Painting Michelle Obama Took 9 Months.  Keeping It Secret Took 6 Years.  —  Sharon Sprung, an instructor at the Art Students League of New York, is a realist painter of the old school.  —  When Sharon Sprung was chosen to paint Michelle Obama's official portrait for the White House …

Elected officials, police chiefs on leaked Oath Keepers list  —  The names of hundreds of U.S. law enforcement officers, elected officials and military members appear on the leaked membership rolls of a far-right extremist group that's accused of playing a key role in the Jan. 6, 2021 …

Police search county official's home in connection with reporter's killing  —  Authorities served search warrants Wednesday morning in connection with the slaying of Las Vegas Review-Journal investigative reporter Jeff German, Las Vegas police said.  —  Around 7 a.m., reporters observed uniformed officers …

Anne Garrels, Fearless NPR Correspondent, Dies at 71  —  She reported on conflicts around the world and for a time was the only American broadcast journalist reporting from Baghdad during the U.S. “shock and awe” bombing campaign in 2003.  —  Anne Garrels, an international correspondent …

Fetterman to POLITICO: I will debate Oz  —  PHILADELPHIA — John Fetterman said he is committing to attending one debate with his Republican opponent, Mehmet Oz, in the closely watched battle for the Senate in Pennsylvania, but his campaign is still discussing accommodations for his auditory processing problems.

F.B.I. Sought Interview With Trump Aide  —  Agents investigating the events leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol tried to question William Russell, who served as a special assistant to the former president.  —  The F.B.I. sought to interview a personal aide to former President Donald J. Trump …

AOC's Fight for the Future  —  Almost four years after her improbable arrival in Washington, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has become the political voice of a generation—and a cultural star whose power transcends politics.  Now, as the country hurtles toward the midterm elections …

Schumer announces same-sex marriage vote  —  Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote on legislation to protect same-sex marriage in the coming weeks, forcing Republicans to take a stance ahead of the midterm elections.  —  “A vote on marriage equality will happen on the Senate floor in the coming weeks …

Pregnant women held for months in one Alabama jail to protect fetuses from drugs  —  Police arrested Ashley Banks on May 25 with an unregistered gun and a small amount of marijuana.  —  Under normal circumstances, the 23-year-old from Gadsden would have been able to post bond and leave jail until her criminal trial.

Trump Told White House Team He Needed to Protect ‘Russiagate’ Documents  —  The former president, who left the White House with a trove of sensitive material, believes there are documents that would expose a Deep State plot against him — and told confidants he needed to protect them from the next administration

'Don't Vote': A Look At Blake Masters' Emails To His Vegan Co-op At Stanford University  —  A trove of emails from 2006 found Masters - who's now a Republican Senate candidate - disparaging democracy and defending a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.  —  As a college student, Blake Masters ― …

Michigan GOP leaders encourage rule breaking at poll worker training session  —  The evening before Michigan's state primary, Wayne County GOP leaders held a Zoom training session for poll workers and partisan observers - warning them about “bad stuff happening” during the election and encouraging …

We Need to Know Trump's Motive For Taking Classified Documents  —  It's well past time for the Justice Department to stop coddling the rogue ex-president, and get to the bottom of his assault on U.S. national security. … The more we learn about former president Donald Trump's apparent theft …

Texas judge rules ACA coverage of HIV prevention drugs violates religious freedom  —  A federal judge in Texas has ruled that a provision of Obamacare requiring most health insurance plans to cover HIV prevention drugs for free violates employers' religious freedom.

A personal note about my Substack...  (I'm rebranding it.)  —  So, I'm doing a rebranding.  —  When I left Mother Jones last year, I was heartbroken.  I was totally screwed up in the head.  All of my friends worked there and I had been untouchable for so long because of my successes …

Georgia's biggest county can't find a top elections official  —  Amid relentless scrutiny, disinformation campaigns, harassment and a state review, Georgia's most populous county has had trouble hiring a director of elections  —  ATLANTA — It is in many ways an ideal job for a public servant …

Democrats Fret as Stacey Abrams Struggles in Georgia Governor's Race  —  She has been trailing her Republican rival, Gov. Brian Kemp, alarming Democrats who have celebrated her as the master strategist behind the state's Democratic shift.  —  NEWNAN, Ga. — Georgia Democrats …

Prospects for running a military campaign in 2023: Ukraine's perspective  —  How long the war could last and how can Ukraine win it  —  As understood by the absolute majority of military experts and analysts today, the large-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine on February 24 …

Jen Psaki Hopes to Bring Passion for ‘Debunking’ and ‘Calling Out BS’ to MSNBC Show: ‘My Business Is Not Rage’ … Former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday that she hopes to bring her passion for “debunking” and “calling out BS” to her upcoming MSNBC show.

It's impossible to trust polls — or ignore them.  Here's how to stay sane.  —  It feels impossible to trust polls — and equally impossible to ignore them.  —  The polling industry faces well-known problems: Only 6 to 7 percent of people will pick up a phone call from a pollster …

Gavin Newsom encounters an unexpected antagonist: Joe Biden  —  California's governor seethes after Biden jumps into debate on contentious farmworker bill.  —  LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom has spent the past year taking on top Republicans.  Now, he finds himself at odds …

Michael Flynn: From government insider to holy warrior  —  The crowd swayed on its feet, arms pumping, the beat of Twisted Sister's “We're Not Gonna Take It” thumping in their chests.  The people under the revival tent hooted as Michael Flynn strode across the stage, bopping and laughing …

Europe Says Putin's Gas Power Is Weakening  —  In Germany and elsewhere, leaders are growing more confident that months of work to stockpile and line up alternate energy sources may help them blunt Russia's weaponization of exports.  —  BERLIN — Not long after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, another mobilization began.

Notes on the State of Politics: Sept. 7, 2022  —  House rating changes; MA-GOV to Safe Democratic; next week's primaries  —  Table 1: Crystal Ball House rating changes  —  District Old Rating New Rating … Table 2: Crystal Ball Gubernatorial rating change  —  Governor Old Rating New Rating