Facing Backlash, Trump Says His Super PAC Will Pay for Taxpayer-Funded Ads  —  The president said that his PAC, MAGA, Inc., would pay for TV ads promoting him which had been paid for with taxpayer money.  —  President Trump reversed course on Monday and announced that his super PAC would now pay …

Outgoing Sen. Tillis regrets pivotal vote for Hegseth: 'He's an actor.  He's not a manager'  —  Tillis, who voted to confirm Hegseth last year, said the defense secretary has “not demonstrat[ed] any knowledge of the Department of Defense.”  —  Outgoing Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. …

Russian lab worker dies of suspected plague as 200 enter medical observation  —  The female staffer at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute of Siberia and the Far East died from a “pneumonia of undetermined” origin last week, according to a regional governor.

White House blocks Politico from Air Force One amid press access lawsuit  —  The White House is refusing to allow Politico on Air Force One on Monday, which means the news organization cannot fulfill its press corps pool responsibilities.  —  A Politico spokesperson confirmed that the publication …

Trump reportedly eyes easing access to tax-exempt diesel  —  President Trump is reportedly poised to suspend restrictions on a type of diesel fuel that is currently exempt from taxes in a move intended to deliver temporary pricing relief. … - That's down from the all-time high of $6.53 set on Sept. 22 but up 71% from a year earlier.

Megyn Kelly on Cornell's Jane Doe: “I'm just going to be honest, she's not the most attractive gal.  She's extremely beefy in her arms and her legs.”  —  Kelly: Jane Doe “liked the feeling of being sexy and desired and wanted, ... and that's why she kept saying yes”

Texas Pediatricians Face Paxton Investigations for Vaccinating Children  —  Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general and Republican Senate candidate, has alleged a sprawling profit-driven conspiracy.  Pediatricians say the accusations are an attempt at intimidation.

Karoline Leavitt, Trump's ‘Machine Gun,’ Has a New Gig at Fox News  —  A fierce and nimble speaker, Ms. Leavitt is the second of Mr. Trump's former press secretaries to join the cable news network.  —  President Trump recruited a fleet of Fox News personalities for his second administration …

Trump uses anti-trans slur against Democratic Senate candidate in South Carolina  —  Annie Andrews is a physician running against Sen. Darline Graham.

Trump approves firing squad execution for Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan  —  President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan for the 2009 shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas.  —  The U.S. military has not carried out the death penalty since 1961.

Palm Beach GOP endorses candidate accused of child sex abuse  —  Suspended Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts Mike Caruso said he still “intend[s] to win” the November election and has not abandoned his campaign — nor has the local Republican Party abandoned him — even after his August arrest on allegations he molested a small child.

Trump calls for media outlets to be ‘arrested’ over rally coverage  —  President Trump said Monday that reporters from The New York Times and other media outlets should be “arrested” over their coverage of his Saturday rally in Ohio.  —  “The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim …

Disgraced former House Speaker Dennis Hastert dies at 84  —  The Illinois Republican, the longest-serving GOP speaker in U.S. history, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after leaving Congress for scheming to cover up child molestation accusations.  —  Former Rep. Dennis Hastert …

John Thune says ‘no clear path forward’ for clock-change bill  —  LE SUEUR, Minnesota — Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday there is no “consensus” yet on advancing a bill establishing permanent daylight saving time even as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Republicans to pass it.

Some Democrats don't expect to fill a Supreme Court vacancy under Trump  —  Democrats need a net gain of four seats to capture the Senate.  If so, they'd control what happens in a vacancy, as Justice Samuel Alito admits he's thought about retirement.  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader …

“You Kidnapped My Son”  —  For several days this spring, trapped inside a Texas immigration detention center, Luis made frantic phone calls, one after the other, to everyone he could think of.  —  Could anyone help him find his 11-year-old son?  —  He'd last seen Andrés …

Job numbers make clear that Trump has a reality problem, not a public relations problem  —  To date, the White House hasn't even tried to explain why the job market worsened after the president's second term began.  —  With public opinion polls showing broad public dissatisfaction with the economy …

A Democratic Senate Should Adopt Secret Impeachment Ballots on a Priority Basis  —  Such a change, requiring no constitutional amendment, would free senators to vote their judgment instead of their fears  —  At the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, James Madison was determined to persuade …

Supreme Court Wrestles With Future of Climate Change Cases  —  The justices asked questions about whether local governments can hold fossil fuel companies responsible for climate disasters.  — Copy  —  The Supreme Court grappled Monday over the future of state lawsuits seeking …

CIA Report Warns Israel Could Head Toward Civil War, Total Collapse  —  As a reader-funded independent news outlet, we operate free from the influence of governments, advertisers, and corporate backers.  This is essential to our mission: to report on what matters most, beholden only to the truth.

Bermuda mother and son named as passengers on missing medical plane off Nantucket  —  A mother from Bermuda and her son have been identified as two of the six people aboard an air ambulance that went missing in the waters off Nantucket, Massachusetts, over the weekend.

RFK Is Gloating That His Changes to HHS Are Permanent  —  “Even if I got hit by a truck tonight, HHS will never go back to what it was.”  —  In remarks delivered before a MAHA audience at the Waldorf Astoria in D.C. last week, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. proclaimed …

Appeals court weighs judge's authority to restore Trump administration funding cuts to Harvard  —  A federal appeals court heard opposing arguments Monday over whether a judge had the authority to restore billions of dollars in funding that the Trump administration cut from Harvard University.

Trump's economic tightrope messaging of strong economy, high prices  —  President Trump's economic officials acknowledge that a strong economy alone will not persuade Americans that they are better off under this president. … - It is a high-wire messaging act just weeks before the midterms …

The Doomsday Scenario  —  Even if Democrats crush the midterms, we're in a world of trouble.  —  1. Blue Tsunami?  —  I am bullish on the prospects of Democrats winning the Senate.  One month out, I'd say the rough outcome distribution looks something like this:  —  Can we agree on that?

Biden-Era Memo on Covid and Schools Set Off Dispute in Justice Dept.  —  The Trump administration released a report showing career officials had objected to the 2021 memo as evidence that the policy was biased against conservatives.  But in an ironic twist, the administration has forced out many of the objectors.

DOJ moves to revoke U.S. citizenship for 40 foreign-born Americans  —  The people are accused of lying or omitting facts about their criminal histories on their applications to become U.S. citizens, according to a draft Justice Department announcement.  —  WASHINGTON — The Justice Department …