Intel chief releases info on ‘unmasking’ of Flynn to Capitol Hill  —  Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell on Wednesday sent top Republican senators a list of former senior Obama administration officials who might have been involved in efforts that “unmasked” …

Team Trump Pushes CDC to Revise Down Its COVID Death Counts  —  The president and members of his task force are skeptical of the numbers and want the methodology changed.  —  President Donald Trump and members of his coronavirus task force are pushing officials at the Centers for Disease Control …

If the President Tests Positive for the Virus, What Happens?  —  The news last week that President Trump's valet and Vice President Pence's press secretary had both contracted the coronavirus sent a scare through the White House.  While officials said both leaders subsequently tested negative …

CNN Poll: Biden tops Trump nationwide, but battlegrounds tilt Trump  —  (CNN)Presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden's lead over President Donald Trump now stands at five points, but Trump has an edge in the critical battleground states that could decide the electoral college, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.

Joe Biden's running mate list is shorter than you might think — for now, at least  —  Washington (CNN)Joe Biden says he has his eye on a dozen women as potential running mates, but those close to him believe the list of top prospects is likely far shorter as a deep vetting process gets underway …

Rick Bright will warn Congress of ‘darkest winter in modern history’ without ramped up coronavirus response  —  Ousted vaccine director files whistleblower complaint  —  (CNN)Dr. Rick Bright, the ousted director of a key federal office charged with developing medical countermeasures …

Trump has a major vulnerability.  Democrats should keep pounding it.  —  It may seem like grotesque malpractice — both from a political and a public health standpoint.  But it's true: Amid a pandemic that has killed more than 80,000 Americans, President Trump and many Republicans …

Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort released to home confinement amid coronavirus concerns  —  Manafort's lawyers had requested release, citing age, pre-existing conditions.  —  President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort has been released from prison to serve the remainder …

High-risk states are seeing fewer new coronavirus cases  —  The first stages of reopening haven't produced a surge in coronavirus cases in most states — at least, not yet.  —  Yes, but: The reopening process is still in its early stages, so a second wave of infections still remains distinctly possible.

Powell Warns of Broad Virus Danger, Bats Down Negative Rates  — Fed chair says outlook uncertain, downside risks significant  — Says more fiscal aid may be worth cost to limit long-term harm  —  The U.S. economy faces unprecedented risks from the coronavirus if fiscal …

Steve King says House leader will allow for ‘exoneration,’ return of committee assignments  —  SIOUX CITY — Northwest Iowa Congressman Steve King said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has agreed to a process by which the nine-term incumbent can get “exoneration” and back on committees …

As Coronavirus Restrictions Lift, Millions in U.S. Are Leaving Home Again  —  Where people started leaving home again  —  Percentage point change in the share of people staying home  —  Note: The map shows the change in the average share of people sheltering at home from May 1 to May 8 …

We don't have a president, or a plan  —  A member of the Secret Service stands wearing a surgical mask as President Trump arrives for a news conference at the White House on May 11.  Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images  —  60 days into the coronavirus crisis, the White House does not have a plan …

Who You Calling Sleepy Joe?:  Biden on His Youth Agenda, Internet Memes, and Fighting Trump From His House  —  “Young people want the truth,” says the presumptive Democratic nominee.  And “I sometimes say more than I mean, but no one doubts I mean what I say.”

GOP wins special election in California after Democrat concedes  —  Republicans have won a special election for Congress in Southern California, reclaiming a suburban House seat that they lost to Democrats in the 2018 midterms.  —  Democrat Christy Smith, a state assemblywoman …

Get Ready for a Vaccine Information War  —  Social media is already filling up with misinformation about a Covid-19 vaccine, months or years before one even exists.  —  The other night, midway through watching a clip from “Plandemic” — a documentary that went viral on social media last week …

Fox News Airs Digital Show Starring Alex Berenson, Coronavirus Truther  —  Public-health experts have taken issue with the former reporter's militantly contrarian takes on the pandemic, but he's found a home in the right-wing media ecosystem.  —  Fox News recently aired a new one-off documentary …

New US coronavirus hotspots appear in Republican heartlands  —  New coronavirus hotspots are emerging in Republican heartland communities across multiple states, contradicting Donald Trump's claims that infection rates are declining across the nation.  —  Fauci says US reopening …

Justices fear ‘chaos’ from rogue Electoral College delegates  —  Supreme Court debates requiring presidential electors how to vote  —  Raising the potential of “chaos” in coming presidential elections, the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday signaled support for several states' efforts to crack …

BuzzFeed pulls plug on UK and Australian news operations  —  Website says it will focus on news that ‘hits big’ in US after advertising revenue dried up  —  BuzzFeed is to end its news operations in the UK and Australia, effectively marking the end of the digital upstart's global ambition to shake up traditional news media.

Gretchen Whitmer Targets 77-Year-Old Barber's Livelihood, Strips Operating License ‘Without a Hearing’  —  Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is waging an increasingly high-profile battle against an elderly barber, and he appears to be winning in both the courts of law and public opinion.

Maternity ward massacre shakes Afghanistan and its peace process  —  Orooj Hakimi, Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Hamid Shalizi  —  KABUL (Reuters) - After struggling to get pregnant for years, Zainab, 27, gave birth to a baby boy on Tuesday morning at a small hospital in the southwestern corner of Kabul.

The two big reasons why California is struggling to control coronavirus  —  California hasn't seen the huge death toll from the coronavirus like New York and other hot spots, but the state is still struggling with a growing number of fatalities and confirmed cases.  —  COVID-19 deaths in California remain at a stubborn plateau.

The Strange Origins Of Trump's Hydroxychloroquine Obsession  —  How a “philosopher” who tweets anti-Semitism, two bitcoin bros and right-wing media helped put an idea in the president's head.  —  President Donald Trump's obsession with the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a treatment …

Aspen Institute think tank receives $8 million federal small-business loan  —  Decision to accept funds despite $115 million endowment and billionaire board members divides group's leadership  —  The Aspen Institute think tank accepted more than $8 million in federal small-businesses funds despite having …

Think we have military primacy over China?  Think again.  —  Here's a fact that ought to startle every American who assumes that because we spend nearly $1 trillion each year on defense, we have primacy over our emerging rival, China.  —  “Over the past decade, in U.S. war games against China …