Tucker Carlson's fawning new Orban interview shows the right's dream future  —  The first segment of Tucker Carlson's long-anticipated Fox News interview with Viktor Orban has now aired, and it did not disappoint: It provides a deeply unsettling glimpse into the true nature …

United Airlines to Require All U.S. Employees to Get Covid-19 Vaccines  —  The airline is the first U.S. carrier to mandate vaccines for all employees  —  United Airlines will require its U.S. employees to be vaccinated this fall, the first major airline to take this step as the Delta variant drives …

7 Out Of 10 New York State Voters Say Cuomo Should Resign, Quinnipiac University New York State Poll Finds; 55% Think Cuomo Should Be Charged With A Crime  — mail_outline  —  Just days after the New York Attorney General released a report detailing allegations of sexual harassment …

Psaki Dismisses School Masking Mandate Concerns, Says Her Daughter ‘Can Wear a Mask All Day’  —  White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday dismissed concerns over the CDC's new guidance that teachers, staff, and students should wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status …

9/11 families to President Biden: Don't come to our memorial events  —  Nearly 1,800 Americans directly affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are opposing President Joe Biden's participation in any memorial events this year unless he upholds his pledge to declassify U.S. government evidence …

Washington's hottest club is Joe Manchin's houseboat  —  Generally speaking, the first rule of visiting Joe Manchin III's houseboat is don't talk about Joe Manchin's houseboat.  —  This week, however, when Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tested positive for the coronavirus after attending …

DeJoy maintains financial ties to former company as USPS awards it new $120 million contract  —  XPO Logistics pays DeJoy and family businesses at least $2.1 million annually to lease four office buildings in North Carolina  —  The U.S. Postal Service will pay $120 million over the next five years …

Employers Added 943,000 Jobs in July, Unemployment Rate Fell to 5.4%  —  Robust job growth last month reflects a strong labor market ahead of the Delta variant threat  —  Employers added jobs at the best pace in nearly a year in July and the unemployment rate fell sharply …

Taliban fighters overrun an Afghan provincial capital for the first time since withdrawal of foreign forces  —  KABUL — Taliban fighters seized control of the capital of Nimruz province in southwestern Afghanistan on Friday, the first provincial capital to be overrun by the militants since …

The Backstory: My brother is one of millions who won't get the COVID-19 vaccine.  I asked why.  Here are his reasons, my responses.  —  I'm USA TODAY editor-in-chief Nicole Carroll, and this is The Backstory, insights into our biggest stories of the week.  If you'd like to get The Backstory in your inbox every week, sign up here.

Mike Lindell got owned in the worst possible way on his ridiculous election fraud claims  —  (CNN)Mike Lindell is the single most prominent pusher this side of Donald Trump of the Big Lie — the idea that the 2020 election was somehow stolen despite zero evidence to back up that claim.

Reduced Risk of Reinfection with SARS-CoV-2 After COVID-19 Vaccination — Kentucky, May-June 2021  —  Alyson M. Cavanaugh, DPT, PhD1,2; Kevin B. Spicer, MD, PhD2,3; Douglas Thoroughman, PhD2,4; Connor Glick, MS2; Kathleen Winter, PhD2,5 (View author affiliations)  —  What is already known about this topic?

Arkansas judge blocks state from enforcing mask mandate ban  —  LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — An Arkansas judge on Friday temporarily blocked the state from enforcing its ban on mask mandates after lawmakers left the prohibition in place despite a rising number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

Biden's Ratings Slip, but It's More Than Just Delta Fears  —  Like Donald Trump before him, President Biden didn't get much of a political honeymoon.  Even before he finished his first full week of work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, an early February Gallup poll found views of the former Vice President …

Biden's blithely unconstitutional government  —  When Vice President Al Gore was caught soliciting campaign donations from the White House, he excused himself by repeating one of the slipperiest phrases in the dictionary of political dodges.  There was, he intoned seven times …

Why Biden Will (Probably) Keep This Republican on His Team  —  Mr. Beckworth is a former economist at the Treasury Department and a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center.  —  Many of the most powerful people in Washington and New York are talking about the most important economic policy job …

Supreme Court asked to block Indiana University's COVID-19 vaccine mandate … WASHINGTON - Eight college students challenging Indiana University's COVID-19 vaccine requirement filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Friday, asking the justices to consider immunization mandates for the first time since the pandemic began.

CNN: Suuure looks like Chipman's toast — even to the White House  —  It certainly does, and has for weeks, but why is the White House admitting it?  Today's CNN report doesn't offer much new on David Chipman's status with Senate Democrats, but it does speak volumes about the Biden …

Cryptocurrency brawl bogs down infrastructure bill, as Yellen and White House fight changes  —  Senators are at odds over how to handle taxation related to cryptocurrencies, setting off a fierce lobbying war  —  The Biden administration is pushing back against a last-minute effort …

Virginia school shares ‘Woke Kindergarten’ video: ‘I feel safe when there are no police’  —  Fairfax County Public Schools ordered a review of what its buildings are posting on their own  —  A Virginia elementary school shared on its website, and then removed, a radical educational video …

New York Magazine Writer Baffled by Support for the Rule of Law  —  At New York magazine, Ed Kilgore has penned a confession: He has no principles, and he doesn't understand people who do.  —  Kilgore is absolutely baffled that, in his words, “conservatives are freaking out about the eviction moratorium …

Judge rejects billionaire Phil Anschutz's tax lawsuit, reveals how much money he wanted  —  A Denver District Court judge Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by billionaire Phil Anschutz and his wife, Nancy, seeking a nearly $8 million tax refund from the Colorado Department of Revenue.

Cori Bush just handed Republicans a 2022 gift  —  (CNN)Missouri Rep. Cori Bush (D) has had quite a week.  —  Her sit-in at the US Capitol to protest the lack of an extension of the eviction moratorium put public pressure on the Biden administration, forcing a reversal on the issue.

Masks Are Back, Maybe for the Long Term  —  Some people can't help but feel that masking while vaccinated is a regression—especially because this time, there's no obvious off-ramp.  —  It certainly feels like we've been here before.  Nationally, coronavirus case numbers are the highest they've been since the start of 2021.

Rupert Murdoch hates Trump, but can't stop Trumpism on Fox News because he's lost control of the network, Murdoch biographer says in The 600-Word Interview  — Michael Wolff is the author of three books on Trump and one on Murdoch.  — Wolff says Murdoch hates Trump.