Liberals urge Biden to rethink Ukraine strategy  —  Democratic lawmakers' letter calls for direct U.S. talks with Russia  —  A group of 30 House liberals is urging President Biden to dramatically shift his strategy on the Ukraine war and pursue direct negotiations with Russia …

Clarence Thomas freezes order for Lindsey Graham to testify before Georgia grand jury investigating 2020 election  —  Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday agreed to temporarily freeze a lower court order requiring the testimony of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in front of an Atlanta-area special grand jury …

Math Scores Fell in Nearly Every State, and Reading Dipped on National Exam  —  The results, from what is known as the nation's report card, offer the most definitive picture yet of the pandemic's devastating impact on students.  —  U.S. students in most states and across almost …

Alito Assured Ted Kennedy in 2005 of Respect for Roe v. Wade, Diary Says  —  In the senator's recollection, the Supreme Court justice who wrote the opinion overturning the abortion ruling tried to show Mr. Kennedy that he was not a threat to Roe.  —  Senator Edward M. Kennedy looked skeptically at the federal judge.

Leslie Jordan Dead at 67  —  EXCLUSIVE  —  REMEMBERING LESLIE JORDAN  —  Leslie Jordan, the beloved actor and comedian has died.  —  Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Jordan was driving in Hollywood Monday morning when it's suspected he suffered some sort of medical emergency and crashed his BMW into the side of a building.

NY-17 Rating Change: DCCC Chair Maloney Moves From Lean Democrat to Toss Up  —  When Republicans' top Super PAC started spending against Democratic Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (NY-17) in mid-September, many assumed it was a gambit to troll or distract the DCCC chair.

Democrats Need to Know What Time It Is  —  A lesson and a warning from the Katie Hobbs Experience.  —  The stakes in Arizona's governor race could not be higher.  —  The Republican nominee, Kari Lake, is the most zealous election denier this side of the South Florida Sigmaringen.

CNN Polls show Democrats are ahead in races for governor in Michigan and Pennsylvania, with no clear leader in Wisconsin  —  The Wisconsin race for governor has no clear leader, while Democratic gubernatorial candidates hold the edge in Michigan and Pennsylvania, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS in the three key states.

Los Angeles officials condemn demonstrators seen in photos showing support of Kanye West's antisemitic remarks  —  Los Angeles officials are condemning the display of banners from a freeway overpass this weekend by a group of demonstrators seen in bystander photos showing support …

Jacob Wohl, Jack Burkman plead guilty to felony for 2020 election robocalls targeting Cleveland voters  —  CLEVELAND, Ohio — Two right-wing conspiracy theorists who placed thousands of robocalls with false information to largely minority and Democratic voters in Cleveland in the months …

Ukraine cites success in downing drones, fixes energy sites  —  Ukrainian authorities tried to dampen public fears over Russia's use of Iranian drones by claiming increasing success Monday in shooting them down, while the Kremlin's talk of a possible “dirty bomb” attack has added another worrying dimension …

U.S.-Saudi Relations Buckle, Driven by Animosity Between Biden and Mohammed bin Salman  —  Lack of personal trust accelerates a yearslong split driven by geopolitical and economic forces  —  RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—An unwritten pact binding the U.S. and Saudi Arabia has survived 15 presidents …

Garland to hold news conference on ‘significant national security cases’  —  WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland will hold a news conference Monday afternoon to discuss “significant national security cases addressing malign influence schemes and alleged criminal activity …

Ted Cruz Hid in Supply Closet During Jan. 6, New Book Reveals  —  Senator Ted Cruz has revealed he was in a “a supply closet with stacked chairs” during part of the January 6 storming of Congress.  —  On that day in 2021 hundreds of Donald Trump supporters broke into the Capitol Building …

2 Chinese officers charged in plot to obstruct Huawei probe  —  Two men suspected of being Chinese intelligence officers have been charged with attempting to obstruct a U.S. criminal investigation and prosecution of Chinese tech giant Huawei, according to court documents unsealed Monday.

Abrams' campaign chair collected millions in legal fees from voting rights organization  —  ATLANTA — The voting rights organization founded by Stacey Abrams spent more than $25 million over two years on legal fees, mostly on a single case, with the largest amount going to the self-described boutique law firm …

Scoop: Democrats deploy Biden and Obama to lock down Pennsylvania  —  President Biden and former President Obama will barnstorm the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas on Nov. 5 with the party's nominees for Pennsylvania governor and Senate, according to a Democrat with direct knowledge of the plans.

Biden admin set to warn about threats to nation's election infrastructure  —  Top Biden national security officials are tracking multiple threats to the nation's election security infrastructure ahead of the midterms and are set to issue warnings, including in an internal intelligence bulletin this week …

Triangle: Palin joins Murkowski in Peltola love fest  —  The Murkowski-Palin-Peltola political love triangle is a curiosity in the “Only in Alaska” category: Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, endorsed hardline Democrat Congresswoman Mary Peltola during Alaska Federation of Natives convention …