Above the Fold

• This morning, Joe Biden for the first time insisted Tara Reade’s sexual-assault allegations “aren’t true” and “never happened.” While adding that “women deserve to be treated with dignity and respect, and when they step forward they should be heard, not silenced,” Biden went on to say that “their stories should be subject to appropriate inquiry and scrutiny” — unless, as history shows, the alleged perpetrator’s name is Clarence Thomas or Brett Kavanaugh. The question now becomes: Will Reade testify under oath?

• Of course, we all know that Reade is being passive aggressively muzzled by virtue of the fact the Leftmedia’s silence to date has been deafening. That momentarily changed when MSNBC’s Chris Hayes broached the allegations — and now the Democrat mob is demanding his ouster.

• According to Fox News, “Internal FBI documents unsealed Thursday indicate that Peter Strzok — the now-disgraced anti-Trump former head of FBI counterintelligence — ordered the investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn to remain open even after it was slated to be closed due to a lack of so-called ‘derogatory’ information.” Why is Strzok not in jail?

Around the Nation

• “Rather than honoring the legislature’s will, [Michigan Gov. Gretchen] Whitmer signed three executive orders to extend the state of emergency to May 28 and declare a state of disaster,” PJ Media reports. The vindictive governor extended the state of emergency despite (or maybe because of) hundreds of protesters urging otherwise. Republican lawmakers plan to take legal action against Gov. Whitmer.

• In Georgia, where commerce is beginning to stir again, Gov. Brian Kemp yesterday revealed: “To protect vulnerable populations, I will sign an order today requiring medically fragile and elderly Georgians to continue to shelter in place through June 12, 2020.” Frankly, isolating the most vulnerable Americans while letting healthy workers prop up the economy as they adhere to CDC guidelines was probably always the best way to address this pandemic.

• On the West Coast, NPR reports that “California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all beaches and state parks in Orange County to temporarily close on Thursday, after images in the news showed crowds gathering on beaches there and, according to Newsom, violating the state’s physical distancing rules.”

Other Notables

• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi appoints only Democrats to inquisition-chasing coronavirus committee (The Daily Wire)

• Sanders and Biden reach convention compromise — the deal helps avoid a potentially messy intra-party fight over delegates (Politico)

• Nearly 900 workers at Tyson Foods plant in Indiana test positive for coronavirus (Fox News)

• Tiny airports rake in big cash after botched stimulus formula (Politico)

• Narrative buster: My Native American father drew the Land O'Lakes maiden. She was never a stereotype. (Robert DesJarlait, The Washington Post)

• Taiwan thankfully emerging from pandemic with a stronger hand against the ChiComs (Bloomberg)

Closing Arguments

• Policy: Ten steps America should take now to respond to the China challenge (The Heritage Foundation)

• Policy: Bring education into the 21st century with flexibility for families (Washington Examiner)

• Humor: Biden campaign fundraising email reminds donors sexual-assault allegations don’t bury themselves (The Onion)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.

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