Facing an electoral wipeout, Trump goes after the system  —  President Donald Trump is escalating his crusade to exert control of America's elections as his party barrels towards a potentially bruising midterm.  —  The Justice Department has already filed lawsuits in nearly every state to try and gain access to voter files.

White House Is Weighing Mass Pardons for Junior Staff  —  White House attorneys are evaluating whether to issue mass pardons to junior staffers, as Trump allies press the administration to protect lower-ranked officials from prosecution and other legal challenges, according to two sources familiar with the conversations.

How Trump Gave the Worst Polluters a Free Pass  —  The president temporarily waived clean-air rules for industrial facilities that spew cancer-causing gases.  Then his appointees worked to gut the regulations altogether.  —  Within sight of a southeast Texas middle school stands a chemical plant …

In U.S. Gas Talks With Kremlin, Hidden Financing for Alaska Project Emerges  —  Interviews and documents show a Russian energy giant secretly funded a U.S. firm.  The deal has been discussed in talks to end the war in Ukraine.  —  At first blush, the proposed venture looks like it would further …

Justice Dept. Demands That California Counties Help Identify Noncitizen Voters  —  Election officials across the state received letters from the agency saying if they fail to comply, they “risk significant federal scrutiny.”  —  The Department of Justice sent letters on Friday …

Scoop: U.S. intel memo warns of “advanced” Iranian plots to kill officials abroad  —  U.S. intelligence finds Iran has “substantially increased” its efforts to target American diplomats and officials in the Middle East and beyond, with lethal plots reaching “advanced stages,” …

Grift Becomes Bigger Issue for Voters in Final Days Before Midterms  —  Democrats have spent $182 million this year highlighting corruption as an issue in House and Senate races  —  WASHINGTON—President Trump walked out of the White House on Thursday afternoon and delivered a warning to his political allies.

Woman in ad who said a Democrat endangers kids pleaded guilty to endangering kids  —  Shellie Flockhart, who called Iowa Democratic House candidate Sarah Trone Garriott “dangerous” for kids, pleaded guilty after authorities said she drove drunk with her children in the car in 2017.  —  SummaryLoading...

Britt McHenry resigns from State Department job after basketball game altercation  —  The former ESPN reporter was appointed as a press adviser last month.  —  In this Sept. 8, 2015, file photo, ESPN television reporter Britt McHenry smiles before a baseball game between the Washington Nationals …

How the Most Ruthless Ad of the Midterms Divided Republicans  —  The fallout from Vivek Ramaswamy's brutal spot targeting his Democratic rival in the Ohio governor's race showed that even in the Trump era, a political attack can be seen as going too far.  —  The most explosive advertisement …

In defense of empathy  —  Public Notice is proudly celebrating five years of independent journalism.  This special Saturday edition is possible thanks for paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🙏 Subscribe to PN 🙏  —  Empathy is one of those things that really shouldn't need defending.

Troy Jackson's Closing Argument: ‘A Vote For Susan Collins Is A Vote For Trump’  —  The ad comes as the race between Jackson and Collins remains razor-tight.  —  A new ad from Troy Jackson's campaign in Maine's high-profile and heavily-contested battle with GOP Sen. Susan Collins focuses …

Hillary Clinton thinks we should have 13 Supreme Court justices.  Here's why that matters.  —  Hillary Clinton may no longer be the most influential voice in the Democratic Party, but she remains a member in good standing of the party establishment.  So when she expresses support for expanding …

Trump joins Hannity-Earhardt wedding rehearsal dinner at Mar-a-Lago  —  Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt held their wedding rehearsal dinner on Friday evening at President Trump's Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Fla.  —  Both Trump and first lady Melania Trump were in attendance …

Dem infighting erupts over which candidates to fund in midterms homestretch  —  Democrats have more midterm targets than they can afford to tackle — and they are sparring over where to spend the limited cash they have.  —  The party's progressive and establishment wings are squabbling …

Fire devastates the Eagle's Nest retreat built for Hitler in Germany.  A person is detained  —  The retreat known as the Eagle's Nest built for Adolf Hitler in the Bavarian Alps was almost completely destroyed in a fire, and work to extinguish the blaze was still in progress Saturday, authorities said.

Live: Police say 110,000 turn out for ‘calm’ Paris protest, reports of clashes in other cities  —  French police reported at least 110,000 rallied peacefully in the French capital on Saturday while clashes erupted in Lyon, Lille, Toulouse and Nantes, where tear gas was fired at protesters.

The signs for El-Sayed in Detroit — and the lack of them — are setting off alarm bells  —  Sixteen days before Election Day, Abdul El-Sayed is sitting at the dinette of a bus that has his face plastered all over it.  —  I had just played him a clip on my iPad.

Netanyahu Has Reinvented Himself.  Will Voters Think It's Enough?  —  The Oct. 7 attacks marred Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's image as Mr. Security.  Ahead of elections, he's trying to sell Israelis on the new, hawkish version of himself.  —  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu …

Trump is pushing a massive AI buildout.  His own voters are wary of what comes with it … President Donald Trump has cast America's artificial intelligence race with China as a national-security imperative, pushing faster development of the technology and an immense buildout of the data centers …