Trump Onslaught Against Biden Falls Short of a Breakthrough  —  President Trump has leveled scathing law-and-order attacks on Joseph Biden for weeks.  But a new poll shows Mr. Biden ahead in three states Mr. Trump hopes to pick up, and maintaining a lead in Wisconsin.  —  THE NEW YORK TIMES / SIENA COLLEGE POLL

Trump officials interfered with CDC reports on Covid-19  —  The health department's politically appointed communications aides have demanded the right to review and seek changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly scientific reports charting the progress of the coronavirus pandemic …

Bernie Sanders expresses concerns about Biden campaign  —  Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is privately expressing concerns about Joe Biden's presidential campaign, according to three people with knowledge of the conversations, urging Biden's team to intensify its focus on pocketbook issues and appeals to liberal voters.

Top Aide in Review of Russia Inquiry Resigns From Justice Dept.  —  The resignation came amid increasing expectations that the department may disclose partial results from the review before it is completed but ahead of the presidential election.  —  WASHINGTON — A top aide …

‘A huge risk’: Trump's allies can't sway him on mail-in voting  —  For a few weeks, Donald Trump's advisers had seemingly gotten through to him — the president was finally encouraging his supporters to vote by mail, at least some of the time.  —  On-message Trump didn't last long.

Trump called him ‘my African-American.’ His life hasn't been the same since  —  (CNN)If Gregory Cheadle had not cracked a joke, his life would be a lot less complicated today.  —  His troubles began when he attended a rally by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump in Redding, California, in June 2016.

Debunked ‘Antifa’ Wildfire Rumors Spread on Facebook Overload 911, Spur Calls to Violence  —  By Thursday evening, more than 10 percent of Oregon's 4.2 million residents were under an evacuation order, according to state estimates.  Uncontained wildfires fueled by sustained global heating …

Decision to drop Michael Flynn case was ‘corrupt and politically motivated,’ court-appointed lawyer says  —  (CNN)The Justice Department's decision to drop the criminal case against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn was a “corrupt and politically motivated favor,” …

Voters have made up their minds  —  The 2020 presidential election features a pared-back pool of undecided voters after four years of a highly controversial and media-saturated presidency.  —  Why it matters: Entrenched views mean there's less reason for campaigns to try to change voters' minds …

Dozens missing as firefighters battle two large Oregon fires  —  SALEM, Ore. (AP) — Hundreds of firefighters battled two large wildfires Friday that threatened to merge near the most populated part of Oregon, including the suburbs of Portland, and the governor said dozens of people are missing in other parts of the state.

Collins won't say in debate who she'll vote for in November  —  PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Democrat Sara Gideon sought to link Republican Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, with President Donald Trump during their first debate Friday night, and she demanded several times that Collins say whether she'll vote …

Pretty Babies  —  Well, I watched Cuties so you don't have to.  I don't like people condemning something without having seen or read it.  So I saw it last night.  It's almost as bad as you think, and Netflix deserves all the grief it's taking over the thing.

Prosecutor Quits Trump's Law Enforcement Commission, Saying The Fix Is In  —  John Choi is worried the group is intent on “providing cover” for a predetermined law-and-order agenda that “will only widen the divisions in our nation.”  —  An elected prosecutor who took a role …

Trump looks west, eyeing new paths to White House  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Pushing for new roads to reelection, President Donald Trump will go on offense this weekend in Nevada, a state that hasn't supported a Republican presidential candidate since 2004.  —  Trump will plunge head-on into a battle …

All of the biggest threats to America are unfolding before our eyes  —  All the biggest threats to America — most of them predicted, if not known well in advance — are unfolding before our eyes, in real-time, in unmistakable ways.  —  Why it matters: It's as if God or the galaxy …

Afghanistan Peace Talks Open in Qatar, Seeking End to Decades of War  —  The Afghan government and the Taliban are finally coming to the table, after repeated delays.  But the violence continues, and the challenges are vast.  —  DOHA, Qatar — The Taliban and the Afghan government began historic peace talks …

The Big Corporate Rescue and the America That's Too Small to Save  —  Girish Patel doubts his small, 20-year-old shop will survive the pandemic economy.  Thirty stories above, aerospace company TransDigm has sustained eye-popping profits thanks to steep layoffs and raised over a billion with help from the U.S. government.

College students admitted to police they had COVID-19.  They threw a house party anyway.  —  More than 1,100 students at Miami University in Ohio have tested positive for coronavirus since mid-August.  But even after testing positive, a group of students was caught on camera hosting …

Ex-Felons in Florida Must Pay Fines Before Voting, Appeals Court Rules  —  In a reversal, a court said Floridians who had completed sentences for felonies must pay fines and fees before voting.  The State Constitution was amended in 2018 to restore their rights.

“He Had a Twisted Umbilical Cord to Trump”: Michael Cohen's Daughter Reflects On His Time With the President, and Becoming Trumpworld “Collateral Damage”  —  Samantha Cohen never liked Donald Trump—especially after her dad paid the price for spending years by his side.

Book Deals: Week of September 14, 2020  —  DEAL OF THE WEEK  —  Scribner to Publish Osnos on Biden  —  New Yorker staff writer and National Book Award winner Evan Osnos sold a book on Joe Biden to Scribner.  Colin Harrison acquired North American rights to Joe Biden: The Life, the Run …

Biden audio first shared by ‘Russian agent’ thrives online  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The leaked recordings were hardly a political bombshell: The apparent phone conversations between Joe Biden and Ukraine's then-president largely confirm Biden's account of his dealings in Ukraine.

Biden's transition team, wary of Trump and Covid-19, sets massive fundraising goal  —  Joe Biden's transition team has expanded its fundraising goal far beyond what Hillary Clinton raised in 2016, anticipating that, should they prevail in November, the Trump administration could actively work …