Senators announce bipartisan bills to stop candidates from stealing elections  —  WASHINGTON — After months of negotiating, a group of senators announced two proposals Wednesday designed to close gaps in federal law and prevent future candidates from stealing elections.

In Harvard study of Jan. 6 rioters, top motivation is clear: Trump  —  Researchers at Harvard University who conducted the largest study yet of what motivated Jan. 6 rioters say the data is clear: The most common responses focused on former President Donald Trump and his lies about the election.

Federal investigation of Hunter Biden reaches critical juncture, sources say  —  The federal investigation into Hunter Biden's business activities is nearing a critical juncture as investigators weigh possible charges and prosecutors confront Justice Department guidelines …

Former Trump White House aide who met with January 6 panel attacks witnesses, lawmakers in profane and sexist rant  —  (CNN)A former Trump White House aide who met with the January 6 committee earlier this week went on a profane and sexist rant on a livestream after his testimony …

GOP freezes up on same-sex marriage  —  Mitt Romney doesn't think it's necessary.  Richard Burr hasn't read it.  And Todd Young is “fixated” on microchips.  —  Those are some of the answers Republicans gave Wednesday on whether they'd back legislation writing same-sex marriage into law.

The GOP Just Nominated a ‘QAnon Whackjob’ and a ‘True Confederate’ in Maryland  —  A guy who tried to impeach Maryland's GOP governor was just nominated to replace him—and he's not even the most extreme candidate who won on Tuesday.  —  Cameron Joseph  —  WASHINGTON, US

Biden Approval Hits New Low Amid Public Discontent With Both Parties, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Nearly Half Of Americans Worry About Being Mass Shooting Victim  — mail_outline  —  One and a half years since President Joe Biden took office, Americans give President Biden …

Documents detail the secret strategy behind Trump's census citizenship question push  —  Former President Donald Trump's administration spent years trying to add a census citizenship question as part of a secret strategy for altering the population numbers used to divide up seats in Congress …

John Fetterman, in first interview since stroke, talks recovery and return to U.S. Senate campaign trail  —  This story will be updated.  —  In his first media interview since suffering a stroke days before the May primary election, Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman …

Joe Biden says he has cancer in possible gaffe  —  President Biden said Wednesday that he has cancer — making either a gaffe or a stunningly casual health announcement during a speech about global warming in Massachusetts.  —  Biden was describing the health effects of emissions …

Steve Bannon's offer to testify in the House January 6 inquiry might have backfired at his criminal trial  — Steve Bannon's lawyers told jurors about his recent offer to testify in the House January 6 inquiry.  — Prosecutors called the offer “sudden” and underscored that it cost the House panel precious time.

Endemic Covid-19 Looks Pretty Brutal  —  It may surprise you to learn, given the mood of the country — and indeed the world — about the pandemic that probably half of all Covid infections have happened this calendar year — and it's only July.  By December, the figure could be 80 percent or more.

Americans Who Can't Afford Homes Are Moving to Europe Instead  —  More Americans are relocating to Europe, driven across the Atlantic by the rising cost of living, inflated house prices, a surging dollar and political rancor at home.  —  Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece and France are among the most popular destinations.

Confessions of a Conservative Apostate  —  What does it mean to be a conservative now? … For weeks I've been watching a parade of Republican officials describe how they worked inside a Republican administration under Donald Trump as the GOP fell to a bunch of kooks, opportunists, racists, and aspiring fascists.

Indiana Mall Gunman Appears to Have Posted Plans on 4chan  —  Police have told VICE News they are familiar with the posts and are investigating.  —  TO  —  TORONTO, CA  —  Hours before a 20-year-old gunman opened fire on a food court in a suburban mall near Indianapolis on Sunday …

Welcome to the New Era of Political Memoir, Where Leaving Readers Uneasy Is the Point  —  This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME's politics newsletter.  Sign up here to get stories like this sent to your inbox.  —  Maybe Donald Trump was onto something with those non-disclosure agreements.

Judge orders Giuliani to testify before Fulton grand jury  —  Rudy Giuliani, former President Donald Trump's personal attorney, is being ordered to appear in front of a Fulton County special grand jury next month after failing to attend a hearing in New York to challenge a recent subpoena.

Secret Service was told at least once before Jan. 6, 2021, to preserve texts  —  A senior Secret Service official said agency employees received two emails — at least one prior to Jan. 6, 2021 — reminding them to preserve records on their cellphones, including text messages …

Mystery solved: DOJ secretly thwarted release of Russia documents declassified by Trump  —  In the final hours of the Trump presidency, the U.S. Justice Department raised privacy concerns to thwart the release of hundreds of pages of documents that Donald Trump had declassified …

The Abortion Vote In Kansas Looks Like It's Going To Be Close  —  A new poll shows that Democrats may be more energized than Republicans.  —  By Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Nathaniel Rakich and Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux and Nathaniel Rakich  —  Jul. 20, 2022, at 9:33 AM

Okay, but Cassandra cannot possibly be right *again*  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  I hear what you are saying.  And, yes, the data is compelling.  Cassandra has been right literally every time she has made a prediction.  War.  Famine.  Rights rollbacks.

The case of the disappearing blockbuster: James Cameron's ‘True Lies’  —  The first $100 million movie is simultaneously retrograde, forward-looking and completely of its time.  —  Last week on Facebook, Jamie Lee Curtis shared a fond memory about a stunt she did for James Cameron's 1994 …