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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

The Supreme Court just allowed Trump's expansion of deportations to go unchecked  —  President Donald Trump visits the US-Mexico border fence in Otay Mesa, California, on September 18, 2019.  Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images  —  Asylum seekers now have little recourse to challenge fast-tracked deportations.

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

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

‘Faces of the conquerors’: Trump trip to Rushmore draws fire  —  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump's plans to kick off Independence Day with a showy display at Mount Rushmore are drawing sharp criticism from Native Americans who view the monument as a desecration of land violently stolen …

‘We are just gonna go out and start slaughtering them’: Three cops fired after racist talk of killing black residents  —  Sitting in his patrol car in Wilmington, N.C., Officer Michael “Kevin” Piner predicted Black Lives Matter protests would soon lead to civil war.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice forces out top health official, questions accuracy of coronavirus data amid outbreaks  —  CHARLESTON, W.Va. — West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice forced out the commissioner of his public health bureau on Wednesday, hours after he publicly questioned the accuracy …

The world is putting America in quarantine  —  The United States is in the midst of a full-blown second wave of coronavirus.  According to Worldometers, Tuesday had 36,015 new cases — the highest number since May 1, and the third-highest ever.  Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, California …

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.

Trump Brother Was in ICU Just Before Filing Suit Over Tell-All  —  Robert Trump, Donald's younger brother, spent at least 10 days in a neuro intensive care unit just before launching legal action to stop the publication of his niece's book.  —  Robert Trump, Donald's younger brother …

U.S. public more aware of racial inequality but still rejects reparations: Reuters/Ipsos polling  —  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans are growing increasingly aware of racial inequality in the United States, but a large majority still oppose the use of one-time payments, known as reparations …

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.”

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 …

Here's The Good COVID-19 News That's Being Buried By The Press  —  Once again, the U.S. is undergoing a media-driven COVID-19 scare after a “spike” in infections.  But as we noted earlier this week, the number of cases depends on the amount of testing.  The key gauge to watch is deaths.

U.S. Marshals told to prepare to help protect monuments nationwide as Trump targets people who vandalize structures during protests  —  U.S. Marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, according to an email directive viewed by The Washington Post …

Trump team looks to prevent a Tulsa-style debacle in Jacksonville  —  President Donald Trump wasn't the only one thrown off course by a lower-than-expected turnout at his comeback rally in Tulsa.  —  Republican officials and Trump campaign aides, some of whom have been working since last year …

Dozens of Secret Service officers and agents told to self-quarantine after Trump's Tulsa rally  —  Dozens of Secret Service officers and agents who were on site for President Trump's rally in Tulsa last week were ordered to self-quarantine after two of their colleagues tested positive …

Anti-racism protesters mistakenly topple statue of US anti-slavery leader Heg, Charleston's Calhoun statue removed after 16 hours  —  A statue of one of America's fiercest anti-slavery activists has been decapitated and dragged into a lake after being wrongly targeted by anti-racism protesters during …

Conservative Principles Never Require You to Submit to Tyranny  —  There's a basic rule that far too many conservatives ignore: if some alleged conservative principle makes you less free, then it's not a good conservative principle and you should toss it in the trash.

Keir Starmer sacks shadow education secretary  —  LONDON — U.K. Labour Leader Keir Starmer sacked one of his top team for sharing an article which he said contained an “anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.”  —  Starmer took the decision Thursday afternoon, hours after Rebecca Long-Bailey approvingly retweeted …