Sinema doesn't support Democrats' $3.5T bill, clinches bipartisan infrastructure deal  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema does not support Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget plan that aims to deliver major components of President Joe Biden's economic agenda that Democrats hope to pass after moving …

McConnell aims to boost U.S. Republican vaccination rate by countering ‘bad advice’  —  U.S. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell blamed misinformation for the low rates of COVID-19 vaccination among Americans, which are fueling a rise in coronavirus cases, particularly in Republican-dominated states.

Trump allies blame conservative leader for failed Texas endorsement  —  Susan Wright's defeat in a Republican runoff dealt a blow to Trump's aura of invincibility as a GOP kingmaker.

Ken Bennett, senate liaison overseeing Maricopa County election audit, to resign  —  file photo, former Arizona Secretary of State Ken Bennett arrives at a news conference to talk about overseeing a 2020 election ballot audit ordered by the Republican lead Arizona Senate at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.

The CDC's Unforced Error  —  On the menu today: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Biden administration make a critical error by recommending vaccinated Americans put on the masks again; sorting through who's still not vaccinated and why; figuring out Simone Biles's early withdrawal …

A Confusing Message  —  The C.D.C. recommends indoor masking for the vaccinated, but only in some places.  —  The C.D.C. has both a polarization problem and a communication problem.  —  Let's start with the polarization problem: The parts of the country that would benefit most from a new crackdown …

Our democracy is under attack.  Washington journalists must stop covering it like politics as usual.  —  Back in the dark ages of 2012, two think-tank scholars, Norman Ornstein and Thomas Mann, wrote a book called “It's Even Worse Than It Looks” about the rise of Republican Party extremism and its dire effect on American democracy.

Pelosi: McCarthy a ‘moron’ for opposing mask mandate  —  Tensions between the party leaders in the House rolled to a boil on Wednesday when Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called her Republican counterpart, Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), a “moron” for his opposition to wearing masks in the House.

Byron York's Daily Memo: What Jim Jordan would have said  —  Welcome to Byron York's Daily Memo newsletter.  —  Was this email forwarded to you?  Sign up here to receive the newsletter.  —  WHAT JIM JORDAN WOULD HAVE SAID.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously banned Republican Rep. Jim Jordan …

Jared Kushner to leave politics, launch investment firm - sources  —  Jared Kushner, a top adviser to former President Donald Trump, plans to launch an investment firm in coming months, a move that will take him away from politics for the foreseeable future, sources familiar with the plan said on Wednesday.

The New Moral Code of America's Elite  —  Every striver who ever slipped the rank of their birth to ascend to a higher order has shared the capacity to ingratiate themselves with their betters.  What the truly exceptional ones have in common is the ability to connect not only with their superiors …

Who's Behind Dallas Justice Now's 'Don't Send White Kids to Ivy League' Controversy?  —  As soon as Casie Tomlin found the FedEx envelope in her mailbox, she knew something looked fishy.  Inside, a flyer from a group called Dallas Justice Now urged parents in Dallas' wealthy — and largely white …

GOP Rep. Clyde stands by comparison of Jan. 6 mob to ‘tourists’ when pressed by Democratic Rep. Raskin  —  Rep. Andrew S. Clyde (R-Ga.), who infamously compared the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol to “a normal tourist visit,” steadfastly stood by his contention Tuesday night during …

Least persuadable unvaccinated Americans are largely white and Republican  —  Parents are heavily resistant to the vaccine.

The intellectual right contemplates an ‘American Caesar’  —  Jan. 6 was a badly planned rehearsal for the real deal  —  How does ideological change happen?  Why do certain political ideas and possibilities that appear outrageous and even unthinkable at one moment in history come to be considered options worth taking seriously?

Lauren Boebert throws ‘mask in the face of a floor staffer’ as she fumes over ‘totalitarian’ House rules: report  —  Colorado GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert doesn't like masks, as evidenced by her COVID-denialist rhetoric and her history of defying mask mandates in the House chamber.

'I don't feel any fear going out.' How residents are living in America's most vaccinated state  —  Burlington, Vermont (CNN)The sweaty Lindy Hoppers stood in a circle clapping to a hard-driving beat — switching partners and laughing on the ballroom floor of The Champlain Club in Vermont's largest city.

Conor Lamb preparing to launch Senate run in August  —  Rep. Conor Lamb is expected to launch a Senate campaign in August, according to three sources familiar with the Pennsylvania Democrat's decision.  —  Two sources said Lamb is planning a campaign event on Aug. 6 at an International Brotherhood …

'He's a Great Guy': Trump's Favored Aide Has Troubled Past  —  “Max Miller,” said Donald Trump.  —  “You know Max?”  —  The former president stood behind the microphone at the lectern at one of the most recent of his trademark rallies late last month at the county fairgrounds here and told …

What Do These People Think About Gawker Coming Back?  —  If you are reading this, it means Gawker is back.  We reached out to some of our favorite writers, artists, policymakers, and billionaires to ask them how that makes them feel.  Below are their answers.

Ben & Jerry's Founders on the Company's Israel Policy  —  Mr. Cohen and Mr. Greenfield founded Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings in 1978.  —  We are the founders of Ben & Jerry's.  We are also proud Jews.  It's part of who we are and how we've identified ourselves for our whole lives.

Democrats craft revised voting rights bill, seeking to keep hopes alive in the Senate  —  Senate Democrats are preparing to release a revised voting rights bill as soon as this week, hoping to keep the legislation alive a month after Republicans blocked the consideration of a previous, more sweeping proposal.

Next victims of rising crime?  Democrats in 2022 midterms  —  Violent crime is on the rise in America — and Democrats, with good cause, are worried that they may be among the casualties.  —  And it's not only a surge in shoot-outs or drive-bys in our nation's capital and in Chicago, Baltimore, and other big cities.