Biden's ‘worst performing message’  —  Welcome to POLITICO's West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration.  With help from Allie Bice.  —  It's an article of faith among Democrats that their party is deeply hampered by its inability or unwillingness to tout its own accomplishments.

Exclusive: Emails reveal warning to Trump team about fraud claims  —  A senior White House lawyer expressed concerns to President Trump's advisers and attorneys about the president signing a sworn court statement verifying inaccurate evidence of voter fraud, according to emails from December 2020 obtained by Axios.

Appeals Court Temporarily Halts Biden's Student Debt Cancellation  —  A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted President Biden's student debt relief plan, preventing the government from moving forward with the debt cancellation it had said could start as early as next week.

In Nevada, election deniers prepare to sabotage the midterms  —  PAHRUMP, Nev. — If the midterm elections degenerate into chaos in a couple of weeks — a very real possibility — then Nevada is poised to lead the way.  Indeed, the chaos here has already begun.

Florida Democrat gov candidate Charlie Crist's campaign chief Austin Durrer arrested for domestic violence  —  The campaign manager overseeing former Rep. Charlie Crist's bid to topple Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was arrested for domestic violence this week, according to a report.

In bloody battle for Bakhmut, Russian mercenaries eye a symbolic prize  —  BAKHMUT, Ukraine — The crash and roar of artillery rarely stops in this east Ukrainian city.  In the cold and broken houses, residents huddle by candlelight and pray that they have safety in numbers.

Unmitigated gall of Joe Biden claiming that he ‘lowered’ debt  —  How should a president respond to running a $1.4 trillion budget deficit — 40% higher than before the pandemic — and adding trillions more to 10-year deficits?  —  If you are President Biden, you take a victory lap touting your “historic deficit reduction.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham asks the Supreme Court to block a subpoena from an Atlanta grand jury investigating 2020 election interference  —  Sen. Lindsey Graham asked the Supreme Court on Friday to block a subpoena from the Atlanta-area special grand jury investigating efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.

DeSantis cracked down on migrant labor.  Then one helped coordinate his migrant flights  —  A Venezuelan migrant unable to legally work in the United States was paid to help coordinate Gov. Ron DeSantis' migrant flight program, putting the Republican governor's high-profile political gambit …

How Liz Cheney can kill the MAGA threat  —  Killing the MAGA movement is beyond the capacity and imagination of the national Democratic Party's sclerotic and inept leadership.  It has failed utterly.  Even more atrociously, Chuck Schumer has failed to adequately support and fund …

Over 6 in 10 Americans favor leaving race out of college admissions, Post-Schar School poll finds  —  But an equally strong majority backs programs to boost racial and ethnic diversity among students.  —  More than 6 in 10 Americans support a ban on the consideration of race in college admissions …

Hu Jintao: ex-president escorted out of China party congress  —  Chinese former leader Hu Jintao has been led out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress.  —  The frail-looking 79-year-old was sitting beside President Xi Jinping when he was approached and led away by officials.

Voters Stick to Pandemic-Era Habits, As Early Turnout Surges  —  More than 5.5 million people have cast ballots in person or by mail.  Experts predict high turnout in the midterm elections.  —  Days into early voting in the 2022 midterm elections, states across the country have seen a surge …

Video shows GOP gov. nominee Dan Cox accepting gift from Md. Proud Boys  —  Footage posted online from Cox's July victory party shows the exchange, but it was removed after The Post contacted the Cox campaign.  He said in a statement he has no affiliation with people who stormed the capitol on Jan. 6.

A Vermont Town's Water Official Resigns Amid Fluoridation Confusion  —  Kendall Chamberlin, the town's water superintendent for over 30 years, said he had been lowering fluoride levels well below state guidelines for more than a decade.  —  The water superintendent for Richmond, Vt. …

Lee Zeldin inches past Kathy Hochul in dead-heat governor's race, stunning new poll reveals  —  Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin has edged past Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul by decimal points and the race for governor is now a dead heat, a stunning new poll released Friday reveals.

Female Bosses Face a New Bias: Employees Refusing to Work Overtime  —  In December 2019, a scandal erupted at Away, a luggage maker known for hard-shelled suitcases.  Disgruntled workers at the company, then just four years old, complained publicly about working conditions …

DeSantis' popularity among Latinos is boosting his chances of being the first Republican in 20 years to win Miami-Dade  —  MIAMI — Florida Democrats are fretting over Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' popularity among Latinos, saying they are boosting his chances of becoming the first Republican governor …

S.F.'s Toiletgate: Newsom calls $1.7 million bathroom a waste, halts state money until costs come down  —  Noe Valley's simple wish to get a public bathroom installed in its treasured Town Square appears to be circling the drain — with even Gov. Gavin Newsom wading into the spat over its projected $1.7 million cost.