‘This Is Actually Happening’  —  President Joe Biden and his inner circle were in an ebullient mood.  —  It was Wednesday morning, Aug. 11, and they were basking in the glow of back-to-back legislative wins.  The day before, the Senate had passed a bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.

EXCLUSIVE FBI finds scant evidence U.S. Capitol attack was coordinated-sources  —  The FBI has found scant evidence that the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was the result of an organized plot to overturn the presidential election result, according to four current and former law enforcement officials.

The new ‘Jeopardy!’ host, Mike Richards, quits.  —  Mike Richards, who was named the new host of “Jeopardy!” last week, is abruptly leaving the role as the beloved game show confronts a roiling controversy over offensive and sexist comments he made on a podcast several years ago.

Capitol Police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt exonerated in internal probe  —  The Capitol Police officer who fatally shot Ashli Babbitt outside a door of the U.S. Capitol has been formally exonerated after an internal investigation, according to a department memo obtained by NBC News.

EXCLUSIVE: Logically Identifies GhostEzra, Florida Man Behind World's ‘Largest Antisemitic Internet Forum’  —  Logically, as part of our mission to understand and counter harmful online misinformation, conducts continuous research into the networks, channels, and actors that play an outsized role …

Cutting off jobless benefits early may have hurt state economies.  —  When states began cutting off federal unemployment benefits this summer, their governors argued that the move would push people to return to work.  —  New research suggests that ending the benefits did indeed lead some people to get jobs …

Liberal Democracy Is Worth a Fight  —  Of all the empty, pointless statements that are periodically repeated by Western politicians, none is more empty and pointless than this one: “There can be no military solution to this conflict.”  That was what Ban Ki-moon, then the UN secretary-general …

Mostly Pre-Afghanistan Turmoil, Biden Job Approval 49%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Gallup's latest job approval rating for President Joe Biden, conducted mostly before the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban earlier this week, is 49%.  The current rating is one percentage point below the 50% registered …

COVID anxiety rising amid delta surge, AP-NORC poll finds  —  DENVER (AP) — Anxiety in the United States over COVID-19 is at its highest level since winter, a new poll shows, as the delta variant rages, more states and school districts adopt mask and vaccination requirements and the nation's hospitals once again fill to capacity.

Justice Barrett refuses to block construction of Obama Presidential Center  —  Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett denied a bid to block the construction of the proposed Obama Presidential Center in Chicago's Jackson Park on Friday, acting alone and without releasing an explanation of her decision.

Maker of Popular Covid Test Told Factory to Destroy Inventory  —  One of the leading producers of rapid tests purged supplies and laid off workers as sales dwindled.  Weeks later, the U.S. is facing a surge in infections with diminished capacity.  —  For weeks in June and July …

Josh Mandel Lets the Mask Slip, a Little  —  He doesn't believe what he's saying, at least not all of it.  And that's sad.  —  When I watched this interview with Josh Mandel by Josh Rultenberg, a local reporter for Spectrum News 1 in Ohio, it made me a little sad.  Here's the clip:

Gov. Cuomo has been railroaded: The governor's adviser says the attorney general's report is a sham  —  The last few weeks have been trying.  COVID has returned with a vengeance, the Taliban has taken back Afghanistan, and yes, we are about to change administrations in Albany.

AP urges DeSantis to end harassing tweets aimed at reporter  —  NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press called on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to end “harassing behavior” by one of his press aides against an AP reporter who received threats and other online abuse.

Brace yourself — inflation's coming back stronger than ever  —  The Federal Reserve insists that the current price inflation is “transitory.”  Every sign points in the opposite direction, however, and we need to understand the economic and political implications of what is about to begin — an era of high inflation.

‘These people were in bad, bad shape.’ A look inside of a Florida library converted to a Covid-19 treatment site  —  (CNN)The scene at the Jacksonville main public library was haunting, Louis Lopez recalled.  As he waited for a Covid-19 monoclonal antibody treatment, he saw people so sick they couldn't even stand.

Catholic Officials on Edge After Reports of Priests Using Grindr  —  A conservative Catholic media organization, The Pillar, has published several reports claiming the use of dating apps at several churches and the Vatican.  —  The reports hit the Roman Catholic Church in rapid succession …

Local mask mandates allowed for now after Texas Supreme Court rejects Gov. Abbott's request to intervene  —  (CNN)The Supreme Court of Texas refused Gov. Greg Abbott's request to intervene Thursday in the case of mask mandates established by several local jurisdictions.

As Cullman prepares for Trump rally, city declares COVID state of emergency  —  With Cullman Regional experiencing overcrowding due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city of Cullman will be providing more first responders to this weekend's Alabama GOP rally.  —  The Cullman City Council passed …