Boring news cycle deals blow to partisan media  —  In the months since former President Donald Trump left office, media companies' readership numbers are plunging — and publishers that rely on partisan, ideological warfare have taken an especially big hit.  —  Why it matters …

Arizona ballot audit shows signs of backfiring on GOP  —  When Arizona Republicans first pushed for a partisan audit of the 2020 presidential ballots cast in the Phoenix metropolitan area, they argued that they needed to know if any irregularities or fraud caused President Trump to lose this rapidly evolving swing state.

The land was worth millions.  A Big Ag corporation sold it to Sonny Perdue's company for $250,000.  —  It was a curious time for Sonny Perdue to close a real estate deal.  —  In February 2017, weeks after President Donald Trump selected him to be agriculture secretary …

House GOP bristles as a Jan. 6 investigation lands in its lap  —  In the days after the deadly Capitol attack on Jan. 6, tension among House Republicans was so high that one of them privately suggested some GOP colleagues be punished for their roles in encouraging the riot.

Several longtime Kamala Harris associates shut out as VP's chief of staff keeps tight control over access  — Kamala Harris' chief of staff has effectively shut out several longtime political and business world allies of the vice president, according to people familiar with the matter.

Manchin says he's on board with Democratic-only infrastructure bill  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) said on Tuesday that he's supportive of going forward with a larger, Democratic-only infrastructure bill, but that it shouldn't be linked to a separate bipartisan framework.

Congressman Recruits Holocaust Deniers Into the Republican Party A Republican radical with a sinister plan.  —  Some of the most cartoonishly nutty members of the Republican caucus simply want to get famous, rich, or the affections of younger women.  Representative Paul Gosar, on the other hand, has a plan.

A First Lady for All of Us: On the Road with Dr. Jill Biden  —  To listen to this profile, click the play button below:  —  When Jill Biden visits community colleges, which is a lot these days, she is received in highly choreographed settings by a governor, say, or members of the public as the nation's first lady.

Inside the risky bat-virus engineering that links America to Wuhan  —  In 2013, the American virologist Ralph Baric approached Zhengli Shi at a meeting.  Baric was a top expert in coronaviruses, with hundreds of papers to his credit, and Shi, along with her team at the Wuhan Institute of Virology …

Democrats launch new ‘coming back’ push to tout Biden agenda  —  WASHINGTON — Covid-19 kept candidate Joe Biden off the campaign trail last July Fourth.  But this year, the White House and the Democratic National Committee are launching a campaign-style blitz as Americans get set …

A New Darkness Falls on the Trump Movement  —  It was 6 a.m. in Cleveland.  I had spent the night trying to sleep stretched out across three chairs in the baggage claim at the airport and was wearing the same sweaty, grass-stained sundress I'd worn at the Donald Trump rally from the night before …

L.A. County urges everyone to wear masks indoors as Delta variant spreads  —  With the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus continuing to spread statewide, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is recommending that all residents wear masks in public indoor spaces …

Fox News Agrees to $1 Million Fine for Violating Human Rights Law  —  Fox News effectively admitted to a pattern of misconduct and has agreed to pay a civil penalty in New York. … Despite Fox News' claims to have repaired the company's toxic workplace culture since the firing of founder …

Republican Rep. Pat Fallon failed to properly disclose more than 90 stock transactions worth as much as $17.53 million in apparent violation of federal law  — Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas disclosed some stock trades up to nearly four months late.  — Tardy stock disclosures can open up members of Congress to investigations and fines.

Miami-Area Condo Board President Warned of Need for Repairs in April Letter  —  ‘The concrete deterioration is accelerating.  The roof situation got much worse,’ condo board leader told residents  —  SURFSIDE, Fla.—The president of the Champlain South Towers condo association told residents …

'It's a daydream:' Questions emerge about financing plans for bipartisan infrastructure deal  —  Offsetting $500 billion in new spending without raising taxes or adding to the deficit requires some creative math  —  To pay for their proposed infrastructure package, the White House …

A Teen Was Having Car Trouble.  A Sheriff's Deputy Shot and Killed Him.  —  Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox?  Sign up here.  —  During a traffic stop last week, an Arkansas sheriff's deputy shot and killed a teenage boy who was only armed with a neon-blue jug of antifreeze, family members told VICE News.

The truth about many in the GOP base: They prefer authoritarianism to democracy  —  We want to believe that goodwill can foster a return to less contentious and hyperpartisan times.  But what if one side adopts noxious views antithetical to democracy — and, worse, rejects the basic premise of America?

How Weird Is the Heat in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver?  Off the Charts.  —  Heat waves and the “heat domes” that can cause them aren't rare, but the recent weather that's been smothering the Pacific Northwest has little precedent in at least four decades of record-keeping.

Amazon Demands One More Thing From Some Vendors: a Piece of Their Company  —  Certain suppliers are asked to give Amazon the right to buy shares at potentially lower-than-market rates as part of their contract  —  Suppliers that want to land Amazon.com Inc. as a client for their goods …

Jared Kushner Really Did Make the Pandemic Worse  —  “Washington Post” reporters Yasmine Abutaleb and Damien Paletta discuss terrifying details from their book “Nightmare Scenario,” which recounts how the Trump admin handled COVID.  —  Jared Kushner is the epitome of the fuckup trope in every movie ever.

The Indian government continues to harass journalists.  I'm facing prison over a tweet.  —  During the virtual Group of Seven summit a couple of weeks ago, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a joint statement to promote “freedom of expression, both online and offline …

What to Expect as Early Ranked-Choice Results Are Released in New York  —  Absentee ballots won't be included, but data to be released Tuesday could signal the way vote totals will shift as the field is officially winnowed.  —  New Yorkers will get one step closer on Tuesday to learning who their next mayor is likely to be.

The Justice Department is suing Georgia.  Don't expect Garland to end there.  —  With a carefully chosen lawsuit, DOJ sets the stage for a broad defense of voting rights  —  Last Friday, Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered on his promise to use all his statutory authority to protect …

The Man who Would be Mayor  —  Into the Archives, with Eric Adams  —  Over the last six months, it's been fascinating to watch Eric Adams, who has decent odds of becoming New York City's 110th mayor, characterized as the most conservative candidate in the Democratic primary when it comes to policing.

Online activism is spilling into the streets of Southern California, sparking a post-Trump movement  —  Leaders with ties to the Capitol riot have shut down a local vaccine site and paused plans for vaccine passports.  —  SANTA ANA, Calif. — A week before California reopened its economy …

Man who jumped from a moving plane at LAX tells FBI he bought ‘a lot’ of crystal meth before the flight  —  As United Airlines Flight 5365 was readying to take off from Los Angeles International Airport on Friday evening, 33-year-old Luis Antonio Victoria Dominguez of La Paz, Mexico …

Newsom Sues Elections Chief to Get Party Preference on Recall Ballot  —  Months before the pending recall, the Democratic governor of California is at risk of being designated without a party preference on ballots destined for millions of voters.  —  SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CN) …