Watchdog to review NSA following Tucker Carlson's spy claims

The National Security Agency’s internal watchdog said Tuesday it would investigate allegations that the agency “improperly targeted the communications of a member of the U.S. news media” following Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s claims that the NSA tried to shut down his show. The announcement puts the NSA’s inspector general at the center of a politically volatile issue. Conservatives have for weeks demanded an investigation into Carlson’s claim that a major U.S. spy agency targeted his show, an allegation for which he has provided no evidence.

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Factbox-Cuomo's replacement Kathy Hochul to become New York's first female governor

Hochul, a former Democratic congresswoman who has served as lieutenant governor since 2015, will take over from Cuomo until his third four-year term in office ends in December 2022. — Cuomo asked Hochul, a rising star in the Democratic Party, to join the gubernatorial ticket in 2014 after the then-lieutenant governor, Robert Duffy, announced he would not seek another term.

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More Texas Democrats return, but not enough to end holdout

A monthlong standoff by Texas Democrats who left the state to block a GOP voting bill inched closer to ending Monday as several holdouts returned and put Republicans on the brink of having enough lawmakers to push forward once again with an election overhaul. The Texas House of Representatives is now just five members shy of a quorum that would end what is now a 29-day stalemate — which has started to weaken as more Democrats who fled to Washington last month begin shuffling back into the state Capitol, believing their point has been made as they also feel the strain of a long absence away from home. Other Texas Democrats remain in Washington, some of whom lashed out at their former fellow holdouts who returned to the Capitol.

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Senators on left, right hold together to push infrastructure

Often elusive, the political center is holding steady in the Senate as a coalition of Democratic and Republican senators brushes off critics to push the $1 trillion infrastructure package toward final passage. On the left, the Democrats have withstood the complaints of liberals who say the proposal falls short of what’s needed to provide a down payment on one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. From the right, the Republicans are largely ignoring the criticism from their most conservative and far-flung voices, including a barrage of name-calling from former President Donald Trump as he tries to derail the package.

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Senate slog to pass infrastructure bill goes on over weekend

Senators will resume a weekend session toward passage of a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package after running into opposition from a few Republicans who want to drag out final votes on one of President Joe Biden’s top priorities. The measure would provide what Biden has called a “historic investment” in public works programs, from roads and bridges to broadband internet access, drinking water and more. In a rare stroke of bipartisanship, Republicans joined Democrats to advance the measure and more votes are expected Sunday.

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Jeffrey Katzenberg, Casey Wasserman And Other Hollywood And L.A. Figures Plan Fundraiser To Back Gavin Newsom Against Recall

EXCLUSIVE: As recent polls show Gavin Newsom at significant risk of being ousted in the Sept. 14 recall election, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Casey Wasserman and Andrew Hauptman are among the names chairing a fundraiser next week for the California governor. The Aug. 12 virtual event also is chaired by Van Fletcher and Skip Paul and Stephanie […]

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U.S. Senate meets on Saturday to consider $1 trillion infrastructure bill

The U.S. Senate will meet for the second weekend in a row on Saturday in hopes of passing a $1 trillion infrastructure bill that has struggled to overcome a series of last-minute delays and objections, despite strong bipartisan support. The package https://www.reuters.com/world/us/whats-us-senates-bipartisan-1-trillion-infrastructure-bill-2021-08-03, which represents the biggest investment in decades in America’s physical infrastructure including roads, bridges, airports and waterways, will face a key test at noon EDT (1600 GMT), when lawmakers are due to vote on whether to limit debate on the legislation. If the vote succeeds, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will try to move quickly to pass the bill, in what would be a major victory for President Joe Biden and a bipartisan group of senators who spent months crafting the package.

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'Always working': Biden eyes 1st summer getaway as president

After more than six months of work combating the coronavirus, negotiating a bipartisan infrastructure bill and repairing the U.S. image abroad, President Joe Biden should be heading out on vacation and a traditional August break from Washington. “Every president is always working no matter where they are,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said, explaining that presidents can’t ever really tune out.

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Exclusive: U.S. starts flying migrant families into Mexico far from border – source

The United States on Thursday began flying Central American and Mexican families to southern Mexico in an effort to deter migration by bolstering a COVID-era expulsion policy at the U.S.-Mexico border, a person familiar with the matter said. Nearly 200 Mexican and Central American family members were expelled deep into Mexico on Thursday in what are expected to be regular flights, the person said. The flights, which will include adults, aim to disrupt a pattern of repeat crossings under a U.S. border policy known as Title 42.

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S.C. Rep. Norman tests positive for COVID in breakthrough case

Republican Rep. Ralph Norman confirmed Thursday that he has tested positive for COVID-19, making him the second member of South Carolina’s delegation to contract a breakthrough case.Why it matters: Norman is one of a number of GOP lawmakers who refused to wear a face mask on the House floor in May and were subsequently fined. Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeNorman and Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.

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Fox News Pays Tribute To Roger Ailes By Putting The Worst Possible Shit On TV Today

The Fox News Specialists, the new Fox program that gave the world Joe Namath yakking about Syria with Karl Rove, has blessed us again. Yapping cheshire cat and First Take host Stephen A. Smith linked up with apartheid apologist Ted Nugent on another edition of the show this afternoon, and the two specialists got into…

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I'm Sorry To Report That Roger Ailes Ever Lived

Inevitably, in the torrent of obituaries to come, someone will recite a list of Roger Ailes’s personal failings, repugnant views, and malignant actions, but then be sure to credit him with having been a brilliant provocateur or a visionary broadcaster or some shit. “For better or worse,” they will preface it.…

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The FBI Was Never Going To Save The Republic You Dolt

A few minutes ago, this blog post was very long. I’d been working on it all day! It was like 1,200 words long and I wasn’t half finished. Then I deleted all that shit, because actually, what’s true and worth saying about Donald Trump’s surprise firing of FBI director James Comey is pretty simple.

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Let's All Celebrate These College Graduates Raining Boos Upon Betsy DeVos

Education Secretary and billionaire school-privatization huckster Betsy DeVos, who is going to be very bad for the state of American education, was invited to speak a graduation ceremony today. That’s inexplicable. That it was at historically black Bethune-Cookman University—after DeVos idiotically linked HBCUs to her…

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Can This BLM-Friendly, George Soros-Backed, Dark Horse Lawyer Transform the Justice System?

Donald Trump is president of the United States of America. Approximately 2.3 million people are incarcerated in the U.S. right now, about 25% of all of the world’s prisoners. African-Americans are imprisoned at a rate six times higher than that of white people. And as people of color have been murdered at the hands of…

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