The Russian Clocks Are All Ticking  —  Putin is running out of time.  —  Vladimir Putin's massive conscription of Russian men is yet another calamity of his own making.  —  But first, here are three new stories from The Atlantic.  —  A Darker Motive?  —  Russia continues to lose in Ukraine.

The Contradictions of Giorgia Meloni  —  Ennio Flaiano, the great Italian screenwriter, used to boast of the generosity of his compatriots, who were “always willing to rush to the aid of a winner.”  Once Giorgia Meloni took the lead in the Italian polls in July, she was unlikely to have it wrested from her.

Oath Keeper charged in Jan. 6 attack texted with Andrew Giuliani about election  —  A high-ranking member of the far-right Oath Keepers organization who has been charged in connection with the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot exchanged messages in November 2020 with former Trump White House aide Andrew Giuliani about election issues.

NASA's DART spacecraft successfully slams into asteroid in historic test of planetary defense  —  It was a cosmic smash-up watched around the world.  —  A NASA spacecraft on Monday intentionally slammed into an asteroid in a historic test of humanity's ability to protect Earth …

Retired wrestler says GOP Gov. Phil Bryant cut welfare funding to nonprofit because of Democratic support  —  A former professional wrestler and defendant in the Mississippi welfare scandal is alleging that he personally witnessed Republican Gov. Phil Bryant instruct an appointee …

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton fled his home to avoid being served with subpoena, court record says  —  In an affidavit, a process server said that the state's top attorney tried evade him as he attempted to deliver a subpoena from an abortion fund's lawsuit against the state.  —  Copy link

Mastriano's Sputtering Campaign: No TV Ads, Tiny Crowds, Little Money  —  As he runs for governor of Pennsylvania, Doug Mastriano is being heavily outspent by his Democratic rival and trails badly in polling.  National Republicans show little desire to help him.

Hell Is a World in Which Everybody Writes Like Axios  —  In 1936, The New Yorker's Wolcott Gibbs published a celebrated profile of Henry Luce, co-founder with Briton Hadden of Time magazine.  The piece was written entirely in parodic Time-ese.  In those days Time's house style favored Homeric epithets …

Meadows texts reveal direct White House communications with pro-Trump operative behind plans to seize voting machines  —  As allies of then-President Donald Trump made a final push to overturn the election in late-December 2020, one of the key operatives behind the effort briefed …

'Let's get right to the violence': New documentary film footage shows Roger Stone pre-Election Day  —  An exclusive interview with the filmmakers will air at 10 p.m. ET on Monday on “Don Lemon Tonight.”  —  Washington CNN —  The day before the 2020 election, Roger Stone …

Pro-Life Advocate Mark Houck Offered to Talk to FBI 3 Months Ago, It Raided His Family Anyway  —  More evidence is coming to light showing that Joe Biden's Justice Department clearly targeted a pro-life man his family with a shocking home raid as a matter of persecution.

Women Take Center Stage in Antigovernment Protests Shaking Iran  —  Women have been casting off their legally required head scarves, forming the primary image of the protests.  But grievances against a repressive regime go far beyond the hijab.  —  For Yasi, the news felt too close to ignore …

Top State Judges Make a Rare Plea in a Momentous Supreme Court Election Case  —  In a surprising filing, state chief justices opposed an argument pressed by Republicans — that state legislatures may set federal election rules unconstrained by state constitutions.

Pennsylvania school district accused of banning Girls Who Code book series  —  Pen America says Central York school district banned the books but officials strongly deny it in statement  —  A school district in Pennsylvania has banned the Girls Who Code book series for young readers …

Trump-linked SPAC changes address to UPS Store as investors pull over $130 million  — DWAC, the blank-check company set to take Trump Media and Technology Group public, changed its address to a Miami UPS Store in a filing Friday.  — As of Friday, DWAC had lost $138.5 million of its $1 billion in private financing.

Costs of Suspending Student Loan Payments and Canceling Debt  —  This letter responds to some questions about the effects of President Biden's August 24, 2022, announcement on executive actions affecting student loans.  — The cost of outstanding student loans will increase by $20 billion …

Biden faces pressure to waive restriction as ship idles off Puerto Rico coast  —  The president faces a challenge as he simultaneously tries to make good on two pledges: To be the most pro-labor president in history and to provide Puerto Rico with whatever it needs to recover from a devastating hurricane.

Total Bomb!  Chris Wallace's CNN Show Premiere Tanks, Pulls Only 44k Viewers In Key Demo  —  Chris Wallace's much-hyped return to television with the debut of Who's Talking to Chris Wallace scored a paltry 44,000 viewers in the all-important ratings category, RadarOnline.com has learned.