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Homeland Security Secretary’s Plane Makes Emergency Landing

The landing was the latest close call over Washington’s congested airspace to involve a senior government official.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Markwayne Mullin, the homeland security secretary, was on a plane that made an emergency landing at Ronald Reagan National Airport on Wednesday.
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White House Plans $250,000 Renovation of 2-Lane Bowling Alley

A White House spokesman said the alley renovations included fixing broken lights. The project comes as the president has sought a broad overhaul of the White House and its surroundings.

© Eric Lee for The New York Times

The bowling alley is in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, across from the West Wing of the White House.
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As Midterms Loom, Democrats Feud Over Defections

The fight has highlighted party divisions and raised questions about how Democrats will run the House should they win the majority.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

Representative Jared Golden of Maine was one of two Democrats to side with House Republicans on a procedural measure on Tuesday.
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Judge Blocks Trump’s Second Try to Restrict Birthright Citizenship

The ruling raised concerns that babies already defined as citizens by the Supreme Court could have their citizenship revoked under an order the president signed in August.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

President Trump signed executive orders last month seeking to limit birthright citizenship.
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In the Midterms, Will the Nepo-Baby Attack Work?

A New Hampshire senator’s daughter is running for office, and finds her name being used against her.

© Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call, via Associated Press

Maura Sullivan and Stefany Shaheen
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States Sue Over Move to End to Federal Funds for Transgender Youth for Transition Care

The Trump administration wants to bar Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program from paying for gender-transition medication and surgery for transgender adolescents.

© Nathan Frandino/Reuters

Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, was among state officials behind the lawsuit.
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USPS Is Building a Mail-In Ballot Screening System Despite Legal Battles Over Trump Order

Election officials warn that the creation of a new online portal for states to upload voter information is already fueling confusion and could ultimately disenfranchise voters.

© Philip Cheung for The New York Times

Workers in the City of Industry, Calif., sorting through ballots cast during a statewide special election last November.
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As Trump Throws a Midterm Party, Some Vulnerable Republicans Send Regrets

Many members of Congress in the most competitive re-election races are skipping the chance to share a pep rally stage with President Trump.

© Francis Chung/POLITICO, via Associated Press

Representative David Valadao of California said that President Trump had a part to play in the midterm elections, but that navigating around a deeply unpopular president and his policies was a challenge.
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Judge Lacked Power to Vacate Bowe Bergdahl’s Conviction, Court Finds

The ruling effectively reinstates Mr. Bergdahl’s punishment, including his dishonorable discharge, for walking off a base in Afghanistan in 2009, prompting an extensive search-and-rescue mission.

© Ted Richardson/Associated Press

Bowe Bergdahl at Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2016.
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Trump’s Speed on the White House Ballroom Threatens to Outpace the Courts

In his breakneck construction of a grand ballroom and in many other initiatives, critics say, the president has tried to outrun judicial review.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

President Trump has proceeded with White House ballroom construction at a furious pace even as courts weigh its legality.
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Trump Returns to a Familiar Playbook as the War With Iran Flares Up Again

The United States seems increasingly bogged down in Iran after six months of conflict, despite President Trump’s declarations of military dominance.

© Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times

President Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday night that he “couldn’t care less” about an agreement with Iran, hours after a U.S. attack.
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Trump Returns to a Familiar Playbook as the War With Iran Flares Up Again

The United States seems increasingly bogged down in Iran after six months of conflict, despite President Trump’s declarations of military dominance.

© Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times

President Trump said in a social media post on Tuesday night that he “couldn’t care less” about an agreement with Iran, hours after a U.S. attack.
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In Egypt, Xi Challenges America’s Influence in the Middle East

China’s leader, Xi Jinping, is seeking to deepen ties with a longtime U.S. security partner and to project a larger role for Beijing in a region rocked by war.

© Pool photo by Khaled Desouki

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Netanyahu’s Israel Is Looking for a Fight in Every Direction

The Israeli leader, facing a tough re-election contest, may need a security crisis to rally voters behind him and hold on to his job.

© Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is up for re-election in October, but is trailing in the polls.
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Who Approves Trump’s Washington Makeover Projects?

The Supreme Court gave a green light to the new White House ballroom, but several of the president’s other Washington projects remain stalled.

© Doug Mills/The New York Times

The Supreme Court ruled on Monday that President Trump could continue his construction of a huge new ballroom for the White House where the East Wing used to be.
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Billionaires Sent Montana Prices Soaring. Can Democrats Capitalize?

For years, Democrats have failed to harness the anger of Montanans contending with out-of-state wealth driving up costs. This year, a smokejumper thinks he can succeed.

© Will Warasila for The New York Times

Sam Forstag, a telegenic firefighter and union leader, is the Democratic candidate for a House race in Montana.
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Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Pleads Guilty to Collusion

The pro-democracy dissident was accused of urging Western politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Marco Rubio to pressure Hong Kong by imposing sanctions on the city.

© Alastair Pike/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Joshua Wong in Washington in 2019. His efforts to lobby Western politicians to pressure Hong Kong are at the center of his latest national security case.
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Six Takeaways From the Massachusetts Primaries

Senator Ed Markey, 80, trounced a younger challenger who had made an argument for generational change. Two other longtime Democratic lawmakers hung on, too.

© Mark Stockwell/Associated Press

Senator Ed Markey, who has served in Washington for 50 years, easily beat back a challenge from a younger Democrat.
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