Trump uses Pa. primary to continue effort to undermine electoral system  —  Good morning, Early Birds, and a special good morning to the U.S. women's national soccer team for landing a “game-changing” deal to close the pay gap with the men's soccer team.  😎 💪 Tips? earlytips@washpost.com.

US intel shows Russians fear Mariupol abuse will backfire  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. has gathered intelligence that shows some Russian officials have become concerned that Russian forces in the ravaged port city of Mariupol are carrying out grievous abuses, a U.S official familiar with the findings said Wednesday.

Rare monkeypox outbreak in U.K., Europe and U.S.: What is it and should we worry?  —  There's a monkeypox outbreak in England, Portugal and Spain.  The outbreak is quite small - just 36 suspected cases spread across the three countries, including 8 in England and 20 in Portugal.

Why Tesla was kicked out of the S&P 500's ESG index  — In a blog post Wednesday, the S&P explained why it kicked Tesla out of its ESG index earlier this month.  — It said that Tesla's “lack of a low-carbon strategy” and “codes of business conduct,” along with racism …

U.S. health officials say a third of people live in areas with so much virus they should consider masks indoors.  —  Federal health officials on Wednesday warned that one third of Americans live in areas where the threat of infection from the coronavirus is now so high that they should consider wearing …

Russia's War on Ukraine Shows That It Is Fascist  —  Dr. Snyder is a professor of history at Yale University and the author of many books on fascism, totalitarianism and European history.  —  Fascism was never defeated as an idea.  —  As a cult of irrationality and violence …

Fiona Hill says Putin got ‘frustrated many times’ with Trump because the Russian leader ‘had to keep explaining things’ to him  — Putin often became frustrated with Trump over his lack of knowledge on big issues, Fiona Hill said.  — “He had to keep explaining things, and Putin doesn't like to do that,” Hill said.

Fox News Poll: Georgia's GOP primary race for governor sees Kemp holding wide lead over Perdue  —  Former NFL star Herschel Walker dashes ahead by 58 points in Republican Senate primary contest  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for May 18  —  Incumbent Gov. Brian Kemp leads former …

Nina Jankowicz's Faulty Record, Not Her Critics, Doomed the Disinformation Board  —  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has placed a “pause” on the newly-minted Disinformation Governance Board; its first executive director, Nina Jankowicz, has resigned.

George W. Bush compares Zelenskyy to Churchill, mistakenly calls Iraq invasion unjustified  —  At Bush center event, Condoleezza Rice compares Jan. 6 to non-democratic countries  —  In some of his most extensive public comments about the Russian invasion of Ukraine since the war began …

Biden, after months focused on Ukraine, makes first trip to Asia  —  President will try to reassure Asian allies he is still committed to leading a coalition to counter China  —  For almost three months, President Biden and his top foreign policy aides have been immersed in the Russian war in Ukraine …

5/19/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM. … THEIR OWN POLLS HAVE THEM IN THE DUMPS.  PARTY LEADERS HAVE STRUGGLED TO WRANGLE THE VOTES FOR A SIMPLE MESSAGING BILL.  MEANWHILE, THE CAUCUS CONTINUES TO BE DOMINATED BY FALLOUT OVER THE REVISED NEW YORK HOUSE MAPS, LED BY AN INTERNAL BACKLASH AGAINST THE DCCC CHAIR.

Dems stand back and watch Chuck and Joe show  —  The fate of Senate Democrats' yearlong drama over the party's signature bill essentially boils down to two people: Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin.  —  After months of intrigue and disagreements between the duo on critical Senate votes …

Whistleblower Reprisal Investigation: Colonel Yevgeny S. Vindman, U.S. Army (DODIG-2022-097)  —  We conducted this investigation in response to a complaint filed with the DoD Hotline on August 18, 2020, alleging that various administration officials, including former President Donald J. Trump …

Scoop: Chris Wallace to anchor new show on CNN  —  Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's new parent company, plans to announce during its upfront presentation to advertisers on Wednesday that Chris Wallace will host a Sunday evening show on CNN. … - CNN struck a multimillion-dollar contract with Wallace last year.

Pramila Jayapal endorses Jessica Cisneros in Texas runoff  —  Immigration lawyer Jessica Cisneros has picked up a key endorsement from Rep. Pramila Jayapal, who leads the Congressional Progressive Caucus, in her primary bid against Rep. Henry Cuellar.  —  “At a time when our reproductive freedoms …

Rob Bassin on the impact of the United Democracy Project  —  Steve Irwin found himself down 25 points; after UDP PAC's infusion he finished neck and neck  —  United Democracy Project, a super PAC recently launched by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, claimed decisive wins in two races …

GOP candidate for Colorado governor says eliminate one-person, one-vote system  —  Under Greg Lopez's proposal, the 2018 gubernatorial race would have been a runaway win for Republicans, who lost the actual race by double-digits.  —  DENVER — Coloradans have elected just one Republican governor in the last 50 years.

Brothers behind Democrats' ‘crypto PAC’ say they're actually pandemic focused  —  WASHINGTON — Gabe Bankman-Fried knows you're going to have a hard time believing him when he says he's only interested in using his crypto-billionaire brother's money to stop the next pandemic.

Tom Cruise's Last Stand  —  Thirty-six years after the original, Top Gun: Maverick eulogizes the actor's entire career.  —  I'd never noticed the curiously melancholy overtones of Harold Faltermeyer's famous Top Gun theme until the opening moments of the brand-new Top Gun: Maverick.