Anthony Gonzalez, a Republican Who Voted to Impeach Trump, Won't Run in 2022  —  Representative Anthony Gonzalez, one of the 10 House Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump, is the first of the group to retire rather than face a stiff primary challenge.

Trump-Era Special Counsel Secures Indictment of Lawyer for Firm With Democratic Ties  —  The defendant, Michael Sussmann, is accused of lying to the F.B.I. in a meeting about Trump and Russia.  He denies wrongdoing.  —  WASHINGTON — A prominent cybersecurity lawyer was indicted on a charge …

Milley is neither a traitor nor the savior of the Republic  —  This week, Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is being portrayed either as the savior of the Republic or as guilty of betraying it to our greatest adversary, based on two phone calls he made to a Chinese general.

The Most Important Statistic of the Biden Presidency  —  One in five hundred Americans has died in the pandemic, and Republicans are actively rooting for the country to fail.  —  President Biden is moving on.  His “summer of freedom” from covid didn't work out.

Troll farms reached 140 million Americans a month on Facebook before 2020 election, internal report shows  —  In the run up to the 2020 election, the most highly contested in US history, Facebook's most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were being run by Eastern European troll farms.

Scoop: Biden bombs with Manchin  —  President Biden failed to persuade Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to agree to spending $3.5 trillion on the Democrats' budget reconciliation package during their Oval Office meeting on Wednesday, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

GOP Group That Fights Against Vaccine Mandates And For Election Integrity Might Miss Campaign Filing Deadline After Bookkeeper Dies From Covid  —  On Tuesday, a Florida county Republican committee that had opposed measures to prevent Covid-19 informed the Federal Election Commission that the group …

The United States says it gave France only a few hours' notice of defense deal that Paris called a ‘knife in the back.’  —  The United States acknowledged on Thursday that it only gave France a few hours' notice of its deal to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines …

The Jennifer Rubin WH symbiosis  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With Allie Bice  —  Before Washington Post columnist JENNIFER RUBIN became one of the most reliable defenders of the Biden administration …

The right-wing media is helping Trump destroy democracy.  A new poll shows how.  —  When future historians seek to explain the United States' perilous slide toward authoritarianism in the 21st century, they will grapple with the role played in all these events by Fox News and the right-wing media.

Divided Opinion on Handling of Afghanistan Withdrawal  —  Public split on Biden job performance  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Most Americans agree with the U.S. leaving Afghanistan, even if many think the actual withdrawal was seriously mishandled.  Still, few believe that postponing the pullout …

Justice Thomas defends the Supreme Court's independence and warns of ‘destroying our institutions’  —  SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Justice Clarence Thomas defended the independence of the Supreme Court on Thursday and warned against “destroying our institutions because they don't give us what we want, when we want it.”

Amazon's New ‘Factory Towns’ Will Lift the Working Class  —  Plentiful new jobs at higher wages in places with cheaper housing sounds like a solution to inequality.  —  The campaign against economic inequality has put a bullseye on cities.  Local governments are encouraged to raise minimum wages …

And the winner in the California recall is?  None of the above  —  While Larry Elder clearly led all replacement candidates in the California recall election, he finished far behind none of the above.  Millions left that question blank —exactly what Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats wanted.

DeSantis hammers Biden admin for limiting Florida's use of monoclonal antibodies: ‘Very, very problematic’  —  Therapy was introduced at the same time as the vaccine, but flew under the radar until recently  —  DeSantis vows to fight Biden, stand up for freedom and the Constitution

Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers.  The Company's Response Is Weak, Documents Show.  —  Employees raised alarms about how the site is used in developing countries, where its user base is already huge and expanding  —  In January, a former cop turned Facebook Inc. investigator posted …

Effort To Recall LA DA Gascón Fails; Backers Vow To Try Again  —  LAist relies on your reader support, not paywalls.  —  Freely accessible local news is vital.  Please power our reporters and help keep us independent with a donation today during our fall member drive.  —  Donate Now

Biden is priming the pump for Trump Part Deux  —  Arick Wierson is a six-time Emmy Award-winning television producer and former senior media adviser to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.  He advises corporate and political clients on communications strategies in the US, Africa and Latin America.

Idaho expands Crisis Standards of Care statewide due to surge in COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalization  —  The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) has activated Crisis Standards of Care (CSC) in accordance with IDAPA 16.02.09 - Crisis Standards of Care For Healthcare Entities.

NBC's Kelly O'Donnell to Psaki: What's Up With President Biden's Cough?  —  NBC White House correspondent Kelly O'Donnell asked about President Biden appearing to have a mild cough or cold during his Thursday speech on his tax plan.  —  ""I don't think it's an issue of concern," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said.

How Tucker Carlson Lost It  —  In February 2009, when he took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Tucker Carlson was in the midst of an identity crisis.  Five years earlier, he had been a victim of what was arguably the first viral takedown of the internet era.

Dems: Newly approved Ohio district map 'falls far below what's considered to be fair,' lawsuit likely  —  Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission approved a four-year map for state House and Senate districts over the objections of Democrats shortly after Wednesday's 11:59 p.m. deadline.

Many in Rural Afghanistan Welcome an Unfamiliar Peace After Taliban Victory  —  While Taliban rule prompted an exodus from Kabul, many in villages ravaged by war express relief that killings, destruction have stopped  —  BARAKI BARAK, Afghanistan—In one of the last night raids of the Afghan war …