Putin's Annexation and Lyman's Encirclement  —  Even by his own standards Vladimir Putin's speech on 30 September in the Kremlin's St George's Hall was unhinged.  For those who can face reading it, it can be found here.  As he ranted about the west, denouncing it in lurid terms for a range of evils …

Facing a Dire Storm Forecast in Florida, Officials Delayed Evacuation  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — As Hurricane Ian charged toward the western coast of Florida this week, the warnings from forecasters were growing more urgent.  Life-threatening storm surge threatened to deluge the region from Tampa all the way to Fort Myers.

Feds seek to fast-track appeal in Trump Mar-a-Lago documents fight  —  The Justice Department moved to quickly dismantle the independent review of documents seized from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, contending that the review — ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon — is impeding its criminal investigation.

Wes Moore leads Dan Cox in Md. Gov. race by 2-to-1 margin, Post-UMD poll finds  —  Moore shored up support among Democrats and about a fifth of Republicans in a lopsided contest.  Political scientist: 'It's hard to see how Cox can win.'  —  Maryland Democrat and political newcomer Wes Moore holds …

Jared Kushner Allegedly Tried to ‘Inflate’ 2020 Poll Numbers to Avoid Trump's Tantrums, Book Says  —  The president would go “off the rails” at any suggestion that he was losing to Joe Biden, so Kushner advised pollsters to beef up Trump's standing in surveys

Transition from hell  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  While DONALD TRUMP was attempting to prevent then President-elect JOE BIDEN from ascending to office in the months after the election …

A Jan. 6 Judge Was Targeted in a SWAT Hoax.  He Likely Won't Be the Last  —  Shortly before midnight on July 21, police arrived at the home of a federal judge set to preside the next day over a plea hearing in Washington in a high-profile Jan. 6 prosecution.

The Search for Accountability: A Guide to Lawfare's Jan. 6 Project  —  The story of Jan. 6's aftermath—and all of Lawfare's coverage of it—in one place.  —  The slate of hearings convened by the Jan. 6 committee was the television event of summer 2022: a dramatic series that vividly reminded viewers …

A statue of legendary spy Harriet Tubman now stands at the CIA  —  “A woke military is a weak military,” former CIA director Mike Pompeo tweeted Tuesday.  —  A few weeks earlier at CIA headquarters, in Langley, Va., current CIA director William J. Burns had a different perspective …

Nancy Pelosi Argues Red States Should Let Illegal Immigrants Stay to ‘Pick the Crops’ … Speaker of the United States House of Representatives  —  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Friday that Republican governors should welcome the influx of migrants coming across the southern border because they can …

Ticket-splitting voters were going extinct.  Now they may decide 2022's biggest races.  —  Ticket-splitters are back, and they're playing a starring role in the chaotic 2022 campaign.  —  In battleground states from Georgia to New Hampshire to Ohio, a potentially decisive slice …

China has opened police stations in US and Canada to monitor Chinese citizens: Report  —  China has opened dozens of “overseas police service stations” around the globe to monitor its citizens living abroad, including one location in New York City and three in Toronto.

Cuba Makes Rare Request for U.S. Aid After Devastation From Hurricane Ian  —  Washington is assessing how much assistance Havana needs, according to communications  —  WASHINGTON—The Biden administration has received a rare request from Cuba's government to provide emergency assistance following …

Darkened skin in anti-Abrams ad racially charged, ‘pernicious,’ political analyst says  —  Kemp and Abrams alter colors in negative ads - an expert explains the impacts of this.  —  ATLANTA — Viewers of negative political ads in Georgia may notice something: The bad guys in the ads always seem …

Judge upholds Georgia election laws on all counts in voting rights case  —  Ruling ends lawsuit filed by Fair Fight Action after 2018 election  —  A federal judge delivered a decisive ruling Friday against allies of Democrat Stacey Abrams in their 4-year-old voting rights lawsuit …