Anthony Fauci invokes 5th Amendment right not to testify at Covid hearing, calls Sen. Rand Paul ‘unhinged’  —  The former top health official said he would invoke his 5th Amendment right not to testify to avoid the possibility that Republicans might try to prosecute him for perjury.

Iran Launches Surprise Missile Attack on U.S. Forces  —  Strikes came before the U.S. military confirmed joint attacks with Saudi forces on Iran-backed groups in Iraq  —  Iran launched a surprise ballistic-missile attack on American forces in Jordan, a U.S. official said …

Bari's New ‘60’ Slate … On Tuesday afternoon, I received an urgent tip on the encrypted-messaging app Signal: Ross Douthat, the conservative opinion columnist at The New York Times, was set to leave the newspaper and join “60 Minutes.”  Initially, I was skeptical.

‘YOLO’ Republican Senator Plays Hardball With Trump  —  John Cornyn once tried to name a highway after the president.  Now, he blocks Trump's nominees  —  WASHINGTON—Less than three months ago, John Cornyn was championing a bill to rename a highway after President Trump.

Trump overrode his own agencies to deny four Democratic disaster requests  —  President Donald Trump overruled his own agencies when he denied disaster aid for four Democratic-led states this month.  —  Emails between state and federal officials obtained by POLITICO along with more than 150 pages …

Why Do We Tolerate Elon Musk's Racist Commentary?  —  “The Turner Diaries” is a work of white supremacist agitprop.  It purports to be the diary of a neo-Nazi militant, Earl Turner, who is working to overthrow the United States government — or as the book calls it, “the System” — through a group called “the Organization.”

Trump Administration to End Medicare Drug Plan Subsidy  —  Program that held down premiums not renewed for 2027, resulting in higher costs for some seniors  —  The Trump administration plans to end a subsidy program that helped hold down premiums for Medicare drug plans …

A New Age of Missiles Reshapes Battlefields Around The World  —  The world is on the cusp of a third missile age, with conventional ballistic weapons proliferating at unprecedented speed in the wake of widespread, battlefield-warping deployment in Iran and Ukraine.

Capitol agenda: Senate launches push for Graham's final bill  —  The Senate is one step closer to achieving a top legislative priority of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham in a feat that seemed impossible a year ago.  Graham's legislation targeting Russia with expanded sanctions got …

‘Preposterous’: Comey team attacks charges over alleged threat to Trump  —  A May 2026 FBI interview with notorious mobster “Sammy the Bull.”  A text message from a disgruntled acquaintance misled by a Rudy Giuliani podcast.  An actress' late-night television routine.

CNN Poll: Americans doubt Trump is paying enough attention to the country's most important problems  —  A record-high 73% of US adults say that President Donald Trump hasn't paid enough attention to the country's most important problems, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, with just 27% saying he's had the right priorities.

Elon Musk's xAI sues Minnesota over law to ban ‘nudify’ apps … Elon Musk's xAI, now owned by SpaceX, sued Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to challenge a law that would ban so-called nudify apps in the state.  —  In their complaint, filed in a federal court in Minnesota on Monday …

A U.S. Citizen Deleted His Phone's Data.  Now He Faces a Felony Charge.  —  Federal prosecutors charged a man returning to the United States with obstruction because he gave them a passcode that erased his smartphone during a customs search.  —  It sounds like something that James Bond would use …

Republicans show indifference to Jay Clayton's inexperience, confirm Trump's DNI pick  —  The president's three most recent DNI nominees obviously fell short of the “extensive” experience standard.  GOP senators chose not to care.  —  In mid-June, after Donald Trump announced …

Todd Blanche Colluded with an Italian Mafioso ... and Also Rudy Guiliani ... to Indict Jim Comey  —  Jim Comey has filed his pretrial motions.  The memoranda and backup for each are here (Fitzgerald's affidavit is a worthwhile place to start):  — Motion to Dismiss (MTD) for lack of a true threat

The fake historian advising Trump's anti-Smithsonian crusade  —  Last Friday, President Trump released an executive order directing officials to install signs outside the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History (NMAH) informing visitors that the museum presents history inaccurately.

ICE agents target NC's Pisgah National Forest and make multiple arrests, feds say  —  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has extended its reach into North Carolina's wilderness areas to find people suspected of living in the country illegally.  —  On Sunday, multiple arrests …

Conservatives tout Biden tapes as proof of his decline.  The audio is more nuanced.  —  Audio of Joe Biden's interviews with a ghostwriter in 2016 and 2017 show him referencing classified materials and occasionally struggling to recall details.  —  Summary

Harmeet Dhillon demonstrates danger of posting through it  —  This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers.  Become one ⬇️  —  🫵 Subscribe to PN 🫵 … On October 3, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division …

Trump's Tariffs Are Sending Some Companies Back to China … Workers at factories in China and Thailand assembling and testing flashlights for sale to American customers.Videos by Lauren DeCicca and Qilai Shen  —  On a dusty piece of land south of Bangkok, a flashlight factory stands full of promise.

Domestic Abuse Allegations Rock an Ohio House Race  —  Representative Max Miller, a Republican, is facing accusations of abuse from his ex-wife in a bitter family feud that might put his otherwise safe seat in play.  —  A sordid, yearslong family drama involving two powerful Republican members …