Playbook: Who took the debate bait?  —  With help from Eli Okun, Garrett Ross and Bethany Irvine  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: SAVE THE DATE — NIKKI HALEY makes her first public appearance since bowing out of the 2024 presidential race — and her inaugural appearance …

GOP Sen. Mitt Romney says Biden should have pardoned Trump  —  Romney, an outspoken Trump critic, told MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle that Biden “made an enormous error” by not pardoning Trump in federal cases or pressuring New York prosecutors to drop the hush money charges.

That grim NYT poll hints at a big opportunity for Biden  —  PN is a reader-supported publication made possible by paid subscribers.  Appreciate our independent journalism?  Then please sign up to support us.  —  📊 Subscribe to Public Notice 📊

Supreme Court allows Louisiana to use congressional map with second majority-Black district  —  The court's decision is the latest twist in a long-running battle over the state's congressional map.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday paved the way for Louisiana to use …

Former far-right hard-liner says pro-voucher billionaires are using school board races to sow distrust in public education  —  The largesse from billionaires Tim Dunn and brothers Farris and Dan Wilks has made its way into local politics.  Courtney Gore, a Republican school board member in Granbury …

The myth of “woke” indoctrination at American universities  —  According to some prominent billionaires, political pundits, and media figures, American universities have undergone a radical transformation.  Institutions of higher learning in the United States, they say, are no longer focused on free academic inquiry.

Trump, allies are laying the groundwork to contest potential election loss  —  Donald Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork to contest a potential loss in November, stoking doubts about the election's legitimacy even as opinion polls show the Republican presidential candidate leading in battleground states.

House Democrats Fume Over Unprecedented Israeli Rebuke Of Lawmakers  —  Congressional aides told HuffPost a May 8 letter from Israel's ambassador was “stunning,” “embarrassing” and “verging on offensive.”  —  LOADING  —  One week after Israel's ambassador to the U.S. sent dozens of Democrats …

We're in a pivotal moment in American history.  We cannot retreat  —  Clearly, our job is not just to re-elect Biden.  It's much more than that  —  In 1776, Americans, living in a British colony, put their lives on the line and fought for independence from the king of England.

USCP Drug Investigation  —  The United States Capitol Police (USCP) is investigating a roughly one-inch by one-inch zip lock bag with a small amount of a white powdery substance, which field tested positive for cocaine.  —  The small bag was found on the floor of a hallway inside USCP headquarters.

A Trump-Biden Tie Would Be a Political Nightmare — But Maybe a Boon to Democracy  —  The political upheaval of 1824 changed America.  The same could happen in 2024.  —  Six months out from the presidential election, voters are caught up in what-ifs.  What if Joe Biden proves the pollsters wrong and clinches a second term?

House Republicans Consider Holding Attorney General in Contempt  —  The Judiciary and Oversight Committees will discuss the option in response to Merrick B. Garland's refusal to turn over audio of a special counsel's interview with President Biden.  —  House Republicans are threatening …

U.S. seeing “increasing” number of threats to election, intelligence chief says … - Both Haines and Easterly said the federal government's ability to protect elections has increased in recent years and that it has never been more prepared.  — Easterly said election workers have resigned over threats they received.

Trump said men would see his mistreatment of Stormy Daniels as “cool.”  His trial suggests otherwise  —  Stormy Daniels is just the latest woman to note Trump uses coercion because he's incapable of persuasion  —  Despite all the press hand-wringing about Michael Cohen's so-called credibility issues …

And then there were two: Seventh Native American tribe bans Gov. Noem  —  The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in central South Dakota has joined six of the state's tribes in preventing Gov. Kristi Noem from coming onto their tribal land, leaving the governor just two reservations she can still travel to.