QAnon Anti-Vaxxer Called COVID a Hoax Even as His ‘Lungs Stopped Functioning’  —  Robert David Steele, a former CIA officer turned conspiracy theorist who claimed to be the first person to call COVID-19 a hoax, has died from COVID-19.  —  Steele, who was among the earliest QAnon promoters …

Biden Deserves Credit, Not Blame, for Afghanistan  —  America's longest war has been by any measure a costly failure, and the errors in managing the conflict deserve scrutiny in the years to come.  But Joe Biden doesn't “own” the mayhem on the ground right now.

Laurence Tribe: If Garland doesn't prosecute Trump, the rule of law is “out the window”  —  Eminent constitutional law expert: If Biden and Garland won't go after Trump, country is in “desperate trouble”  —  If American democracy were a hospital patient, the diagnosis would be “critical”.

Another conservative anti-vaccine radio talk show host succumbs to COVID, third in a month  —  A conservative Florida radio host who was dead-set against taking a coronavirus vaccine is now dead.  —  Marc Bernier died Saturday of COVID-19 after a three-week battle, his bereft radio station announced.

Trump's political operation paid more than $4.3 million to Jan. 6 organizers but questions remain about the full extent of its involvement  —  Former President Donald Trump's political operation reported paying more than $4.3 million to people and firms that organized the Jan. 6 rally since the start of the 2020 election.

A judge asked a mother if she got the coronavirus vaccine.  She said no, and he revoked custody of her son.  —  When Rebecca Firlit joined a virtual court hearing with her ex-husband earlier this month, the Chicago mother expected the proceedings to focus on child support.  —  But the judge had other plans.

Ivermectin Demand Surges Though It Doesn't Work for Covid-19  —  Prescriptions for ivermectin have jumped to more than 88,000 per week, some pharmacists are reporting shortages and people are overdosing on forms of the drug meant for horses.  —  For the past week, Dr. Gregory Yu …

Hurricane Ida Is a Manmade Disaster … “The wind is tearing Pointe-Aux-Chenes apart,” Albert Naquin told me.  He was standing in his carport, watching as the first eyewall of Hurricane Ida passed over the bayou where he has lived for almost his entire life.

Partisan divides in media trust widen, driven by a decline among Republicans  —  In just five years, the percentage of Republicans with at least some trust in national news organizations has been cut in half - dropping from 70% in 2016 to 35% this year.  This decline is fueling the continued widening …

China Limits Videogames to Three Hours a Week for Young People  —  New regulation will ban minors from playing videogames entirely between Monday and Thursday  —  SINGAPORE—China has a new rule for the country's hundreds of millions of young gamers: No videogames during the school week …

How Turf Wars Mucked Up America's Exit From Afghanistan  —  In July, at Antony Blinken's State Department, bureaucratic decisions affecting the Afghan withdrawal, one insider said, were “slightly more organized than a Choose Your Own Adventure novel.”  —  On the afternoon of July 9, 2021 …

Former NRA spokeswoman Dana Loesch, a rising right-wing radio star, doesn't care if you call her a murderer  —  OUTSIDE OF DALLAS — Dana Loesch strides with purpose in chunky black unlaced boots.  Past the wrought-iron chandelier and red upholstered dining-table chairs that evoke some medieval castle.

No, Biden Didn't Fall Asleep Listening to Israel's Prime Minister.  Yes, You Fell for Fake News  —  Right-wing politicians and activists in Israel and the U.S. spread a false claim that the U.S. president fell asleep in his meeting with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last week.  Here's what actually happened

Kamala Harris: The absentee VP by design  —  She was supposed to be a major player in the Biden administration after being lauded as an historic, consequential figure in her role as America's first female vice president.  —  “Harris Has the Potential To Change the Face of U.S. Politics,” …

Giuliani's PR Guru Resigns as Legal Walls Close In  —  Rudy Giuliani's high-profile, 22-year-old communications director has resigned amid Giuliani's mounting legal troubles. … As Rudy Giuliani navigates an increasingly lonely and stormy world amid a federal investigation …

EU to Reimpose Travel Curbs on U.S. Amid Rise in Covid Cases  — The move will come as a blow to airlines banking on reopening  — New American cases exceed the limit set earlier by the bloc  —  European Union countries voted to subject the U.S. to fresh restrictions on nonessential travel amid …

EXCLUSIVE: Convicted rapist reached the U.S. on Afghan evacuation flight  —  A man who'd been convicted of rape and had previously been deported from the U.S. was allowed to board an Afghan evacuation flight and reach America, according to law enforcement sources.

Jeff Colyer diagnosed with prostate cancer, ends campaign for Kansas governor  —  TOPEKA — Jeff Colyer announced Monday he was ending his campaign for Kansas governor and receiving treatment for prostate cancer.  —  Colyer's departure from the race clears the way for Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt …

Los Angeles Magazine Gives Union President the Profile She's Earned  —  Something's spreading through newsrooms and it's not the coronavirus.  —  Soon after Emma Green of The Atlantic challenged the well-worn talking points of NEA President Becky Pringle, we get Jason McGahan of Los Angeles Magazine …

Hate crimes rise to highest level in 12 years amid increasing attacks on Black and Asian people, FBI says  —  The number of hate crimes in the United States rose in 2020 to the highest level in 12 years, propelled by increasing assaults targeting Black and Asian victims, the FBI reported Monday.

Wealthy Lobbyists Have Already Slashed Biden's Tax Reform by Three-Quarters Moderate Democrats have quietly knifed the president's legacy bill.  —  The Hill, a newspaper covering Congress, reports that business lobbyists are pleased that they have watered down President Biden's proposed tax increases …

Substack Farewell  —  Man bites dog, quitting Substack to work for magazine.  —  A little more than a year ago I lost my job at a mainstream publication and put out my shingle on Substack.  I titled my newsletter Backbencher, a term I knew many potential readers in the United States wouldn't know …