Good morning! Here’s your Daily News for Thursday, May 10.

1. Dramatic homecoming: Trump greets hostages freed from North Korea. 

• What an image.
• President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump went to Andrews Air Force Base this morning to welcome home three Americans freed by North Korea yesterday: Kim Dong-chul, Tony Kim and Kim Ha-song.
• If you turn on the TV right now, they are probably replaying footage on a loop. I can be tough on Trump, but there’s no denying he knows drama and stagecraft, and this was a home run.
• For the full story of the homecoming click HERE. Also, the short but moving video from the White House is HERE.
• The hostage release was North Korea’s latest overture to demonstrate its willingness to negotiate a nuclear accord with South Korea and the United States. A summit for those negotiations is supposed to take place in Singapore in June, but those plans aren’t officially set.
• For interesting perspective on how we got here, read AXIOS’ Jonathan Swan HERE.
• For more on how a nuclear deal might proceed, read the New York Times’ David Sanger HERE.

2. New Ads!

• Another day, another cache of new campaign ads.
• FINALLY, these things are starting to get interesting!
• Kay Ivey’s latest takes place at a gun range and is just pretty clever.
• Will Ainsworth’s latest has bank robbers in bank robber masks.
• Martha Roby’s latest features a veteran cancer patient who says her office saved his life.
• Jay Mitchell’s first ad is a fun play on his height and basketball background.
• In such a boring election cycle, I promise you voters will reward candidates who break through the monotonous noise. It looks like they are starting to.
• Watch them all in the updated rundown HERE.

3. Doc says Ivey is healthy. 

• After her opponents ganged up to release medical records showing their clean bills of health, Gov. Kay Ivey released a letter from her doctor saying she is in “excellent health.”
• The note came with some fiery comments from Ivey campaign manager Mike Lukach.
• In case you haven’t noticed, there is a not-so-subtle effort afoot to question Ivey’s health and longevity. The Governor has said her opponents should just come out and say it if they have a problem with her age.
• Challengers Tommy Battle, Scott Dawson and Bill Hightower are unlikely to go too hard in the paint on health and age – like airing a TV ad about it – because that would risk alienating a good portion of the 70-plus Baby Boomer electorate.
• I say we have a feats of strength competition and a spelling contest.

4. Roy Moore endorses Hobson.

• Roy Moore has officially endorsed Rich Hobson in his run for Congress.
• Hobson worked for Moore for many years and recently managed his unsuccessful Senate campaign.
• I don’t cover all endorsements because it would be impossible.
• But this one is interesting. Not surprising, but interesting.
• Hobson and the other challengers to Roby have been kind of overshadowed by the dramatic entrance of former Democratic Congressman Bobby Bright into the Republican primary. This was Hobson’s one arrow in the quiver, and it at least gets him some headlines and TV mentions.
• Also, I would love to see up-to-date polling on Roy Moore to know where his favorability stands since last year’s debacle and the sort of exhausting legal battles since.
• I would bet he’s still popular with a decent slice of the GOP base. I don’t know if those folks are or ever were Martha Roby voters. I also don’t know how many die hards go out to vote when Roy Moore isn’t on the ballot.
• Read more HERE.

5. Steve Marshall profiled.

• Brian Lyman of the Montgomery Advertiser has a thorough, yet  concise profile of Attorney General Steve Marshall in today’s paper. You can read it HERE.
• Among the topics: immigration, opioids, gambling, Bentley.
• Not among them: Trump, though that’s the prevailing theme of Marshall’s latest ad.
• I try to post as many candidate profiles as possible for a few reasons.
• First, to give you, the reader, as much information on candidates as possible.
• But also to give you an idea of what the typical voter is going to find and read when they start googling candidates three days out of the election.
• It’s interesting to read candidate profile stories through that lens.
• Can’t wait for TV election stories!

Headlines.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump gives freed Americans flag-waving welcome.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – UPDATED: Campaign TV Ad rundown. 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Ivey’s doctor says the governor is in ‘excellent health’.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Roy Moore endorses former aide in Alabama congressional race.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Senior Bowl parting ways with Phil Savage.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Federal authorities arrest Alabama teacher in Florida case.

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Auburn grad becomes rising star at Victoria Secret.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – State could deny MPS superintendent selection contract if deadline not met.

MONTGOMERY ADVERTISER – In seeking a term in his own right, Steve Marshall says he’ll follow the law.

DOTHAN EAGLE: Lawmakers must derail jail gravy train.

DOTHAN EAGLE: Felony charges levied against man for courthouse bomb threat.

OPELIKA-AUBURN NEWS –  It’s a memorial no one wants, but one we owe to ourselves.

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – Roby releases second TV ad.

YELLOWHAMMER NEWS – WATCH: Alabama candidates, officials rock the runway in Huntsville.

ANDALUSIA STAR-NEWS – Alabama Republicans support Trump’s Iran decision.

DECATUR DAILY – Community college tuition increasing $10 per credit hour.

DECATUR DAILY – Morgan sheriff to remain in office despite legal issues.

DECATUR DAILY – Nucor gets abatement for $4 million equipment upgrade.

TUSCALOOSA NEWS – School safety proposals useless without funding.

AL.COM – Gov. Kay Ivey, Tommy Battle spar over highway project at ribbon cutting.

AL.COM – Gov. Kay Ivey releases doctor’s letter: Governor ‘in excellent health’.

AL.COM – Columnist Kyle Whitmire:  Sue Bell Cobb has a Jeff Sessions problem.

AL.COM – Rise of the Rest bus tour shines light on Birmingham startup community.

AL.COM – Alabama Democrat Anthony White running low-key campaign for governor.

AL.COM – PACT to boost payments for students’ tuition, fees by 7 percent.

AL.COM – National Merit Scholarship recipients: 36 Alabama students among $2,500 winners.

AL.COM – Alabama teacher salaries worth less than a decade ago.

AL.COM – Roy Moore endorses former aide Rich Hobson in congressional race.

AL.COM – Nations Roof moving HQ from Atlanta area to Mobile.

ALABAMA POLITICAL REPORTER – Cobb campaign employs registered sex offender as field director.

ALABAMA POLITICAL REPORTER – Yet another lawsuit has been filed against former Gov. Robert Bentley.

WASHINGTON POST – Columnist George Will:  Trump is no longer the worst person in government.

WASHINGTON POST – Renegade Republicans challenge Paul Ryan, file discharge petition to force immigration votes.

WASHINGTON POST – Why the Internet is suddenly protesting on net neutrality all over again.

WASHINGTON POST – Mick Mulvaney takes aim at consumer bureau’s student protection unit.

NEW YORK TIMES – Columnist Frank Bruni:  How Many Funerals Will Donald Trump Have to Skip?

Front pages (Images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize)