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.

EXCLUSIVE... Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman: Woman Accusing Mueller of Rape is ‘Credible,’ ‘Vetted,’ Media Protecting Special Counsel (VIDEO)  —  The woman accusing Robert Mueller of rape has nothing to financially gain from coming forward with her allegations against the special counsel and her testimony …

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.

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 …

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 …

Trump and Aides Getting ‘Spooked’ About a Coming GOP Midterms ‘Slaughter’  —  Publicly, the talk is of retaining control of the House.  Privately, they're getting ready for Democratic-led investigations.  —  Asawin Suebsaeng By Asawin Suebsaeng  —  In recent months, President Trump has insisted that a …

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 …

Bolton says ‘excessive’ ethics checks discourage outsiders from joining government  —  Washington (CNN)A day after CNN reported that the Justice Department is investigating whether Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has broken the law by using his office to personally enrich himself …

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 …

‘We have to have a wall of people’: Trump defends military presence on border  —  President Donald Trump said that the increased military presence on the border is going to help stop the “invasion” that is coming in the migrant caravan.  —  “We have to have a wall of people,” Trump said …

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 …

Democrats in prime position to take House, but battleground district poll shows wild cards remain  —  Democrats maintain a strong position to retake the U.S. House, but the party's base of less-frequent voters and concerns about illegal immigration stand out as wild cards in the final days …

Poll: More than 70% of parents plan to steal Halloween candy from their kids  —  SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) - If you plan on sneaking a “few” pieces from the Halloween candy stash, you're not alone.  —  The National Confectioners Association polled around 1,400 people and found that 72 percent …

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 …

Embattled Iowa Lawmaker King Says Ted Cruz Expressed His Support  — GOP campaign leader renounced King after attack in Pittsburgh  — Cruz is in a close race; his campaign says call was ‘personal’  —  Representative Steve King of Iowa, who has been abandoned by Republican leaders …

The global lost: 56,800 migrants dead and missing in 4 years  —  JOHANNESBURG (AP) — One by one, five to a grave, the coffins are buried in the red earth of this ill-kept corner of a South African cemetery.  The scrawl on the cheap wood attests to their anonymity: “Unknown B/Male.”

Justice Department to Charge Former Goldman Bankers in Malaysia 1MDB Scandal  —  Charges will name former Goldman bankers Tim Leissner and Roger Ng, as well as Malaysian financier Jho Low  —  The U.S. Justice Department is planning to announce Thursday morning multiple criminal charges related …

Tree of Life rabbi says he saw a ‘warm and personal side’ to Trump that surprised him  —  Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers said Thursday that he was “pleasantly surprised” to discover a “warm and personal side” to President Trump when he visited the Pittsburgh synagogue this week following the deadly shootings there over the weekend.

The Saruman Trap  —  Conservatives in distress turn to ancient texts.  In the current circumstance, those of us of a Hebraic cast reach for the prophet Isaiah in his darker moods, or the even fiercer denunciations of Amos.  Devout Christians despairing of a society in full malodorous rot look to The Rule of St. Benedict.

CNN cools on hiring Trump alums  —  Network president Jeff Zucker has told people that he's not interested in hiring former officials he perceives as complicit in spreading falsehoods.  —  CNN is known for its big panels and endless parade of talking heads, but the network is signaling …

How Vilification of George Soros Moved From the Fringes to the Mainstream  —  WASHINGTON — Hours after he was informed last week that an explosive device had been delivered to his suburban New York home, George Soros, the billionaire investor and Democratic donor, got on a call with colleagues …

Here's what the Supreme Court actually said about ‘birthright’ citizenship  —  Leftists concocted an ingenious game of judicial supremacism that creates a one-way ratchet for their policy outcomes - heads they win, tails they win.  Yet the “conservative” legal community chooses to play this game.

Men convicted of hate crime blame Trump's violent rhetoric  —  Violent criminals are saying Trump's anti-Muslim rage should let them get away with shorter prison sentences.  —  Lawyers for three members of a Kansas militia group who were convicted of an anti-Muslim hate crime argued in court …

Coverage of migrants seen as Trump's pre-midterm trap  —  (CNN)For the first half of the month, there was little news coverage of the Central American migrants traveling through Mexico en route to the United States border.  —  Then, on October 16, came the tweets.

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.

As I See It: The Free Press, a Pillar of Democracy  —  When I was growing up, Americans got their news very differently than we do today.  The newspaper was a central part of every day; in our house, the Detroit Free Press was delivered in the morning and the Detroit News in the afternoon.

The Little Girl Obsessed With Michelle Obama's Portrait Dressed As Her For Halloween  —  Remember Parker Curry?  She was the little girl who went viral in March after she was photographed staring in awe at Michelle Obama's official portrait.  —  The original photo was taken by Ben Hines of North Carolina …

Veteran featured in GOP congressman's midterm election ad posted racist rants and violent threats on Facebook  —  On the home page of his campaign website, Rep. Steve Knight of Palmdale has posted a television ad showing a veteran praising the Republican congressman for helping him get a lung transplant.

Trump, Terror, and the ‘No Guardrails’ Presidency  —  Yes, the president bears blame for the terror from the right.  —  Maybe we should refer to Saturday's massacre of 11 Jews in a Pittsburgh synagogue, along with the campaign of mail bombs that preceded it, as “man-caused disasters.”

Tennessee boy dresses as Waffle House hero James Shaw Jr. for school's ‘Hero Day’  —  NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WZTV) - A boy from Gallatin traded in a superhero cape for medical tape Friday at his school's “Hero Day.”  —  During the Red Ribbon Week dress-up day, the rest of his classmates donned costumes …

Nazi and KKK memorabilia were sold at a Kentucky gun show.  Officials say it won't happen again.  —  Joe Gerth was strolling through the aisles of the National Gun Day show at the Kentucky Exposition Center on Saturday afternoon when he did a double take.  —  Gerth, a metro columnist …

In Florida Rally, Trump Calls Constitutional Citizenship Protections ‘a Crazy Policy’  —  ESTERO, Fla. — With a somber trip to Pittsburgh to visit victims of a synagogue shooting behind him, President Trump flew to one of his favorite places in the world — Florida — on Wednesday to host another …

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 …