‘This Case Was Never About Fraud’: Federal Judge Refers ‘Kraken’ Attorneys, Including Lin Wood and Sidney Powell, for ‘Possible Suspension or Disbarment’  —  A federal judge sent a strong message to each of the so-called “Kraken” lawyers behind litigation to upend the 2020 election …

In Kabul, Private Rescue Efforts Grow Desperate as Time to Evacuate Afghans Runs Out  —  Defense contractor Erik Prince charges $6,500 a person, other groups' planes leave Kabul empty  —  A disparate group of American veterans, military contractors, aid workers and former spies is scrambling …

Fact check: Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy makes at least 5 false claims in 7-minute Fox News interview  —  This is what Trump said about US' evacuation of Afghan allies  —  Washington (CNN)House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy made at least five false claims during a seven-minute Sunday interview on Fox News.

Select Committee Issues Sweeping Demand for Executive Branch Records  —  Bolton, MS—Today, Chairman Bennie G. Thompson announced the Select Committee's first round of demands for records as the committee expands its investigation into the January 6th violent attack on the U.S. Capitol and its causes.

Defendant in Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor Sentenced to Six Years  —  Ty G. Garbin, 25, had pleaded guilty to taking part in an extremist plot driven by anger at the governor's efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus.  —  The only defendant to plead guilty to taking part in a plot …

Pelosi assails two lawmakers who made unauthorized trip to Kabul  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted two lawmakers who surreptitiously flew into Kabul without approval to examine conditions at the international airport where a massive airlift is underway to evacuate U.S. citizens, allies and vulnerable Afghans.

Students from San Diego County school district stranded in Afghanistan  —  At least 24 students from the Cajon Valley Union School District in El Cajon and 16 parents are stranded in Afghanistan after taking a summer trip abroad.  —  They are among thousands of individuals waiting to leave …

In Florida, the pandemic is worse now than it has ever been before.  —  More people in Florida are catching the coronavirus, being hospitalized and dying of Covid-19 now than at any previous point in the pandemic, underscoring the perils of limiting public health measures as the Delta variant rips through the state.

The Latest G.O.P. Schism: How to Handle Afghan Evacuees  —  The resettlement of Afghan allies in the U.S. is revealing an internal divide between the party's anti-immigrant wing and other conservatives who want to help the refugees.  —  WASHINGTON — The Republican Party is united …

Bodies stacked to the ceiling as COVID-19 surge creates backlog at Florida funeral homes, crematories  —  WINTER GARDEN, Fla. (WESH) — At West Side Crematory in Winter Garden, they're overwhelmed with the remains of people that need to be cremated.  —  There's an influx of bodies …

Henry Kissinger on why America failed in Afghanistan  —  It was not possible to turn the country into a modern democracy, but creative diplomacy and force might have overcome terrorism, says the American statesman … THE TALIBAN takeover of Afghanistan focuses the immediate concern …

New NY governor adds 12,000 deaths to publicized COVID tally  —  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul promised more government transparency on her first day in office and by day's end her administration had quietly delivered it by acknowledging nearly 12,000 more deaths in the state …

Enough is Enough: Antifa Attacks Reporter in Portland  —  Antifa's influence may be exaggerated, but it's not a mythical Snuffleupagus, either, as they showed in attacking reporter Maranie Staab from our partner News2Share this past weekend.  —  This past Sunday, while covering a protest in Portland …

Prosecutor: South Dakota AG to take plea deal in fatal crash  —  PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg will avoid a trial and take a plea deal for misdemeanor traffic charges in a crash last year in which he hit and killed a man who was walking along a rural highway, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Johnson & Johnson booster shot prompts large increase in immune response, company says  —  (CNN)Booster doses of Johnson & Johnson's one-shot coronavirus vaccine generated a big spike in antibodies, the frontline immune system defenses against infection, the company reported Wednesday.

Lester Holt to interview Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt  —  NBC News's Lester Holt will interview the Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the network announced.  —  The interview, set to air Thursday …

NYPD's largest police union vows to sue over possible COVID vaccine mandate  —  The Big Apple's largest police union told its members Wednesday that it would sue the city if cops are required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, The Post has learned.  —  “If the City attempts to impose a vaccine mandate …

Former California Democratic majority leader endorses Larry Elder in campaign against Gov. Newsom  —  The California recall election will be held on Sept. 14  —  Larry Elder reveals how he's going to fix California  —  The former Democratic majority leader for the California state Senate …

The Bizarre Refusal to Apply Cost-Benefit Analysis to COVID Debates  —  Are those who oppose a ban on cars or a radical reduction in speed limits sociopaths, given the huge number of people they are knowingly consigning to death or maiming?  —  In virtually every realm of public policy …

In First Interview From Jail, an Upbeat Navalny Discusses Prison Life  —  Russian political prisoners today are subjected to “psychological” pressure, said the opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny, who is forced to watch state TV for more than eight hours a day.

CIA, U.S. Troops Conduct Missions Outside Kabul Airport to Extract Americans, Allies  —  Risky operations include helicopter lifts as evacuation window closes  —  WASHINGTON—The Central Intelligence Agency and the U.S. military are conducting extraction operations to rescue Americans using helicopters …

Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of Robert F. Kennedy assassination, seeks parole with no opposition from prosecutors  —  Attorneys say that 53 years behind bars is sufficient punishment for the 77-year-old; Kennedy family declines to weigh in  —  Sirhan B. Sirhan, convicted of the 1968 assassination …

Where America Lost And Gained Population Could Help Democrats In Redistricting  —  With the release of block-level data from the 2020 census, we now have a much clearer picture of how and where the U.S. population has grown — and shrunk — over the past 10 years.

Padma Lakshmi says disparaging Indian food isn't funny.  It's ugly.  —  Comedy, when done well, has the power to transmute our personal and collective pain.  From slapstick to satire to memes, it can be a balm, a moment of catharsis to punctuate the often-cruel and random nature of life, reminding us of our common humanity.

Biden made the hard choice in Afghanistan, and the right one  —  Jake Auchincloss, a Marine veteran, is a Democrat representing Massachusetts's 4th district in the U.S. House of Representatives.  —  Before serving in Congress, I was an infantry platoon commander in Afghanistan's Helmand Province.