Top Twitter executives fired as Elon Musk takeover begins  —  Musk's $44 billion deal to acquire the social media company closed on Thursday night.  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Elon Musk took control of Twitter late Thursday as his $44 billion deal to takeover the company closed.

James Bennet was right  —  Controversy over an op-ed by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) consumed the New York Times in June 2020 and claimed the job of then-editorial page editor James Bennet.  Two-and-a-half years later, Bennet has shared some thoughts about the episode — and, in particular, the role of Times Publisher A.G. Sulzberger.

Russia's security service works to subvert Moldova's pro-Western government  —  A trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Washington Post illustrates how Moscow continues to try to manipulate countries in Eastern Europe

The 2022 Race for the House, in Four Districts, and Four Polls  —  Swing-district polls by The New York Times and Siena College show how the midterm races are being shaped by larger, surprising forces, beyond the traditional red and blue divide.  —  President Biden is unpopular everywhere.

As Governor's Race Tightens, a Frantic Call to Action Among Democrats  —  Democrats and their allies are pouring millions of dollars into late-stage ads and get-out-the-vote efforts to help Gov. Kathy Hochul as she fends off her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin.

Appeals Court Upholds House's Effort to See Trump's Tax Returns  —  The former president is likely to appeal to the Supreme Court after the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to rehear the matter.  —  WASHINGTON — A full federal appeals court denied …

‘Innuendos and baseless allegations’: Milwaukee claps back after Ron Johnson sows doubts about early voting in the city  —  As voters have already begun streaming to the polls, Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson this week raised doubts about early in-person absentee voting in Milwaukee and suggested …

St. Louis school shooter bought gun from private seller after dealer sale was blocked, police say  —  The shooter who killed two people at a St. Louis high school this week bought the rifle used in the attack from a private seller after he was blocked from buying a gun at a licensed dealer, police said Thursday.

Scoop: John Kerry preparing to leave Biden administration  —  Special climate envoy John Kerry is actively considering leaving the Biden administration after next month's COP27 summit, soliciting advice from friends and colleagues on how to stay involved in climate efforts from the private sector …

Election deniers hope a hand count in Nevada offers a roadmap for the future  —  The GOP nominee for secretary of state has pushed to jettison voting machines.  One county is already experimenting with counting ballots manually.  —  PAHRUMP, Nev. — Jay Goldberg, a retired electrician …

More Americans than ever think crime is up in their neighborhood  —  Benjy is Semafor's Washington Bureau Chief, joining us from NBC News.  Sign up for the daily Principals newsletter to get our insider's guide to American power.  —  Dave is a Political Reporter for Semafor, joining us from the Washington Post.

Hawaii's Big Island gets warning as huge volcano rumbles  —  Hawaii officials are warning residents of the Big Island that the world's largest active volcano, Mauna Loa, is sending signals that it may erupt.  Scientists say an eruption isn't imminent, but they are on alert because of a recent spike …

Paul Pelosi, husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, attacked at home  —  Paul Pelosi, the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, was attacked at the couple's home in San Francisco early Friday morning, the Democratic speaker's office said in a statement.  He is expected to make a full recovery.

‘Raise the challenge’: Eastman exhorts poll watchers to build a record  —  At a speech last week before prospective GOP poll workers and challengers in New Mexico, former Trump attorney John Eastman urged his allies to file complaints that could form the basis for court challenges to the upcoming midterm and presidential elections.

N. Korea fires ballistic missile toward sea, Seoul says  —  North Korea fired a ballistic missile toward the sea on Friday, Seoul officials said, as its rival South Korea was wrapping up an annual military drill that the North views as an invasion rehearsal.

Why I Keep Getting Mistaken for a Conservative  —  The Left no longer tolerates dissent  —  One of my longtime survival strategies as a career freelance writer is a policy of saying yes to everything.  This includes paid work, of course, but it also includes lunch invitations, since the only thing I love more than writing is eating.

Citing drugs at Rikers, NYC to ban incarcerated people from getting letters in the mail  —  Overdose deaths are skyrocketing in New York City jails, and the correction commissioner says banning physical letters is a way to stop it.  —  Commissioner Louis Molina said at a city council hearing Tuesday …

Ukraine war: Russia deploys dozens of drones in two days - Zelensky  —  President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia has launched more than 30 drone attacks on Ukraine in just two days.  —  He added that in total, Moscow had also carried out some 4,500 missile strikes and over 8,000 air raids.

Could Iran's regime fall?  —  The protests are persisting, as the theocrats dither  —  Sitting on a podium before an assembly of sportsmen on September 11th, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, one of the world's longest-reigning leaders, sounded surprisingly perky.  Defying reports of his death …

Topline Results for October 2022 Times/Siena Polls in Four Congressional Districts … Survey conducted Oct. 19-24 among 431 likely voters.  —  Thinking ahead to the November general election, are you almost certain that you will vote, very likely to vote, somewhat likely to vote, not very likely to vote, or not at all likely to vote?

Trump '24 Foreplay  —  Who's in?  Who's out?  Where's Javanka, and whether to expect cameos from Hope, Bannon, Miller, Stepien, and more?  Plus, a special bonus edition of midterm fears on the right and left.  —  There's a bit of denialism swirling around D.C., and around …