Republicans privately acknowledge Trump's legal woes are serious this time  —  Many GOP operatives who spoke with NBC News said the federal indictment is serious — and could cause problems for the party.  —  It's long been Republican orthodoxy that no matter what Donald Trump does, the GOP base will stick with him.

No Labels Is Helping a Firm that Raises Money for Right-Wing Extremists  —  The self-proclaimed centrist group is using a vendor that assists election deniers, MAGA Republicans, and the radical Trump right.  —  No Labels is a political outfit that hails political centrism, calls for bipartisanship …

Ex-Chief of Staff John Kelly Claims Trump Is Absolutely Terrified of Documents Indictment: 'He's Scared Sh*tless'  —  Donald Trump's former White House chief of staff assessed that the ex-president's blustery defiance throughout his arraignment day was a facade designed to mask his serious fear of the legal danger he faces.

Southern Baptists refuse to let Saddleback Church back into the denomination for women pastors  —  The Southern Baptist Convention has refused to welcome Saddleback Church back into its fold, rejecting an appeal by the California megachurch over its February ouster for having women pastors.

Trump's Boxes and Clinton's Sock Drawer  —  A president chooses what records to return or keep and the National Archives can't do anything about it.  —  Although the indictment against Donald Trump doesn't cite the Presidential Records Act, the charges are predicated on the law.

Cartels Are Using Pharmacies To Sell Fake Pills Laced With Fentanyl and Meth to Unwitting Tourists  —  Tourists can buy opioids and benzos in Mexico without prescriptions.  Many of the pills are fake and laced with fentanyl and meth, a VICE News investigation with the Bunk Police shows.  —  MX

Tesla's “Self-Driving” System Never Should Have Been Allowed on the Road  —  Elon Musk's automatic driving technology seems to be roughly an order of magnitude more deadly than human drivers.  —  Tesla CEO Elon Musk is seen during a meeting with France's Finance Minister Bruno Lemaire outside Paris, France, on May 15, 2023.

Judge in Trump Documents Case Has Scant Criminal Trial Experience  —  Judge Aileen M. Cannon, under scrutiny for past rulings favoring the former president, has presided over only a few criminal cases that went to trial.  —  Michael S. Schmidt reported from New York, and Charlie Savage reported from Washington.

Jack Smith's indictment unmasks Trump as a complete and utter buffoon  —  The emperor has no clothes, but he does have boxes in his bathroom.  —  Aaron Rupar and davidrlurie  —  ∙ Paid … The greatest political gift for Donald Trump's Republican rivals this primary cycle …

Federal Reserve issues FOMC statement  —  Recent indicators suggest that economic activity has continued to expand at a modest pace.  Job gains have been robust in recent months, and the unemployment rate has remained low.  Inflation remains elevated.  —  The U.S. banking system is sound and resilient.

How much did Congress lose by defunding the IRS?  Way more than we thought.  —  The White House and Congress recently agreed to claw back more than $20 billion earmarked for the Internal Revenue Service.  This deal was, ostensibly, part of a grand bargain to reduce budget deficits.

Bud Light Loses Title as Top-Selling U.S. Beer  —  What if the Most Powerful Way to Live Longer Is Just Exercise?

Hutchinson: I won't vote for Trump if he is convicted  —  The party's base is rallying behind a frontrunner facing possible jail time.  —  Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said he would not vote for Donald Trump should he end up the Republican nominee and be convicted in a criminal trial.

As more schools target ‘Maus,’ Art Spiegelman's fears are deepening  —  Right-wing culture warriors pushing restrictions on classroom instruction sometimes defend these measures by insisting that they avoid targeting historically or intellectually significant material.

J.D. Vance Helped Lobbyists Weaken His Rail Safety Bill  —  The Ohio senator quietly delayed the timeline for safer tank cars that regulators say could help prevent train spills like the one in East Palestine.  —  For nearly a decade, lawmakers and railroad regulators have been trying …

White Starbucks Manager Fired Amid Furor Over Racism Wins $25 Million  —  The company fired a former regional manager because of her race amid the fallout from the arrests of two Black men at a Philadelphia store, a federal jury found.  —  The episode plunged one of America's most ubiquitous brands into crisis.

Crenshaw pops out glass eye to mock refs after Congressional Soccer Match  —  Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) popped out his glass eye after the Congressional Soccer Match on Tuesday night to mock the referees' calls during the game.  —  “The refs, they have two eyeballs, but they don't use them.

State Senator Tells Parents to Flee His Own State Amid Bill That Would Take Kids Away From Non-'Affirming' Parents  —  A California state senator told a gathered crowd of parents at the California Senate Judicial Committee to flee the state on June 13 during a hearing on a bill which would put parents …

Is ‘No Nudity on the White House Lawn’ Really Too Much to Ask?  —  On the menu today: Sure, it's just one social-media influencer who chose to bare breasts on the White House lawn during the Pride event on Saturday.  But perhaps it is what inevitably happens when people are bombarded with messages to …

Ex-NSA employee gets 14 days in jail for storming Capitol with members of white nationalist movement  —  Federal prosecutors had recommended 30 days of imprisonment for Paul Lovley, who worked as an information technology specialist for the NSA before the Jan. 6 riot.