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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

100-year-old former Nazi concentration camp guard to be tried  —  Man deemed fit to stand trial in Germany and is accused of complicity in murder of more than 3,500 people  —  A 100-year-old former concentration camp guard will stand trial in Germany in October accused of complicity in 3,518 murders, public prosecutors have announced.

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.

Newsom could be replaced by someone with a tiny fraction of the vote.  That's nuts  —  On Sept. 14, California voters will decide two questions: whether to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office and, if so, who among the 46 candidates is best suited to take over.

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.

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 …

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 …

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

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 …

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.

Trump PACs paid lawyers nearly $8 million as he fought election results and impeachment  — Trump's political action committees spent $7.9 million on legal matters related to the 2020 recount and his impeachment fight.  — Four committees linked to Trump made the payments during the first half of 2021 …

Mary Trump Calls Out Meghan McCain: She Doesn't Have the ‘Courage’ to Face Me  —  The former president's niece publicly called out Meghan McCain for ducking her appearance on “The View.”  —  On her final Monday as host of The View, Meghan McCain was conspicuously absent from the show's big interview with Mary Trump.

Treasury Dept to invoke ‘extraordinary measures’ as Congress misses debt-ceiling deadline  — The Treasury Department will begin conducting emergency cash-conservation steps.  — Economists say those so-called extraordinary measures will allow Treasury to pay off the government's bills without issuing …

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.

‘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.

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 …