Enablement The tortured self-justification of one very powerful Trump-loathing anonymous Republican.  —  One afternoon this year, a Washington Republican wove through packs of tourists on the Mall and considered, as he often did, the collapse of America.  How would all of this appear from a distance?

AJC poll shows deadlocked races for president, Senate seats in Georgia  —  'It's a real barnburner'  —  The race for president in Georgia is deadlocked in the final week of the campaign, with President Donald Trump and Joe Biden in a statistical tie in a state that hasn't voted Democratic for president since 1992.

Jared Kushner Says African-Americans Must ‘Want to Be Successful’  —  President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner said Black people must “want to be successful” in order for his father's policies to help them.  —  “One thing we've seen in a lot of the Black community …

No, Biden did not confuse George W. Bush and Donald Trump  —  “Joe Biden confuses President Trump with George W. Bush: 'because of who I'm running against ... George, ah, George'”  — Republican National Committee rapid response director Steve Guest, in a misleading tweet, on Oct. 25

With Weakness Among Hispanic Voters, Biden Trails in Texas  —  Large Democratic gains among white suburbanites suggest risks down the ballot for Republicans in congressional and state House races, our poll shows.  —  President Trump maintains a narrow lead in Texas, according …

Trump breaks with Meadows, says he hasn't given up on controlling virus  —  President Donald Trump on Monday insisted that his administration was still working to curb the spread of the coronavirus, even as White House chief of staff Mark Meadows doubled down on his acknowledgment that the United States would not “control” the pandemic.

FBI Sits on Report Detailing White-Supremacist Terror Threat  —  WHITE FLIGHT … In violation of the law, the FBI won't deliver a legally required report on domestic terrorism before an election that many security veterans fear may spark some level of violence.

Trump appointee resigns over the president's order removing job protections for many civil servants  —  The Trump administration-appointed head of a key advisory council on the civil service has resigned over an executive order to strip away protections against political interference in hiring …

GOP bets Democrats won't expand Supreme Court.  Progressives say: Call their bluff.  —  WASHINGTON — When Senate Republicans voted on a rainy Sunday to put Amy Coney Barrett on a glide path to a lifetime Supreme Court appointment one week before Election Day, they were making a bet …

Feds weigh terrorism charges after finding bomb parts in Whitmer kidnapping plot investigation  — Accused Whitmer plot ringleader Adam Fox, 37, of Potterville.  —  Federal prosecutors are mulling terrorism charges against the men accused of plotting to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer …

Seeking power in Jesus' name: Trump sparks a rise of ‘Patriot Churches’  —  KNOXVILLE, TENN. — The new congregation is gathered in a barn in Lenoir City, Tenn., with a roof that has a 60-foot American flag painted on it.  And they are praying for a Trump landslide.

Tennessee Sen. Joey Hensley defends prescribing opioids to relatives, lover  —  An attorney for Tennessee Sen. Joey Hensley conceded Monday the politician, a small-town doctor, prescribed opioids to family members and an employee with whom he was in a romantic relationship, in what the state contends is a violation of medical ethics.

I believe in the president, now more than ever  —  I believe, more than ever, in the president.  —  I believe Sleepy Joe Biden and that “monster” Kamala D. Harris would turn America into a “socialist hellhole,” and we'd all have “to speak Chinese.”  I believe they “want to take out the cows” and “any form of animals.”

Inside Decades of Nepotism and Bungling at the N.Y.C. Elections Board  —  Some staffers read or watch Netflix at the office, while others punch in and then go shopping or to the gym, current and former employees said.  —  The official who oversees voter registration in New York City is the 80-year-old mother of a former congressman.

Pompeo Under Investigation for RNC Speech From Jerusalem  —  NO NO  —  Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's speech from Jerusalem to the Republican National Convention has landed him under investigation for potentially abusing his office, according to the chairpeople of the House foreign-relations and appropriations committees.

Texas Guard: Abbott to order 1,000 troops to Texas cities during election  —  The Texas Army National Guard said Monday it had been ordered to dispatch 1,000 troops to five major cities around the state in conjunction with the Nov. 3 election, including San Antonio.

New Roles for Manny Fernandez and Rick Rojas  —  Our indefatigable Atlanta correspondent, Rick Rojas, is opening a bureau in Nashville.  And Manny Fernandez, a great chronicler of Texas, will add editor to his title, as well as Los Angeles bureau chief.  Read more in this note from Marc Lacey.

A President Looks Back on His Toughest Fight  —  The story behind the Obama Administration's most enduring—and most contested—legacy: reforming American health care.  —  Our first spring in the White House arrived early.  As the weather warmed, the South Lawn became almost like a private park to explore.

Hillary Clinton Says It's Different This Time  —  The 2016 Democratic candidate was certain she'd win four years ago.  Now, she's even more bullish that Biden will.  —  (SINGING) When you walk in a room, do you have sway.  —  [MUSIC PLAYING]  —  What's it like to be Joe Biden right now?

Facebook serves as an echo chamber, especially for conservatives.  Blame its algorithm.  —  Steven L. Johnson, Brent Kitchens and Peter Gray are information technology professors at the University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce.  Their peer-reviewed research referenced in the op-ed …

They Did Not Vote in 2016.  Why They Plan to Skip the Election Again.  —  Between a third and a half of all eligible voters typically stay home during presidential elections.  —  EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. — Like nearly half of all the eligible voters in her county in 2016, Keyana Fedrick did not vote.

Sex Cult Leader, Facing Life Sentence, Regrets Nothing  —  Several victims are expected to testify when Keith Raniere, the founder of Nxivm, is sentenced this week for sex trafficking, extortion and other crimes.  —  Keith Raniere, the leader of a self-help organization called Nxivm …

Malliotakis Narrowly Leads Rose in Tight Staten Island Race, NBC 4/Marist Poll Finds  —  Rose, a moderate Democrat, won an upset in the heavily Trump-supporting district in 2018  —  What to Know  — GOP challenger Nicole Malliotakis holds a 2-point lead over incumbent Rep. Max Rose …

Investor Bill Gross accused of blaring 'Gilligan's Island' song on loop to torment neighbor  —  A dispute between bond king Bill Gross and his next-door neighbor over a $1-million outdoor sculpture has devolved into police calls to their Laguna Beach mansions, multiple legal actions …

Lt. Col. Vindman writing memoir, ‘Here, Right Matters’  —  NEW YORK (AP) — Lt. Col. Alexander S. Vindman, the national security aide who offered key testimony during the impeachment hearings of President Donald Trump and later accused the president of running a “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation,” has a book deal.

Rand Paul: Seniors Should Be Served Meals by COVID-Survivors  —  Speaking during a campaign rally for a congressional candidate in Virginia, Paul also said cloth masks “don't work” and defended President Trump's claim that COVID would disappear.  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) …

VMI superintendent resigns after Black cadets describe relentless racism  —  The superintendent of the Virginia Military Institute resigned Monday morning after Black cadets described relentless racism at the nation's oldest state-supported military college, and Gov. Ralph Northam (D) …

Trump Is the Best Candidate for the Illiberal Left  —  A number of influential commentators who firmly opposed Donald Trump in 2016 recently announced their intention to vote for him in 2020.  Nearly all of them, including James Lindsay, Danielle Pletka, and Ben Shapiro, blamed illiberalism on the left.