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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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” …

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 …

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 …

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.

‘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.

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 …