Trump weighed bombing drug labs in Mexico after he mistook adviser, new book shows  —  The 607-page ‘Confidence Man,’ from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, details unusual and erratic interactions between Trump and world leaders, members of Congress and his own aides

Biden Appears to Ask If Dead Congresswoman Is in Attendance at White House Event  —  YIKES  —  During the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Wednesday, President Joe Biden seemingly asked if the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) was in attendance.

Security Alert for U.S. Citizens in Russia  —  Event: On September 21, the Russian government began a mobilization of its citizens to the armed forces in support of its invasion of Ukraine.  Russia may refuse to acknowledge dual nationals' U.S. citizenship, deny their access to U.S. consular assistance …

The Right's Lust for Violence  —  Roger Stone, Michael Anton, Kyle Young, and the Oath Keepers.  —  The House January 6th Committee has postponed today's hearing because of the massive Hurricane Ian bearing down on Florida.  But we have an idea what we were going to see.

What Country Is the Wall Street Journal Living In?  —  The paper's editorial board deludes itself with its endorsement of Kari Lake.  —  The headline of a Wall Street Journal editorial caught my eye: “Arizona's School Choice Election.”  Rubbing my eyes, I read it again.

Why NOT Me?  —  June 21, 2022, was the first day of summer, my 8th wedding anniversary, and the day I found out I had breast cancer.  —  “You're due for a mammogram,” my gynecologist said, looking over my medical chart.  It was May; I had just gotten a pap smear and was still sitting …

What Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson Don't Understand About War  —  Russian President Vladimir Putin and his generals aren't the only people who think that the more ruthless, hypermasculine, and reflexively brutal an army is, the better it performs on the battlefield.  That view also has fans in the United States.

Notes on the State of Politics: Sept. 28, 2022  —  Dear Readers: This is the latest edition of Notes on the State of Politics, which features short updates on elections and politics.  — The Editors  —  Table 1: Crystal Ball gubernatorial rating changes  —  Governor Old Rating New Rating

Christine Drazan, Tina Kotek neck-and-neck in race for Oregon governor, new poll from The Oregonian/OregonLive shows  —  Republican Christine Drazan and Democrat Tina Kotek are neck-and-neck in the three-way race for governor six weeks before the November election, according to a new poll commissioned …

Billionaire-backed legal group sues to block student loan forgiveness  —  In August, President Biden announced he would provide student debt relief to lower and middle-class borrowers.  Under the plan, eligible individuals would get up to $20,000 in student debt canceled if they received Pell Grants and up to $10,000 otherwise.

UNDER SEAL, TRUMP ACCUSES HAND-PICKED SPECIAL MASTER OF NOT FOLLOWING ORDERS UNDER SEAL, TRUMP ACCUSES HAND-PICKED SPECIAL MASTER OF NOT FOLLOWING ORDERS  —  Trump appears to be accusing his hand-picked Special Master, Raymond Dearie, of violating Judge Aileen Cannon's rules under seal.

‘The Wire’ Creator David Simon Defends Show Against ‘Conservative Art’ Label  —  David Simon, the creator of the classic HBO drama “The Wire,” bristled Tuesday in defense of the show after it was called “the best piece of conservative art ever made.”  —  Simon, reacting in a lengthy Twitter thread …

Poll: Most U.S. Republicans reject ‘MAGA’ label  —  Overall, 42% of Republicans embraces the “MAGA” label while 58% disavow the term, according to a new poll.  —  A total of 42% of Republicans in the U.S. identify as “MAGA” Republicans, while 58% disavow the term, according to a new national poll by J. Ann Selzer and Grinnell College.

Iranian woman whose death led to mass protests was shy and avoided politics  —  The young Iranian woman Mahsa Amini, whose death in police custody triggered nationwide protests, was a shy, reserved resident of a small town who never challenged the country's clerical rulers or its Islamic dress code, sources close to the family said.

Hurricane Ian gets nasty quickly, turbocharged by warm water  —  Hurricane Ian is quickly gaining monstrous strength as it moves over oceans partly heated up by climate change, just like 30 other Atlantic tropical storms since 2017 that became much more powerful in less than a day.

C.I.A. warned European governments of potential attacks on undersea pipelines.  —  The C.I.A. issued a vague warning in June to a number of European nations, including Germany, that the two Nord Stream gas pipelines that carry natural gas from Russia could be targeted in forthcoming attacks …

As Russians Flee, Some Find Draft Notices Waiting at the Border  —  The Kremlin dispatched federal security forces to frontier border crossings packed with Russian men trying to escape the draft by entering countries like Georgia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia.  —  KYIV, Ukraine …

Top surgery drastically improves quality of life for young transgender people, study finds  —  The quality of life of young transmasculine people dramatically improves after receiving top surgery — a mastectomy procedure that removes breast tissue — according to a study by Northwestern Medicine.

Alzheimer's Progression Slowed by Drug in Major Trial  —  Shares of Eisai Co. and partner Biogen Inc. surged after they reported that a drug significantly slowed Alzheimer's disease, making it the first medicine to blunt progression of the most common dementia in a definitive, large-scale trial.

Tim Ryan Says Americans Need To Give Up Gas Cars as He Drives Around Ohio in Gas Guzzlers  —  Rep. Tim Ryan (D., Ohio) says the United States is ready to ban gas cars, arguing in 2019 that socialist Bernie Sanders's plan to ban gas vehicles wasn't ambitious enough.  On the Senate campaign trail, Ryan is sticking to gas guzzlers.

Gadsden County commissioner appointed by Gov. DeSantis resigns after KKK costume photo emerges  —  Jeffery Moore, a Havana resident and former Department of Revenue employee, abruptly resigned from the post in Florida's only predominantly Black county after the photo began circulating.

It's About (Danged) Time: Lizzo at the Library!  —  It all started with a tweet.  —  Last Friday, Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden saw that the one and only Lizzo was coming to D.C. for a concert.  The pop megastar is a classically trained flautist.  The Library has the world's largest flute collection.

Department of Justice Announces Results of Enforcement Surge to Reduce the Fentanyl Supply Across the United States  —  36 Million Lethal Doses of Fentanyl Removed from Communities between May and September  —  The U.S. Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) …