Federal Appeals Court Upholds Bannon's Contempt Conviction  —  Stephen Bannon, a longtime ally of Donald Trump, had been found guilty of defying a subpoena from the House Jan. 6 committee.  He now faces a four-month prison sentence.  —  A federal appeals court on Friday upheld …

Change of plan: Barron Trump will no longer be a delegate at the Republican convention  —  WASHINGTON - Barron Trump won't be an at-large convention delegate for his father after all.  —  “While Barron is honored to have been chosen as a delegate by the Florida Republican Party …

Virginia school board votes to restore Confederate names to two schools  —  School board members in Virginia's Shenandoah County voted early Friday to restore the names of two schools that previously honored Confederate leaders - four years after those names had been removed.

Giuliani Is Suspended by WABC, and His Radio Show Is Canceled  —  The radio station disciplined Rudolph W. Giuliani after he violated company policy by trying to discuss the legitimacy of the 2020 election on the air.  —  Rudolph W. Giuliani was suspended by WABC radio on Friday …

Trump Hush-Money Payment Revealed in Bank Records  —  Evidence at the center of Trump's criminal trial was just released by the FBI in response to an ongoing FOIA lawsuit. … How I got these documents is kind of a long story.  Five years ago, I filed a FOIA lawsuit against the FBI.

Donald Trump Is Short on Cash—and Selling Laws to Anyone Who Will Pay  —  It has never been a better time to be a corporate lobbyist.  The Republican Party, having run out of ideas, no longer even pretends to represent anything other than capital.  The party's standard-bearer, Donald Trump …

Virginia budget leaders reach compromise with governor on state spending plan  —  Virginia budget negotiators and Gov. Glenn Youngkin have reached a compromise on the next two-year state spending plan that would include 3% raises for state employees and teachers while not raising taxes and risking a potential veto by Youngkin.

Mike Johnson Told Us What He Really Thinks About Joe Biden, Hakeem Jeffries and Donald Trump  —  Fresh off fending off a hard-right coup attempt, the House speaker opened up about his strategy in a lengthy interview.  —  Mike Johnson was impersonating Donald Trump talking about Mike Johnson.

Nancy Mace says staff ‘sabotaged’ her: Republican accuses ex-aides of mismanaging $1million, hacking her phone, spying on medical records and dumping office devices in water in extraordinary interview  — Mace says her new staff are still repairing the damage left behind by her ‘sabotaging’ former aides

Israeli war cabinet votes to expand Rafah operation area, amid growing U.S. concerns … - The third source said the approved expansion includes actions that could be interpreted by the U.S. as crossing Biden's red line. … - The three sources said the cabinet also instructed …

Does Rick Scott really want to relitigate his Medicare scandal?  —  Republican Sen. Rick Scott doesn't just want to relitigate his Medicare scandal during his re-election campaign, he also has a new conspiracy theory.  —  The Senate was in session yesterday, though Sen. Rick Scott missed some of the proceedings on Capitol Hill.

The simple reason Republican Sunday show hits are disasters  —  It's hard to defend the indefensible. … Not so long ago, the Sunday morning news shows were a vital part of the political ecosphere.  Politicians and government officials clamored for the mainstream platform provided by ABC's This Week …

Kari Lake keeps giving Republicans new reasons to worry  —  Lake keeps reversing her own positions and stirring up feuds, and some in the GOP see other states as better targets this fall.  —  National Republicans embraced Kari Lake's Arizona Senate bid, reasoning she was likely to win the primary with or without their support.

Biden to Quadruple Tariffs on Chinese EVs  —  Administration is preparing to announce higher levies on a range of Chinese goods next week  —  WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is preparing to raise tariffs on clean-energy goods from China in the coming days, with the levy …

Raging Solar Storm Could Bring Northern Lights and Communications Snafus  —  FLARING UP  —  NOAA officials have issued a “Severe G4” level of space storm watch for the first time in almost 20 years.  —  A huge burst of energy produced by a powerful solar storm could strike the Earth as early as Friday …

Biden Hasn't ‘Abandoned’ Anybody  —  Quick programming note before we start: Bill's out next week, so Andrew (and a rotating cast of guest stars!) will be holding down Morning Shots in the meantime.  Happy Friday.  —  Speaking of guest stars, let's kick the morning off with an item …

Strapped down, blindfolded, held in diapers: Israeli whistleblowers detail abuse of Palestinians in shadowy detention center  —  By CNN's International Investigations and Visuals teams  —  Sde Teiman, Israel CNN —  At a military base that now doubles as a detention center in Israel's Negev desert …

Justice Kavanaugh touts transparency, consistency to build trust in high court  —  In a wide-ranging conversation at a judicial conference, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh acknowledged polarization in the country over political and legal issues.  —  AUSTIN — Nearly two years after the Supreme Court eliminated …

Biden administration won't conclude Israel violated terms of US weapons agreement, AP sources say  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — A soon-to-be-released Biden administration review of Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in its war in Gaza does not conclude that Israel has violated the terms for their use …

Mali talks propose junta rule for three more years  —  Participants in Mali's national dialogue on Friday recommended extending the military-led transition to democracy by three years and allowing junta leader Assimi Goita to stand in the eventual election.  —  The West African country …

Trump team throws out GOP plan and builds a ‘leaner’ 2024 operation  —  The new plan calls for fewer offices, less staff and a focus on new partnerships with outside groups — raising concerns among some Republicans.  —  Donald Trump's 2020 campaign called itself a “juggernaut” …

GOP rep files impeachment articles using Dem precedent set during Trump administration  —  Florida Republican Rep. Cory Mills accused Biden of a ‘quid pro quo’  —  FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., formally filed articles of impeachment against President Biden on Friday over his recent comments …