Alarmed Louisiana Residents Turn to Vaccines in ‘Darkest Days’ of Pandemic  —  Louisiana is leading the nation in an explosion of new cases.  Hospitals are overflowing and admitting more young people than before.  But the crisis is also driving some to get vaccinated.

CNN's Cuomo Conundrum: A Star Anchor With a Brother in Trouble  —  Chris Cuomo, the top-rated host, left some colleagues confused after he did not acknowledge the calls for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation during his Tuesday show.  —  Earlier this year, CNN executives floated an idea to their star anchor Chris Cuomo.

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 …

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 …

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 …

As Florida hospitals fill, DeSantis tries changing the subject … It was on Tuesday afternoon when President Joe Biden sent a not-so-subtle shot across the bow of two prominent Republican governors, noting that Florida and Texas alone account for one third of the nation's new COVID-19 cases.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka dead at 72, sources say  —  Trumka had served as president of the federation for more than a decade and has been a close ally of the Biden White House.  —  AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is pictured April 4, 2017 at the National Press Club in Washington.

Scoop: Inside a Kamala Harris crisis dinner  —  A group of the Democratic Party's most influential women met for dinner at a home in the nation's capital last month to game out how to defend Vice President Kamala Harris and her chief of staff, Tina Flournoy, against a torrent of bad press.

Biden extends temporary safe haven to Hong Kong residents in US amid China crackdown  —  First person charged under Hong Kong national security law  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden on Thursday signed a memorandum extending temporary safe haven to certain Hong Kong residents in the US amid ongoing repression …

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.

Donald Trump wants his supporters to carry “Trump Cards.”  — Donald Trump wants his supporters to carry “Trump Cards.”  — The Trump camp sent an email on August 4 asking supporters to choose their favorite design.  — The cards come emblazoned with gold lettering and bear the former president's signature.

Half of Californians in new poll want Newsom recalled  —  About half of likely California voters want Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) recalled next month, according to a poll released Wednesday.  —  The poll conducted Aug. 2-4 by Survey USA for the San Diego Union Tribune found that 51 percent …

Trump slams US women's soccer team: Would have gold if not ‘woke’  —  Former President Trump on Thursday criticized an old target — the U.S. women's national soccer team — by saying players would have won the gold medal and not the bronze at the Olympics if they weren't “woke.”

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 …

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 …

This Mad Dad Fighting Critical Race Theory Is Also an Ex-Jeff Sessions Aide  —  It might not be a coincidence that Loudoun County, Virginia, has become the epicenter of the debate over “critical race theory” in schools: One of the parents leading the fight isn't just some mad dad—he's a top national Republican operative.

Mark Meadows Timeline: The Chief of Staff and Schemes to Overturn 2020 Election  —  Former White House chief of staff, Mark Meadows, was directly involved at major intersections of President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.  What follows is a detailed timeline of all the publicly available information.

Lawyer: Capitol Cop Who Shot Ashli Babbitt ‘Ambushed’ Her on Jan. 6 Without Warning  —  Officer identified as Lt. Michael Byrd, top, in House chamber before the Ashli Babbitt slaying in the hall.  A Capitol Police officer says Byrd wasn't following firearms training.  (See photo detail below.)

Why it matters that Tucker Carlson is broadcasting from Hungary this week  —  The country has become a model for a rising kind of authoritarianism.  So, of course, the American right's most popular cable host is embracing it.  —  This week, America's most watched cable news host is broadcasting …

Senate GOP poised to give Biden huge political victory  —  Senate Republicans are about to hand President Biden a huge political victory by voting for a historic $1 trillion infrastructure package that the president can then tout as fulfilling a campaign pledge to restore bipartisanship in Washington.

T-Squared: Sewell Chan is The Texas Tribune's next editor-in-chief  —  The visionary, venerated editorial page editor of the Los Angeles Times — a veteran of The New York Times and The Washington Post — will lead our nonprofit newsroom in a moment when more Texans than ever are clamoring for reliable, credible nonpartisan journalism.

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 …