Manafort in talks with prosecutors about possible plea, according to people familiar with the discussions  —  Days before in-person jury selection is set to begin in his second trial, President Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort is in talks with the special counsel's office …

‘Shipwreck’: GOP grows fearful about losing Senate as candidates struggle, Trump support tumbles  —  Republicans have grown increasingly worried about losing control of the Senate, as President Trump's approval rating tumbles and Democrats gain steam in key battleground races.

Email from Cuomo aide casts doubt on claims over anti-Semitic mailer  —  Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he was blindsided by an “inappropriate” political mailer tying Cynthia Nixon to anti-Semitism — but just a day before the inflammatory literature surfaced, one of his top campaign aides pitched …

SC officials won't evacuate prison despite mandatory order ahead of hurricane  —  As nearly a million people hit the road before Hurricane Florence nears the coast, 934 inmates and as many as 119 prison staff will be staying behind despite a mandatory evacuation.

This Week in Julia Salazar She had a trust fund, her ancestors were Catholic elites, and she has a new version of her conversion story.  —  A state senate race that was once hailed as a test of the rising strength and power of insurgent socialists has devolved into a full-fledged New York City tabloid circus …

‘Tremendously big’: Trump reaches for superlatives in the face of calamity  —  The Debrief: An occasional series offering a reporter's insights  —  Flanked in the Oval Office by charts showing the path of Hurricane Florence, President Trump on Tuesday issued a warning …

Castro Valley Man Accused Of Switchblade Assault On GOP Congressional Candidate  —  CASTRO VALLEY (CBS SF) - A man was arrested on suspicion of felony assault and other charges after allegedly attempting to stab a Republican congressional candidate with a switchblade over the weekend at in Castro Valley …

What a baby  —  Only a man who is deeply worried about his own strength would talk as much as Donald Trump does about the danger of appearing weak.  —  That's my biggest takeaway from reading “Fear,” Bob Woodward's new book about the Trump presidency.  The scoops were mostly revealed last week.

Sheldon Whitehouse Asks Brett Kavanaugh If He Has A Gambling Problem  —  No senator has asked the Supreme Court nominee about his debts until now.  —  Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) wants to know if Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court, has a gambling problem.

Activists raised $1 million to defeat Susan Collins if she votes for Kavanaugh.  She says it's bribery.  —  In the closely divided senate, Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation hinges in part on the votes of two moderate Republican senators: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine.

Newspaper doubles down with front page response to Serena Williams cartoon critics  —  THE paper behind the controversial Serena Williams cartoon has published an extraordinary front page response to its critics.  —  Serena Williams fined for US Open outburst1:28

Chris Pappas wins New Hampshire Democratic primary  —  Chris Pappas, a member of the New Hampshire Executive Council, won the state's Democratic primary Tuesday night for the 1st Congressional District to replace retiring Rep. Carol Shea-Porter (D), reports the AP.

Scarborough: Trump A ‘Far Graver Threat to the Idea of America’ Than 9/11 Attack  —  9/11 is always a somber day for reflection, especially for those in New York on that fateful day, and on this tough day Joe Scarborough penned a column for the Washington Post in which the former GOP congressman …

Scott jets around on secrecy-heavy ‘bus tour’  —  Gov. Rick Scott used his private jet Tuesday to commute to a Senate campaign stop for his “bus tour,” marking his second stumble since announcing he was traveling the Florida highways this week to “Make Washington Work.”

Education Dept. Reopens Rutgers Case Charging Discrimination Against Jewish Students  —  The new head of civil rights at the Education Department has reopened a seven-year-old case brought by a Zionist group against Rutgers University, saying the Obama administration, in closing the case …

Texas poll shows Beto O'Rourke gaining ground as Ted Cruz hangs on to a slim 3% lead  —  Millennials and non-white women leading the surge against the U.S. Senate incumbent, according to Crosswind Texas Pulse Poll  —  Austin, TX - In a sign of just how crucial the millennial vote might …

U.S. expects to hit $1 trillion deficit earlier than planned  —  The U.S. deficit grew by $222 billion from this time last year — reaching a total of $895 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.  —  Why it matters: This increase was due mostly to the new Republican tax law …

BREAKING: Page and Strzok Texts Reveal They Discussed Writing a “Folksy” Op-ed on Russia  —  Strzok and Page discussed writing an oped on Russia about two months before the 2016 presidential election  —  The pair also discuss how a September 2016 article on Russian election meddling was “100 percent authorized” and “well sourced”

Taco Bell voted best Mexican restaurant in the country  —  ST. LOUIS (KMOV.com) — The Harris Poll, a nationwide customer survey of their favorite brands, has released its 2018 results.  —  The poll surveyed more than 77,000 customers in the U.S. on more than 3,000 brands to find which companies are the favorites among consumers.

A Trail of ‘Bread Crumbs,’ Leading Conspiracy Theorists Into the Wilderness  —  Go hungry for too long, and a lot of strange things will start to look like food.  The smallest morsels become precious, especially if you believe they form some kind of trail with a meal at the end.

‘Threats of Rape and Strangling’ Force D.C. McAllister Into Hiding After Anti-Abortion Tweet  —  Last week, PJ Media contributor and Fox News guest Denise McAllister sent out a powerful tweet denouncing the abortion movement.  Little did she know, days later she would be in hiding, scared for her life.

Kansas GOP lawmakers' silence on whether they support Kobach angers some within party  —  TOPEKA  —  Kris Kobach may be the chosen standard-bearer for the Kansas Republican Party, but elected GOP officials are less than unified behind him in his run for governor.

Missing wages, grueling shifts, and bottles of urine: The disturbing accounts of Amazon delivery drivers may reveal the true human cost of ‘free’ shipping  — Business Insider spoke with 31 current or recently employed drivers about what it's like to deliver packages for Amazon.

Arizona's top prosecutor reportedly investigating Google  —  Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich is probing Google's location tracking practices, according to a report.  —  Arizona's top prosecutor is investigating Google for its location tracking practices, the Washington Post reports.

Nassar raped, impregnated athlete and Michigan State covered it up: lawsuit  —  Disgraced sports doctor Larry Nassar drugged, raped and impregnated a Michigan State University field hockey player in 1992 — and the university's then-athletic director took steps to cover it up, according to an explosive new lawsuit.

What is Article 7, the EU's ‘nuclear option’?  —  The European Parliament votes Wednesday on whether to trigger the EU's so-called Article 7 procedure against Hungary, used when a country is considered at risk of breaching the bloc's core values.  —  The procedure is sometimes called the EU's …

Trump administration took nearly $10 million from FEMA's budget to support ICE, documents show  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration took nearly $10 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's budget this summer to help boost U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to budget documents shared with USA TODAY.

Bezos, Amazon board visiting Washington, but no headquarters announcement planned  —  Billionaire to make high-profile appearances as HQ2 search continues.  —  Amazon.com founder Jeffrey P. Bezos and the company's board of directors are arriving in Washington in advance of a series …