Florida sets a record with 21,683 new COVID-19 cases reported Saturday, the CDC says  —  Saturday, the state of Florida reported more new COVID-19 cases to the Centers for Disease Control than any previous day in the coronavirus pandemic, 21,683.  —  That's a jump over the previous record …

Former RNC chairman to Jim Jordan on Jan. 6: ‘You know, b****, what time you called the president’  —  Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan a “son of a b****” for his recent remarks that he wasn't certain whether he spoke to former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6.

Florida breaks record with more than 21,000 new COVID cases  —  ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19, the state's highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday, as its theme park resorts again started asking visitors to wear masks indoors.

Already Distorting Jan. 6, G.O.P. Now Concocts Entire Counternarrative  —  In the Republicans' disinformation campaign, the arrested Capitol rioters are political prisoners and Speaker Nancy Pelosi is to blame for the attack.  —  In the hours and days after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol …

Who Are the Unvaccinated in America?  There's No One Answer.  —  One segment of people who have avoided shots is vehemently opposed to the idea.  But there is a second group, surveys suggest, that is still deciding.  —  As coronavirus cases rise across the United States …

Bacon may disappear in California as pig rules take effect  —  DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Thanks to a reworked menu and long hours, Jeannie Kim managed to keep her San Francisco restaurant alive during the coronavirus pandemic.  —  That makes it all the more frustrating that she fears …

AOC has spent thousands on security, including $4k-plus to ex-Blackwater contractor  —  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez paid thousands for personal security to a former Blackwater contractor, a review of Federal Election Commission records shows.  —  AOC's campaign dropped at least $4,636 …

Body of Reuters Photographer Was Mutilated in Taliban Custody, Officials Say  —  The body of Danish Siddiqui, a Pulitzer Prize winner killed in Afghanistan, was unrecognizable when it was brought to a Kandahar hospital, one official said.  —  NEW DELHI — The body of Danish Siddiqui …

'It's Nowhere Near Over': A Beach Town's Gust of Freedom, Then a U-turn  —  Provincetown, Mass., the quirky community at the tip of Cape Cod, thought it was safe to return to prepandemic partying.  It wasn't.  —  PROVINCETOWN, Mass. — By the Fourth of July, Provincetown's tourist season had built to a prepandemic thrum.

Rudy Giuliani Says He's ‘More Than Willing To Go To Jail’ But Did Nothing Wrong in Amazing Interview with NBC New York  —  NBC New York's Melissa Russo interviewed former NYC mayor and former Donald Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani this week, and in very on-brand fashion the outspoken attorney made multiple startling declarations.

WATCH: Mark Meadows Says Trump Meeting with ‘Cabinet Members’ at Jersey Golf Club About ‘Moving Forward in a Real Way’  —  Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that former President Donald Trump has been meeting with “cabinet members” at his New Jersey golf resort …

Sarah Palin teases 2022 Senate run in Alaska  —  Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she may yet jump back into politics, teasing the possibility of a Senate run in 2022 against incumbent Lisa Murkowski.  —  “If God wants me to do it I will,” Palin told an enthusiastic audience during …

Will China bail out Biden?  —  Prominent Chinese academic's warning that inflation might bankrupt the US government will be read carefully in Washington  —  Renmin University professor Jin Canrong has Washington's attention.  The senior director for China at the US National Security Council …

A lawyer hoped history books would help her Capitol riot clients grow.  She was called a traitor — and worse.  —  Defense attorney Heather Shaner said her first client from Jan. 6 wanted to invoke “the Constitution from 1776.″ When she tried to explain that the document was ratified years later …

Rep. Madison Cawthorn tried to board plane with gun; could face fine, status loss  —  ASHEVILLE - U.S. House member Madison Cawthorn had his gun taken by airport police and will likely face a federal fine and loss of a special security status, local and federal officials said.

Amid focus on infrastructure, White House economic team wrenched back to coronavirus  —  After weeks of tense negotiations with Congress on infrastructure, the White House economic team was wrenched back to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic this week, issuing a number of abrupt policy changes to combat the delta variant.

New Rule Raises Question: Who'll Pay for All the Covid Tests?  —  With the Delta variant surging, many companies have decided that unvaccinated workers will need to get regular testing.  —  Spurred by rising Covid cases and the Delta variant's spread, a wave of major employers announced …

Source: Mexico not taking certain migrant families; RGV feeling impact with over 10,000 in custody  —  Mexico has stopped accepting families who are not from the country, according to a Mexican federal source, prompting an increase in migrants held in detention across the Rio Grande Valley …

Murder Trial in Sweden Could Shine Unsavory Light on Iran's New President  —  Nearly 3,000 miles from Tehran where mass executions were carried out in 1988, a murder trial in Sweden could produce new revelations that complicate life for Iran's president-elect.

All hands on deck for democracy - with special guest Marcy Wheeler  —  Marcy Wheeler's website: EmptyWheel.net  —  Marcy Wheeler at EmptyWheel.net: DOJ unimpressed by Mo Brooks' kickass conspiracy defense  —  Marcy Wheeler at EmptyWheel.net: Like all his co-conspirators, Donald Trump would be charged for obstruction, not incitement