Alex Jones Liable by Default in All Sandy Hook Defamation Suits  —  A Connecticut judge's ruling combines with decisions in Texas to grant a clean sweep for families of shooting victims in their cases against the Infowars host.  —  A superior court in Connecticut granted a sweeping victory …

POLITICO Playbook: Washington's mystery mansion buyer unmasked  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  A busy Monday: Congress is back ... PATRICK LEAHY makes a big announcement at 10 a.m. ... JOE BIDEN signs BIF at 3 p.m. ... STEVE BANNON is expected to surrender.  —  THE TRUMP HOTEL IS BEING SOLD …

Exclusive: Beto O'Rourke Is Running for Governor  —  For months, Texas Democrats have failed to field a single serious candidate to challenge Governor Greg Abbott's reelection bid.  But today, Beto O'Rourke is announcing in Texas Monthly that he is entering the 2022 gubernatorial race.

Andrew Sullivan and the Narrative of the “MSM Narrative”  —  The narrative on MSM narratives is false.  —  Over the weekend Andrew Sullivan published a jeremiad against the “mainstream media” that tracks pretty closely with the Matt Taibbi-Glenn Greenwald-Bari Weiss view …

A newly disclosed memo reveals Trump's plot to turn the military into his personal goon squad  —  I want to apologize to Mark T. Esper, former president Donald Trump's fourth and second-to-last defense secretary.  I may have been too harsh on the man who became known as “Yesper” for accommodating Trump.

CBO to Release a Complete Cost Estimate for H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act, by November 19  —  The Congressional Budget Office anticipates publishing a complete cost estimate for H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act (Rules Committee Print 117-18 incorporating a manager's amendment by Congressman Yarmuth) …

State Rep. Ryan Guillen switches to GOP in latest blow to South Texas Democrats  —  The Rio Grande City lawmaker was the least liberal Democrat in the Texas House this year, according to a political scientist's rankings of lawmakers.  —  Copy link  —  Longtime Democratic state Rep. Ryan Guillen …

The Bad Guys Are Winning  —  The future of democracy may well be decided in a drab office building on the outskirts of Vilnius, alongside a highway crammed with impatient drivers heading out of town.  —  I met Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya there this spring, in a room that held a conference table, a whiteboard, and not much else.

BREAKING: Leahy announces retirement in 2022  —  “It's time to put down the gavel,” Patrick Leahy declared a few minutes ago in bowing out of the 2022 midterms.  “It's time to pass the torch to the next Vermonter.”  It's the identity of the next Vermonter that will worry Democrats …

Kamala Harris sidelined amid growing tensions with Biden, insiders say  —  Vice President Kamala Harris feels increasingly isolated inside the White House as her approval ratings plummet — with the first female veep believing she's not getting the same support given to other members …

US says it 'won't tolerate' Russia's ‘reckless and dangerous’ anti-satellite missile test  —  (CNN)The US strongly condemned a Russian anti-satellite test on Monday, calling it “a reckless and dangerous act” and added that it “won't tolerate” behavior that puts the national interests of several countries at risk.

Doubt in American System Increases  —  GOP belief in 2020 election fraud couples with fundamental distrust  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Three in ten Americans now believe the nation's system is fundamentally unsound, according to the Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll.

‘I got over 1,000 soldiers ready’: Texas parent escorted out of school board meeting over critical race theory  —  Several parents were left feeling “threatened” during a Nov. 9 school board meeting after a Texas parent supporting critical race theory stated that he had “1,000 soldiers ready to go.”

Judge dismisses gun charge against Kyle Rittenhouse  —  KENOSHA, WIS. — A Kenosha County judge handed a huge win to Kyle Rittenhouse's defense team before closing arguments when he dismissed a misdemeanor gun charge against the teen.  —  Legal experts had considered the misdemeanor gun charge …

Michigan Sen. John Bizon facing assault charges after incident with nurse practitioner  —  MARSHALL - Michigan state Sen. John Bizon faces misdemeanor assault charges after a nurse practitioner with Oaklawn Medical Group accused him of inappropriately touching her.

The Behaviors and Attitudes of U.S. Adults on Twitter  —  A minority of Twitter users produce a majority of tweets from U.S. adults, and the most active tweeters are less likely to view the tone or civility of discussions as a major problem on the site  —  Pew Research Center conducted …

Charlotte-area GOP members shaken by Cawthorn move to district  —  Dual announcements by U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn and N.C. House Speaker Tim Moore have shaken the Republican establishment of Mecklenburg County — potentially the new stomping grounds of North Carolina's most controversial politician.

MSNBC anchor Joy Reid's crying shame  —  MORE FROM:  —  Joy Reid is a racist sociopath.  How else to explain her reaction to Kyle Rittenhouse breaking down in the witness box during his murder trial last week?  —  “White crocodile tears,” said the hate-mongering MSNBC prime-time anchor.

Biden tried to push Putin aside.  The Russian isn't having it.  —  When National Security Council officials approached President Joe Biden with a package of sanctions to impose on Russia earlier this year, he sent it back to them three times.  —  It's not tough enough, he told them …

Biden administration moves to ban drilling near New Mexico's Chaco Canyon tribal land  —  The Biden administration will move toward ending the issuance of new oil and gas leases on federal lands near the Chaco Culture National Historical Park, a Native American heritage site in northwestern New Mexico.

It's Not Just White People: Democrats Are Losing Normal Voters of All Races … Last Monday, a Democratic firm hosted focus groups with women in Virginia who voted in 2017 for Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam, in 2020 for Democratic President Joe Biden, and then this month for Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin.

US journalist jailed in Myanmar for nearly 6 months is freed  —  BANGKOK (AP) — American journalist Danny Fenster, who was recently sentenced to 11 years of hard labor after spending nearly six months in jail in military-ruled Myanmar, was freed and on his way home Monday, a former U.S. diplomat who helped negotiate the release said.

Inside Felicia Sonmez's War Against the Washington Post  —  Why was a reporter punished for speaking up about sexual assault?  —  In February 2020, the leadership of the Washington Post was in the midst of an internal crisis.  Marty Baron, the revered executive editor credited with reviving …

An empowered I.R.S. emerges as the linchpin of Biden's social policy bill.  —  WASHINGTON — President Biden's pledge to fully pay for his $1.85 trillion social policy and climate spending package depends in large part on having a beefed up Internal Revenue Service crack down on tax evaders …

Trump ally Steve Bannon released from custody pending trial on contempt of Congress charges  —  (CNN)Steve Bannon won't be detained before trial on charges of contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with subpoenas from the House committee investigating January 6.