‘Dead heat’: Trump pulls even with Harris in NBC News poll  —  A close election has never looked more tightly divided, with Harris' popularity declining from its previous high and abortion atop voters' issue list.  —  Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are deadlocked …

Mike Johnson Insists Elderly Trump's Medical Records Are ‘Irrelevant’ to Voters  —  'IT'S UNNECESSARY'  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Donald Trump was an “unusual figure” and questions about his health were “irrelevant.”  —  House Speaker Mike Johnson launched a defense …

‘Totally illegal’: Trump escalates rhetoric on outlawing political dissent and criticism  —  “This is out of the autocratic playbook.  As autocrats consolidate their power once they're in office, anything that threatens their power ... becomes illegal,” historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat said.

Machine for Fascism: The Two Stephens  —  When I saw the news that Trump is planning a rally at Madison Square Garden — as the Nazis did in 1939 — I checked the date to see whether that was before or after Steve Bannon gets out of prison.  —  Bannon is due to get out on October 29; the rally is two days earlier, on October 27.

‘Nitpicking Everything’: JD Vance Fumes as ABC News Host Calls Out Bogus Claims About Colorado City  —  NOT TODAY  —  JD Vance tried to latch onto specific words to mount his defense of Trump's attacks on a Colorado city.  Martha Raddatz wouldn't have it.

Trump suggests heckler should ‘get the hell knocked out of her’ after rally  —  The remarks were part of a dark speech at a California rally where Trump called the U.S. an “occupied country.”  —  COACHELLA, Calif- Former president Donald Trump suggested that a heckler would later get …

Johnson says hurricane aid “can wait” until after House recess … - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it has enough funds to manage recovery operations for now, though it is expected to need additional funds in the long term.  — President Biden also warned congressional leaders earlier …

About those New York Times headlines  —  Twitter, which is what I prefer to call Elon Musk's disaster, is still interesting and useful at times, despite its decay.  —  And the other day, there was a dustup there over two New York Times headlines.  One was about Kamala Harris, the other about Donald Trump.

Inside Jim Justice's alleged attendance problems — that could be a problem for a GOP Senate  —  The Senate GOP has a strong chance at winning a narrow majority next year, and a frequently absent Republican could be a liability.  —  Jim Justice will almost certainly be West Virginia's next senator.

Tensions rise between Harris and Biden teams as election nears … - “They're too much in their feelings,” one close Harris ally said of the president's team — a sentiment shared even by some White House aides. … - Biden gave an impromptu press conference in the White House briefing room Friday …

Trump Plans to Appoint Musk as ‘Secretary of Cost-Cutting’  —  “I'm going to have Elon Musk — he is dying to do this... We'll have a new position: secretary of cost-cutting, OK?  Elon wants to do that,” the former president said  —  Elon Musk, the unhinged billionaire who many believe ruined Twitter …

Donald Trump's Niece Says He Is Now ‘Owned’ by Elon Musk  —  'DEVIL'S BARGAIN'  —  Mary Trump described the Tesla CEO, who also owns X, formerly Twitter, as “the world's richest fascist” and a “South African jumping bean.”  —  Donald Trump is now “owned” by MAGA super-fan Elon Musk …

Vance doesn't say where patients will get care if Planned Parenthood is defunded  —  Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), former President Trump's running mate, on Sunday didn't say where patients would go for health screenings, check-ups and more if Planned Parenthood is defunded.

Trump tested the limits on using the military at home.  If elected again, he plans to go further  —  During his first term as president, Donald Trump tested the limits of how he could use the military to achieve policy goals.  If given a second term, the Republican and his allies are preparing …

Netanyahu mulls plan to empty northern Gaza of civilians and cut off aid to those left inside  —  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is examining a plan to seal off humanitarian aid to northern Gaza in an attempt to starve out Hamas militants, a plan that, if implemented …

America First Policy Institute, a group advising Trump, says its systems were breached  —  A group helping to lay the groundwork for a future Donald Trump administration said its computer systems were breached, marking the second known instance that people supporting the former president have been the target of a cyberattack.