Oklahoma congressman threatened embassy staff as he tried to enter Afghanistan, U.S. officials say  —  The call to the U.S. ambassador to Tajikistan came in Monday.  On the line, two U.S. officials said, was Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) with an unusual and urgent request …

Has Delta Peaked?  —  We investigate Covid's mysterious two-month cycle.  —  Has the Delta-fueled Covid-19 surge in the U.S. finally peaked?  —  The number of new daily U.S. cases has risen less over the past week than at any point since June, as you can see in this chart:

With ban in effect, Texas abortion clinics will no longer terminate pregnancies after 6 weeks  —  AUSTIN — A Texas law that bans most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect Wednesday, as a midnight deadline for the Supreme Court to stop it came and went without action.

McCarthy threatens companies that comply with Jan. 6 probe's phone records requests  —  Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday threatened to use a future GOP majority to punish companies that comply with the House's Jan. 6 investigators, warning that “a Republican majority will not forget.”

The Legal Minds Who Tried to Overturn the Election for Trump Are Being Welcomed Back Into Polite Society  —  Though it hasn't received the attention it deserves, courage from Republican election officials and leaders helped save this country from a total election meltdown in 2020 based on lies …

Texas parents accused a Black principal of promoting critical race theory.  The district has now suspended him.  —  At a heated Texas school board meeting in late July, a man accused a Black principal of promoting critical race theory and “the conspiracy theory of systemic racism.”

Arrest warrant issued for Ohio man accused of confronting NBC's Shaquille Brewster on live TV  —  Mississippi police issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for an Ohio man who they say confronted NBC News' Shaquille Brewster on live television.  —  The man, Benjamin Eugene Dagley, of Wooster …

What Happened to the Babylon Bee?  —  Until a few years ago, the Babylon Bee was a niche humor site—the Onion for conservative Protestants.  The Bee was founded seven months before Donald Trump took office and became popular mostly because many of the jokes were very funny—but also …

America has wasted at least 15 million Covid vaccine doses since March, new data shows  —  The United States has thrown away at least 15.1 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines since March 1, according to government data obtained by NBC News — a far larger number than previously known and still probably an undercount.

‘It still seems unbelievable’  —  At 36, Simon Maloy was a successful political writer with a wife and two young sons.  Then he found out he had colon cancer, a disease striking more and more young people.  —  Three days.  That's all Simon Maloy got.  Three days to hop on bikes …

Police Say Demoralized Officers Are Quitting In Droves.  Labor Data Says No.  —  While other industries were devastated by the pandemic last year, police departments felt a much smaller impact.  —  Since last summer's Black Lives Matter protests, there's a popular refrain echoing through …

They're called mild cases.  But people with breakthrough covid can still feel pretty sick.  —  Coronavirus vaccines overwhelmingly keep people out of the hospital but don't necessarily stop all infections  —  Andrew Kinsey knew that even after being vaccinated against the coronavirus …

‘I Helped Destroy People’  —  Terry Albury, an idealistic F.B.I. agent, grew so disillusioned by the war on terror that he was willing to leak classified documents — and go to prison for doing it.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Jaleel Stallings shot at the MPD; a jury acquitted him of wrongdoing  —  Before the white, unmarked cargo van of the Minneapolis Police Department drove down Lake Street, an officer gave Sgt. Andrew Bittell his orders: “Drive down Lake Street.  You see a group, call it out.  OK great!

Excerpts of call between Joe Biden and Ashraf Ghani July 23  —  U.S. President Joe Biden and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani spoke by phone July 23.  Here are excerpts from that call, based on a transcript and recording reviewed by Reuters:  —  BIDEN: Mr. President.  Joe Biden.

States That Cut Unemployment Benefits Saw Limited Impact on Job Growth  —  Half of U.S. states ended enhanced unemployment insurance payments early ahead of nationwide termination of benefits for millions of people  —  States that ended enhanced federal unemployment benefits early …

Long-Haulers Are Fighting for Their Future  —  While watching the scientific community grapple with long COVID, I have thought a lot about a scene in The Lord of the Rings.  Faced with impending doom, the hobbits Merry and Pippin ask the powerful treelike ents for help.

Meghan McCain: I don't recognize this Joe Biden  —  Confused, thin-skinned, full of himself, and ready to burn more straw men than the Wicked Witch of the West?  Many of us recognize this version of Joe Biden well indeed, but in fairness to Meghan McCain, many of us didn't have Biden helping us through the grief of losing a father.