Mideast crisis will test whether Biden can make experience an asset  —  The escalating confrontation between Israel and Hamas is offering President Joe Biden a crucial opportunity to begin flipping the script on one of his most glaring vulnerabilities in the 2024 presidential race.

Back-to-back plea deals pose grave legal threat to Donald Trump  —  Two stalwart allies of former President Donald Trump flipped against him in the past 36 hours, a staggering turn of events that could now pose a grave threat to his ability to fend off criminal charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

House remains paralyzed with no end in sight for speakership battle after Jordan's exit  —  There is still no end in sight for the high-stakes speakership battle after House Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy more than two weeks ago.  —  The search is on for a new GOP speaker nominee …

Democrats keep getting new warning signs about Black voter support  —  Black voters continue to be loyal to Democrats, but there are signs that support continues to erode.  —  Democrats are about to find out how worried they need to be about Black voter support.

Judge fines Donald Trump $5,000 after post maligning court staffer is found on campaign website  —  Former President Donald Trump was fined $5,000 on Friday after a disparaging social media post about a key court staffer in his New York civil fraud case was allowed to linger on his campaign website after the judge ordered it deleted.

Comer Releases Evidence of Direct Payment to Joe Biden  —  WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) today announced the committee obtained bank records revealing a $200,000 direct payment from James and Sara Biden to Joe Biden in the form of a personal check.

Cairo peace summit grapples with Gaza war as risks to region rise  —  Arab leaders condemned Israel's two-week-old bombardment of Gaza on Saturday at a gathering of Western and other leaders and demanded renewed efforts to end a decades-long cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump World Vows to Tank a Speaker Bid From House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Exclusive)  —  'An Emmer speakership is something that won't go over well in our circles,' one source close to Trump told The Messenger … House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., is angling to be the next House speaker …

CDC says skin-disfiguring parasite may be endemic in Texas, present in other states  —  The CDC identified dozens of Leishmania cases — all without a history of travel outside the U.S. — over a 14-year period.  —  A parasite capable of causing a disfiguring skin disease may be endemic …

Supreme Court says White House can continue requests to tech companies  —  The Supreme Court on Friday temporarily allowed the Biden administration to continue its efforts to get social media companies to remove posts from their platforms that the government says are misleading.

Elderly and Imprisoned: 'I Don't Count It as Living, Only Existing.'  —  On a clear day in March 2023, the snowy peaks surrounding the California Institution for Men in Chino were visible.  Cleveland Lindley stood on a green patch in the prison yard, taking in the view.

The Real Reason Hamas Just Released Two American Hostages  —  According to Israeli officials, Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas released two American hostages Friday afternoon for “humanitarian” purposes after kidnapping and holding them in the Gaza Strip for nearly two weeks.

Mastodon Is the Good One  —  Join the newsletter to get the latest updates.  —  Success  —  Great!  Check your inbox and click the link.  —  Error  —  Please enter a valid email address.  —  Earlier this week, friend of 404 Media Katie Notopoulos, who is a great journalist and internet knower …