Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office: State Education Board Could Withhold Salaries Of Superintendents, School Board Members Who Implement Mask Mandates  —  TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - The Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Board of Education could withhold the salaries of superintendents …

Vaccination Status Has Americans Picking Sides  —  Vaccination status is splitting up groups of close friends and families; ‘it could just turn into a really nasty battle’  —  Weeks of rising Covid-19 cases have hardened divisions within families, communities and friend groups over which members …

CNN must investigate Chris Cuomo  —  Brian Stelter, host of CNN's “Reliable Sources,” attempted a demonstration of journalistic independence on his Sunday program.  In light of last week's report from New York's attorney general documenting Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's alleged sexual harassment …

Gov. Greg Abbott asks Texas hospitals to delay nonessential procedures as COVID-19 patients strain capacity  —  Abbott's request was one of several steps to address rising coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations.  He did not back down from his refusal to allow local mask mandates.  —  Copy link

I Need To Stop Scrolling  —  The diminishing returns of constant covid news … EDITOR'S NOTE: I left an editing note to myself in bold in the original draft of this newsletter at the end of the first paragraph.  Because I forgot to address it before I scheduled this piece to publish …

Press Secretary Jen Psaki is Good At Mending Fences.  Just Don't Call Her Nice.  —  It's a summer Friday.  President Biden is at his Delaware beach house, where he delivered a brief speech about that morning's encouraging jobs numbers.  Washington, D.C., is quiet—some might say eerily so.

Kids sick with Covid are filling up children's hospitals in areas seeing spikes … As vaccination rates lag and the new delta variant surges, Covid infection rates among kids have risen and children's hospitals are seeing a spike in medical care needs among the young patients.

Prince Andrew sued in federal court for alleged sexual abuse  —  The lawsuit comes almost two years to the day that Epstein died in jail.  —  An alleged victim of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew of Britain on Monday, accusing the embattled 61-year-old royal …

U.S. Signals It Will Release Some Still-Secret Files on Saudi Arabia and 9/11  —  The F.B.I. said it would review some long-classified documents for possible disclosure, a decision that followed a push by families of the attacks' victims.  —  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration …

Pentagon to require COVID vaccine for all troops by Sept. 15  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.  That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval …

Voting Machine Tampering Is Coming From Inside The MAGA House  —  Colorado County Clerk Tina Peters May Have Committed The Very Crime She Accused The Left Of Committing  —  “The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”  - Hal Holbrook

Charlotte City Council adopts new nondiscrimination ordinance |  Charlotte Observer  —  Charlotte 2021 nondiscrimination ordinance  —  The Charlotte City Council, five years after HB2, will again look to pass an updated ordinance prohibiting non-discrimination based on gender identity, and numerous other areas.

Taliban Make New Gains in Afghanistan, Putting Kabul in Crisis  —  Setback came after warlord switched sides, as President Ashraf Ghani faces renewed pressure to create common front or resign  —  KABUL—The Taliban captured the capital of the strategic Samangan province on Monday …

D.C. Gyms Want To Require Vaccination Instead of Masks.  The City Said No.  —  Last week, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated a citywide mask mandate for all indoor spaces, even though the city's recent uptick in COVID-19 cases has not yet produced a rash of deaths or hospitalizations …

Infrastructure Is Having A Moment In Washington.  High-Speed Rail Is Not.  —  “There's no other country that builds highways and airways and never even considers high-speed rail as an option,” one rail advocate lamented.  —  The largest federal investment in the nation's infrastructure …

Dems double-dare a dug-in McConnell on debt  —  What happens when a cataclysmic deadline hits an immovable object?  Congress is about to find out when a looming credit crisis meets Mitch McConnell.  —  With the threat of default on the nation's $28 trillion debt awaiting this fall …

The COVID-19 rise of deception and tyranny  —  Federal agencies, local governments are running wild with pandemic authoritarianism  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  If nothing else, the pandemic has exposed the contempt that government health officials, the Democrats and their media have for the public.

Here's What We Know About California's “Print-at-Home Ballot” Recall Election Scheme  —  The story was all over social media this weekend: Crazy California Democrats have come up with another way to cheat on elections, this time by allowing every voter to vote from the “comfort of their own home” …

A Major Report Warns Climate Change Is Accelerating And Humans Must Cut Emissions Now  —  Global climate change is accelerating and human emissions of greenhouse gases are the overwhelming cause, according to a landmark report released Monday by the United Nations.

Judge asks why Capitol rioters are paying just $1.5 million for attack, while U.S. taxpayers will pay more than $500 million  —  A federal judge on Monday questioned why U.S. prosecutors are asking Capitol riot defendants to pay only $1.5 million in restitution while American taxpayers …

We must rein in partisan government spending  —  Democrats' reckless $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend spree will be an unprecedented disaster for hardworking families.  —  As the Senate continues its debate around a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, we know what is just around the corner …

Austin judge signs order to block arrests of Democrats who refuse to return to Texas Capitol for special session  —  A state district judge has granted a temporary restraining order blocking the arrest of House Democrats who have broken quorum, paving the way for those who remain outside …

‘Pro-Israel’ Meets neo-Nazi: Brazil's Bolsonaro Unveils His New Best Friends on the German Far Right  —  The Brazilian president's proximity to neo-Nazi groups is nothing new.  But Jair Bolsonaro's brazen welcome for the German AfD party last month still sent shockwaves through the Jewish community, media and civil society.