Political journalists are both-siding a “crisis” caused entirely by the GOP  —  Republican congressional leaders are flagrantly ginning up a major political and financial crisis — safe in the knowledge that the Washington press corps will blame both sides.  —  At issue is a formality …

Trump Campaign Knew Lawyers' Voting Machine Claims Were Baseless, Memo Shows  —  Days before lawyers allied with Donald Trump gave a news conference promoting election conspiracy theories, his campaign had determined that many of those claims were false, court filings reveal.

No More Apologies: Inside Facebook's Push to Defend Its Image  —  Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive, has signed off on an effort to show users pro-Facebook stories and to distance himself from scandals.  —  Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, signed off last month on a new initiative code-named Project Amplify.

Boris Johnson admits he has six children  —  London (CNN)Boris Johnson has finally admitted that he has six children, a question he has previously dodged in numerous interviews and press conferences.  —  The British Prime Minister, speaking to NBC's Today show on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly …

New FL surgeon general opposes mask, vaccine mandates  —  Gov. Ron DeSantis announced a new surgeon general for Florida on Tuesday, a Harvard-trained doctor who advocated for an approach to the coronavirus pandemic that emphasizes protecting individual rights over community-based precautions.

Iowa Poll: 62% of Iowans disapprove of the job Joe Biden is doing as president  —  Fewer than one third of Iowans approve of the job Joe Biden is doing as president, a steep drop from earlier this year.  —  Thirty-one percent of Iowans approve of how Biden is handling his job …

Moderate Democrats not monolithic about their budget concerns  —  A group of centrist House Democrats is united in ensuring the chamber won't vote on a reconciliation package unless it can pass the Senate.  But they have individual policy priorities that could divide them on the final product.

Donald Trump Sues New York Times and His Niece Over Tax Story  —  The ex-president claims there was an “insidious plot to obtain confidential and highly-sensitive records.” … Former President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit against The New York Times, three of its reporters, and his niece …

Equitable Research Requires Questioning the Status Quo  —  Research is a powerful tool to determine fact from fiction.  Policies, programs, and solutions are grounded in these facts, making researchers agents for shaping how the world works.  —  However, long-standing values and practices rooted in racism …

Huge hack reveals embarrassing details of who's behind Proud Boys and other far-right websites  —  Researchers say it will allow them to gain important new insights into how extremists operate online  —  Epik long has been the favorite Internet company of the far-right …

Their Baby Died in the Hospital.  Then Came the $257,000 Bill.  —  A New York family had good health insurance.  But the bills for their daughter's care started showing up and kept coming.  —  Brittany Giroux Lane gave birth to her daughter, Alexandra, a few days before Christmas in 2018.

Wuhan scientists planned to release coronaviruses into cave bats 18 months before outbreak  —  Leaked documents reveal researchers applied for $14m to fund controversial project in 2018  —  Wuhan scientists were planning to release enhanced airborne coronaviruses into Chinese bat populations …

Why Sane Republicans Are Purging Themselves  —  Anthony Gonzalez leaves no doubt about what he thinks about Donald Trump and his impact on the GOP.  The former president, he says, is like a “cancer,” and he has turned his party into a toxic and hostile environment.

Why Texas Abortion Opponents Aren't Suing Dr. Alan Braid Over New Law  —  Physician who said he is first to violate new restrictions doesn't present appealing case for conservative groups, legal scholars say  —  As Texas' abortion ban was set to take effect Sept. 1, the state's largest …

A couple wore masks inside a Texas restaurant to protect their newborn son.  The owner kicked them out.  —  Natalie Wester and her husband were waiting for their appetizer to arrive when the server came to their table, not with the fried jalapeños, but an ultimatum.  —  Take your masks off or get out.

Americans Have No Idea What the Supply Chain Really Is  —  At this point, the maddeningly unpredictable Delta variant has changed the expected course of the coronavirus pandemic so much that it can be hard to know exactly what you're waiting for, or if you should continue waiting at all.

New Zealand Covid: Men caught smuggling KFC into lockdown-hit Auckland  —  NZ police have made a bizarre arrest after a pair of alleged gang associates were caught trying to enter Auckland with a boot full of KFC chicken and tens of thousands of dollars.  —  The men were charged with breaching the country's tough Covid-19 rules.

Sinema Cueing Up To Go Indy (Must Read)  —  Absolutely fascinating look at Kyrsten Sinema's efforts to position herself as an independent in Arizona, possibly formally but definitely in effect.  It makes pretty clear she's not done with politics or angling for a high dollar lobbying gig, as some speculate.

Russian hackers target Iowa grain co-op in $5.9 million ransomware attack  —  Cybercrime cell BlackMatter threatened to release New Cooperative's proprietary business data unless it paid up  —  Russian hackers leveled a ransomware attack on an Iowa farming co-op and demanded $5.9 million …

Haitian migrants revolt in custody and seize control of privately contracted bus  —  DEL RIO, Texas — Haitian migrants who were being transported on a federally contracted private bus away from the border revolted during the ride and overtook control of the commercial vehicle before escaping, according to two law enforcement officials.

Bolsonaro vowed to show a new Brazil but ‘lie-filled’ UN speech cuts little ice  —  Far-right president peddled unproven Covid remedies and made baseless claims about Brazilian politics and the environment  —  The Brazilian president, Jair Bolsonaro, told the United Nations general assembly …

Angelo Codevilla, R.I.P.  —  Angelo Codevilla, the historian of spycraft and powerful analyst of American political and social trends, has died.  It is difficult for many commentators to see beyond the current news cycle.  But Codevilla, because he could see America as it is presently, could also see into the future.

GOP Senate candidates back Trump on almost everything.  But only Greitens has joined him in publicly attacking McConnell.  —  Former Missouri governor Eric Greitens (R), who is running for Senate, said Tuesday that if he wins next year, he will not support Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell …

‘The Wire’ creator David Simon refuses to film in Texas, citing new abortion law  —  Texas' restrictive abortion law has officially made its impact on the local film scene.  David Simon, creator of the acclaimed series “The Wire,” says he cannot in good faith shoot his new HBO project …

State Department Plans ‘China House’ to Counter Beijing  —  Some fear larger State Department China desk could be a “massive bureaucratic blob.”  —  The U.S. State Department is planning to expand the number of officials dedicated to monitoring China, a bid to track Beijing's growing footprint in key countries around the world.

With No U.S. Support, Leaders of Afghan Resistance Flee the Country … The son of Afghanistan's most celebrated anti-Taliban resistance leader has escaped into neighboring Tajikistan, less than a month after vowing to defend his homeland “no matter what happens.”