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.

Trump Prepares for Iran Escalation After US, Israeli Elections  —  A Middle East war that President Donald Trump said would be over in a matter of weeks now looks set to escalate as it enters its eighth month.  —  Trump has repeatedly hinted that his forces in the Mideast would resume strikes …

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 …

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...

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

This US House district was once a political battleground.  Now it shows why Congress is dysfunctional  —  In 2022, Democrat Wiley Nickel ran as a moderate and narrowly won North Carolina's 13th Congressional District by about 9,000 votes.  Two years later, the current congressman …