Mark Milley's crisis  —  When Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley goes before Congress on Sept. 28, he may face some of the most hostile questioning of any modern four-star general.  —  Driving the news: Newly released excerpts from “Peril” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa …

Frustrated California Voters May Have Lost The Recall, But The War On Newsom Isn't Over  —  Some California residents were stunned, but others said they are determined to use the power they amassed to create the recall to keep fighting to hold the governor accountable for his tyranny.

How Kathleen Rice Is Threatening the Biden Agenda  —  Rice and two other House Democrats oppose aggressive drug price reform, which provides the budget savings available to fuel spending in the Build Back Better Act.  —  Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-NY) speaking at a press conference in June

Paranoia and accusations cloud efforts to launch ‘Justice for January 6’ rally  —  The extremist forums that cheered on the Jan. 6 Capitol attack have soured on the planned Saturday rally in Washington, insisting without evidence that the event is a secret government plot to arrest more people involved in the riot.

Facebook Tried to Make Its Platform a Healthier Place.  It Got Angrier Instead.  —  Internal memos show how a big 2018 change rewarded outrage and that CEO Mark Zuckerberg resisted proposed fixes  —  In the fall of 2018, Jonah Peretti, chief executive of online publisher BuzzFeed …

Pope Weighs In on Calls to Deny Communion to Biden Over Abortion  —  “What must the pastor do?”  Francis said when a reporter asked him about the subject.  “Be a pastor, don't go condemning.”  —  ROME — Pope Francis weighed in on Wednesday on a debate roiling the Roman Catholic Church …

The pandemic marks another grim milestone: 1 in 500 Americans have died of covid-19  —  At a certain point, it was no longer a matter of if the United States would reach the gruesome milestone of 1 in 500 people dying of covid-19, but a matter of when.  A year?  Maybe 15 months?  The answer: 19 months.

CNN Poll: Most Americans feel democracy is under attack in the US  —  (CNN)Most Americans feel democracy is under attack in this country (56%), according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS, as 51% say it is likely that elected officials in the US will successfully overturn the results …

Nearly 7 In 10 Say Recent Rise In COVID-19 Deaths Was Preventable, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Job Approval For Supreme Court Drops To All-Time Low  — mail_outline  —  With the number of COVID-19 deaths in the United States now topping 650,000, an overwhelmingly majority …

Unredacted Pompeo whistleblower complaint reveals new allegations … A State Department whistleblower accused former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his staff of a litany of misconduct in 2019, according to newly unredacted records obtained by CREW.  The alleged misconduct included false …

Gymnasts testify as Congress investigates FBI's handling of Larry Nassar sexual abuse case  —  A report said the FBI made “fundamental” errors in the investigation.  —  By Katie Kindelan via  —  U.S. elite gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Maggie Nichols and Aly Raisman are testifying …

Mercer family played bigger role in 2020 election than thought, giving nearly $20 million to dark money GOP fund  — The wealthy family led by Robert and Rebekah Mercer invested nearly $20 million last year into a dark money fund that allows donors to keep secret the ultimate destination of their contributions.

U.S. will share nuclear submarine technology with Australia as part of new alliance, a direct challenge to China  —  President Biden is set to announce Wednesday the United States will share highly sensitive nuclear submarine technology with Australia, a major departure from past policy …

A Boy Went to a COVID-Swamped ER.  He Waited for Hours.  Then His Appendix Burst.  —  Non-COVID patients are paying a price as the delta variant and low-vaccination rates overwhelm hospitals across the country.  “Wait times can now be measured in days,” said an expert.  —  Coronavirus

This pastor will sign a religious exemption for vaccines if you donate to his church  —  A pastor is encouraging people to donate to his Tulsa church so they can become an online member and get his signature on a religious exemption from coronavirus vaccine mandates.

Federal judge denies Trump's request to stop E. Jean Carroll lawsuit from moving forward  —  (CNN)A federal judge overseeing columnist E. Jean Carroll's defamation lawsuit against former President Donald Trump has denied Trump's request to stop the case from moving forward as they await an appeals court decision.

Former Client Charged With Shooting Alex Murdaugh in ‘Assisted Suicide’ Attempt  —  The former client was arrested after Mr. Murdaugh survived being shot in the head on a rural South Carolina road.  Mr. Murdaugh's wife and son had been fatally shot in June.

Majority in U.S. Says Public Health Benefits of COVID-19 Restrictions Worth the Costs, Even as Large Shares Also See Downsides  —  73% say they are vaccinated, but at least half express confusion, concern over vaccine information and health impacts  —  Pew Research Center conducted this study …

Afghanistan: Taliban leaders in bust-up at presidential palace, sources say  —  A major row broke out between leaders of the Taliban just days after they set up a new government in Afghanistan, senior Taliban officials told the BBC.  —  Supporters of two rival factions reportedly brawled …

Once again, the GOP's answer is ‘no.’ Democrats should take it and run.  —  Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in a statement on Tuesday announced a compromise voting reform bill supported by Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), Jeff Merkley (Ore.) …

The Biden administration just tiptoed away from its warnings on 'Trump's favorite dictator'  —  Mohamed Soltan is a human rights advocate and president of the Freedom Initiative.  —  This week, the Biden administration released $170 million and delayed $130 million of taxpayer dollars …

Republicans seek Pennsylvania voters' personal information as they try to review the 2020 results.  —  Pennsylvania Republicans moved on Wednesday to seek personal information on every voter in the state as part of a brewing partisan review of the 2020 election results, rubber-stamping …

1 in 500 US residents has died of Covid-19  —  'It's bad to the bone': Unvaccinated man describes Covid-19 fight  —  (CNN)The United States has reached another grim milestone in its fight against the devastating Covid-19 pandemic: 1 in 500 Americans have died from coronavirus since the nation's first reported infection.

Over Half of States Have Rolled Back Public Health Powers in Pandemic  —  Republican legislators in more than half of U.S. states, spurred on by voters angry about lockdowns and mask mandates, are taking away the powers state and local officials use to protect the public against infectious diseases.