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 defies CDC guidance by inviting 500 people to his celebrity-studded 60th birthday party at his $12m mansion on Martha's Vineyard: Pearl Jam will perform and guests including Steven Spielberg will be served by 200 staff  — Former President Barack Obama is planning to celebrate …

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.

Mayor Muriel Bowser Under Fire for Allegedly Violating Her Indoor Mask Mandate at a Wedding  —  The Washington Examiner writer on the story was not invited to the wedding, an organizer says.  —  Mayor Muriel Bowser made headlines this weekend when the Washington Examiner posted photos …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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.

Larry Summers Holds Positions With Numerous Financial Bottom-Feeders  —  The online, often predatory lending companies benefit from lower-income Americans needing emergency cash.  That aligns with Summers's concern trolling about an ‘overheated’ economy.  —  As National Economic Council director …

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

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 …

Germany plans to offer vaccine booster shots starting in September.  —  As concerns grow over a rise in coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious Delta variant, Germany will offer vaccine booster shots to older people and people with underlying health conditions starting in September …

The vaccines work very well against Delta, so stop badgering the vaccinated to wear masks  — Masks were a warranted, temporary intervention before we had a highly effective vaccine for COVID.  — Now a large majority of the most vulnerable are vaccinated, making COVID much less deadly.

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 …

Trump banks $102 million  —  Editor's Note: Weekly Score is a weekly version of POLITICO Pro's daily Campaigns policy newsletter, Morning Score.  POLITICO Pro is a policy intelligence platform that combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the day's biggest stories.

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.

Even businesses are trying to thwart the Republican death cult  —  Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) lives up to his reputation as a purveyor of covid-19 disinformation.  Having already suggested that we shouldn't care if the unvaccinated get shots, he now insists there should be no vaccine mandate …