Gov. Ron DeSantis' Office: State Education Board Could Withhold Salaries Of Superintendents, School Board Members Who Implement Mask Mandates  —  TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami) - The Office of Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the Florida Board of Education could withhold the salaries of superintendents …

Vaccination Status Has Americans Picking Sides  —  Vaccination status is splitting up groups of close friends and families; ‘it could just turn into a really nasty battle’  —  Weeks of rising Covid-19 cases have hardened divisions within families, communities and friend groups over which members …

Gov. Greg Abbott asks Texas hospitals to delay nonessential procedures as COVID-19 patients strain capacity  —  Abbott's request was one of several steps to address rising coronavirus case numbers and hospitalizations.  He did not back down from his refusal to allow local mask mandates.  —  Copy link

POLITICO Playbook: The latest Democratic feud to watch  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  TARMAC FEVER SWEEPS THE SENATE FLOOR — It's about time.  After months of haggling, the chamber is expected to pass the BIF today at 11 a.m., then move fairly quickly to consider Democrats' $3.5 trillion budget resolution.

CNN must investigate Chris Cuomo  —  Brian Stelter, host of CNN's “Reliable Sources,” attempted a demonstration of journalistic independence on his Sunday program.  In light of last week's report from New York's attorney general documenting Democratic Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's alleged sexual harassment …

I Need To Stop Scrolling  —  The diminishing returns of constant covid news … EDITOR'S NOTE: I left an editing note to myself in bold in the original draft of this newsletter at the end of the first paragraph.  Because I forgot to address it before I scheduled this piece to publish …

Andrew Cuomo's War Against a Federal Prosecutor  —  A call to the Obama White House that some legal experts say is impeachable fits a pattern of the Governor smearing those who scrutinize him.  —  In April, 2014, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo placed a call to the White House and reached Valerie Jarrett …

Prince Andrew sued in federal court for alleged sexual abuse  —  The lawsuit comes almost two years to the day that Epstein died in jail.  —  An alleged victim of deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein filed a lawsuit against Prince Andrew of Britain on Monday, accusing the embattled 61-year-old royal …

Kids sick with Covid are filling up children's hospitals in areas seeing spikes … As vaccination rates lag and the new delta variant surges, Covid infection rates among kids have risen and children's hospitals are seeing a spike in medical care needs among the young patients.

Trump was ‘in pain and afraid’ during post-Covid display of bravado, niece's book says  —  Mary Trump's new book The Reckoning, seen by the Guardian, describes a national trauma worsened by her uncle  —  Donald Trump was “afraid” when he put on a display of bravado at the White House …

Charlotte City Council adopts new nondiscrimination ordinance  —  Charlotte 2021 nondiscrimination ordinance  —  The Charlotte City Council, five years after HB2, will again look to pass an updated ordinance prohibiting non-discrimination based on gender identity, and numerous other areas.

Judge asks why Capitol rioters are paying just $1.5 million for attack, while U.S. taxpayers will pay more than $500 million  —  A federal judge on Monday questioned why U.S. prosecutors are asking Capitol riot defendants to pay only $1.5 million in restitution while American taxpayers …

Dr. Anthony Fauci: Get vaccinated to stop risk of an even deadlier COVID variant  —  Dr. Anthony Fauci tells the USA TODAY Editorial Board that he leans strongly toward requiring teachers and other school employees to be vaccinated.  —  Dr. Anthony Fauci, America's point man on infectious diseases …

Voting Machine Tampering Is Coming From Inside The MAGA House  —  Colorado County Clerk Tina Peters May Have Committed The Very Crime She Accused The Left Of Committing  —  “The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”  - Hal Holbrook

Press Secretary Jen Psaki is Good At Mending Fences.  Just Don't Call Her Nice.  —  It's a summer Friday.  President Biden is at his Delaware beach house, where he delivered a brief speech about that morning's encouraging jobs numbers.  Washington, D.C., is quiet—some might say eerily so.

Despite weeks of protests, France implements health pass at cafes and train stations with little drama  —  PARIS — After weeks of protests, France saw relatively little drama on Monday as it expanded its national experiment with coronavirus mandates and began to require that people show …

D.C. Gyms Want To Require Vaccination Instead of Masks.  The City Said No.  —  Last week, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser reinstated a citywide mask mandate for all indoor spaces, even though the city's recent uptick in COVID-19 cases has not yet produced a rash of deaths or hospitalizations …

The Proud Parents  —  There's an old saying, “Scratch a liar, find a thief.”  This sums up Joe Biden.  —  He's a colossal liar, and he's also a thief in a manner of speaking because the presidential election was stolen for him.  —  A friend recently told me a variation of that saying: “Scratch a Democrat, find a fascist.”

House Democrats won't have a shot at getting Trump's tax returns from the IRS until at least November  —  6 questions Donald Trump's tax returns may answer  —  (CNN)The Biden administration won't be turning over former President Donald Trump's tax returns to the House until at least November …

DeSantis to appeal Norwegian cruise vaccine proof ruling  —  Though Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings secured a win in federal court Sunday allowing it to require passengers provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, the legal battle between the cruise industry and the state of Florida is far from over.

U.S. Signals It Will Release Some Still-Secret Files on Saudi Arabia and 9/11  —  The F.B.I. said it would review some long-classified documents for possible disclosure, a decision that followed a push by families of the attacks' victims.  —  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration …

CNN Proposes Travel Ban on Florida Over COVID Cases  —  Text to Speech Font Size  —  After denouncing the Trump administration for banning travel from China in 2020, during the early days of the pandemic, on Monday, CNN's New Day actually promoted the notion of somehow imposing a travel ban …

Pentagon to require COVID vaccine for all troops by Sept. 15  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon will require members of the U.S. military to get the COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 15, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.  That deadline could be pushed up if the vaccine receives final FDA approval …

We must rein in partisan government spending  —  Democrats' reckless $3.5 trillion tax-and-spend spree will be an unprecedented disaster for hardworking families.  —  As the Senate continues its debate around a $1 trillion infrastructure proposal, we know what is just around the corner …

Infrastructure Is Having A Moment In Washington.  High-Speed Rail Is Not.  —  “There's no other country that builds highways and airways and never even considers high-speed rail as an option,” one rail advocate lamented.  —  The largest federal investment in the nation's infrastructure …

The COVID-19 rise of deception and tyranny  —  Federal agencies, local governments are running wild with pandemic authoritarianism  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  If nothing else, the pandemic has exposed the contempt that government health officials, the Democrats and their media have for the public.

Seeing the Things in Front of Our Eyes  —  What made Ben and Jerry's divest from the West Bank?  Much of the answer lies in Vermont, in the local movement that grew there over many years.  It's a fascinating example of how citizen struggles, led by ordinary people, can bring historic change.