Trump's Bid to Sink the Manhattan DA's Case Has Already Made It Stronger  —  Trump tried to drag the Manhattan DA into federal court and failed.  Now a judge's order in that case can be used to persuade a state court that Trump's charges should stick.  —  Donald Trump's attempts this summer …

McConnell in Winter: Inside the GOP Leader's Attempt to Thwart Trump  —  The Kentucky Republican is doing all he can to bolster Ukraine, preserve NATO and help his party maintain its Reaganite roots.  —  From the Senate floor and Washington fundraisers to awards banquets …

‘Fully expected the downfall’: Inside DeSantis's brawls with Fla. Republicans  —  Some who knew the Florida governor in Tallahassee say they expected him to have trouble translating his governance of the state into a coalition that could win him the presidency

GOP sees turnout disaster without Trump  —  Republican strategists are worried that if former President Trump doesn't secure the GOP's presidential nomination next year, or if he is kept off the ballot because of his mounting legal problems, it could spell a voter turnout disaster for their party in 2024.

Trump's ‘Co-Conspirators’ Are Already Starting to Turn on Each Other  —  “It is the 'please don't put me in jail, put that other guy in jail' strategy,” says one attorney working in Trump's legal orbit … A number of the ex-president's chief lieutenants and alleged co-conspirators in the plot …

In a small Kansas town, a brazen attack on press freedom  —  “These are Hitler tactics, and something has to be done.”  —  Those were the words of 98-year-old Joan Meyer, the co-owner of the Marion County Record, after her home and office were raided by the City of Marion's entire five-person police department on Friday.

Trump jabs at judge in election case, testing warning against ‘inflammatory’ statements  —  Overnight, Trump called Chutkan ‘biased and unfair’ for comments during 2022 sentencing of Jan. 6 defendant.  —  Donald Trump slammed the judge presiding over his newest criminal case early Monday …

Clarence Avant, the ‘Godfather of Black entertainment,’ dies at 92  —  Avant's unofficial title of the “Black Godfather” spanned the worlds of music, sports, entertainment and politics.  —  Clarence Avant, whose unofficial title of the “Black Godfather” spanned the worlds of music, sports …

PEPFAR and the death knell of bipartisan cooperation  —  Fighting HIV is now a front in the culture war, showing how the GOP has degraded since the Bush era.  —  ∙ Paid … By Lisa Needham  —  George W. Bush didn't do a lot right in his presidency.

GOP candidates prepare for the possibility Trump shows up at the debate after all  —  The former president — often known for his unpredictability — has said he's leaning toward not going, but his GOP rivals are still holding debate prep sessions as if he will be there.