The Entire Presidency Is a Superspreading Event Down in the polls, high on steroids, and clinging to good health while endangering everyone else's.  —  Donald Trump was on the phone, and he was talking about dying.  It was Saturday, October 3, and while his doctor had told the outside world …

Trump launches his post-coronavirus recovery tour  —  President Donald Trump on Saturday will address hundreds of supporters on the South Lawn of the White House before traveling to Florida on Monday for a rally, marking his return to public events after being hobbled by the coronavirus.

Republicans are finally ready to diss Don  —  For Republicans, fearful of a possible electoral disaster just weeks away, it has become safe at last to diss Donald Trump — or at least to distance themselves from him in unmistakably purposeful ways.  —  A barrage of barbed comments …

'We're Coming Guns Loaded, Packed' to Confirm Barrett, Sen. Hyde-Smith Says  —  The day before President Donald Trump announced Amy Coney Barrett as his U.S. Supreme Court pick, U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith said Republican senators would come with “guns loaded” and “packed” to ensure the president's nominee is confirmed.

US judge blocks Abbott order limiting ballot drop-off locations  —  A federal judge issued an order Friday night barring enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott's Oct. 1 proclamation that limited counties to one mail-in ballot drop-off location.  —  U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman said Abbott's order placed …

Trump, lagging in polls, pressures Justice Dept. to target Democrats and criticizes Barr  —  President Trump publicly pressured the Justice Department on Friday to move against his political adversaries and complained that Attorney General William P. Barr is not doing enough to deliver results …

The 1619 Chronicles  —  Journalism does better when it writes the first rough draft of history, not the last word on it.  —  If there's one word admirers and critics alike can agree on when it comes to The New York Times's award-winning 1619 Project, it's ambition.  Ambition to reframe America's conversation about race.

South Carolina Debate Canceled After Lindsey Graham Refuses COVID Test  —  The debate cancelation announcement: … Advertisements  —  The only reason for the cancelation of the Senate debate is Lindsey Graham's refusal to be tested for the coronavirus.  —  Either Lindsey Graham knows …

Royce West won't vote for MJ Hegar, says 'she's had a problem all along with Black folks'  —  State Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, who finished a close second to MJ Hegar in the runoff for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in July, said Friday that he is not voting for Hegar in her bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn.

Huge Absentee Vote in Key States Favors Democrats So Far  —  In Wisconsin, about 146,000 people voted by mail in the 2016 general election.  This fall, about 647,000 people have already voted absentee, many in Democratic strongholds.  —  In Madison, Wis., thousands of people have gone …

A senior warning sign for Trump: ‘Go Biden’ cry at Villages  —  THE VILLAGES, Fla. (AP) — Sara Branscom's golf cart whizzed down the smooth asphalt path that winds through The Villages, the nation's largest retirement community, an expanse of beautiful homes, shops and entertainment venues …

Commentary: Trump's made-for-TV ‘medical exam’ is as much a sham as his COVID-19 response  —  President Trump appeared on Fox News Friday evening for his first on-camera television interview since announcing last week that he'd tested positive for COVID-19.  The event: a made-for-TV …

Cyber Command has sought to disrupt the world's largest botnet, hoping to reduce its potential impact on the election  —  In recent weeks, the U.S. military has mounted an operation to temporarily disrupt what is described as the world's largest botnet — one used also to drop ransomware …

Team Trump Admits Its ‘Russiagate’ Head Fake Has Been a Flop  —  RATF*CKED  —  Loyalists like Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe are trying to craft a counter-narrative.  But the country isn't in the mood for the tale.  —  With coronavirus running through his body in competition …

Trump personnel office weighs asking appointees to offer their resignations  —  The White House Presidential Personnel Office is considering asking nearly every political appointee in the Trump administration to write and tender provisional letters of resignation right before the election …

James Murdoch, Rebellious Scion  —  Increasingly uncomfortable with News Corp's politics and profit motives, Rupert's younger son chose chickens and sheep over Fox, and insists he doesn't watch ‘Succession.’  —  WASHINGTON — As we sat down to lunch in my garden, I mentioned to James Murdoch …

Longtime Republican strategists behind the Lincoln Project mounting rogue offensive against Donald Trump  —  Former operatives for John McCain and George W. Bush are calling on Americans to vote for a Democrat in the presidential election.  Sunday, Lesley Stahl reports on the Lincoln Project …

Accused leader of plot to kidnap Michigan governor was struggling financially, living in basement storage space  —  GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The purported leader of an extremist plot to kidnap Michigan's governor was struggling financially and living in a storage space underneath a friend's vacuum shop …

Justice Department cancels diversity training, including for immigration judges  —  WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department has suspended all diversity and inclusion training and events for its employees, according to a memo obtained by The Chronicle, which would include judges in San Francisco …

Trump says Iran is on notice not to ‘f**k around’ with US  —  President Donald Trump says 'you don't see terror' in Middle East because of his sanctions against Iran  —  US President Donald Trump talked up his Iran policy in a profanity-laden tirade on Friday, telling conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh …