James Talarico announces record-breaking $64M haul  —  Texas Democrat James Talarico raised a staggering $64 million this summer — the largest third-quarter haul of any Senate candidate in history.  The national Democratic darling raised more than $134.3 million since launching his campaign …

Trump's New Press Secretary: Not-Quite Attorney at Law  —  Katie Zacharia told The New York Times that the confusion over her legal credentials is the result of one big misunderstanding.  —  Is President Trump's new press secretary a lawyer — or did she just play one on TV?

The GOP's midterm lifeline: Maybe the polls are wrong  —  Republicans nervous about the midterms are increasingly turning to the same salve: The polling will be wrong.  —  They aren't suggesting Republicans will have a good night come Nov. 3 — or that the party will hold the House.

Secret documents reveal donors behind $330 million for Trump's ballroom  —  The records offer a panoramic view of a fundraising campaign that is extraordinary for its size and opacity.  —  Loading...  $2.5M  —  $25M  —  $10M  —  $5M … $1M  —  $20.3M … $7.5M … $2.5M

Russia Was Losing.  Enter President Trump.  —  It's horrible to have to type these words, but the president of the United States is throwing Vladimir Putin a lifeline.  He is turning the American government against Ukraine, funding Russia and — perhaps worst of all — playing directly into Putin's theory of victory.

Wide majority of Americans oppose livestreaming Nidal Hasan's execution: ABC/Post/Ipsos poll  —  A slim majority support the Fort Hood shooter's execution by firing squad.  —  This undated photo provided by the Bell County Sheriff's Department shows former Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan.

Ilhan Omar Investigation Aims to Build Case for Stripping Her Citizenship  —  Authorities have subpoenaed members of the Democratic congresswoman's family as part of a broader look at their immigration paperwork  —  WASHINGTON—The Trump administration's investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar …

Bonus 257: Hard Questions About Court Expansion  —  Those who maintain that any Supreme Court reform *must* include Court expansion should have to answer some difficult questions about the precedent it would set and the effects it would produce.  —  ∙ Paid

Nasty email fight between 2 top Trump appointees spills into the open  —  Two top appointees of President Donald Trump, including the deputy secretary of State, have been embroiled in a monthslong fight that include accusations of leaks to the media and “bizarre” threats of defamation …

Trump disputes CPI data, says “we don't have inflation” at latest rally  —  President Trump's midterm campaign blitz landed him in Arizona and Montana on Wednesday, where he disputed increased inflation numbers despite the monthly CPI report from earlier that day indicating a near 4% jump from this time last year.

Ahead of the midterms, most voters cite the economy and cost of living as top issues and favor political change  —  Eight in 10 voters want substantial change or total upheaval in how the country is run.  Most are pessimistic about the state of U.S. politics, and nearly half express pessimism about the future of democracy in America.

Exclusive: US considering using ‘mother of all bombs’ against Iran, sources say  —  Donald Trump The Middle East US military Federal agencies  —  The US military has developed new strike plans that include potentially using the so-called “mother of all bombs” to target Iranian energy infrastructure …

Jack Smith's FBI Probe Obtained Personal Data Of 640,000 Everyday Republicans, MAGA Hat Buyers  —  A new memo sheds light on the extraordinarily long arm of the FBI as it investigated President Donald Trump — showing that the bureau gobbled up the personal data of at least 639,000 Republican donors, voters and supporters.

The Disappearing Women of the Trump Administration … New York Times photographs by Tierney L. Cross, Eric Lee, Kenny Holston & Haiyun Jiang.  —  The ouster of Kimberly Guilfoyle, who until this week was the U.S. ambassador to Greece, was surprising in its particulars.

Glitch Delays 600,000 Voter Registrations in Texas as Early Voting Looms  —  Voting rights groups sued the Texas Department of Public Safety and the secretary of state over delayed voter registrations that overwhelmed local election workers.  —  A computer error caused a backlog of hundreds …

DOJ's California demand threatens ‘warrant-based ballot seizure,’ Democrats' court filing warns  —  The Department of Justice's new demand that California election officials prevent an unverified federal list of alleged noncitizens from voting or face legal action “appears to be a plausible threat …

DSA Florida Senate hopeful Angie Nixon doesn't oppose prisons — because she wants GOP opponent ‘locked up’  —  WASHINGTON — That's one way to fact-check your critics.  —  Democratic Florida Senate hopeful Angie Nixon insisted Wednesday she doesn't want to abolish prisons …

Over $600 Million in Polymarket Election Trades Took Place After Races Ended  —  Contracts tied to elections in Ethiopia and Romania saw massive trading volumes after the outcomes were decided.  “It's obviously some form of volume manipulation,” one expert says.

Midweek Update #31: Paying The Price For Trusting The USA  —  The Spacelink/Spaceshield Sabotage of Ukraine: A Primer; A Warning to Europe and the World.  —  ∙ Paid  —  Hello All,  —  Two states in particular are paying a great price this week for trusting in the USA …

YOLO Chuck: Schumer's final fight  —  Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is on the cusp of leading his party to midterm victory and reclaiming his title as Senate majority leader.  — Winning the majority isn't guaranteed. … You can't beat someone with no one.

AOC makes case for El-Sayed in Michigan  —  In a show of progressive strength, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is hitting the trail in Michigan for campaign stops with Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed.  She'll join El-Sayed for town halls in redder, more rural parts of the state's Upper Peninsula on Thursday.