The impossible challenge of telling Trump fans the truth  —  In the abstract, it is as robust a rejection of former president Donald Trump's claims as could be arranged: His former attorney general, who earned a well-deserved reputation for his dogged defenses of Trump, appearing on Fox News …

Grassley: Burisma executive who allegedly paid Biden has audio recordings of conversations with Joe, Hunter  —  Biden was allegedly paid $5M by a high-level Burisma executive as part of a bribery scheme  —  Sen. Chuck Grassley said Monday that the Burisma executive who allegedly paid Joe Biden …

A Star Reporter's Break With Reality  —  Lara Logan was once a respected 60 Minutes correspondent.  Now she trades in conspiracy theories that even far-right media disavow.  What happened?  —  the footage is shown before she takes the stage: Lara Logan in a headscarf, addressing the camera from the streets of Mogadishu.

More Say Birth Gender Should Dictate Sports Participation  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — A larger majority of Americans now (69%) than in 2021 (62%) say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their birth gender.  Likewise, fewer endorse transgender athletes …

‘I Want Blood’: Heavily-Armed Trump Supporters Say They'll Protest Trump's Indictment  —  “Just buying more ammo,” one Trump supporter posted in a right-wing messaging board.  —  Supporters of former president Donald Trump are planning mass protests at a Miami courthouse on Tuesday, following Trump's indictment last week.

Scoop: Fox sends Tucker Carlson cease-and-desist letter  —  Fox News has sent a “cease and desist” letter to Tucker Carlson as he ramps up a competing series on Twitter that drew a combined 169 million views for its first two episodes, Axios has learned.

Midlands teacher's lesson on racism halted after complaints, citing state law  —  A Midlands school district shut down classroom discussion of a book on racism after complaints that it violated a state law prohibiting instruction on controversial topics related to race.

DOJ seeks 14 years for Jan. 6 rioter who called Trump ‘dad,’ drove stun gun into Michael Fanone's neck  —  Daniel “D.J.” Rodriguez wrote in a letter to the former officer he assaulted that he wished he was smarter.  The feds say his actions amount to terrorism.

Trump-backed Arizona ‘audit’ was even more of a debacle than previously known: newly unearthed texts  —  The Trump-backed “audit” of the 2020 election in Arizona ended disastrously for the former president as it not only confirmed President Joe Biden won the state, but it actually gave …

Exclusive: Westfield giving up S.F. mall in wake of Nordstrom closure, plunging sales and foot traffic  —  Westfield is giving up its namesake San Francisco mall in the wake of Nordstrom's planned closure, surrendering the city's biggest shopping center to its lender after foot traffic and sales plunged during the pandemic.

Republican official appears to have moved $1.3m from non-profit to own law firm  —  RNC committeewoman Harmeet Dhillon takes $120,000 salary from non-profit Center for American Liberty for two-hour week  —  The San Francisco lawyer Harmeet Dhillon is a fixture on Fox News who has garnered support …

Two Rhode Island officials visited Philly.  They were so rude their state launched two separate investigations.  —  The trouble between Philadelphia and the state of Rhode Island began in early March.That's when two Rhode Island officials came to tour Bok, the former South Philly vocational school …

Almost Everyone Got the Smoke Wrong  —  What happened?  —  No, seriously — what happened?  —  Last week, the American megalopolis, that string of jewels on the old Atlantic coast, found itself shrouded by wildfire smoke.  New York City's air turned ashen and dun, then glowed a supernatural amber.

Ohio's top court rules parts of ballot measure at center of abortion fight must be rewritten  —  The Ohio Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a ballot measure at the center of an abortion fight in the state needed to be partially rewritten ahead of an August election, but ruled against Democratic litigants on some of their key requests.

Fred Ryan to leave Washington Post after nine years as publisher  —  Ryan, chief executive of The Post for most of the decade since Jeff Bezos bought it, will lead the new Center on Public Civility at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation  —  Fred Ryan, the publisher and chief executive …

‘The Beat’ goes on for MSNBC's legal savant Ari Melber amid Trump indictments  —  As the legal heat turns up under former President Trump, MSNBC's Ari Melber is having a moment.  —  The parade of legal experts who appear daily on “The Beat With Ari Melber” include the 2024 Republican …

Ida B. Wells Society canceled programs for young journalists after UNC withheld millions in funding  —  In an exclusive interview, society cofounder Nikole Hannah-Jones expresses frustration with the inexplicable delay  —  Nearly six months after the Ida B. Wells Society …

White House press secretary violated Hatch Act, government watchdog says  —  Karine Jean-Pierre violated a law designed to limit how officials engage in politics when she referred to “MAGA Republicans” ahead of the midterm elections, the agency said.  —  White House press secretary Karine …

Tim Scott Changes Tune and Calls Trump Indictment a ‘Serious Case With Serious Allegations’  —  Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is challenging Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, conceded on Monday that the 37-criminal count federal indictment against the former is indeed a “serious case with serious allegations.”

GOP rep accuses DOJ of setting trap to imprison Trump supporters: ‘They want J6 again’  —  Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) has accused the Justice Department of setting a trap to imprison supporters of former President Trump, who has called for protests in response to his latest indictment over allegedly mishandling classified documents.

Two more Marines with intelligence jobs plead guilty in Jan. 6 riot  —  The men worked in intelligence gathering and drove to D.C. from Marine Corps Base Quantico in Prince William County, Va.  —  Two Marines who worked in intelligence gathering and were on active duty during …

Why Do Republicans Have a Selective Ability to Understand the Law?  —  When it comes to grasping complicated legal technicalities, Republican voters are weirdly inconsistent.  —  ∙ Paid  —  If you care, the NYT asked me for short thoughts on Trump's strength as a candidate.  You can find them here.