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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

Schumer defends tight infrastructure deadline as GOP threatens to tank key vote  — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected Republican calls to slow down the process of moving a bipartisan infrastructure plan through his chamber.  — Schumer argued that an upcoming procedural vote …

Here's What to Expect from the Republicans on the Jan. 6 Committee  —  Kevin McCarthy met with Trump before announcing his appointees.  —  After a pilgrimage to Bedminster to get the blessing of the GOP's Apricot Archbishop, House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy announced yesterday …

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.

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 …

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.

DEA agent charged with breaching police lines during Capitol riot  —  A special agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration has become the first federal law enforcement charged in connection with the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.  —  Mark Ibrahim of Orange County, Calif. …

Public Trust in CDC, FDA, and Fauci Holds Steady, Survey Shows  —  With more than two-thirds of American adults vaccinated with at least one dose of an authorized Covid-19 vaccine, the top U.S. health agencies retain the trust of the vast majority of the American public, as does Dr. Anthony Fauci …

Number of Americans with symptoms of Havana Syndrome reaches 200 after wave of attacks in Vienna  —  Two months ago the NY Times published a story revealing that as many as 130 people had been impacted by what has become known as “Havana Syndrome.”  Today NBC News reports the total number …

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 …

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 …

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,” …

The FBI has lost the plot  —  Whom the gods would destroy, they first make ridiculous.  Consider the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  That once-respected institution has been busy wiping (or, more to the point, not wiping) egg off its face at least since the moist tenure of James ‘higher loyalty’ Comey.

Don't Call Them ‘Shark Attacks,’ Scientists Say  —  In recent years, researchers and wildlife officials in Australia and the United States have adopted terms like “bites,” “incidents” and “encounters.”  They wish the public would, too.  —  On the beaches of Western Australia …

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.

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.”

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.

Running against the Democratic dystopia  —  From a political perspective, the fact that Democrats run everything in Washington means they get the blame for everything that goes wrong.  —  And many, many things are going wrong.  —  The Nationals game was suspended on Saturday night …

Buttigieg cheers space flight, says he'd go ‘in a heartbeat’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Former mayor, one-time presidential candidate, Transportation secretary — future space traveler?  —  Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he was excited to see Jeff Bezos' blast-off into space Tuesday …

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 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 …

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 …