Trump: Nobody Could Have Predicted a Hurricane Would Hit Mid-Hurricane Season  —  OUT OF THE BLUE  —  The former president opined that nobody could have predicted Hurricane Helene making landfall “so late” in the hurricane season, which is set to last another two months.

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 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.

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.

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 …

Giant naked Trump effigy is ‘deplorable’, say Republicans  —  Sculpture of former US president has been erected near Las Vegas purely for ‘shock value’, say local politicians  —  Republicans have condemned as “deplorable” a 43-foot effigy of a naked Donald Trump that has been erected near Las Vegas.

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,’” …

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.

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 …

Democrats Sue Georgia Election Board Over Ballot Hand Counting Rule  —  The Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Georgia Democratic Party sued the State Election Board on Monday after three of its MAGA members approved a rule requiring poll workers to hand count all ballots, even after being tabulated by machines.

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.

Memoir contradicts Republican Senate candidate's ‘below the poverty line’ tale  —  Montana's Tim Sheehy claims he and wife lived in poverty but own book reveals he had $400,000 to build company  —  At a recent campaign event in Whitehall, Montana, the Republican US Senate candidate Tim Sheehy told voters …

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.

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 …

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 …

Haley's endorsement of Trump doesn't mean her supporters will follow her  —  She drew voters from the former president during the primary even after she dropped out.  —  Nikki Haley has made clear she's on Team Trump.  Her supporters don't all feel the same.

No, A Former Republican Congressman Now Backing Harris Did Not Author Project 2025  —  A right-wing conspiracy theory that the transition plan written by Trump alumni was actually a super secret sabotage effort has been disputed by those at the center of it.  —  LOADING

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.