Sheriff: Two people shot at an Ames church parking lot, shooter also killed  —  Three people were shot and killed in a parking lot outside Ames' Cornerstone Church Thursday night, Story County Sheriff Capt. Nicholas Lennie said.  —  One of the dead is believed to be the shooter, he said.

Biden urges Congress to act on guns in rare prime-time address  —  Following the third mass shooting in as many weeks, the president says the time has come to confront the carnage.  He praised Senate negotiations and said voters should punish Republicans who block action.

Scoop: Trumpworld plots Jan. 6 counterprogramming blitz  —  Former President Trump and his allies, in conjunction with top House GOP leadership and conservative groups, have begun pulling documents and coordinating a behind-the-scenes effort to counterprogram the Jan. 6 committee's televised hearings this month, Axios has learned.

Uvalde teacher who officials mistakenly said left door open is traumatized and heartbroken, attorney says  —  Officials have determined that she did close the door, but it failed to lock.  —  Law enforcement is seen outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022, in an image taken from a video made by a bystander.

Biden to Travel to Saudi Arabia, Ending Its ‘Pariah’ Status  —  As a candidate, President Biden vowed to punish the kingdom for the brutal assassination of Jamal Khashoggi.  But now he wants to rebuild relations as he seeks to lower gas prices and isolate Russia.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

‘There Are a Lot of People Very Close to the President Who Privately Understand That This Is a Complete Disaster’  —  So says the Washington Post's James Hohmann, in a conversation with The Bulwark's Charlie Sykes about the Biden administration's inexplicable desire to force taxpayers to pay off rich people's student loans.

The bleak spectacle of the Amber Heard-Johnny Depp trial  —  How a washed-up celebrity, men's rights activists and true crime stans convinced millions of Americans to buy into a conspiracy theory … Content warning for vulgar language and descriptions of abuse.

Gunman who killed 4 at Tulsa hospital was patient of doctor who is among the dead  —  The gunman who killed four people at a Tulsa hospital on Wednesday blamed a doctor at the facility for ongoing pain after back surgery and vowed to kill him and anyone who got in his way, police said Thursday.

Exclusive: Gov. Ron DeSantis to Veto $35 Million Tampa Bay Rays Facility Amid Polarization of Shootings  —  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis plans to veto a $35 million legislation for a Pasco County facility that's earmarked for the Tampa Bay Rays' spring training, OutKick has learned.

Beneath Biden's struggle to break through is a deeper dysfunction among White House aides  —  (CNN)Being familiar never makes the feeling less dreadful: White House aides emailing each other during one of President Joe Biden's stops on the road, tracking who's covering what he's saying …

Opinion Susan Collins confronts a moment of truth  —  Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has never been known for being angry, or animated, or really any adjective more charged than “concerned.”  Once or twice, she has gone so far as to declare herself “disappointed.”

CNN Exclusive: Republicans who texted Meadows with urgent pleas on January 6 say Trump could have stopped the violence  —  Washington (CNN)Within minutes of the US Capitol breach on January 6, 2021, messages began pouring into the cell phone of White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

EXPLAINER: Can Pa. GOP candidate make voters re-register?  —  HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Doug Mastriano, Pennsylvania's Republican candidate for governor, is perhaps the state's most prominent peddler of former President Donald Trump's lie that widespread fraud cost him the 2020 election.

Scoop: Manchin's bipartisan energy talks crumble, paving way for Democrat-only deal  —  Bipartisan Senate energy talks led by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) are essentially over, with Republican senators convinced that Manchin is close to a reconciliation deal with Majority Leader Chuck Schumer …

Bill Barr says Trump should not run for president again in 2024  —  Former Attorney General Bill Barr says Donald Trump should not attempt a Grover Cleveland and run for president again after losing his reelection campaign in 2020 .  —  “I'm all for restoring America .

Trump expected to upend Wisconsin GOP governor primary by endorsing Tim Michels  —  Former President Donald Trump is expected to endorse Republican Tim Michels in the Wisconsin gubernatorial primary, snubbing the state's former lieutenant governor and injecting a new level of chaos into the race …

DeSantis moves to ban transition care for transgender youths, Medicaid recipients  —  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration Thursday asked the state board regulating doctors to essentially ban transition-related care for transgender minors, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.

CNN cutting back on over-hyping everything as “breaking news”  —  CNN's new boss Chris Licht says that beginning today, CNN has added a “Breaking News” guideline to its stylebook, to address overuse of the breaking news banner across its network and cable news writ-large.

Alex Jones's Infowars Ends Bankruptcy After Sandy Hook Families' Exit  —  To resume defamation litigation against Mr. Jones, the families agreed last month to drop legal claims against Infowars properties in chapter 11  —  Infowars is jettisoning its bankruptcy case after families …

Exclusive: Putin Treated for Cancer in April, U.S. Intelligence Report Says  —  Vladimir Putin's health is a subject of intense conversation inside the Biden administration after the intelligence community produced its fourth comprehensive assessment at the end of May. The classified U.S. report …

Why Sheryl Sandberg Quit Facebook's Meta  —  One of the world's most powerful executives became increasingly burned out and disconnected from the mega-business she was instrumental in building.  That dovetailed with a company investigation into her activities.