Colorado's Democratic governor, Jared Polis, is calling for more "legitimate" conversations about a possible replacement for President Joe Biden on the November ballot despite Biden's pushback.

Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., joined with Republicans to block the nomination of a judge who ruled a transgender woman convicted of sex crimes should be transferred to a women's prison, The Hill reported.

A judge threw out Rudy Giuliani 's bankruptcy case on Friday, finding that the former New York City mayor had flouted process with a lack of transparency.U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane formalized the decision after saying he was leaning toward doing so on Wednesday....

The families of U.S. hostages being held in Gaza are asking to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits Washington, D.C. to address members of Congress, Axios reported.

The price of first-class U.S. mail stamps will rise on Sunday to 73 cents from 68 cents, the latest in a series of price hikes.

U.S. — In a much-needed surge in popularity after disastrous debate performances and gaffe-filled public appearances, Presiden Joe Biden's popularity skyrocketed overnight after he announced Donald Trump as his vice presidential running mate.

Recent findings from Kenya’s Kakapel Rockshelter highlight the origins and development of ancient farming in East Africa, detailing the introduction of crops like cowpea and...

Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the Risky Research Review Act on Wednesday, aiming to establish an independent board dedicated to overseeing and approving federal funding for “high-risk life sciences research” projects. Under this proposal, a Life Sciences Research Security Board within the executive branch would be responsible for ensuring oversight over federal funding in life sciences research to safeguard public health, safety, and national security. Projects falling into this category would require majority approval from the board to receive federal funding. The legislation defines “high-risk life sciences research” as any scientific inquiry capable of endangering public health. This includes research such as gain-of-function studies, genetic modification or synthetic creation of potential pandemic pathogens, and activities related to the collection or monitoring of such pathogens. On Thursday morning, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs also convened an oversight hearing entitled “Risky Research: Oversight of U.S. Taxpayer Funded High-Risk Virus Research.” Testimony was heard from relevant field experts including Dr. Gerald Parker, Dr. Carrie Wolinetz, Dr. Robert Redfield, and Dr. Kevin Esvelt. During his opening statement, Senator Gary Peters (D-MI) appeared open to considering legislation similar to Paul’s proposal, suggesting potential bipartisan interest will be necessary in properly addressing this issue. Paul reminded the committee that since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, not much work has been done to mitigate the issue of gain-of-function research: “So what has been done since the discovery that our government is funding dangerous virus research overseas with little or no oversight? The answer is stark and chilling: virtually nothing.”  Wolinetz, Senior Principal and Chair Health & Bioscience Innovation Practice Group at Lewis-Burke Associates and the “de facto Fauci/NIH witness” claimed in her opening statement that the United States already has “the most rigorous system of pathogen research in the world.”  She argued, “If we make it too hard for scientists to conduct and communicate the findings of experiments that expand our knowledge of pathogens, we will be less prepared for the next emerging biological threat.”  This line of thinking garnered the ire of Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), who heavily pressed Wolinetz on her involvement in gain-of-function research before and during the pandemic, along with her claims that censorship about the lab leak theory did not occur during her tenure at the NIH. “You don’t believe censorship took place? What world are you living in?” he asked. “Tell that to the scientists who basically lost their credentials. Tell that to the people who were kicked off of social media and banned because they asked about a lab leak…. The privilege is astounding.” With the introduction of the new Risky Research Review Act, Paul and the committee members hope that protecting Americans from future pandemics is within reach. Paul said, “In this dystopian universe we find ourselves in, it is our duty to challenge the status quo—to shine a light on the darkest corners of government operations, and to protect the freedoms and lives of the people we serve.” The post Rand Paul: Gain-of-Function Research is the ‘Nuclear Threat of Our Time’ appeared first on The American Conservative.

Statements by France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin seem to indicate that steep tax increases are unlikely under. In the aftermath of Sunday’s legislative elections, in which Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hard-left “New Popular Front” (NFP) won the most seats, the coalition floated a 90 percent income tax on top earners. Speaking to CNews on Wednesday, Darmanin said, “The program of the New Popular Front is delusional.” Referring to the NFP’s plans to raise the minimum wage and index salaries to inflation, Darmanin stated, “This is not the solution.”  Darmanin also said that he will vote against any tax increase, and that he opposes any NFP government.  “I will immediately censor any people, governments that come from this left,” he said. Darmanin’s statements are significant as they suggest that Macron’s Ensemble, though happy to work with the hard-left to defeat the conservative Rassemblement National electorally, is otherwise hesitant about Mélenchon’s agenda. As no bloc—left, right, or center—holds more than a third of the seats in the National Assembly, this suggests that the next three years of French politics will be contentious. The French people seem to agree with Darmanin’s rejection of the hard left. According to a poll published on Thursday, 73 percent of French people reject a hard-left government, while 61 percent are dissatisfied with the configuration of the parliament following the legislative elections. The post French Interior Minister Ices Mélenchon’s Economic Plans appeared first on The American Conservative.