Hunter Biden's Ex-Business Partner Alleges Father Knew About Venture  —  Former vice president says he had no involvement; corporate records reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show no role for Joe Biden  —  An ex-business partner of Hunter Biden, in a news conference organized by the Trump campaign …

CNN Poll: Biden wins final presidential debate  —  (CNN)Joe Biden did a better job in the final debate on Thursday, according to a CNN Instant Poll of debate watchers.  Overall, 53% of voters who watched the debate said that Biden won the matchup, while 39% said that President Donald Trump did.

After Final Debate, Campaigns Enter Homestretch  —  “If we just wore these masks, the president's own advisers have told him, we could save 100,000 lives.  And we're in a circumstance where the president, thus far, still has no plan, no comprehensive plan.”  “You also said a vaccine will be coming within weeks.”

‘Warning flare’: New swing-state data shows massive Democratic early-vote lead  —  Democrats have opened up a yawning gap in early voting over Republicans in six of the most crucial battleground states — but that only begins to tell the story of their advantage heading into Election Day.

Mitch McConnell mostly mum about bruised hands, says no concerns  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's hands have become the unlikely subject of wild speculation on social media as people obsess over how badly bruised they look this week, but Kentucky's longtime senator isn't saying much about it.

Trump's Plan to Make Biden Look Senile Disappeared Without a Trace  —  In the cold light of day, the most important development from the final presidential debate may be something that did not happen at all: Joe Biden embarrassing himself in a fit of mental disintegration.

Trump is drowning in his own lies.  Here are the latest signs of it.  —  It's one of the defining phrases of the Trump era.  Stephen K. Bannon, candidly reflecting in early 2018 on President Trump's strategy for effective political communication, noted that the real opposition Trump faces is not Democrats, but the media.

Trump: Sudan to recognize Israel  —  It will be the third Arab state to do so this year after the UAE and Bahrain.  —  President Donald Trump listens while on a phone call with leaders of Sudan and Israel in the Oval Office on Oct. 23.  Alex Brandon/AP Photo

Coronavirus case increase sets new U.S. record, rising to over 77K in one day … The U.S. set a record Thursday as the number of new coronavirus cases rose to over 77,000, topping the previous record in July.  —  Nationwide, 77,640 new cases were reported for the day …

A powerful argument for wearing a mask, in visual form  —  Real-time pandemic data paints a vivid picture of the relationship between mask-wearing and the prevalence of covid-19 symptoms  —  Despite the clear opposition to masks within the Trump White House and among its allies …

Kristen Welker asked the candidates about The Talk.  That moment proved the value of newsroom diversity.  —  Any debate moderator could have asked the candidates the question about The Talk — the terrible conversation that parents must have with their children of color to warn them about the hazards …

Fact check: Trump says Biden sold Ukraine ‘pillows and sheets.’ What's he talking about?  —  “I sold, while he was selling pillows and sheets, I sold tank busters to Ukraine.  There has been nobody tougher on Russia than Donald Trump,” Trump claimed.  —  This claim perplexed many.

The town that built back green  —  After a tornado demolished Greensburg, Kan., it rebuilt without carbon emissions.  Can its lessons help communities and economies rebound from fires, hurricanes and covid-19?  —  GREENSBURG, Kan. — After powerful tornadoes swept through Nashville earlier this year …

A Day-By-Day Guide to What Could Happen If This Election Goes Bad  —  The coronavirus pandemic was always going to make the 2020 election uniquely complicated, and Donald Trump's norm-busting style was always going to make it tense, but headlines in recent days have started to read like political thriller plot lines.

The Republican Identity Crisis After Trump  —  This Presidency poses stark questions about the ideological future of both parties.  —  The last weekend in August, 2001, two weeks before the attacks of 9/11, President George W. Bush travelled with his wife, Laura, and an entourage …

Trump campaign spokesperson claims parents of separated children don't want them back  —  Multiple media outlets reported this week that the federal government remains unable to find the parents of more than 500 children who were separated from their families.  —  A child is reunited with her family after crossing the border.

Susan Collins Hasn't Changed Much, but Maine Has  —  Democrats are angry with her.  Republicans see her as disloyal to the president.  Her old-fashioned politics?  “I don't know if people respond as well to that anymore,” said her G.O.P. predecessor in the Senate.  —  BANGOR, Me.

$80 million dark money group tied to Trump Supreme Court advisor, Leonard Leo … A close informal advisor to President Trump who has been deeply involved in all three of his Supreme Court nomination battles is the sole trustee of a mysterious group that brought in more than $80 million in 2018 …

A Good Debate, and It's Not Quite Over  —  Biden has a formidable lead, but not a flawless campaign.  And a few signs point in Trump's direction.  —  The hour and a half between 9 and 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 23, at Belmont University in Nashville was the last chance Donald Trump had to turn it all around.

A Shot-by-Shot Analysis of the New Borat's Giuliani Scene  —  Rudy Giuliani claims he was just “tucking in [his] shirt.”  What does the footage say?  —  Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation …

Beyond the Debate: Trump Is Running on Empty  —  Instead of ideas, the president offered lies, evasions, and weapons-grade exaggerations.  —  Last night Trump blew his last, best chance to save his campaign—from himself.  —  This debate still mattered.  Although Trump is wheezing uphill …

FDA shows signs of cold feet over emergency authorization of Covid-19 vaccines  —  There are serious signs the Food and Drug Administration is getting cold feet over the notion of issuing emergency use authorizations to allow for the widespread early deployment of Covid-19 vaccines.

Bruce Springsteen and the Art of Aging Well  —  I recently saw a photo of Lyndon B. Johnson in the first year of his presidency.  He looked like a classic old guy—wrinkled, mature, in the late season of life.  It was a shock to learn that he was only 55 at the time, roughly the same age as Chris Rock is now.