‘This Is Actually Happening’  —  President Joe Biden and his inner circle were in an ebullient mood.  —  It was Wednesday morning, Aug. 11, and they were basking in the glow of back-to-back legislative wins.  The day before, the Senate had passed a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

EXCLUSIVE FBI finds scant evidence U.S. Capitol attack was coordinated-sources  —  The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.

The new ‘Jeopardy!’ host, Mike Richards, quits.  —  Mike Richards, who was named the new host of “Jeopardy!” last week, is abruptly leaving the role as the beloved game show confronts a roiling controversy over offensive and sexist comments he made on a podcast several years ago.

The Quiet Rage of the Responsible  —  Let's talk for a minute about Lollapalooza.  After canceling in-person events last year, a few weeks ago Chicago once again hosted the long-running music festival, drawing more than 385,000 people.  Many feared that the huge, raucous crowds could produce a coronavirus superspreader event.

EXCLUSIVE: Logically Identifies GhostEzra, Florida Man Behind World's ‘Largest Antisemitic Internet Forum’  —  Logically, as part of our mission to understand and counter harmful online misinformation, conducts continuous research into the networks, channels, and actors that play an outsized role …

Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt exonerated in internal probe  —  The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt outside a door of the U.S. Capitol has been formally exonerated after an internal investigation, according to a department memo obtained by NBC News.

Cutting off jobless benefits early may have hurt state economies.  —  When states began cutting off federal unemployment benefits this summer, their governors argued that the move would push people to return to work.  —  New research suggests that ending the benefits did indeed lead some people to get jobs …

Biden's Eviction Moratorium to Continue, Appeals Court Rules  —  Court order buys time for Biden administration, sets up likely Supreme Court review  —  WASHINGTON—A federal appeals court on Friday said the Biden administration can continue to enforce its latest eviction moratorium for now …

Justice Barrett refuses to block construction of Obama Presidential Center  —  Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied a bid to block the construction of the proposed Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park on Friday, acting alone and without releasing an explanation of her decision.

Liberal Democracy Is Worth a Fight  —  Of all the empty, pointless statements that are periodically repeated by Western politicians, none is more empty and pointless than this one: “There can be no military solution to this conflict.”  That was what Ban Ki-moon, then the UN secretary-general …

COVID anxiety rising amid delta surge, AP-NORC poll finds  —  DENVER (AP) — Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation's hospitals once again fill to capacity.

Josh Mandel Lets the Mask Slip, a Little  —  He doesn't believe what he's saying, at least not all of it.  And that's sad.  —  When I watched this interview with Josh Mandel by Josh Rultenberg, a local reporter for Spectrum News 1 in Ohio, it made me a little sad.  Here's the clip:

Brace yourself — inflation's coming back stronger than ever  —  The Federal Reserve insists that the current price inflation is “transitory.”  Every sign points in the opposite direction, however, and we need to understand the economic and political implications of what is about to begin — an era of high inflation.

California gubernatorial candidate says employers should be allowed to ask women if they plan to have children  —  Nearly two decades before conservative radio host Larry Elder joined the long list of candidates who could unseat California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) in the state's second recall election …

Catholic Officials on Edge After Reports of Priests Using Grindr  —  A conservative Catholic media organization, The Pillar, has published several reports claiming the use of dating apps at several churches and the Vatican.  —  The reports hit the Roman Catholic Church in rapid succession …

Over 4300 Veterans back President Biden on withdrawal, including 150 Afghanistan Veterans  —  Group of veterans, including those who fought in America's longest war, write they are “resolute in our support of President Biden's decision to end the war in Afghanistan.”

Gov. Cuomo has been railroaded: The governor's adviser says the attorney general's report is a sham  —  The last few weeks have been trying.  COVID has returned with a vengeance, the Taliban has taken back Afghanistan, and yes, we are about to change administrations in Albany.