Trump's epic Mueller gamble  —  Several top White House officials thought then and think now that President Trump made an epic error in rolling over to cooperate with Robert Mueller in the early stages of the special counsel investigation.  —  Why it matters: Trump himself thought then and thinks …

Trump adviser John Bolton floats formal review of security clearances for former officials  —  President Donald Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton floated the possibility of reviewing longstanding policy allowing former government officials to keep their security clearances.

Beto O'Rourke Could Be The Democrat Texas Has Been Waiting For  —  Beto O'Rourke's grassroots campaign to unseat Senator Ted Cruz is blazing across Texas.  But can it convert energy into actual votes?  —  Beto O'Rourke is a prolific, prodigious sweater.  We're talking shirt-soaking …

Blake Farenthold Blames ‘F-Tards,’ Me Too Campaign For His Downfall  —  Months after quitting Congress in disgrace, the Texas Republican insists his sexual harassment scandal was everyone's fault but his own.  —  WASHINGTON Four months after abruptly quitting Congress amid a sexual harassment scandal …

Democrats in stronger position to take the House: CBS News Battleground Tracker  —  Democrats have improved their standing in the fight for control of the House of Representatives.  Our House model now shows the party poised to win 222 seats if the election were today, up from our estimate of 219 earlier this summer.

Al Sharpton Messes Up Spelling of Legendary Aretha Franklin Song: ‘R-E-S-P-I-C-T’  —  MSNBC's “PoliticsNation” host Rev. Al Sharpton called on President Donald Trump to be respectful in his rhetoric toward women but inadvertently misquoted legendary singer Aretha Franklin's most famous lyric.

ICE arrested a man driving his pregnant wife to give birth.  She drove herself to the hospital.  —  Maria del Carmen Venegas was on her way to deliver a baby boy, her fifth child, by Caesarean section in a planned operation Wednesday afternoon.  Her husband, Joel Arrona-Lara, was driving her car to the hospital.

The Untouchables vs. The Deplorables  —  One reason Donald Trump won the presidency is that Americans are tired of being ignored by the ruling political class.  —  A poll taken several months before the election revealed that neglected voters overwhelmingly favored Donald Trump above any other candidate …

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey: I ‘fully admit’ our bias is ‘more left-leaning’  —  Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey said on Saturday that he “fully admit[s]” Twitter employees share a largely left-leaning bias after facing accusations that conservatives are discriminated against on the social media platform.

Gender Is a Construct—Except When It's Not  —  For academic feminists, male and female biology is either interchangeable or immutable, depending on what complaint they need to lodge.  —  The Social Order  —  A foundational tenet of academic feminism holds that alleged differences between males and females are socially constructed.

Trump Won Pennsylvania.  Democrats Want the State (and His Voters) Back.  —  CONWAY, Pa. — The rules are workable enough in the right hands, in the right corner of a right-leaning region of a state like this one.  —  Avoid the jacket-and-tie look, so voters — wary enough of Democrats …

Mulvaney on canceled military parade: It wasn't just the money  —  Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney said he believes President Donald Trump's plans for a military parade were canceled for other reasons besides the cost of the event, but would not specify other “contributing factors.”

EXCLUSIVE: 4-in-10 N.H. Republicans Support a 2020 Primary Challenge for President Trump  —  A significant majority of Granite State voters—and 40 percent of Republicans—say a 2020 GOP primary for President Trump “would be a good thing.”  That's the finding of the latest New Hampshire Journal poll …

The growing split between progressives and party leaders on deficit spending could define the party's future.  —  WASHINGTON — All across the country, Democratic candidates are sending a message: We're the party that isn't afraid to think big.  Elect us, they say, and we'll pursue transformative policies …