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

Inside Barr's Effort to Undermine Prosecutors in N.Y.  —  The firing of the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan was foreshadowed by a disagreement over a case linked to President Trump.  —  Shortly after he became attorney general last year, William P. Barr set out to challenge …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 reprisal.  —  WASHINGTON — The Pentagon is facing a hemorrhage of talent as senior officials resign amid continued efforts …

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 …

A Devastating New Stage of the Pandemic  —  Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers.  Find the collection here.  —  For the past few weeks in the United States, the awful logic of the coronavirus seemed to have lifted.  Stores and restaurants reopened.

North Texas family shaken after 18 relatives test positive for COVID-19 following family gathering  —  Three are now hospitalized, including two elderly family members and one woman battling breast cancer.  —  CARROLLTON, Texas — As North Texas watches COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Verizon is pulling advertising from Facebook and Instagram  — Verizon said on Thursday it is pulling advertising on Facebook and Instagram.  — On Thursday, the Anti-Defamation League released an open letter that mentioned, in part, that it had found an advertisement for Verizon …

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.

NASCAR releases image of noose found in Bubba Wallace's garage, says concern was ‘real’  —  NASCAR on Thursday completed its investigation into the garage pull rope formed as a noose that was found in Bubba Wallace's garage at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday, with president Steve Phelps saying …

'We're at record numbers'  —  The Trump administration has sought to downplay the rising numbers.  Pence called concerns about another surge of infections “overblown,” the product of media “fearmongering.”  Trump said testing for the virus is “overrated” and that the surge of confirmed cases only “makes us look bad.”

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

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.

Trump administration wants drilling on more than two-thirds of the largest swath of U.S. public land  —  The nearly 23-million acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska provides a critical refuge to migrating caribou, waterfowl and other wildlife  —  The Trump administration proposed on Thursday …

Facebook faces trust crisis as ad boycott grows  —  What started out as a few whispers about advertisers pulling Facebook ads has turned into a growing boycott of the social network over its content moderation policies — a situation the company is now describing as a “trust deficit.”

We Asked Biden's Campaign If He Supports Removing Washington, Grant, Roosevelt & Jesus Statues, Received No Answer  —  As calls to remove statues of former U.S. presidents and even Jesus Christ come, presumptive Democratic nominee for the 2020 presidential election Joe Biden has remained silent on the issue …

Graham Rebuffed Over Widening Barr's Powers as GOP Senators Balk  —  The Senate Judiciary Committee blocked an effort by Chairman Lindsey Graham to give the attorney general the power to veto investigations of Justice Department lawyers by the inspector general.

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 …

Texas governor halts reopening as coronavirus crisis grows; California's declares budget emergency  —  (CNN)Texas Gov. Greg Abbott paused any further phases to reopen the state on Thursday and issued an order to ensure hospital beds be available for Covid-19 patients.

Trump Overhaul of Campus Sex Assault Rules Wins Surprising Support  —  The new approach finds unlikely allies among some feminist scholars, who say colleges and universities were failing to sufficiently protect the rights of young men accused of sexual misconduct.

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 …

Brad Parscale, Other Trump Staff, In Quasi-Quarantine After Tulsa COVID Cases  —  The move, a campaign spokesperson said, was being made out of an abundance of caution.  —  Donald Trump's reelection campaign manager, Brad Parscale, is one of a group of campaign staffers in quasi-quarantine …