Biden Builds Polling Lead in Battleground States, With Strength Among White Voters  —  NYT UPSHOT/  —  SIENA COLLEGE POLL  —  Joe Biden holds a strong lead among registered voters in six battleground states carried by Donald Trump in 2016.  —  2016 Result NYT/Siena  —  Michigan  —  Trump

The 3 most populous states are breaking coronavirus records, leading to fears of ‘apocalyptic’ surges  —  (CNN)The three most populous states set records for new coronavirus cases daily and there are fears of “apocalyptic” surges in major Texas cities if the trend continues.

The coronavirus surge is real, and it's everywhere  —  The coronavirus pandemic is getting dramatically worse in almost every corner of the U.S.  —  The big picture: The U.S. today is getting closer to the worst-case scenario envisioned in the spring — a nationwide crisis …

New research explores how conservative media misinformation may have intensified the severity of the pandemic  —  The three studies paint a picture of a media ecosystem that entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking steps to protect themselves and others

CDC says COVID-19 cases in U.S. may be 10 times higher than reported  —  The true number of Americans who've been infected with COVID-19 may top 20 million, according to new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  —  “Our best estimate right now is that for every case that's reported …

Treasury sent more than 1 million coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people, congressional watchdog finds  —  The checks sent to dead people as of April 30 totaled nearly $1.4 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office  —  The federal government sent coronavirus stimulus payments …

Trump's pick for Manhattan U.S. attorney refuses to say he would recuse from probes of president's associates  —  President Trump's nominee to take over the Manhattan federal prosecutors office after the abrupt dismissal of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman refused on Thursday to say whether …

Judge Tosses Trump Family Attempt to Block Mary Trump's Tell-All  —  A Queens County Surrogate Court Judge cited “several improprieties” in Robert Trump's attempt to block niece Mary's tell-all, slated to be published this fall.  —  A New York judge has tossed an application …

She Wanted to Be a Republican President.  She's Voting for Biden.  —  Republicans who say Donald Trump should lose in November but insist they won't vote for Joe Biden aren't being honest, Carly Fiorina argues.  —  Fiorina was a Republican candidate for president just four years ago …

How the Virus Won  —  Invisible outbreaks sprang up everywhere.  The United States ignored the warning signs.  We analyzed travel patterns, hidden infections and genetic data to show how the epidemic spun out of control.  —  Invisible outbreaks sprang up everywhere.  The United States ignored the warning signs.

Lobbyist Jack Abramoff Charged in Crypto-Currency Case, U.S. Says  —  Jack Abramoff, the onetime Washington insider who went to prison in a lobbying scandal, was charged with a criminal conspiracy related to crypto currency and lobbying disclosure, a U.S. prosecutor said.

Defense Secretary Faces White House Pressure on Aides and a Military Promotion  —  Senior Defense Department personnel who are perceived as White House critics are resigning or facing what is viewed as reprisal.  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is facing a hemorrhage of talent …

Why Did the Washington Post Get This Woman Fired?  —  Last week, when Sue Schafer learned that the Washington Post planned to publish a story about one of the dumbest things she had ever done, she had the same question that many readers would have about the resulting 3,000-word article …

The dirty secret behind Ben Shapiro's extraordinary success on Facebook  —  Founder of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro.  (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)  —  The success of The Daily Wire, the website run by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro, on Facebook is mind-boggling.

Poll Shows Trump Dragging Down G.O.P. Senate Candidates  —  Tomorrow: How voters see Mr. Biden's possible vice presidential choices.

Moscow Held Back Dirt So It Could Slime President Hillary  —  “They fully expected Hillary Clinton to become president, and [the Russians] wanted to have bullets they could use during her presidential term,” John Brennan said.  —  BEAST INSIDE  —  After four years, 34 indictments …

The Far Right Establishes Autonomous Zone Safe Space App Parler  —  ‘Free Speech!’ cry the snowflakes seeking a place to vent about their triggered feelings.  —  Twitter will “soon fade into a little cry room for the leftists babies who need a safe space from words,” user Snyderart tweeted …

Senate passes China sanctions bill after White House relents  —  The Senate on Thursday passed a sweeping sanctions bill targeting China's violations of Hong Kong's independence, a week after the White House helped stall the legislation.  —  The bill, which imposes mandatory sanctions on individuals …

Fired Wilmington cop: “We are just going to go out and start slaughtering them f—  ni—.  I can't wait.  God, I can't wait.  " [Free read]  —  Editor's note: This article contains extremely graphic and racist language, reader discretion is advised.  —  WILMINGTON — “We are just gonna …

AG Pax­ton Files Brief Ask­ing SCO­TUS to Declare Oba­macare Unlawful  —  Attorney General Paxton today filed a brief asking the United States Supreme Court to declare Obamacare unlawful in its entirety.  At the heart of Obamacare is an individual mandate commanding Americans …

Dear Reviewer 2: Go F' Yourself  —  Abstract  —  Objectives  —  The objective of this study was to empirically test the wide belief that Reviewer #2 is a uniquely poor reviewer.  —  Methods  —  The test involved analyzing the reviewer database from Political Behavior .  There are two main tests.

A European ban on US travelers would send a humbling message  —  David A. Andelman, executive director of The Red Lines Project, is a contributor to CNN, where his columns won the Deadline Club Award for best opinion writing.  Author of “A Shattered Peace: Versailles 1919 and the Price We Pay Today …

Trump Administration May End Congressional Review of Foreign Arms Sales  —  Discussions are underway about ending an informal review process because lawmakers from both parties have held up arms sales to Saudi Arabia over civilian casualties in Yemen.  —  The Trump administration …

The 6 Trump Bombshells Still Waiting to Explode  —  We have known since nearly the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency that he believes his first attorney general was a dangerous idiot.  We have known for nearly as long that his first secretaries of state and defense think the same thing about Trump.

Threats and racist tirades against Sen. Tim Scott increasing  —  Editor's note: This story contains disturbing language.  —  (CNN)GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has seen an uptick in racist and profanity-laced voicemails at his office since becoming the lead Republican on police reform legislation …

NASA will name its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer  —  (CNN)NASA is renaming its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer who helped inspire the story behind the book and film “Hidden Figures.”

In Racist Screed, NYT's 1619 Project Founder Calls ‘White Race’ ‘Barbaric Devils,’ ‘Bloodsuckers,’ Columbus ‘No Different Than Hitler’  —  In an indication of what was to come, the founder of the New York Times' 1619 Project penned a lengthy racist screed attacking all white people in 1995.

The head of US broadcasting is leaning toward pro-Trump propaganda.  Biden would fire him.  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign exclusively told Vox he plans to fire US Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack if Biden becomes president.  —  If Joe Biden wins the presidency …

Live updates: Top U.S. health official estimates 10 undiagnosed coronavirus cases for each confirmed one  —  The Washington Post is providing this important information about the coronavirus for free.  For more free coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, sign up for our Coronavirus Updates newsletter where all stories are free to read.