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 …

Newsom's Anti-Trump Recall Strategy Offers Republicans a Warning for 2022  —  California Democrats were able to nationalize the vote — thanks to an avalanche of money, party discipline and, above all, an easily demonized opponent.  —  SAN LEANDRO, Calif. — California basks in its clairvoyance.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Biden's Afghan shame  —  On Aug. 30, at 3:29 p.m. in Washington D.C., breaking headlines blared across the chyrons of national news networks.  After 20 years, America's longest war had been declared over by the Pentagon.  —  “I'm here to announce the completion of our withdrawal from Afghanistan …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Capitol Police officers face discipline for photos with rioters  —  A Capitol Police officer facing disciplinary action told investigators that he posed for a photo with a suspect during the Jan. 6 riot in order to identify him later.  —  But the officer never shared that plan with his supervisor …

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 …

On papal flight, Pope Francis tackles debate over Communion for politicians who support abortion  —  Pope Francis said Wednesday that the Catholic Church is firm in its stance on abortion because “abortion is murder,” and urged priests to be pastoral rather than political when faced with the question of who can receive Communion.

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.

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.) …