Gen. Milley on Ukraine, Tuberville and ‘wokeness’  —  Good morning, Early Birds.  Sadly, a missed opportunity with this one-time real-life Barbie Dreamhouse.  But has anyone built the Mojo Dojo Casa House?  Tips: earlytips@washpost.com.  Was this forwarded to you?  Sign up here.

‘Pathetic’: Voters of color slam Biden's performance on the economy  —  “Our economy is the lowest it's been.”  —  In a focus group last week, eight men of color who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020 were asked to describe their feelings about the economy.  —  The answers were bleak.

Science loses in Montana court  —  Would the weather in Montana change tomorrow if the state suddenly shut down all of its coal mines, natural gas power plants, and oil refineries?  Any honest scientist would tell you no.  —  But according to a far-left state judge, the wealthiest children …

Kenneth Chesebro, alleged architect of fake electors' plot, followed Alex Jones around Capitol grounds on January 6th  —  When conspiracy theorist Alex Jones marched his way to the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, riling up his legion of supporters, an unassuming middle-aged man in a red “Trump 2020” hat conspicuously tagged along.

California officer accused in probe of racist texts kept ‘gory’ police dog injury photos for himself, authorities say  —  Three officers “touted” their use of excessive force and collected “trophies,” according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.  —  Three Northern California police officers …

Prosecutors seek 27 to 33 years in prison for Proud Boys guilty of seditious conspiracy  —  Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Ethan Nordean and Zachary Rehl were all convicted of seditious conspiracy in May following a months-long trial that began in January.  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors …

Gavin Newsom's future hinges on San Francisco  —  Newsom has increasingly been moonlighting as a quasi-city executive of his hometown and approaching its woes as a litmus test for his success in Sacramento.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Gavin Newsom hasn't been mayor of San Francisco for more than a decade …

American democracy is cracking.  These forces help explain why.  —  Behind the sense that the political system is broken lies a collision between forces both old and new  —  In a country where the search for common ground is increasingly elusive, many Americans can agree on this …

Trump team seeks to delay federal election interference trial until 2026  —  Former President Donald Trump wants a federal judge to reject special counsel Jack Smith's request to get the trial underway in early January of next year.  —  WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump …

Rudy Giuliani Was Never 'America's Mayor'  —  On Monday, Rudy Giuliani was indicted in Georgia for his role in what prosecutors called a conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in that state.  —  The district attorney for Fulton County, Fani Willis …

U.S. intelligence says Ukraine will fail to meet offensive's key goal  —  Thwarted by minefields, Ukrainian forces won't reach the southeastern city of Melitopol, a vital Russian transit hub, according to a U.S. intelligence assessment  —  The U.S. intelligence community assesses …

GOP Presidential Hopeful Ramaswamy Sued Over Strive's Practices  —  In separate lawsuits, two former employees at the candidate's Strive Asset Management claim that the anti-ESG investment firm pressured them to violate securities laws.  —  Vivek Ramaswamy has been rising in presidential polls partly …

Culling the Republican Presidential Herd  —  The only way to give Donald Trump a real challenge is to consolidate the field early.  —  The first Republican presidential debate hits the stage in Milwaukee next week, and perhaps the moment will help one or more of the candidates break from the pack.

EXCLUSIVE: Senate Democrats' campaign arm launches billboard campaign targeting Justice amid lawsuit over his schedule  —  The Senate Democrats' campaign arm on Friday launched a billboard campaign in West Virginia targeting Gov. Jim Justice (R) after the Democratic group sued the governor for the release of his official schedule.

Playbook: You made it to the debate stage.  Now what?  —  Presented by With help from Eli Okun and Garrett Ross  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  WARNING SIGN FOR BIDEN — “Biden's reelection threatened by poor marks on the economy from voters of color,” by Brakkton Booker

North Korea becoming more repressive amid reports of starvation  —  The human rights chief for the U.N. said North Korea is increasing its repression of human rights, with people starving in portions of the country as it faces a worsening economic situation Thursday.

Insight: Conservative think tank emerges as force behind DeSantis campaign  —  In mid-March, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis described the Ukraine war as a “territorial dispute” that was not of vital strategic interest to the United States, in a written reply to a questionnaire from Fox News host Tucker Carlson.

Income-based U.S. household carbon footprints (1990-2019) offer new insights on emissions inequality and climate finance  — https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.00 00190  —  Current policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and increase adaptation and mitigation funding are insufficient …

Intelligence Agencies Warn Foreign Spies Are Targeting U.S. Space Companies  —  U.S. officials say Chinese and Russian spy agencies are trying to steal technology from private American space companies and preparing cyberattacks that could disable satellites in a conflict.  —  Reporting from Washington

Hunter Biden stays close to father at White House amid criminal probe  —  A day after he reached a tentative plea deal with Justice Department, Hunter Biden began two-week stay at the White House, underscoring President Biden's fatherly attachment despite his son's troubles

Ukraine's top Freedom Caucus ally gets cold feet  —  AN APPROPRIATOR LEANS OUT ON UKRAINE  —  ABINGDON, Md. — Standing in front of a PowerPoint presentation on the national debt, Rep. Andy Harris told his constituents it's about time to wind down direct U.S. aid to Ukraine.  —  “Is this more a stalemate?