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

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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

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 …

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'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 …

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 …

White House meetings on Israeli annexations end with no decision  —  Discussions at the White House on the Trump administration's plan on how to handle possible Israeli annexations in the West Bank ended with no final decision, a U.S. official told me.  —  Why it matters: The fact …

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.”

Trump Mulls Ending Heads-Up to Congress on U.S. Weapons Sales  —  Administration officials say they are tired of regular efforts by Capitol Hill to review arms exports to Saudi Arabia and other nations.  —  The Trump administration is in discussions to end a decades-old practice …

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 …

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 …

Bank stocks surge after regulators ease Volcker Rule, JPMorgan Chase climbs 2%  — U.S. banking regulators are about to ease restrictions created in the aftermath of the Great Recession, a development that sent bank stocks surging.  — FDIC officials said they are loosening the restrictions …

The Temptation of Kayleigh McEnany  —  Kayleigh McEnany marched past a graffiti-covered wall and black metal security barriers, her signature cross necklace dangling above her double-breasted navy blazer.  She watched as President Donald Trump held a Bible aloft in front of St. John's Episcopal Church.

Multiple Trump campaign staffers quarantining after Tulsa rally  —  Dozens of Secret Service agents to self-quarantine after rally  —  (CNN)All of President Donald Trump's campaign staffers who attended his rally in Tulsa on Saturday are quarantining this week after interacting …

‘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 …

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.

Disney to “completely reimagine” Splash Mountain due to connections to racist film  —  Disney will rebrand the popular ride Splash Mountain at its theme parks in Florida and California because of its connection to the racist 1946 film, “Song of the South,” the company announced Thursday.

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 Dixie Chicks Change Their Name, Dropping the ‘Dixie’  —  The platinum-selling country trio will be known as the Chicks, the latest example of sweeping cultural changes brought on by nationwide protests spotlighting racial inequality.  —  The Dixie Chicks are now the Chicks.

L.A. Times faces painful reckoning over race in its staff and pages  —  Two years after the Los Angeles Times reverted to local ownership, one of the country's largest metropolitan daily newspapers is facing a painful internal reckoning over glaring deficiencies and missteps regarding race and representation in its pages and its staff.