34 people connected to White House, more than previously known, infected by coronavirus: Internal FEMA memo  —  The administration has sought to downplay the spread.  —  White House-related COVID-19 infections grow  —  President Trump's circle of infections has now extended into the Pentagon.

Dying in a Leadership Vacuum  —  Article  —  Covid-19 has created a crisis throughout the world.  This crisis has produced a test of leadership.  With no good options to combat a novel pathogen, countries were forced to make hard choices about how to respond.  Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test.

‘Where are all of the arrests?’:  Trump demands Barr lock up his foes  —  Donald Trump mounted an overnight Twitter blitz demanding to jail his political enemies and call out allies he says are failing to arrest his rivals swiftly enough.  —  Trump twice amplified supporters' criticisms …

Donald Trump Is Canceling TV Ads In Midwest States That Made Him President  —  President Donald Trump's reelection campaign is slashing television spending in the Midwest, canceling millions of dollars in advertising in states that carried him to victory in 2016.  —  He's been off the local airwaves completely in Iowa and Ohio.

Trump's Amy Coney Barrett pick for Supreme Court might backfire, analysts say  —  President Donald Trump announced in September that he would nominate Amy Coney Barrett to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacant Supreme Court seat, making his pick official during an event at the White House Rose Garden.

DOJ Frees Federal Prosecutors to Take Steps That Could Interfere With Elections, Weakening Long-standing Policy … ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.  —  The Department of Justice …

Fox News Poll: Biden gains ground over Trump  —  A 70 percent majority believes our democracy is “in danger” in this election  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for October 7  —  Democratic candidate Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by a 53-43 percent margin, in a Fox News national survey …

High court nominee served as ‘handmaid’ in religious group  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett served as a “handmaid,” the term then used for high-ranking female leaders in the People of Praise religious community, an old directory for the group's members shows.

Facebook Widens Ban on Political Ads as Alarm Rises Over Election  —  Political ads will be banned indefinitely after polls close on Nov. 3 and the company plans new steps to limit misinformation about the results.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Over the past few weeks, Mark Zuckerberg …

USPS Worker in NJ Arrested for Allegedly Dumping Mail, Including Election Ballots  —  A U.S. Postal Service mail carrier from Hudson County, New Jersey, was arrested for discarding mail, including 99 general election ballots sent from the County Board of Elections that were intended to be delivered …

South Carolina Senate Moves To Toss Up  —  There has been no more surprising race on the Senate map than South Carolina.  Even early this year, it looked like Sen. Lindsey Graham would cruise to re-election.  Instead, the Republican incumbent finds himself in a tied race in both public …

Judge Orders Twitter To Unmask FBI Impersonator Who Set Off Seth Rich Conspiracy  —  A federal judge in California has ordered that Twitter reveal the identity of an anonymous user who allegedly fabricated an FBI document to spread a conspiracy theory about the killing of Seth Rich …

Ex-N.J. Gov. Chris Christie remains hospitalized for COVID-19  —  THE LATEST: Chris Christie said he was ‘checking’ himself into the hospital after coronavirus test.  Here's how doctors say the system works.  —  Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie remains hospitalized at Morristown Medical Center …

McSally Flops in Only Arizona Senate Debate  —  The Republican incumbent, far behind her astronaut challenger in the polls, squandered a chance to turn things around.  —  Last night was the debate in Arizona between that state's two Senate candidates.  It proved to be a embarrassment for the incumbent …

'It wasn't wise': Republicans urge Trump to restart Covid talks  —  President Donald Trump is taking a huge political gamble with his decision to end coronavirus relief talks weeks before the election.  But Republicans don't want him to call it quits just yet.

‘A Republican Party unraveling’: GOP plunged into crisis as Trump abruptly ends economic relief talks, dismisses virus  —  Vulnerable Republicans are beginning to distance themselves from President Trump's dismissive response to the coronavirus pandemic and his dramatic termination of negotiations …

Political sign theft leads to bizarre cover-up effort  —  Don't read all about it  —  A series of minor thefts in early September had Lakes Area store clerks scratching their heads.  Newspaper racks were empty.  Storefront vending boxes were cleaned out, and copies of the Sept. 2 Dickinson County News …

Republican Don Bacon wins endorsement of former rival, Democrat Brad Ashford  —  WASHINGTON — Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., has secured the support of the man he defeated to get the job back in 2016.  —  Former Rep. Brad Ashford, D-Neb., said in a statement to The World-Herald on Wednesday …

BuzzFeed News Pulls Reporter From White House, Citing Virus Risk  —  She said she had “obvious concerns about working indoors during an outbreak.”  The White House Correspondents' Association pushed for more information on known infections.  —  BuzzFeed News has pulled a political correspondent …

Texas doctor, 28, dies of Covid: ‘She wore the same mask for weeks, if not months’ … @alastairgee Email  —  It took Carrie Wanamaker several days to connect the face she saw on GoFundMe with the young woman she had met a few years before.  —  According to the fundraising site …

Republicans: Ditch Trump, Save the Senate  —  “This is the time you have to make tough decisions,” former congressman Tom Davis, said of the party allocating its resources.  —  Increasingly convinced that President Donald Trump's election chances are grim, top Republican donors, lobbyists …

CDC chief's letter greenlighting Pence for debate draws criticism  —  Robert Redfield's missive prompts concern from experts inside and outside the health agency  —  A letter sent by the top public health official attesting to Vice President Pence's health and proclaiming him safe …

White House installs a campaign veteran at the CIA  —  A retired major general who served as a 2016 campaign adviser to then-candidate Donald Trump was quietly installed in a senior advisory role at the CIA earlier this year.  The move is spurring discussion among some former agency officials, who say the arrangement is highly unusual.

Trump's antibody treatment was tested using cells originally derived from an abortion  —  The Trump administration has looked to curtail research with fetal cells.  But when it was life or death for the president, no one objected.  —  hide  —  This week, President Donald Trump extolled …

Trump campaign leaves ticket for Tupac at VP debate after Kamala Harris named him ‘best rapper alive’  —  Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris made the gaffe in a recent interview  —  Debate prep expert on tonight's Pence-Harris showdown

DHS announces ICE enforcement actions on criminal aliens released due to California sanctuary policies  —  WASHINGTON - Today the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the conclusion to a week-long targeted enforcement operation …

‘We need to step forward’: Fed leaders call for new focus on race in the economy  —  Top Federal Reserve officials on Wednesday said the central bank has a clear role to play in fighting the damaging economic effects of racism in the U.S. and should do much more to address it.

A Warning From Michigan  —  Last week, in a 4-3 party-line vote, Republican judges on the Michigan Supreme Court invalidated a law that had empowered a historically popular Democratic chief executive to take emergency actions to combat COVID-19.  The basis for the decision was an antiquated doctrine …

Keith Olbermann quits ESPN in order to ‘serve my country’ with anti-Trump commentary  —  Liberal commentator Keith Olbermann announced Tuesday he is leaving ESPN for a third time so that he can focus his efforts on political commentary ahead of the November election.

Wide-bodied 747 crowned Alaska's fattest bear  —  ANCHORAGE (Reuters) - In Alaska's annual battle of heavyweights, a salmon-chomping bruin named 747 - like the jetliner - has emerged as the most fabulously fat.  —  The bear, one of more than 2,200 brown bears roaming Alaska's Katmai National Park …

Fleischer says Trump shouldn't go to next debate if he's still COVID-19 positive  —  Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Wednesday that President Trump should not attend the debate scheduled for next week in person if he continues to test positive for the coronavirus before then.