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 quarter-billion dollar PAC driving a red wave  —  How would you spend a quarter of a billion dollars on the 2022 midterms?  This week on the Playbook Deep Dive podcast, we chatted with the 37-year-old operative overseeing just such a budget.  —  Dan Conston is the president …

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 …

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.

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 …

Young voters MIA as Dem base flocks to vote early  —  Add this to the list of Democratic worries ahead of the midterms: Younger voters — a cornerstone of the party's electoral coalition — make up a smaller share of early and absentee voters so far than they did in 2020.

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.

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 …

First on CNN: January 6 committee moves forward with Secret Service interviews  —  The House Select Committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol is wrapping up its review of more than a million pages of Secret Service documents and plans to bring in top agents …

‘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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Georgia prosecutor urges Supreme Court to clear way for Lindsey Graham testimony  —  The Georgia prosecutor leading an investigation into efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the 2020 election urged the Supreme Court on Thursday to clear the way for the testimony of Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Russia continues funding media in the U.S.  —  RUSSIAN STATE MEDIA MONEY CONTINUES TO FLOW: Months after Russia invaded Ukraine and media companies dropped the country's state programming, Russian government funding continues to flow into U.S. media.  —  Between April and the end of September …