The 2016 nightmare is already repeating itself  —  The latest developments in the Michael Flynn case should prompt us to revisit one of the most glaring failures in political journalism, one that lends credibility to baseless narratives pushed for purely instrumental purposes, perversely rewarding bad-faith actors in the process.

After Wisconsin court ruling, crowds liberated and thirsty descend on bars.  'We're the Wild West,' Gov. Tony Evers says.  —  On Wednesday night in the heart of downtown Platteville, Wis., just hours after the Wisconsin Supreme Court threw out the state's stay-at-home order, Nick's on 2nd was packed wall to wall, standing room only.

Postal Services launches review of package delivery fees as Trump influence grows  —  Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman will leave before new agency head Louis DeJoy takes the helm  —  Weeks before a Republican donor and top White House ally becomes postmaster general …

Coronavirus Is Making Young People Very Sick.  I Was One of Them.  —  Young, healthy people like me are getting very, very sick from the disease caused by the coronavirus.  —  Ms. Gay is a member of the editorial board.  —  The day before I got sick, I ran three miles, walked 10 more …

Michigan Cancels Legislative Session to Avoid Armed Protesters  —  Michigan closed down its capitol in Lansing on Thursday and canceled its legislative session rather than face the possibility of an armed protest and death threats against Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

Trump Feared Testing Too Many People for Virus Would Spook Stock Markets, Says Report  —  FAILURE TO ACT  —  President Trump was wary of making preparations for the coronavirus pandemic because he was concerned doing so would sent the stock market into a panic, the Financial Times reports.

Coronavirus is now invading Trump counties in the swing states  —  The novel coronavirus continues to shift our political geography.  The latest development: It's now penetrating counties in the battleground states that were carried by President Trump, which raises the possibility …

A sweeping setback for Trump's foreign business dealings  —  President Trump's decision not to divest himself of his businesses, in particular his foreign holdings or holdings that derive income from foreign governments, was a fateful error that flew in the face of precedent, clean government and the Constitution.

Trump encourages Pompeo to run for Senate but Secretary of State rebuffs him  —  President Trump recently encouraged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to reconsider running for the U.S. Senate in Kansas but Pompeo rebuffed the request, according to two people familiar with the conversation.

How Burr's stock scandal shocked the Senate  —  The Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday met as usual in a classified room in the Capitol.  During the meeting, Chairman Richard Burr discussed the next time the secretive panel would gather.  —  Less than 24 hours later …

Trump's company has received at least $970,000 from U.S. taxpayers for room rentals  —  The U.S. government has paid at least $970,000 to President Trump's company since Trump took office — including payments for more than 1,600 nightly room rentals at Trump's hotels and clubs …

De Blasio Relies on Aide Who Saw ‘No Proof’ Closures Curb Virus  —  The head of New York City's public hospitals pushed to keep the city open in early March.  Now Mayor de Blasio has put him in charge of contact tracing, deepening a rift with the Health Department.

Private jet company founded by Trump donor gets $27 million bailout  — A private jet company founded by a donor to President Donald Trump received nearly $27 million in government funding under a program run by the Treasury Department, according to government filings.

Top health officials vanish from national TV interviews as White House refocuses messaging  —  New York (CNN Business)The nation's top physicians have stopped appearing on national television for interviews as the White House exerts increased control over communications during the coronavirus pandemic …

The New York Times Surrendered to an Outrage Mob.  Journalism Will Suffer For It.  —  In a time in which even a virus has become the subject of partisan disinformation and myth-making, it's essential that mainstream journalistic institutions reaffirm their bona fides as disinterested purveyors of fact and honest brokers of controversy.

Nonprofit run by Trump nominee to head U.S. media agency is under investigation, senator says  —  A nonprofit organization that is run by President Trump's nominee to lead a federal media agency with oversight of Voice of America and other news outlets is under investigation by the District …

Officials release edited coronavirus reopening guidance  —  NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Thursday released some of their long-delayed guidance that schools, businesses and other organizations can use as states reopen from coronavirus shutdowns.  —  The Centers for Disease Control …

ACLU sues Betsy DeVos over new campus sexual assault rules  —  revised federal guidelines on how sexual assault allegations should be handled on college and K-12 campuses is the target of a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, claiming the changes would “inflict significant harm” on victims and “dramatically undermine” their civil rights.

Company tied to Trump campaign manager gets PPP loan  —  A company whose largest shareholder is Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale received nearly $800,000 from the federal coronavirus relief fund for small businesses, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Trump says testing may be ‘frankly overrated’  —  President Trump on Thursday suggested the practice of widespread coronavirus testing may be “overrated,” even as health experts insist it is critical to safely loosen restrictions and reopen businesses.  —  Trump boasted about the United …

Congratulations, Paulie: An ex-cellmate wishes the best to Paul Manafort  —  It was just about this time last year that I was lying in my cell's upper bunk and asking my bunky if he ever entertained the fantasy that the president would somehow engineer a pardon and get him released early.

Democrats scrutinize State Department plan to overhaul Social Security  —  The Democratic chairmen of two House panels are scrutinizing a State Department plan to overhaul Social Security that they say unfairly takes away Americans' entitlement benefits in exchange for a quick cash payment.

Transcripts: Clinton Aides Allied With Fusion GPS Pair After Election — to Re-Push Anti-Trump Dossier  —  Above, Hillary Clinton with her 2016 campaign chairman John Podesta.  He testified that he backed a new post-election, anti-Trump effort with Fusion GPS's principals and Daniel Jones …

Tara Reade's Dubious Claims and Shifting Stories Show the Limits of #BelieveWomen  —  Last year, a then-56-year-old California woman named Tara Reade publicly accused Joe Biden of sexual assaulting her in 1993.  The issue caused an awkward rift among Democrats, one that has only widened since Biden became …

Trump's marks for handling COVID-19 outbreak decline - CBS News poll  —  Americans continue to say they trust medical professionals for virus information, but Republicans also rank President Trump about as highly among their trusted sources, even as others give him his lowest marks to date for handling the outbreak.

Swing states hit as coronavirus rips small businesses  —  Data: U.S. Census Bureau; Cartogram: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios  —  New findings from the U.S. Census Bureau paint a bleak and detailed picture of how coronavirus is hitting small businesses.  —  The big picture: Half describe major suffering …

Pentagon fires its point person for Defense Production Act  —  Jennifer Santos, the Pentagon's industrial policy chief who oversees efforts to ramp up production of masks and other equipment to help fight Covid-19, was fired from her job this week and will move to a position in the Navy, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Michael Flynn's Fired Lawyers Just Filed Court Papers to Reappear in His Case  —  The federal judge overseeing Michael Flynn's criminal prosecution has directed the law firm that Flynn fired to reappear as an interested party in the controversial proceeding.  On Thursday, that firm complied by filing a notice of appearance.

Gov. Greg Abbott is limiting enforcement of COVID-19 orders, but many cities already took a lax approach  —  Texas cities and counties have dramatically different interpretations of the state's COVID-19 emergency orders.  Complaint data from a dozen cities shows that disparate approaches to enforcement …

Obama's former aides angry, hurt over Ronny Jackson's embrace of Trump's conspiracy theories  —  Former Obama officials expressed anger and a sense of betrayal after onetime White House doctor Ronny L. Jackson echoed President Trump's baseless conspiracy theories about their former boss, President Barack Obama.

Trump Jr. hits Howard Stern for going ‘establishment,’ ‘acting like Hillary’  —  Donald Trump Jr., the president's eldest son, knocked Howard Stern in a recent interview following comments the radio host made targeting his father and supporters of President Trump earlier this week.