Tim Cook Speaks Up  —  Throughout my professional life, I've tried to maintain a basic level of privacy.  I come from humble roots, and I don't seek to draw attention to myself.  Apple is already one of the most closely watched companies in the world, and I like keeping the focus on our products …

Why Polls Tend to Undercount Democrats  —  Polls show that the Republicans have an advantage in the fight for control of the Senate.  They lead in enough states to win control, and they have additional opportunities in North Carolina and New Hampshire to make up for potential upsets.

White House in Denial: President Obama Is Costing Democrats Control of the Senate  —  The administration insists that vulnerable Democrats should have supported him more.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  —  White House officials are preemptively spinning a midterm defeat, and they're using their own fantasies to do it.

Lindsey Graham unfiltered: jokes about white men, Baptists  —  Washington (CNN) — South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is toying with the idea of a presidential bid, joked in a private gathering this month that “white men who are in male-only clubs are going to do great in my presidency …

Rand Paul: GOP brand ‘sucks’  —  DETROIT — Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) acknowledged Wednesday a problem that many Republicans admit only privately: their party brand “sucks.”  —  The weakness, Paul added, is particularly serious when it comes to appealing to black voters.  —  “Remember Domino's Pizza?

Hillary Clinton could end up alone in Iowa  —  Des Moines, Iowa (CNN) — Imagine if Iowa held a caucus and nobody but Hillary Clinton showed up.  —  Democrats of all stripes, including Clinton allies, have predicted for months that the former Secretary of State — who was campaigning …

Antic Right Wing Blogger Now Stalking His Biggest Critic  —  After a pitstop for an Italian dinner on Tuesday night, right-wing agitator Charles C. Johnson showed up at what he thought was the residence of his biggest online adversary — a man who just so happens to share his name …

Maine nurse defies Ebola quarantine with bike ride  —  7 photos  —  FORT KENT, Maine (AP) — All but daring Maine health authorities to go to court to have her confined, nurse Kaci Hickox went out on a bike ride Thursday in defiance of the state's voluntary quarantine for medical workers who have treated Ebola patients.

Jian Ghomeshi: 8 women accuse former CBC host of violence, sexual abuse or harassment  —  One woman, actor Lucy DeCoutere, alleges she was slapped and choked without her consent.  —  Actress, Lucy DeCoutere, comes forward with details of her alleged assault by Jian Ghomeshi.  —  Photos View photos

Senate Update: Exit To Recountland  —  Republicans got favorable news in Georgia on Tuesday, where a Monmouth University poll put their candidate, David Perdue, eight points ahead of the Democrat Michelle Nunn.  The poll is something of an outlier relative to the consensus — nonetheless …

This One Picture of Telly Savalas Refutes All Fears That Progress Has Ended  —  Don't believe the naysayers: Our country is doing better than ever, and this People magazine cover proves it.  —  I started receiving People magazine recently, and as I was leafing through its ho-hum 40th anniversary issue …

Jeannine Aversa: (202) 606-2649 (News Media)  —  National Income and Product Accounts  —  Gross Domestic Product, Third Quarter 2014 (Advance Estimate)  —  Real gross domestic product — the value of the production of goods and services in the United States, adjusted for price changes …

Thomas M. Menino, Boston's longest serving mayor, has died at age 71  —  Thomas Michael Menino, who insisted a mayor doesn't need a grand vision to lead, then went on to shepherd Boston's economy and shape the skyline and the very identity of the city he loved through an unprecedented five consecutive terms in City Hall, died Thursday.

Non-Citizens Are Voting  —  Could non-citizen voting be a problem in next week's elections, and perhaps even swing some very close elections?  —  A new study by two Old Dominion University professors, based on survey data from the Cooperative Congressional Election Study …

The Green Monster  —  How the Border Patrol became America's most out-of-control law enforcement agency.  —  But the Border Patrol has also become one of the nation's deadliest law enforcement agencies over that same period, involved in more fatal shootings—at least 46—since 2004 than perhaps any other such agency.

Burkina Faso parliament set ablaze  —  Protesters angry at plans to allow Burkina Faso's President Blaise Compaore to extend his 27-year-rule have set fire to parliament.  —  Correspondents say the city hall and ruling party headquarters are also in flames.

NATO says Russian jets, bombers circle Europe in unusual incidents  —  MOSCOW — NATO said Wednesday that it had intercepted a large number of Russian aircraft flying close to European airspace in the past two days, in an “unusual” series of incidents that brought Russian bombers as far afield as Portugal.