Trump Is Planning a Much More Respectable Coup Next Time  —  In recent weeks, we've gotten an even greater glimpse into Donald Trump's efforts to discredit and overturn the results of the 2020 election.  From the clownish ongoing audit in Arizona to the revelation of Jeffrey Clark's insane …

Scoop: Dem fundraising platform ActBlue boots Cuomo  —  The Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue has removed a donation page that New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's campaign committee used to solicit contributions, the company confirmed to Axios.  —  Driving the news: ActBlue is the lifeblood of grassroots Democratic fundraising.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka dead at 72  —  Richard Trumka, president of the powerful AFL-CIO labor organization, has died unexpectedly, the federation announced Thursday.  —  Trumka, 72, had served as president of the AFL-CIO, which represents more than 12.5 million workers …

Republican Lawmaker Who's Suing Pelosi Over Mask Rule Says He Has Covid  —  Columbia, S.C. (AP) — Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the three congressional Republicans suing Speaker Nancy Pelosi over fines for not wearing masks during a vote on the U.S. House floor, has contracted a breakthrough case of COVID-19 …

A critical ocean system may be heading for collapse due to climate change, study finds  —  ‘The consequences of a collapse would likely be far-reaching.’  —  Human-caused warming has led to an “almost complete loss of stability” in the system that drives Atlantic Ocean currents …

Rudy Giuliani Admitted He Lied About Feds Slipping Him Info Ahead of 2016 Election, Watchdog Finds  —  The 2016 election was upended just as Giuliani went on the radio and claimed “active agents” had shared “rumors” about the Hillary Clinton email probe.  —  Rudy Giuliani has admitted …

‘It was riot and mayhem’: Biden, honoring police, warns against distorting Capitol assault  —  President Biden signed legislation Thursday to award the Congressional Gold Medal to police who defended the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection, taking the opportunity to mount …

What Mike Fanone Can't Forget  —  It wasn't a cop bar; that was the point.  They weren't there to meet other cops.  They were there to meet girls.  The three police officers took seats at the wine bar in D.C.'s trendy Navy Yard neighborhood—exposed concrete walls, leather banquettes …

CBO says bipartisan infrastructure bill would add $256B to deficit over 10 years  —  The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) on Thursday released an analysis saying the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package would add $256 billion to the federal deficit over the next decade …

Matt Gaetz denies sex crimes and attacks Fox News in desperate hourlong YouTube video  —  Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) targeted Fox News this week in the premiere episode of his Firebrand YouTube program.  —  Earlier this year, Gaetz disappeared from Fox News broadcasts after he made an appearance …

Nancy Pelosi's Surprise Flip on Student Debt Cancellation Came After Urging From Billionaire Power Couple … The drive to persuade President Joe Biden to cancel student debt took a major hit last week when House Speaker Nancy Pelosi stunned Congress with a surprise statement in opposition.

Letter from Acting Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Samuel Levine to Facebook  —  Today, Acting Director of the Bureau of Consumer Protection Samuel Levine sent the following letter to Mark Zuckerberg concerning Facebook's misleading claims regarding the company's consent decree with the FTC:

Florida's hospitals set a bleak pandemic record  —  The Delta variant is putting new pressure on US states with the lowest vaccination rates  —  Hospitals in Florida are struggling with more Covid-19 patients than at any point in the pandemic, as the fast spreading Delta variant strains US states …

GOP fears grow over Herschel Walker as party leaders seek other candidates in Georgia Senate race  —  (CNN)Republicans from Georgia to Washington, DC, are searching for a viable candidate to mount a Senate bid in the Peach State next year, fearing that former President Donald Trump's choice …

‘All of them’: Tennessee health chief says children's hospitals will fill up as the delta variant surges  —  Natalie Allison Brett KelmanNashville Tennessean  —  The delta variant of the coronavirus is ravaging hospitals in Tennessee, and pediatric wings won't escape the crisis, the state's health chief said Thursday.

Institutionalism Can't Save Us Now  —  Garland should learn from the Obama administration and ensure that government officials can't act outside the law to benefit themselves and their party.  —  We have no shortage of information about how historically bad an Attorney General William Barr was.

Jimmy Graham says he was ‘basically forced’ to get COVID-19 vaccine  —  Jimmy Graham is vaccinated against COVID-19 - but he doesn't seem happy about it.  —  “Was basically forced into getting the vaccine.  Now I'm just confused @NFLPA,” the five-time Pro Bowler and Bears tight end tweeted Thursday …

More than 800 unaccompanied kids stopped at southern border in single day  —  US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) stopped a whopping 834 unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexico border Wednesday, the most since the Biden administration began releasing a daily tally of apprehensions of children earlier this year.

Jan. 6 select panel takes over House probe of Trump DOJ  —  A key House committee has postponed multiple scheduled witness interviews about Donald Trump's final days in office, handing them off to the select panel investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.  —  “As the Oversight Committee continues …

The Capitol Rioters Attacked Police.  Why Isn't the FOP Outraged?  —  On Tuesday, the National Fraternal Order of Police decided to “clear up confusion” about its position on the January 6 assault on the Capitol by enraged Donald Trump supporters.  “Those who participated in the assaults …

Americans On COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements: Yes For Health Care Workers, No For Restaurant Customers, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Majority Support Masking Up Indoors And At Schools  — mail_outline  —  As both the government and the private sector grapple …

POLITICO Playbook PM: GOP latches on to Cori Bush's private security spending  —  BREAKING — “AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka dead at 72, sources say,” by Tina Sfondeles and Rebecca Rainey: “RICHARD TRUMKA, president of the powerful AFL-CIO labor organization, has died unexpectedly, two sources told POLITICO.

Novavax Delays Seeking U.S. Regulatory Approval for Covid-19 Vaccine  —  The shot, which can be stored at normal refrigerator temperatures, could provide much-needed boost to global vaccination efforts  —  Novavax Inc. said it would delay seeking U.S. emergency authorization …

False Election Audit Claims Surge on Facebook  —  Facebook failed to stem the flow of election conspiracies that led to the Capitol riot.  Now, it's failing again with misinformation about Arizona's election ‘audit.’  —  Facebook is allowing false claims about the election “audit” …

Biden administration considers withholding funds and other measures to spur vaccinations  —  The Biden administration is considering using federal regulatory powers and the threat of withholding federal funds from institutions to push more Americans to get vaccinated — a huge potential shift …

Graham says he's told Trump to ‘speak up’ on COVID vaccines  —  COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As he recovers from a breakthrough infection of the coronavirus, Sen. Lindsey Graham said Thursday that he has urged former President Donald Trump to press his supporters to get the COVID-19 vaccine …