Trump Acting Defense Sec. Miller says he ‘did not’ authorize Milley China calls, says he should resign  —  In a statement to Fox News, Miller said that the United States Armed Forces, from its inception, has “operated under the inviolable principle of civilian control of the military.”

Durham Is Said to Seek Indictment of Lawyer at Firm With Democratic Ties  —  The lawyer, Michael Sussmann, is accused of lying to the F.B.I. in a 2016 meeting about Trump and Russia.  He denies wrongdoing.  —  WASHINGTON — John H. Durham, the special counsel appointed by the Trump administration …

Larry Elder's voter fraud messaging depressed Republican turnout, GOP consultant charges  —  Recall candidate Larry Elder - with an assist from former President Donald Trump - depressed GOP turnout in California's recall race by raising the prospect of voter fraud before the election, a Republican consultant said Wednesday.

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.

The 100 Most Influential People of 2021  —  Nikole Hannah-Jones is larger than life.  She must be, for how else can one describe a journalist who catalyzes the debate over how a nation teaches its history?  —  This may be the sum effect of Nikole's greatest work—The 1619 Project …

Study of Booster Shot Benefits Fans Debate Over Extra Doses  —  Independent experts, including government scientists, were skeptical of the research from Israel, which included limited data over a short period.  —  Wading into an acrimonious debate over booster doses, researchers …

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 …

Federal Judge Denies Trump's Request to Further Delay E. Jean Carroll's Lawsuit Pending Appeal  —  Some months after Attorney General Merrick Garland's Department of Justice signaled it would back former President Donald Trump in a lawsuit filed by E. Jean Carroll, a federal judge refused …

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 …

LA County to require proof of vaccination for indoor bars, nightclubs, breweries  —  LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County is planning on issuing a new health officer order later this week that will require proof of vaccination for indoor bars, wineries, breweries, nightclubs and lounges.

California Recall Exit Polls  —  Exit polls are surveys of a random sample of voters taken as they leave their polling place on election day.  Absentee and early voters are represented by either telephone polls or in-person exit polls at early voting locations.

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 …

Joe Manchin gets all the attention.  But Kyrsten Sinema could be an even bigger obstacle for Democrats' spending plans.  —  Senate Democrats were riding high on the afternoon of July 28: A long-delayed bipartisan infrastructure package had finally come together, with many senators eager …

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 …

Paul Ryan spoke to a doctor and extensively researched how to deal with someone with narcissistic personality disorder after Trump won: book  — Paul Ryan studied up on how to deal with someone with narcissistic personality disorder after Trump won the 2016 election.

‘Tell all of our family to get vaccinated’: COVID kills 6 members of Glades family in 3 weeks  —  Fears about the coronavirus vaccine ran through the family.  Those fears are leading people to choose not to be inoculated, Palm Beach County officials say.  —  View Comments

China's Biggest Movie Star Was Erased From the Internet, and the Mystery Is Why  —  Zhao Wei was the Reese Witherspoon of China, then she was censored by the Communist Party amid a clampdown of the country's entertainment industry  —  HONG KONG— Zhao Wei spent the past two decades …

Pennsylvania GOP lawmakers approve wide-ranging subpoenas for personal information of 2020 voters  —  Republican lawmakers in Pennsylvania on Wednesday approved subpoenas for a wide range of data and personal information on voters, advancing a probe of the 2020 election in a key battleground …

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 …

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.

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.

Blinken Derangement Syndrome  —  The party that brought us the Benghazi hearings has a new obsession.  —  Secretary of State Antony Blinken is, like other cabinet secretaries, paid a handsome salary of $221,400.  He is the first cabinet member in the presidential line of succession.

Tampa police called for hundreds to be evicted.  Entire families lost their homes.  —  Officers sent notices to landlords detailing arrests and encounters with their tenants that put families at risk of eviction even when charges were later dropped.  —  Published Earlier today