White House will not sign on to Christchurch call to stamp out online extremism amid free speech concerns  —  The White House will not sign an international call to combat online extremism brokered between French and New Zealand officials and top social media companies, amid U.S. concerns …

Televangelist Pat Robertson: Alabama's abortion ban is ‘extreme’ and has ‘gone too far’  —  Longtime televangelist Pat Robertson decried Alabama's new abortion ban as “extreme,” saying on his show on Wednesday that the state legislature has “gone too far.”  —  Alabama's law …

Trump, frustrated by advisers, is not convinced the time is right to attack Iran  —  The Trump administration has been on high alert in response to what military and intelligence officials have deemed specific and credible threats from Iran against U.S. personnel in the Middle East.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce presidential bid  —  Bill de Blasio is not exactly popular back home, but he has a record of progressive accomplishments that allies think will resonate with Democratic voters.  —  WASHINGTON — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio will declare …

Scoop: Kamala Harris/Fox News  —  Scoop: Sen. Kamala Harris Will Not Appear On Fox News For A Town Hall  —  Presidential candidate and California Sen. Kamala Harris will not appear on Fox News for a moderated town hall, according to two sources familiar with the matter.

Barr asks Pelosi at event: ‘Did you bring your handcuffs?’  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General William Barr tried out a little contempt humor on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, with interesting results.  —  The setting was the National Peace Officers Memorial Day service Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

Howard Schultz delays decision on 2020, Biden the factor  —  Billionaire businessman and former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz has delayed his decision on whether to run for president as an independent as he assesses the possibility of former Vice President Joe Biden capturing …

“You Have to Have a Plan to Deal with Them”: How the Media Fell Out of Love with Beto O'Rourke  —  Parsing the the factors (privilege, intersectionality, more press scrutiny, strategic miscalculation, multiple opponents, Vanity Fair) that contributed to O'Rourke's early-season swoon.

Trump's prized Doral resort is in steep decline, according to company documents, showing his business problems are mounting  —  Late last year, in a Miami conference room, a consultant for President Trump's company said business at his prized 643-room Doral resort was in sharp decline.

Administration wants to reimburse Taliban's travel expenses  —  The Trump administration asked Congress earlier this year for funds to reimburse Afghanistan's Taliban for expenses the insurgent group incurs attending peace talks, according to a spokesman for the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense.

Trump pardons billionaire friend Conrad Black who wrote book about him  —  President Trump gave a full pardon to a longtime friend who last year authored a glowing book about Trump's successes.  —  Conrad Black was convicted in 2007 on fraud charges, including alleged embezzlement, and obstruction of justice.

Obama ad-maker signs on with Buttigieg  —  Pete Buttigieg just added major heft to his presidential campaign, picking up the advertising firm that aided Barack Obama's 2008 rise to the national stage.  —  Larry Grisolano and John Del Cecato of AKPD Message and Media, are joining Buttigieg's team …

John Bolton, Far Worse Than You Realize  —  Looking at the escalating (US-created) crisis with Iran, one thing I realize is that a lot of people do not quite know who John Bolton is.  They assume - rightly - that anyone in the Trump orbit must be either a moral weakling, a crazy person or someone with one foot out the door.

Intuit CEO in Internal Video: Hiding Free TurboTax Was In “Best Interest of Taxpayers”  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom based in New York.  Sign up for ProPublica's Big Story newsletter to receive stories like this one in your inbox as soon as they are published.

The Trump Admin Is Scrubbing Obamacare From Government Sites  —  PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS never been coy about his desire to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.  While that pledge has faced setbacks in Congress, his administration has managed to gut Obamacare by other means, like cutting financial support.

Trump signs order to protect U.S. networks from foreign espionage, a move that appears to target China  —  Amid a deepening trade war with China, President Trump on Wednesday declared a “national emergency” to protect U.S. communications networks in a move that gives the federal government broad powers …

Trump Administration to LGBT Couples: Your ‘Out of Wedlock’ Kids Aren't Citizens  —  Children of U.S. citizens are falling victim to a policy that de-recognizes their parents' marriage—and strips them of their birthright citizenship.  —  Scott Bixby  —  No parent can ever be fully prepared for the arrival of a new baby.

Kasich adviser will lobby against potential Russia sanctions  —  John Weaver, the top strategist for John Kasich's presidential campaign in 2016, has registered as a foreign agent and plans to lobby against potential sanctions on Russia.  —  Weaver signed a contract last month to lobby …

The Met Will Turn Down Sackler Money Amid Fury Over the Opioid Crisis  —  The Metropolitan Museum of Art said on Wednesday that it would stop accepting gifts from members of the Sackler family linked to the maker of OxyContin, severing ties between one of the world's most prestigious museums …

CREW Requests Ron DeSantis NDA on Election Interference  —  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis reportedly met with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security following the revelation in the Mueller Report “that ‘at least one’ Florida county had its election information accessed by Russian hackers in 2016.”

Harvard Betrays a Law Professor — and Itself  —  Misguided students believe that defending Harvey Weinstein makes Ronald Sullivan unfit to be their dean.  Apparently the university agrees.  —  Professor Kennedy teaches law at Harvard.  —  I have been a professor at Harvard University for 34 years.

Key Democrat to help Lipinski—despite primary threat  —  U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, a fellow Illinoisan and head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is slated to star at a fundraiser for the Southwest Side congressman.  —  By On Politics  —  As Southwest Side congressman Dan …