Arrest made in rape of Ohio girl that led to Indiana abortion drawing international attention  —  Bethany Bruner Monroe Trombly Tony CookThe Columbus Dispatch  —  A Columbus man has been charged with impregnating a 10-year-old Ohio girl, whose travel to Indiana to seek an abortion led …

First on CNN: Trump tried to call a member of the White House support staff talking with January 6 committee, sources say  —  (CNN)Former President Donald Trump tried to call a member of the White House support staff who was talking to the House select committee investigating January 6, 2021 …

The Jerusalem U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Joint Declaration  —  The leaders of the United States and Israel, President Biden and Prime Minister Lapid, met in Jerusalem on 14 July 2022, and adopted the following Joint Declaration on the US-Israel Strategic Partnership:

What's Really Going on in Those Police Fentanyl Exposure Videos?  —  It's nearly impossible for an overdose to be caused by brief contact with the drug.  It is possible these videos will worsen the danger for those truly at risk.  —  For the past five years, I've watched a bizarre news cycle play out on repeat.

The great realignment  —  Shifts in the demographics of the two parties' supporters — taking place before our eyes — are arguably the biggest political story of our time. … Democrats are becoming more elite and a little more white. … Democrats' theory of the case collapses if Republicans …

Confidence in Public Schools Turns More Partisan  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Americans' confidence in U.S. public schools remains low, with 28% saying they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the institution, similar to 32% last year.  Both figures are down from 41% in 2020 …

GOP candidate for Pa. governor Mastriano paid $5,000 to the website used by the Tree of Life shooter  —  Pennsylvania Sen. Doug Mastriano's campaign for governor in Pennsylvania paid $5,000 for “consulting services” to Gab, a social media platform that provides a home for conspiracy theories and antisemitic content.

Ex-C.I.A. Engineer Convicted in Biggest Theft Ever of Agency Secrets  —  The top federal prosecutor in Manhattan said Joshua Schulte had engaged in “one of the most brazen and damaging acts of espionage in American history.”  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Donald Trump looks to fall launch for 2024, potentially upending midterms  —  Some Republicans fear an announcement will undercut them at a time when they have a strong chance of retaking the House and Senate  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  For nearly a year, a kitchen cabinet …

Scoop: Trump's return to Washington  —  Donald Trump is returning to Washington later this month for the first time since the end of his presidency, Axios has learned. … - New polling shows nearly half the party's primary voters want a new GOP nominee for president in 2024, with a growing number pledging to desert him if he wins.

Young Voters Are Fed Up With Their (Much) Older Leaders  —  Led by politicians often three times their age, many voters under 30 are hungry for new blood and new ideas.  — Give this article- - - Read in app  —  Alexandra Chadwick went to the polls in 2020 with the singular goal of ousting Donald J. Trump.

What's Behind Biden's Record-Low Approval Rating?  —  In games such as golf, you win by scoring lower than any of your opponents.  But in the realm of presidential job approval, such an approach is a recipe for political upheaval, as President Biden has found over the past few months.

Congress eyes showdowns on birth control, marriage equality  —  Still reeling from the Supreme Court's decision to end Roe v. Wade, congressional Democrats are readying legislation to codify nationwide contraceptive access, LGBTQ marriage and parenting rights — and even potentially long-settled precedent on interracial marriage.

Dems agonize over election-year tax increases  —  Jon Tester isn't up for reelection this fall, nor is he threatening to oppose a party-line Democratic bill that might increase taxes.  He still has a warning for his colleagues.  —  “I don't think raising taxes is a winner anywhere, OK?”

As Faith Flags in U.S. Government, Many Voters Want to Upend the System  —  Desire for structural changes cuts across both parties, a Times/Siena College poll found, but for starkly different reasons.  Even Democrats now question if the government is a force for good.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Trump-backed Kari Lake gets a hand from an unlikely source in Arizona: Democrats  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — Kari Lake watched her lead narrow in the polls and big players in Arizona's Republican establishment coalesce around her top rival weeks before the state's Aug. 2 primary for governor.

Gas Prices, a Big Inflation Factor, Are Coming Down Sharply  —  A four-week decline has offered some relief to drivers.  Weather, war and demand will influence how long the decline lasts.  —  HOUSTON — Gasoline prices, on an upward tear for months, have reversed course in recent weeks, giving consumers a welcome break.

3rd arrest made in alleged Colorado election security breach  —  DENVER (AP) — The former elections manager for a Colorado clerk indicted on charges of tampering with voting equipment has been arrested on allegations that she was part of the scheme, an official said Wednesday.

Senators in both parties want to prevent the next Jan. 6.  They're not looking for the select panel's help.  —  The Jan. 6 committee shares one major goal with a handful of GOP senators: modernizing the 135-year-old law that governs the transition of presidential power.

Janet Yellen's global campaign to defund Russia's war machine  —  The U.S. is pushing leaders around the world to buy oil from Russia only at heavily discounted prices.  Obstacles loom.  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  TOKYO — Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen was feted by Japan's leaders …

White House debates declaring abortion access a ‘health emergency’  —  Many Biden aides believe such a declaration would be ineffective.  But they face enormous pressure to show they are fighting for abortion rights every way they can.  —  Listen  —  Gift Article

U.S. journalists differ from the public in their views of ‘bothsidesism’ in journalism  —  Journalists in the United States differ markedly from the general public in their views of “bothsidesism” - whether journalists should always strive to give equal coverage to all sides of an issue - according to a recent Pew Research Center study.

Why Kemp-Warnock voters could factor into 2022 race  —  Betty Florence's voting history is all over the political map.  —  The Dahlonega retiree voted for Donald Trump for president in 2016 and Republican Brian Kemp for governor two years later.  But she backed Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock in the 2021 U.S. Senate runoffs.

Shooters Grill no more … For years, Downtown Rifle's restaurant scene was furnished with one of the only places in the U.S. you could order a cheeseburger from a server packing a 9mm pistol on her hip.  The establishment — Shooters Grill — was the brainchild of now-U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo.

At least 900,000 Ukrainians ‘forcibly deported’ to Russia, U.S. says  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  Russia has deported 900,000 to 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens from Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine in a systemic “filtration” operation, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday …

Trump discussing 2024 plans at secret donor dinners  —  Donald Trump has quietly convened some of his wealthiest and highest-profile supporters for intimate dinners in recent weeks, where the groups have talked about the former president's 2024 election plans — and debated when he should make his expected comeback bid official.