What's the Key to Understanding Donald J. Trump?  Start With Queens.  —  “Confidence Man,” Maggie Haberman's biography of the former president, argues that it's essential to grasp New York's steamy, histrionic folkways.  —  Buy Book ▾ … When you purchase an independently reviewed book through …

‘Giant Backfire’: Trump's Demand for Special Master Is Looking Like a Mistake  —  The former president failed to derail the criminal investigation into his hoarding of sensitive documents and is stuck paying for a costly process that threatens to undermine his public claims.

‘Putin Is a Fool’: Intercepted Calls Reveal Russian Army in Disarray  —  In phone calls to friends and relatives at home, Russian soldiers gave damning insider accounts of battlefield failures and civilian executions, excoriating their leaders just weeks into the campaign to take Kyiv.

As campaign struggles, Doug Mastriano plans ‘40 days of fasting and prayer’  —  It was billed as a blockbuster, but ended up a flop.  If Doug Mastriano's “big rally” last weekend were a movie, its Rotten Tomatoes score would be in the single digits.Only a few dozen supporters joined …

Records contradict Majewski's account of military punishment  —  Republican J.R. Majewski has centered his campaign for a competitive Ohio congressional seat around his biography as an Air Force veteran.  But one of the big questions that has surfaced is why Majewski was told he could not reenlist …

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.

Tucker Carlson's shoddy case linking U.S. to alleged Nord Stream sabotage  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson's long-running quest to blame the Biden administration for the war in Ukraine hasn't borne much fruit, despite his prominent perch on the most-watched cable news channel.  —  But it's not for lack of trying.

After sharp right turn, U.S. Supreme Court conservatives step on the gas  —  The U.S. Supreme Court last March rebuffed an emergency request by North Carolina Republicans to allow the use in November's congressional elections of an electoral map they drew that a lower court invalidated for unlawfully disadvantaging Democrats.

Brexit ideology lies behind the UK's market rout  —  Kwarteng's statement last week was just one manifestation of the elevation of absolutism over economics  —  It is the Bank of England's failure to raise rates further.  No, wait, it's really all about Fed tightening and dollar strength.

Romance novel model pleads guilty to dragging officer down Capitol steps on Jan. 6  —  WASHINGTON — When former President Donald Trump called on supporters who believed his lies about the 2020 election to go to Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, a Michigan bodybuilder-turned-construction worker responded with enthusiasm.

Sanders, Raskin Want Congress to Get Serious About Averting a Coup in Brazil  —  Brazil's “Tropical Trump” says “only God will remove me” if he loses Sunday.  —  Polls from Brazil show that President Jair Bolsonaro, the Donald Trump-like authoritarian who has run the country disastrously since …

Record methane leak flows from damaged Baltic Sea pipelines  —  Methane leaking from the damaged Nord Stream pipelines is likely to be the biggest burst of the potent greenhouse gas on record, by far.  The Nord Stream pipeline leaks that were pumping huge volumes of methane into the Baltic Sea …

Why NOT Me?  —  “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 on the exam table in my pink cotton (open in the front) gown.  —  “That's crazy, I just got one!”  I told her, with a hint of indignation.

Oath Keepers trial: A 1800s-inspired defense meets most significant Jan. 6 prosecution yet  —  In a case that could be a referendum on the insurrection, “prosecutors are really going for the three-pointer” against an untested, controversial defense.  —  Stewart Rhodes and others from the Oath Keepers …

Biden administration to grant Puerto Rico shipping waiver after uproar  —  White House officials faced a backlash from the island's governor and members of Congress after a shipment of diesel was idled off the coast  —  The Biden administration is expected to approve a legal waiver as soon …

Bill Plante, legendary CBS News White House correspondent, has died at 84  —  William “Bill” Plante, one of the longest-serving White House broadcast journalists in history, died of respiratory failure on Wednesday, according to his family.  The award-winning CBS correspondent was 84 years old and lived in Washington, D.C.

Corey Lewandowski cuts deal on charge stemming from alleged unwanted sexual advances  —  Former senior Donald Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski has cut a deal with Las Vegas prosecutors after he was charged with misdemeanor battery, stemming from allegations of unwanted sexual advances toward a woman during a charity dinner in Sept. 2021.

Bank of England launches £65bn move to calm markets  —  Central bank to spend £5bn a day for 13 days as it warns of ‘material risk to UK financial stability’  —  The Bank of England took emergency action on Wednesday to avoid a meltdown in the UK pensions sector …

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.

Texas Governor's Race: Abbott Leads O'Rourke 53% - 46%, Quinnipiac University Texas Poll Finds; Texas-Mexico Border Ranks As #1 Issue Among Likely Voters  — mail_outline  —  Six weeks before Election Day, Republican incumbent Greg Abbott has a 7-point lead over Democratic challenger …

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.

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 …

What Is the Permanent Problem?  —  Since 2016, I've done a great deal of reading, writing, thinking, talking, and brooding about the crisis of liberal democracy we're now living through — how it originated, what powers it, and how possibly to defuse it or at least muddle through it.

CEO Says He's Been “Praying for Inflation” Because It's an Excuse to Jack Up Prices … The CEO of Iron Mountain Inc. told Wall Street analysts at a September 20 investor event that the high levels of inflation of the past several years had helped the company increase its margins …

‘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 …

‘Very concerned’ former Gov. Andrew Cuomo announces PAC, podcast  —  ALBANY, N.Y. — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who resigned more than a year ago after allegations of sexual harassment, said in a video Wednesday that he will start a political action committee “to elect the right people to politics …