Can the GOP ever come to grips with the lies of 2020?  —  Mike Johnson's election, and the process getting there, showed a party not willing to address the fundamental question facing it.  —  Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) was hours away from winning the speakership when a reporter asked …

Here's Why Mike Johnson Is More Dangerous Than Donald Trump  —  The former president only cares about himself.  The new Speaker of the House actually wants to make America a Christian theocracy. … The most dangerous movement in American politics today is not Trumpism.  It is Christofascism.

Family Reveals Suspected Gunman's Link to Maine Massacre Sites  —  “He just has to reach out and do the right thing,” Robert Card's sister-in-law told The Daily Beast. … The family of Robert Card—who is suspected of killing 18 people in double mass shootings in Maine on Wednesday night …

The inmates elect their new asylum leader  —  Also: Bellingcat's Eliot Higgins on the golden age of Twitter disinformation.  —  ∙ Paid … The latter part of this newsletter features a Q&A with Bellingcat's Eliot Higgins.  But before we get to that, I want to share some quick thoughts on the new House speaker.

At least 16 dead, dozens wounded in Lewiston shootings; police give few details on overnight search for gunman  —  A commercial man lift falls off trailer and blocks Route 4 in Rangeley  —  Hundreds of new laws take effect in Maine Wednesday.  Here's what you need to know

DeSantis sending drones, weapons, ammunition to Israel  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has sent drones, weapons and ammunition to Israel to support its war against Hamas, a move that bolsters his pro-Israel stance in the battle for the GOP presidential nomination.

Numerous verified X accounts are claiming that the Maine mass shootings were a “false flag”  —  When X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk changed his platform's verification system, he ushered in a new reality where fringe conspiracy theorists could easily promote false claims about breaking news.

Judge throws out Georgia's redistricting, orders new political maps  —  Democrats could gain a seat in Congress  —  A federal judge ruled Thursday that Georgia's district lines must be redrawn to ensure adequate representation of Black voters in Congress and the General Assembly …

Charlottesville's Lee statue meets its end, in a 2,250-degree furnace  —  Melted down in secret, the divisive Confederate monument will be turned into a new piece of public art … SOMEWHERE IN THE U.S. SOUTH — It was a choice to melt down Robert E. Lee.  But it would have been a choice to keep him intact, too.

Mitt Romney is the fixed point revealing the Republicans' slide  —  A new biography shows how far that slide has gone  —  So a politician in the evening of his career, with a vast family, a rich spiritual life and great wealth to fall back upon, summoned the nerve to declare …

Thomas lawyer disputes Senate Democrats' claim on loan forgiveness  —  An attorney for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is disputing Senate Democrats' claim that his client did not pay back a “significant portion” of a loan used to purchase a luxury motorcoach.