Scoop: Trump leans toward endorsing Doug Mastriano for Pa. governor  —  Former President Trump is leaning strongly toward endorsing highly controversial Pennsylvania state Sen. Doug Mastriano for governor, according to three sources familiar with his private deliberations.

ERCOT urges Texans to cut back on power usage over weekend  —  The operator of the state's electricity grid is asking Texans to conserve power this weekend, after six generation plants went offline Friday amid unseasonably hot weather.  —  Thermostats should be set to 78 degrees or higher …

This state is Donald Trump's Achilles' heel  —  (CNN)Georgia continues to be a vexing state for Donald Trump.  —  First, Trump became the first Republican to lose Georgia in a presidential election in 28 years, in 2020.  —  Then, Georgia emerged as the focal point of Trump's unfounded claims …

Formula shortage reveals GOP's compassion for American babies, anger over nourished immigrant ones  —  Cearly these Republicans are addressing the baby-formula shortage through the scriptural philosophy of: “All lives are precious, except these little immigrant whiners over here.  They can pound sand.”

NASA's Curiosity Rover Spotted a ‘Doorway’ on Mars  —  Though it looks like the entrance to an alien tomb, mission scientists say it's a natural feature.  —  Alerts  —  NASA's Curiosity rover took a photo of a Lovecraftian feature on the surface of Mars last week: a seemingly rectangular …

Subpoenas for Republicans Raise New Questions for Jan. 6 Panel  —  The subpoenas for five G.O.P. members of Congress, including the House minority leader, sent a shock wave through a divided Capitol and left lawmakers wondering what's next.  —  WASHINGTON — The decision …

Thomas blasts disclosure of draft Supreme Court opinion as ‘tremendously bad’  —  Justice Clarence Thomas, the longest-serving sitting member of the Supreme Court, declared Friday that the publication of a draft majority opinion on abortion has permanently damaged trust within the nation's highest court …

DeSantis picks Cord Byrd as secretary of state, husband of QAnon, Capitol riot supporter  —  TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis replaced outgoing Secretary of State Laurel Lee on Friday with state Rep. Cord Byrd, who cursed at Black Democratic lawmakers during the session and whose wife …

Opinion Roe's impending reversal is a 9/11 attack on America's social fabric  —  Washington's reaction to the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade has been typically myopic.  —  Republicans first tried to make people believe that the issue wasn't the opinion itself but the leak.

‘Lost’ Picasso spotted in Imelda Marcos's home after son's election win  —  Artwork's appearance fuels fears family will use return to power to further stifle efforts to recover ill-gotten wealth  —  The glimpse of a possible Picasso in the home of Imelda Marcos seen during a visit by her son …

Psaki heckled throughout tearful White House briefing room send-off  —  Jen Psaki's final White House press briefing featured tearful goodbyes, a handful of guests, and repeated heckling from a reporter in the room.  —  Psaki, who also served as communications director in the Obama White House …

Dallas salon shooting linked to other shootings at Asian businesses, police investigate as hate crime  —  A shooting at a Dallas hair salon that injured three women of Korean descent may be part of a string of shootings targeting Asian businesses, police said Friday.

What Did the Steele Dossier Hoax Cost America?  —  Along with the press, what about the Russia ‘experts’ who played along or failed to oppose the collusion lie?  —  1x  —  A Wall Street Journal investigative report this week underlines just how frivolous were the claims in the Steele dossier …

Ukraine: The spy war within the war  —  The decades-long spy conflict between Russia and the West is intensifying over the Ukraine war.  But what are Russia's intelligence services suspected of doing and how will their officials' expulsion from capitals affect Putin's clandestine overseas operations?

Transgender medication law in Alabama blocked by judge  —  MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday blocked part of an Alabama law that made it a felony to prescribe gender-affirming puberty blockers and hormones to transgender minors.  —  U.S. District Judge Liles Burke issued …

Hulu Passes on Hillary Clinton Series ‘Rodham,’ Claire Danes and Dakota Fanning to Star as 20th TV Shops Project (EXCLUSIVE)  —  Hulu has passed on “Rodham,” writer-producer Sarah Treem's adaptation of the 2020 Curtis Sittenfeld novel that's been in development at the streamer since summer 2020.

Atlanta to bid to host 2024 Democratic National Convention  —  Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said Friday that Georgia's capital city would compete to host the 2024 Democratic nominating convention, which would give one of the nation's premier battleground states an even more prominent role in the next race for the White House.

We wanted to endorse in Republican primaries this year.  We can't.  —  With Pennsylvania voters headed to the polls Tuesday to choose the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor and U.S. Senate, it's as if the primaries are occurring on two different planets.On the Republican side …

China's Covid Lockdowns Drive Middle-Class Citizens to Go Abroad  —  More Chinese citizens want to emigrate because of discontent with Beijing's Covid strategy, but many face hurdles in obtaining passports and paperwork  —  More than two years of border restrictions and a protracted lockdown …

The Crypto Crash Is Just the Start  —  Sign up for Derek's newsletter here.  —  The American economy isn't looking great right now.  U.S. GDP shrank last quarter, despite a hearty showing from American consumers.  Inflation is high; markets are down; both wages and personal-savings rates show some troubling statistical signals.

Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call With Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu  —  Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby provided the following readout:  —  On May 13, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu for the first time since February 18.