Exclusive: Paxton privately blames woes on Iran war, gas prices  —  Texas Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton privately lamented the impact of the Iran war and gas prices on his campaign in a meeting last month, telling a group of donors and lobbyists, “I don't make the decisions,” according to audio obtained by Axios.

Transcript: Trump Spirals Into Fury as GOP Pollsters Deliver Bad News  —  The following is a lightly edited transcript of the October 7 episode of the Daily Blast podcast.  Listen to it here.  —  Greg Sargent: This is The Daily Blast from The New Republic, produced and presented by the DSR Network.

WHO seeks clarity on second pneumonia case in Russia amid plague fears  —  Donald Trump will speak with Vladimir Putin about the situation after the U.S. urged Russia to share more information following the death of a lab worker.  —  The World Health Organization is looking into reports …

Trump sons' investments have won billions in Pentagon contracts since his election  —  The contract for a new plant in Baltimore is the latest linked to the brothers.  —  President Donald Trump and his sons Eric Trump, back left, and Donald Trump Jr., back, second right, and granddaughter Chole Trump …

Trump wants to turn his West Palm Beach golf club into the new Camp David  —  The plan calls for the federal government to be granted part of the property, with the rest maintained as a private course.  —  SummaryLoading...  Much of President Donald Trump's second term has focused on changes to the nation's capital.

ICE probed hundreds of voter registration groups across the U.S.  —  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over the past year investigated hundreds of nonprofits across the U.S. that help people register to vote, according to new records analyzed by Democracy Docket.

Congressional candidate is raped while repairing her campaign signs  —  Embarrassed, she initially didn't want to report attack.  Maricopa County Sheriff's Office's investigation is ongoing.  —  Add New Times  —  as a preferred source on Google  —  It was just after 2 a.m …

Fox News at 30: Even the pretense of impartiality is all but gone  —  Fox News' role as a Republican propaganda machine is clear to anyone who has bothered to peruse its programming — President Donald Trump knows it, Fox co-founder Rupert Murdoch knows it, disgraced network co-founder Roger Ailes knew it …

Trump threatens to ‘terminate’ top campaign advisers after revelation of work for pro-Russia Bosnia party  —  WASHINGTON — President Trump threatened Wednesday to “terminate” two key advisers after they were revealed to have raked in “hundreds of thousands of dollars each” …

Republicans Want to Flip the Script on Health Care  —  Back in the summer, physician and former Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup and Trump-aligned pollster John McLaughlin offered coaching to House Republicans on how to talk about health care: Lean in.  —  Republican strategists say the party …

Billionaires Love This School Policy.  Many Regular Parents Hate It.  —  “I've been voting Republican my whole life.  I'm super conservative,” Pine Tree superintendent Steve Clugston tells the camera in an Instagram reel.  “I'm gonna tell you what, when Greg Abbott sold us out to the billionaires …

Wells Fargo Faces Regulator Probe Over Efforts to Boost Black Homeownership  —  Trump's Housing and Urban Development seeks to crack down on race-based lending, calling it a potential violation of Fair Housing Act  —  Trump administration housing officials are launching an investigation …

Democrats push back on Trump administration's ‘brazen’ attempt to roll back education standards  —  They're calling on HHS Secretary Kennedy to stop proposed changes to Head Start.  —  Stock image of children at pre-school.  —  Democrats are urging Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr …

Vance to sit for CBS town hall in Michigan ahead of midterms  —  Vice President JD Vance will take questions from Michigan voters in a CBS News town hall airing Oct. 17 as the Trump administration prepares a closing message to voters ahead of the midterms.  The town hall comes amid a blitz …

Maryland voters skeptical of Democrats' redistricting amendment, polls show  —  Maryland Democrats scored a win last month when the state's Supreme Court allowed a constitutional amendment on redistricting to appear on the November ballot.  —  But the victory might be short-lived.

Eva Marie Saint, Oscar Winner for ‘On the Waterfront,’ Is Dead at 102  —  A luminous beauty with dramatic depth, she brought a layered intensity to harrowing roles and seduced Cary Grant in the romantic thriller “North by Northwest.”  —  Eva Marie Saint, who won an Academy Award in 1955 …

No Emergency Exception: The Ban on Troops at the Polls Was Built for Crises  —  With the mid-term elections approaching, questions have arisen over whether the Trump administration might attempt to station federal troops at polling places.  As the Brennan Center and many others have pointed out …

Amid 2028 buzz, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore doesn't commit to full second term  —  Moore is widely expected to run for president in 2028.  But the Democrat must get reelected first.  —  Loading...  In the lone debate of his reelection campaign, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's toughest question was about his own future.

ICE came to town and left behind weakened economies … MINNEAPOLIS — Operation Metro Surge has been over for months.  The same can't be said for the crisis facing Daniel Hernandez's Colonial Market grocery stores.  —  After Hernandez's parking lot became a well-known hangout spot …

Inside Bessent's Treasury: Tension, Turnover and Unmet Economic Goals  —  Ahead of midterms that could turn on high prices and borrowing costs, secretary dresses down officials  —  WASHINGTON—Scott Bessent was fuming.  —  President Trump had just asked his Treasury secretary …

Key Fuel Savings Measure Touted by White House Is Fraying  —  Cargoes of American-made fuel and crude to parts of the country that badly need them have dropped in recent weeks after the White House pared back a waiver of longstanding shipping requirements, raising the risk of even higher pump prices while frustrating oil traders.

Donald Trump Is Buying Votes at $500 a Pop  —  He's calling it an Obamacare “refund,” but it's nothing of the sort.  —  October Surprise: 30% OFF Bulwark+ for a year.  Upgrade now.  —  DONALD TRUMP IS HAVING the federal government send checks to millions of Americans …

Could Democrats Win the Texas Governor's Race?  The Party Is Starting to Spend There.  —  Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois and the Democratic Governors Association are each sending $1 million to back Gina Hinojosa in a bid for Texas governor that appears increasingly competitive.

Alabama Makes State Workers Say ‘Gulf of America.’ Colleges Aren't Spared.  —  Republican lawmakers say faculty can only call it the Gulf of Mexico for “historical purposes” in academic courses.  Journalists are constrained by the restriction, too.  —  Alabama's Gulf of America Act took effect …

From Iran to the U.K., Trump Is Being Forced Into Retreat  —  A war that was intended to demonstrate the reach of American power has now done the opposite.  It is a lesson in unintended consequences.  —  To hear President Trump and his aides describe it, the rush to withdraw 12 B-1 bombers …

‘Use your majority’: In the unlikely event of a Supreme Court vacancy, Republicans are ready to act  —  Senate Republicans are unlikely to get a Supreme Court vacancy this year.  They're privately prepared for one, just in case.  —  A Democratic midterm triumph would carry massive implications …

Carpetbagger allegation, misplaced valor make Nevada's safe red House seat competitive  —  RENO, Nev. — The race for Nevada's 2nd Congressional District shouldn't be competitive, just based on history and math.  But the Republican Party's nominee, David Flippo, is facing …