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

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Women's Handball Players Are Fined for Rejecting Bikini Uniforms  —  Norway's beach handball players were each fined 150 euros for wearing shorts rather than the required bikini bottoms.  A spokeswoman for the International Handball Federation said she didn't know the reason for the rule.

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

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.

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 …

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,” …

Kamala Harris says she's speaking with GOP senators about voting rights legislation  —  Vice President Kamala Harris says she is speaking with Republican senators on a key piece of voting legislation.  During a phone interview with CBS News, the vice president said there is “no bright line” …

My mother had a ‘vaccine passport’ from decades ago.  So why are we so averse to the idea now?  —  Our family wasn't much for heirlooms.  —  My mother, especially in her years as a busy young wife of an Air Force officer, tended to shed things, rather than save and curate them, as we moved every year or two.

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.

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 …

Call Me a Traitor Daniel Hale exposed the machinery of America's clandestine warfare.  Why did no one seem to care?  —  Daniel Everette Hale was the best dishwasher in Nashville.  He was faster, more efficient, more knowledgeable about the machinery that makes a restaurant run.

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?”

Fauci clashes with GOP senator, again, over misinformation about Wuhan lab research on coronavirus  —  “You don't know what you're talking about,” Fauci told Kentucky's Rand Paul.  —  GOP Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday stepped up his months-long fight with the nation's top infectious disease expert …

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.