The absurd coverage of the January 6 committee  —  In late May, over the Memorial Day weekend, the top story on NBC's Meet the Press was a recent vote by Republican senators to kill the prospect of an independent, fully bipartisan commission to investigate the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6.

V.A. Issues Vaccine Mandate for Health Care Workers, a First for a Federal Agency  —  Employees who provide direct patient care have eight weeks to get inoculated against the coronavirus or face penalties including possible removal.  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs …

Four Illusions  —  Illusion #1: Biden is not too old.  —  People who have been around American politics for a long time know Joe Biden well.  The eldest among them have known Joe Biden for nearly five decades.  What they will tell you is that he didn't seem to age during his two terms as vice president.

I'm a Parkland Shooting Survivor.  QAnon Convinced My Dad It Was All a Hoax.  —  Bill's final semester at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, was already difficult enough.  —  He was part of the final graduating class of survivors of the 2018 shooting …

‘People are scared’: Democrats lose ground on school equity plans  —  Elina Kaplan is the kind of suburban mom who made Joe Biden president.  —  An immigrant who came to the United States from the Soviet Union, she is a registered Democrat from San Mateo County, Calif. And she's alarmed …

Is Vaxed America Running Out of Patience?  —  I wanted to share some thoughts and snippets of news following up on the GOP vaccine switcheroo.  But first I wanted to share this LA Times article that helped me think more broadly about the issue.  Reporter Brittny Mejia went to a pop …

EXCLUSIVE U.S. will not lift travel restrictions, citing Delta variant -official  —  The United States will not lift any existing travel restrictions “at this point” due to concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant and the rising number of U.S. coronavirus cases, a White House official told Reuters.

An Alabama mother who lost her son to covid says not getting the vaccine is her biggest regret  —  These days, Christy Carpenter finds strength in her family and faith.  But on some days, one question keeps ringing in her head: “Why?”  —  After weeks of battling through oxygen treatments …

'We're f—ed': Dems fear turnout catastrophe from GOP voting laws  —  ATLANTA — After Georgia Republicans passed a restrictive voting law in March, Democrats here began doing the math.  —  The state's new voter I.D. requirement for mail-in ballots could affect the more than 270,000 Georgians lacking identification.

Questions the January 6 Select Committee Should Ask Its Witnesses  —  The House select committee established to investigate the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol will hold its first public hearing on July 27.  Like the 9-11 Commission before it, the select committee is investigating …

First look: Don Jr., Ron DeSantis dominate poll of GOP frontrunners  —  Don Jr. and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis top a poll — provided first to Axios — gauging the popularity of seven key GOP figures.  —  Between the lines: Don Jr. is the Trump child with the strongest connection to the base …

Takeover of Fulton elections considered by Georgia Republicans  —  Georgia voting law allows removal of county election boards  —  With a rising drumbeat of criticism, several Republican Georgia legislators are building a case for the state government to take over Fulton County elections.

In Official Washington, Chasten Buttigieg is a stranger in a (very) strange land  —  Chasten Buttigieg put on a few pounds during quarantine.  So in April, with pandemic restrictions easing and two doses of vaccine safely in his arm, he set about looking for a gym to join in the city …

Olympic broadcasters curb sexual images of female athletes  —  TOKYO (AP) — Ariarne Titmus and Luka Doncic made memorable Olympic debuts.  —  Titmus lived up to the billing of her nickname the “Terminator” when she chased down Katie Ledecky in the 400 freestyle Monday to win one of the most anticipated races of the Summer Games.

Police Are Telling ShotSpotter to Alter Evidence From Gunshot-Detecting AI  —  Prosecutors in Chicago are being forced to withdraw evidence generated by the technology, which led to the police killing of 13-year-old Adam Toledo earlier this year.  —  TF  —  On May 31 last year …

Pasco Sheriff's Office letter targets residents for ‘increased accountability’  —  Critics of the agency's intelligence programs called the letter ‘patronizing’ and ‘offensive,’ and raised continued concerns about civil rights  —  It starts like an offer of admission from a prestigious university.

Trump pressures McConnell, GOP to ditch bipartisan talks until they have majority  —  Former President Donald Trump on Monday urged Senate Republicans to abandon talks on a bipartisan infrastructure deal until after the midterm elections or when the GOP retakes majorities in Congress.

How Trumpists Prey on Loneliness, and Loneliness Preys on Trumpists  —  FRANKLY, WE DID JOIN A CULT … People who find purpose and meaning in their faith, family, hobbies (watching Fox News doesn't count), and vocation are less susceptible to a cult of personality.

Facebook and tech giants to target attacker manifestos, far-right militias in database  —  A counterterrorism organization formed by some of the biggest U.S. tech companies including Facebook (FB.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) is significantly expanding the types of extremist content shared between firms …

France Warned The US In 2015 About The Wuhan Lab It Helped Build, Former COVID-19 Investigator Claims  — In 2015, French intelligence officials warned the U.S. State Department that China was cutting back on agreed collaboration at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a former State Department official told …

For the Jan. 6 Committee to Succeed, This Guy Has to Go  —  Chairman Bennie Thompson's staff director pick could irrevocably undermine the credibility of the fledgling committee—with no real upside. … On July 22, Chairman Bennie Thompson announced the senior staff for the fledgling 1/6 committee.

GOP congressman says he has Covid-19 for second time  —  A Republican member of Congress from Louisiana said Sunday that he was sick with Covid-19 for the second time as a surge of new infections hits parts of the U.S. with low vaccination rates.  —  Referring to the disease as the …

Far right tugs at North Dakota Republican Party  —  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — An effort to recall a Republican legislator largely over his vote to expel a fellow GOP lawmaker accused of sexually harassing women at the state Capitol is being viewed as a litmus test for party loyalty, the state GOP 's new chairman said.

Doctors, nurses and other health groups call for mandatory coronavirus vaccinations for all health workers  —  The health and safety of the nation ‘depends on it,’ says statement signed by 57 groups.  —  Medical groups representing millions of doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other health workers …