Scoop: Senate GOP to send $5m to shore up Graham in South Carolina  —  The main super PAC supporting Republican Senate candidates plans to inject $5 million into the South Carolina campaign as an “insurance policy” to help GOP nominee Darline Graham, a source familiar with the move tells Axios.

Fury in California After Trump Suggests Iran ‘Take Out’ L.A. or San Diego  —  Gov. Gavin Newsom called the president “dangerous and deranged” after his remarks at a political rally, where Mr. Trump said the Iran war was necessary to “keep the world safe.”  —  California leaders condemned …

More Than 500 U.S. Citizens Have Been Detained, Including Handcuffed or Held at Gunpoint, in Trump's Immigration Crackdown  —  Experts have long warned that immigration dragnets and the erosion of civil rights for immigrants will inevitably result in the erosion of rights for citizens.

A private company invited Gov. Wes Moore to a Baltimore event.  Trump had him removed as a speaker.  —  President Donald Trump blocked Maryland Gov. Wes Moore from speaking at a White House event marking the unveiling of a new manufacturing investment in the Baltimore area, reigniting an ongoing partisan tiff between the leaders.

Trump won't reimburse government for controversial ads  —  The White House clarified Tuesday that President Trump will not pay back the federal government for money already spent on controversial political TV ads after he said he would start paying for the ads himself.

Olympian accused of damaging Reflecting Pool seeks probe of potential misconduct  —  Attorneys for Olympic canoeist David Hearn asked the internal watchdogs at the Justice and Interior departments on Tuesday to investigate the circumstances surrounding his arrest, indictment and the dismissal of the case …

FBI whistleblower says White House pushed unconstitutional probe of protesters  —  The former analyst says supervisors were told not to put things in writing, so many of the directives came in face-to-face meetings.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump administration pushed the FBI …

Missing details keep U.S. plague response on hold  —  Two big unknowns stand in the way of determining how serious the plague threat in Russia is and whether travel advisories, restrictions at U.S. ports of entry or other precautions are warranted.  — We still don't know which pathogen killed …

This Lawsuit Could Make Big Oil Pay for the Harm It's Caused  —  The question is whether the Supreme Court will let it.  —  Pocket  —  The Supreme Court began its new term on Monday by hearing oral arguments in Suncor Energy Inc. v. County Commissioners of Boulder County.

Alito calls same-sex marriage a ‘decisive’ turn ‘against religious liberty’ in new book  —  In a new book, the Supreme Court justice reflects on his “pet issue” of faith.  —  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, the devout Catholic conservative who has long warned of animus against religion in America …

Alito says he won't retire during lame duck session  —  Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito said he plans to stay on the court through next year, brushing aside speculation that he could retire early and let President Donald Trump fill his seat after the election but before a new Congress is sworn in next year.

Trump's Meme Coin Firm Wants You to Buy.  Insiders Are Preparing to Sell.  —  President Donald Trump's meme coin saw a brief price spike as the crypto firm behind it promoted a major perk for investors: a “gala dinner” attended by the president himself.  —  But as the company encouraged …

Cornell brings in ex-Justice official Sally Yates to review school's handling of sex assault claims  —  A former high-ranking Department of Justice official will look at how Cornell handles sexual misconduct complaints, university trustees announced Tuesday as they tried to address an outpouring …

Brendan Carr's ABC license fight meets a skeptical judge  —  A federal judge appeared skeptical Tuesday of the Federal Communications Commission's attempts to haul in ABC's eight broadcast licenses for an unprecedented early review.  —  U.S. District Judge Loren AliKhan of Washington, D.C. …

If the polls end up missing, this may have been our early warning sign  —  “Low-effort” survey respondents vote very differently than other poll-takers, and that could be biasing polls by up to 3.5 points against  —  The biennial freak-out over potential error in election polls is now in full force.

Embattled Rep. Max Miller Tests GOP Loyalty After Abuse Allegations  —  Incumbent gets lift from Republican groups' spending and says Trump is ‘incredibly supportive’  —  ASHLAND, Ohio—During the summer, GOP Rep. Max Miller's re-election hopes looked dim following domestic-violence allegations.

Jim Bakker, Television Preacher Felled by Sex and Financial Scandals, Dies at 86  —  With his wife, Tammy Faye, Mr. Bakker built a broadcasting juggernaut around the gospel of prosperity.  —  Jim Bakker, a television evangelist who lost his popular and prosperous ministry in a 1980s sex scandal …

Inside Trump's Plan to Fence Off a Historic Protest Site  —  The president's proposal to enclose a park in Washington could alter how the space has been used for generations.  —  This is Lafayette Square, where you can be within earshot and view of the president.

Paramount Closes Deal for Warner Bros. Discovery, Creating Media Behemoth  —  After a legal battle, Paramount has finally acquired Warner Bros. Discovery.  In a memo to employees, the combined company's leaders hinted at cost cuts.  —  Paramount closed its deal to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday …

Veteran conservative lawyer quits Trump's interior department and warns of ‘assault on the rule of law’  —  John Murdock had been working for the agency for 18 years and his resignation comes during an exodus of longtime federal workers and scientists  —  An 18-year veteran of the US Department …

Republicans sound alarm over hidden midterm stakes that could reshape Supreme Court for decades  —  Sen Steve Daines warns 'the Supreme Court's on the ballot'  —  Republicans are quietly warning that the true consequence of losing the Senate could be one that shapes the makeup of courts and the law for years to come.

Trump administration unveils plan to tie high birth and marriage rates to transit funding  —  Communities with high birth and marriage rates could soon gain an advantage in securing federal transit money — a long-sought goal of the Trump administration but one that a top Democratic appropriator calls “bizarre and dystopian.”

256. So Unexplained: Justice Alito's Non-Responsive Emergency Docket Defense  —  Justice Alito's new book purports to answer the Court's shadow docket critics—by rebutting a caricature and by ignoring the ways in which his own behavior has contradicted nearly every claim he makes.

Another sign of rapidly expanding political map: Pollsters can't keep up  —  Increased demand has strained call centers that conduct surveys, squeezed capacity and complicated the task of getting accurate reads on public opinion, according to pollsters.  —  SummaryLoading...

Obama returns as closer-in-chief  —  With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner  —  Good Tuesday morning.  Election Day is exactly four weeks out and — like Rep. Haley Stevens tackling her fourth hot wing — we're eager to get this over with.  Toss us a note.  —  In today's Playbook ...

Maine Republican Paul LePage Violates Federal Financial Disclosure Law  —  Paul LePage, a Republican running to represent Maine's 2nd Congressional District, is violating the Ethics in Government Act by failing to properly disclose details about his personal finances, a Washington Sun review of federal ethics documents indicates.

Sabato's Crystal Ball moves Alaska Senate race to ‘leans Democrat’  —  Sabato's Crystal Ball, an election handicapper based at the University of Virginia, has shifted its race rating for the Alaska Senate race to be more optimistic for Democrats.  —  The outlet moved the race to “Leans Democrat” …