Belligerent Trump debate performance stokes fears among Republicans about November  —  The aftermath of the first presidential debate between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden triggered a reckoning among Republicans on Wednesday about the incumbent's incendiary remarks …

Internal document shows Trump officials were told to make comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse  —  WASHINGTON — Federal law enforcement officials were directed to make public comments sympathetic to Kyle Rittenhouse, the teenager charged with fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha …

“The Family Is Worried Brad Will Start Talking”: Trumpworld Panics Over Debate Fiasco as Campaign Turmoil Mounts  —  Over three days, the New York Times dropped a tax bombshell, Florida cops cuffed Brad Parscale, and the president just couldn't help himself onstage.

Chris Wallace Calls Debate ‘a Terrible Missed Opportunity’  —  The veteran anchor conceded he was initially “reluctant” to step in during the Trump-Biden matchup.  “I've never been through anything like this,” he said.  —  “I'm just sad with the way last night turned out.”

Trump requires food aid boxes to come with a letter from him  —  The Agriculture Department last week began mandating that millions of boxes of surplus food for needy families include a letter from President Donald Trump claiming credit for the program.  —  The USDA's $4 billion Farmers …

Pre-Existing Condition Fiction  —  Biden repeats the same false claims about ObamaCare that Democrats use every election.  —  By The Editorial Board  —  Joe Biden claimed at Tuesday's debate that “100 million people who have pre-existing conditions” will lose insurance if the Trump Administration wins …

Kentucky attorney general says he never recommended murder charges in Breonna Taylor case  —  Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Tuesday that he never recommended murder charges against police officers for Breonna Taylor's death.  The grand jury handed down no charges in connection with Taylor's death.

Covid-19 Live Updates: Trump Is ‘Single Largest Driver’ of Virus Misinformation, Study Finds  —  An analysis by Cornell University researchers found that President Trump was the largest driver of falsehoods involving the pandemic.  —  RIGHT NOW Unemployment claims in the U.S. show little relief from pandemic layoffs.

Intelligence Officials Urged Trump Spy Chief Not to Disclose Unverified Russian Claims About Clinton  —  Officials at CIA, NSA, Office of Director of National Intelligence warned disclosure to Congress would give credibility to Kremlin-backed material  —  WASHINGTON—Senior U.S. officials urged Director …

Millions of Americans risk losing power and water as massive, unpaid utility bills pile up  —  More than 179 million people may be at risk for shut-offs as many state protections end  —  This Tuesday marked 67 days of darkness for Kenneth Parson.  He fell behind on his utility bills in the spring …

Ski, Party, Seed a Pandemic: The Travel Rules That Let Covid-19 Take Flight  —  The World Health Organization said open borders would help fight disease.  Experts, and a global treaty, emphatically agreed.  But the scientific evidence was never behind them.

MARY SPICUZZA  —  President Donald Trump is planning a pair of Saturday campaign rallies in Green Bay and La Crosse, areas currently labeled by the White House Coronavirus Task Force as “red zones,” the highest level of COVID-19 community spread.  —  The task force's report says the state overall …

Listen to What Trump 2016 Swing-State Voters Had to Say About the Debate  —  Nine women.  All from swing states.  All 2016 Trump voters.  And they have thoughts about Trump's debate meltdown.  —  On Wednesday night I checked back in with a focus group of female 2016 Trump voters …

Transmission of the President's Report to Congress on the Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2021  —  Today, the Department of State, together with the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Health and Human Services, submitted the President's Report to Congress …

Pope rejects US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meeting  —  The Vatican has denied US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo an audience with Pope Francis.  —  The Holy See said the Pontiff does not receive politicians during an election period.  —  The move adds to a diplomatic row following comments …

Trump's Chances Are Dwindling.  That Could Make Him Dangerous.  —  President Trump's quest to win a second term is not in good shape.  He entered Tuesday night's debate with roughly a 7- or 8-point deficit in national polls, putting him further behind at this stage of the race than any other candidate since Bob Dole in 1996.11

The definitive case for ending the filibuster  —  Every argument for the filibuster, considered and debunked.  —  SHARE All sharing options  —  If Joe Biden wins the White House, and Democrats take back the Senate, there is one decision that will loom over every other.

The Day I Met Donald Trump  —  The digital clock next to my bed showed 4:06 a.m. As usual, my body clock had stirred me awake before my bedside radio alarm was set to go off, nine minutes later.  I stared motionless at the pitch-black ceiling for a few minutes.

Trump Is Not the Man He Used to Be  —  Donald Trump believes, to his core, that a single event in 2016 clinched him the presidency.  —  It wasn't the FBI reopening its investigation into Hillary Clinton.  It wasn't the Wikileaks dump of hacked DNC emails.

“I Assert that Putin Was Behind the Crime”  —  Interview Conducted by Benjamin Bidder und Christian Esch  —  It's six o'clock in the morning on Wednesday when Alexei Navalny shows up at the Berlin editorial office of DER SPIEGEL for an interview.  The office is located a few hundred meters …

Americans Increasingly Believe Violence is Justified if the Other Side Wins  —  At the presidential debate this week, the Republican candidate voiced his concern about political violence—left-wing political violence.  And the Democratic candidate likewise voiced concern about political violence—right-wing political violence.

BRIAN LYMAN  —  Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday offered a “sincere, heartfelt apology” to a survivor of the 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, and offered to meet with her attorneys as she seeks compensation from the state.  —  The governor's letter to an attorney for Sarah Collins Rudolph …

America's bleeding democratic image  —  The US brand is in measurable freefall, much to China's delight  —  In Tuesday's US presidential debate, Donald Trump said China had eaten Joe Biden's lunch when the latter was vice-president.  Mr Trump was referring to the rise of America's trade deficit …

Election forecasts helped elect Trump in 2016.  It could happen again in 2020.  —  Election forecasts can be wrong so don't rely on them.  You still need to go vote, even if your candidate is very likely to win.  —  Fall of 2020 will find many of us living in a state of fear and social isolation …

Veterans' Home Recently Visited by Governor Parson Has Outbreak of COVID-19  — Governor Mike Parson tweeted this photo of himself meeting with staff at Missouri Veterans Home, which is now dealing with a COVID-19 outbreak.  —  UPDATE 5:15 p.m.: We've updated this story to include a response from Governor Parson's spokeswoman below.

Largest study of COVID-19 transmission highlights essential role of super-spreaders  —  In the bleak ranking of worst COVID-19 outbreaks, the United States, with 7.2 million infections, is likely to be eclipsed only by India, which has 1 million fewer cases but is catching up fast.

Wife of Boston Marathon hero said Biden touched her in ‘an inappropriate and uncomfortable way’  —  The wife of a Massachusetts transit police officer who was injured in the manhunt for the Boston Marathon bombers accused Joe Biden of touching her inappropriately and making a suggestive comment in 2014.

Exclusive: Russian operation masqueraded as right-wing news site to target U.S. voters - sources  —  LONDON (Reuters) - The Russian group accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. election has posed as an independent news outlet to target right-wing social media users ahead of this year's vote …

Religious group scrubs all references to Amy Coney Barrett from its website  —  People of Praise, a tiny charismatic Catholic organization, admits removing mentions and photos of Trump's supreme court pick  —  A tiny religious organization tied to Amy Coney Barrett, Donald Trump's supreme court nominee …

A two-page White House ‘race’ memo became a flash point in Tuesday's debate  —  Trump wanted to ban federal agency training on ‘critical race theory,’ but agencies have scrambled, stumbled  —  A two-page White House memo that directed federal agencies to halt “un-American” and “divisive” …

Biden Lead Looks Firmer as Midwest Moves His Way  —  Dear Readers: Join us today at 2 p.m. eastern for our latest episode of Sabato's Crystal Ball: America Votes.  We'll be reacting to the first debate and going over the state of the race, including the many rating changes we made today (see below).

U.S. push for Sudan to recognize Israel falters — and puts Khartoum in a tight spot  —  Last week, U.S. officials held talks with Sudan in the hopes of adding it to a growing list of countries that have normalized relations with Israel, in what the Trump administration has billed as part of its Middle East peace process.