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.

Ohio special election: A good day for Democrats  —  Democrats got a double dose of welcome news in two Ohio special congressional elections yesterday, fending off a left-wing candidate in one district, while a Donald Trump-backed coal lobbyist won the Republican nod in another.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.)

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 …

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.

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 …

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 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.

$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 …

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 …

Politico: Cuomo's next step?  A presser to launch his defense  —  Uh ... say what?  I've heard of doubling down, but usually that doesn't involve tossing red meat to a rabid group of reporters while potentially facing serious legal consequences.  No wonder that Andrew Cuomo's aides are …

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 …

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.

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 …

Covid has shown up western democracy's childish tendencies  —  Governments are too easily sidetracked by instant gratification to see where real interests lie  —  Democracy's ultimate boast is that societies do best when people take responsibility for their lives.  Covid-19 has been putting that theory to the test.

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.

Biden to offer temporary ‘safe haven’ to Hong Kong residents in U.S.  —  The United States on Thursday plans to offer a temporary “safe haven” to thousands of Hong Kong residents, a senior administration official told Reuters, allowing them to extend their stay in the country in response …

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.