Ron DeSantis says he'll debate with or without Trump: 'I'll be there'  —  The former president has indicated that he's unlikely to attend the first GOP presidential debate in August.  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told Fox News on Thursday that he plans to participate in the first GOP presidential debate …

'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 …

GOP declares war on ... Barbie  —  Warner Bros. said there were no geopolitics intended in “Barbie.”  —  In a Barbie world, who controls the South China Sea?  —  That's the question a handful of Republican lawmakers — not to mention much of Southeast Asia — is asking thanks …

Why MAGA elites are facing a fresh set of disasters  —  In the elite world of right-wing lawyers, an intriguing split screen effect has taken hold.  On one side, longtime conservative legal causes are prevailing, most recently with the Supreme Court invalidating affirmative action programs …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter mark 77th wedding anniversary at home in Plains, Georgia  —  The couple, who have been on the American and international stage together for a half-century, are facing significant health challenges.  —  ATLANTA — Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter are marking …

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 …

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.

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.

Reasons for ambivalence about the ruling on web design and same-sex marriage  —  Americans who are, as the Bible describes Joshua, “well stricken in years” might remember images of events that preceded passage of the “public accommodations” provision of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Donors to Eric Adams Charged With Campaign Finance Scam  —  Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted a group that he says hoped to purchase power in an Adams administration by illegally putting donations in other people's names to deliver public matching funds to his campaign.

Special counsel Jack Smith spent more than $5M in the first 4 months of Trump probes  —  Smith's office at the Department of Justice, which recently charged Trump over his alleged mishandling of classified documents, is still investigating the former president's role in the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Legacy Admissions Don't Work the Way You Think They Do  —  Dr. Khan is a professor of sociology and American studies at Princeton who studies culture, inequality, gender and elites.  He is the author of “Privilege: The Making of an Adolescent Elite at St. Paul's School.”

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.

Climate denialism has burnt to a crisp  —  The old debate about the existence of climate change is dead, immolated in 110-degree heat or asphyxiated on wildfire smoke or drowned in a flash flood.  The idea that the world was getting warmer, the butt of both sincere and opportunistic mockery a decade ago …

Mexico says it doesn't have a fentanyl problem.  New data reveal a hidden epidemic  —  As fentanyl has ravaged the United States, killing tens of thousands of Americans each year, Mexican leaders have insisted their country has been virtually untouched by the opioid.

Yellen, in Beijing, Criticizes China's Treatment of U.S. Companies  —  The concerns of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen reflect continuing tensions between the two countries.  —  Of all the economic rifts between the United States and China, one felt personally by American executives …

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.

On his age, Biden now trying to show he's in on the joke  —  The 80-year-old president once bristled at questions about his age.  Now he delivers the quips himself.  —  Joe Biden once joked that, when he knocked on doors while running for senate as a 29-year-old, people would mistake …

Elizabeth Tsurkov's sister says she took ‘precautions’ in Iraq before abduction  —  Emma Tsurkov said she immediately contacted Israeli authorities after not hearing back from her sister in March, and she confirmed that the Russian government is involved in the negotiations to free the Israeli-Russian researcher.

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 …