Breaking precedent, White House won't release formal economic projections this summer that would forecast extent of downturn  —  The president's aides will not publish updated economic forecasts, citing volatility in U.S. economy  —  White House officials have decided not to release updated …

George Floyd protest turns violent, deadly; Minneapolis mayor requests National Guard  —  “We can have peaceful demonstrations,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.  “But I also have to ensure the safety of everyone in the city.”  —  The mayor of Minneapolis has requested help …

The Psychopath in Chief … Among the accomplishments Trump parades most proudly is that he has won eighteen golf club championships.  Like so many of his claims, this one is pure fiction.  When the sportswriter Rick Reilly investigated for his book Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump …

GOP operatives worry Trump will lose both the presidency and Senate majority  —  Washington (CNN)A little more than three months ago, as Democrats cast their ballots in the Nevada caucuses, Republicans felt confident about their chances in 2020.  The coronavirus seemed a distant, far-off threat.

‘Callous liars’: Pennsylvania Democrats say GOP put them at risk by hiding member's positive covid-19 test  —  Democratic state legislators in Pennsylvania accused their Republican counterparts Wednesday of keeping a GOP lawmaker's positive coronavirus diagnosis under wraps for days …

Graham urges senior judges to step aside before November election so Republicans can fill vacancies  —  Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday urged federal judges who are in their mid-to-late 60s to step aside so that Republicans, increasingly nervous …

Get Republicans to Vote Against Trump?  This Group Will Spend $10 Million to Try  —  A new organization, Republican Voters Against Trump, is testing the premise of whether there are really any persuadable voters left.  —  WASHINGTON — Four years ago, 50 of the country's …

‘Sorry, no mask allowed’: Some businesses pledge to keep out customers who cover their faces  —  For 64 days, Kevin Smith had shut down the Liberty Tree Tavern to comply with government orders.  Now he was cleaning and disinfecting and removing stools to cut seating by three-quarters as he prepared to reopen the bar.

Administration initially dispensed scarce covid-19 drug to some hospitals that didn't need it  —  Officials describe early missteps that delayed treatment to critically ill patients.  —  The Trump administration mishandled the initial distribution of the only approved coronavirus medication …

Americans on Unemployment Benefits Post First Drop of Pandemic  — Continuing claims fell to 21.1 million in week ended May 16  — Initial jobless claims totaled 2.12 million last week  —  U.S. states' jobless rolls shrank for the first time during the coronavirus pandemic …

Exclusive: U.S. taxpayers' virus relief went to firms that avoided U.S. tax  —  LONDON/BOSTON (Reuters) - Last month Zagg Inc, a Utah-based company that makes mobile device accessories, received more than $9.4 million in cash from a U.S. government program that has provided emergency loans …

Trump is courting a landslide defeat  —  US president's bungled coronavirus response has alienated crucial older voters  —  Donald Trump's 2016 victory caught most people by surprise, including him.  The safest position since then has been to assume he will do it again.

Famed Democratic pollster: Warren as VP would lead to Biden victory  —  Stan Greenberg, one of the Democratic Party's longtime leading pollsters, urged Hillary Clinton in 2016 to pick Elizabeth Warren as her vice president.  He thinks Clinton would be president had she listened.

Pence Chief Of Staff Owns Stocks That Could Conflict With Coronavirus Response  —  Audio will be available later today.  —  Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, owns between $506,043 and $1.64 million worth of individual stocks in companies doing work related …

Missouri Statewide General Election Survey Results  —  We Ask America, a nationally recognized polling firm, today released the first in a series of 2020 statewide public opinion polls from across the country.  The first state tested is Missouri and produced very strong approval ratings …

The NSA has a warning: Russia's most infamous hackers are still active  —  The same Russian intelligence unit that leaked Democrats' files in 2016 is engaged in an ongoing email hacking campaign, the National Security Agency announced Thursday.  —  Hackers in Russia's GRU …

Kellyanne Conway Voted By Mail — But She Thinks You Should Have To Wait In Line  —  She argued that if you'd wait an hour to buy a cupcake, you ought to be able to wait that long to vote.  Yet in 2018, she ditched the line and voted by mail.  —  WASHINGTON — White House aide Kellyanne Conway …

Trump continues to claim broad powers he doesn't have  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Threatening to shut down Twitter for flagging false content.  Claiming he can “override” governors who dare to keep churches closed to congregants.  Asserting the “absolute authority” to force states to reopen, even when local leaders say it's too soon.

Tim Kaine tests positive for coronavirus antibodies  —  Sen. Tim Kaine announced Thursday that he and his wife have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.  —  In a statement, the Virginia Democrat and former vice presidential hopeful explained that after testing positive for the flu, he continued to experience symptoms.

New poll shows Sara Gideon leading Susan Collins by 9 points  —  Ethan: Did you take a look at the new poll on the U.S. Senate race I just sent?  It shows U.S. Sen. Susan Collins losing 51 percent to 42 percent to House Speaker Sara Gideon!  —  Phil: A-yuh.  Sobering news for Susan.

Lights.  Camera.  Makeup.  And a Carefully Placed 1,246-Page Book.  —  ‘The Power Broker,’ a biography by Robert Caro has become a must-have prop for numerous politicians and reporters appearing on camera from home.  —  It is 46 years old, weighs nearly four pounds in paperback …

Pelosi slams McConnell on stimulus delay: “You want a pause?  Tell that to the virus”  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi lambasted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Thursday for delaying moving forward on the next coronavirus relief package.  —  The big picture: McConnell has said for weeks …

Understanding the Michael Flynn Case: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff, and the Proper from the Improper  —  There's been a great deal of discussion over the past couple of weeks about whether Judge Emmett Sullivan should, must, or cannot grant the Department of Justice's recent motion …

When hard data are ‘heartbreaking’: Testing blitz in San Francisco shows Covid-19 struck mostly low-wage workers  —  Early in the coronavirus outbreak, as the first infected patients trickled into Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Diane Havlir noticed a troubling trend.