U.S. kills al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike in Kabul  —  The United States has killed Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al-Qaeda and one of the world's most-wanted terrorists, who, alongside the group's founder, Osama bin Laden, oversaw the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, President Biden announced Monday evening.

Senate GOP backtracks after veterans bill firestorm  —  Senate Republicans are reversing course on a veterans health care bill, signaling they'll now help it quickly move to President Joe Biden's desk after weathering several days of intense criticism for delaying the legislation last week.

Why Pelosi's Visit to Taiwan Is Utterly Reckless  —  I have a lot of respect for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  But if she does go ahead with a visit to Taiwan this week, against President Biden's wishes, she will be doing something that is utterly reckless, dangerous and irresponsible.

Manchin-Schumer side agreement would overhaul environmental review  —  The deal would also approve a West Virginia gas pipeline.  The West Virginia senator and Democratic leaders forged a separate deal to expand energy infrastructure that would have to be voted on outside the party's energy package

Trump endorses ‘ERIC’ in Missouri primary, a name shared by rivals  —  The former president's unusual endorsement added uncertainty to an already tumultuous race  —  POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — The Republicans competing for the U.S. Senate nomination in Tuesday's primary here spent their final …

EXCLUSIVE: Cassidy Hutchinson kept working for Donald Trump for nine weeks after he left the White House, government records show  — Insider sued the Biden administration for records identifying Trump's post-presidency staff members.  — Cassidy Hutchinson kept working for Trump …

Final stretch of primaries will showcase a divided GOP  —  A final stretch of primaries for state and federal offices kicks off Tuesday, setting the stage for a six-week battle inside a divided Republican Party pitting candidates loyal to former president Donald Trump and his false election claims …

Capitol rioter Guy Reffitt gets longest Jan. 6 sentence, but no terrorism enhancement  —  WASHINGTON — A Donald Trump fan from Texas who attempted to storm the U.S. Capitol while armed with a gun was sentenced to more than 7 years in prison on Monday after a judge denied the Justice Department's request …

Abortion Moves Up on “Most Important Problem” List  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — When Americans are asked to name the most important problem facing the U.S., 8% of the resulting mentions focus on abortion.  While not high on an absolute basis, this is the highest such percentage since Gallup began tracking mentions of abortion in 1984.

Abortion bans violate religious freedom, clergy say in new legal campaign  —  When the Rev. Laurie Hafner ministers to her Florida congregants about abortion, she looks to the founding values of the United Church of Christ, her lifelong denomination: religious freedom and freedom of thought.

Trump Supporters Think They're in a Fight to the Death  —  For all the defects Donald Trump has as a politician, he does possess certain skills, among them an almost preternatural ability to tap into the sensibilities—the id—of the American right.  More than any other Republican candidate in 2016 …

Arizona Republicans Should Reject Kari Lake  —  Lake is a conspiracist; opponent Karrin Taylor Robson is a rational conservative.  —  CULTURE  —  Silence Is Okay, Actually  —  By NATE HOCHMAN  —  Not everything is oppression.  —  CULTURE  —  Nichelle Nichols, R.I.P.  —  By JACK BUTLER

Holocaust 'doesn't even compare' to abortion deaths, says GOP nominee for Illinois governor  —  Darren Bailey is facing Democratic incumbent J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish, in the general election  —  Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for Illinois governor, said in a video posted to Facebook …

Arizona AG says most alleged 2020 dead voters were alive  —  PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said Monday his investigators found just one dead voter after thoroughly reviewing findings from a partisan review of the 2020 election that alleged 282 ballots were cast in the name of someone who had died.

Misleading text urges ‘yes’ vote in Kansas to ‘give women a choice.’ Source is unknown  —  An anonymous group is sending a misleading text to Kansas voters telling them to “vote yes” in order to protect choice.  —  “Women in KS are losing their choice on reproductive rights.

She Traveled 200 Miles for an Abortion She Never Wanted  —  Madison Underwood was thrilled to learn she was pregnant.  But when a rare defect in the developing fetus threatened her life, she was thrust into post-Roe chaos.  —  CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Madison Underwood was lying on the ultrasound table …

Lawyer: Sandy Hook parents isolate with security due to safety concerns during Texas Alex Jones trial  —  AUSTIN, Texas — Sandy Hook parents Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis have gone into isolation with an around-the-clock security detail following an unspecified number of “encounters” …

Top Democrats, Alleging Cover-Up, Seek Testimony on Secret Service Texts  —  The leaders of two House committees told the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general that they had developed “grave new concerns over your lack of transparency and independence.”

Governor Newsom Proclaims State of Emergency to Support State's Response to Monkeypox  —  SACRAMENTO - As part of the state's ongoing response to the monkeypox outbreak, Governor Gavin Newsom today declared a State of Emergency to bolster the state's vaccination efforts.

Coalition of news organizations sues Texas Department of Public Safety over withheld records on Uvalde shooting  —  The lawsuit alleges that the state police have unlawfully withheld records, including body camera footage and emergency communications, during the Robb Elementary shooting.  —  Copy link

Why I Won't Vote to Add Sweden and Finland to NATO … The Senate will soon vote on adding Sweden and Finland to NATO.  According to the terms of NATO's founding treaty, that means the United States would be obliged to defend both countries in the event of a military attack.  I intend to vote no.

Another judge awards taxpayer-funded attorney fees in Wisconsin election review open records case  —  Wisconsin taxpayers' bill for the GOP-ordered review into the 2020 presidential election continues to climb after a Dane County judge ordered the former state Supreme Court justice leading …

The cautious calculation behind whether Fox will dump Trump  —  The symbiotic, mutually advantageous bond between Rupert Murdoch's media empire and Donald Trump has often been described as a romance or a love fest.  —  Now that the relationship looks as if it may be headed to divorce court …

The Bill Russell I Knew for 60 Years  —  Since I was 14, Bill Russell showed me how to be a better player—and a better man.  —  When I learned that my friend Bill Russell had died, I tweeted this response: “Bill Russell was the quintessential Big Man—not because of his height but because of the size of his heart.