Former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson dies at 73  —  Fred Thompson, a former U.S. senator for Tennessee, GOP presidential candidate, Watergate attorney and longtime “Law and Order” star, has died.  —  Mr. Thompson, 73, died on Sunday from after a recurrence of lymphoma, according to a statement issued from the Thompson family.

It's Time For Jeb To Go  —  Until now, I have taken a benign view of Jeb Bush's presidential candidacy.  I have said from the beginning that he has zero chance of getting the Republican nomination, but he was a good governor and he has as much right to seek the nomination as anyone else.

GOP contenders demand greater control over crucial debates  —  Several Republican presidential campaigns began mapping out new demands Sunday for greater control over the format and content of primary debates, which have attracted big audiences and become strategically critical for the 2016 cycle's expansive field of contenders.

Ryan hires 8 communications staffers  —  Speaker Paul Ryan has hired eight communications staffers as he builds what he promises to be a large-scale press shop to lead the GOP messaging operation.  —  Ryan (R-Wis.) has said he'll spend a lot of time on television communicating the party's message.

GOP hurts itself with Medicare attacks  —  It is a riddle.  —  Republicans running for the party's presidential nomination continue to push cuts in Medicare spending even as Republican voters oppose cuts in Medicare spending.  —  Seventy-seven percent of Medicare beneficiaries are white …

Cruz's silent super PACs a growing worry for campaign  —  The super PACs backing Cruz's presidential run have yet to reserve any TV time in the early primary states - or anywhere else - despite a combined $38 million warchest that ranks second only to Jeb Bush's $103 million operation.

Hillary Clinton's rogue agenda: Why Sid Blumenthal matters  —  Hillary Clinton and Sidney Blumenthal Photo: (Left) ZumaPress, (right) EPA  —  After the media inexplicably dubbed Hillary Rodham Clinton the “winner” of the Benghazi hearings, her apologists dismissed a line of questioning into her unofficial adviser, Sidney Blumenthal.

Bacon causes cancer?  When pigs fly!  —  Halloween week kicked off with big scary news from the World Health Organization: Processed meat is now in the same category of carcinogens as cigarettes . . .  . . . and sunshine.  —  The new WHO study (actually from a subsidiary …

Police: Customer with concealed carry license kills robber; 6 wounded in other shootings  —  A robbery was thwarted at a Southwest Side corner store Saturday night when a patron with a concealed carry license shot and killed an armed robber, authorities said.