The U.S. surpasses 40 million known coronavirus cases.  —  More than 40 million cases of the coronavirus have been recorded in the United States, according to a New York Times database.  —  The total number of known infections, more than the population of California, the nation's most populous state …

Texas governor signs voting restrictions bill into law  —  (CNN)Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday signed into law a bill that bans 24-hour and drive-thru voting, imposes new hurdles on mail-in ballots and empowers partisan poll watchers.  —  The restrictive voting measure adds Texas …

Ex-FBI official says law enforcement needs to take upcoming right-wing rally in DC ‘very seriously’  —  Washington (CNN)Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said Monday evening that law enforcement needs to take the upcoming right-wing rally in support of jailed January 6 rioters …

Lindsey Graham says United States ‘will be going back’ into Afghanistan  —  Graham predicts a clash between the Taliban and Islamic State will force Washington to re-engage.  —  Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) says he believes the United States “will be going back into Afghanistan” …

Trump builds ‘turnkey’ campaign operation for 2024  —  Boots on the ground in Iowa.  Accelerated fundraising.  More national media interviews.  A flood of new press statements.  A rise in attack ads on the web.  —  With a flurry of activity from his main political committee and hints dropped …

Breaking Brett  —  Properly investigating Kavanaugh would be the right thing to do AND enormously popular.  Why won't the Dems act?  —  LAST WEEK, the Texas State Legislature passed one of the most repressive antichoice laws in the history of our nation.  The fine print is so hateful, so anti-woman, so infuriating—six weeks?

The Latest: Taliban disperse Kabul rally, arrest journalists  —  KABUL, Afghanistan — The Taliban have fired gunshots to disperse a rally on Tuesday in Kabul and arrested several Afghan journalists who were covering the demonstration, witnesses and Afghan media outlets said.

Taliban Unveil New Afghan Government  —  Afghanistan's new rulers named prime minister, with senior post for leader of al Qaeda-linked Haqqani group  —  Breaking News:  —  *Taliban Announce New Afghan Government, Mullah Hassan Akhund as Prime Minister  —  *All Key Positions to Remain in Taliban Hands

These corporations bankrolled the sponsors of Texas' abortion ban  —  Texas just enacted the nation's most draconian abortion ban, prohibiting all abortions after six weeks — before many women even know they are pregnant.  There are no exceptions for rape or incest.

Infrastructure Summer: Joe Manchin's Symphony of Disingenuousness  —  He mumbles about inflation to try and stop a bill that's primarily concerned with reducing inflation.  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) talks with reporters before a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing …

Alphonso David, Who Advised Cuomo, Fired as Human Rights Campaign President  —  Mr. David, who previously worked as a lawyer for Andrew Cuomo, was identified in a report as having advised the former governor on how to handle sex harassment allegations.  —  Alphonso David, the president …

Elizabeth Holmes's Last Pitch She now faces her greatest challenge: convincing a jury that she is not to blame for a massive fraud.  —  Over the course of what must have been several uncomfortable days for her in the summer of 2017, Elizabeth Holmes sat in a San Francisco conference room …

J.D. Vance Is So Thirsty  —  The sad, needy tweets of a loser.  —  On Sunday, J.D. Vance pushed out a nova-hot tweet professing his respect for Alex Jones: … This is what the kids call a thirst trap.  It's very sad.  Let me explain.  —  You can tell that Vance's tweet was engineered …

Schools become political ‘battlefield’ in culture wars Trump cultivated … Schools have become the focal point for culture war fights that animated former President Donald Trump's base and have been advanced by conservative activists and influencers since he left office.

The Real Structural Racism  —  Is it OK that black eighth graders aren't proficient in math and reading?  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may have a point about structural racism.  But it's probably not the point the Queens Democrat and her progressive allies think it is.

QAnon Is Harassing a Hospital Into Giving Bogus COVID ‘Cure’ Ivermectin  —  Some of the most powerful QAnon influencers are urging their hundreds of thousands of followers to harass a Chicago hospital into treating an anti-vaccine activist with ivermectin.  —  Veronica Wolski …

How Professors Are Handling Unmasked Students Amid Delta  —  At universities, some instructors are finding the return to the classroom a nerve-racking experience.  A few have quit — one in the middle of class.  —  Matthew Boedy, an associate professor of rhetoric and composition …

Americans' Ratings of CDC Communication Turn Negative  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — More Americans now disagree (41%) than agree (32%) that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has communicated a clear plan of action in response to the COVID-19 situation.