Matthew McConaughey may be a viable candidate for Texas governor; poll shows actor ahead of Abbott  —  McConaughey leads Gov. Greg Abbott, 45% to 33%.  But his middle-of-the-road appeal may not open an easy path for him to November's finale, experts warned.

Marjorie Taylor Greene scraps planned launch of controversial ‘America First’ caucus amid blowback from GOP  —  (CNN)Conservative Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is scrapping the planned launch of her “America First” caucus after receiving blowback from leaders in her own party …

What Is The Difference Between The Wright And Babbitt Shootings?  —  Below is column in USA Today on charging decisions in the Wright and Babbitt shootings.  The sharp contrast in the two decisions raises serious questions over the legal and political issues that rage around such cases.

Indianapolis police chief says gunman bought weapons legally despite earlier warning.  —  Brandon Hole, the 19-year-old who the police say fatally shot eight people at a FedEx facility on Thursday night, legally purchased two semiautomatic rifles he used in the attack more than six months earlier …

Navalny's doctor: Putin critic ‘could die at any moment’  —  MOSCOW (AP) — A doctor for imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who is in the third week of a hunger strike, says his health is deteriorating rapidly and the 44-year-old Kremlin critic could be on the verge of death.

A decision to lift the J&J suspension could occur on Friday :Fauci  —  The White House chief medical adviser appeared on ABC's “This Week.”  —  Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.  —  A decision to lift the suspension of administering the Johnson & Johnson suspension might occur …

Most Americans want to end lifetime Supreme Court appointments  —  Susan Walsh/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo  —  A majority of Americans want to end lifetime appointments for U.S. Supreme Court justices, according to an Ipsos poll for Reuters, though less than half are in favor of other efforts to reform the judiciary.

One America News Network Stays True to Trump  —  A recent OAN segment said there were “serious doubts about who's actually president,” and another blamed “anti-Trump extremists” for the Capitol attack.  —  Months after the inauguration of President Biden, One America News Network …

Senators in the dark on parliamentarian's decision  —  A parliamentarian ruling touted as a breakthrough for the Democratic agenda is putting the Senate in uncharted territory and sparking confusion.  —  More than a week after Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough signaled that Democrats …

NSA official installed as Trump left office resigns after he was sidelined  —  Michael Ellis, a former Republican political operative, resigned Friday as the National Security Agency's top lawyer, having been sidelined for three months after President Biden took office.

Nomadland!  Judas!  Minari!  Who's Getting The Oscar and Why It Still Matters … Despite the fact that the industry was devastated and many major releases were bumped ahead to this year, 2020 ended up serving a rich and diverse crop of Oscar nominees.  The films' prevailing topics …

Grassroots fury at Kemp bubbles up in county GOP meetings around Georgia  —  The grassroots anger at Gov. Brian Kemp and other top state officials who refused to overturn former President Donald Trump's election defeat bubbled up on Saturday at several county GOP meetings across the state …

Misinformation Is Destroying Our Country.  Can Anything Rein It In?  —  Trump is gone, but the right-wing media is alive and well—and will further undermine our democracy if we let it.  —  On the night after the November 3 election, hundreds of supporters of Donald Trump filled the parking lot …

3 people were killed and 2 others injured in a shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, sheriff says  —  (CNN)Authorities are looking for whoever opened fire at a tavern in southeast Wisconsin overnight, killing three people and seriously wounding two others, the Kenosha County sheriff said.

Rick Scott navigates Trump, winning back the Senate — and his own ambitions  —  The silver bowl was small, but the symbolism was immense.  —  When Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) handed former president Donald Trump the National Republican Senatorial Committee's first-ever “Champion for Freedom Award” …

Police in Minnesota round up journalists covering protest, force them on the ground and take pictures of their faces  —  Journalists covering a protest in a Minneapolis suburb Friday night were forced on their stomachs by law enforcement, rounded up and were only released after having their face and press credentials photographed.

What QAnon Documentaries Reveal About How Conspiracies Flourish  —  A media suddenly bereft of the eye-popping right-wing extremism once peddled daily by the 45th president h as found its methadone: a seemingly endless stream of QAnon-centric documentaries, books and essays.

As mask mandates end, Oregon bucks trend with permanent rule  —  PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — As states around the country lift COVID-19 restrictions, Oregon is poised to go the opposite direction — and many residents are fuming about it.  —  A top health official is considering indefinitely …

Some Jan. 6 defendants try to use journalism as riot defense  —  The Trump supporters who stormed the U.S. Capitol in January created a trove of self-incriminating evidence, thoroughly documenting their actions and words in videos and social media posts.  Now some of the camera-toting people …

Being Black in America is exhausting  —  “Everyone I know is just so tired,” tweeted Jenna Wortham of the New York Times Magazine on Wednesday.  While the Black writer doesn't specify who “everyone” is, it's a good bet they are also Black.  And Wortham's use of “tired” is an understatement.