Elon Musk's Secret Conversations With Vladimir Putin  —  Regular contacts between world's richest man and America's chief antagonist raise security concerns; topics include geopolitics, business and personal matters  —  Elon Musk, the world's richest man and a linchpin of U.S. space efforts …

Ex-Trump aides emerge to back Kelly's harsh warnings  —  The letter from former White House officials comes as Harris is leaning into her closing argument that Trump is a threat to democracy.  —  More than a dozen former Trump administration officials on Friday came out in support of former chief …

Harris and Trump Deadlocked to the End, Final Times/Siena National Poll Finds  —  The electorate has rarely seemed so evenly divided.  The latest New York Times/Siena College poll found Harris and Trump tied 48 to 48.  —  Kamala Harris and Donald J. Trump are locked in a dead heat for the popular vote …

Elon Musk dropped eight figures to help GOP retake Senate  —  Tech CEO Elon Musk dropped major money to help Republicans take back the Senate this month.  Musk gave $10 million to the Mitch McConnell-linked Senate Leadership Fund on Oct 1., according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.

Trump has been accused of sexual assault again.  It matters.  —  🌅 This special, five-edition week of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  If you aren't one already, please sign up to support our independent journalism.🌄  —  ✍️ Subscribe to Public Notice ✍️

Phoenix police ID suspect in arson of USPS mailbox that damaged ballots  —  PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A suspect has reportedly been taken into custody in connection with a fire in a United States Postal Service Collection Box in Phoenix overnight, which damaged over a dozen ballots inside.

Harris continued to heavily outraise and outspend Trump in early October  —  Kamala Harris is flush with cash for the final sprint of the presidential campaign, while Donald Trump continues to lag behind.  Harris' campaign reported $97 million raised in the first half of October …

Bluesky Announces Series A to Grow Network of 13M+ Users  —  Bluesky now exceeds 13 million users, the AT Protocol developer ecosystem continues to grow, and we've shipped highly requested features like direct messages and video.  We're excited to announce that we've raised a $15 million Series …

Exclusive: Europe seeks to underpin Russia sanctions, fearing Trump overhaul  —  European diplomats are preparing to underpin sanctions on Russia anticipating that a return of former U.S. president Donald Trump could undermine Western efforts to isolate Moscow, sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters.

Exclusive: Democratic lawmakers request probe into Trump son-in-law after Reuters Saudi report  —  The Democratic chair of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and a prominent Democratic congressman asked the U.S. attorney general on Thursday to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Jared Kushner …

The Election Is Happening Too Soon  —  I had hoped this election would be a moment of national renewal.  I had hoped that the Democrats could decisively defeat MAGA populism and send us down a new national path.  —  That's clearly not going to happen.  No matter who wins this election …

How Trump Could Bankrupt Social Security  —  Remember when George W. Bush tried to privatize Social Security?  I was very involved in that debate, and one thing I learned was that well-off Americans, who typically have substantial sums stowed away in their 401(k)s and have other assets besides …

Montana Senate candidate says he was ‘medically discharged’ from the Navy.  Records say otherwise.  —  The disclosure comes as Tim Sheehy was already facing scrutiny for questionable claims he has made about his military career.  —  Tim Sheehy, a former Navy SEAL running for the Senate in Montana …

CDC recommends second COVID vaccine dose for those 65 and older  —  Immunocompromised adults or those who are older than 65 should get a second dose of the latest COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially recommended.  —  The CDC on Wednesday adopted …

Did the ‘L.A. Times’ and other news outlets pull punches to appease Trump?  —  Recent episodes involving major U.S. news organizations have stoked fears that outlets are preemptively self-censoring coverage that could offend former President Donald Trump, who remains neck-and-neck in the polls …

County judge strikes down Ohio abortion ban, citing voter-approved reproductive rights amendment  —  The most far-reaching of Ohio's laws restricting abortion was struck down on Thursday by a county judge who said last year's voter-approved amendment enshrining reproductive rights renders the so-called heartbeat law unconstitutional.

Trump Blew Off Disaster Relief Requests From Washington, Other States  —  Politico identified four new instances in which the former president withheld or delayed aid to states headed by Trump-critical governors  —  Donald Trump refused a request for federal disaster relief funds from Washington …

People in Washington Are Fleeing Town for Election Day  —  In an age of anxiety, election day is a good time to get out of Dodge.  —  Kate Brown moved to Washington for politics.  But on election week, she's leaving town for the same reason.  —  “I just want to get the eff out of dodge,” Brown told me recently.

Harris Struggles to Distinguish Candidacy From Biden  —  Majority of voters say Democratic presidential candidate would largely continue the unpopular incumbent's approach and policies  —  WASHINGTON—Vice President Kamala Harris has presented herself as the candidate who will help the nation …