The Ukraine Connection: Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn are investigating whether Ukrainian officials were involved in a scheme to influence the 2020 presidential campaign, including using President Donald Trump’s lawyer, Rudy Giuliani to spread disinformation about President Biden and tilt the election in Trump’s favor, The NY Times  reports according to sources.

  The Times says this is separate from an investigation of Giuliani himself. The paper says the prosecutors and FBI are focused on current and former Ukrainian officials suspected of trying to influence the election by spreading unsubstantiated claims of corruption about Biden through a number of channels, including Giuliani.

  The Times reports that Giuliani travelled to Ukraine as part of an effort to gather information in Ukraine to attack Biden’s diplomatic efforts there as vice president, and to press Ukraine to announce investigations into Biden and other Trump critics.

QAnon America: Fifteen percent of Americans adhere to the QAnon conspiracy belief that power in this country is wielded by a cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles, according to a poll released by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Interfaith Youth Core. 

  The same percentage told the pollsters that “American patriots may have to resort to violence” to depose the pedophiles and restore the country’s rightful order.

  The poll also found that an even greater number, 20 percent of Americans, believe that a biblical-scale storm will soon sweep away the evil elites and “restore the rightful leaders.”

  It gets scarier. The poll found that only 20 percent of  Republicans fully reject the QAnon conspiracy theory. For Democrats, 58 percent were QAnon rejecters. Do the math. That means 42 percent don’t think it’s insanity. 

See No Evil: Maine Sen. Susan Collins, who usually dodges taking a stand on difficult issue, says she supports establishing a Congressional commission to investigate the causes of the January 6th capitol insurrection. 

  Her fellow Republicans, who would investigate a Democrat if he breaks a shoelace, have been trying to block establishment of the commission that would likely put some blame on Donald Trump. The Republicans are claiming that the commission would become a weapon against them. 

  The mother and partner of Capitol Police Off. Brian Sicknick, who died in the insurrection, have been lobbying for Congress to approve the investigation.

  The partner, Sandra Garza,  said, “I mean, why would they not want to get to the bottom of such horrific violence? They are here today — and with their families and comfortable — because of the actions of law enforcement that day. . . . It just boggles my mind.”

It Came from Outer Space: Chinese officials are pushing back on the American theory that the coronavirus escaped from a Wuhan laboratory. China’s foreign ministry accused the US of “political manipulation and blame shifting”. They’ve said they believe it came from a seafood market.

  The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is “extremely unlikely” that the virus spread from a lab leak, following a visit to Wuhan earlier this year to investigate the origins of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Spin Rack: Republicans have given President Biden a $928 billion counter offer to his $1.27 trillion infrastructure rebuilding bill. — Vice President Harris is delivering the commencement address today at the US Naval Academy, the first woman to do so in the academy’s 175 years. — Just in time for Memorial day, the price of gasoline is at a seven-year high. — A California startup has taught a computer to “taste” wine by analyzing its chemistry.

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