Pence, Peerless Trump Defender, Confronts His Limits  —  During an orderly debate, the vice president deflected criticism of the Trump administration's pandemic response, something Kamala Harris said “clearly” hasn't worked.  —  Vice President Mike Pence approached his task on Wednesday …

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 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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

‘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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Remote Learning Is a Catastrophe.  Teachers Unions Share the Blame.  —  Years from now, when we look back at the coronavirus pandemic, it is very possible that the most damaging element we will identify is its catastrophic effect upon public education.  The devastation will be social and economic …

Brindisi surges ahead of Tenney in House race (Siena College |  Syracuse.com poll)  —  Rep. Anthony Brindisi has opened a 9-point lead over Claudia Tenney entering the final weeks of one of the most closely watched House races in the nation, according to a Siena College |  Syracuse.com poll released today.

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 …

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 …

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 …