'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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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

Dow Jones Asks U.N. Rights Official to Press Russia for Evan Gershkovich's Release  —  Wall Street Journal reporter has been detained for 100 days  —  Lawyers representing the publisher of The Wall Street Journal asked a United Nations human-rights advocate to press Russia to release jailed Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich.

Erdogan Says Turkey Can't Trust Sweden as ‘Terrorists’ Roam Free  —  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rebuffed calls from NATO allies to quickly ratify Sweden's membership in the military alliance, saying his country can't trust a country where “terrorists roam free in its streets.”

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 …

Legacy College Admissions Don't Determine Rich Kids' Success  —  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.”

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 …