Kansas Votes to Preserve Abortion Rights Protections in Its Constitution  —  OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Kansas voters resoundingly decided against removing the right to abortion from the State Constitution, according to The Associated Press, a major victory for the abortion rights movement in one of America's reliably conservative states.

Alex Jones concedes Sandy Hook attack was ‘100% real’  —  AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones testified Wednesday that he now understands it was irresponsible of him to declare the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre a hoax and that he now believes it was “100% real.”

Giuliani Is Unlikely to Face Criminal Charges in Lobbying Inquiry  —  A federal investigation into Donald Trump's former lawyer over his work in Ukraine during the 2020 campaign is winding down with no indictment expected.  —  As Rudolph W. Giuliani comes under intensifying scrutiny …

Ex-White House counsel subpoenaed by federal grand jury investigating Jan. 6 attack  —  Pat Cipollone spoke to the House Jan. 6 Select Committee last month.  —  A federal grand jury has subpoenaed former Trump White House counsel Pat Cipollone in its investigation into the Jan. 6 assault …

First look: Former Treasury secretaries push Manchin bill  —  Five former Treasury secretaries — including Hank Paulson, who served under President George W. Bush — signed a statement strongly backing the “Inflation Reduction Act” brokered by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

Election-denier Mark Finchem wins Arizona GOP secretary of state primary, NBC News projects  —  Mark Finchem, a prominent 2020 election denier and an Arizona state legislator, has won the Republican secretary of state primary, NBC News projects.  —  With 99% percent of the expected vote in …

John Fetterman's parents gave him money into his 40s.  Republicans say that undercuts his blue collar image.  —  In his ads, and much of the public imagination, John Fetterman is a tattooed everyman from a rugged steel city outside Pittsburgh.The phrase “blue collar tough guy” …

Scoop: 2024 GOP hopefuls back Trump's plan to purge civil servants  —  Several possible 2024 Republican presidential candidates tell Axios they support former President Trump's plan to make it easier for the president to purge federal workers. … Democrats, increasingly concerned, are scrambling to block that possibility.

A Cynical Low for the Democratic Party  —  The editorial board is a group of Opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  On the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 attacks at the U.S. Capitol …

Dems Gain Slightly in Congress Support  —  Midterm issue picture largely unchanged; Biden rating stabilizes  —  West Long Branch, NJ - The latest Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll finds the Democrats making small gains in preference for Congressional control and the year-long slide …

Border Patrol agents are trashing Sikh asylum-seekers' turbans  —  YUMA — Gurjodh Singh is leaning against a rusted vehicle barrier — planted like a giant jack in the sand — at the end of the line of migrants.  It's late July, and about 400 people seeking asylum are waiting alongside a gap …

Colleges Scale Back Covid Precautions for Fall, Saying Pandemic Phase Over  —  Requirements for masking, testing, vaccinations and isolation decrease even as virus surges  —  Seven Ways Covid Science Has Evolved Since 2020 … Colleges this fall are no longer treating Covid-19 …

A TikTok rival promised millions to Black creators.  Now some are deep in debt.  —  Triller made its name recruiting talent with lavish perks.  Now, dozens of influencers are struggling to get paid.  ‘We were made to look like fools,’ one creator said.  —  Last fall, David Warren seemed to be on the verge of a breakthrough.

McConnell says ‘good luck’ to senators looking for excuse to oppose Finland, Sweden NATO bids  —  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Wednesday spoke in support of Finland's and Sweden's bids to join NATO in advance of a Senate vote later in the day expected to have broad, but not unanimous, support.

Live Updates: Even as It Mounts Its Own Offensive, Ukraine Braces for a Russian Attack in the South  —  As tensions rise in Asia, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine offered careful words on China, saying he would like it to join the “unified world” against Russia while praising its “neutrality.”

The Left's ‘Save Democracy!’ talk was always just cover for ‘Elect Democrats’  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just spent half a million dollars to defeat a rare Republican who dared to call out former President Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories.  Her Democratic Congressional Campaign …

How the Claremont Institute Became a Nerve Center of the American Right  —  They made the intellectual case for Trump.  Now they believe the country is in a cultural civil war.  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Arizona GOP candidate gets warning about election interference over tweets encouraging pen theft  —  Robert Anglen Sasha HupkaArizona Republic  —  The Maricopa County Attorney's Office on Tuesday ordered a Republican candidate to stop urging voters to replace government-issued pens at polling stations.