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Top Republicans See Weaknesses in the Midterms

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, New York Times

Top Republicans See Weaknesses in the Midterms

A pair of top Republicans acknowledged Saturday that the party was battling serious vulnerabilities in the midterm elections, including what one described as widespread “hate” for President Donald Trump, and raised the prospect that Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas could lose his bid for re-election because he is not seen as “likable” enough. The two Republican leaders, Mick Mulvaney, the federal budget director, and Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, assured party officials and donors at a closed-door event in New York City that the right would turn back a purported “blue wave” in November. But Mulvaney and McDaniel also offered a raw assessment of their party’s strengths and weaknesses.

Manchin Counts on Health Care to Stave Off Republican Tide in West Virginia

In a state where approval of President Donald Trump is near the country’s highest, Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, was once thought to be deeply endangered in his re-election this year. But the 71-year-old incumbent has a 7-to-10-point polling edge over his Republican opponent, Patrick Morrisey. For an explanation, look no further than the issue Manchin has made No. 1 in his campaign: health care, specifically protections enshrined in the Affordable Care Act, a once-vilified law that has grown increasingly popular now that its benefits are woven deeply into a state with high poverty and poor health.

‘No One Could Believe It’: When Ford Pardoned Nixon Four Decades Ago

On Sunday, Sept. 8, 1974, Tom DeFrank, a 29-year-old Newsweek correspondent, was seated in the White House briefing room, waiting for an announcement from President Gerald Ford. After 11 a.m., Ford announced he was pardoning Richard M. Nixon, the former Republican president and his old boss who had resigned weeks earlier in disgrace, accused of obstruction of justice and abuse of power for his role in the Watergate scandal. Reporters were stunned. “No one could believe it,” DeFrank said, recounting the event in an interview this past week. It has become the presidential pardon all others have been measured against.

Top Cancer Researcher Fails to Disclose Corporate Financial Ties in Major Research Journals

One of the world’s top breast cancer doctors, Dr. José Baselga, failed to disclose millions of dollars in payments from drug and health care companies in recent years, omitting his financial ties from dozens of research articles in prestigious publications like The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet, according to an analysis by The New York Times and ProPublica. “I acknowledge that there have been inconsistencies, but that’s what it is,” he said. Baselga’s failure to disclose his corporate relationships illustrate how permeable the boundaries remain between academic research and industry, and how weakly reporting requirements are enforced by the medical journals and professional societies charged with policing them.

Obama, on California Front Lines, Joins Democratic Battle to Capture House

Barack Obama came to the front lines of the Democratic battle to take back Congress on Saturday, describing the coming election as a pivotal moment for a divided nation and a chance “to restore some sanity to our politics.” His appearance in Anaheim, California, came a day after he delivered a lashing critique of President Donald Trump in a speech in Illinois, continuing the extraordinary spectacle of a former president, a Democrat, directly confronting a sitting president, a Republican. The back-to-back events left no doubt that Obama intends to play an active role as campaigns enter their final weeks.

Cohen Offers to Rip Up Hush-Money Deal With Actress

In yet another turn in a legal battle that has plagued President Donald Trump for months, Michael Cohen, his longtime fixer, offered late Friday to tear up a nondisclosure agreement with a pornographic film star who has long claimed she had an affair with Trump. It remained unclear why Cohen made the abrupt move to scrap the hush-money deal with the star, Stephanie Clifford, who is better known as Stormy Daniels. But one effect of voiding the arrangement would be that it could spare Trump the embarrassment of having to give a deposition in a lawsuit related to the case.

Subway Station Buried on Sept. 11 Reopens at Last

When the twin towers fell on Sept. 11, 2001, they came crashing down on the Cortlandt Street subway stop on the No. 1 line. The station was buried under debris. For nearly 17 years, the station sat unused, even as a new World Trade Center complex sprouted aboveground. The station reopened at noon Saturday with transit officials, politicians and eager riders gathering to welcome it back. The station, which will be called WTC Cortlandt to reflect its connection to the site, cost $181.8 million and features a mosaic by artist Ann Hamilton using words from the Declaration of Independence.

Serena Williams Fumes in U.S. Open Loss to Naomi Osaka

Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese woman to win a Grand Slam singles title, beating her idol Serena Williams, 6-2, 6-4, on Saturday in the U.S. Open final. The historic moment was marred by controversy, as Williams grew increasingly incensed at chair umpire Carlos Ramos for assessing her code violations and said that officials did not treat men so harshly. The first code violation was for coaching. A few games later, Williams broke her racket, earning a point penalty. When she called Ramos “a thief” for stealing the point from her during a prolonged rant, she was given a game penalty.

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