The culture wars next frontier: Public libraries … LLANO, Tex. — In early November, an email from a citizen dropped into the inbox of Judge Ron Cunningham, the silver-haired head chair of the governing body of Llano County in Texas's picturesque Hill Country.

US rocked by 3 mass shootings during Easter weekend; 2 dead  —  HAMPTON, S.C. (AP) — Authorities in South Carolina say they are investigating shooting at a club in Hampton County early Sunday that left at least nine people injured.  It was the third mass shooting in the U.S. over the Easter holiday weekend.

Russia Summons Israeli Envoy After Lapid's ‘Regrettable’ Remarks on Ukraine War  —  Incident comes days after Russian Foreign Ministry criticized ‘anti-Russia’ statements by Foreign Minister Lapid, claiming that Israel is using Ukraine as ‘distraction’ from the Palestinian issue

Jewish group demands Le Pen remove ‘white supremacist dog whistle’  —  “If she does not change the photo, we will call to vote for Macron,” National Jewish Rally leader Jean-Richard Sulzer said.  —  A Jewish group affiliated with French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen's National Rally party called …

McCarthy says Russia would not have invaded if US provided weapons to Ukraine sooner  —  House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Sunday suggested that Russia would not have invaded Ukraine if the U.S. provided weapons to Kyiv sooner.  —  “This is gonna get stronger and rougher …

Mar-a-Lago Machine: Trump as a Modern-Day Party Boss  —  Hoarding cash, doling out favors and seeking to crush rivals, the former president is dominating the G.O.P., preparing for another race and helping loyalists oust officials who thwarted his attempted subversion of the 2020 election.

U.S., allies plan for long-term isolation of Russia  —  A new strategy would mark a return to containment after years of seeking cooperation and coexistence with Moscow  —  Nearly two months into Vladimir Putin's brutal assault on Ukraine, the Biden administration and its European allies …

GOP Rep. Upton says death threats made bipartisan votes ‘frightening’  —  Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said on Sunday that death threats — like those he received for voting for infrastructure spending — could “be a detriment getting good people to run” for Congress.

Putin's dictatorship is based now on fear rather than spin  —  The origins of the war in Ukraine lie in Russian economic stagnation, corruption and the leader's dwindling popularity  —  The writer is a professor of economics at Sciences Po and co-author of ‘Spin Dictators: The Changing Face of Tyranny in the 21st century’

Inflation comes for the Big Mac  —  Rising prices are hitting Americans where it hurts: the drive-thru. … That's the biggest jump since 1981.  — Prices at full-service restaurants are even higher — they've gone up 8%, the biggest jump of any restaurant category.

Vice President Harris Serves Israeli Settlement Wine at Passover Event  —  Kamala Harris inadvertently served wine from Psagot winery, which named one of their wines after former U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo for condemning European Court of Justice ruling on settlement products

Of our boomboxes, smokers, punches and bullets: New York City's public safety problem  —  The old pal who'd invited me days earlier into a group chat called “Shmolice” was checking WorldStar Thursday morning to see if his beating on the Q train had made it to the go-to source for videos of street fights and other dysfunctional behavior.

Nina Turner in the Democratic primary for the 11th Congressional District  —  The 11th Congressional District Democratic primary in Cleveland, its eastern and southeastern suburbs, and parts or all of Lakewood features a rematch (without the 11 other candidates) of last August's special Democratic primary …