The Republican blueprint to steal the 2024 election  —  Ex-Judge who played key role in Trump-Pence feud speaks out for first time  —  J. Michael Luttig, appointed by President George H. W. Bush, formerly served on the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit for 15 years.

Biden's tech agenda gets a reality check as Elon Musk buys Twitter  —  Washington's hands are largely tied as the world's richest person acquires an influential social network, an impact of the regulatory void around social media companies  —  The Biden administration arrived in Washington …

United States is ‘out of the pandemic phase,’ Fauci says  —  The United States is finally “out of the pandemic phase,” the country's top infectious-disease expert said Tuesday, as cases and hospitalizations are notably down and mask mandates are all but gone.

Disney tells investors state can't dissolve special district without paying debt  —  As Florida legislators were rushing through passage of a bill to repeal the special district that governs Walt Disney World last week, they failed to notice an obscure provision in state law that says the state …

First on CNN: New York grand jury hearing evidence in DA's investigation into Trump Organization expires this week  —  (CNN)A special grand jury seated to hear evidence in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation into the Trump Organization's finances is set to expire at the end …

Russia releases US Marine vet as part of prisoner exchange  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia and the United States carried out a dramatic prisoner exchange on Wednesday, trading a Marine veteran jailed in Moscow for a convicted Russian drug trafficker serving a long prison sentence in America …

Just Call Trump a Loser  —  Let's assume Donald Trump runs again for president in 2024.  Yes, I know, caveats, caveats.  Republicans say it's too early to discuss '24.  A lot can change between now and then.  Maybe Trump won't actually run.  Maybe he's just teasing the possibility to milk the attention.

Russia cuts off gas to Poland, Bulgaria, stoking tensions with E.U. over Ukraine  —  Russia's state-controlled gas company, Gazprom, said Wednesday it had shut off the supply of natural gas to Poland and Bulgaria, a move that marks a significant escalation in the economic tension between Moscow and the West over the war in Ukraine.

CEO: Boeing Should Have Rejected Trump's Air Force One Deal  —  The company revealed that it has lost $660 million outfitting the next presidential jets—so far.  —  Boeing should have rejected then-President Donald Trump's proposed terms to build two new Air Force One aircraft, the company's CEO said Wednesday.

Donald Trump worried ‘dangerous’ fruits could be thrown at him by protesters, a new deposition reveals  — Donald Trump said “pineapples, tomatoes, bananas, stuff like that” could be thrown at him at protests.  — Trump's concerns were revealed Tuesday night, in his sworn deposition for an upcoming Bronx trial.

Henry Winkler Breaks the Curse of Stardom  —  Now in his 70s, the pop culture icon has found his true calling on “Barry,” as the king of character actors.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Post-Floyd probe finds discrimination by Minneapolis police  —  ST. PAUL, Minn. — A state investigation launched after George Floyd's killing in the custody of four Minneapolis police officers has determined that the department engages in a pattern of race discrimination.

Rand Paul may be (partly) right about NATO and Ukraine  —  Welcome to The Daily 202!  Tell your friends to sign up here.  On this day in 1521, Philippines natives killed Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan.  —  The big idea  —  Rand Paul and the debate over NATO expansion

Scoop: Former U.S. ambassador accused of illegal foreign lobbying  —  Richard Olson, a former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, has been criminally charged for his alleged role in an undisclosed lobbying campaign for the Qatari government, records show.

Slight Majority Say Masks Should Not Be Required On Airplanes, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; But More Than Half Of Americans Still Plan To Wear Masks On Airplanes Even Without Mandates  — mail_outline  —  A week after a federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate …

Marquette Poll shows Mandela Barnes, Alex Lasry in tight Democratic U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin  —  The Democratic race for U.S. Senate has tightened, according to Wednesday's Marquette University Law School Poll.  —  But many voters haven't made their pick for the primary that will be held Aug. 9 …

Trump Officials Awarded $700 Million Pandemic Loan Despite Objections  —  A congressional report raises new questions about a pandemic relief loan to a troubled trucking company with close ties to the Trump administration.  —  WASHINGTON — Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday released …

Race for Georgia election chief focused on fallout of 2020  —  Four Republicans and five Democrats running for secretary of state  —  In the wake of the 2020 presidential election, authority over voting in Georgia is on the line in this year's race for secretary of state.

Partisan Picture Of Senate Primary  —  Democrats divided on ideology but progressive candidate is most popular; Republicans united on issues, but have no clear favorite in the field … West Long Branch, NJ - There are very different dynamics at play among the Democratic and Republican bases …

China's Covid Lockdown Outrage Tests Limits of Triumphant Propaganda  —  Public anger and grief over the bungled lockdown in Shanghai is creating a credibility crisis for the country's leader, Xi Jinping, and his zero Covid policies.  —  Immediately after Beijing said it had detected …

Twitter Admits It Hid Tweets About HBO's QAnon Docuseries  —  Twitter told the director of “Q: Into the Storm” it had “made the decision not to allow promotion of this documentary” when he tried to advertise the film.  —  Alerts  —  For the past year, Twitter has censored tweets …