POLITICO Playbook: Schumer double dares McConnell  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  SCHUMER-MCCONNELL FACEOFF ON THE DEBT CEILING — CHUCK SCHUMER is about to double-dog dare MITCH MCCONNELL and his members to vote against a debt ceiling increase this fall.  Just weeks after the minority leader implored …

Biden to sign order aiming for half of new vehicles to be electric by 2030  —  President Joe Biden is expected to sign an executive order Thursday setting a national goal for electric and other zero-emissions vehicles to make up half of new cars and trucks sold by 2030, senior Biden administration officials said.

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 vision for the border has gone bust.  But what's Plan B?  —  President Joe Biden in March wrote off a spike in the number of migrants arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border as a result, at least in part, of winter months being the safest time to make the trek.  “It happens every single, solitary year,” he said.

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.

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.)

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 …

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.

Biden's lawless eviction ban deals another blow to rule of law  —  A U.S. president, under severe pressure from his party's base, repeatedly denies he has the legal authority to take unilateral action his base wants him to.  Eventually, he flip-flops, taking the exact executive action …

They Were Accused of Wearing Blackface.  Now They're Suing Their College.  —  Last winter, students at California Lutheran University received a message from their president with disturbing news.  —  “Two racist incidents involving social-media posts by Cal Lutheran students occurred in the last week …

Florida COVID update: Another hospitalization record is set  —  Florida reported 16,935 new COVID cases, 140 deaths and more than 12,000 people hospitalized in the state as of Tuesday, the third day in a row of record-breaking COVID hospitalizations as Florida hospitals temporarily suspend elective surgeries …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

Vaccine Hesitancy Among Fox News Viewers Hits All-Time Low After Network Promotes The Jab, Poll Finds  —  The percentage of Fox News viewers who say they are hesitant to get the coronavirus vaccine dropped to an all-time low after the network's top personalities promoted the jab, a Morning Consult poll published Wednesday found.

$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 …

Majority of likely voters would remove Newsom from governor's office, poll finds  —  More than half of likely voters in California say they would vote to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom next month, according to a statewide survey released Wednesday.  —  The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA …