Roger Stone Sold Himself to Trump's Campaign as a WikiLeaks Pipeline.  Was He?  —  WASHINGTON — When the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, appeared on a video link from Europe a month before the 2016 presidential election and vaguely promised to release a flood of purloined documents related to the race …

Trump shocks with racist new ad days before midterms  —  (CNN)In the most racially charged national political ad in 30 years, President Donald Trump and the Republican Party accuse Democrats of plotting to help Central American invaders overrun the nation with cop killers.

Jack Burkman & Jacob Wohl's Story Exposed Through Exclusive Conversations  — Individual claiming to be employed by Surefire Intelligence knew of Lorraine Parsons prior to the story going public.  — Jack Burkman claimed that Surefire Intelligence's ‘partners have actually worked for Trump’.

State Department Spokeswoman Expected to Be Nominated U.N. Ambassador  —  Heather Nauert joined Trump administration last year  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump is expected to nominate Heather Nauert as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, a senior administration official said.

Election Update: Democrats Need A Systematic Polling Error To Win The Senate  —  The divide between the House outlook and the Senate outlook continues to widen.  Democrats' chances of winning a majority remain at or near their all-time highs in our House forecast — ranging between 78 percent …

Saudi crown prince described slain journalist as a dangerous Islamist in call with White House  —  Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman described slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi as a dangerous Islamist days after his disappearance in a phone call with President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner …

Someone Paid Thousands Of Foreigners 20 Cents Each To Hide HuffPost's Negative Coverage Of A Democratic PAC  —  HuffPost's story about End Citizens United dropped to the second page of Google search results from right near the top.  —  A HuffPost article that critically covered …

Exclusive: Trump says supporters demand his red-hot rhetoric  —  President Trump, in an interview with Axios that will premiere Sunday on HBO, says railing against his enemies in the media helped him win — and that his supporters like him more when he cranks up the “enemy of the people” rhetoric.

Poll: Majority blames both Trump and media for dividing country  —  A new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll conducted over the past fractious, violent week shows a majority of voters think that President Donald Trump has done more to divide the country than unite it since he took office last year …

The last statesman: Can Jon Huntsman Jr. keep the art of diplomacy alive in the time of President Trump?  —  In a Deseret News exclusive, reporter Jesse Hyde and photojournalist Ravell Call went to Moscow to meet with U.S. Ambassador Jon Huntsman Jr. In a series of conversations …

Live updates: 'This ain't Hollywood.' Pence mocks Oprah as he touts Brian Kemp  —  Dalton - Vice President Mike Pence is headed to Georgia on Thursday for a trio of events in conservative areas for Brian Kemp.  Democrats are countering with a visit by Oprah Winfrey, who will appear with Stacey Abrams for a pair of town hall meetings.

North Dakota Democrats Promote Message Telling Hunters They May Lose Their Licenses if They Vote  —  A reader alerted me to this curious message on Facebook which tells voters they may lose their hunting licenses in other states if they vote:  —  Facebook keeps a searchable database of the political ads which run on their platform.

Trump: Trade discussion with China ‘moving along nicely’  —  President Donald Trump tried to soothe Wall Street on Thursday by claiming to have had “a long and very good conversation” with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a Thursday phone call, indicating some optimism about an upcoming meeting between the two leaders.

Pro-Trump Activists Blame Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens for Losing Kanye West  —  ‘They really over-grifted that situation.’  —  Pro-Trump activists are fuming after Kanye West's announcement that he's “distancing” himself from politics, with the blame falling on two right-wing personalities …

Trump's Nationalism Is Breaking Point for Some Suburban Voters, Risking G.O.P. Coalition  —  HOUSTON — J. Mark Metts, a 60-year-old partner at one of this city's prestigious law firms, had never voted for a Democratic presidential candidate until 2016.  Now he and some of his neighbors …

We're the Organizers of the Google Walkout.  Here Are Our Demands  —  Last week, the New York Times published an article about Google's history of harassment, discrimination, support for abusers, and the people whose lives and careers become collateral damage in the process.

Little girl who was entranced by Michelle Obama's portrait dresses like her for Halloween  —  Parker Curry dresses as Michelle Obama for Halloween, months after a photo of her admiring a painting of Obama in the National Portrait Gallery went viral.  —  AA  —  WASHINGTON (WJLA) —

Riddle Resolved: Who Dimed Out American Traitor and Super-Spy, Robert Hanssen?  —  For over two decades, students of the spy wars between Russia and America have pondered one of the great remaining mysteries of the Cold War: Who finally dimed out Robert Hanssen, the FBI turncoat …

Fortenberry complains about Facebook reaction to vandalized sign; UNL professor says he's bullying  —  Thumbing through his Facebook feed, Ari Kohen came across the now widely shared photo of a defaced campaign sign for Rep. Jeff Fortenberry.  —  Shared on the social media platform by Seeing Red Nebraska …

The Truth about George Soros Is Damning Enough  —  Making the click-through worthwhile: a deep dive into separating fact from fiction when it comes to George Soros, and finding that the truth is bad enough without any of the exaggerations; the Washington Post offers another round …

Eight simple steps to fix American democracy  —  Democrats may soon be handed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix America's ailing democratic institutions.  Here's what they should do with it.  —  How democratic is the United States?  According to a poll released by the bipartisan Democracy Project …

I'm an independent.  But I'm casting a party-line vote in the midterm election  —  Voters who declare themselves independent of partisan affiliation are ascendant in the American electorate.  —  In 2016, the Pew Research Center found that 34% described themselves as politically independent …

On a Tiny Finnish Island, a Helipad, 9 Piers — and the Russian Military?  —  SAKKILUOTO, Finland — Retired to a tiny island in an archipelago between Finland and Sweden, Leo Gastgivar awoke early one morning to visit the outhouse in his bathrobe, only to notice two black speedboats packed …

Steve King opponent gets last-second deluge of cash  —  Democrat J.D. Scholten, the former baseball player challenging GOP Rep. Steve King in Iowa, has seen a last second wave of cash come his way as King has sparked new controversy this fall.  —  Scholten raised over $641,000 on Tuesday …

Young Americans signal record turnout for midterm elections, reject Trump and the GOP: Poll  — A survey from Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics shows a more politically mobilized crop of young Americans leaning away from Trump and the GOP in the midterms in near-equal proportions.

From gun control to health care: What Democratic control of statehouse would mean for Colorado  —  For the second time this decade, Democrats have a chance to control both chambers of state legislature and governor's office.  —  During the final governor's debate, Democrat Jared Polis encapsulated …

How Are The Early Voters Voting?  —  Yesterday we looked at who is voting early.  Today we can take it a step further and look at how those voters are voting.  For those not wanting to read, the takeaway is: Independents are breaking towards Democrats in the New York Times Upshot polls, and they are breaking heavily.

Plot to Spy on Obama Officials Was Espionage for Dimwits  —  An effort by a private Israeli firm to reveal Iranian assets for seizure was poorly conceived and executed.  —  Are you a billionaire looking to dig up dirt on a rival?  You could go with one of the private intelligence firms staffed by retired retreads from the CIA or Mi6.

Final Week Fundamentals  —  The last week of a campaign is the longest week.  Most of the polls have been completed.  The final ads have been placed.  The last lawn signs have been put into the ground (or pulled out by mischievous opponents).  Cable TV is filled with inane chatter.

President Trump's top economic adviser: ‘A federal minimum wage is a terrible idea.  A terrible idea.’  —  The White House's top economic adviser said Thursday that he opposes the federal minimum wage, arguing that the decades-old law is a “terrible idea” that drives up costs for small businesses across the country.

The Star endorses the one clear choice for Kansas governor  —  BY THE KANSAS CITY STAR EDITORIAL BOARD  —  Kansas voters face a dramatic contrast in their choices for governor this year.  But in an election that's as consequential as any in decades, Democrat Laura Kelly offers the most promising path forward.