POLITICO Playbook: Scarred DeSantis staffers form a support group  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  There may be turbulence ahead for Rep. ELISE STEFANIK as she wrestles the GOP leadership post from Rep. LIZ CHENEY (R-Wyo.) next week.  DONALD TRUMP is sold on the New York Republican after her unbending show …

BREAKING: Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms won't run for reelection  —  By J.D. Capelouto - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Wilborn P. Nobles III - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Greg Bluestein - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  —  In a stunning announcement Thursday night …

Institutionalizing Trumpism  —  Republican officials are rendering an unequivocal verdict: They want to cement former President Trump's politics and policies into the foundation of the GOP for many years to come.  —  Why it matters: The debate over Trump's post-election hold on the GOP is over …

‘They Own The Media’: New Van Morrison song amplifies antisemitic trope  —  Legendary singer-songwriter Van Morrison released a new song on streaming platforms Thursday whose title espouses a classic antisemitic trope.  —  The lyrics of the song, “They Own The Media,” never indicate who the pronoun in its title refers to.

Is Fox's Peter Doocy Just Asking Questions — Or Trolling the White House?  —  It was late March, days before Joe Biden would hold his first formal news conference, and the on-air personalities at Fox News were setting the stage for a titanic collision between the president and the network's new, 33-year-old White House correspondent.

April's expected hiring boom goes bust as nonfarm payroll gain falls well short of estimates  — Hiring was a huge letdown in April, with nonfarm payrolls increasing by a much less than expected 266,000.  — The unemployment rate rose to 6.1%, the Labor Department said.

4 Years After an Execution, a Different Man's DNA Is Found on the Murder Weapon  —  Lawyers' request to conduct additional DNA testing before Ledell Lee was executed had been denied.  —  For 22 years, Ledell Lee maintained that he had been wrongly convicted of murder.

Melinda Gates Warned Bill About Jeffrey Epstein  —  After a secret meeting between the couple and the wealthy sex offender, Melinda was furious and told friends she wanted nothing to do with Epstein, The Daily Beast has learned. … Melinda Gates met with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein alongside …

‘Belonging Is Stronger Than Facts’: The Age of Misinformation  —  Social and psychological forces are combining to make the sharing and believing of misinformation an endemic problem with no easy solution.  —  There's a decent chance you've had at least one of these rumors, all false …

Congress is finally investigating the lab accident covid-19 origin theory  —  Opinion by  —  More than one year after the outbreak of covid-19 in Wuhan, China, the virus's origin remains a mystery, imperiling chances of preventing the next pandemic.  Now, several members of Congress …

4 ex-cops indicted on US civil rights charges in Floyd death  —  MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A federal grand jury has indicted the four former Minneapolis police officers involved in George Floyd's arrest and death, accusing them of willfully violating the Black man's constitutional rights …

New Study Estimates More Than 900,000 People Have Died Of COVID-19 In U.S.  —  A new study estimates that the number of people who have died of COVID-19 in the U.S. is more than 900,000, a number 57% higher than official figures.  —  Worldwide, the study's authors say …

‘Not who we are as a country’: Elise Stefanik once harshly blasted Trump's rhetoric and policies  —  (CNN)New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, one of former President Donald Trump's loudest defenders in Congress, once harshly attacked Trump over both his rhetoric and policies, claiming that she'd be an “independent voice.”

Polling's Prognosis: Wary Conservatives and Eager Liberals  —  A new report points to another problem with surveys: liberals with strong political views who are almost too willing to be polled.  —  Political pollsters know they're having trouble reaching entire swaths of the Trump-supporting electorate …

Senior CDC official who met Trump's wrath for raising alarm about coronavirus to resign  —  Nancy Messonnier has been director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases since 2016.  —  Nancy Messonnier, a senior health expert at the Centers for Disease Control …

As a CEO, I worry about the erosion of office culture with more remote work … Cathy Merrill is chief executive of Washingtonian Media.  —  Like many of my fellow small-business owners, I am excited about the prospect of returning to in-person work but am struggling with when and how to safely reopen …

Tucker Carlson Doubles Down on Batsh** Vaccine Fearmongering, Blames Biden For His Inability to Understand Facts  —  Fox News' Tucker Carlson gets great ratings, frequently beating the competition in his timeslot.  You'd think that he would have a vested interest in keeping his audience members alive …

Jenner has hangar pains after Hannity interview  —  OAKLAND — Move over French Laundry, there's a new social media obsession: Hangar Guy.  —  GOP recall candidate Caitlyn Jenner may have played right into Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom's hands when she lamented on Fox News …

Economy picked up 266,000 jobs in April, fewer than expected as economy tries to rebound  —  A growing fight between the White House and Republicans over workers and incentives has cast a new light on the labor market  —  The U.S. economy added just 266,000 jobs in April …

F.E.C. Drops Case Reviewing Trump Hush-Money Payments to Women  —  The case had examined whether Donald Trump violated election law with a $130,000 payment shortly before the 2016 election to a pornographic-film actress by his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

DeSantis ban on vaccine proof may send one company's cruise ships out of Florida  —  If Florida won't allow Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for passengers and crew, the company's CEO says it will take its ships elsewhere.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Insists Capitol Rioters Weren't Trump Supporters  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) has sought to distance supporters of former President Donald Trump from the January 6 Capitol riot.  —  During a town hall in Rockmart, Georgia held on Wednesday, Greene …

Packed trains, drinking: Japanese impatient over virus steps  —  TOKYO (AP) — Trains packed with commuters returning to work after a weeklong national holiday.  Frustrated young people drinking in the streets because bars are closed.  Protests planned over a possible visit by the Olympics chief.

Our Pathetic Herd Immunity Failure  —  Could today's version of America have been able to win World War II?  It hardly seems possible.  —  That victory required national cohesion, voluntary sacrifice for the common good and trust in institutions and each other.

Scientists have taught bees to smell the coronavirus.  They can identify a case within seconds.  — Dutch scientists have trained bees to smell COVID-19.  — Every time the bees were exposed to an infected sample, they stuck out their tongues.  — The animals could be a low-tech solution for identifying COVID-19 cases.