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.

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 …

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.

Biden Weighs Giving Ukraine Weapons Banned by Many U.S. Allies  —  Ukraine is seeking cluster munitions, which are known to cause grievous injuries to civilians, as its ammunition supply runs low.  —  Reporting from Washington  —  For more than six months, President Biden and his aides …

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 …

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.

Cocaine found in the White House was in a different location than previously reported, sources say  —  The sources maintain that the area is highly trafficked, keeping with Jean-Pierre's characterization in yesterday's briefing.  —  White House shares new details on location where cocaine was found

'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 …

Judge rules Trump can be deposed in lawsuit from ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok  —  A federal judge ruled Thursday that Donald Trump can be deposed in the lawsuit ex-FBI agent Peter Strzok brought against the Justice Department for his wrongful termination after the Russia investigation.

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.

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.

Yes, Trump is getting more reckless on social media  —  Posting the alleged address of Barack Obama — and leaving it up a week after an armed man apparently seized upon the information — reinforces that.  —  A week ago, a Jan. 6 defendant was arrested near Barack Obama's Washington, D.C. …

‘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.

John Roberts' Last Word Is Not the Final Say  —  As another acrimonious U.S. Supreme Court term ended, Chief Justice John Roberts wanted the last word.  In the penultimate paragraph of the last announced decision — in which a conservative 6-3 majority struck down President Joe Biden's loan forgiveness program — he spoke his mind.

The Mayor Had a Photo of a Fallen Officer.  Was His Story About It True?  —  Mayor Eric Adams has often talked about a wrinkled photo of a fallen police officer that he kept in his wallet.  Now that photo and the story have been called into question.  —  In Mayor Eric Adams's first month in office …

The leader of Belarus has gained new prominence in Russia's politics.  —  The president of Belarus told reporters that the Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, who led a failed mutiny in Russia, is in St. Petersburg.  The claim could not be confirmed.  —  Here's what we're covering:

Marianne Williamson keeps bleeding staff.  Six more depart in internal feud.  —  The staffers left through a round of firings and resignations.  —  Hours after Marianne Williamson announced the hiring of her third campaign manager in five months, six staffers left her team through a round of firings and resignations.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Youngkin officials quietly pull LGBTQ+ youth resources offline  —  Youngkin's administration has at least three times in the past year and a half removed information from the website without consulting its own subject-matter experts  —  The administration of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin …

The Leader of the JFK-QAnon Cult Is Dead.  His Followers Think It's All Part of the Plan.  —  Members of Michael Protzman's conspiracy cult abandoned their families and spent their life savings to follow him to Trump rallies around the country.  —  The leader of a QAnon cult who convinced thousands …

5 Noteworthy Falsehoods Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Has Promoted  —  A longtime vaccine skeptic, Mr. Kennedy is leaning heavily on misinformation as he mounts a long-shot 2024 campaign.  —  He has promoted a conspiracy theory that coronavirus vaccines were developed to control people via microchips.

Biden says he's heading to MTG's backyard for a groundbreaking  —  The president said he will tout his legislation in the district of his chief GOP tormentor.  —  Joe Biden says he'll soon make a swing to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's backyard.  —  On Thursday, the president said he plans …

F.B.I. Searched the Home of Crypto Exchange Founder  —  Federal agents were investigating Jesse Powell, the founder of the crypto exchange Kraken, over claims that he hacked and cyber-stalked a nonprofit arts group.  —  David Yaffe-Bellany and Ryan Mac have reported on the crypto exchange Kraken …

Club for Growth-linked group launches effort to attack Trump  —  The group, Win it Back PAC, filed federal paperwork on Wednesday.  —  An outside group with ties to the conservative Club for Growth has formed in an effort to stop former President Donald Trump from winning the nomination.

Welcome to the Age of the Cage Match  —  These days, powerful men want to beat one another.  Literally.  —  Call it the melee of the middle-aged men.  —  We already know the main event.  That would be Elon Musk versus Mark Zuckerberg in Las Vegas, or maybe the Colosseum in Rome.

Inside the subsea cable firm secretly helping America take on China  —  SubCom, a New Jersey company born out of a Cold War spy project, has become a key player in the U.S.-China tech war.  It's laying internet cables on the ocean floor to boost Washington's economic and military might …

About half of Americans say the best age for a U.S. president is in their 50s  —  When asked about the ideal age of a president, around half of Americans (49%) say they prefer someone in their 50s, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. … Another 24% say it's best for a president …

New York State Built Elon Musk a $1 Billion Factory.  ‘It Was a Bad Deal.’  —  New Tesla facility in Buffalo was supposed to house a huge solar-panel operation, but the project hasn't turned out as planned.  —  BUFFALO, N.Y.—New York spent nearly $1 billion over the past decade …

Did Supporting Trump Change Republican Voters?  —  “Fake it until you make it” goes both ways.  —  ∙ Paid  —  I'm back.  I hope everyone had a restful 4th of July holiday with family and friends.  —  NB: Sarah Longwell is back on The Next Level!

U.S. truckmakers reach deal to phase out polluting diesel big rigs  —  California pact could speed transition to electric commercial trucks in 2030s to reduce particulates and other pollution  —  Some of the largest manufacturers of heavy trucks and engines in the country have agreed to accept …