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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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) …

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.

Inside Chris Christie's breakup with Trump  —  Chris Christie told me on “Axios on HBO” that he and former President Trump haven't spoken since before Jan. 6, when Christie frantically tried to reach his friend of 20 years — and Trump never picked up the phone.

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.

Liverpool Women's Hospital explosion declared a terror incident  —  An explosion outside Liverpool Women's Hospital on Remembrance Sunday has been declared a terror incident by police.  —  A taxi exploded and was engulfed in flames just before 11:00 GMT at a drop-off zone near the entrance …

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 …

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.

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.

New book alleges Fox's Maria Bartiromo shouted at Bill Barr about imagined voter fraud  —  (CNN Business)Former attorney general Bill Barr says Fox News host Maria Bartiromo called him up “screaming” about imaginary voter fraud, according to his account in a new book.

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 …

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 …

How Republicans Have an Edge in the Emerging 2022 Congressional Maps  —  On a highly distorted congressional map that is still taking shape, the party has added enough safe House districts to capture control of the chamber based on its redistricting edge alone.