Why Putin hopes for a GOP victory, as explained by a top Russia expert  —  “The notion that now Kevin McCarthy is going to make himself the leader of the pro-Putin wing of my party is just a stunning thing,” Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) told NBC News on Sunday.  This was a provocative way of reminding …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

Their America Is Vanishing.  Like Trump, They Insist They Were Cheated.  —  The white majority is fading, the economy is changing and there's a pervasive sense of loss in districts where Republicans fought the outcome of the 2020 election.  —  When Representative Troy Nehls of Texas voted …

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 …

California Poised to Overtake Germany as World's No. 4 Economy  —  Gavin Newsom is as familiar as anyone with the media narrative of earthquakes, persistent wildfires, droughts, homelessness and companies fleeing California to Texas for a tax- and regulation-free lifestyle.  This is nothing new.

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 …

Georgia Voters Shatter Second Presidential Turnout Record on Saturday  —  (Atlanta) - Georgia voters continued to hit record breaking turnout on the first mandatory Saturday of Early Voting.  As of Sunday morning, approximately 740K Georgia voters have cast their ballot during in-person Early Voting …

Scoop: Tucker Carlson lashes out at GOP campaign chief in irate private call  —  An irate Tucker Carlson phoned Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Republican campaign committee, with an ultimatum on Friday:  — Either reveal which staff member took a swipe at Carlson's son …

Will the Bob Woodward Audiobook Put Trump Back on the Ballot? … Just another night in Trumpland: At a rally over the weekend in Texas, Donald Trump was talking about the leak last spring to Politico's Josh Gerstein of Samuel Alito's draft decision in the Dobbs case, and he said that the way to find …