agree.  Completely.  —  Please, governor, we're begging you, handle the COVID problem.  Be a leader.

Delta variant poses major risk to Biden's promises of swift economic comeback  —  White House had expected economy to roar in 2021, but growing number of cases has raised concerns about setback  —  A resurgence in coronavirus cases is threatening the Biden administration's promises …

Let's get more people vaccinated  —  It all starts with actually approving the vaccine....  One great piece of news about life in the United States of America in July of 2021 is that widely available mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna are highly effective against the SARS-Cov-2 virus.

Virginia GOP Makes a Mockery of the Redistricting Process  —  In 2020, Virginia voters passed an amendment to the state constitution designed to thwart the kind of partisan gerrymandering that has helped make American politics so polarized in recent decades.

Unvaccinated Trump supporter who spread coronavirus conspiracy theories dies of COVID-19  —  On Tuesday, the Cape Cod Times reported that Linda Zuern, a former member of the Bourne, Massachusetts Board of Selectmen and a Trump-supporting figure in the local Republican Party, had died of COVID-19.

After waiting, Steve Scalise gets vaccinated against COVID-19, calls it “safe and effective”  —  “Soon,” U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise replied at the beginning of April when asked when he would be vaccinated against the coronavirus.  —  “Soon,” he repeated at the beginning of May when asked the same question.

Ben & Jerry's Will End Sales of Our Ice Cream in the Occupied Palestinian Territory  —  We believe it is inconsistent with our values for Ben & Jerry's ice cream to be sold in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).  We also hear and recognize the concerns shared with us by our fans and trusted partners.

Justice Department seeks 50-year bar to release of grand jury material  —  The Justice Department is pushing for rule changes that would put a 50-year delay on when courts can consider releasing material from federal grand juries, according to documents and interviews, and would separately allow gag orders …

Texas Senate Bill Drops Teaching Requirement That Ku Klux Klan Is ‘Morally Wrong’  —  Eliminated requirements also include the writings of Martin Luther King Jr., United Farm Workers leader Cesar Chavez and suffragist Susan B. Anthony.  —  In a new political low in Texas …

What were the Capitol rioters thinking on Jan. 6?  —  Robert Gieswein is a good man, according to family and friends, who describe him as gentle and compassionate.  His mother says he has “an amazing work ethic.”  His younger sister calls him “the most inspiring person in my life.”

Buffalo Bill Center of the West trustee resigns after racist newsletter comes to light  —  A longtime member of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West board of trustees resigned Monday after it was recently revealed that he runs a racist newsletter.  —  Henry “Rip” McIntosh had been a trustee at the museum since September 2012.

Young conservative Republican Karoline Leavitt becomes candidate for 1st District U.S. House seat  —  NH native, former Trump White House staffer, says ‘radical’ Democrats, including Pappas, have ‘dismantled progress’ made under 45th president  —  Hide Transcript Show Transcript

Rand Paul Accuses Fauci of Lying to Congress about Gain-of-Function Research Funding  —  Senator Rand Paul (R., Ky.) and Dr. Anthony Fauci again clashed over alleged U.S. government funding of gain-of-function research on bat coronavirus in Wuhan, China, during testimony before a Senate committee on Tuesday.

This deaf-blind Paralympian was told to navigate Tokyo alone.  So she quit Team USA.  —  TIMONIUM, Md. — Five years ago, Becca Meyers was on the floor of her room in the Olympic Village at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympics, balled up and sobbing, frustrated and terrified.

Court Packing is Unconstitutional  —  Today, the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court holds its second full day of hearings, beginning at 8:30am this morning.  You can watch it live here.  At 3:30pm, I will be the first witness on a panel devoted specifically to partisan court expansion, known pejoratively as “court packing.”

The two numbers that could get people to take the vaccine  —  Against all reason and morality, a powerful campaign is urging Americans not to get vaccinated against covid-19.  —  Right-wing voices, from state and national lawmakers to talk-show hosts, are railing against vaccination because …

As many as 200 Americans have now reported possible symptoms of ‘Havana Syndrome,’ officials say  —  WASHINGTON — As many as 200 Americans have come forward to describe possible symptoms of directed energy attacks, part of a wave of fresh reports that includes newly identified incidents around the world, Western officials say.

We are all propagandists now  —  The U.S. is in an information war with itself.  The public sphere, where Americans discuss public issues, is broken.  There's little discussion - and lots of fighting.  —  One reason why: Persuasion is difficult, slow and time-consuming …

Progressive Group Launches 6-Figure Super PAC To Boost Nina Turner  —  The Working Families Party plans to spend at least $150,000 in the hotly contested Ohio congressional race.  —  The Working Families Party, a progressive group, plans to spend at least $150,000 in support …

The Hedgehogs of Critical Race Theory  —  They start with important truths—slavery was wicked—and get carried away into monomania.  —  The political philosopher Isaiah Berlin turned an obscure fragment by the ancient Greek poet Archilochus ("The fox knows many things …