National News at a Glance

Women Changing the Face of Politics

There must be some way to recognize the records women have broken in U.S. politics in 2018. More women than ever before filed to run for the House, Senate and governors’ offices, and in congressional races, more women than ever won primaries. There are more women behind the scenes, too: campaign managers, fundraisers and volunteers. And there is the potential for so many firsts this year. In Georgia, Stacey Abrams could be the nation’s first black female governor. And Pennsylvania, which has no women in its congressional delegation, will have at least one come January, because of races where a woman is facing another woman.

Down to the Wire in Orange County

The battle for control of Congress started in Southern California nearly a year ago — in a handful of districts represented by Republicans where Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, drew more votes than President Donald Trump. With Election Day around the corner, these races remain among the most heavily contested in the nation, and polls show most of them up for grabs. Orange County has historically been a symbol of Republicanism but its political composition has changed considerably over the past 10 years. There are seven Republican-held seats in California that are viewed as vulnerable, and five of them are in or near Orange County.

Called to Serve, Utah Mayor Killed in Afghanistan Always Answered

The call had come again. Brent Taylor, mayor of North Ogden and a major in the Utah National Guard, would be going to Afghanistan for his fourth deployment. He told his constituents about it on Facebook in January, leaning into the camera to explain that he had been called to serve his country “whenever and however I can” and that he would be part of a team helping to train an Afghan commando battalion. He said goodbye to his wife, Jennie, and their seven children. He did not make it home. Taylor, 39, was killed on Saturday in an insider attack that also wounded another U.S. service member.

Aide Who Whispered Immigration Agenda in Trump’s Ear Is Still at It

The person who helped crystallize Donald Trump’s impulses around immigration into a political platform in 2016 was Stephen Miller, his chief policy adviser. As Trump searches anew for an electoral advantage, this time with his party’s control of Congress at stake in Tuesday’s midterm vote, Miller is again at his side. In the past two weeks, Trump has followed an instinct, one nurtured by Miller, that a foreboding message on immigration can galvanize his supporters. Trump has focused on a migrant caravan and deployed active-duty members of the military to the border with Mexico. Trump has also called for an to end “birthright citizenship.”

Trial Over Adding Citizenship Question to Census Set to Begin

The principal lawsuit over adding a question about citizenship status to the 2020 census goes to trial in New York on Monday. Census figures determine not only where federal funds are spent, but how the House of Representatives and other political districts are remapped. Because immigrants and minorities disproportionately vote Democratic, a depressed head count could expand Republican Party control when new political boundaries are drawn in 2021. While Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has insisted that there is no clear evidence that the citizenship question would deter people from filling out census forms, the Census Bureau’s own researchers repeatedly have found just that.

Some Democrats Are Campaigning Openly on Guns

A large number of Democrats are campaigning explicitly on gun control in a way that most would not have dared do before, when an F rating from the NRA could often be a political death sentence. Gun rights remain a powerful motivator for millions of Americans, and Republicans continue to argue in many races that their Democratic opponents are a threat to the Second Amendment. According to Gallup polling, 43 percent of Americans have a gun in their home. At the same time, 61 percent of Americans want stricter gun laws, according to Gallup; that includes some gun owners.

Falcon Hurt in Prank Before Football Game at West Point

A scheme by U.S. Military Academy cadets to swipe two falcons belonging to the Air Force Academy as part of a football rivalry ended this weekend with one of the birds bloodied, the start of an investigation and an apology from West Point. Sam Dollar, the Air Force Academy’s falconry team adviser, said Sunday that Aurora, a 22-year-old gyrfalcon who is the academy’s official mascot, and Oblio, a Peregrine falcon, were taken Friday night by two cadets, who turned the birds in the next day. Dollar said Aurora did not have any broken bones, and he expected her to be able to fly again.