Trump played tough with Putin when cameras were around, while Putin toyed with his insecurities, a new book says  —  Little is known about what happened in the 90-minute conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Osaka, Japan, two years ago.

‘People are going to get skittish:’ White House sweats over McAuliffe  —  President Joe Biden can't afford Terry McAuliffe to lose the governor's race in Virginia — and the White House knows it.  —  It's a scenario the president and his aides and close allies increasingly view as a real possibility …

Republicans' trail of destruction may haunt them  —  Republicans' embrace of conspiracy theories, election denial, vaccine mandate opposition and, frankly, nihilism pose real threats to our democracy and to the health of Americans.  But just because Republicans delight in “owning the libs” …

Deadline Looming, Thousands of Health Care Workers in New York Get Vaccinated  —  Though many hospital and nursing home employees remain unvaccinated, officials say worst-case staffing shortages seem less likely.  —  When New York State officials issued a sweeping coronavirus vaccine mandate …

Pass the damn infrastructure bill, dammit  —  Then pass the reconciliation bill, then pass another bill...  I am annoyed at the way Democrats are handling the two spending bills now moving through Congress.  When the bipartisan infrastructure deal passed the Senate, I assumed it was a done deal …

131 Federal Judges Broke the Law by Hearing Cases Where They Had a Financial Interest  —  The judges failed to recuse themselves from 685 lawsuits from 2010 to 2018 involving firms in which they or their family held shares, a Wall Street Journal investigation found

Marine officer who blasted leaders over Afghanistan withdrawal now in the brig  —  “All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud.”  —  Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the Marine officer whose meteoric rise to internet fandom began …

‘Mad Dash’: Trump's demand for a Texas ‘audit’ caught Gov. Abbott off guard  —  Donald Trump's letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he pursue an “audit” of the 2020 election set off a “mad dash” in the governor's office as aides sought to figure out just how serious the former president was …

Idaho COVID Insanity Shows How Much Worse the GOP Can Get  —  The slightest hint of responsibility is enough to draw primary challenges in the party's ever-accelerating race to the bottom. … As the morgues and ICUs in Idaho overflow with COVID patients, Republican Governor Brad Little …

A.C.L.U. Apologizes for Tweet That Altered Quote by Justice Ginsburg  —  The organization acknowledged that changing references from women to people was a mistake — albeit a well-intentioned one.  —  Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union …

Trump Loses Case to Enforce Omarosa Manigault Newman's N.D.A.  —  Donald Trump had filed the case against Ms. Manigault Newman, a former White House aide and “Apprentice” star, after she wrote a tell-all book about serving in his administration.  —  Former President Donald J. Trump has lost …

Unvaccinated Americans say the need for booster shots proves Covid vaccines don't work, Kaiser survey shows  — A Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows that 71% percent of unvaccinated respondents said boosters are a sign that vaccines are not working.  — The split in attitudes toward …

‘Speed equals safety’: Inside the Pentagon's controversial decision to leave Bagram early  —  On a rainy day in early May, weeks after President Joe Biden announced the U.S. exit from Afghanistan, senior leaders from across the government gathered in the basement of the Pentagon …

Axios-Ipsos poll: Biden trust takes a blow as COVID lingers  —  For the first time in his presidency, Joe Biden faces a trust deficit among Americans when it comes to COVID-19, according to the latest installment of the Axios/Ipsos Coronavirus Index.  —  Why it matters: The latest findings point to malaise more than fear.

PFIZER AND BIONTECH SUBMIT INITIAL DATA TO U.S. FDA FROM PIVOTAL TRIAL OF COVID-19 VACCINE IN CHILDREN 5 TO  —  Formal submission to request Emergency Use Authorization to follow in the coming weeks  —  NEW YORK and MAINZ, Germany—(BUSINESS WIRE)— Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) and BioNTech SE …

The ‘comfort the comfortable’ coalition  —  Last Wednesday, I saw a friend walking his dog in the late morning on Capitol Hill, attired in shorts and flip-flops.  “Nice suit,” he said to me as we crossed paths.  “Yep,” I said.  “Busy week at work.”  He laughed.  “I am at work now.”

Trump's spiteful support for Abrams over Kemp sparks midterms fear from Georgia Republicans  —  (CNN)Donald Trump is escalating his fight against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, and state Republicans fear it will give Democrats a stronger foothold in the key swing state as next year's midterm elections loom.

How Miami Seduced Silicon Valley Awash in coders, crypto, and capital, the city is loving — and beginning to shape — its newest industry.  —  Silicon Valley's favorite politician, Miami mayor Francis Suarez, has many lures to dangle when he's wooing techies to relocate to his city.

Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen Sends Letter to Congressional Leadership on the Debt Limit  —  WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen sent a letter to Congressional leadership regarding the debt limit.  —  The full text of the letter and it is also available below.

China's power shortage turns dire as traffic lights fail, homes fall dark  —  Half of China's provincial jurisdictions mandate rationing of electricity, but poor communication and unclear timeline leave angry public in the dark One local government warns that entire power grid at risk of collapse …