Seeking Immunity From Suit Over Jan. 6th Attack, Rep. Mo Brooks Tells Judge He Was Simply ‘Cooperating’ with the ‘White House’  —  Rep. Mo Brooks asked a federal judge to declare that he was immune from a civil lawsuit filed by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) alleging that the Alabama Republican …

In String of Wins, ‘Biden Democrats’ See a Reality Check for the Left  —  Progressives are holding their own with moderates in fights over policy.  But off-year elections suggest they need a new strategy for critiquing President Biden without seeming disloyal.

$5,800 Whiskey Bottle, a Gift From Japan to Pompeo, Is Missing, U.S. Says  —  The State Department is investigating what happened to it.  —  The State Department is investigating the whereabouts of a $5,800 bottle of whiskey the Japanese government gave to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in 2019 …

Texas GOP Official Mocked COVID Five Days Before He Died of Virus  —  H. Scott Apley's Facebook page was filled with anti-mask, anti-vaccine content until he was suddenly hospitalized on Sunday.  —  A GOP official from Texas who regularly espoused anti-vaccine and anti-mask views online …

Facebook executive helped Cuomo smear sex-harassment accuser: AG report  —  A top communications manager at Facebook helped Gov. Andrew Cuomo fight sexual misconduct allegations — including by helping leak confidential files about accuser Lindsey Boylan and by participating in regular discussions …

Mike Richards in Advanced Negotiations to Become Permanent Host of ‘Jeopardy!’  (EXCLUSIVE) … “Jeopardy!” executive producer Mike Richards is in advanced negotiations with Sony Pictures Television to become permanent host of the venerable quiz show, taking the reins of the syndicated powerhouse …

Biden Loses Ground On His Handling Of COVID-19 Response, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Infrastructure Bill Gets A Thumbs Up By A 2 To 1 Margin  — mail_outline  —  With the Delta variant spreading and coronavirus cases once again spiking in the U.S. …

White woman in viral video says she had no choice but to call police on Black bird-watcher … The white woman who was recorded on video calling police to claim that a Black bird-watcher was threatening her in New York City's Central Park last year said she felt she was backed into a corner.

EXCLUSIVE U.S. developing plan to require foreign visitors to be vaccinated -official  —  The Biden administration is developing a plan to require nearly all foreign visitors to the United States to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as part of eventually lifting travel restrictions that bar …

Biden's lawless eviction moratorium will come back to haunt Democrats  —  Openly exploiting delays in our judicial system invites future presidents to do much worse  —  President Biden's decision to revive the federal eviction moratorium is bad policy.  It helps renters at the expense …

'Winning a medal doesn't make him Jewish': Israel's gymnastics champion tumbles into marriage controversy  —  JERUSALEM — When gymnast Artem Dolgopyat stepped off the podium as only the second Israeli to win an Olympic gold medal, he triggered one of Israel's many cultural tripwires …

What Is Biden Waiting For?  —  The Delta variant is making clear what the Administration should have done back in January: mandate vaccines, mandate passports and crack down on the denialists.  Now time is running short.  —  Why is it taking the Delta variant to get the Biden administration to do what it should have done in January?

Fauci warns COVID-19 cases may double in delta variant surge  —  Coronavirus cases driven by the delta variant are rising in a “very steep fashion” across the United States and may double in the coming weeks to 200,000 cases a day, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Wednesday.

Fire destroys cabin of New Hampshire man forced out of woods  —  CANTERBURY, N.H. (AP) — For almost three decades, 81-year-old David Lidstone has lived in the woods of New Hampshire along the Merrimack River in a small cabin adorned with solar panels.  He has grown his own food …

Boston mayor compares NYC's vaccine mandate to slavery, birtherism  —  The mayor of Boston said the city won't be following New York's lead requiring proof of vaccination at many indoor businesses, claiming the move is reminiscent of “slavery” and birtherism.

Cuomo impeachment process could take months, legislators warn … A blistering state attorney general's report alleging that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women has pushed state legislators to expedite impeachment proceedings — but the process is still expected to last months, lawmakers said.

‘The stuff of which violent insurrections are made:’ Federal judge punishes Colorado lawyers for 2020 election lawsuit  —  A federal judge in Colorado has punished two lawyers who filed a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election late last year, finding that the case was “frivolous,” “not warranted by existing law” and filed “in bad faith.”

Tucker Carlson Has Seen the Future, and It Is Fascist Orban's Hungary is the road map for American authoritarianism.  —  In 1919, the progressive journalist Lincoln Steffens visited the nascent Soviet Union and declared, “I have seen the future and it works.”

Judge Orders Laura Loomer and Her Company to Pay More Than $120,000 in Attorneys' Fees Over Lawsuit Against Muslim Rights Group  —  A federal magistrate judge in Florida ordered far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer and her company Illoominate Media to pay a Muslim civil rights advocacy …

Feds Arrest ‘George Washington’ In Jan. 6 Case Using Phone Tracking, Facial Recognition  —  The FBI arrested Missouri's Isaac Yoder, who admitted to entering the U.S. Capitol during the deadly insurrection while wearing colonial attire.  —  Federal agents arrested a man on Wednesday who stormed …

“I Don't Believe Anything”: Among the Unvaccinated in One Central Texas Community  —  “You don't have to wear a mask!” the man shouted as I approached the Army Store in downtown Killeen.  It was a brutally hot afternoon in late July, and Bell County, where Killeen is located …

Defense Secretary Austin expected to make Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for active duty troops  —  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to seek authorization to make Covid-19 vaccines mandatory for all active duty troops as soon as this week, following President Joe Biden's directive …

Liz Cheney says her father is ‘deeply troubled’ about the state of the Republican Party  —  Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Wednesday said her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney (R), is “deeply troubled” about the state of the Republican Party.  —  “My dad is deeply troubled about where our party is …

No Preferred Racial Term Among Most Black, Hispanic Adults  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Most Black Americans, 58%, do not have a preference between the terms “Black” and “African American” when asked which term they would rather people use to describe their racial group.

A Near Press Blackout in Afghanistan  —  The war that Americans forgot is ending in chaos and secrecy.  —  The exit of the last American commander from Afghanistan was marked by a strange and sombre ceremony.  Standing outside the military headquarters in Kabul, among flagpoles left bare …