Exclusive: Republican JD Vance has slight lead on Democrat Tim Ryan in Senate race in Ohio  —  Republican J.D. Vance has opened a narrow edge over Democrat Tim Ryan in the Senate race in Ohio, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, as President Joe Biden's unpopularity complicates …

Trump and Kanye West speak amid rapper's antisemitic rants, acquisition of Parler  —  Former President Donald Trump spoke with Kanye West over the phone following the rapper's decision to buy his own social media platform, a person familiar with the call told POLITICO.

Fiona Hill: ‘Elon Musk Is Transmitting a Message for Putin’  —  It's been nearly eight months since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops and tanks over the border into Ukraine, and a lot has changed in that time.  Ukraine has shown itself to be a far more robust military force than pretty much anyone predicted.

The Problem of Marjorie Taylor Greene  —  What the rise of the far-right congresswoman means for the House, the G.O.P. and the nation.  —  “There's going to be a lot of investigations,” Marjorie Taylor Greene said, describing what she anticipates if the Republicans regain the House majority this November.

Trump charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show  —  Former president Donald Trump's company charged the Secret Service as much as five times more than the government rate for agents to stay overnight at Trump hotels while protecting him and his family, according to expense records newly obtained by Congress.

Saudi Arabia sentences U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets  —  The Saudi government has sentenced a 72-year-old U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets he posted while inside the United States, some of which were critical of the Saudi regime.

Exclusive: Gisele Fetterman calls for NBC to apologise following ‘shocking’ interview with husband John Fetterman  —  John Fetterman's wife speaks to Eric Garcia about closed captioning and the controversy after Senate candidate's interview with NBC News  —  Pennsylvania Democratic Senate …

Boston University researchers' testing of lab-made version of Covid virus draws government scrutiny  —  Research at Boston University that involved testing a lab-made hybrid version of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is garnering heated headlines alleging the scientists involved could have unleashed a new pathogen.

Jury gets Danchenko case in what may be Durham's swan song  —  A federal jury in Virginia began deliberating Monday in the criminal case expected to be the final courtroom test for Special Counsel John Durham's investigation into the FBI's inquiry of ties between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Oath Keepers Trial Rocked by Wacky Sexts Between Militia Boss and Lawyer  —  The case against the far-right group for its role in the Capitol riot was already disturbing.  Then came evidence of what prosecutors say is an inappropriate relationship.  —  Oath Keeper founder Stewart Rhodes …

New Select Subcommittee Report Details Trump Administration's Assault on CDC and Politicization of Public Health During the Coronavirus Crisis  —  Report is the third installment detailing findings from investigation into Trump Administration's political interference with federal coronavirus response

No Laughing Matter  —  John Oliver badly botches the “gender-affirming care” debate.  —  The Social Order  —  Health Care  —  Yesterday, John Oliver devoted an episode of Last Week Tonight to transgender rights, specifically the controversy over “gender-affirming care” for minors.

New poll shows Hofmeister leading Stitt in Oklahoma Governor's race  —  New polling from Oklahoma-based political consulting firm Ascend Action shows a close gubenetorial race just weeks ahead of November's midterm elections.

Herschel Walker tries to turn ‘prop’ badge controversy into campaign gold  —  GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker discusses why he flashed a badge during Friday's debate  —  Herschel Walker was widely mocked and criticized for flashing an honorary deputy sheriff's badge onstage …

New law asks Texas schools to distribute kits to students to keep DNA samples in case of emergencies like Uvalde  —  Texas public school systems are set to distribute DNA and fingerprint identification kits for K-8 students to parents who wish to store their child's DNA is case of emergency.

Trump-backed congressional candidate Bo Hines says he 'can't afford' to give up his salary.  But federal records show he has no salary.  — Bo Hines, a congressional candidate from North Carolina, twice claimed that he and his wife “can't afford to give up a month's salary.”

Peltola trounces Palin and Begich in September fundraising, wins over Don Young loyalists  —  Campaign contributions are flooding in for Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola to keep the U.S. House seat she won in a special election this summer.  —  Peltola raised $2.3 million in September …

Ex-UK pilots lured to help Chinese military, MoD says  —  Former British military pilots are being lured to China with large sums of money to pass on their expertise to the Chinese military, it is claimed.  —  Up to 30 former UK military pilots are thought to have gone to train members of China's People's Liberation Army.

The country is edging towards an abyss  —  American democracy is both severely threatened and more resilient than her attackers — like Kari Lake — may imagine.  —  Today, Kari Lake is simply a conspiracy theorist and certified liar who jumped from the local news chair to the fame and adulation of MAGA stardom.

Ted Cruz reimbursed himself $555,000 after successfully challenging a political spending law at the Supreme Court  — Ted Cruz's campaign paid him $555,000 to cover old personal loans to his Senate committee.  — It comes after Cruz successfully challenged a law that capped the amount candidates could repay themselves.