NPR

Lagging in the polls, the Democratic Senate candidate has entered a new phase in his attempt to pull off a big upset in the Texas race for U.S. Senate. Attack ads followed a fiery debate on Tuesday.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz has been gaining in polls, with more attacks on his Democratic opponent. Meanwhile, Rep. Beto O'Rourke has accumulated record fundraising. They met in a debate Tuesday night.

Chief Justice John Roberts gave remarks at University of Minnesota Law School, in which he stressed the importance of an independent judiciary

There are several avenues to sanction Saudi Arabia, politically, economically, militarily. All would be difficult to implement without White House support.

So far, there are more than 10 very competitive races for governor across the country. One of them is in Iowa, where the incumbent Republican can't seem to pull ahead of her Democratic challenger.

The latest developments on the shocking case of the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was last seen two weeks ago entering his country's consulate in Istanbul.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Lydia Dennett, investigator with the Project on Government Oversight, about how much Saudi Arabia has spent in the U.S. on lobbying and what the money has bought them.

President Trump has ramped up his attacks on the Federal Reserve, the independent board charged with setting monetary policy.

Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and close adviser, fostered a close relationship with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as part of a bid to help broker a Middle East peace deal.

A new state law took effect earlier this year essentially making California a sanctuary state. It has split parts of the state into cities that comply with the law and those that are defying it.

Steve Inskeep talks to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, who says the U.S. needs to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for the facts in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump again defends Saudi rulers against allegations they had a role in a journalist's disappearance. The federal deficit jumped 17 percent over a year ago. Ebola infections surge in Congo.

Noel King talks to David Wessel of the Brookings Institution about the federal deficit ballooning to $779 billion in the just-ended fiscal year. It's a 17 percent increase from the previous year.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott is hoping to unseat Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson. The Republican challenger is making gains with the state's Latinos that could be crucial.

At a time when early voting is becoming increasingly popular nationwide, a new law passed by North Carolina's GOP-controlled legislature cuts early voting sites by nearly 20 percent.