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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

The Wuhan-Lab Theory Is Not Far-Fetched.  Just Look at China's Reckless Rocket Program  —  On the menu today: The Chinese space program is about as careful and safety-conscious as the Chinese viral-research program; a deep look at the mounting evidence pointing to a lab leak …

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.

‘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 …

Trump celebrates FEC dropping case over Stormy Daniels and illegal campaign contributions: ‘Fake news’  —  Former President Donald Trump said Friday he was exonerated from his 2016 campaign controversy involving adult film star Stormy Daniels, thanks to Republicans at the Federal Election …

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 …

Texas GOP's voting restrictions bill could be rewritten behind closed doors after key House vote  —  The House voted 81-64 to advance a pared down version of priority GOP legislation.  Lawmakers huddled off the chamber's floor throughout the night to cut a deal and again rework Senate Bill 7 through a flurry of amendments.

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 …

‘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.”

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 …

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 …

Restoring Taiwan's Appropriate Place at the World Health Assembly  —  Beginning on May 24, the world will gather virtually for the 74th annual World Health Assembly (WHA).  The Assembly is the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, and it sets the agenda for strengthening …

Lawyer Says Capitol Defendant Had ‘Foxmania’ From Watching Too Much Fox News  —  For roughly six months after he was laid off, Anthony Antonio was in a home where Fox News played constantly, his attorney told a court.  —  A Capitol defendant who bought into former President Donald Trump's lies …

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 …

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.