Weeks before Election Day, Democratic engagement and positive ratings give Democrat James Talarico a razor-thin edge over Republican Ken Paxton in what is, so far, shaping up to be a photo finish for the Lone Star State’s U.S. Senate seat. This analysis, released Thursday, is among Texas likely voters, unless otherwise noted. Talarico enjoys a net positive personal rating of 8 points (52% favorable vs. 44% unfavorable), while...

A judge on Thursday permanently dismissed the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandalism case against former Olympian David Hearn, who was accused of damaging the costly $14 million renovation project in June. D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman’s ruling marks the end of a monthslong legal battle that included President Donald Trump criticizing U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro after she moved to voluntarily dismiss the federal charges in late July....

“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall…” – Oscar Wilde Congress certainly collapsed into fall this year. It lacked the usual mayhem of an imminent government shutdown for the first time in years. The government is usually only funded through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. Lawmakers solved that fiscal riddle early. So the beginning of fall in Congress is usually anything but enjoyable....