Trump allies explored sending armed private contractors to seize voting machines in 2020 election  —  Supporters on the fringes of former President Trump's circle explored seeking sweeping authority after the 2020 election to enlist armed private contractors to seize and inspect voting machines …

Two Saudi delegations to visit U.S. as ties improve  —  Two Saudi government delegations plan to visit the United States this month, officials said on Saturday, as Riyadh and Washington step up efforts to fix strained ties and lay the ground for an eventual visit by U.S. President Joe Biden.

Subpoena wars: Washington is on a path to mutually assured destruction  —  THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY CONTRIBUTORS ARE THEIR OWN AND NOT THE VIEW OF THE HILL  —  In an initial court appearance following his arrest on Friday for contempt of Congress, former Trump adviser Peter Navarro stood before an obviously concerned federal magistrate.

Bidens evacuated from Delaware residence after plane flies into restricted airspace  —  The president and the first lady are now back at the beach house with no threat apparent.  —  Joe Biden boards his plane at New Castle Airport on October 22, 2020 in New Castle, Delaware.  Getty Images

Russia must not be humiliated despite Putin's ‘historic’ mistake, Macron says  —  French President Emmanuel Macron said it is vital that Russia is not humiliated so that when the fighting stops in Ukraine a diplomatic solution can be found, adding that he believed Paris would play a mediating role to end the conflict.

The evangelical church faces a ‘state of emergency’ over the pandemic and politics, Andy Stanley says  —  (CNN)Winning souls for Christ.  Taking back America for God.  Standing in the Gap.  —  Anyone who has spent time among white evangelical Christians has heard some of those phrases.

The gun lobby's growing divide  —  There's a growing divide within America's gun lobby, as groups representing firearms manufacturers and individual owners splinter over federal gun-control legislation and what gun culture means in an increasingly diverse country.

Former Wisconsin judge killed in “targeted” shooting; Gov. Evers also on “hit list”  —  Former Juneau Co. judge John Roemer was found zip-tied to a chair and fatally shot.  —  COPY LINK  —  COPY  —  Hide Transcript Show Transcript  —  MAUSTON, Wis. —

Kellyanne Conway blasts Mark Meadows' tenure as Trump's White House chief of staff: ‘The man did not match the moment’  — Kellyanne Conway in her new memoir criticized Mark Meadows' tenure as White House chief of staff.  — Conway said Meadows “did not match the moment” during the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘Ignore Guns, Talk Inflation’: Memos Show GOP Strategy After the Uvalde Massacre  —  Stay cool.  Run out the clock.  Scare some gun nuts while you can.  But don't worry: this moment will be over soon.  —  That's the message the Republican Party, Donald Trump, and conservative leaders …

How Refugees Transformed a Dying Rust Belt Town  —  At 8 on a recent morning, Pri Paw brought small bowls — of rice and fried salmon with bamboo shoots — to the Buddhist altar in her family's living room in Utica, N.Y.  —  Then she rang a bell, sat on the floor and bowed.

Sen. Ben Sasse calls out ‘weirdos’ dividing country in fiery Reagan Foundation speech  —  40th president of the United States and actor  —  48th Vice President of the United States  —  Associate Justice-Designate of the Supreme Court of the United States

Young men, guns and the prefrontal cortex  —  The Uvalde, Tex., shooter is part of a long list of male perpetrators of similar ages.  Some experts think gun laws need to change to address that.  —  When Vanderbilt University psychiatrist Jonathan Metzl learned that the perpetrator of the Uvalde …

White Christian Nationalism ‘Is a Fundamental Threat to Democracy’  —  Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry discuss their new book, The Flag and the Cross.  —  An ideology is on the march.  Traces of it are detectable in a racist massacre in Buffalo; in Tucker Carlson's monologues; in Marjorie Taylor Greene's public comments.

Dad surrenders AR-15 to police after Texas school shooting: ‘I want a safer future’  —  A father forfeited his AR-15 rifle to the police after the Texas school shooting, explaining, “It's the only thing I can do.”  —  Former Marine Ben Beers grew up shooting guns recreationally and learning about gun safety.

Trump weighs a big bet in Alabama Senate race  —  Mo Brooks created a stir among conservative commentators this week after sparring with a Fox News host who told viewers that there was no evidence of widespread election fraud in 2020.  —  “That's wrong,” the congressman said emphatically …

At first meeting since massacre, Uvalde school board takes no action on police chief  —  Chief Pete Arredondo has been faulted for a slow response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.  —  Copy link  —  The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District board took no action Friday evening …

Democrat Max Rose blasts Hunter Biden, says Post got ‘raw deal’ in reporting  —  The Rose has thorns.  —  Democratic congressional candidate Max Rose came out swinging this week — at Hunter Biden — torching the first son for his shady foreign business dealings that Republicans say potentially put US national security at risk.

Gina Haspel Observed Waterboarding at C.I.A. Black Site, Psychologist Testifies  —  The testimony emerged in pretrial hearings in the Cole bombing case at Guantánamo Bay, where the war court is wrestling with the legacy of torture after 9/11.  — Give this article- - - Read in app

Climate change is forcing schools to close early for ‘heat days’  —  With no air conditioning and no money to install it, districts are sending students home  —  Temperatures kept rising in Philadelphia and Baltimore.  Finally, it was just too hot to keep students in classrooms without air conditioning.

Hong Kong steps up security on Tiananmen anniversary, Taiwan decries suppression  —  Hong Kong deployed heavy security near a major park on Saturday as it warned people not to gather to commemorate China's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators in Tiananmen Square 33 years ago, as Taiwan decried efforts to erase the memories.

100 Days of War: Death, Destruction and Loss  —  One hundred days ago, before sunrise, Russia launched artillery strikes on Ukraine before sending troops racing toward major cities, beginning a war against a much smaller country and outnumbered military that seemed destined to quickly topple the government in Kyiv.