Alabama governor says 'it's time to start blaming the unvaccinated folks' as pandemic worsens  —  “I can't make you take care of yourself,” Republican Kay Ivey said of her state's residents who have yet to receive their shots.  —  Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey speaks during a news conference.

‘Deadly serious’: Pelosi goes to war with GOP over Jan. 6  —  Nancy Pelosi has some unfinished business with Donald Trump.  —  The volatile former president and Pelosi foe is long gone from the White House but still haunts Capitol Hill.  And as much as some in her party might want to move on from Trump …

As Herschel Walker eyes Senate run, a turbulent past emerges  —  ATLANTA (AP) — At first glance, Herschel Walker has a coveted political profile for a potential Senate candidate in Georgia.  —  He was a football hero at the University of Georgia before his long NFL career.

Inside Trump's intense search for a Cheney challenger  —  Former President Donald Trump's top political advisers have been holding quiet talks over the last several months with the primary challengers looking to take down his most prominent Republican nemesis: Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.

Some Florida Hospitals Have More Covid Patients Than Ever Before  —  A rapid rise in Covid-19 hospitalizations in parts of the country with lagging vaccination rates is causing alarm.  —  MIAMI — A month ago, the number of Covid-19 patients admitted at two University of Florida hospitals in Jacksonville was down to 14.

Vaccinated America Has Had Enough  —  In the United States, this pandemic could've been over by now, and certainly would've been by Labor Day.  If the pace of vaccination through the summer had been anything like the pace in April and May, the country would be nearing herd immunity.

EXCLUSIVE ‘QAnon Shaman’ in plea negotiations after mental health diagnosis -lawyer  —  The participant in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riots nicknamed the “QAnon Shaman” is negotiating a possible plea deal with prosecutors, after prison psychologists found he suffers from a variety of mental illnesses, his attorney said.

Trumpworld is already weighing veeps for 2024.  Hint: It ain't Pence.  —  Donald Trump and his advisers are convinced that if he runs again for president in 2024, the Republican nomination will be his.  Their confidence is so supreme that they view almost all of the emerging field …

Stop insulting Trump voters and their concerns.  Talk to them.  —  When supporters of former president Donald Trump hear media pundits analyze them with the usual collection of belittling observations, they must be tempted to respond, “Hey, we're right here!  We can hear you!”

Biden to campaign for McAuliffe, who received $650K from teachers' unions promoting critical race theory  —  McAuliffe has called the anti-critical race theory movement a ‘conspiracy’ by Republicans  —  Hunter Biden meeting art buyers is ‘not ethical’: Jason Chaffetz

Cleveland's baseball team goes from Indians to Guardians  —  CLEVELAND (AP) — Known as the Indians since 1915, Cleveland's Major League Baseball team will be called Guardians.  —  The ballclub announced the name change Friday — effective at the end of the 2021 season …

The Delta Variant Will Drive A Steep Rise In U.S. COVID Deaths, A New Model Shows  —  The current COVID-19 surge in the U.S. — fueled by the highly contagious delta variant — will steadily accelerate through the summer and fall, peaking in mid-October, with daily deaths more than triple what they are now.

How a Rising Trump Critic Lost Her Nerve  —  Nancy Mace was on a mission to find a gun that would fit inside her purse.  It was the first Friday in March, and we'd come to a shooting range in North Charleston to try out the Sig Sauer P365.  She strode to a shooting lane …

Biden administration offers new aid for mortgage borrowers at risk of foreclosure due to COVID-19 pandemic  —  WASHINGTON - The Biden administration announced Friday it is putting in place new loan modifications and payment reductions to help homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage payments during the coronavirus pandemic.

Republican politicians lost in Medicaid expansion standoff, and Missouri voters won  —  BY THE KANSAS CITY STAR EDITORIAL BOARD  —  Thursday, the Missouri Supreme Court — with a clear, unanimous voice — said expanded Medicaid is constitutional.  That means 275,000 people now eligible …

Biden poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador to Australia  —  Washington (CNN)President Joe Biden is poised to nominate Caroline Kennedy to serve as ambassador to Australia, three people familiar with the search process told CNN, in one of the highest-profile envoy selections yet by the White House.

Trump calls Jan. 6 rioters ‘loving crowd’ in new audio  —  Andrea Mitchell is joined by Phillip Rucker and Carol Leonnig, Pulitzer Prize winning Washington Post reporters and co-authors of “I Alone Can Fix It: Donald J Trump's Catastrophic Final Year.” which details the chaos inside the White House …

An open letter to Tokyo Olympics' Team USA  —  Your journey to Tokyo likely started at a young age, the first time you picked up a ball or jumped in the water, the first ride that made you feel truly free or when the backflip you thought was impossible suddenly wasn't.

Who Are The Real COVID Vaccine Refuseniks?  Hint: It's Not What You've Been Told  —  The Biden administration, stung by missing its vaccine targets and the rising COVID-19 cases, has decided to blame Republicans.  That's not surprising.  But it's traditionally Democratic groups …

Tennessee to restart nearly all vaccine outreach paused amid GOP pressure, says health commissioner  —  The Tennessee state government will resume all forms of vaccine outreach, with the narrow exception of social media posts aimed specifically at children, after halting many forms …

The majority wants to end COVID.  Once again, Republicans are filibustering.  —  In this country, it takes more than a majority to give the majority what it wants.  —  It shouldn't be this hard.  In fact, it shouldn't be hard at all.  —  More than 600,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID …

What the fight between Anthony Fauci and Rand Paul is really about  —  More than 18 months into the coronavirus pandemic, our government leaders still can't manage to have a rational conversation about a crucial public health question: How did the covid-19 crisis begin?

Democrats' Divide on Voting Rights Widens as Biden Faces Pressure  —  The president is increasingly at odds with leaders of the voting rights movement, who see a contrast between his soaring language and his willingness to push Congress to pass federal legislation.

The End of “Cancel Culture”?  —  Young Americans may return us to a culture of compassion and forgiveness.  —  1 hr ago  —  In their book The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, authors Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff speculate …

Shots fired at Jovenel Moïse's funeral in Cap-Haitien.  U.S., U.N. delegations leave  —  The funeral for Jovenel Moïse, the president of Haiti assassinated two weeks ago, was marred by gunfire Friday.  —  The U.S. delegation, headed by Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield …