27-year-old migrant recruited to fill flight to Martha's Vineyard says he wanted to help  — Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)  —  A 27-year-old Venezuelan migrant told the San Antonio Report Thursday he was paid $200 in cash to recruit people from outside San Antonio's …

Ohio Senate race: Tim Ryan blasts Lindsey Graham abortion ban as J.D. Vance stays quiet  —  U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan railed against a federal abortion ban introduced in the U.S. Senate this week, accusing “extremists” of trying to take advantage of the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial nominee was registered to vote in N.J. until 2021  —  Mastriano, Oz both come from New Jersey  —  New Jersey is serving as an incubator for Republican candidates in Pennsylvania, with two statewide candidates being New Jersey natives and longtime residents.

Democrats Buoyed by Abortion and Trump, Times/Siena Poll Finds  —  President Biden's approval rating has climbed to 42 percent, and the number of Americans who believe the country is on the right track has doubled but remains low.  —  Even as they struggle to persuade voters that they should be trusted …

Oregon Governor Moves To Toss Up  —  With less than two months until Election Day, the 2022 gubernatorial map has seen some surprising shifts since the outset of the cycle.  Republicans had initially started targeting the Rust Belt, hoping to flip control in perpetual swing states like Michigan and Pennsylvania.

Will The Polls Overestimate Democrats Again?  —  As Democrats' prospects for the midterms have improved — they're now up to a 71 percent chance of keeping the Senate and a 29 percent chance of retaining the House, according to the 2022 FiveThirtyEight midterm election forecast 2 …

Judge appoints special master, rejects DOJ bid to delay Mar-a-Lago ruling  —  U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday rejected a Justice Department demand to let federal prosecutors continue their review of records marked classified that were recovered from former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.

Video appears to show Marjorie Taylor Greene kicking a Gen Z activist  —  Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appeared to kick an unarmed demonstrator during a confrontation outside the Capitol on Thursday afternoon.  —  Videos posted to Twitter by Greene and the Gen Z activist group Voters …

Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories  —  After winking at QAnon for years, Donald Trump is overtly embracing the baseless conspiracy theory, even as the number of frightening real-world events linked to it grows.  —  On Tuesday, using his Truth Social platform …

Why Is There Still No Strategy to Defeat Donald Trump?  —  One of the stunning facts of the age is the continued prominence of Donald Trump.  His candidates did well in the G.O.P. primaries this year.  He won more votes in 2020 than he did in 2016.  His favorability ratings within his party …

Biden aides are quietly assembling a 2024 campaign as they await a final decision on his political future  —  WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's top aides have been quietly building a 2024 campaign effort, with increasing discussions about who might manage the operation, potential themes and structure …

The letters left behind by demoralized Russian soldiers as they fled  —  IZYUM, Ukraine — About 10 days before Ukrainian forces retook the city of Izyum last weekend, Russian troops stationed here were so demoralized that they drafted letters begging their superiors to dismiss them from their roles.

POLITICO Playbook PM: GOP govs' migrant stunts return to center stage  —  Just a day after Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS flew dozens of migrants to Martha's Vineyard, Texas Gov. GREG ABBOTT this morning had two busloads show up outside VP KAMALA HARRIS' Naval Observatory residence, per Fox News' Timothy Nerozzi and Tyler Olson.

Biden's Income-Driven Repayment plan would turn student loans into untargeted grants  —  For media inquiries, contact:  —  Brieanna Nicker esmedia@brookings.edu 202.540.7721  —  Nonresident Senior Fellow - Economic Studies Executive Director, Marriner S. Eccles Institute, University of Utah

Biden takes a big swing on the world stage before turning to the midterms  —  The midterms may be closely approaching.  But Joe Biden's focus, for the next week at least, will be firmly on matters overseas.  —  The president returns to the international stage over the next few days …

Josh Shapiro Puts His Faith at the Center of Campaign Against Mastriano  —  Devoutly Jewish, he wants to persuade voters that his opponent's Christian nationalism doesn't represent the values of the state.  —  Josh Shapiro, Democratic candidate for governor of Pennsylvania …

Patagonia Billionaire Who Gave Up Company Skirts $700 Million Tax Hit  —  Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard described his decision to give away the outdoor apparel-maker as his last-ditch effort to do all he could to protect the planet.  —  The deal is structured in ways that also bring …

Montana defies order on transgender birth certificates  —  Just hours after a Montana judge blocked health officials from enforcing a state rule that would prevent transgender people from changing the gender on their birth certificate, the Republican-run state on Thursday said it would defy the order.

Meet the Vulnerable Congressman Who Helped Spark an Immigration Crisis in Maine  —  A vulnerable Maine Democrat spearheaded an effort to make migrants eligible for his state's welfare program, a policy that may hurt him at the ballot box in November given that it has resulted in a costly overflow …