The Huffington Post reports: Sen. Susan Collins, one of a handful of GOP senators working to garner support in her party for a bill to codify gay marriage, said the Democrats’ surprise embrace of a tax and climate change bill made her job much harder. “I just think the timing could not have been worse and it came totally out …

“So my solution is, if you want to forgive that stupid debt, take it from the colleges since they’ve tripled the tuition the last 30 years and their education sucks. “Do not take it from us. Because, I swear to God, if you do, you will see a real insurrection. “You’re actually stealing money. You’re stealing money from people and …

The Washington Post reports: Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. in a speech in Rome dismissed criticism from foreign officials who he said “lambasted” his opinion that overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that provided a constitutional right to abortion. “I had the honor this term of writing I think the only Supreme Court decision in the history of that …

Via press release: Mayor London N. Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) today announced a local emergency declaration to strengthen the City’s preparedness and response to the rapidly rising cases of Monkeypox. This action will expedite and streamline the availability of resources to better respond to this developing health emergency. The declaration of a local emergency …

CNN reports: Former Justice Department staffer Ken Klukowski, who worked with Jeffrey Clark at the agency, is cooperating in the DOJ’s January 6 criminal investigation, after investigators searched and copied his electronic records several weeks ago. “We’ve been fully cooperating both with the Department of Justice and the Select Committee, and we’ll continue with that cooperation,” Klukowski’s lawyer Ed Greim …

Fox News reports: In the race to replace term-limited Gov. Tom Wolf, Keystone voters back Democrat Josh Shapiro over Republican Doug Mastriano by a 50-40 percent margin. Far more of Shapiro’s supporters (69%) are enthusiastic about backing him than Mastriano’s are about supporting him (49%), and more voters overall have a favorable opinion of Shapiro (51% favorable, 34% unfavorable) than …

Fox New reports: In the U.S. Senate race, Democrat John Fetterman holds an 11-point lead over Republican Mehmet Oz, 47%-36%, in a Fox News poll released Thursday. Three percent back independent candidate Everett Stern and 13% support someone else or are undecided. A big problem for Oz is consolidating GOP support. By a 16-point margin, fewer Republicans stay loyal to …

The New York Times reports: The Biden administration now expects to begin a Covid-19 booster campaign with retooled vaccines in September because Pfizer and Moderna have promised that they can deliver doses by then, according to people familiar with the deliberations. With updated formulations apparently close at hand, federal officials have decided against expanding eligibility for second boosters of the …

Via email from hate group leader Brian Brown: We are perilously close to losing marriage in America. It’s outrageous that so many members of Congress – Democrats and Republicans alike – are willing to betray their constituents (over 50 million of whom voted to define marriage as one man, one woman) to curry favor with the LGBT lobby. Take a …

Washington DC’s CBS News affiliate reports: A right-wing activist who spoke at Freedom Plaza on Jan. 5 and then joined the assault on the Capitol the next day provided information to the FBI about rally organizers and more than a dozen other members of the “Stop the Steal” movement as part of a plea deal to avoid a felony charge, …

Variety reports: Malaysian theater operator Golden Screen Cinemas has announced that “Thor: Love and Thunder” will not get a theatrical release in the country. In June, the release of Pixar animation “Lightyear” was canceled in Malaysia after the country’s censorship authority (LPF) asked for cuts to the film, understood to include a same-sex kiss, in order for the film to …

The Associated Press reports: President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping spent more than two hours Thursday talking through the future of their complicated relationship, with the flashpoint of Taiwan once again emerging as a key point of tension. According to a description of the call released by Beijing, Xi emphasized China’s claim over the island, which has governed itself …

Ars Technica reports: Twitter is moving ahead with a shareholder vote on the merger with Elon Musk a few weeks before its lawsuit against Musk goes to trial. Twitter yesterday sent a letter to shareholders inviting them to a September 13 special meeting where they will be asked to approve the merger agreement that Musk is now trying to get …

Via press release: Today, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against U.S. Bank for illegally accessing its customers’ credit reports and opening checking and savings accounts, credit cards, and lines of credit without customers’ permission. U.S. Bank pressured and incentivized its employees to sell multiple products and services to its customers, including imposing sales goals as part of …

The Associated Press reports: A Wisconsin judge said Thursday that a Republican-ordered, taxpayer-funded investigation into the 2020 election found “absolutely no evidence of election fraud,” but did reveal contempt for the state’s open records law by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and a former state Supreme Court justice he hired. Dane County Circuit Judge Valerie Bailey-Rihn awarded about $98,000 in attorneys’ …

Law & Crime reports: Clarence Thomas, 74, has co-taught a Constitutional Law seminar at GW Law since 2011 with his former clerk, Judge Gregory Maggs of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. Now, Thomas is no longer listed as an instructor on the school’s online course catalog. According to the law school’s online publication the GW Hatchet, …

ABC News reports: Since October 2021, the Republican National Committee has paid nearly $2 million to law firms representing Trump as part of his defense against personal litigation and government investigations. But an RNC official told ABC News that as soon as Trump would announce he is running for president, the payments would stop because the party has a “neutrality …

NBC News reports: President Joe Biden will host former President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the White House in early September for the unveiling of their official White House portraits, according to an Obama spokesperson. The traditional East Room ceremony unveiling the Obamas’ portraits, usually a moment where the sitting president and the first lady fête their immediate predecessors, …

Mediaite reports: Former President Donald Trump told ESPN that “nobody’s gotten to the bottom of 9/11” as he defended his decision to host the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series at his Bedminster course. Trump faces outrage from the families of 9/11 victims. He told ESPN the tournament’s Saudi sponsors “have been friends of mine for a long time.” The September 11, …

The Hill reports: The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol has “formalized” a process for sharing information with the DOJ as the department ramps up its own probe into the deadly riot. Chair Bennie Thomspon (D-Miss.) said the DOJ will now be able to obtain copies of depositions from the committee, abandoning an earlier demand …