White House: LA port going 24/7 to ease shipping backlog  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House said Wednesday it has helped broker an agreement for the Port of Los Angeles to become a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week operation, part of an effort to relieve supply chain bottlenecks …

POLITICO Playbook: Scoop: Manchin-Sinema split vexes the White House  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  So what's the state of negotiations between the White House and JOE MANCHIN and KYRSTEN SINEMA?  —  The talks have been shrouded in mystery, but we have some fresh details we can share this morning.

Are We Ready for Trump's Second Term?  —  The United States was unprepared for the scope of President Donald Trump's attempt to steal the 2020 presidential election.  By Election Day, Trump had spent months calling the election “rigged,” and historians and democracy experts warned of the damage that these false claims could make.

Southwest and American Airlines Tell Texas Governor Who's Boss  —  Federal requirements for vaccine mandates supersede state orders against mandates.  Besides, the airlines care about health and safety.  —  Texas Governor Greg Abbott wouldn't want you to mistake his push to forbid private companies …

US to reopen land borders in November for fully vaccinated  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will reopen its land borders to nonessential travel next month, ending a 19-month freeze due to the COVID-19 pandemic as the country moves to require all international visitors to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Jonah Goldberg's Narcissism of Small Differences  —  In a world of trouble, why snipe at allies?  —  Back in 2016, when formerly distinguished conservatives were suddenly lining up to issue glassy-eyed endorsements of a half-mad reality-TV figure, Jonah Goldberg wrote a brilliant column comparing …

The Undignified Demise of Centrism  —  Centrist Democrats may force changes to the Build Back Better Act, but their rationale as a political orientation has disintegrated.  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) arrives for a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee markup in Dirksen Building …

Capitol rioter admits to two new felonies while representing himself in bond hearing  —  Brandon Fellows sought to have his bond status revoked, only to make the legal case against him stronger.  —  WASHINGTON — Before his bond hearing began Tuesday, a federal judge warned Brandon Fellows …

A Yale Law Student Sent a Lighthearted Email Inviting Classmates to His ‘Trap House.’ The School Is Now Calling Him To Account.  —  Administrators at Yale Law School spent weeks pressuring a student to apologize for a “triggering” email in which he referred to his apartment as a “trap house …

Supreme Court Focuses on Procedure in Kentucky Abortion Case  —  After the state's political landscape shifted in 2019, the Democratic governor and the Republican attorney general disagreed on defending the law.  —  WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court heard arguments in an abortion case on Tuesday …

How the GOP Will Try To Subvert Our Elections  —  We are one, maybe two, elections away from a constitutional crisis.  More than a year ago — before Election Day — Donald Trump made clear that he would not accept the results of free and fair elections if he did not win.

Western Media Aren't Telling You the Truth About Iran  —  Reporters would rather tweet about the weather than investigate repression and torture by the regime.  —  Tehran  —  I am a blogger and Internet freedom activist in Iran, and I have a message that millions of Iranians are desperate for you to hear …

Peter Thiel lines up against Liz Cheney  —  Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney's primary challenger landed former President Donald Trump's endorsement before she even officially launched her campaign.  Now, she's cashing big checks from Trump's biggest donors — including tech billionaire Peter Thiel.

Social Security benefits to rise 5.9 percent for roughly 70 million people in 2022  —  Inflation pushes the cost-of-living increase to the highest one-year bump in almost four decades.  —  The Social Security Administration announced Wednesday that its beneficiaries will see a 5.9 percent increase …

NFL won't release more from WFT investigation despite anger over offensive emails  —  The NFL does not plan to release more materials from the investigation into the workplace of the Washington Football Team, a person familiar with the situation said Tuesday, despite calls for more transparency …

Kyrie Irving and his vaccine stance clarified: Why the Nets star has made a decision that will sideline him  —  Kyrie Irving believes he is fighting for something bigger than basketball — and the unintended consequences are that his mission is conflicting with his career and his franchise, the Brooklyn Nets.

Val Demings pulls in $8.4M in ‘historic’ third quarter fundraising haul … Jacob Ogles  —  Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg.

Marine who criticized U.S. handling of Afghanistan withdrawal will plead guilty, seek favorable discharge  —  A Marine officer whose viral videos criticizing senior officials for how they withdrew from Afghanistan created a political uproar will plead guilty to several charges and seek …

Democrats are playing a dangerous game: ‘Deal or End American Democracy’  —  Paul Begala, a Democratic strategist and CNN political commentator, was a political consultant for Bill Clinton's presidential campaign in 1992 and served as a counselor to Clinton in the White House.

Gas prices hit a seven-year high, and Biden remains as clueless as ever  —  Under former President Donald Trump, the United States achieved effective energy independence.  It became a net exporter of petroleum products and, for a brief moment in time, crude oil.

Orange County Public Schools board chair ejects parents, speakers from meeting  —  BOARD CHAIR HILLARY MACKENZIE EJECTED SPEAKERS FROM THE OCT. 11 BOARD MEETING FOR NOT SPEAKING ON TOPICS DICTATED BY THE AGENDA  —  RALEIGH — At the direction of the Orange County Public Schools board of education chair …

Republican Jon Dunwell wins special Iowa House election in Newton  —  Republican Jon Dunwell has won a special election for the Iowa House, flipping a Newton-based district that Democrats have held for years.  —  Dunwell led Democrat Steve Mullan Tuesday night with 60% of the vote …

Seattle school cancels Halloween over ‘equity,’ says Black kids don't celebrate  —  A Seattle elementary school canceled Halloween activities over concerns about student equity and inclusion.  Specifically, Seattle Public Schools says Black males do not celebrate and, more generally, students of color feel marginalized by the holiday.