The House’s highest-ranking Republicans are racing to distance themselves from a leading GOP congressional candidate in Georgia after POLITICO uncovered hours of Facebook videos in which she expresses racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic views.

AOC insisted Monday she’s “not skipping debates” like her predecessor, Joe Crowley, did to disastrous effect two years ago — as she defended her decision not to attend an in-person face-off with her primary challengers Wednesday.

First-term Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens/Bronx) took the stance that she can’t attend the debate because of coronavirus distancing rules, despite the fact that she’s been out and about at a George Floyd protest and other group events this month.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Joe Biden’s search for a running mate is entering a second round of vetting for a dwindling list of potential vice presidential nominees, with several black women in strong contention.

Democrats with knowledge of the process said Biden’s search committee has narrowed the choices to as few as six serious contenders after initial interviews. Those still in contention include Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Kamala Harris of California, as well as Susan Rice, who served as President Barack Obama’s national security adviser.

As President Donald Trump prepared to return to the campaign trail amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, administration officials and several close advisers warned him of the dangers that could come with packing a venue full of his political supporters.

He was not dissuaded.

“He’s been [gently] reminded of the concerns,” said a senior administration official, regarding the potential for spreading the virus at large public gatherings. “The president said something like, ‘My team will make sure everyone is safe [at my rallies].’”

It’s easy to forget, with the unending cavalcade of life-altering news, that we are deep in the midst of an election year. There are just 146 days until Nov. 3, and it’s shaping up to be one like no other.

Around this time in 2016, Hillary Clinton had secured President Barack Obama’s endorsement, and a meeting at Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer, Donald Trump Jr, Paul Manafort and Jared Kushner was starting to spark some suspicions.

From the moment I launched my campaign, I have said that we are in the battle for the soul of this nation. And after two weeks of daily protests, with thousands of people coming out to march for racial justice in the midst of a pandemic, with gatherings in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and in communities of every size, the American people have shown the world exactly where we stand in this battle.

We know the nation we want to be. Now we have to deliver on this moment to achieve fundamental changes that address racial inequalities and white supremacy in our country.

Presumed Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden is winning the lesser-of-two-evils battle against President Trump.

It was a different story when Mr. Trump emerged as the fallback option four years ago for most voters who were not thrilled with either him or Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

“That was a big thing back in 2016 because she was not liked, and he was not liked, but they just disliked her more,” said Mike Noble of the public opinion and market research analytics firm OH Predictive Insights.

President Donald Trump on Monday morning threatened to move August’s Republican National Convention out of North Carolina unless there are guarantees the state will let everyone attend.

“I love the Great State of North Carolina, so much so that I insisted on having the Republican National Convention in Charlotte at the end of August. Unfortunately, Democrat Governor, @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed ... ..full attendance in the Arena,” he began in a string of four tweets.

President Donald Trump threatened Monday to pull the Republican National Convention out of North Carolina if the state’s Democratic governor doesn’t immediately sign off on allowing a full-capacity gathering in August despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Trump’s tweets about the upcoming RNC in Charlotte come two days after North Carolina’s largest daily increase in virus cases yet.

President Trump pressed the Democratic governor of North Carolina on Monday to “guarantee” that he will allow “full capacity” at this summer’s Republican National Convention, dangling the economic blow Charlotte would take if the event were held elsewhere.