Scientists say a now-dominant strain of the coronavirus appears to be more contagious than original  —  Scientists have identified a new strain of the coronavirus that has become dominant worldwide and appears to be more contagious than the versions that spread in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic …

MSU Poll: Bullock leads Daines in Senate contest  —  Bullock up 46-39; within margin of error  —  MT's U.S. Senate race attracting money from across the country.  —  HELENA — A new poll from Montana State University shows Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock leading Republican Sen. Steve Daines …

The plan is to have no plan  —  “There is no genius there, only a damaged human being playing havoc with our lives.” … The plan is to have no plan, to let daily deaths between and one and three thousand become a normal thing, and then to create massive confusion about who is responsible …

Trump: Coronavirus briefings will return, blasts ‘angry’ CBS News reporter  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that “everybody” enjoyed his White House coronavirus briefings — including himself — and vowed they will be back, just not daily.  —  In an Oval Office interview …

Another 1,700 virus deaths reported in NY nursing homes  —  ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York state is reporting more than 1,700 previously undisclosed deaths at nursing homes and adult care facilities as the state faces scrutiny over how it's protected vulnerable residents during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fauci: No scientific evidence the coronavirus was made in a Chinese lab  —  In an exclusive interview, the face of America's COVID-19 response cautions against the rush for states to reopen, and offers his tips for handling the pandemic's information deluge.  —  SCIENCE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE

15 Children Are Hospitalized With Mysterious Illness Possibly Tied to Covid-19  —  The health authorities in New York City issued an alert saying that the children had a syndrome that doctors do not yet fully understand.  —  Fifteen children, many of whom had the coronavirus …

'They're all LOSERS': Trump lashes out at conservative critics over new coronavirus ad  —  President Donald Trump late Monday lashed out online against a cadre of conservative critics seeking to thwart his reelection bid — a group that includes attorney George Conway, the husband of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway.

Trump's intel chief pick vows to ‘speak truth to power’  —  John Ratcliffe made the promise in his opening remarks at his confirmation hearing Tuesday.  —  John Ratcliffe, the Texas congressman whose bid to be director of national intelligence fell apart last summer amid evidence he exaggerated …

Democrats, Tara Reade and the #MeToo Trap  —  Don't compare the case against Joe Biden to the one against Brett Kavanaugh.  —  Here is one thing that Christine Blasey Ford and Tara Reade have in common: The Intercept reporter Ryan Grim was pivotal in publicizing their stories.

Barr urges Trump administration to back off call to fully strike down Obamacare  —  Washington (CNN)Attorney General William Barr made a last-minute push Monday to persuade the administration to modify its position in the Obamacare dispute that will be heard at the Supreme Court this fall …

Trump says ‘bailouts’ unfair to GOP since states needing aid ‘run by Democrats in every case’  —  The president said in an interview that N.Y., Calif. and Illinois “have been mismanaged over a long period of time.”  —  WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says it would be unfair to Republicans …

Coronavirus in the U.S.: An Unrelenting Crush of Cases and Deaths  —  While cities like New York have seen a hopeful drop in cases, upticks in other major cities and smaller communities have offset those decreases.  —  In New York City, the daily onslaught of death from the coronavirus has dropped to half of what it was.

Americans widely oppose reopening most businesses, despite easing of restrictions in some states, Post-U. Md. poll finds  —  Americans clearly oppose the reopening of restaurants, retail stores and other businesses, even as governors begin to lift restrictions that have kept the economy locked …

Kushner coronavirus effort said to be hampered by inexperienced volunteers  —  The coronavirus response being spearheaded by President Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has relied in part on volunteers from consulting and private equity firms with little expertise in the tasks to which they were assigned …

Money for Welfare Instead Funded Concerts, Lobbyists and Football Games, Audit Finds  —  According to a state audit, Mississippi allowed tens of millions of dollars in federal anti-poverty funds to be used in ways that did little or nothing to help the poor.

Two-thirds of Americans doubt the coronavirus death toll  —  Most Americans say they doubt the U.S. death count — but whether they think it's actually higher or lower depends on whether they're Democrats or Republicans, according to the latest installment of the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index.

The President Is Unraveling  —  In case there was any doubt, the past dozen days have proved we're at the point in his presidency where Donald Trump has become his own caricature, a figure impossible to parody, a man whose words and actions are indistinguishable from an Alec Baldwin skit on Saturday Night Live.

Biden's campaign to feature his letter exchanges with supporters in new digital series called ‘Sincerely, Joe Biden’  —  (CNN)After Susan Sahai watched Joe Biden's town hall for front line workers in the coronavirus crisis, she decided to write him a letter.

Australian intelligence knocks back US government's Wuhan lab virus claim  —  Australian intelligence agencies have questioned evidence trumpeted by United States officials supposedly linking the coronavirus to a Wuhan laboratory as concerns within the government grow that the push …

Newspaper's Top Editor Is Now a ‘Homeless’ Blogger  —  A 54-year-old journalist lost his job running an Indiana newspaper, as well as the apartment that went with it.  He moved to a Motel 6.  —  On Wednesday he was laid off.  On Friday he was living in a Motel 6.

‘Pelosi,’ by Molly Ball: An Excerpt  —  From an early age, Nancy D'Alesandro realized her mother never had much chance to be a person.  —  Annunciata Lombardi had always wanted more out of life.  After high school, she found work as an auctioneer, but she gave it up to get married at nineteen.

The President Should Resign  —  If Donald Trump really wants to do what is right for the American public, save lives, and save the economy, he should resign—soon.  —  Since about February 20, when the stock market began its plunge, the world has understood that the coronavirus outbreak was more than a regional concern.

CNN sends Trump campaign cease-and-desist letter for misleading ad  —  New York (CNN Business)A lawyer for CNN's parent company WarnerMedia has written a cease-and-desist letter to President Trump's re-election campaign over the misleading contents of a new campaign ad.

Pfizer Begins Human Trials of Possible Coronavirus Vaccine  —  The drug company, along with a German partner, is running tests in healthy volunteers.  It's one of several companies on an accelerated timetable to try to find a safe, effective vaccine.  —  Pfizer and the German pharmaceutical …

Coronavirus cuts ‘deep scars’ through meatpacking cities  —  IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — As the coronavirus spread from the nation's meatpacking plants to the broader communities where they are located, it burned through a modest duplex in Waterloo, Iowa.  —  In the downstairs unit lived Jim Orvis …

Woke Totalitarianism Wins A Big One  —  Some commenters on this blog think I'm way out of line saying that the totalitarian threat in the US comes much more from the left than the right.  Didn't I see the men with rifles in the Michigan statehouse?  (Yes, I did — and I criticized them.)

Most Events in the Lincoln Memorial Are Banned.  Trump Got an Exception.  —  Citing the “extraordinary crisis” of the coronavirus, the interior secretary relaxed the rules so the president could hold a Fox News interview in one of the nation's most hallowed spaces.

Why You Shouldn't Add The Q To LGBT  —  Not adding the Q to LGBT has to do with some very important particulars of the gay and lesbian movement and its public relations goals.  —  Today, most people are adding the “Q” to LGBT.  They shouldn't, and let me explain why.  —  Some add the Q through innocent mindlessness.

POLITICO Playbook: How much would you pay for a ‘virtual dinner’ with Hillary Clinton?  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  NUGGET: WE'RE TOLD THAT Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT and Iowa Gov. KIM REYNOLDS are expected at the White House this week.  —  NEW ... HILLARY CLINTON is appearing at a “virtual dinner” …

Trump and His Infallible Advisers  —  Beware men who never admit having been wrong.  —  “You have 15 people, and the 15 within a couple of days is going to be down close to zero.”  —  We have contained this, and the economy is “holding up nicely.”  —  It's not nearly as serious as the common flu.

Lockdown Extremism Is a Vice  —  We've flattened the curve.  Now let states and municipalities decide when to loosen up.  —  We will be in a fight against the coronavirus for months, if not years, and yet it is time to declare mission accomplished on one very important goal.