Biden tests positive for COVID-19, has ‘mild symptoms’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus as new variants challenge the nation's efforts to resume normalcy after two and a half years of pandemic disruptions.

DHS has launched criminal probe into destruction of Jan. 6 Secret Service text messages, sources say  —  The Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General has launched a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the destruction of Secret Service text messages …

Republicans Should Reject the Gay-Marriage Bill  —  By a vote of 267 to 157, with 47 Republicans joining the majority, the House has passed a bill requiring all state governments to stick with the redefinition of marriage that the Supreme Court ordered in 2015.

Kagan says questions of legitimacy risky for Supreme Court  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  BIG SKY, Mont. — Liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said Thursday that it would be a “dangerous thing” for the court and for democracy if the justices stray too far from public sentiment and lose the confidence of Americans.

Jan. 6th Committee Corroborates Trump's SUV Outburst  —  Plus: a look behind the scenes at how the committee operates. … Kinzinger: So the MAGA folks in the right-wing media went out and just started unleashing on her credibility, and that's just angering because this is not a woman …

Pence seeks distance from Trump as he considers 2024 presidential run  —  As the Jan. 6 committee focuses on Pence's role in certifying Biden's win, the former vice president is making moves toward a campaign for the White House —  whether Trump runs or not.  —  Listen  —  Gift Article

Unvaccinated Rockland County, N.Y. man diagnosed with polio  —  This is the first U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  The first U.S. case of polio in nearly a decade has been confirmed in an unvaccinated individual in Rockland County, N.Y., local and state health officials announced Thursday.

No Wonder Biden Is Angry  —  President Joseph Biden lately has been ill-tempered about two intertwined storylines.  Lots of Democrats do not wish him to seek a second term, and longstanding speculation about whether he is showing age-related decline is increasingly at the center of his coverage.

Liz Cheney, Front and Center in the Jan. 6 Hearings, Pursues a Mission  —  “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”  [cheering] They came from all 50 states …

A Walgreens employee refused to sell condoms to a couple on religious grounds  —  A pair of shoppers at a Walgreens in Wisconsin said an employee refused to sell condoms to them on religious grounds — something Walgreens said is permitted under its policies.

Kevin McCarthy accidentally tells the truth about the GOP and Jan. 6  —  Listen  —  Gift Article  —  With the Jan. 6 House select committee about to deliver some of its biggest revelations about Donald Trump's coup attempt, it's fitting that House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy just let slip …

A Government Official Helped Them Register.  Now They've Been Charged With Voter Fraud.  —  Ten Florida men with felony convictions have been charged with voter fraud because prosecutors say they registered and voted illegally.  Critics say the punishments are unfair.

Mississippi Education Board Removes Ban On Guns in K-12 Schools, Citing State Law  —  The Mississippi Board of Education voted today to remove a policy that barred individuals with permits from carrying guns in the state's elementary and secondary public schools, revising a 1990 policy …

The Jan. 6 committee's season finale  —  CLIFFHANGER — Tonight at 8 p.m. Eastern, the Jan. 6 select committee will conduct its final public hearing — a season finale of sorts as the panel adjourns for a brief hiatus.  —  The hearings that began early last month were supposed to be a limited series …

I Was Wrong About Trump Voters  —  The worst line I ever wrote as a pundit — yes, I know, it's a crowded field — was the first line I ever wrote about the man who would become the 45th president: “If by now you don't find Donald Trump appalling, you're appalling.”

A Jewish Republican group is denouncing Doug Mastriano's links to an extremist social-media site  —  Doug Mastriano is facing blistering criticism from Jewish leaders — both Democrats and Republicans — following the disclosure that he's using Gab, a social-media site favored by extremists and antisemites …

Amazon and One Medical Sign an Agreement for Amazon to Acquire One Medical  —  One Medical is a human-centered, technology-powered U.S. primary care organization on a mission to make quality healthcare more affordable, accessible, and enjoyable through a seamless combination of in-person, digital, and virtual care services

'I'm Calling About Your Auto Warranty': FCC Says No More, Orders Spam Block  —  The Federal Communications Commission has ordered phone companies to stop carrying traffic related to robocalls about scam auto warranties.  —  US voice service providers must now “take all necessary steps …

America's Self-Obsession Is Killing Its Democracy  —  In 2009, a violent mob stormed the presidential palace in Madagascar, a deeply impoverished red-earthed island off the coast of East Africa.  They had been incited to violence by opportunistic politicians and media personalities, successfully triggering a coup.

10-Year-Old Rape Victim's Mom Is in Domestic Relationship With Child's Alleged Illegal Alien Rapist  —  As the heartbreaking rape case involving an impregnated 10-year-old child unfolds, Townhall has revealed additional details about the exploitative environment the little girl was—and might still be—subjected to.

Fox News ‘fails to adhere to basic journalistic standards’, says credibility rater Newsguard  —  Fox News' credibility score has been downgraded to “red” by media watchdog Newsguard, meaning it “fails to adhere to several basic journalistic standards”.  —  Fox has had an overall passing score since the ratings agency launched in 2018.

Miami-Dade School Board Rejects New Textbooks With Sex Education Curriculum  —  The school board had voted in April to approve the textbooks but reversed its decision after it was met with petitions from parents citing what opponents call Florida's “Don't Say Gay” law.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Top Trump lawyers briefed in detail on alternate elector plot on Dec. 13, 2020  —  As Donald Trump struggled to remain in power in late 2020, an anchor for a far-right TV network briefed a group of the president's lawyers in detail on a plot to mobilize so-called alternate pro-Trump electors, according to an email reviewed by POLITICO.