Special master to Trump's lawyers: 'You can't have your cake and eat it'  —  NEW YORK — The senior federal judge tasked with reviewing the materials seized by the FBI from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate sharply questioned the former president's attorneys Tuesday during their first hearing in his courtroom.

AJC poll gives Republicans the edge in most races  —  The latest Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll paints a bleak picture for Georgia Democrats in November, with every statewide candidate aside from U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock facing a sizable deficit less than two months before the election.

Video appears to undercut Trump elector's account of alleged voting-data breach in Georgia  —  On Jan. 7, 2021, a group of forensics experts working for lawyers allied with President Donald Trump spent eight hours at a county elections office in southern Georgia, copying sensitive software and data from its voting machines.

Scoop: McConnell-aligned super PAC pulls out of Arizona  —  The Mitch McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund is canceling $9.6 million in television ads for the Arizona Senate race, confident that other outside conservative groups will make up much of the difference for Republican nominee Blake Masters.

Indictments Accuse 44 in Minnesota of Brazen Pandemic Aid Fraud  —  The Justice Department said the defendants had stolen $240 million intended to feed children, in what appears to be the largest theft so far from a pandemic-era program.  —  MINNEAPOLIS — The Justice Department said on Tuesday …

Russian-occupied Donbas region to hold referenda on annexation  —  Russian-occupied territories in eastern Ukraine announced referenda on whether to join the Russian Federation.  —  Russian separatists have fought in the Donbas region, which consists of the self-identified Luhansk People's Republic …

Cheney: On Jan. 6, fellow House member objecting to election called Trump ‘the orange Jesus’  —  WASHINGTON - Rep. Liz Cheney said Monday that a fellow House member called former President Donald Trump “the orange Jesus” on Jan. 6, 2021, as Republicans gathered objections to 2020 election results.

Texas Sheriff Getting Threats After Saying He'd Investigate DeSantis for Migrant Plane Stunt  —  After the Florida governor sent dozens of people seeking asylum from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, a local sheriff says he believes laws were broken.  —  PB  —  A Texas sheriff announced Monday …

Conspiracy Theorists Want to Run America's Elections.  These Are the Candidates Standing in Their Way  —  Nobody recognizes Adrian Fontes when he walks into a Phoenix lunch spot near his office.  The former recorder of Maricopa County looks like any other Arizona dad: a neat beard …

Man admits to killing teen after political dispute in Foster Co., court docs allege  —  MCHENRY, N.D. (Valley News Live) - A community is mourning the loss of an 18-year-old man from Grace City, North Dakota, as investigators look into what led up to a deadly crash.

The Jews of the Jews … On September 11, the New York Times published a 6,900-word exposé of New York State's Hasidic yeshivas under the title “In Hasidic Enclaves, Failing Private Schools Flush with Public Money.”  According to the Times, the state's 100-plus Hasidic boys' schools fail …

‘Crime Is a Construct’: My Morning With the Park Slope Panthers  —  In the last couple of months in Park Slope—the baby bjorn-wearing capital of bourgeois-bohemian New York—a thief absconded with $200,000 worth of jewelry in a smash and grab, three boys stole a bunch of iPhones off of subway riders …

Bret Baier wanted to rescind Fox News' decision to call Arizona for Biden in 2020 and wrote in an email, ‘The Trump campaign was really pissed,’ book says  — Fox News anchor Bret Baier “was ready to give into” pressure from Trump after the network said he lost Arizona, new book says.

Space Force reveals official song: “Semper Supra”  —  ARLINGTON, Va — ARLINGTON, Va. - Every branch of the armed forces has an official song, from “The Army Goes Rolling Along” to “The Marines' Hymn.”  Each song is part of the services' foundation and represents its values, traditions and culture.

Legal Challenges to Student Debt Forgiveness Loom Before Midterms  —  GOP lawmakers and conservative groups are laying the groundwork for court battles to block Biden's executive action  —  Midterms 2022: Where Republicans and Democrats Stand on the Issues  —  Created with sketchtool.

Doctors say Graham abortion ban would force women to have transvaginal ultrasounds  —  WASHINGTON — Sen. Lindsey Graham's national 15-week abortion ban would likely force many women to undergo invasive transvaginal ultrasounds before terminating pregnancies, according to doctors.

Liberal Host Sunny Hostin (Real Name Asunción) Smears Nikki Haley (Real Name Nikki) as Racial ‘Chameleon’  —  Haley fires back at ‘racist’ comments, slams 'the left's hypocrisy towards conservative minorities'  —  Asunción “Sunny” Hostin on Tuesday smeared former governor Nikki Haley …

New Trump tome ‘The Divider’ offers most comprehensive chronicle of his term to date  —  The Divider is the latest in what has become a procession of books about the Trump presidency, but there are reasons to think it arrives right on time.  —  Even after several Cabinet-level advisers …

New York Mag's Hunter Biden laptop cover story puts proper focus on story that matters  —  I don't want to assume the political affiliations of New York Magazine readers, but I'd have to guess most who received their copy of the print issue this week voted for Joe Biden in 2020.