American Mercenaries Were Hired To Assassinate Politicians In The Middle East  —  “There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen.  I was running it.  We did it.”  —  Cradling an AK-47 and sucking a lollipop, the former American Green Beret bumped along in the back of an armored SUV …

Trump has it ‘totally and completely backwards’ on Saudi arms sales  —  When President Trump argues that the United States can't halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia over the Saudis' alleged murder of journalist and Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, he's giving up a key piece of leverage over Riyadh for no reason at all.

Trump calls Stormy Daniels ‘Horseface’  —  President Trump on Tuesday called adult-film star Stormy Daniels “Horseface” and threatened to “go after” her after he won a court victory over his alleged mistress.  —  “'Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials lawsuit versus Trump.

Heitkamp apologizes for ad misidentifying victims of abuse  —  BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Sen. Heidi Heitkamp apologized Tuesday for misidentifying victims of domestic violence, sexual abuse and rape who were listed in a recent North Dakota newspaper ad aimed at her opponent.

Chats Show FIU Turning Point USA Members Sharing Racist Memes and Rape Jokes … Back in 2017, New Times obtained screenshots of gross chats among Florida International University's Campus Republicans.  They joked about the Charlottesville neo-Nazi attack last year and threatened to “call ICE” …

Republicans Are Adopting the Proud Boys  —  Before and after the Manhattan brawl, GOP figures defended and promoted the far-right group.  It's a valuable and dangerous bridge between fascism and mainstream politics.  —  Nine members of the far-right Proud Boys group and three protesters …

Don't expect a big Democratic wave this fall, a new CNBC poll says  — The poll of 800 Americans across the country, with a margin of error of 3.5 percent, found a six-point Democratic lead on the question of who voters will choose in the November congressional elections.

Julián Castro Gives His Clearest Signal Yet He's Running in 2020  —  The Texas Democrat talks about why Latinos aren't fired up this year, how the Democratic Party must change and his own political future  —  WASHINGTON — Julián Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and secretary …

CNN poll: Cruz leads O'Rourke with three weeks to go  —  New ad questions Ted Cruz's Texas ‘toughness’  —  Washington (CNN)Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz appears well-positioned for re-election over his Democratic challenger Rep. Beto O'Rourke, topping him 52% to 45% among likely voters, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds.

Top Democratic Super PAC Comes To Bob Menendez's Rescue In New Jersey  —  Senate Majority PAC is spending $3 million to attack Republican Bob Hugin as a Trump clone.  —  The Senate Democrats' leading super PAC is set to spend $3 million in bright blue New Jersey in an effort to save Sen. Bob Menendez …

Obituary: Madelyn Linsenmeir, 1988-2018  —  Our beloved Madelyn Ellen Linsenmeir died on Sunday, October 7.  While her death was unexpected, Madelyn suffered from drug addiction, and for years we feared her addiction would claim her life.  We are grateful that when she died, she was safe and she was with her family.

Democrats Fear Obama Is Going Soft for the Midterms  —  The former president's allies say his distance has been strategic and that he will ramp up his presence as voting nears.  But some alums wonder if that plan is wise.  —  With just three weeks to go before one of most critical midterm elections …

Saudi Backlash Threatens U.S. Startups  —  The kingdom is now the largest single investor for U.S. startups, with stakes in Uber, WeWork and Magic Leap  —  As international backlash grows over Saudi Arabia's alleged involvement in the possible murder of a journalist, Silicon Valley faces …

Suburban Women Are Fed Up With The Republican Party And Could Drive A Blue Wave  —  If there's a Democratic sweep in November, politically moderate suburban women will be a big reason why.  “Now I'm Democratic,” said one Michigan woman.  “I've never been before.”

Trump's Attacks on the Press Are Illegal.  We're Suing.  —  A coalition of free-press advocates is taking on the president.  —  President Donald J. Trump's frequent threats and hostile acts directed toward journalists and the media are not only offensive and unbecoming of a democratic leader; they are also illegal.

McConnell Blames Entitlements, Not GOP, for Rising Deficits  — Leader sees little chance of tackling debt without Democrats  — GOP passed tax cut bill adding more than $1 trillion in debt  —  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday blamed rising federal deficits and debt …

We're staying silent out of fear  —  Most ordinary people found it unbearable to live under communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.  The reasons varied: shortages of consumer goods, incessant propaganda, restrictions on travel.  —  Nothing was more psychologically exhausting …

Ecuador Reprimands Assange: Don't Get Political Online And Take Care Of Your Cat  —  The Ecuadorian government has had it up to here with Julian Assange.  —  The government has laid out strict house rules for Assange to follow or risk losing his diplomatic asylum, according to a Tuesday Guardian report.

Alumni and faculty call on St. Lawrence University to rescind Susan Collins' honorary degree  —  Alumni and faculty at the alma mater of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, are calling on university officials to rescind an honorary degree awarded to her as punishment for voting to confirm Supreme …

Is It Possible to Be an Anti-Abortion Democrat?  One Woman Tried to Find Out.  —  ST. LOUIS — Joan Barry has been a member of the Missouri Democratic Party for 53 years.  As a state legislator, she voted regularly for workers' rights, health care, and programs for the poor.

Tucker Carlson Says He Can't Go to Restaurants Anymore  —  “Having someone scream, ‘F— you!’ at a restaurant, it just wrecks your meal,” he said on a podcast.  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he's “not a restaurant guy anymore” because of the way he's treated when he dines out in Washington, D.C.

Charlottesville's Other Jim Crow Legacy: Separate and Unequal Education  —  CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — High school seniors Zyahna Bryant and Trinity Hughes have been friends since they were 6 years old, raised by blue-collar families in this affluent college town.

Race by race: Here's the Democrats' path to a House majority in November  —  First Read is your briefing from “Meet the Press” and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.  —  WASHINGTON — Exactly three weeks out until Election Day 2018 …

Treasury Sanctions Vast Financial Network Supporting Iranian Paramilitary Force That Recruits and Trains Child Soldiers  —  WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) took action today against a vast network of businesses providing financial support …

Big advertisers still shunning Ingraham's Fox News show months after boycotts  —  'They're kind of forced off, whether they want to be or not,' one Fox executive said.  —  Laura Ingraham's ratings are surging, but big advertisers are still steering clear of her show months after a series …

Confronting Iran  —  The end of the Cold War forced new thinking among policymakers and analysts about the greatest challenges to U.S. national security.  The emergence of al Qaeda, cybercriminals, and other dangerous entities affirmed the threat of nonstate actors.

“People just can't know that.”  MO Sen. McCaskill Hides Agenda Including “semi-automatic rifle ban” from Moderate Voters, Staffers Reveal in Undercover Video it “could hurt her ability to get elected.”  —  [This post contains video, click to play]  —  Senator McCaskill on Tape: “Of course!”

Ex-Trump Aide Jason Miller Hires Hulk Hogan's Lawyers to Sue Gizmodo Over Abortion Pill Story  —  In the latest twist in his battle with ex-lover A.J. Delgado, Miller has hired the same lawyers who helped Hulk Hogan take down Gawker.  —  Former Trump aide Jason Miller sued Gizmodo Media Group …

Federal Deficit Jumps 17 Percent As Tax Cuts Eat Into Government Revenue  —  The federal deficit ballooned to $779 billion in the just-ended fiscal year — a remarkable tide of red ink for a country not mired in recession or war.  —  The government is expected to borrow a trillion dollars …