Exclusive: Special counsel prosecutors question witnesses about chaotic Oval Office meeting after Trump lost the 2020 election  —  Special counsel Jack Smith's team has signaled a continued interest in a chaotic Oval Office meeting that took place in the final days of the Trump administration …

U.S. cluster bombs for Ukraine would exceed legal limit on duds  —  Biden administration appears set to approve controversial munitions as conventional artillery stocks dwindle  —  President Biden is prepared to waive U.S. law prohibiting the production, use or transfer of cluster munitions …

Man who served as interpreter in Afghanistan, escaped after Taliban takeover killed in DC working as Lyft driver  —  Nasrat Ahmad Yar, a 31-year-old father of four, moved from Afghanistan to Pennsylvania after the Taliban takeover, and then to Alexandria in 2022.

The Rage and Joy of MAGA America  —  I've shared this fact with readers before: I live in Tennessee outside Nashville, a very deep-red part of America.  According to a New York Times tool that calculates the political composition of a community, only 15 percent of my neighbors are Democrats.

Marjorie Taylor Greene is no longer a member of the Freedom Caucus after a vote last month, according to one member of the conservative group's board.  —  News and analysis from Capitol Hill for when you only have a few minutes, from POLITICO.

John Roberts and Brett Kavanaugh Are Now the Supreme Court's Swing Votes  —  Chief justice moves to counter the perception the court is partisan  —  WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court completed its annual term last week with resounding conservative victories, ending a half-century of affirmative action …

Marriage built to last: Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter mark 77th anniversary  —  Numbers don't lie.  Especially when they are so beautiful.On Friday, July 7, or 7/7, Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter will reach their 77th wedding anniversary.The Georgia couple, who famously served as president of the United States …

Prosecutors in Trump classified documents case are facing threats  —  FBI says it is working with partner agencies to assess and respond to threats as classified-documents prosecution moves forward  —  Individual prosecutors involved in the classified documents case against former president Donald Trump …

McCarthy declines to endorse Trump — looking to avoid a GOP civil war  —  The peace might be short-lived, but the speaker's members understand why he's not offering a formal endorsement to Donald Trump.  —  Kevin McCarthy is risking Donald Trump's wrath by not officially endorsing …

DeSantis blames media for sagging poll numbers: 'They're going after me'  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) blamed members of media outlets for his sagging poll numbers that have him far behind former President Trump for the lead for the 2024 Republican nomination.

'That isn't true': Michele Bachmann says slavery was not ‘sinful’ at America's inception  —  Former Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) celebrated America's birthday by declaring that slavery was not a “sinful” part of the nation's founding.  —  In a July 4 appearance on the Christian program Flashpoint …

Payrolls rose by 209,000 in June, less than expected, as jobs growth wobbles  —  WATCH NOW  —  Employment growth eased in June, taking some steam out of what had been a stunningly strong labor market.  —  Nonfarm payrolls increased 209,000 in June and the unemployment rate was 3.6%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Shootings in New York Drop by a Quarter as Surge of Violence Eases  —  Murders and rapes were also down, part of a nationwide trend after a post-pandemic spike.  —  Shootings in New York City dropped by about 25 percent through the first half of this year compared with the same period last year …

'Let's not tie it to skin color': Oklahoma superintendent says racism not to blame for infamous Tulsa massacre  —  Far-right Oklahoma State Superintendent Ryan Walters suggested at a public hearing in Norman that lessons about the infamous racial massacre that destroyed the most prosperous Black community …

Arizona governor approves over-the-counter contraceptive medications at pharmacies  —  PHOENIX — Adults in Arizona can now obtain contraceptive medications over the counter at a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription under a governor's order announced Thursday.

Heat Records Are Broken Around the Globe as Earth Warms, Fast  —  From north to south, temperatures are surging as greenhouse gases trap heat in the atmosphere and combine with effects from El Niño.  —  The past three days were quite likely the hottest in Earth's modern history …

Ron DeSantis bragged about sending help to Iowa — 10 hours after being told it wasn't needed  —  DeSantis' June 5 tweet touting Florida's role in the politically important state came after Iowa told his administration its help in the recovery effort of a building collapse was not needed.

‘George Santos of Florida’ accused of sexually harassing legislative staffers: report  —  Fabian Basabe, an embattled Republican state representative known by his constituents as the “George Santos of Florida,” has been accused by two legislative staffers of sexual harassment, reported the Miami Herald on Thursday.

Twitter is threatening to sue Meta over Threads  —  The Scoop  —  Twitter is threatening legal action against Meta over its new text-based “Twitter killer” platform, accusing the social media giant of poaching former employees to create a “copycat” application.

EVAN GERSHKOVICH 100 DAYS DETAINED  —  The Wall Street Journal's Evan Gershkovich was detained in Russia on March 29 while on a reporting trip and accused of espionage, making him the first American journalist detained in Russia on such charges since the Cold War.

GOP voters torture Mike Pence with the Big Lie — too bad he was an avid disinfo fan for decades  —  Campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination is not going well for Mike Pence.  The former vice president's pitch to voters is that he stood up for the Constitution in the face of pressure to do otherwise.

Non-white Moderates Are Real Democrats — Not GOP Pawns … The recent Supreme Court ruling striking down affirmative action once again highlighted an uncomfortable reality that a minority group (in this case, Asian Americans) mostly opposes a position held by the progressive movement and the Democratic Party.

The Truth About the GOP and the Deficit: All They Do Is Raise It  —  The Republican Party just can't make up its mind about the $1.5 trillion budget deficit.  —  At the start of 2023, House Republicans refused to raise the debt ceiling unless the deficit came down.

Man with guns near Obama home entered a Montgomery school for Jan. 6-related film  —  The principal from Piney Branch Elementary School in Takoma Park said in a letter to parents the incident is under investigation  —  Montgomery County Public Schools officials say they are investigating …

US slowed hiring but still added a solid 209,000 jobs in June in sign of economy's resilience  —  America's employers pulled back on hiring but still delivered another month of solid gains in June, adding 209,000 jobs, a sign that the economy's resilience is confounding the Federal Reserve's drive to slow growth and inflation

Russian unprofessional behavior over Syria - 6 July 2023  —  AL UDEID AIR BASE, QATAR —  “Russian military aircraft engaged in unsafe and unprofessional behavior Thursday, 9:30 A.M. local time, while interacting with U.S. MQ-9 drones carrying out our D-ISIS mission in Syria.

Binance plunges into crisis as senior execs quit over CEO Changpeng Zhao's response to Justice Department investigation  —  Binance has been under strain for months amid an onslaught of regulatory investigations that have severed many of its key banking relationships across the globe.

The Rich Are Crazy for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  —  Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a crank.  His views are a mishmash of right-wing fantasies mixed with remnants of the progressive he once was: Bitcoin boosterism, anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, assertions that Prozac causes mass shootings …