Early Turnout Tilts Toward Democrats in Swing States

Early Turnout Tilts Toward Democrats in Swing States-nytimes: Hillary Clinton has established a slim edge over Donald J. Trump in early-voter turnout in several vital swing states, pressing her longstanding advantages in state-level organization and potentially mitigating the fallout from her campaign’s latest scrap with the F.B.I.

Ryan, Praised for Inclusiveness, Faces Hurdles Seeking Another Speaker Term

Ryan, Praised for Inclusiveness, Faces Hurdles Seeking Another Speaker Term-rollcall: Paul D. Ryan’s first as year as House speaker played out like a roller coaster. But despite the rocky ride, the Wisconsin Republican reaches his one-year anniversary Oct. 29 earning relatively high marks from many in his caucus.

Tarred by Trump, Paul Ryan Tries to Safeguard Both Party and Job

Tarred by Trump, Paul Ryan Tries to Safeguard Both Party and Job-nytimes: This should have been a victory lap for Speaker Paul D. Ryan. Summoned by his party to heal its fractious majority in the House, Mr. Ryan grudgingly agreed to lead. Asked by House members to help them win re-election, he raised money by the millions and traveled thousands of miles to campaign at their side.

Republicans at war over Supreme Court

Republicans at war over Supreme Court-politico: Senate Republicans are choosing sides ahead of a brutal conflict over how to handle the lingering Supreme Court vacancy, with Jeff Flake firing back Thursday at a suggestion by Ted Cruz that the party could indefinitely block any nominee from Hillary Clinton.

Republicans Split on Supreme Court Strategy in Lame Duck

Republicans Split on Supreme Court Strategy in Lame Duck-rollcall: Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona said Thursday that he would work to advance the confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland this year if Democrat Hillary Clinton wins the White House.

Who could replace Paul Ryan?

Who could replace Paul Ryan?-politico: Speaker Paul Ryan's suddenly shaky future as House speaker is already prompting closed-door talk among House Republicans about who'd take over if he steps aside or is spurned by archconservatives.

House eyes mid-November for leadership elections

House eyes mid-November for leadership elections-politico: House Republicans have tentatively scheduled their first closed-door leadership election for mid-November, despite conservative efforts to delay the vote until the new year.

Freedom Caucus divided over Ryan ouster

Freedom Caucus divided over Ryan ouster-politico: The House Freedom Caucus is fractured as the bloc of archconservatives confronts a make-or-break decision after the election: whether or not to try and oust the second speaker in barely over a year, Paul Ryan.

Cruz says there’s precedent for keeping ninth Supreme Court seat empty

Cruz says there’s precedent for keeping ninth Supreme Court seat empty-washingtonpost: Speaking to reporters after a campaign rally for a Republican U.S. Senate candidate here, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said that there was “precedent” for a Supreme Court with fewer than nine justices — appearing to suggest that the blockade on nominee Merrick Garland could last past the election.

Ryan has little margin for error in Speaker vote

Ryan has little margin for error in Speaker vote-thehill: Republican lawmakers who voted against Paul Ryan for Speaker aren’t saying whether they’ll vote for him in a new election next year.

Paul Ryan and allies brace for fallout in leadership race from Trump backers

Paul Ryan and allies brace for fallout in leadership race from Trump backers-cnn: Top House Republicans are moving to quiet dissent over Speaker's Paul Ryan's rocky relationship with Donald Trump as some on the far right of the GOP conference are threatening to stir up trouble in leadership elections next month.

Inside the Democrats’ narrow path to the House majority

Inside the Democrats’ narrow path to the House majority-washingtonpost: Hillary Clinton’s persistent advantage over Donald Trump in recent presidential polls has Democrats eyeing big gains in Congress. And while the Senate majority is clearly in sight, the House majority is a much more elusive goal.

Paul Ryan and allies brace for fallout in leadership race from Trump backers

Paul Ryan and allies brace for fallout in leadership race from Trump backers-cnn: Top House Republicans are moving to quiet dissent over Speaker's Paul Ryan's rocky relationship with Donald Trump as some on the far right of the GOP conference are threatening to stir up trouble in leadership elections next month.

To Flip the House, How Big Would a Clinton Victory Margin Need to Be?

To Flip the House, How Big Would a Clinton Victory Margin Need to Be?-nytimes: The larger Hillary Clinton's polling margin over Donald J. Trump grows, the louder the question becomes: Is control of the House of Representatives really in play?

Burr’s North Carolina duel could determine whether Republicans keep the Senate

Burr’s North Carolina duel could determine whether Republicans keep the Senate-washingtonpost: It wasn’t supposed to come down to this. The Senate majority was supposed to be decided in New Hampshire and Ohio and Florida.

Rep. Meadows to run for Freedom Caucus chairman

Rep. Meadows to run for Freedom Caucus chairman-thehill: The conservative rabble-rouser who successfully led the charge to oust Speaker John Boehner last year is running to become the next chairman of the far-right Freedom Caucus, The Hill has learned.

The battle for the Senate has narrowed to these 6 states

The battle for the Senate has narrowed to these 6 states-politico: After all the head fakes, the millions of dollars in ad reservations made and canceled and the pleas for help from underdogs to D.C. bosses, the battle for the Senate has winnowed to six races.

Paul Ryan’s Donald Trump Problem Isn’t Going Anywhere

Paul Ryan’s Donald Trump Problem Isn’t Going Anywhere-huffingtonpost: Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has finally settled on a strategy for dealing with Donald Trump: Ignore the GOP nominee and just hope he goes away after an embarrassing defeat on Nov. 8.

Harry Reid's Last Senate Stand

Harry Reid's Last Senate Stand-rollcall: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid isn’t on this year’s ballot, but he has at least one heavyweight bout left in him.

Merrick Garland Trudges On, Awaiting Supreme Court Action

Merrick Garland Trudges On, Awaiting Supreme Court Action-rollcall: For now, Judge Merrick Garland is in limbo. That is, if heaven is serving on the Supreme Court and waiting in limbo involves a bunch of paperwork.

Flake says it might be Garland time

Flake says it might be Garland time-politico: Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake has maintained for months that Republicans should take up Merrick Garland's Supreme Court nomination if it looks like the presidential contest is a lost cause for the GOP.

Pelosi Says Democrats Aren’t in Agreement on Cures Act

Pelosi Says Democrats Aren’t in Agreement on Cures Act-morningconsult: House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi says House Democrats don’t unanimously back the 21st Century Cures package, which advocates hope will come up for a vote in both chambers of Congress during the upcoming lame-duck session.

House Dems may delay leadership elections

House Dems may delay leadership elections-politico: House Democrats likely will be picking their leaders for next Congress later than usual this year as they head into the waning weeks of the election feeling bold about a double-digit seat pickup — and maybe even reclaiming the majority.

Five takeaways from final debate

Five takeaways from final debate-thehill: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump made their closing arguments to voters on Wednesday night at the third and final 2016 presidential debate and are now left with just the final sprint to Election Day.

Hatch may reverse himself and run in 2018

Hatch may reverse himself and run in 2018-politico: The Senate’s most senior Republican — Utah's Orrin Hatch — is seriously considering a run for an eighth term, a move that would reverse his 2012 declaration that he would retire at the end of his current term.

They're with her? These are likely picks for health posts in a Clinton White House

They're with her? These are likely picks for health posts in a Clinton White House-modernhealthcare: If Hillary Clinton wins the presidency Nov. 8, she will quickly name people to top health policy positions who are diverse in gender, race, and ethnicity, have sharp political and administrative skills, and can work in a bipartisan way, Democratic political insiders say.

How Senate heavyweight Schumer plans to fix Congress' gridlock

How Senate heavyweight Schumer plans to fix Congress' gridlock-cnbc: Sen. Chuck Schumer is up for re-election this year, but that's not why he's becoming a focus of attention. His New York seat is safe.

The battle for the Senate is going down to the wire. Here’s where we stand.

The battle for the Senate is going down to the wire. Here’s where we stand.-washingtonpost: Two weeks ago, just before the “Access Hollywood” video hit, Donald Trump was in a tight race with Hillary Clinton. Now? He trails in some polls by double digits.

Reid: Garland Confirmation Unlikely in January

Reid: Garland Confirmation Unlikely in January-rollcall: Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said in an interview Monday that if Judge Merrick Garland is not confirmed to the Supreme Court in the lame-duck session, there would be no real way to confirm him in the short window between the swearing-in of the new Congress and the arrival of the next president.

Congress and a Tax Overhaul: Lot of Talk, Little Action

Congress and a Tax Overhaul: Lot of Talk, Little Action-rollcall: Is 2017 the year when a tax overhaul finally happens? Don’t bet on it.

Republicans rush to build firewall to save the House

Republicans rush to build firewall to save the House-politico: The top House Republican super PAC had always planned to spend big to protect GOP lawmakers in Democratic-friendly districts. But Donald Trump’s free fall is forcing American Action Network and its sister PAC, Congressional Leadership Fund, to also shell out millions in red-leaning districts that weren’t even in play until this month.

Schumer is focusing on the big prize: Senate majority leader

Schumer is focusing on the big prize: Senate majority leader-washingtonpost: Sen. Charles E. Schumer pulled up on a recent afternoon to the historic train station in this tiny Hudson Valley commuter town.

Supreme Court is an issue again after McCain suggests Clinton blockade

Supreme Court is an issue again after McCain suggests Clinton blockade-washingtonpost: An issue that has been mostly absent from this year’s Senate campaigns — the fate of the Supreme Court — suddenly erupted Monday after Sen. John McCain indicated during a talk-radio appearance that Republicans would move to block any high-court nominee made by a President Hillary Clinton should the Democratic nominee win.

Clinton expected to play it safe at final debate

Clinton expected to play it safe at final debate-thehill: Hillary Clinton has a simple strategy for Wednesday’s presidential debate: Do no harm. Like a football team up by double digits with time running out, Clinton doesn’t want to do anything that would let her opponent, Republican Donald Trump, back into the game.

Trump, Clinton agree on one thing: Health care costs too much

Trump, Clinton agree on one thing: Health care costs too much-sfchronicle: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton actually agree that health care costs are too high, but the two presidential candidates diverge on pretty much everything else when it comes to health.

CMS Gets Kudos for New Medicare Payment Rule

CMS Gets Kudos for New Medicare Payment Rule-morningconsult: Reaction was positive to a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rule released Friday finalizing changes to how doctors are paid through Medicare. Health provider groups said they were pleased that the agency has been, and expects to continue to be, responsive to their concerns.

Republicans fear for party's future

Republicans fear for party's future-thehill: The Republican Party is in crisis — and it is going to get worse before it gets better. The forces unleashed by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign are unlikely to disappear after the election, party insiders concede, even if Hillary Clinton beats him handily in November.

Dems seek cash to expand Senate map

Dems seek cash to expand Senate map-thehill: Democrats are facing a cash crunch as they seek to go on offense in Senate races that suddenly appear competitive.

Trump's 'scorched earth' becomes new worry for Clintonworld

Trump's 'scorched earth' becomes new worry for Clintonworld-thehill: The “scorched earth” playbook employed by Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is stirring alarm among allies of Hillary Clinton, with some fearing the negativity will depress turnout on Election Day.

Ryan's break from Trump prompts talk of GOP rebellion

Ryan's break from Trump prompts talk of GOP rebellion-ap: House Speaker Paul Ryan's abandonment of Donald Trump is aimed at protecting Republican control of the House. But it may test his hold on his own job and his long-term ambitions. Ryan's announcement this week that he won't defend his party's volatile presidential nominee and that GOP candidates should choose their own paths to victory — with or without Trump — has impelled some Republicans to suggest they may not back his re-election as speaker.

Hillary Clinton, Paul Ryan and the relationship that could shape Washington

Hillary Clinton, Paul Ryan and the relationship that could shape Washington-washingtonpost: It was October 1998, and Hillary Clinton’s midterm campaign swing for Democratic candidates brought the first lady on a Saturday afternoon to a middle-school gymnasium in Janesville, Wis. A 28-year-old conservative upstart from the town was running for Congress — and Clinton, rallying 1,200 people with a rip-roaring denunciation of Republicans, was trying to stop him.

Senate race: Mike Lee and Misty Snow draw stark contrast in respectful debate

Senate race: Mike Lee and Misty Snow draw stark contrast in respectful debate-saltlaketribune: It was the working-class progressive taking the fight to one of the most conservative senators in the nation. Sen. Mike Lee and Democrat Misty Snow clashed on climate change, the Supreme Court, religious freedom and the 2013 government shutdown during their one and only debate Wednesday at Brigham Young University, sponsored by the Utah Debate Commission.

House Dem to introduce sweeping drug pricing bill

House Dem to introduce sweeping drug pricing bill-thehill: Rep. Rose DeLauro (D-Conn.) is introducing a new measure to fight back against rising drug prices, an issue that has faced a growing uproar.

Gerrymandering helped Republicans take control of Congress, but now it's tearing them apart over Trump

Gerrymandering helped Republicans take control of Congress, but now it's tearing them apart over Trump-latimes: Across the country, Republicans in contested races face a terrible bind: They have to run from Donald Trump to hold onto swing votes, even if that angers some core supporters.

Unshackled Trump poses threat to Ryan

Unshackled Trump poses threat to Ryan-thehill: Donald Trump’s flailing presidential campaign has become a threat to Paul Ryan. Just weeks before the elections, Trump is training his fire on the Republican House Speaker after Ryan essentially conceded that the outsider GOP nominee had no chance of winning the White House next month.

Ryan Brushes Off Public Attacks From Donald Trump

Ryan Brushes Off Public Attacks From Donald Trump-morningconsult: Donald Trump took time on Tuesday to rebuke the drove of Republicans who have withdrawn their support after a leaked video captured the real estate mogul using sexually lewd language and alluding to committing sexual assault.

The House: 10 Most Vulnerable

The House: 10 Most Vulnerable-rollcall: As the past few days have shown, a lot can change in a weekend, and certainly, in a month. The last ranking of the top 10 most vulnerable House incumbents came out just after Labor Day, when polls showed a tightening presidential race.

The Senate: How the Challengers Rank

The Senate: How the Challengers Rank-rollcall: How bad can it get for the GOP? That’s the question party strategists are asking themselves this week after the revelation last Friday of a video in which Donald Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. Already, former Trump supporters like Sens. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Rob Portman of Ohio, and Rep. Joe Heck of Nevada have decided to no longer back their own party’s presidential nominee. Other Republicans may not be far behind.

Mylan Puts Its Troubles in the Past, at a Price of $465 Million

Mylan Puts Its Troubles in the Past, at a Price of $465 Million-Bloomberg: The worst appears to be over for Mylan NV and its EpiPen controversy. It took a $465 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and a grilling from Congress for its chief executive officer to get there.

Trump's favorite health reform idea viewed as more talking point than solution

Trump's favorite health reform idea viewed as more talking point than solution-modernhealthcare: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump once again touted the idea of allowing health insurance to be sold across state lines at the second general election debate Sunday, despite multiple analyses that show such a policy could substantially damage the individual market and roll back protections that consumers have come to rely on.

GOP leaders advise members to proceed with caution on Trump

GOP leaders advise members to proceed with caution on Trump-thehill: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is advising Republican senators to use their own game plans to deal with a possible collapse of GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign.

House Democrats believe Trump troubles give them real shot at retaking majority

House Democrats believe Trump troubles give them real shot at retaking majority-washingtonpost: Top Democratic strategists are moving to capitalize on the extraordinary events of the last several days, now believing they have a real shot of retaking the House majority after a slew of Republican lawmakers renounced their support of Donald Trump over his lewd comments captured on video.

Republican pushes Ryan to launch new ObamaCare lawsuit

Republican pushes Ryan to launch new ObamaCare lawsuit-thehill: A House Republican is circulating a letter among his colleagues urging Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to sue the Obama administration to prevent millions of dollars in legal settlements with ObamaCare insurers.

Five takeaways from second presidential debate

Five takeaways from second presidential debate-thehill: Americans tuning in for the second presidential debate on Sunday night got a heaping helping of adult-only television.

Congress Likely to Take Only Small Steps on Drug Prices

Congress Likely to Take Only Small Steps on Drug Prices-rollcall: Federal lawmakers will continue to rail against the high cost of prescription drugs in the next few years, but their most likely actions will be limited to relatively small steps such as the enactment of measures intended to approve more generics.

Whether it’s Trump or Clinton, biotech is in for ‘a moment of change’

Whether it’s Trump or Clinton, biotech is in for ‘a moment of change’-stat: This November, the biotech industry faces an awkward decision: Donald Trump, whose policy stances have proven unpredictable; or Hillary Clinton, who can scythe drug company stock prices with a single tweet.

Coin Flip for Control of Senate

Coin Flip for Control of Senate-nationaljournal: Star Democratic challengers in Missouri and North Carolina keep the battle for the upper chamber on a razor’s edge.

Ryan plans to steamroll Democrats with budget tool

Ryan plans to steamroll Democrats with budget tool-politico: If Donald Trump is elected president and Republicans hold onto Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan is bluntly promising to ram a partisan agenda through Capitol Hill next year, with Obamacare repeal and trillion-dollar tax cuts likely at the top of the list. And Democrats would be utterly defenseless to stop them.

Boxer, Feinstein Endorse Kamala Harris in California Senate Race

Boxer, Feinstein Endorse Kamala Harris in California Senate Race-rollcall: Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer on Thursday endorsed Kamala Harris in the California Senate race, backing the state attorney general even though she’s running against a fellow Democrat, Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

Kamala Harris, Loretta Sanchez trade jabs over who will work harder in the U.S. Senate in their only debate of the campaign

Kamala Harris, Loretta Sanchez trade jabs over who will work harder in the U.S. Senate in their only debate of the campaign-latimes: In their only scheduled debate before election day, the two Democrats vying for California’s open U.S. Senate seat clashed as much over personal style as policies in what was a frenzied and often caustic event compared with a campaign that has seemed to amble through a long, sleepy few months.

Donald Trump’s Slip in Polls Has G.O.P. Worried About Congress

Donald Trump’s Slip in Polls Has G.O.P. Worried About Congress-nytimes: Donald J. Trump’s support has plunged across the swing-state map over the last 10 days, wiping out his political recovery from September and threatening to undo weeks of Republican gains in the battle for control of Congress.

Five takeaways from the vice presidential debate

Five takeaways from the vice presidential debate-thehill: The buttoned-up and supposedly boring vice presidential candidates turned in a ripper of a debate on Tuesday night, yet another fascinating twist a wholly unpredictable campaign.

Race is on for prized House chairmanship

Race is on for prized House chairmanship-thehill: The race to lead one of Congress’s most influential committees is heating up. The top job on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is likely up for grabs in the next Congress, with Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) reaching his six-year term limit with the gavel.

Here’s How Much The House Has Really Changed Under Paul Ryan

Here’s How Much The House Has Really Changed Under Paul Ryan-huffingtonpost: If you thought Republican and Democratic leaders coming together at the last minute to work out a deal on a stopgap spending bill sounded familiar, you’re right ― just don’t tell that to Speaker Paul Ryan.

Mike Pence sounded nothing like Donald Trump in the vice-presidential debate

Mike Pence sounded nothing like Donald Trump in the vice-presidential debate-washingtonpost: Indiana Gov. Mike Pence spent Tuesday’s vice-presidential debate being the opposite of Donald Trump, both in style and in substance.

Five things to watch for in the vice presidential debate

Five things to watch for in the vice presidential debate-thehill: Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Indiana Gov. Mike Pence will square off Tuesday night in the only vice presidential debate of the cycle.

When It Comes to a Public Option, It’s a Battle of Wills

When It Comes to a Public Option, It’s a Battle of Wills-morningconsult: As Hillary Clinton, President Obama, and most Senate Democrats coalesce around a government-run insurance agency as part of the solution to Obamacare cost woes, a large problem remains unaddressed: Insurers hate the public option.

House Dems court votes in leadership battle

House Dems court votes in leadership battle-politico: While Capitol Hill is largely hibernating during the closing weeks of the presidential race, two House Democrats are racing behind the scenes to lock up votes in an inside-baseball leadership election that will help chart the future of a caucus long ruled by Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer.

Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, perfect strangers meeting on largest stage either has seen

Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, perfect strangers meeting on largest stage either has seen-washingtonpost: One phone call really stood out to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) after Hillary Clinton selected him as her running mate. “Hey, welcome aboard,” Indiana Gov. Mike Pence told Kaine in late July.

Trump stirs tax reform debate

Trump stirs tax reform debate-thehill: News about Donald Trump’s tax bills is sparking new hope that a political tax debate might lead to a push for reform on Capitol Hill. Both parties agreed the code, which has not been significantly changed in 30 years, is in need of an overhaul. Yet no legislation has gained traction.

Congress expanding Mylan inquiry to determine if there was Medicaid fraud

Congress expanding Mylan inquiry to determine if there was Medicaid fraud-washingtonpost: Congress is not done with Mylan. Top senators angered by the exorbitant cost of the EpiPen, produced by Mylan, are expanding their inquiry to federal health regulators to discern whether the drug company knowingly and improperly paid state Medicaid programs less than it should have.

McConnell and Ryan Are of Two Minds About Divided Government

McConnell and Ryan Are of Two Minds About Divided Government-nytimes: The top two Republicans in Congress are divided when it comes to divided government.

Drugmakers Point Finger at Middlemen for Rising Drug Prices

Drugmakers Point Finger at Middlemen for Rising Drug Prices-wallstreetjournal: As U.S. drug prices rise, drugmakers are playing down their role, instead heaping blame on the middlemen who help determine how medicines are priced.

Ailing Obama Health Care Act May Have to Change to Survive

Ailing Obama Health Care Act May Have to Change to Survive-nytimes: The fierce struggle to enact and carry out the Affordable Care Act was supposed to put an end to 75 years of fighting for a health care system to insure all Americans. Instead, the law’s troubles could make it just a way station on the road to another, more stable health care system, the shape of which could be determined on Election Day.