
(Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Florida reported 21,683 new cases of COVID-19, the state’s highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic, according to federal health data released Saturday, as its theme park resorts again started asking visitors to wear masks indoors.

'Vote them out': Willie Nelson headlines Texas protest rally
Event ends four-day march in support of Democratic lawmakers who left the state to block GOP bill that would restrict voting rights.


Frustration as Biden, Congress allow eviction ban to expire
Millions of Americans face being forced from their homes with the midnight Saturday expiration of a moratorium on evictions during the pandemic.


It's in - and big: Senators produce $1T infrastructure bill
After much delay, senators have unveiled their $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act clocks in at more than 2,700 pages.


Senate infrastructure talks spill over into rare Sunday session
The Senate is poised to hold a rare Sunday session as a bipartisan group of lawmakers tries to finish up the text of its infrastructure bill.The bipartisan group had hoped to unveil legis…


Senate ends Saturday session -- with infrastructure bill still in limbo
Unable to produce the final text of a nearly $1 trillion infrastructure bill, the Senate wrapped up a rare Saturday session making little visible progress on the legislative package, but Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed the work would get done.

'Botched': Arizona GOP's ballot count ends, troubles persist
Arizona Republicans’ partisan review of the 2020 election results got off to a rocky start when their contractors broke rules for counting ballots and election experts warned the work was dangerous for democracy.


Judge gives Trump time to challenge tax return disclosure to Congress
Neither Trump nor his lawyers have said if they will challenge Friday's order.

Chicago owes Trump $1M tax refund, state’s attorney mounts legal challenge
The Cook County state’s attorney is seeking to block a $1 million tax refund that the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board ruled is owed to former President Trump on his Chicago skyscraper’s 20…


Progressives press Biden to extend eviction ban
Eight Democrats led by Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri told Biden in a letter that a looming eviction crisis demanded "an urgent government response.”


Women seeking medication abortions face increasing state restrictions as FDA weighs action
“Over the past year, we've seen states really target medication abortion in a way that we hadn't seen," Elizabeth Nash, of the Guttmacher Institute, said.


Meadows says Trump World looking to ‘move forward in a real way’
Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows says former President Trump’s world is looking to “move forward in a real way.”

Ex-RNC Chair Michael Steele Blasts Jim Jordan On His Jan. 6 Trump Amnesia
"You're a grown-arse man," Steele addressed Jordan, who claims he can't recall when he spoke to Donald Trump Jan. 6. "Stop acting like a 10-year-old."

Tensions in the House of Representatives boil over after 1/6 hearing and mask rule | CNN Politics
Democratic Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut did not want to lose his cool, but he said this week he couldn’t help it.


Former RNC chairman to Jim Jordan on Jan. 6: ‘You know, b****, what time you called the president’ - Washington Examiner
Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan a "son of a b****" for his recent remarks that he wasn't certain whether he spoke to former President Donald Trump on Jan. 6. The former RNC chairman, a frequent critic of the former president, expressed...

Trump tries to defend ‘just say the election was corrupt’ demand
Ex-president claims he was not trying to subvert democracyTrump restates election lie that fraud to blame for Biden winGiuliani: ‘I committed no crime’ while working for TrumpWhat did Jim Jordan know about the insurrection and when? Donald Trump’s pressure on federal and state officials to...

Biden’s new mask guidance too little, too late for parts of the country, officials say
Health experts and local leaders in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Washington state told POLITICO they expect the latest recommendations will be brushed off by a crisis-weary public.


Trump defends his comments about election after release of DOJ notes
Former President Trump defended his comments to top Department of Justice officials about the 2020 election after notes from a call in December were released on Friday.


POLITICO Playbook: The coming eviction crisis
And the delta variant puts the administration on the back foot.


Epic swims: Dressel, McKeon take place among Olympic greats
Caeleb Dressel capped one of the greatest performances in Olympic history with his fourth and fifth gold medals of the Tokyo Games.


Missed debt ceiling deadline kicks off high-stakes fight
The legal limit on how much debt the U.S. government can owe was reimposed Sunday, kicking off a high-stakes battle over federal spending with dire implications for global financial markets.A two-y…

Rudy Giuliani says ‘I committed no crime’ while working for Trump
Former New York mayor makes unprompted assertion to NBCGiuliani under federal investigation over dealings in Ukraine Giuliani in Miami this week. His attempts to mine dirt on Joe Biden saw Trump impeached – and acquitted – for a first time. Photograph: Wilfredo Lee/AP Rudy Giuliani, under...
Congress fails to extend eviction moratorium expiring Saturday
The last-minute effort put House Speak Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Maxine Waters at odds, sources said.
Republicans will defend their Caesar but new revelations show Trump’s true threat
The DoJ has dealt two blows and the 6 January committee is winding up for more. They know democracy is in dangerSidney Blumenthal: What did Jim Jordan know and when? Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One as lightning splits the sky at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, in August 2020. Photograph...

Soaring heat, dry conditions in West lead to fire warnings; California faces potential power outages
At least 87 fires are burning across the country, with weather conditions over the weekend making conditions conducive to new fire starts.
www.usatoday.com

Afghanistan: Taliban continue attacks on three major cities
Fears rise of a humanitarian crisis as Islamist militants seek to take their first provincial capital.


Analysis: Trump commands historic attention for an ex-president. That may hurt the GOP. | CNN Politics
In the month of July, Biden and Trump have been running about equally in mentions on cable news. This is really unusual. Four years ago in July, Trump was getting mentioned on cable more than Barack Obama by a 9:1 ratio.


Ilhan Omar backs 'guaranteed income,' pitches bills to send $1,200 monthly checks to most Americans
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced two guaranteed income bills on Friday aimed at sending $1,200 monthly checks to most Americans before the end of the decade, according to reports.

Judge upholds Liberty University's suit against Falwell
A Lynchburg judge has upheld most of a lawsuit that Liberty University filed against its former leader, Jerry Falwell Jr., after an acrimonious parting last year

Representative Cori Bush sleeps outside Capitol to protest end of eviction freeze: "I know what it's like"
"I have been evicted three times myself. I know what it's like to be forced to live in my car with my two children," Bush said. "Now that I am a member of Congress, I refuse to stand by."

New poll shows women of color highly motivated to vote
Women of color turned out to vote at record rates in the 2020 election, with almost nine in 10 agreeing that the stakes were too high not to vote, according to a new poll.Why it matters: The findings in the poll, conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of a group of reproductive rights...

San Francisco activists gather at Pelosi's home to serve 'eviction notice'
Housing and homeless advocates protested outside of Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco home Saturday demanding the House speaker reconvene Congress to pass an extension to the expiring eviction moratorium.

Ammunition shelves bare as US gun sales continue to soar
A shortage of ammunition in the U.S. is having an impact on law enforcement agencies, people seeking personal protection, recreational shooters and hunters

'Botched': Arizona GOP's ballot count ends, troubles persist
As timeline repeatedly slips, turmoil, revelation of funding by Trump backers cast doubt on conclusions of "forensic audit" of 2020 election.


Willie Neslon helps close out march for voting rights in Texas
Nelson helped close out the rally with a short set, which included the 88-year-old's 2018 song, "Vote 'Em Out."


How Netanyahu plans to bring down Israel’s new government
Analysts say ex-Israeli PM, removed in June after a 12-year tenure, is using a raft of tactics to undermine the gov’t.

House Democrat sleeps on Capitol steps as she blasts lawmakers over expiring eviction moratorium | CNN Politics
Rep. Cori Bush slept overnight on the steps of the US Capitol to protest her House colleagues for adjourning for August recess without passing an extension of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s eviction moratorium for renters, which expired on Saturday night.


Ted Cruz: Pelosi's mask mandate shows she is 'drunk on power'
Sen. Ted Cruz blasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week after she reinstated a mask mandate on the House floor amid the spread of the delta variant of the coronavirus.

Bowser snaps maskless photo with Dave Chappelle just ahead of mask mandate - Washington Examiner
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser got in a maskless photo with comedian Dave Chappelle before her mandate requiring face coverings went into effect Saturday. John Falcicchio, the district's deputy mayor for planning and economic development, tweeted a photo Friday of himself, Bowser...


Women urge tech giants to innovate on office return
After an unprecedented year that saw record numbers of women leaving the workforce, tech employees and advocates are urging the industry to continue its tradition as innovators and rethink workplac…


‘They are a failed coup and a failed regime’
In Myanmar, generals who seized power and the shadow government of deposed legislators are jostling for UN credentials.
U.S. Senate in rare Saturday session on $1 trln infrastructure bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Senate in a rare Saturday session worked on a bill that would spend $1 trillion on roads, rail lines and other infrastructure, as lawmakers from both parties sought to advance President Joe Biden's top legislative priority. The ambitious plan has the backing of...

‘Bad candidate’: Mark Walker says Trump made mistake backing North Carolina GOP Senate rival - Washington Examiner
Former Rep. Mark Walker lashed out at the Club for Growth and suggested that former President Donald Trump was misled into endorsing his rival for the Republican Senate nomination in North Carolina during an interview with the Washington Examiner.Referring to the Club for Growth and pointing to...

Border Patrol: Agent, 2nd driver killed in crash in Arizona
The U.S. Border Patrol says one of its agents and another driver were killed Saturday in a head-on crash in southern Arizona

Family: Zydeco musician Chris Ardoin shot while performing
A Zydeco musician has been shot in the back while performing at an event in central Louisiana

Belarusian opposition leader brings her country's fight for democracy to the U.S.
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya is living in exile after being defeated by President Alexander Lukashenko in an election widely regarded as fraudulent.


Mark Meadows says ‘Cabinet members’ meeting at Trump’s New Jersey golf club - Washington Examiner
Former President Donald Trump has been holding meetings with "Cabinet members" at his golf club in New Jersey this week, according to a top ally.Mark Meadows, who was Trump's final White House chief of staff, said the work at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, is focused on...


TikTok star dies from injuries after California movie theater shooting
TikTok star Anthony Barajas, the second person shot in Monday evening’s shooting at a California movie theater, died Saturday after days in the hospital, police announced. The Corona Police De…

Biden wants more transparency for police disciplinary records. Experts say it’s harder than it sounds.
“We have to have rules where you can be able to determine what the background, how many times a cop has violated the rules," President Biden said.

Simone Biles withdraws from floor exercise, leaving only beam remaining on schedule
The gold medalist pulled out of the bars and vault on Friday.

Top female athletes speak out amid Olympics, defy convention through their uniforms
Female athletes are breaking with their sports' apparel conventions -- if not regulations -- to prioritize their comfort during competitions.

Family farm banned from city farmers market over refusal to host gay weddings awaits ruling in legal battle
Following a bench trial this week a federal court in Michigan is set to rule in the case of a farm that was banned from a city-run market in East Lansing over its owners' refusal to allow same-sex couples to hold weddings on their property.

Audio from migrant kids shelter reveals allegations of sex misconduct by staff
"We have already caught staff with minors inappropriately," said a federal contractor on the audio of a May training session obtained by NBC News.


Analysis: The rent is now due, America | CNN Politics
US could see an eviction crisis as Covid cases from the highly contagious Delta variant surge.


‘We’ll stay here and die’: War-weary Afghans resigned to fate
The people feel stuck between a corrupt government and a brutal, violent, oppressive Taliban that is gaining ground.

Jamaica sweeps women's 100m at Tokyo Olympics as Elaine Thompson-Herah sets record
Jamaica swept the women's 100m at Tokyo 2020 -- repeating a feat only the Caribbean island nation has accomplished in Olympic history.

Bacon may disappear in California as pig rules take effect
A California law taking effect Jan. 1 could make pork harder to find and more expensive

Elaine Thompson-Herah Is Crowned The Fastest Woman In The World At The Tokyo Games
Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica has won the fastest women's track race at the Tokyo Games in Olympic record time. She was the defending gold medalist in this event. Jamaica swept the final.


"Global fire crisis": Why the world keeps burning and what we should do about it
Two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Lucy Walker explores the complex causes — and devastating impact — of the worldwide wildfire problem.


At least five people, including a 4-year-old, were shot outside of an Indianapolis funeral home | CNN
Police are searching for a suspect in a shooting outside of a funeral home in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday that left at least five people wounded, including a 4-year-old girl.


Disqualified Nigerian Athletes Protest At Olympic Village
Ten of Nigeria's 23 Olympic athletes were ruled ineligible after officials determined they had not received the required number of drug tests in the months leading up to the Tokyo Games.


Dangerous levels of E. coli found in Echo Park Lake with no warning to public - Washington Examiner
LOS ANGELES — Echo Park Lake, the city’s former jewel, now has E. coli seven times higher than state mandates, thanks to a homeless encampment allowed to flourish there for years, according to a report."There is no question" that the levels of E. coli contamination in the lake was because people...


US women's Olympic hoops team adjusting to styles of play
The U.S. women’s basketball team isn’t clicking at the Tokyo Games the way the Americans would like

Turkey declares ‘disaster areas’ as wildfire death toll rises
President Erdogan says investigation opened into causes of wildfires in southern Turkey, as death toll rises to six.

Why DoorDash Drivers Are On Strike
Having organized on TikTok, Reddit and Facebook, many DoorDash drivers around the country logged off the app on Saturday. Drivers are demanding tip transparency and higher pay.


Chinese-Canadian pop star detained on suspicion of rape
Wu’s detention came after a teenager accused him of having sex with her while she was drunk – a claim he denies.
Grassroots organization pushes for reform by training parents to run for school board - Washington Examiner
The COVID-19 pandemic’s shuttering of classrooms in March 2020 triggered a sea change in the nationwide debate over the direction of public schools.That debate has only flourished since, even after many schools that had long been closed to in-person instruction reopened, with reports showing...


Virginia county school board votes no on adopting state transgender policies - Washington Examiner
A Virginia county school board declined to adopt policies provided and required by the state regarding the treatment of transgender students Thursday. The Augusta County School Board called a special meeting to decide whether it would agree to amend its nondiscrimination policies to reflect a...


Over 100,000 children could face extreme starvation in Ethiopia's Tigray region
USAID Administrator Samantha Power is heading to the embattled region in hopes of easing what is now the world's worst hunger crisis in a decade.


Baltimore woman charged after young niece and nephew’s bodies found in her car
A Baltimore woman was arrested Wednesday when police located the bodies of her young niece and nephew in her car, according to Baltimore County Government.The remains of the two children, ages seve…


Turkey: Foreign tourists evacuated as wildfires threaten resorts
Coastguard vessels and private boats have brought holidaymakers to safety, as the death toll rises.


Caeleb Dressel Is Leaving Tokyo With Five Olympic Gold Medals
It's been an astonishingly successful Games for the 24-year-old from Florida. He added two gold medals to his haul from the Tokyo Olympics, departing the Games with five golds.


Bee swarm attack kills Arizona man and injures five people | CNN
A man is dead and at least five people were injured after a bee swarm attack in an Arizona neighborhood on Thursday.


An Australian Gold Medalist Invited Her Bronze-Winning Teammate To Share The Podium
After winning her second gold medal, swimmer Kaylee McKeown invited Emily Seebohm to share the top step of the podium. "It was quite emotional. She had some tears in her eyes, so did I," McKeown says.



The pandemic turning point the White House didn’t want | CNN Politics
President Joe Biden is tired of wearing a mask.


Mask guidance divides parents heading into new school year
Parents and policy makers across the nation have been plunged anew into a debate over whether face coverings should be optional or a mandate when schools reopen.


French police clash with anti-virus pass protesters in Paris
Thousands of people in France have turned out to protest a special virus pass by marching through Paris and other French cities.


'Steady increase' in vaccines in past month, White House says
A pandemic of the novel coronavirus has now infected more than 197 million people worldwide and killed over 4.2 million of them.

Covid devastated nursing homes. Delta and staff vaccination rates could wreak havoc.
Officials in some states have begun sounding the alarm about outbreaks among long-term care facilities and nursing homes as delta variant fuels cases.


Olympics Latest: Belarus runner says team forcing departure
Belarus track sprinter Krystsina Tsimanouskaya says her Olympic team officials tried to remove her from Japan in a dispute that led to a standoff Sunday evening at Haneda Airport in Tokyo

US vaccinations tick up as delta variant spreads
The pace of vaccinations in the United States has picked up over the past week as the delta variant continues to spread and federal health officials warn of its impact, even among vaccinated i…


Delta variant raises fears of worsening mutations
The rapid spread of the delta variant is raising concerns among scientists that the coronavirus could mutate into more transmissible or deadlier strains.The fresh fears come as the U.S. vaccination…

Gov. Brian Kemp suggested Biden is at fault for Georgia's COVID-19 vaccination rate, which remains one of the lowest in the US
Kemp said Biden needed to push harder to allow the FDA to upgrade its emergency authorization for the COVID-19 vaccines to full approval.

Walensky backtracks nationwide vaccine mandate comments amid messaging confusion - Washington Examiner
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky backtracked Friday after she said the Biden administration was entertaining a federal coronavirus vaccine mandate. Walensky was not referring to a federal vaccine requirement when she said the administration was "looking into"...


Mapping CDC's new guidelines: High transmission areas where you need to wear a mask indoors
Vaccinated people in high community transmission areas – communities with high COVID-19 infection rates – should wear masks indoors.
www.usatoday.com

US memorials to victims of COVID-19 pandemic taking shape
A memorial grove to COVID-19 victims has been planted in Ohio, and governors and lawmakers elsewhere are pursuing similar permanent remembrances.


There's Vaccine Drama In Arkansas, Where Rates Are Low And Everyone Has An Opinion
The state has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the U.S. And this weekend, 80,000 doses will expire because of lack of demand. The campaign is on to get people to sign up.


Map: Track the spread of the Covid-19 variants across the United States
There are 3 variants NBC News is tracking: The U.K., the South African and the Brazilian variants, each of which have been found in the country.

Biden's COVID-19 pandemic messaging leaves Americans confused
The Biden administration's handling of the Delta surge has left Americans confused and frustrated, fueling media overreaction and political manipulation. Why it matters: The past year and a half have left Americans cynical about the government's COVID response, and — in many cases — misinformed...

Brazil: Daily average COVID deaths drop below 1,000
Brazil last registered a seven-day average of fewer than 1,000 COVID deaths in January at start of brutal second wave.

Analysis: Kids are starting their third Covid school year. Here’s what to know. | CNN Politics
A rising senior was a sophomore back in 2020 when US schools first shut down. Students then struggled through an entire school year of Covid, and now they’re about to start all over again.


Tokyo's New COVID-19 Infections Hit A Record Again, Topping 4,000 For The First Time
Daily infections are nearly quadruple the numbers reported just a week ago. Japan's prime minister, who has denied the Olympics are to blame, has extended a state of emergency to the end of August.


Some vaccinated Americans have lost their patience with those refusing the shot as Covid-19 cases surge and mandates return | CNN
With Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations now surging again and officials across the US suddenly reimposing restrictions after a summer of semi normalcy, many vaccinated Americans are becoming increasingly angry at those who won’t get vaccinated.
