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.

Daily on Energy: Infrastructure nuclear aid too late for Illinois' at-risk plants  —  TIME IS TIGHT FOR ILLINOIS NUCLEAR PLANTS: The bipartisan Senate infrastructure bill, officially out last night, strives to save economically struggling nuclear plants from closing, but it's very likely …

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.

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.

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 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.

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 …

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

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

‘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.

Federal Health Agencies Get Good Marks, But Give Mixed Messages on Covid  —  Majority support return of mask guidelines as worries tick back up  —  West Long Branch, NJ - A bare majority of Americans, driven by Democrats, support bringing back masking and social distancing guidelines …

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 …

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 …

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.

The GOP scamming of rural Trump voters continues.  A new study shows the latest.  —  It has long been central to Republican mythology that Democrats have nothing but seething contempt for the rural and small-town inhabitants of the Real American Heartland.  Republicans sometimes pair …

Dear Colleague: ‘The War Has Changed!’  —  “The War has Changed!”  With these words, the CDC cautioned the difference that the delta variant has made on the pandemic.  As they have called upon the American people to mask up, to be vaccinated and to take other public health precautions …

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.

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 …