America is moving on from COVID.  That's not good for Ron DeSantis.  —  Mask mandates are finished, even in hospitals.  The federal COVID emergency ended two months ago, along with the last federal vaccine requirements.  And last week, for the first time since Gallup began asking Americans …

'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 …

The MTV generation's unemployment problem  —  The Labor Department reported Friday morning that the U.S. job market added a net 209,000 jobs in June and the unemployment rate ticked down to 3.6 percent.  —  The Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes haven't knocked the labor market to the pavement.

Disciplinary panel calls for Rudy Giuliani's disbarment  —  His ultimate disbarment or other penalty would be decided by the D.C. Court of Appeals.

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 …

Poolside ‘Karen’ Who Spewed Racist Bile Is ID'd as Feng Shui Consultant  —  “You don't even know what Hermès is,” she screamed at one point in the viral tirade at a Colorado apartment complex.  —  A Colorado white woman who specializes in Feng Shui interior decorating has gone viral …

DC Bar panel recommends Giuliani be disbarred  —  A preliminary report from the D.C. Bar Association recommends that former Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani be disbarred over his efforts to challenge the 2020 election.  —  The report, released Friday by a committee assembled to review his conduct …

Sound of Freedom: the QAnon-adjacent thriller seducing America  —  Jim Caviezel stars as a hero trying to stop child traffickers in a paranoid new movie turning into a surprise box-office hit  —  ype the words “sound of freedom” into Twitter (decent people who wish to live good …

Texas gunman in Walmart shooting gets 90 consecutive life sentences and may still face death penalty  —  The Texas gunman who killed 23 people in a racist 2019 attack at a Walmart has returned to federal court for sentencing.  Patrick Crusius is facing multiple life sentences after pleading guilty …

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 …

6 charged in alleged straw donor scheme to benefit NYC Mayor Eric Adams' campaign  —  The Manhattan District Attorney's office said the defendants used the scheme to get tens of thousands of dollars in matching fund to Adams' 2021 campaign.  —  Prosecutors in New York indicted a half dozen people …

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.

Trump special counsel investigations cost over $9 million in first five months  —  Washington — Special counsel Jack Smith's two investigations of former President Donald Trump cost more than $9 million in the first five months after Smith was tapped in November 2022 by Attorney General Merrick Garland …

Robert Jenrick has cartoon murals painted over at children's asylum centre  —  Paintings were considered too welcoming at Kent centre for lone children arriving in UK  —  Murals of cartoon characters including Mickey Mouse and Baloo from The Jungle Book painted on the walls …

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.

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 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.

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 …

Inside the Secretive Russian Security Force That Targets Americans  —  FSB unit that took Evan Gershkovich is also believed responsible for incidents blurring the lines between spycraft and harassment, including the mysterious death of a diplomat's dog  —  For years, a small group …

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 …

10 killings in 5 days in D.C. leave an international trail of grief  —  A military interpreter from Afghanistan who escaped the Taliban and sought refuge in the United States, working as a Lyft driver to support his family.  A social studies teacher and wrestling coach from a family of educators …

How Twitter lost its place as the global town square  —  A series of disastrous missteps over the past year has robbed Twitter of its relevance  —  Alex Pearlman, a stand-up comedian in Philadelphia, woke up one morning in June and turned on the local news.  A portion of Interstate 95 had collapsed.

A perpetually surprised media isn't doing its job  —  You're reading Jennifer Rubin's subscriber-only newsletter.  Sign up to get it in your inbox.  —  This week, I examine what's wrong with economic news coverage, pick the pol of the week and share something different — a reminder from history.

Freedom Caucus can't get Marjorie Taylor Greene to call them back  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has not responded to calls by top members of the House Freedom Caucus aimed at notifying her that she has been ousted from the influential conservative group, two lawmakers familiar with the situation told Axios.

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.

A supporter's plane flew from Florida to N.H. DeSantis won't say if he was on it.  —  The Florida governor's travel to New Hampshire coincided with the path of a wealthy supporter's private plane.  —  Air DeSantis keeps flying — and questions keep mounting about who is paying for it.