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Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country.
* A new national Monmouth poll released this morning showed Joe Biden leading Donald Trump, 52% to 41%. In Monmouth polling, the Democrat's lead was three points in March, four points in April, nine points in May, and 11 points now.
* After yesterday's primaries, Biden hasn't yet officially secured a majority of the available delegates, but he's close, and he should become the presumptive nominee next week.
* Speaking of yesterday's primaries, there were plenty of interesting results, including Valarie Plame coming up short in New Mexico in her Democratic congressional primary against Teresa Leger Fernandez.
* Also yesterday, voters in Ferguson, Mo., elected Ella Jones, a City Council member, as the city's new mayor. She'll be Ferguson's first African-American and first woman mayor.
* Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) appeared at a press conference in his district, and asked Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, if he could say a few words about recent local unrest. A hot mic captured the congressman saying, "If I didn't have a primary, I wouldn't care." New York's primary is scheduled for June 23.
* Though details are still a bit murky, former officials from the Bush/Cheney administration have reportedly created a super PAC to help boost Biden's 2020 campaign. It's called 43 Alumni For Biden and it will be led in part by Karen Kirksey, a former Treasury Department official.
* And Julian Castro's presidential campaign came up short, but he's apparently joining Biden's team to help tackle police reform, one of the core issues of the Texas Democrat's candidacy.