4 days after storm, large swath of Panhandle suffering

Crews with backhoes and other heavy equipment scooped up splintered boards, broken glass, chunks of asphalt and other debris in hurricane-flattened Mexico Beach on Sunday as the mayor held out hope for the 250 or so residents who may have tried to ride out the storm. The death toll from Michael's destructive march from Florida to Virginia stood at 17, with just one confirmed death so far in this Florida Panhandle town of about 1,000 people that took a direct hit from the hurricane and its 155 mph winds last week.

House candidate Spanberger raises $3.6 million in latest…

Democrat Abigail Spanberger, in a tight race with Rep. Dave Brat, R, raised nearly $3.6 million over the past three months - a record quarter in Virginia's 7th Congressional District and more than the $2.8 million Brat raised for his last two campaigns combined. Spanberger announced her third-quarter fundraising total Sunday, ahead of a Monday night deadline.

Cannon: – First Man’ is a giant step for America and movies

It sounds like the opening to a joke: Donald Trump, Bill Kristol and Marco Rubio walk into a bar. The three Republican frenemies eye each other warily, until one breaks the ice by asking, "What did you guys think of the new movie about the moon landing?" "Total lunacy," says Rubio, a Florida senator who while running for president in 2016 questioned the size of Trump's manhood.

5 days after storm, large swath of Panhandle suffering

Crews with backhoes and other heavy equipment scooped up splintered boards, broken glass, chunks of asphalt and other debris in hurricane-flattened Mexico Beach on Sunday as the mayor held out hope for the 250 or so residents who may have tried to ride out the storm. The death toll from Michael's destructive march from Florida to Virginia stood at 17, with just one confirmed death so far in this Florida Panhandle town of about 1,000 people that took a direct hit from the hurricane and its 155 mph winds last week.

Trump rallies in Kentucky, flanked by Mitch McConnell, Rand Paul

NewsOK Pro is a fast and easy way to build your own customized topic pages and add them to the existing NewsOK you've grown to love. President Donald Trump touted the release of pastor Andrew Brunson from a Turkish prison during a rally in Richmond, Kentucky, on Saturday, calling it "another tremendous victory for the American people" and thanking Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Voice of the people: Slam on Madigan misguided

Professor James Nowlan has joined Rauner's anti-Madigan crusade with his recent commentary . Noted that Nowlan demurs from totally taking up the whine of Rauner and his merry band of political dependents, who portray the Illinois speaker of the House as an arch villain like "Darth Vader," but then he claims galactically "Madigan has shut down democracy in Illinois."

The Latest: Rubio says reassess ties if Saudi killed writer

The Latest on the disappearance of a Saudi writer who Turkish officials fear was killed inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul : A member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee says the U.S.-Saudi relations may need "to be completely revised" if an investigation finds the kingdom's government responsible for the murder of Washington Post ... (more)

Here are the special interests that have given the most to Robert Menendez

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez first ran for the U.S. House in 1992 and has been raising money for his campaigns ever since. He has brought in more than $50 million during that time, according to the Center for Responsive Politics , a Washington research group.

Mitt Romney appears to recast his role in the ‘never-Trump’ movement amid his Senate bid

Mitt Romney came to Arizona to help out a fellow Senate hopeful and he ended up getting in a jam himself. The former presidential candidate and governor headlined a rally for Rep. Martha McSally on Friday in Gilbert, Arizona, to help boost her campaign to fill the Senate seat being left open by Sen. Jeff Flake's departure, but comments Romney made after the event have drawn some criticism.

Border reforms a big issue in congressional races

President Donald Trump favors building a wall on the Mexican border and has cracked down severely on illegal immigration, but has yet to propose his own comprehensive plan. A one-page memo his administration sent to congressional Republicans in January proposes a wall, a 10- to 12-year path to citizenship for about 1.8 million illegal immigrants, allowing immigrants to bring with them only spouses and minor children and replacing the visa lottery system with one that chooses immigrants whose arrival suits the national interest.

How gender dynamics are playing a role in an all-female Senate race

Calls for politicians to "grow a pair of ovaries" and digs about how many shoes a candidate have might sound like lines out of "Mean Girls," but instead they're attack lines being used in one of the most hotly contested midterm Senate races. The gender dynamics at play in the Arizona Senate race may be surprising to some since the race is one of six this cycle that involve two female candidates, but it's the only one where the two women are facing off for an open seat rather than an incumbent fighting against a threat.

PHOTO: This July 16, 2014, file photo shows the U.S. Senate on Capitol Hill in Washington.

With just over three weeks remaining until November's midterm election s, it is becoming increasingly clear that both Washington and statehouses around the country could be in for major changes. No one race can tell the tale of this year's elections, but some common themes have emerged, including the backlash against President Donald Trump , the "pink wave" of female candidates running for office, a upswing in youth activism and engagement on key issues that could swing the balance of power, and an influx of veterans attempting to parlay their military experience into legislative roles.

In Kentucky, Trump rallies voters while praising McConnell

Audience members cheer as President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018. Audience members cheer as President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally at Alumni Coliseum in Richmond, Ky., Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018.