CIA says ‘Havana Syndrome’ not result of sustained campaign by hostile power  —  In a new intelligence assessment, the CIA has ruled out that the mysterious symptoms known as Havana Syndrome are the result of a sustained global campaign by a hostile power aimed at hundreds of U.S. diplomats and spies …

FBI agents descended on Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar's house, but won't say what they're investigating  —  An FBI spokesperson said the agency was present on two streets around Cuellar's house in Laredo “conducting court-authorized law enforcement activity.”  —  Copy link

In Rebuke to Trump, Supreme Court Allows Release of Jan. 6 Files  —  The House committee investigating the riot received hundreds of pages of documents from the former president's White House within hours of the ruling.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused a request …

Ex-Press Secretary Tells Capitol Riot Panel: Trump Held ‘Secret Meetings’ Days Before Jan.6  —  OFF-THE-BOOKS  —  In the days before the Capitol riot, then-President Donald Trump held off-the-books meetings in the White House with mystery participants, according to his former press secretary Stephanie Grisham.

Does the Trump Family's Grift Add Up to Fraud?  —  The Trump family has run-ins with law enforcement almost as frequently as other families go grocery shopping.  Those confrontations often produce court filings loaded with salacious details about the clan's machinations …

Biden asks, ‘What are Republicans for?’  Republicans have already chosen not to answer.  —  During a news conference held one day shy of his first anniversary in office, President Biden was asked whether he had made bigger promises to the electorate than he was able to fulfill.

Supreme Court hears arguments on campaign finance law, issues statement on NPR report  —  Three Supreme Court justices issued statements Wednesday addressing an NPR story about relations among the justices.  On Tuesday, NPR reported that Justice Sonia Sotomayor, a longtime diabetic …

Is Old Music Killing New Music?  —  All the growth in the music business now comes from old songs—how did we get here, and is there a way back?  —  I had a hunch that old songs were taking over music streaming platforms—but even I was shocked when I saw the most recent numbers.

Why I am no longer a tenured professor at the University of Toronto  —  I recently resigned from my position as full tenured professor at the University of Toronto.  I am now professor emeritus, and before I turned sixty.  Emeritus is generally a designation reserved for superannuated faculty …

Biden held a record-long news conference.  Conservative media jumped at the chance.  —  President Biden may have discovered one of the drawbacks to holding long news conferences: You might get a few questions you didn't see coming.  —  Biden held a record-long, nearly two-hour exchange …

Hinson, Grassley, Bustos, Blunt, Durbin Announce $829 Million in Funding to Modernize Lock and Dams on the Upper Mississippi & Illinois Rivers  —  Washington, D.C. - Today, Congresswomen Ashley Hinson (R-IA) and Cheri Bustos (D-IL) as well as Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL) …

Biden ends first year as president with ‘bleak, discouraging’ marks from the public  —  WASHINGTON — In his inaugural address one year ago, President Joe Biden championed unity, promised a bold governing agenda and prioritized defeating the coronavirus.  —  Now, as Biden begins his second year …

Brussels reassures US after Macron's surprise call for EU-Russia talks  —  Talk of need for unity following French president's push for greater bloc involvement  —  EU officials sought to reassure the US that Brussels remains committed to Washington-led negotiations with Russia …

The Man Putin Fears  —  From the confines of his barracks, he still runs a network of dissidents devoted to ousting President Vladimir Putin.  Its top leaders are fugitives from Russian law, though they were not hard for me to find while reporting this story.

Manchin, Sinema join with GOP in rejecting attempt to change filibuster rules, effectively killing Democratic voting bill  —  The year-long Democratic push for federal voting rights legislation died in the Senate Wednesday night, after Republicans blocked an elections bill for the fifth …

Hana Horka: Czech singer dies after catching Covid intentionally  —  A folk singer from the Czech Republic has died after deliberately catching Covid, her son has told the BBC.  —  Hana Horka, 57, was unvaccinated and had posted on social media that she was recovering after testing positive, but died two days later.

The GOP's ‘rolling coup’ has large corporate backers  —  Voting rights expert: GOP plotting next coup as Sinema, Manchin say they won't stop it  —  Accountable.US, the nonpartisan government watchdog putting corporations on blast for claiming to support democracy while funding officials …

Citing Stand-Your-Ground Law, D.A. Won't File Charges in Kansas Teen's Death  —  Cedric Lofton, 17, was handcuffed and placed face down at a detention center in Wichita, Kan., last year.  The district attorney says the employees were acting in self-defense.

Trump's VA Legacy: Human Capital Mismanagement  —  A human resources modernization system has made it impossible for the Veterans Health Administration to hire anyone.  —  Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough testifies before the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, July 14, 2021, on Capitol Hill.

Scoop: Jill Biden expands communications team ahead of midterms  —  Jill Biden is expanding her communications team in anticipation of increased demand for the first lady ahead of this fall's midterm elections, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters: First ladies are often more popular …

Family of Wyoming Marine killed in Afghanistan suing Alec Baldwin for defamation, privacy invasion  —  The sisters and widow of a Wyoming Marine killed in Afghanistan are suing Alec Baldwin in federal court, alleging the actor defamed them on his social media after he learned one of the sisters attended …

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has fought vaccine mandates, tests positive for COVID-19  —  Paxton's office said the Republican “remains working diligently for the people of Texas from home.”  —  Copy link  —  Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Wednesday.

Biden's road back: Asking Republicans ‘What are they for?’  —  The old joke about Wagner's music being better than it sounds applies to President Biden's first year in office: It's better than it looks.  Alas for Biden, that's not good enough.  —  With the president's approval ratings languishing …