Cracking the Sinema code  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's political allies have some free advice for anyone trying to bully the wine-drinking triathlete into supporting President Biden's $3.5 trillion budget bill: She doesn't play by Washington's rules — and she's prepared to walk away.

The Democratic Civil War Has a Winner: Donald Trump  —  Biden's agenda is up against more than just the moderates-versus-progressives split.  —  First, the good news.  The government did not shut down at midnight.  New covid infections in the United States have fallen twenty-five per cent over the past couple weeks.

Oh Look, COVID-19 Hospitalization Rates in the Northern States Are Increasing  —  October is here, the weather is getting a little cooler, schools are reopened, and people will start spending more time indoors.  And this morning, updated figures from the U.S. Department of Health …

How Jared and Ivanka Hijacked the White House's Covid Response  —  The year 2020 started on a promising enough note for the president, at least considering all we'd endured the previous three years.  The economy was good, the impeachment effort on Ukraine looked like a dud and the polls were decent.

Inside Manchin's search for GOP votes on elections reform  —  Senate Republicans are finally coming to the table on elections reform.  Sort of.  —  As Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) pursues a longshot bipartisan agreement, some Senate Republicans are engaging in preliminary discussions with him on the issue.

Beyond Biden, budget tests Dems' power to deliver  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — When President Joe Biden proposed a massive expansion of federal services for Americans this year, he laid out lofty stakes — not only for his own presidential legacy but far beyond.  —  The imperative …

Dissension at the Supreme Court as justices take their anger public  —  (CNN)Supreme Court justices have revealed a new level of defensiveness and anger in recent weeks, showing irritation with public expectations, the news media and one another.  —  The extraordinary public display extends beyond …

Biden approval rating slips to 50 percent in AP poll  —  President Biden's job approval rating has slipped to 50 percent in the latest Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll as he faces mounting criticism over his handling of issues including the military withdrawal …

Trump Extremists Brought Numerous Guns on January 6, Evidence Shows  —  For more than eight months, Republican lawmakers have sought to rewrite the harrowing events of January 6.  They have continually whitewashed the assault on the US Capitol despite copious footage showing mobs …

Alex Jones must pay damages to Sandy Hook families after calling shooting a ‘giant hoax,’ judge rules  —  Alex Jones, the right-wing conspiracy theorist and founder of Infowars, is responsible for all damages in two lawsuits stemming from his false claims that the Sandy Hook school shooting was a “giant hoax,” a judge ruled this week.

The Conservatives Dreading—And Preparing for—Civil War  —  “Let me start big.  The mission of the Claremont Institute is to save Western civilization,” says Ryan Williams, the organization's president, looking at the camera, in a crisp navy suit.  “We've always aimed high.”  A trumpet blares.

Texas' abortion law is back in court  —  A federal judge is considering arguments Friday on the Justice Department's emergency request to block Texas' controversial new abortion law.  —  Department attorneys and lawyers for the state of Texas are making their case at a virtual hearing …

USPS is about to charge you more for slower mail.  Here's why. … Delivery slowdowns at the U.S. Postal Service take effect Friday, and higher prices are soon to follow.  The nation's mail service is preparing to implement core components of Postmaster General Louis DeJoy's 10-year plan for the agency …

Special ops troops ‘hunkered down’ in California airport hangar after nighttime ninja attack  —  A sword-wielding man dressed as a ninja attacked several special operations soldiers who were training at a California airport, reportedly forcing them to shelter in a hangar and inflicting wounds that required stitches.

Joe Manchin Just Cooked the Planet  —  The senator won't quit fossil fuels and is going to neuter the reconciliation bill — and we're all going to pay the price  —  West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin just cooked the planet.  I don't mean that in a metaphorical sense.  I mean that literally.

EXCLUSIVE: Trump told top CEOs AOC is ‘failed geek’ who makes ‘old men shiver in fear’ in Congress because she has a ‘base of voters like mine’ in push to get reelected, book claims  — Trump made the comments at a closed-door event with 100 business leaders

“God's will is being thwarted.”  Even in solid Republican counties, hard-liners seek more partisan control of elections.  —  The political battle in one Texas county where Trump got 81% of the vote offers a rare view into the virulent distrust and unyielding pressure facing elections administrators.

These charts show what ‘red COVID’ looks like in California now  —  Even with California recording the lowest coronavirus transmission rate in the country, data shows that the partisan gap between who is suffering the most in the post-vaccine era is intensifying.