Biden Builds Polling Lead in Battleground States, With Strength Among White Voters  —  NYT UPSHOT/  —  SIENA COLLEGE POLL  —  Joe Biden holds a strong lead among registered voters in six battleground states carried by Donald Trump in 2016.  —  2016 Result NYT/Siena  —  Michigan  —  Trump

Treasury sent more than 1 million coronavirus stimulus payments to dead people, congressional watchdog finds  —  The checks sent to dead people as of April 30 totaled nearly $1.4 billion, according to the Government Accountability Office  —  The federal government sent coronavirus stimulus payments …

The 3 most populous states are breaking coronavirus records, leading to fears of ‘apocalyptic’ surges  —  (CNN)The three most populous states set records for new coronavirus cases daily and there are fears of “apocalyptic” surges in major Texas cities if the trend continues.

Why Did the Washington Post Get This Woman Fired?  —  Last week, when Sue Schafer learned that the Washington Post planned to publish a story about one of the dumbest things she had ever done, she had the same question that many readers would have about the resulting 3,000-word article …

The coronavirus surge is real, and it's everywhere  —  The coronavirus pandemic is getting dramatically worse in almost every corner of the U.S.  —  The big picture: The U.S. today is getting closer to the worst-case scenario envisioned in the spring — a nationwide crisis …

She Wanted to Be a Republican President.  She's Voting for Biden.  —  Republicans who say Donald Trump should lose in November but insist they won't vote for Joe Biden aren't being honest, Carly Fiorina argues.  —  Fiorina was a Republican candidate for president just four years ago …

How the Virus Won  —  Invisible outbreaks sprang up everywhere.  The United States ignored the warning signs.  We analyzed travel patterns, hidden infections and genetic data to show how the epidemic spun out of control.  —  Invisible outbreaks sprang up everywhere.  The United States ignored the warning signs.

The Supreme Court just allowed Trump's expansion of deportations to go unchecked  —  President Donald Trump visits the US-Mexico border fence in Otay Mesa, California, on September 18, 2019.  Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images  —  Asylum seekers now have little recourse to challenge fast-tracked deportations.

The dirty secret behind Ben Shapiro's extraordinary success on Facebook  —  Founder of The Daily Wire, Ben Shapiro.  (MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)  —  The success of The Daily Wire, the website run by right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro, on Facebook is mind-boggling.

New research explores how conservative media misinformation may have intensified the severity of the pandemic  —  The three studies paint a picture of a media ecosystem that entertains conspiracy theories and discourages audiences from taking steps to protect themselves and others

Poll Shows Trump Dragging Down G.O.P. Senate Candidates  —  Tomorrow: How voters see Mr. Biden's possible vice presidential choices.

‘Faces of the conquerors’: Trump trip to Rushmore draws fire  —  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — President Donald Trump's plans to kick off Independence Day with a showy display at Mount Rushmore are drawing sharp criticism from Native Americans who view the monument as a desecration of land violently stolen …

Why NASCAR's Bubba Wallace says he'll take embarrassment over the alternative  —  The 43 car driver thanked NASCAR and FBI for taking threat seriously.  —  After “an emotional few days,” NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace addressed his followers on Twitter Wednesday after the FBI investigation concluded …

‘We are just gonna go out and start slaughtering them’: Three cops fired after racist talk of killing black residents  —  Sitting in his patrol car in Wilmington, N.C., Officer Michael “Kevin” Piner predicted Black Lives Matter protests would soon lead to civil war.

The world is putting America in quarantine  —  The United States is in the midst of a full-blown second wave of coronavirus.  According to Worldometers, Tuesday had 36,015 new cases — the highest number since May 1, and the third-highest ever.  Arizona, Florida, South Carolina, California …

The 6 Trump Bombshells Still Waiting to Explode  —  We have known since nearly the beginning of Donald Trump's presidency that he believes his first attorney general was a dangerous idiot.  We have known for nearly as long that his first secretaries of state and defense think the same thing about Trump.

NASA will name its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer  —  (CNN)NASA is renaming its headquarters after Mary W. Jackson, the agency's first African American female engineer who helped inspire the story behind the book and film “Hidden Figures.”

The head of US broadcasting is leaning toward pro-Trump propaganda.  Biden would fire him.  —  Former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign exclusively told Vox he plans to fire US Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack if Biden becomes president.  —  If Joe Biden wins the presidency …

Trump Brother Was in ICU Just Before Filing Suit Over Tell-All  —  Robert Trump, Donald's younger brother, spent at least 10 days in a neuro intensive care unit just before launching legal action to stop the publication of his niece's book.  —  Robert Trump, Donald's younger brother …

In Racist Screed, NYT's 1619 Project Founder Calls ‘White Race’ ‘Barbaric Devils,’ ‘Bloodsuckers,’ Columbus ‘No Different Than Hitler’  —  In an indication of what was to come, the founder of the New York Times' 1619 Project penned a lengthy racist screed attacking all white people in 1995.

Threats and racist tirades against Sen. Tim Scott increasing  —  Editor's note: This story contains disturbing language.  —  (CNN)GOP Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has seen an uptick in racist and profanity-laced voicemails at his office since becoming the lead Republican on police reform legislation …

U.S. Marshals told to prepare to help protect monuments nationwide as Trump targets people who vandalize structures during protests  —  U.S. Marshals have been told they should prepare to help protect national monuments across the country, according to an email directive viewed by The Washington Post …

Here's The Good COVID-19 News That's Being Buried By The Press  —  Once again, the U.S. is undergoing a media-driven COVID-19 scare after a “spike” in infections.  But as we noted earlier this week, the number of cases depends on the amount of testing.  The key gauge to watch is deaths.

N.Y.P.D. Officer Filmed Using Illegal Chokehold Is Arrested and Charged  —  The officer is the second in the city to face criminal charges for using excessive force this month, after mass protests across the country.  —  A New York City police officer was arrested on Thursday morning …

Trump team looks to prevent a Tulsa-style debacle in Jacksonville  —  President Donald Trump wasn't the only one thrown off course by a lower-than-expected turnout at his comeback rally in Tulsa.  —  Republican officials and Trump campaign aides, some of whom have been working since last year …

White House meetings on Israeli annexations end with no decision  —  Discussions at the White House on the Trump administration's plan on how to handle possible Israeli annexations in the West Bank ended with no final decision, a U.S. official told me.  —  Why it matters: The fact …