Hurricane Helene: Trump speaks in Georgia, bashes Harris for not traveling there … Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump traveled to hurricane-blasted Georgia to deliver remarks and help hand out supplies, one day after he leveraged the devastating storm as a political attack against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.

The Only Patriotic Choice for President  —  It is hard to imagine a candidate more unworthy to serve as president of the United States than Donald Trump.  He has proved himself morally unfit for an office that asks its occupant to put the good of the nation above self-interest.

The Coming Trump Revenge Tour  —  Trump has campaigned on a wave of retaliatory criminal prosecutions.  It's not the first time he's promised to lock up his rivals — but a second term would be different.  —  In the most volatile presidential campaign of the last 50 years …

The three phases of normalizing Trump's attack on Harris in Wisconsin  — The use of neutral language.  If you merely read about Donald Trump's deeply offensive rally this weekend in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, you probably thought it was about immigration.  And about Trump up to his usual tricks of disparaging his rivals.

An Ohio Businessman Faces Death Threats for Praising His Haitian Workers  —  The lifelong Republican employs fewer Haitians than others in Springfield, but his life has been upended since Donald J. Trump spread falsehoods about immigrants in his hometown.  —  For Jamie McGregor …

Judge again strikes down Georgia abortion law, allowing abortions to resume … About the Author  —  Maya T. Prabhu is a government reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.  Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree.

California bans legacy admissions at all colleges  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a prohibition on the practice.  —  SACRAMENTO, California — It will soon be illegal for public and private universities in California to consider an applicant's relationship to alumni or donors when deciding whether to admit them.

Arkansas Judge Mandates Early Voting in Majority Black City  —  Early voting will be held at Seventh Street Church of Christ in West Memphis, Arkansas after a judge granted part of a request from two voters.  The voters in the majority-Black city initially requested at least two early voting locations.

Video of Harris slurring words in Helene warning is edited |  Fact check  —  The claim: Video shows Kamala Harris slurred words in Helene remarks  —  A Sept. 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows Vice President Kamala Harris delivering a warning about Hurricane Helene and speaking in an unusually slow manner.

Polls show big increase in Republicans planning to vote for abortion rights  —  In some states, that GOP number could even approach a majority.  —  The politics of abortion rights have shifted massively toward Democrats since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Schumer dumping $1M in surprisingly competitive Maryland Senate race … - The Democratic PAC WinSenate has already spent some ad money on the race, but the new bookings for the first two weeks of October are a significant jump, according to AdImpact data.  — “[I]f Hogan's Washington GOP friends …

FBI to pay $22 million to settle claims of sexual discrimination at training academy  —  The payout to 34 women dismissed from the FBI's training academy in Quantico, Virginia, would rank among the biggest lawsuit settlements in the history of the bureau.  —  The FBI has agreed to pay …

How CBS Will Fact Check the Walz-Vance VP Debate  —  CBS is experimenting with a novel way to offer real-time fact-checking of the vice-presidential debate on Tuesday.  Just don't expect the moderators to frequently jump in.  —  The journalistic dilemma of how to fact-check national candidates …

Hamas Commander Killed in Israeli Strike Led U.N. Refugee Agency Teachers' Union  —  A Hamas commander in Lebanon who was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight was an accredited member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the embattled agency confirmed after his death.

Trump, Magic Beans, and the $100,000 Watch  —  Trump's watch scheme is an arrangement specifically designed to defeat bribery laws.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Before we start: A reader with deep connections to Asheville sent me a note about a friend who is working to get meals to people from a food hub.

Where Americans Have Been Moving Into Disaster-Prone Areas … Note: Population changes shown on maps reflect domestic migration and do not include international migration or local births and deaths.  —  The country's vast population shift has left more people exposed to the risk …

Trump Is Taking a Dark Turn  —  If you think that Donald Trump's speeches this campaign cycle are just more of the same, consider the analysis of the person who knows more about them than anyone else.  —  “They thought they'd be out there jumping up and down, ‘Make America great again,’” …

On overtime pay, Trump slips up by accidentally telling the truth  —  Donald Trump admitted that he concocted a private-sector scheme to avoid paying his own employees overtime compensation.  So much for his “pro-worker” pitch.  —  Five of the most interesting words in Donald Trump's rhetorical repertoire …

Republicans are starting to raise alarms about Trump's ground game  —  “They are out-matching us in money, in enthusiasm and in the ground game,” one Michigan-based GOP strategist said.  —  Some battleground state Republicans say they're worried they see little evidence of Donald Trump's ground game …

California faces ‘unprecedented’ local spread of dengue fever, possibly driven by climate change  —  California last week clocked its fourth case of locally transmitted dengue fever this year — an alarming rise in a sometimes-deadly disease that experts fear could be fueled by climate change.

Biden administration expands asylum restrictions at southern border  —  The Biden administration announced Monday it will expand its asylum restrictions at the U.S.-Mexico border, cementing tougher standards that will cut off access to protections for many migrants.

VA staff got into Vance, Walz medical files, sparking investigation  —  At least a dozen VA employees improperly accessed the medical records of vice presidential nominees JD Vance and Tim Walz this summer, investigators found.  —  At least a dozen employees at the Department …