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 …

Trump Family Ally Is Arrested on Cyberstalking Charge  —  Ken Kurson, a close friend of the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, was arrested in connection with incidents stemming from his divorce.  —  Ken Kurson, a close friend of President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner …

Charges: Boogaloo Bois fired on Minneapolis police precinct, shouted ‘Justice for Floyd’  —  Feds say Ivan Harrison Hunter helped burn and loot the Third Precinct building as part of a coordinated attack from the far-right group trying to ignite an American civil war.  —  TEXT SIZE  —  MORE

Democrats force Senate into unusual but brief closed session to discuss Barrett nomination to Supreme Court  —  Senate Republicans and Democrats engaged in a bitter feud over the confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett on Friday as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) …

‘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.

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.”

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 …

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.

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 …

How Pennsylvanians Are Combatting Voter Suppression  —  Joe Biden and President Trump have campaigned in Pennsylvania weekly since the conventions ended and both have held town halls in Philadelphia.  That's how critical the swing state Hillary Clinton lost on November 8, 2016 (by less than a percent) is to both parties.

Mitch McConnell mostly mum about discolored 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 removes Sudan from state sponsors of terrorism list  —  President Trump signed Friday an order to remove Sudan from the State Department's state sponsors of terrorism list, senior U.S. officials tell me.  —  Why it matters: Trump's signature paves the way for the U.S. and Sudan …

Russia's Clandestine Chemical Weapons Programme and the GRU's Unit 29155  —  On October 15, 2020, the European Union imposed sanctions on six senior Russian officials and a leading Russian research institute over the alleged use of a nerve agent from the Novichok family in the poisoning of opposition leader Alexey Navalny.

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.

Donald Trump's issue with windmills might not be about birds  —  President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump return to the White House after the final presidential debate on October 23.  Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images  —  If the president were really worried about birds …

Trump campaign spokesperson says parents of separated children don't want them back  —  The Trump campaign's communications director asserted on Friday that the reason some migrant families separated by the administration at the U.S. border have not been reunited is because the parents do not want their children back.

Wisconsin Republicans have been facing an outbreak among lawmakers and aides.  But they don't want to talk about it.  —  Wisconsin Republican lawmakers and top GOP aides have been facing a coronavirus outbreak in recent weeks following a series of in-person events, including a retirement party …

Ohioan reports being recruited for plot targeting Gov. DeWine at his home  —  A Miami County resident reported to police being recruited to take part in a citizen's arrest of Gov. Mike DeWine at his Cedarville home a week ago, but the plot evidently never materialized.

Judge orders Justice Department to verify its filings in Flynn case  —  The federal judge presiding over the criminal case against former national security adviser Michael Flynn has ordered the Justice Department to conduct an unusual review of its filings in the case and certify by Monday whether any have been manipulated.

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.

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 …

$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 …

Arizona Is Ready to Toss Trump — and the Rest of the GOP  —  As far as demonstrations go, it wasn't much, just three white women on the side of the road in Scottsdale, Arizona.  One waved an American flag.  One held nothing at all.  But had Donald Trump asked God for a sign of encouragement …

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 …