In Exclusive Interview, Trump Calls Sept. 18 Rally A ‘Setup,’ Says GOP Senate Should Fire ‘Disaster’ McConnell  —  In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with The Federalist on Thursday, former President Donald Trump also unloaded on Bush, McConnell, ‘radicalized’ left-wing Democrats, and a completely ‘corrupt’ American news media.

Florida GOP official who wanted to ‘end Faucism’ dies from COVID-19  —  An official from Florida's Hillsborough County Republican Party — which has been busy mobilizing members to protest coronavirus restrictions such as school mask mandates — has died from COVID-19.

Expressing fury over the Australia submarine deal, France cancels a gala celebrating relations with the U.S.  —  Furious over President Biden's announcement of a deal to help Australia deploy nuclear-powered submarines, French officials in Washington on Thursday angrily canceled a gala …

How Tucker Carlson Lost It  —  In February 2009, when he took the stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Tucker Carlson was in the midst of an identity crisis.  Five years earlier, he had been a victim of what was arguably the first viral takedown of the internet era.

As G.O.P. Digs In on Debt Ceiling, Democrats Try Shaming McConnell  —  Senator Mitch McConnell says Republicans will not support raising the federal borrowing limit.  Weeks before a potential default, Democrats do not appear to have a strategy for doing so.

The right-wing media is helping Trump destroy democracy.  A new poll shows how.  —  When future historians seek to explain the United States' perilous slide toward authoritarianism in the 21st century, they will grapple with the role played in all these events by Fox News and the right-wing media.

A broken America should build a monument to Joe Manchin's massive ego  —  As the summer of 2021 comes to an ignominious end this week, millions of Americans will remember these blazing hot months as a time of dashed hopes on ending our life-altering pandemic and growing alarm about the floods and fires fueled by climate change.

Judge raises concerns about speed of Oath Keepers trial related to Capitol riot  —  The judge overseeing the sprawling case of the Oath Keepers who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 raised acute concerns Thursday about the pace of the government's effort to bring the matter to trial, particularly as three of the defendants sit in D.C. jail.

Federal judge blocks Biden administration from expelling migrant families under public health order  —  (CNN)A federal judge blocked the Biden administration from expelling migrant families apprehended at the US-Mexico border under a public health order, according to a Thursday ruling, marking a major defeat for the administration.

Facebook Employees Flag Drug Cartels and Human Traffickers.  The Company's Response Is Weak, Documents Show.  —  Employees raised alarms about how the site is used in developing countries, where its user base is already huge and expanding  —  In January, a former cop turned Facebook Inc. investigator posted …

Durham is said to be seeking indictment of lawyer whose firm represented Hillary Clinton's campaign  —  Special counsel John Durham, appointed during the Trump administration to investigate possible wrongdoing at the FBI and other agencies dating to the 2016 election, is preparing to seek …

Stop Calling It a ‘Pandemic of the Unvaccinated’  —  “Your refusal has cost all of us,” President Joe Biden said to unvaccinated people last week, as he announced a new COVID-vaccine mandate for all workers at private companies with more than 100 employees.  The vaccinated, he said …

Amazon's New ‘Factory Towns’ Will Lift the Working Class  —  Plentiful new jobs at higher wages in places with cheaper housing sounds like a solution to inequality.  —  The campaign against economic inequality has put a bullseye on cities.  Local governments are encouraged to raise minimum wages …

Biden faces new border emergency in Texas, where thousands of Haitian migrants are stuck under bridge in squalid conditions  —  SAN ANTONIO — The Biden administration is facing a new humanitarian emergency along the border in South Texas, where thousands of mostly Haitian migrants waiting …

Billboard Comparing Donald Trump to Jesus Christ Removed  —  A billboard hailing former President Donald Trump as the second coming of Jesus Christ has been taken down.  —  The advertisement was spotted near the city of Fort Oglethorpe in Georgia earlier this week by Washington Post political …

Divided Opinion on Handling of Afghanistan Withdrawal  —  Public split on Biden job performance  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Most Americans agree with the U.S. leaving Afghanistan, even if many think the actual withdrawal was seriously mishandled.  Still, few believe that postponing the pullout …

Mapped: Afghan refugees headed to 46 states  —  The Biden administration notified governors and mayors on Wednesday of the number of Afghan evacuees their state is expected to receive in the coming weeks, two senior administration officials told Axios.  —  Why it matters: Although …

EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Demand Article 15-6 Investigation Into Mark Milley  —  A group of House Republicans sent a letter Thursday to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin demanding a formal AR 15-6 investigation into Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley.

Republican Governors Association was hacked earlier this year  —  Washington (CNN)Hackers breached the Republican Governors Association in February, potentially exposing the personal data of nearly 500 people affiliated with the organization, the RGA said in a September 15 public filing.

My father refused to be a refugee.  I turned him into one.  I'm remembering his garden.  —  I'm thinking about my father's garden today.  —  My father is a military man, the first person in his family to receive formal education.  He was a general in Afghanistan's national army in 1996 …

The abortion rights protest at Justice Kavanaugh's home crossed the line  —  More than 50 people marched Monday night to the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh.  They carried signs with messages such as “safe abortion is a human right” and “hey Kavanaugh resign now.”

The Elizabeth Holmes Trial Is a Wake-Up Call for Sexism in Tech  —  Ms. Pao is a tech investor and chief executive of Project Include, a diversity, equity and inclusion nonprofit.  She is the author of “Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change,” about her lawsuit against a venture capital firm …

Alex Murdaugh turns himself in on charges connected to insurance fraud scheme  —  (CNN)Alex Murdaugh, the South Carolina lawyer whose wife and son were killed in June, turned himself in Thursday on charges related to an insurance fraud scheme.  —  A beige SUV containing Murdaugh pulled …

Legal Journalism Is Broken  —  The conservative takeover of the Court is putting traditional legal media to the test.  The results are not encouraging.  —  The end of the most recent Supreme Court term kicked off what has quickly become a cherished tradition for America's legal journalists …