UGA poll: Warnock-Walker close; Kemp builds lead over Abrams  —  U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker remain in a neck-and-neck race for the state's wildly competitive Senate seat, according to a University of Georgia poll released Wednesday, while GOP Gov. Brian Kemp …

New evidence to show Trump was warned of violence on Jan. 6  —  The Jan. 6 select committee's hearing this week is expected to corroborate parts of the more-startling accounts of that day  —  The probably final public hearing of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021 …

Oath Keeper testifies about massive gun pile stashed in hotel on the eve of Jan. 6  —  WASHINGTON — A member of the Oath Keepers who brought an AR-15 to a Virginia hotel on the eve of Jan. 6 described entering a room filled with a large stash of weapons in a seditious conspiracy trial on Wednesday.

“There's no secular argument against adult incest”  —  QAnon and white nationalist-linked media provide friendly platform for Arizona GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake  —  Spotify's Joe Rogan has repeatedly spread the baseless conspiracy theory that January 6 was a false flag orchestrated by the FBI

We Are On a Path to Nuclear War  —  In war, nothing is inevitable and not much is predictable.  But the war in Ukraine has a direction that observers can see and that we should name.  What began as a criminal Russian aggression against Ukraine has become a proxy war between Washington and Moscow.

How Far Would a Republican Majority Go?  —  In 2011, the new House Republican majority, egged on by Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy and led by radical Tea Party rightists such as Jason Chaffetz, brought the U.S. to the brink of a default.  The disaster was headed off by a last-minute compromise …

Tim Ryan's Alpha Maneuver  —  If Trump insists on being the ultimate alpha male, what does that make all of his supporters?  —  At least one Democrat has started to figure out how to exploit a GOP weakness.  He's Tim Ryan, who is running against J.D. Vance for Ohio's open U.S. Senate seat.

Alex Jones ordered to pay nearly $1 billion to Sandy Hook families  —  A Connecticut jury ordered Infowars founder Alex Jones to pay $965 million in damages to the families of eight victims of the Sandy Hook shooting for the suffering caused by years of lies that the massacre was a hoax.

How to Make a Semi-Fascist Party  —  The hostile, paranoid, and increasingly authoritarian path ahead for American conservatism.  —  In mid-September, I attended the National Conservatism Conference in Miami, where Republican politicians, right-wing thought leaders, and various party apparatchiks …

Historically, Toss Up Races Break Decidedly Toward One Party  —  In the Cook Political Report vernacular, the classification of “Toss Up” is used to refer to races that are the most competitive of the cycle, and which either party stands a reasonable chance of winning.

Fourteen members of Laxalt family endorse Democratic rival, Cortez Masto, in Senate race  —  Fourteen members of Republican Senate candidate and former Attorney General Adam Laxalt's family announced Wednesday that they would collectively endorse his Democratic opponent …

Some of Katie Hobbs' supporters are concerned MAGA firebrand Kari Lake is outshining her low-key campaign  —  Katie Hobbs: Debating Kari Lake 'doesn't do any service to the voters'  —  PHOENIX — In the homestretch of Arizona's high-stakes contest for governor, Democratic Secretary …

Ben Sasse is an affirmative action hire if there ever was one  —  Conservatives have long bemoaned the politicization of higher education, accusing faculty and administrators of catering to “wokeness” and engaging in cancel culture personnel policies.  Now, we will see how deep their concern …

Full Fetterman interview: 'I believe I'm going to be able to serve effectively' after stroke  —  In an exclusive broadcast interview with NBC News taped Friday at his home, John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee in a crucial Pennsylvania Senate race, tells NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns …

Election deceiver, science fabulist, billionaire benefactor.  After 12 years, it's time to term-limit Sen. Ron Johnson  —  USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin Editorial Board  —  He's an election falsifier who recklessly promoted lies about the 2020 presidential race long after it was clear Donald Trump lost.

How Bad Can a Lawyer Be?  —  This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic, Monday through Friday.  Sign up for it here.  —  On Tuesday, September 20, 2011, a young patient walked haltingly …

Treasury Department to probe DeSantis' use of COVID relief money to fund migrant lights  —  “We plan to get this work underway as quickly as possible,” Treasury said.  —  Ron DeSantis speaks during the 2022 Victory Dinner in Hollywood, Fla., July 23, 2022.  —  Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images, FILE

KFOR EXCLUSIVE: Stitt's secret plan to build a new Governor's mansion  —  OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — The State of Oklahoma has a website devoted to the Oklahoma Governor's mansion.  As of this month, paragraph 12 of the website states: “Governor Stitt and his family live in the five rooms on the second floor.”

The Supreme Court won't let a racist jury stop a death sentence  —  “I think we should stay with our Blood Line,” a juror who later sentenced Andre Thomas to death told lawyers before trial.  The conservatives let the Texas death sentence stand.  And: More from SCOTUS.

“A Concierge at a Rock Star Hotel”  —  Plus: A Wisconsin poll tests the appeal of centrism  —  ICYMI: David Frum and I covered a lot of ground in Tuesday's podcast — from nuclear “Armageddon” and Right-wing pro-Putinism to Kevin McCarthy.  —  The whole thing is worth your time …

Mandatory reporting was supposed to stop severe child abuse.  It punishes poor families instead.  —  After the Penn State scandal, Pennsylvania required more professionals to report suspected child abuse.  A flood of unfounded allegations followed, ensnaring thousands of low-income parents.

Mayorkas alerted that no Haitian migrants were ‘whipped’ hours before WH press conference  —  Mayorkas would go on to describe the incident as ‘horrifying’  —  Flashback montage: Media pushed false narrative about Border Patrol whipping migrants  —  EXCLUSIVE: Homeland Security Secretary …

Scoop: Peter Thiel offers to double down on Arizona Senate race  —  Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel has told the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund he is willing to make a multimillion-dollar investment in the Arizona race on the condition the super PAC finds matching funds, Axios has learned.

How Close Is Vladimir Putin to Using a Nuclear Bomb?  —  A Russian attack would terrorize the Ukrainian population and shatter a seven-decade-old international taboo, all while bringing few benefits on the battlefield.  —  In what the Russian government called retaliation for a Ukrainian attack …

Ex-Bill Clinton Strategist Paul Begala Decries ‘Pain-In-The-Ass White Liberals’  —  The CNN commentator called out those in his party who he thinks could stand in the way of Joe Biden's reelection.  —  Democratic strategist Paul Begala took aim at “pain-in-the-ass white liberals on Twitter” …

Pro-Trump Georgia Officials Plotted to Swipe Voting Data.  We Caught Them  —  Emails obtained by Rolling Stone reveal how a group of county officials in Georgia tasked with protecting the election instead discussed a plan to pull sensitive data — and have taxpayers pay for it

Russia's ‘irrecoverable losses’ in Ukraine: more than 90,000 troops dead, disabled, or AWOL  —  More than 90,000 troops make up Russia's “irrecoverable” military losses in Ukraine, as reported by the Russian media project iStories (or Vazhnye Istorii).  One of the two sources of this information works …

How Dr. Oz Boosted an Osteopath Who Became a Top Spreader of Covid Misinformation  —  The FDA has warned Joseph Mercola over his medical claims.  The GOP Senate candidate promoted him.  —  Washington, DC, Bureau Chief  —  Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.