Former Advisor to Presidential Candidate Among Three Defendants Charged with Acting as Agents of a Foreign Government  —  Defendants Allegedly Acted and Conspired to Act at the Direction of Senior United Arab Emirates Officials to Influence a Presidential Campaign, Public Opinion and the U.S. Government

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.

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.

Tom Brady Joins Biden to Laugh at Trump in Worst Day of Trump's Life The sum of all Trump fears.  —  Tom Brady visited the White House Tuesday to celebrate the Tampa Bay Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl, where he joked around with President Biden at Donald Trump's expense.

J.&J. Vaccine May Be Less Effective Against Delta, Study Suggests  —  Many who received the shot may need to consider boosters, the authors said.  But federal health officials do not recommend second doses.  —  The coronavirus vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson is much less effective …

WATCHING THE WATCHMEN  —  In the inky darkness of a late summer night last September, three cars filled with armed men began circling Birch Lake in northern Michigan, looking for ways to approach Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's three-bedroom vacation cottage, subdue her — using a stun gun if necessary — and drag her away.

Top U.S. Catholic Church official resigns after cellphone data used to track him on Grindr and to gay bars  —  The top administrator of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops resigned after a Catholic media site told the conference it had access to cellphone data that appeared to show …

On Fox News, Vaccination Pleas Intensify, but Skepticism Persists  —  Amid mixed messages on the channel, the hosts Sean Hannity and Steve Doocy encourage viewers to get Covid-19 shots as the Delta variant spreads.  —  The morning anchor's plea was urgent and framed in the starkest of terms: Get the Covid-19 vaccine, or you could die.

U.S. urges Ukraine to stay quiet on Russian pipeline  —  In the midst of tense negotiations with Berlin over a controversial Russia-to-Germany pipeline, the Biden administration is asking a friendly country to stay quiet about its vociferous opposition.  And Ukraine is not happy.

EXCLUSIVE: Ben & Jerry's Targets Anti-Semite Demographic With Audacious New Ice Cream Flavors  —  Ben & Jerry's, a left-wing ice cream company owned by Unilever, announced Monday that it will stop selling its products in the so-called Occupied Palestinian Territory, more commonly known as the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

On the list: Ten prime ministers, three presidents and a king … Spies for centuries have trained their sights on those who shape destinies of nations: presidents, prime ministers, kings.  —  And in the 21st century, most of them carry smartphones.  —  Such is the underlying logic …

New Poll: Arizona Democrats Love Biden and Kelly.  Kyrsten Sinema?  Not So Much.  —  Fight disinformation.  Get a daily recap of the facts that matter.  Sign up for the free Mother Jones newsletter.  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's support for the Senate filibuster appears to be doing real damage to her political brand back home.

NPR's Brilliant Self-Own  —  National Public Radio complains about a media figure who tells people “what their opinions should be” and uses political “buzzwords”  —  Yesterday's NPR article, “Outrage As A Business Model: How Ben Shapiro Is Using Facebook To Build An Empire,” …

Biden stacks his administration with yet another tech foe  —  Jonathan Kanter, who has been tapped to lead the DOJ's antitrust division, has represented Google's competitors.  —  Big Tech has yet another reason to be worried about the threat of US government regulation.

Tarrant, AL Councilman Tommy Bryant: “Do We Have A House N***** In Here?”  —  Tarrant, AL city council member Tommy Bryant, has come under fire from residents after an exchange at a city council meeting Monday night in which he stood up and loudly asked, “Do we have a house n***er in here?”

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 …

Scientists are worried by how fast the climate crisis has amplified extreme weather  —  (CNN)Until recently, climate change had been talked about as a future threat.  Its frontlines were portrayed as remote places like the Arctic, where polar bears are running out of sea ice to hunt from.

Republicans Have No Clear Message On Child Tax Credit Payments  —  Meanwhile, Democrats are celebrating their new policy and vowing to make it permanent.  —  As Democrats celebrate parents across the country receiving their first checks through the child tax credit, Republicans aren't quite sure how to respond.

Social conservatives ‘frustrated’ over Trump Supreme Court justices' rulings  —  Pence touts justices, but line gets a ‘golf clap, not a roaring applause’ from activists in Iowa  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for July 19  —  DES MOINES, Iowa - It was a line that you would expect would receive thunderous applause.

Swalwell spent thousands of campaign dollars on booze and limo services, $20K at hotel where his wife works  —  Rep. Nunes: There's a lot of questions surrounding Swalwell  —  Prominent Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California appears to have spent tens of thousands of campaign dollars …

Trump: Liz Cheney opponents to meet with him pre-endorsement  —  CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — Donald Trump will meet with Republicans running against Rep. Liz Cheney next week, and endorse one in the next few months, the former president said in a statement Tuesday.

First on CNN: Ilhan Omar leads group calling for special envoy to combat Islamophobia  —  (CNN)Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar is leading a group of Democratic lawmakers in calling on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to create a special envoy to combat Islamophobia, as instances of anti-Muslim hate crimes continue to rise worldwide.

Florida authorities take new action on Arizona audit group linked to Sidney Powell  —  A Dow Chemicals' heir started Sidney Powell's fundraising operation but now uses his own unregistered nonprofits to raise money supposedly going to Maricopa County.  —  5 hr ago

This Is Forever  —  The War on Terror never ended.  Covering it properly requires jettisoning some long-standing journalism practices - but not standards.  —  9 hr ago  —  WELCOME TO FOREVER WARS, a journalistic experiment.  Whether the experiment succeeds or fails is in your hands.