McCarthy stares into the shutdown abyss  —  The speaker has only one clear exit route away from a government closure: working with Democrats.  It's a path he still refuses to take.  —  Speaker Kevin McCarthy has only one way out of next week's impending government shutdown: working with Democrats.

‘This is horrifying’: Top New Jersey Democrats call on Bob Menendez to resign after his second indictment  —  Democrats figured there would be new developments in the Bob Menendez investigation, but the charges are far more serious than any of them anticipated.

US mother sentenced to two years in prison for giving daughter abortion pills  —  Jessica Burgess pleaded guilty in July to providing an abortion after 20 weeks and tampering with human remains  —  Jessica Burgess, a Nebraska mother accused of helping her teenage daughter use pills to end her pregnancy …

Misinformation research is buckling under GOP legal attacks  —  An escalating campaign, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and other Republicans, has cast a pall over programs that study political disinformation and the quality of medical information online  —  Academics, universities …

Biden to join the picket line in UAW strike  —  His decision to stand alongside the striking workers represents perhaps the most significant display of union solidarity ever by a sitting president.  —  President Joe Biden will travel to Michigan to join the picket line of auto workers on strike nationwide, he said on Friday afternoon.

Burgum makes late break for GOP's second debate  —  No candidate's participation is official until confirmed by the RNC.  —  North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is making a last-minute charge to the primary debate stage next week.  —  Burgum appears to have qualified for the second GOP debate …

Clarence Thomas' Latest Pay-to-Play Scandal Finally Connects All the Dots  —  ProPublica released a new report on Friday detailing Justice Clarence Thomas' close relationship with the Koch brothers with previously undisclosed and extraordinarily damning new details.

Newsom vetoes bill that would require parents to affirm child's gender identity in custody battles  —  Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, who introduced the bill, said she is ‘extremely disappointed’ in Newsom's veto  —  California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, vetoed a bill late Friday night …

Jack Smith adds war crimes prosecutor — his deputy from the Hague — to special counsel team  —  The special counsel's office is gearing up to put Donald Trump on trial in two criminal cases next year.  —  Special counsel Jack Smith has added a veteran war crimes prosecutor …

Coast Guard Academy banned a retired captain from its grounds after CNN reported he sexted a student.  Now more allegations are surfacing.  —  The US Coast Guard Academy on Friday announced it had banned a retired captain from its grounds following a CNN report this week that revealed the captain …