The New York Post reports: A Washington state lawmaker apologized Thursday after he wore a yellow Star of David at an event to make a statement against COVID restrictions. “This gesture went too far,” state Rep. Jim Walsh, a Republican, said during a radio interview with host Jason Rantz. “It was inappropriate and offensive and I’m terribly sorry that it …

Little Rock’s ABC News affiliate reports: At a press conference, Governor Asa Hutchinson gave some staggering statistics regarding a resurgence in COVID-19 cases in the state as the Delta variant spreads and affects, statistics show, those who are unvaccinated. On Thursday, July 1, Hutchinson announced a spike of 700 positive cases in a single day, a number that hasn’t been …

Forbes reports: Former President Donald Trump on Thursday joined a chorus of right-wing voices calling for the identity of the law enforcement officer who shot and killed Capitol rioter Ashli Babbitt as she attempted to breach the House chamber on January 6, which the Justice Department determined was an act of “self-defense.” “Who shot Ashli Babbitt?” Trump said in a …

The Daily Beast reports: A new social media network led by Donald Trump adviser Jason Miller is backed by a fugitive Chinese billionaire who once invited Steve Bannon to live on his yacht. What’s not made clear to Gettr’s new users is that the site received initial funding from a foundation owned by Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui and his family. …

NBC News reports: Attorney General Merrick Garland ordered a temporary stop Thursday to scheduling further federal executions. In a memo to senior officials, he said serious concerns have arisen about the arbitrariness of capital punishment, its disparate impact on people of color, and “the troubling number of exonerations” in death penalty cases. “The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone …

Variety reports: A judge has shot down Britney Spears’ request to have her father removed from her conservatorship — at least for now. New court documents that were filed by the Los Angeles Superior Court show that the judge has denied a months-old request by Spears’ attorney, Samuel Ingham III, to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as her sole conservator. …

Gothamist reports: The MTA has unveiled the first of the brand new subway cars that will begin replacing some of the system’s creakiest trains at the end of next year. At a rail yard in Sunset Park on Thursday, transit officials pulled back the curtain on a handful of long-awaited R211 cars. The new model — part of a $1.4 …

Sacramento’s NBC News affiliate reports: California on Thursday scheduled a Sept. 14 recall election that threatens to drive Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, the result of a political uprising driven by widespread angst over coronavirus orders that shuttered schools and businesses. The election in the nation’s most populous state will be a marquee contest with national implications, watched closely …

ABC News reports: President Donald Trump was distraught as he watched Trump Organization Allen Weisselberg walk into Manhattan court in handcuffs, according to ABC News reporter John Santucci, who said the former president called the 15-count indictment a “disgrace.” Santucci asked Trump about the “perp walk” videos of Weisselberg in handcuffs. “The president was unaware of that,” he explained. “He …

St. Louis’s CBS News affiliate reports: You should wear a mask even if you’re vaccinated. This is the message from local health departments. Three major municipalities have issued a public health advisory in response to the emergence of the Delta variant in the St. Louis region. St. Louis City and St. Louis and Jefferson counties issued the advisory, citing a …

The Daily Beast reports: Star Trek star William Shatner has taken to Twitter to trade blows with journalists who called him out for hosting a new show on the Kremlin’s notorious state-funded network, RT. Earlier this week, the 90-year-old Canadian actor—known for taking on the legendary role Captain James Kirk in the Star Trek saga—announced he would be hosting a …

Bloomberg News reports: Rudy Giuliani, already being sued for defamation by Dominion Voting Systems Inc. over his debunked election-conspiracy claims, has been issued a subpoena in a similar lawsuit the company filed against Fox News Network. The former New York mayor and Donald Trump’s personal lawyer was asked to hand over all documents stemming from his appearances on Fox starting …

The Verge reports: A confrontation Tuesday between a police sergeant and member of the public didn’t start out unusually. James Burch, policy director of the Anti Police-Terror Project (APTP), was standing outside the Alameda Courthouse in Oakland, California when an officer approached him and asked him to move a banner. As the two argued, the sergeant noticed he was being …

USA Today reports: With the investigation into the allegations of rampant sexual misconduct within the Washington football team organization complete, the NFL has fined the franchise $10 million, the league announced on Thursday. The investigation, conducted by independent counsel Beth Wilkinson, spanned roughly a year and included interviews with more than 150 people, many of them current or former employees …

Politico reports: He’s one of Donald Trump’s most vociferous backers. But Tucker Carlson has told multiple people that he voted for pop star Kanye West last year instead. Shortly after the presidential election, the Fox News host started telling some program guests that he had cast his ballot for West, according to two people familiar with those conversations. Given Carlson’s …

The Hill reports: In a “motion to transfer venue” filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the defense team for Navy veteran Thomas Caldwell argues that his case should be moved to the federal court in the Western District of Virginia. Caldwell’s lawyer specifically cited protests surrounding Trump’s 2016 inauguration, alleging that demonstrators were seen “destroying …

Politico reports: Former President Donald Trump’s team quietly launched a new social media platform on Thursday, billing it as an alternative to Big Tech sites. The platform, called GETTR, advertised its mission statement as “fighting cancel culture, promoting common sense, defending free speech, challenging social media monopolies, and creating a true marketplace of ideas.” Trump’s former spokesman, Jason Miller, is …

The New York Times reports: The Trump Organization, the real estate business that catapulted Donald J. Trump to tabloid fame, television riches and ultimately the White House, will be charged Thursday with fraud and tax crimes, according to two people who were briefed on the matter. The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which has been conducting the investigation, also brought charges …

Religion News Service reports: The American Humanist Association announced Thursday (July 1) that Dr. Anthony S. Fauci is its 2021 Humanist of the Year. Fauci is chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden and has been director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the U.S. National Institutes of Health since 1984. Although Fauci attended Jesuit schools …

NBC News reports: Tropical Storm Elsa formed over the tropical Atlantic early Thursday morning and is expected to cause heavy rains that may lead to isolated flash flooding and mudslides in the Caribbean before potentially turning its sights on Florida or the Gulf Coast. Elsa is the earliest fifth named storm on record, beating out last year’s Eduardo which formed …