Turkey releases passport scans of men it says were involved in journalist's killing  —  ISTANBUL — Turkish officials have provided The Washington Post with scans of passports that they say were carried by seven men who were part of a Saudi team involved in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside …

Trump calls Stormy Daniels ‘Horseface’  —  President Trump on Tuesday called adult-film star Stormy Daniels “Horseface” and threatened to “go after” her after he won a court victory over his alleged mistress.  —  “'Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials lawsuit versus Trump.

American Mercenaries Were Hired To Assassinate Politicians In The Middle East  —  “There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen.  I was running it.  We did it.”  —  Cradling an AK-47 and sucking a lollipop, the former American Green Beret bumped along in the back of an armored SUV …

Heitkamp apologizes for ad misidentifying victims of abuse  —  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Sen. Heidi Heitkamp apologized Tuesday for misidentifying victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape who were listed in a recent North Dakota newspaper ad aimed at her opponent.

White House moves to replace Interior Department IG amid probe of Secretary Ryan Zinke  —  An internal HUD email announced Suzanne Tufts will become the acting inspector general for the Interior Department.  The Interior IG's office was unaware.  —  The White House appears to be replacing …

Brothel owner, Assembly candidate Dennis Hof dead at 72  —  Prominent Nevada brothel owner and Assembly candidate Dennis Hof has died, his campaign manager tweeted on Tuesday, just days after his 72nd birthday.  —  Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly said Nye County Commission Chair John Koenig announced …

McConnell Blames Entitlements, Not GOP, for Rising Deficits  — Leader sees little chance of tackling debt without Democrats  — GOP passed tax cut bill adding more than $1 trillion in debt  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blamed rising federal deficits and debt …

Julián Castro Gives His Clearest Signal Yet He's Running in 2020  —  The Texas Democrat talks about why Latinos aren't fired up this year, how the Democratic Party must change and his own political future  —  WASHINGTON — Julián Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and secretary …

Don't expect a big Democratic wave this fall, a new CNBC poll says  — The poll of 800 Americans across the country, with a margin of error of 3.5 percent, found a six-point Democratic lead on the question of who voters will choose in the November congressional elections.

The numbers are in, and Trump's tax cut didn't reduce the deficit - despite his many promises  — On the campaign trail, Trump first proposed a $10 trillion tax cut, far larger than any Republican rival's, but insisted it wouldn't boost the federal budget deficit because the economy would “take off like a rocket ship.”

What Is NPC, the Pro-Trump Internet's New Favorite Insult?  —  Twitter has barred hundreds of right-wing accounts for posing as soulless, “nonplayable” liberal activists.  —  Last week, a trolling campaign organized by right-wing internet users spilled over onto Twitter.

Republicans Are Adopting the Proud Boys  —  Before and after the Manhattan brawl, GOP figures defended and promoted the far-right group.  It's a valuable and dangerous bridge between fascism and mainstream politics.  —  Nine members of the far-right Proud Boys group and three protesters …

USA Gymnastics Head Out After Less Than A Week As Interim President  —  Mary Bono worked for the law firm that represented USAG when Larry Nassar was first investigated for child sexual abuse.  —  Newly appointed interim president and CEO of USA Gymnastics Mary Bono announced she's resigning …

Woodward Missed Everything That Matters About the Trump Presidency  —  The alleged killing of a Washington Post columnist on the orders of the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has triggered many rethinks—and not least a rethinking of the lavishly flattering journalism that hailed the crown prince's rise to supreme power.

Top Democratic Super PAC Comes To Bob Menendez's Rescue In New Jersey  —  Senate Majority PAC is spending $3 million to attack Republican Bob Hugin as a Trump clone.  —  The Senate Democrats' leading super PAC is set to spend $3 million in bright blue New Jersey in an effort to save Sen. Bob Menendez …

CNN poll: Cruz leads O'Rourke with three weeks to go  —  New ad questions Ted Cruz's Texas ‘toughness’  —  Washington (CNN)Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz appears well-positioned for re-election over his Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke, topping him 52% to 45% among likely voters, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds.

Chats Show FIU Turning Point USA Members Sharing Racist Memes and Rape Jokes … Back in 2017, New Times obtained screenshots of gross chats among Florida International University's Campus Republicans.  They joked about the Charlottesville neo-Nazi attack last year and threatened to “call ICE” …

Is It Possible to Be an Anti-Abortion Democrat?  One Woman Tried to Find Out.  —  ST. LOUIS — Joan Barry has been a member of the Missouri Democratic Party for 53 years.  As a state legislator, she voted regularly for workers' rights, health care, and programs for the poor.

Ecuador Reprimands Assange: Don't Get Political Online And Take Care Of Your Cat  —  The Ecuadorian government has had it up to here with Julian Assange.  —  The government has laid out strict house rules for Assange to follow or risk losing his diplomatic asylum, according to a Tuesday Guardian report.

Saudi Backlash Threatens U.S. Startups  —  The kingdom is now the largest single investor for U.S. startups, with stakes in Uber, WeWork and Magic Leap  —  As international backlash grows over Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in the possible murder of a journalist, Silicon Valley faces …

Lindsey Graham: I'm taking DNA test, ‘I think I can beat’ Elizabeth Warren on amount of Cherokee heritage  —  Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) told Fox and Friends on Tuesday that he would be taking a DNA test, and that he thinks he can “beat” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma.) in terms of the amount of Cherokee heritage that it will show.

To Free Detained Children, Immigrant Families Are Forced to Risk Everything  —  One morning in early August, Jorge, a thirty-seven-year-old construction worker from Guatemala who lives with his wife and two children in Virginia, received a phone call from an unknown number with a Texas area code.

Suburban Women Are Fed Up With The Republican Party And Could Drive A Blue Wave  —  If there's a Democratic sweep in November, politically moderate suburban women will be a big reason why.  “Now I'm Democratic,” said one Michigan woman.  “I've never been before.”

Hungary gender studies ban draws university anger  —  Budapest (AFP) - A prestigious Hungarian university on Tuesday blasted a government decree that prohibits gender studies courses as a “major infringement” on academic freedom.  —  The decree, signed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban …

Hurricane death toll climbs in Florida as officials get into most devastated areas  —  After Hurricane Michael tore through the Florida Panhandle on its way north, officials in the state were left with the macabre task of figuring out the storm's death toll — a question that may take some time to answer.

Polarization Seems to Be Helping Republicans in Run-Up to Midterms  —  Energized voters on the right dim prospects for big Democratic gains in red districts and states.  —  One big question looms over the fight for control of Congress: Will strong Democratic candidates ride a blue wave …

This Statewide Elected Office Has Drawn Unusual Interest From Democrats  —  In most states, the office of secretary of state is far from glamorous.  Though the duties vary, it's largely an administrative role involving keeping records and issuing licenses.  —  But Democrats have made it a priority …

State Department spokeswoman Nauert in the mix for U.N. ambassador  —  Outgoing United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley made clear her value as an advocate for the administration on television—and the White House is looking for somebody telegenic to replace her.

Turnout soars on the first day of early voting in Georgia  —  Voters across Georgia rushed to the polls on the first day of in-person early voting Monday, with 69,049 people casting their ballots.  —  That's a sharp increase from the last midterm election in 2014, when 20,898 people showed …

EXCLUSIVE: HLN Axing Most Live Shows, Including Carol Costello and Ashleigh Banfield  —  HLN is drastically cutting back on its live programming, axing all shows with the exception of Morning Express with Robin Meade and the afternoon program On the Story — the network just announced in company-wide meetings, Mediaite has learned.

POLITICO Playbook: Pelosi gives Playbook a preview of the Democratic majority  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  BREAKING ... SECRETARY OF STATE MIKE POMPEO has arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet with King Salman, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir.  Photo, courtesy State Department