Career prosecutors recommend no charges for Gaetz in sex-trafficking probe  —  Investigators see credibility challenges for two of the main witnesses in the probe of the congressman's past dealings with a 17-year-old  —  Career prosecutors have recommended against charging Rep. Matt Gaetz …

Exclusive: Trump's secret court fight to stop grand jury from getting information from his inner circle  —  Former President Donald Trump's attorneys are fighting a secret court battle to block a federal grand jury from gathering information from an expanding circle of close Trump aides …

Russia's Ukrainian referenda: Vote yes, or we'll shoot you  —  It's Election Day in parts of Ukraine — but only because Russia imposed it.  Vladimir Putin ordered referenda on annexation held in the parts of the Donbas that Russia still controls — and some areas it no longer does — in order to justify the seizure of those areas.

National security risk review of material Trump kept at Mar-a-Lago resumes after appeals court ruling  —  Intelligence officials have resumed their national security risk review of top-secret documents that were seized at former President Donald Trump's Florida estate, according to a spokesperson …

House GOP eyes repeal of Dems' drug pricing law  —  Some key House Republicans are calling for the repeal of Democrats' newly-passed drug pricing measure if the GOP flips control of one or both chambers of Congress next year. … - Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the top Republican on the House Ways …

Alarm as Koch bankrolls dozens of election denier candidates  —  Election watchdogs say Koch's about face after pledging change following January 6 is disturbing given the threats to democracy  —  Fossil fuel giant Koch Industries has poured over $1m into backing - directly and indirectly …

Nina Totenberg Had a Beautiful Friendship With RBG.  Her Book About It Is an Embarrassment.  —  Did Nina Totenberg know a secret that could have changed history?  —  The question hovers over Dinners With Ruth, Totenberg's new memoir of her four-decade friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg …

Biden promises to codify Roe if two more Democrats are elected to the Senate  — With 46 days to go until November's Election Day, Biden urged supporters at a Democratic National Committee event to consider “what's on the ballot,” listing issues including abortion.

The Polls Still Do Not Show A GOP Bounce Back  —  Ever since we launched our election model in late June, it has moved entirely in one direction: toward Democrats.  Pretty much every week, they've either gained ground in our forecast or held steady.  —  This week has been more in the “held steady” category.

No One but Trump Would Be Prosecuted Like This  —  The civil suit had to be partly political.  Trump made it that way.  —  Donald Trump has long believed that he lives by different legal rules than everyone else.  But this week, the law finally caught up with the former president.

Maine Poll: Mills Leads LePage by 12; Majority of Voters Concerned Over Lobsters on Unsustainable Seafood “Red List”  —  Home Polls Maine Poll: Mills Leads LePage by 12; Majority of Voters Concerned Over Lobsters on Unsustainable Seafood “Red List”  —  The latest Emerson College Polling survey …

Breyer warns justices that some opinions could ‘bite you in the back’ in exclusive interview with CNN's Chris Wallace  —  Retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is warning his colleagues against “writing too rigidly” in their opinions, saying that such decisions could “bite you in the back” in a world that is constantly changing.

U.S. Treasury Issues Iran General License D-2 to Increase Support for Internet Freedom  —  WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued Iran General License (GL) D-2 to increase support for internet freedom in Iran by bringing U.S. sanctions guidance in line with the changes …

Jury Rules Against Project Veritas in Lawsuit  —  The conservative group was found to have violated wiretapping laws and fraudulently misrepresented itself to a Democratic consulting firm, to which it was ordered to pay $120,000.  —  WASHINGTON — A jury in a federal civil case on Thursday found …

Hilary Mantel, Prize-Winning Author of Historical Fiction, Dies at 70  —  The two-time Booker Prize-winning author was known for “Wolf Hall” and two other novels based on the life of Thomas Cromwell.  —  Hilary Mantel, the British author of “Wolf Hall,” “Bring Up the Bodies” and …

Zeldin Has a Path to Becoming Governor.  It Runs Through Brooklyn.  —  A curious thing happened last weekend when Representative Lee Zeldin brought his Republican campaign for governor of New York into Hasidic Brooklyn.  —  Mr. Zeldin, a pronounced underdog, was greeted like a rock star.

How tight is the Mike Lee-Evan McMullin race for Senate?  New Utah poll has answers  —  Engaged in a fierce battle in the U.S. Senate race in Utah, a new poll shows Republican Sen. Mike Lee and independent challenger Evan McMullin neck and neck with a little over six weeks to Election Day.

Biden officials weigh ousting Trump-picked World Bank head over climate comments  —  Biden administration officials are considering ousting Trump-appointed World Bank chief David Malpass after his remarks on climate change sparked uproar earlier this week.  —  Malpass dodged repeated questions …

GOP Unveils ‘Commitment To America’ Plan With Stock Videos Of Russia, Ukraine  —  “We celebrate the rich heritage of the American story,” a narrator says, over footage of a drilling rig in Russia's Volgograd region.  —  House Republican leaders on Friday unveiled their “Commitment to America” …

Central Banks Accept Pain Now, Fearing Worse Later  —  Federal Reserve officials and their counterparts around the world are trying to defeat inflation by rapidly raising interest rates.  They know it will come at a cost.  —  A day after the Federal Reserve lifted interest rates sharply …