$1T infrastructure bill passes key test vote  —  The Senate on Saturday voted to start wrapping up a roughly $1 trillion bipartisan package, clearing a key hurdle to finishing the bill.  —  Senators voted 67-27 to advance the bill.  Eighteen GOP senators voted with all Democrats to help get the legislation over the 60-vote hurdle.

Security Alert U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (August 7, 2021)  —  The U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens to leave Afghanistan immediately using available commercial flight options.  Given the security conditions and reduced staffing, the Embassy's ability to assist U.S. citizens in Afghanistan is extremely limited even within Kabul.

US now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day  —  The U.S. is now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day, returning to a milestone last seen during the winter surge in yet another bleak reminder of how quickly the delta variant has spread through the country.

As Covid Surges in Florida, DeSantis Refuses to Change Course  —  A virus spike connected to the Delta variant has led to a record number of Covid-19 hospitalizations in Florida.  Gov. Ron DeSantis has not altered his approach, for better or worse.  —  MIAMI — Gov. Ron DeSantis …

Jan. 6 Committee will reconvene after Labor Day — Republicans should be scared  —  More than six months have passed since Joe Biden took office after a fair election, and still, most of Donald Trump's supporters believe the election was stolen and that their fallen hero won.

The Kindergarten Exodus  —  As the pandemic took hold, more than 1 million children did not enroll in local schools.  Many of them were the most vulnerable: 5-year-olds in low-income neighborhoods  —  PHILADELPHIA — On a sweltering July afternoon, Solomon Carson, 6, jumped off the stoop …

Angels, demons, and videotape  —  What happened in Central Park last year and what it tells us about journalism (plus the usual smorgasbord of brain food).  —  Any Cooper, in a still from Christian Cooper's video taken in Central Park, May 2020.  —  In 1986 the Guardian made an ad for itself …

‘Ugh’: Life at Andrew Cuomo's Hometown Newspaper  —  The Times Union's strait-laced, minimal-schmooze, no off-the-record principles put it on a collision course with the notoriously press-controlling governor of New York.  —  Casey Seiler, editor in chief of The Albany Times Union …

Vocal anti-vaccine broadcaster dies from COVID-19 complications  —  Friends say Dick Farrel encouraged them to get the vaccine after he was infected  —  WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Former South Florida talk show host Dick Farrel, known and beloved by fans for his over-the-top right-wing opinions …

Trump's Repeating Donation Tactics Led to Millions in Refunds Into 2021  —  Donald Trump and the Republican Party returned $12.8 million to donors in the first half of the year, a sign that their aggressive fund-raising tactics ensnared many unwitting contributors.

Fake Covid Vaccination Cards Are on the Rise in the U.S., Europe  —  Vaccine mandates have fueled an increase in demand for fraudulent certificates as sellers flourish online  —  MILAN—As Covid-19 vaccine mandates proliferate in the U.S. and Europe, so are swindlers selling bogus vaccination certificates.

Conservative Fellow Travelers: Tucker Carlson Drops In On Viktor Orban  —  This week, the talk show host has been in Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban hopes to set up an ideological center for a global conservative movement.  —  BUDAPEST — It's been a meeting of conservative fellow travelers …

Homeland Security warns of potential conspiracy theory-fueled violence in August  —  (CNN)The Department of Homeland Security warned state and local authorities Friday about an increase in calls for violence online tied to election-related conspiracy theories, according to a law enforcement source.

The venue had been closed for the day to allow for security sweeps ahead of Obama's arrival  —  The exclusive images and video gave the first glimpse of what will now be a downsized version of the party that had once been set for 500 guests but will now be a smaller but no less glitzy affair for family and friends.

A 3-part story about short bowel syndrome and the FDA  —  This is a three-part story of heroism, intrigue, and ultimately treachery in the world of drug approval.  —  PART 1  —  Tyler Cowen points me this weekend to a righteous rant about the FDA from psychiatrist Scott Alexander …

S.F. sheriff's deputies threaten resignations over city's vaccination mandate  —  The San Francisco Sheriff's Department will see a wave of resignations if the city enforces its policy requiring vaccinations for its employees, according to the Deputy Sheriff's Association, the union representing sheriff's deputies.