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 …

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.

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 …

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

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 …

Big GOP donors step up to help fight Democratic Senate tsunami  —  Facing a tsunami of small-dollar Democratic fundraising, big GOP donors responded with a show of force to protect the party's imperiled majority.  —  The GOP's top super PAC raised nearly $50 million in the first two weeks of October …

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 …

Israel, Sudan Agree to Normalize Ties in U.S.-Brokered Deal  —  Accord ends decades of hostility as one of Africa's largest countries joins a broader diplomatic realignment in the Middle East  —  TEL AVIV—Israel and Sudan agreed to normalize ties in a U.S.-brokered deal on Friday …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

How politically damaging were Biden's comments about closing down the oil industry?  —  Biden said at the debate he would transition away from oil, then later clarified that he would stop giving federal subsidies to the industry  —  Before the debate, President Trump said his advisers urged …

$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 …

‘Outnumbered’ co-host Melissa Francis is off the air and her status at Fox News is in doubt  —  Melissa Francis, regularly seen on the popular Fox News midday talk show “Outnumbered,” has been off the air for two weeks and is probably at the end of her six-year run at the network …

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.

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.

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 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.