Republicans Gain Edge as Voters Worry About Economy, Times/Siena Poll Finds  —  With elections next month, independents, especially women, are swinging to the G.O.P. despite Democrats' focus on abortion rights.  Disapproval of President Biden seems to be hurting his party.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 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 on stage …

Johnson's campaign is paying the law firm of a Trump attorney allegedly connected to Jan. 6 fake elector plot  —  Sen. Ron Johnson recently made two payments to a law firm led by a Wisconsin attorney embroiled in the Justice Department's Jan. 6 probe, tapping the firm in part to assist in a possible recount …

Boston University CREATES a new Covid strain that has an 80% kill rate — echoing dangerous experiments feared to have started pandemic  — Researchers added Omicron's spike protein to the original Wuhan Covid strain  — Omicron's spike is highly mutated which made it the most infectious variant ever

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 …

Ted Budd Aided Donors Trying To Bypass Predatory Lending Laws  —  Documents show the North Carolina GOP Senate candidate pressed regulators to let his Wall Street donors get around his state's laws.  —  North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Ted Budd used his congressional office …

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.

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.”

Furrygate: A Litterbox of Lies  —  A friend's wife's CrossFit trainer's mom saw a post on a Facebook group about kids identifying as cats and using litterboxes at school.  —  (THE BULWARK / SHUTTERSTOCK)  —  What are the teachers doing with their students' poo poo?

Special Forces vet charged in Jan. 6 riot accuses Biden of ‘poisoning jury pool’  —  WASHINGTON D.C. — A former 3rd Special Forces Group soldier accused of assaulting officers with a flagpole during the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot is blaming President Joe Biden for impacting his ability to receive a fair trial.

DOJ Seeks 6 Month Prison Sentence For Steve Bannon  —  The ex-Trump adviser was convicted of criminal contempt of Congress after defying a subpoena related to the assault on the U.S. Capitol last year.  —  The Department of Justice is recommending a six-month prison sentence and $200,000 fine …

Putin aide says release of Brittney Griner is not a priority for Russia  — Olympic champion serving nine-year sentence on drug charge  — Biden administration says it wants to bring player home  —  The difficulties involved in freeing Brittney Griner from her imprisonment in Russia …