U.S. privately asks Ukraine to show it's open to negotiate with Russia  —  The encouragement is aimed not at pushing Ukraine to the negotiating table, but ensuring it maintains a moral high ground in the eyes of its international backers  —  The Biden administration is privately encouraging Ukraine's leaders …

Trump and other Republicans are already casting doubt on midterm results  —  Former President Donald Trump posted on social media on Tuesday to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the midterm election in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania.  “Here we go again!” he wrote.  “Rigged Election!”

Russia Reactivates Its Trolls and Bots Ahead of Tuesday's Midterms  —  Researchers have identified a series of Russian information operations to influence American elections and, perhaps, erode support for Ukraine.  —  The user on Gab who identifies as Nora Berka resurfaced in August …

Post-ABC poll: House vote nearly split, GOP has edge on economy and turnout  —  Republicans need to win a net of five seats to take control of the House.  Democrats face overwhelming odds to prevent that from happening.  —  Republicans hold significant advantages on the bread-and-butter issues …

Iowa Poll: Chuck Grassley widens lead over Mike Franken in US Senate race  —  Brianne Pfannenstiel Stephen Gruber-MillerDes Moines Register  —  Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has gained a double-digit lead over Democrat Mike Franken in the closing days of Iowa's U.S. Senate race, a new Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll shows.

How Molly Jong-Fast Tweeted Her Way to Liberal Media Stardom  —  She wasn't a political expert.  But her Trump-era angst found a following among Democrats — and even the White House is interested.  —  Molly Jong-Fast had just finished interviewing Vice President Kamala Harris for her podcast …

‘He was chosen’: the rightwing Christian roadshow spreading the gospel of Trump  —  Part Trump rally, part religious service, and much conspiracy theory thrown in - on the eve of the midterms, Ed Pilkington visits the ReAwaken America tour  —  here is a man by the name of Donald," the voice on the recording says. "

A spiral of violence and fear is creating angst for many voters ahead of the midterm elections  —  WASHINGTON — Armed men in masks and tactical gear have shown up at secure ballot drop boxes.  Candidates of both parties have been physically attacked, election workers intimidated.

Protectors of democracy: Why these 27 races may be the most critical in midterm elections  —  Candidates who have often been overlooked by voters in past elections have an outsized presence in these midterm elections.  —  Ahead of Election Day, Republicans and Democrats running for secretary …

A Key Polling Warning Sign Has Dimmed Since September  —  The emergence of Republican-leaning pollsters has reduced the risk that polling averages will overestimate Democrats.  —  Way back in September, we noticed a warning sign in the polls: Democrats were showing strength in exactly …

Kishida Says Japan Must Be Prepared for Security Threats: Kyodo  —  Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Japan must be prepared for any action by other nations that poses a threat to peace and security, Kyodo news reported on Sunday.  —  While Japan continues to follow its path as a peace-loving nation …

Aaron Carter Dead at 34  —  EXCLUSIVE  — 212.3K … UPDATE  —  4:53 PM PT — Aaron's fiancé, Melanie Martin, tells TMZ ... “My fiancé Aaron Carter has passed away.  I love Aaron with all my heart and it's going to be a journey to raise a son without a father.

Pre-election polling trends  —  Here is my look at the pre-election polling, as of Nov. 5, 2022.  —  The raw polling data is from FiveThirtyEight.com, who generously allow download of their polling database.  The trends are my estimates and not those of FiveThirtyEight or anyone else.

NBC retracts erroneous Paul Pelosi story that fueled conspiracy theories  —  People at the network said the ‘Today’ show report was based on ‘unreliable’ information from a source who was unnamed in the story.  —  NBC News reporter Miguel Almaguer had what seemed like a scoop on Friday …

Rep. Maloney recalls ‘eating Chef Boyardee’ as kid during inflation talk, says it's ‘what families have to do’  —  Maloney was discussing inflation during an interview when he made the comments  —  Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y. …

What Can US Democracy Learn From Brazil?  —  Both nations had presidents who attacked their elections.  But their responses — and the aftermaths — were much different.  —  BRASÍLIA — The run-ups to the most recent presidential elections in the Western Hemisphere's two largest democracies were remarkably similar.