Putin's partial military mobilization condemned by U.S., Europe … Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a “partial mobilization” of troops was condemned by United States and European officials as a dangerous escalation as the invasion in Ukraine falters.

‘Unchecked’ book excerpt: Inside McConnell's decision not to convict Trump  —  “Let's just ignore him,” the GOP Senate leader said at one point, underscoring his hands-off approach on whether to stand up to pro-Trump lawmakers after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol

The Performative Sadism of Ron DeSantis  —  The Florida governor and MAGA heir is betting his political future on hurting vulnerable people to own the libs. … The GOP—under Donald Trump and perhaps soon under his would-be successor, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis—is rapidly becoming …

Trump Endorsed QAnon Because He's Stuck  —  For a man who believes in nothing, has no coherent ideology or value system except his own continuing relevance, obsesses over conspiracies, and subsists on grievance and anger, Donald Trump took a long time to fully embrace QAnon.

House Rating Changes: Schweikert Moves to Toss Up, Cuellar to Lean Democrat  —  As both parties begin to blitz the competitive battleground with ads, Republicans continue to be the party playing more offense, linking Democratic incumbents to “wasteful spending” and more IRS funding in the just-passed reconciliation bill.

Trump's legal payments soar in wake of Mar-a-Lago search, campaign finance filings show  —  Spending by Donald Trump's Save America PAC surged in August to more than $6.3 million — its highest monthly total of the year — as the former President waged court battles over the FBI's search of his waterfront Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.

Meta: We're not-so-big tech now  —  As Meta shapes its antitrust defense, it has begun pointing out its plummeting stock price as a sign that competition is alive and well in its market. … It has lost ground to its surging rival TikTok, and its revenue has been curtailed by Apple's iOS privacy changes.

Trump vs. DeSantis in 2024?  USA TODAY/Suffolk poll shows Florida Republicans prefer their governor  —  In a hypothetical 2024 presidential primary in the Sunshine State, DeSantis leads Trump 48%-40%.  That's a reversal from a poll of Florida in January, when Trump led DeSantis 47%-40%.

Man admits to killing teen after political dispute in Foster Co., court docs allege  —  MCHENRY, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A community is mourning the loss of an 18-year-old man from Grace City, North Dakota, as investigators look into what led up to a deadly crash.

House set to consider proposal for legislation to prevent another January 6  —  The House on Wednesday is set to consider legislation introduced by GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California to make it harder to overturn a certified presidential election …

Most Republicans Support Declaring the United States a Christian Nation  —  Christian nationalism, a belief that the United States was founded as a white, Christian nation and that there is no separation between church and state, is gaining steam on the right.

Personal and national factors collide in tight Georgia Senate race — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll  —  It's the personal vs. the partisan in Georgia's Senate race, where the candidates are close in support, but voters' rationales for supporting each of them are quite different.

GOP attorneys general back Trump in court fight over Mar-a-Lago documents  —  Texas's Ken Paxton and 10 other GOP state attorneys general came to the defense of former president Donald Trump on Tuesday in his legal fight over documents the FBI seized last month, filing an amicus brief …

Revealed: the ‘shocking’ levels of toxic lead in Chicago tap water  —  Tests performed for thousands of Chicago residents found lead, a neurotoxin, in amounts far exceeding the federal standards  —  Erin McCormick, Aliya Uteuova and Taylor Moore with photographs by Jamie Kelter Davis

The U.N. is getting Ukraine surprisingly right  —  As President Biden and other world leaders gather in New York this week to address the U.N. General Assembly, there's an unusual twist: The United Nations, so often derided as a useless forum for debate rather than action …

Remember the baby formula shortage?  It's not over.  —  Remember the baby formula crisis?  —  Public attention has largely moved on, but the U.S. supply shortage isn't over — and the scarcity continues to distress parents and doctors struggling to feed vulnerable infants.

Scoop: McConnell-aligned super PAC pulls out of Arizona  —  The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund is canceling $9.6 million in television ads for the Arizona Senate race, confident that other outside conservative groups will make up much of the difference for Republican nominee Blake Masters.