A SCOTUS Reality Check  —  Identity politics and the High Court  —  This might be a good day for Democrats to reflect on political reality: As my colleague Tim Miller has so eloquently pointed out, if they didn't have Joe Manchin in the senate, they'd probably have Senator Cletus Von Ivermectin (R).

Tucker Carlson's pro-Russia rants give Republicans exactly what they deserve  —  Tucker Carlson has created a thorny dilemma for Republicans running in 2022 primaries: How can they cast President Biden as “weak” on Ukraine when the nation's most-watched right-wing TV commentator is enforcing …

Trump Has Pushed the Wisconsin GOP Into a Full Meltdown  —  “The conspiracy theorists have taken over the party,” said Wisconsin Republican state Sen. Kathy Bernier.  —  CJ  —  Accusations of slander.  Leaked documents.  Fake news pushed by a right-wing conspiracy website.  Staff forcibly reassigned.

Marvel Actress Evangeline Lilly Attended D.C. Anti-Vax Protest  —  The actress, who previously refused to self-quarantine as she lived with her cancer-stricken father, now says she was protesting against vaccine mandates in Washington, D.C.  —  Folks, Evangeline Lilly is at it again.

Rep. Cori Bush's vehicle hit by gunfire in St. Louis area  —  The congresswoman was not injured.  —  ST. LOUIS — A vehicle belonging to Congresswoman Cori Bush, D-St. Louis, was hit by gunfire early Saturday morning, according to a source close to the representative who spoke on the condition …

Top Pa. Dems to miss Biden visit, cite scheduling conflicts  —  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — President Joe Biden will appear in Pittsburgh on Friday as an opening step in a broader campaign to promote the White House's achievements in key states before the midterm elections.

A Tennessee school board removed the graphic novel ‘Maus,’ about the Holocaust, from curriculum due to language and nudity concerns  —  (CNN)"Maus," the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the experiences of Holocaust survivors, has been removed from an eighth-grade English language arts curriculum …

Republican billionaire Ken Langone donated to Joe Manchin's PAC after senator opposed Biden's Build Back Better Act  — Billionaire investor Ken Langone and his wife each contributed $5,000 to Sen. Joe Manchin's leadership PAC in late December.  — The contribution arrived just over a week …

Sarah Palin Dined At Multiple Restaurants After Getting COVID  —  Sarah Palin is not letting COVID-19 stop her from enjoying New York City's culinary offerings.  —  The former Alaska governor returned to Elio's restaurant Wednesday night and dined outdoors just days after it was revealed she tested positive for COVID-19.

AJC poll: Biden's approval in Georgia takes a nosedive  —  President Joe Biden's approval rating has fallen off a cliff in Georgia, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released Thursday that showed just one-third of registered voters approve of the Democrat's job performance.

Anthony Fauci is up against more than a virus … The doctor opens the front door.  Never mind introductions.  “I know who you are.  Do you think these guys would let you get this close to me, if we didn't know who you are?”  Across the street is a security agent in Nikes, a badge on his belt.

Everyone Thinks They Are the Underdog  —  Some months ago, I got into a Twitter spat with a few moderately popular TV writers/comedians.  It involved the subject of labor unions: specifically a growing rift within a certain writers guild, which at the time was having an existential crisis …

What Happened at The Root?  —  When The Root launched as an offshoot of The Washington Post in 2008, it aimed to fill the gap between print and online media and elevate Black writers in the digital mainstream.  It was high-brow — founded by Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Donald E. Graham …

Kellyanne Conway memoir 'Here's the Deal' coming out May 24  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Former White House counselor Kellyanne Conway has a memoir out May 24: “Here's the Deal” is billed by her publisher as a look beyond the headlines of the Trump administration and her family life …

No, America is not on the brink of a civil war  —  It's time to tell the truth about the big lie  —  ccording to a number of polls and surveys, significant majorities of Republican-aligned voters seem to believe the big lie that Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 US presidential election and …

BLM's millions unaccounted for after leaders quietly jumped ship  —  No one appears to have been in charge at Black Lives Matter for months.  The address it lists on tax forms is wrong, and the charity's two board members won't say who controls its $60 million bankroll, a Washington Examiner investigation has found.

Affirmative Action Was Never a Perfect Solution  —  On Monday, the Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.  In 2014, the group sued the university, accusing it of discriminating against Asian students during its admissions process.

How Trash Talk Can Save Biden's Presidency  —  As a political communicator, President Joe Biden's most effective moments often come spontaneously, when he is overcome with feeling, or by accident, when words that are intended to be private instead become public.

Vast Troves of Classified Info Undermine National Security, Spy Chief Says  —  Avril Haines, the director of national intelligence, says current classification system strains intelligence agencies and erodes public trust  —  WASHINGTON—The U.S. intelligence community's approach …