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

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 …

Cherokee Nation responds to Senator Warren's DNA test  —  Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr.  —  TAHLEQUAH, Okla. — Cherokee Nation Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. issued the following statement Monday in response to Senator Elizabeth Warren's DNA test claiming Native Heritage:

Trump, GOP silent after violent pro-Trump mob unleashes brutal assault  —  Republicans are refusing to disavow the pro-Trump ‘Proud Boys’ group responsible for a vicious mob-style attack this weekend in New York.  —  Republicans have responded with deafening silence after an estimated 30 members …

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” …

Obituary: Madelyn Linsenmeir, 1988-2018  —  Our beloved Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir died on Sunday, October 7.  While her death was unexpected, Madelyn suffered from drug addiction, and for years we feared her addiction would claim her life.  We are grateful that when she died, she was safe and she was with her family.

Here's what should excite and depress Democrats so far in 2018  —  (CNN)For two years Democrats have raged over Donald Trump's presidency, quarreled among themselves over the best strategy for responding to it, and above all, counted the days until next month's midterm election.

Armed protesters were on Portland rooftop in August, police now say  —  Members of the right-wing group Patriot Prayer stationed themselves on a downtown Portland rooftop with a cache of guns prior to a summer protest, city officials announced for the first time Monday - the same day Mayor Ted Wheeler learned about it, his aides said.

Judge throws out Stormy Daniels's defamation lawsuit against Trump  —  A federal judge on Monday dismissed a lawsuit from adult film actress Stormy Daniels that claimed President Trump defamed her when he suggested she had lied about being threatened to keep quiet about their alleged relationship.

Dems angered by GOP plan to hold judicial hearings in October  —  Democrats and liberal groups are fuming over a GOP plan to hold Senate hearings for President Trump's judicial picks over the next two weeks while senators are out of town campaigning for the midterm elections.

Women Say Heitkamp Campaign Identified Them as Sexual Assault Survivors Without Their Permission  —  Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) meets with farmers and ranchers at the Cavalier County Library in Langdon, N.D., July 14, 2018.  During the 2018 midterm elections, Heitkamp is grappling …

Tucker Carlson Says He Can't Go to Restaurants Anymore  —  “Having someone scream, ‘F— you!’ at a restaurant, it just wrecks your meal,” he said on a podcast.  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he's “not a restaurant guy anymore” because of the way he's treated when he dines out in Washington, D.C.

Trump allies double down on ‘mob’ attack in final stretch of midterms  —  Fear Factor: GOP hopes to convince voters that Democrats will sow chaos  —  (CNN)President Donald Trump's allies are increasingly embracing his argument that Democrats have become a “mob” heading into the final stretch …

High rate of absentee ballots thrown out in Gwinnett  —  Nearly one in 10 vote-by-mail ballots have been rejected by Gwinnett County election officials, alarming voting rights groups.  —  Gwinnett is throwing out far more absentee ballots than any other county in Georgia, according to records from the Secretary of State's Office.

James apologizes for ‘terrible mistake’ of letting swastika in Senate ad  —  Republican challenger John James apologized Monday for a “terrible mistake” — the appearance of a swastika in footage included in his recent Senate television ad.  —  In a brief shot, roughly 10 seconds into the ad …

DHS finds increasing attempts to hack U.S. election systems ahead of midterms  —  The assessment said the feds don't know who is behind the attacks, but none have been successful.  —  WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security says it's working to identify who — or what …

The Origins of Progressive Agony  —  In the wake of Obama, the Democratic party was a shipwreck, to be saved only by Hillary and the Supreme Court . . .  What has transformed the Democratic party into an anguished progressive movement that incorporates the tactics of the street, embraces maenadism …

How Trump bobs and weaves to avoid the truth  —  As he so often does, President Trump falsely declared on “60 Minutes” on Sunday night that North Korea and the United States were going to war before he stepped in to thwart it.  —  Interviewer Lesley Stahl was having none of it.  “We were going to war?”

GOP Gains in CD03  —  Dem loses ground as district partly reverts to GOP norms  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Republican Carol Miller has overtaken Democrat Richard Ojeda in the race for West Virginia's 3rd Congressional District, according to the second Monmouth University Poll of this contest.

Big advertisers still shunning Ingraham's Fox News show months after boycotts  —  'They're kind of forced off, whether they want to be or not,' one Fox executive said.  —  Laura Ingraham's ratings are surging, but big advertisers are still steering clear of her show months after a series …

“People just can't know that.”  MO Sen. McCaskill Hides Agenda Including “semi-automatic rifle ban” from Moderate Voters, Staffers Reveal in Undercover Video it “could hurt her ability to get elected.”  —  [This post contains video, click to play]  —  Senator McCaskill on Tape: “Of course!”

Colorado Secretary of State spent $1,500-plus on a hat, pants and boots  —  The cowboy attire is tied to Williams' involvement with the Denver Rustlers  —  Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams wears a $475 cowboy hat to Denver Rustlers events.  He wore $349.80 tuxedo pants …

The Rich White Civil War  —  A smarter look at America's divide.  —  Every few years one research group or another produces a typology of the electorate.  The researchers conduct thousands of interviews and identify the different clusters American voters fall into.

Charlottesville's Other Jim Crow Legacy: Separate and Unequal Education  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — High school seniors Zyahna Bryant and Trinity Hughes have been friends since they were 6 years old, raised by blue-collar families in this affluent college town.

College students swear they'll vote this time  —  Data: College Reaction poll of 3,633 college students conducted Sept. 20-25, 2018; Chart: Chris Canipe/Axios  —  Nearly half of college students say they'll “definitely” vote this year, according to a survey by College Reaction …

Carter Page Sues DNC And Its Law Firm Over The Steele Dossier  —  Former Trump campaign associate Carter Page filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against the Democratic National Committee and its law firm, which commissioned the infamous Steele dossier.  —  Page filed the suit in federal court …

Trump's “Pocahontas” power play  —  President Trump loves nothing more than when his opponents try to litigate his insults, as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is trying to do with “Pocahontas,” a staple riff at his rallies.  —  The big picture: Trump's never more comfortable than on this terrain …

Martha McSally's Under-the-Radar Surge  —  The Republican win probability has doubled in Arizona.  —  Back in 2010, Kyrsten Sinema, the Democratic nominee for Arizona's Senate seat, unknowingly gave her Republican opponent, Martha McSally, a gift.  She called Arizona the “meth lab of democracy” …