In Exclusive Interview, Trump Calls Sept. 18 Rally A ‘Setup,’ Says GOP Senate Should Fire ‘Disaster’ McConnell  —  In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with The Federalist on Thursday, former President Donald Trump also unloaded on Bush, McConnell, ‘radicalized’ left-wing Democrats, and a completely ‘corrupt’ American news media.

Florida GOP official who wanted to ‘end Faucism’ dies from COVID-19  —  An official from Florida's Hillsborough County Republican Party — which has been busy mobilizing members to protest coronavirus restrictions such as school mask mandates — has died from COVID-19.

Expressing fury over the Australia submarine deal, France cancels a gala celebrating relations with the U.S.  —  Furious over President Biden's announcement of a deal to help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines, French officials in Washington on Thursday angrily canceled a gala …

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.

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.

A broken America should build a monument to Joe Manchin's massive ego  —  As the summer of 2021 comes to an ignominious end this week, millions of Americans will remember these blazing hot months as a time of dashed hopes on ending our life-altering pandemic and growing alarm about the floods and fires fueled by climate change.

Federal judge blocks Biden administration from expelling migrant families under public health order  —  (CNN)A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from expelling migrant families apprehended at the US-Mexico border under a public health order, according to a Thursday ruling, marking a major defeat for the administration.

Judge raises concerns about speed of Oath Keepers trial related to Capitol riot  —  The judge overseeing the sprawling case of the Oath Keepers who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 raised acute concerns Thursday about the pace of the government's effort to bring the matter to trial, particularly as three of the defendants sit in D.C. jail.

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 …

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 …

After recall flop, struggling California Republicans once again fighting over future  —  California Republicans thought they found a unifying rallying cry in the recall attempt against Gov. Gavin Newsom.  Instead, the campaign exposed — and even worsened — some of the long-standing clashes between …

Stop Calling It a ‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’  —  “Your refusal has cost all of us,” President Joe Biden said to unvaccinated people last week, as he announced a new COVID-vaccine mandate for all workers at private companies with more than 100 employees.  The vaccinated, he said …

Biden faces new border emergency in Texas, where thousands of Haitian migrants are stuck under bridge in squalid conditions  —  SAN ANTONIO — The Biden administration is facing a new humanitarian emergency along the border in South Texas, where thousands of mostly Haitian migrants waiting …

Billboard Comparing Donald Trump to Jesus Christ Removed  —  A billboard hailing former President Donald Trump as the second coming of Jesus Christ has been taken down.  —  The advertisement was spotted near the city of Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia earlier this week by Washington Post political …

Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states  —  The Biden administration notified governors and mayors on Wednesday of the number of Afghan evacuees their state is expected to receive in the coming weeks, two senior administration officials told Axios.  —  Why it matters: Although …

My father refused to be a refugee.  I turned him into one.  I'm remembering his garden.  —  I'm thinking about my father's garden today.  —  My father is a military man, the first person in his family to receive formal education.  He was a general in Afghanistan's national army in 1996 …

The Elizabeth Holmes Trial Is a Wake-Up Call for Sexism in Tech  —  Ms. Pao is a tech investor and chief executive of Project Include, a diversity, equity and inclusion nonprofit.  She is the author of “Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change,” about her lawsuit against a venture capital firm …

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 …

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 …

World Bank Cancels Flagship ‘Doing Business’ Report After Investigation  —  Probe faults leaders including Kristalina Georgieva, now IMF managing director, who disagrees with findings  —  The World Bank canceled a prominent report rating the business environment of the world's countries …

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Demand Article 15-6 Investigation Into Mark Milley  —  A group of House Republicans sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding a formal AR 15-6 investigation into Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.