The Big Money Behind the Big Lie  —  Donald Trump's attacks on democracy are being promoted by rich and powerful conservative groups that are determined to win at all costs. … It was tempting to dismiss the show unfolding inside the Dream City Church in Phoenix, Arizona, as an unintended comedy.

Obama plans Martha's Vineyard birthday bash as Delta variant rages on  —  The party will be held outdoors, all guests are asked to be vaccinated and there will be a COVID-coordinator.

Jihadists flood pro-Trump social network with propaganda  —  Just weeks after its launch, the pro-Trump social network GETTR is inundated with terrorist propaganda spread by supporters of Islamic State, according to a POLITICO review of online activity on the fledgling platform.

How the Bobos Broke America  —  This article was published online on August 2, 2021.  —  The dispossessed set out early in the mornings.  They were the outsiders, the scorned, the voiceless.  But weekend after weekend—unbowed and undeterred—they rallied together.

Florida breaks record in cases, hospitalizations; over 1M vaccine doses thrown away in 10 states: Latest COVID-19 news  —  Florida on Sunday broke its record for coronavirus hospitalizations a day after the state recorded the most daily COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in early 2020.

House moderates may oppose budget without infrastructure vote  —  Speaker Nancy Pelosi's plan to link the Senate's $550 billion bipartisan infrastructure plan to a $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package is starting to backfire, as moderate Democrats warn they may not vote …

Did the New York Times stifle lab leak debate?  —  The world's verdict on the lab leak seems to be shifting.  The Biden Administration now thinks there is a credible possibility that Covid-19 leaked from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.  WHO chief Tedros Adhanome Ghebreyesus has admitted …

Citing Taliban violence, US expands Afghan refugee program  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration on Monday expanded its efforts to evacuate at-risk Afghan citizens from Afghanistan as Taliban violence increases ahead there of the U.S. military pullout at the end of the month.

Florida breaks record for COVID-19 hospitalizations  —  ORLANDO, Fla. - A day after it recorded the most new daily cases since the start of the pandemic, Florida on Sunday broke a previous record for current hospitalizations set more than a year ago before vaccines were available.

Trump's $100 million threat to democracy  —  (CNN)Donald Trump now has a $100 million weapon to wield against US democracy.  —  The defeated and disgraced ex-President's huge war chest, nearly all amassed within six months of leaving office, was built on his ravenous calls for cash …

Want to make Jim Jordan sing about the Capitol attack?  Ask Jefferson Davis  —  The Ohio Republican admits he spoke to Trump the day the Confederate flag flew in Congress.  Aptly, the investigation of John Brown's raid sets precedent for what must happen next

Mark Meadows: Trump meeting with his ‘cabinet’ (despite not having one)  —  Former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Newsmax that the former president has been holding meetings with his “cabinet” despite not being president.  New York Times reporter and CNN political analyst Maggie Haberman has the details.

Americans' Optimism About COVID-19 Dashed as Cases Surge  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a dramatic shift from last month, more Americans now say the coronavirus situation in the U.S. is getting worse (45%) rather than better (40%).  In June, a record 89% said the situation was getting better, while only 3% said it was getting worse.

‘Freedom-loving’ conservatives stoked latest round of infection and death  —  I write columns about politics and government, occasionally indulging as a frustrated sports writer; I don't write about business or leisure activities except:  — I would avoid any cruise ships embarking from Florida.

Portland, Ore., Can't Find Police for Unit to Fight Rising Murder Rate  —  Few volunteer for new gun-violence team that comes with more oversight and a mission to combat racism after a history of profiling  —  Leaders in Portland, Ore., are looking to combat the city's rising homicide rate …

What I Heard in the White House Basement  —  One phone call changed my life.  —  On Thursday, July 25, 2019, I was seated at the table in one of the two Situation Rooms in the basement of the West Wing.  The bigger room is famous from movies and TV shows, but this room is smaller …

Bidenizing the Democrats  —  The president scores a victory against his party's Sanders wing.  —  Donald Trump's effort to maintain his grip on the Republican Party is so transfixingly weird that it obscures a more ordinary and perhaps more politically relevant one about whether Joe Biden …

GDP Growth Under Trump Was the Worst Since Hoover  —  The pandemic was partly to blame, and there are some measures that make his record look better.  But it was not a stellar performance.  —  It was the whopping-yet-still-disappointing 6.5% annualized growth number for the second quarter …

Tensions rise within Biden team over mask reversal  —  CHICAGO - A sea of maskless, sweaty, thrashing bodies filled Chicago's Grant Park, pushing up against the performance stage as acts like Miley Cyrus screamed into the microphone.  —  Roughly 100,000 people a night poured into the four …

He Repped Kyle Rittenhouse, MAGA Monkey Owners... and Capitol Rioters  —  GO-TO LAWYER  —  “He's not a defense attorney, and therefore he's not an especially good defense attorney,” one journalist who has covered lawyer John Pierce's filings said.  —  The U.S. Capitol riot launched …

Incompetence + Arrogance = Woke  —  Politically correct ideology is masking and contributing to the widespread failure of our institutions.  —  We know the nature of mass hysterias in history, and how they can overwhelm and paralyze what seem to be stable societies.

CIA feud complicates Jan. 6 probe  —  A long-percolating conflict between two prominent alumni of the CIA's secretive internal watchdog office has burst into public view, creating a headache for the House's investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.  —  David Buckley is now the top Democratic staffer …

Vaccinate the World.  Now.  —  An opportunity for indisputable American greatness  —  About six weeks ago, I wrote a piece urging that the United States take the lead in vaccinating the world.  The case for doing so is even more compelling now.  —  Yes, we've been scratching and clawing …

Coronavirus Update NYC: City issues ‘strong recommendation,’ stops short of mask mandate  —  NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — For the first time, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recommended Monday vaccinated people wear a mask in crowded indoor settings, but he stopped short of making the new CDC masking guidance mandatory in the city.

Germany's federal court declares Facebook's hate speech curbs to be in breach of citizens' constitutional rights  —  The Federal Court of Justice in Germany (the Bundesgerichtshof, or BGH) has ruled against the social network provider that deleted posts and suspended accounts amid allegations of “hate speech”.