US House candidate Bouchard says he impregnated 14-year-old when he was 18  —  U.S. House candidate Anthony Bouchard had a relationship with and impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18, he told the Star-Tribune late Thursday, hours after he disclosed the relationship in a Facebook Live video to his supporters.

Trump administration secretly obtained CNN reporter's phone and email records  —  Washington (CNN)The Trump administration secretly sought and obtained the 2017 phone and email records of a CNN correspondent, the latest instance where federal prosecutors have taken aggressive steps targeting journalists in leak investigations.

An interview with Emily Wilder, recent Stanford grad fired from AP job over criticisms of Israel  —  Emily Wilder, a journalist and 2020 graduate of Stanford University, started a new job as an Associated Press news associate based in Maricopa County, Arizona, on May 3.

Inside Biden's ‘quiet,’ ‘relentless’ diplomatic scramble on Gaza … WASHINGTON — As the first rocket fire was exchanged between Israel and Hamas, President Joe Biden settled on a strategy.  And as he had throughout the 2020 campaign, Biden adhered to it despite mounting criticism from Republicans and even his own Democratic Party.

GOP Senators Dig In Against January 6 Commission  —  Many say they still haven't read the legislation.  But they have problems with it.  —  Good morning.  I know some of you are tired of January 6 coverage.  But we think this is a critical moment for congressional Republicans.

The threat of violence now infuses GOP politics.  We should all be afraid.  —  American politics is being conducted under the threat of violence.  —  Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who has a talent for constructive bluntness, describes a political atmosphere within the GOP heavy with fear.

Sen. Ted Cruz insulted a ‘woke, emasculated’ U.S. Army ad.  Angry veterans fired back.  —  The first half of the TikTok video shows a muscular Russian man with a shaved head doing push-ups, jumping out of a plane, and staring down the scope of a rifle.  The second half shows …

Florida investigating Sidney Powell's Defending The Republic fundraising campaign  —  Nobody knows how many millions the former Trump lawyer has raised or where the money has gone.  —  1 hr ago  —  Investigators for the state of Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services …

Since leaving office, Trump has charged the Secret Service more than $40,000 to use space at Mar-a-Lago  —  Former president Donald Trump charged the Secret Service more than $40,000 this spring for rooms that Trump's own protective detail used while guarding him at his Mar-a-Lago Club, according to federal spending records.

Bitcoin Miners Are Giving New Life to Old Fossil-Fuel Power Plants  —  The lofty prices of cryptocurrencies have investors sinking money into electricity generation, risking a backlash  —  Across America, older fossil-fuel power plants are shutting down in favor of renewable energy.

Covid on the Run  —  The pandemic may now be in permanent retreat in the U.S.  —  I want to end this week by showing you two Covid-19 charts.  They contain the same message: The pandemic is in retreat.  —  In the United States, there is now an excellent chance that the retreat is permanent.

David Brooks Interviews Joe Biden  —  What happened to Joe Biden?  Many people thought he was a moderate incrementalist, but now he's promoting whopping big legislative packages that make many on the progressive left extremely happy.  —  I asked him that when I spoke on the phone with him this week.

Beijing rebuffs Pentagon requests for high-level military talks  —  Stand-off comes amid rising tension over China's military aggression towards Taiwan  —  Beijing has rebuffed the Pentagon's requests for talks between China's top officer and the new US defence secretary …

POLITICO Playbook: W.H. gives Whoopi the VIP treatment — but snubs Meghan McCain  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  TGIF, Playbookers.  We have a juicy item today featuring MEGHAN MCCAIN, WHOOPI GOLDBERG and CEDRIC RICHMOND.  But first a look at the major storylines as we head into the weekend. ...

Corporate Media's Double Standard: They Attack Whomever They Want, But You Cannot Criticize Them  —  On Monday, The Washington Post's media reporter Paul Farhi contacted me to say that he had spoken with numerous editors and journalists at The Intercept, who voiced to him a wide range of personal and professional accusations about me.

Los Angeles Mayor Calls Attack on Diners ‘Anti-Semitic’  —  The attack came amid escalating violence in Israel and Gaza that has sparked protests in the United States.  —  Local officials and Jewish leaders in Los Angeles on Thursday condemned an attack against Jewish diners outside …

The Shock Jock Texts That Could Be Critical in the Matt Gaetz Probe  —  If Joel Greenberg was Matt Gaetz's wingman, Joe Ellicott was Greenberg's right-hand man.  And texts between Greenberg and Ellicott show an attempt to cover up sex with a minor.  —  Text messages between Rep. Matt Gaetz's wingman …

Texas Pushes to Obscure the State's History of Slavery and Racism  —  Texas is awash in bills aimed at fending off critical examinations of the state's past.  —  Every morning, schoolchildren in Texas recite an oath to their state that includes the words, “I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God.”

How Andrew Yang Won Over Orthodox Brooklyn  —  A slew of influential ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders endorsed Mr. Yang, motivated by one overriding issue: “Yeshivas, yeshivas, yeshivas.”  —  The campaign material began appearing in Yiddish earlier than usual this year, declaring that the best defense …

Maricopa County will need new voting machines after GOP's audit, Arizona secretary of state says  —  Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs said Thursday that the voting machines Republicans turned over to private companies as part of their audit of the 2020 election were not safe for use in future elections.

Inside the Simon & Schuster Blowup Over Its Mike Pence Book Deal  —  Petition demanded publisher drop potential blockbuster, saying it betrayed company's promise to oppose bigotry, while CEO defended commitment to broad range of views  —  During an April workplace-culture session …

Gov. Kay Ivey signs bill allowing yoga in Alabama public schools  —  Gov. Kay Ivey has signed into law a bill allowing Alabama public schools to offer instruction in yoga.  —  The law ends a ban on yoga adopted by the State Board of Education in 1993 because of yoga's connections to Hinduism.

The Revolution Comes for Israel  —  Israel has battled Hamas four times since the terror organization seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.  Each battle unfolds the same way: Hamas launches rockets at Israel's civilian population, Israel bombs Hamas targets, and the fighting continues …

Few plea bargains in U.S. Capitol riot cases as prosecutors stand firm  —  Nearly four months after the U.S. Capitol attack, just one of more than 440 people charged has pleaded guilty, a sign of tough conditions set by prosecutors for plea deals and resistance by defense lawyers to their demands.

Report: USPS ‘Internet Covert Operations Program’ Is ‘Much Broader in Scope Than Previously Known’  —  The program 'includes analysts who assume fake identities online, use sophisticated intelligence tools, and employ facial recognition software.  - Parler  — Gab  — MeWe  — Buffer

The techlash is a bust  —  After three and a half years, the U.S. backlash against tech's biggest firms has failed to dent or daunt them.  —  The big picture: Today, Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook are massively richer, more powerful and more determined to push their products and services deeper …

Ex-FBI chief gave $100K to Biden grandkid trust as he sought ‘future work’: Hunter emails  —  Former FBI Director Louis Freeh gave $100,000 to a trust for two of President Biden's grandchildren as he sought to pursue “some very good and profitable matters” with him, newly surfaced emails revealed Thursday.

Trump to hold rallies in Florida, Georgia, Ohio and North Carolina  —  Former President Donald Trump revealed Thursday that he will hold campaign-style rallies in four battleground states in the coming weeks as speculation swirls that he'll mount another bid for the White House in 2024.