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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

Florida GOP chair under investigation for alleged sexual harassment  —  TALLAHASSEE — The Republican Party of Florida is investigating its chair, Joe Gruters, in connection with a sexual harassment allegation involving a legislative staffer amid complaints from top party officials that the accusation was covered up.

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.

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 …

I discussed ousting PM after 2019 election landslide  —  Dominic Cummings has revealed he discussed ousting Boris Johnson within days of the Conservatives winning the December 2019 election by a landslide.  —  The PM's former chief adviser told the BBC it seemed that, by mid-January 2020, Mr Johnson did not “have a plan”.

Who is Kyrsten Sinema Really Representing?  —  Halfway through her term as Senator of Arizona, Kyrsten Sinema is finding herself seemingly at odds with the members of her party.  Her dedication to preserving the filibuster has stood as a significant obstacle to enacting a number of important bills …

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.

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,” …

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

Fox News host compares unvaccinated to cliff divers, says it's ‘their choice’ to die  —  “Fox and Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade compared skipping the Covid-19 vaccine to cliff diving, saying on Monday that people who don't survive the disease made the “choice” to die.

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.”

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.”

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 …