CIA Director William Burns held secret meeting in Kabul with Taliban leader Abdul Ghani Baradar  —  CIA Director William J. Burns held a secret meeting in Kabul on Monday with the Taliban's de facto leader Abdul Ghani Baradar in the highest-level face-to-face encounter between the Taliban …

Hawaii governor tells tourists to stay home as coronavirus surges across islands  —  Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) is telling tourists to stay away from the islands amid a surge in COVID-19 infections.  —  In a news conference on Monday, Ige encouraged visitors and residents to reduce travel to essential business activities.

Moderates bring House to standstill in Biden budget clash  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Confronting moderates, House Democratic leaders tried to muscle President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar budget blueprint over a key hurdle, working overnight to ease an intraparty showdown that risks upending their domestic infrastructure agenda.

Maryland's Kimberly Klacik sues conservative commentator Candace Owens for defamation, asks for $20 million in damages  —  Kimberly Klacik, a former Republican congressional candidate in Maryland, is suing conservative commentator Candace Owens for $20 million in damages over an Instagram video Owens …

Conservative Bill Kristol endorses McAuliffe in race for Virginia governor  —  RICHMOND — Bill Kristol is just like all the other disaffected Virginia Republicans whom gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin needs to win over, only famous.  —  The longtime conservative commentator …

Cuomo commutes sentence of radical who took part in '81 robbery  —  David Gilbert, imprisoned for four decades, can take case to parole board  —  ALBANY — Just hours before leaving office, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo granted clemency to five men, including the commutation of the 75-years …

Monsoon Rains Just Washed Away Trump's ‘Impenetrable’ Border Wall  —  Photos show rusted steel border bollards along the Arizona border ripped from their hinges by the recent rains.  —  JE  —  Monsoon rainfall in southeast Arizona damaged sections of the multi-billion dollar border wall whose construction …

Even Amid a Crackdown, the Proud Boys Are Still Agitating  —  At least two dozen members of the Proud Boys face federal charges in the U.S. Capitol siege.  But on Sunday, members of the group were mobilizing once again in Oregon.  —  PORTLAND, Ore. — In the months since the siege …

Republican Lobbyist Barry Bennett Comes Under DOJ Scrutiny  —  One-time Trump campaign adviser faces probe into whether he set up an undisclosed lobbying effort to embarrass Qatar's adversaries, people familiar with the matter say  —  WASHINGTON—Federal prosecutors are investigating Barry Bennett …

Giuliani associate Igor Fruman expected to plead guilty in campaign-finance case  —  NEW YORK — Igor Fruman, an associate of Rudolph W. Giuliani who aided his political activities on behalf of former president Donald Trump, is expected to plead guilty this week in connection with his indictment …

300 recall ballots, drugs, multiple driver's licenses found in vehicle of passed out felon: Torrance police  —  Torrance police are investigating the discovery of hundreds of recall election ballots in a vehicle where a felon was found passed out with drugs, a loaded firearm and multiple driver's licenses …

He Walks the Line  —  More than 20 years ago, I sat down to talk with a Black cop from New York City.  He had a weightlifter's powerful hands, a quick-trigger tongue, and a scar on the back of his shaved head from his days in a youth gang.  —  At the time, the relationship between police officers and Black residents was raw.

Elitist Democrats want you to shut up and obey  —  'We're seeing now what happens when countries tolerate authoritarians, even for a moment'  —  Tucker: You don't need a mask if you're a rich Democrat  —  Ever get the feeling we've been here before?  We have.

Where Is the Anti-Biden Tea Party?  —  An analysis of crowd events shows the president hasn't yet drawn the protests that Barack Obama and Donald Trump faced.  —  Barack Obama had been president for only a few months when the Tea Party roared onto the American political scene.

UN rights boss says she has credible reports of Taliban executions  —  The U.N. human rights chief said on Tuesday that she had received credible reports of serious violations committed by the Taliban in Afghanistan, including “summary executions” of civilians and Afghan security forces who have surrendered.