Statement by the Department of Defense  —  (Attributable to Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby)  —  “At President Biden's direction, U.S. military forces earlier this evening conducted defensive precision airstrikes against facilities used by Iran-backed militia groups in the Iraq-Syria border region.

Republicans ramp up attacks on Biden on ... everything  —  Early in Joe Biden's presidency, Republicans openly conceded how poor a target he was for them.  Their hits on the president simply weren't sticking.  —  That hasn't, however, kept Republicans from swinging away.

QAnon Supporters Express Boredom With ‘Same Old’ Trump Speech: ‘This Is Getting Ridiculous’  —  Both QAnon and longtime supporters of former President Donald Trump criticized his Saturday night speech in Wellington, Ohio, accusing him of the “same-old, same-old” grievances against Democrats …

Trump's Situation Room shouting match  —  Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, repeatedly blew up at President Trump over how to handle last summer's racial-justice protests, The Wall Street Journal's Michael Bender writes in his forthcoming book, “Frankly, We Did Win This Election.”

Honig: Don't buy Bill Barr's latest story about the Big Lie  —  How Trump weaponized the Justice Department  —  Elie Honig is a CNN senior legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor.  This op-ed is adapted from his book “Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor's Code …

Red America's Covid Problem  —  Cases are rising, because of the Delta variant.  —  There was a strange Covid-19 pattern in the U.S. for much of this spring.  The virus was not spreading any faster in communities with low vaccination rates than in those with high vaccination rates.

Toyota is the no. 1 donor to 2020 election objectors — by far  —  The Japanese automaker gave $55,000 to 37 GOP objectors this year.

Where Jobless Benefits Were Cut, Jobs Are Still Hard to Fill  —  Missouri scrapped federal pay to the unemployed, saying it kept people out of the labor market.  But so far, workers still seem to be choosy.  —  MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — By lunchtime, the representatives …

His Insurrection Inside the Oval Office on January 6.  —  Seems like quite a few crazies," said the president.  —  A little more than three weeks before rioters and revelers stormed the Capitol on January 6, several thousand Trump fans and fanatics gathered in Washington …

An Accusation Blew Up a Campaign.  The Media Didn't Know What to Do.  —  Handling a delicate allegation of sexual misconduct is a lot more challenging than covering a horse race.  —  Two days after coming in fifth in the election night count of votes for New York mayor last week …

Trump Organization attorneys given Monday deadline to persuade prosecutors not to file charges against it  —  Prosecutors in New York have given former president Donald Trump's attorneys a deadline of Monday afternoon to make any final arguments as to why the Trump Organization …

Olympic hammer thrower Gwen Berry ‘pissed’ national anthem was playing at Olympic trials  —  A U.S. hammer thrower turned away from the American flag as the national anthem played while she and two other athletes stood on the podium at the Olympic trials Saturday, later saying she was “pissed” …

The Last-And Only-Foreign Scientist in the Wuhan Lab Speaks Out  —  Danielle Anderson was working in what has become the world's most notorious laboratory just weeks before the first known cases of Covid-19 emerged in central China.  Yet, the Australian virologist still wonders what she missed.

GOP's ‘critical race theory’ astroturfing is the new tea party … Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, chair of the Republican Study Committee, recently sent a memo to members telling them to “lean into the culture war.”  —  The “backlash against Critical Race Theory is real,” Banks wrote …

Crossing the Red Line: Behind China's Takeover of Hong Kong  —  One year ago, the city's freedoms were curtailed with breathtaking speed.  But the clampdown was years in the making, and many signals were missed.  —  Hong Kong's march toward an authoritarian future began with a single phrase in a dry policy paper.

How Many Gaza Palestinians Were Killed by Hamas Rockets in May?  An Estimate  —  BESA Center Perspectives Paper No. 2,081, June 27, 2021  —  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Much of the coverage and commentary surrounding the fighting in May between Hamas and Israel has focused on numbers …

Possible Failure Point Emerges in Miami Building Collapse  —  Some engineers looking at the failure of a 13-story condo tower in Florida said the collapse appeared to have begun somewhere near the bottom of the building.  —  The investigation into what may be the deadliest accidental building collapse …

Amazon's Woke Smokescreen  —  The new inclusion policy put out by Amazon Studios offers entries on “womxn” and “acquired limb difference.”  Meantime, the company's drivers urinate in bottles.  —  1 hr ago  —  A few years ago, my friend Dan Ahdoot was auditioning for a sitcom on Fox.