No two states voted more alike and closer to the national average in last year’s presidential election than the two states that have gubernatorial elections in this odd-numbered year: New Jersey and Virginia. New Jersey voted 51.8% for Kamala Harris and 45.9% for Donald Trump. Virginia voted 51.8% for Harris and 46.1% for Trump. Aside from the seven target states and Democratic underperformance in New Hampshire and Minnesota, these were the two closest states in the country. They have other similarities. Large percentages of their voters live in metropolitan areas centered on cities outside the state, such as New York City and Washington, D.C. Both of those metro areas have populations far above the national average in education credentials and income...

Former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez is “still recovering” from being stabbed during a fight with a grease truck driver in Indianapolis, his lawyer revealed in court Wednesday. Sanchez, a former Jets QB and Fox Sports analyst, was not required to appear for the short hearing in Indianapolis, nor will he be required to appear for the next hearing on Dec. 2, Judge James Osborn said. “Thank you for allowing our client to be excused today,” defense attorney Tim Delaney said. “He is still recovering from injuries.”...

Locking up a mom punishes more than one person — it punishes her children, her family and her neighborhood. As a retired police officer, I have seen firsthand that women must face consequences when they break the law. I have also seen that the current system isn’t built to hold them accountable effectively. Arrests of women have surged by 48 percent since 1980, and their incarceration rate has climbed by one-third just since 2020 — nearly twice the increase for men. At the same time, women’s share of violent crime arrests has jumped by about 70 percent, and women’s drug crime arrests are up more than 300 percent...

North Carolina’s state House passed a new Republican-drafted congressional map Wednesday, giving the party one additional pickup opportunity ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The new map, which was approved by the Senate earlier this week, likely makes incumbent Rep. Don Davis’s (D-N.C.) reelection bid more difficult going into the midterms. Davis represents the state’s 1st Congressional District...

Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene has been accused of betraying President Donald Trump by the well-known Make America Great Again (MAGA) influencer, Catturd. Writing on X, the anonymous social media account said the Republican congresswoman had been "stabbing Trump in the back at every turn" and called for her to be primaried. Newsweek reached out to representatives for Greene by email to comment on...

Senate Republican leaders emerged from a lunch with President Donald Trump cautiously optimistic that the government shutdown could be nearing an end as Democrats open the door to talks and possible negotiations. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters after Tuesday’s lunch that he is “hopeful” lawmakers can break through the 21-day impasse sometime this week, noting he will give Democrats “several opportunities” to reopen the government with future votes. The sense of confidence comes after talks appeared to be completely stalled coming into this week and both parties remained dug in on their opposite sides...

Republicans on both sides of the Capitol are publicly and privately pushing back on President Donald Trump’s idea of importing beef from Argentina, with some making direct pleas to the White House to reverse course. The issue came up during Senate Republicans' visit to the White House on Tuesday, according to Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb. Fischer said she also met with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Tuesday to discuss her concerns...

It's Day 22 of the federal government shutdown, and Republicans and Democrats appear no closer to an agreement to end it. Without a fix, many federal employees will not be getting paid this Friday, the first full paycheck they'll miss as a result of the shutdown. By law federal workers are supposed to get back pay once the shutdown ends, but the White House has tried to cast doubt on that. Meanwhile, President Trump has tied the shutdown to his overall goal of shrinking the size of the government, laying off workers en masse while it continues — and promising more — while specifically targeting what he calls "Democrat programs."...

The best-selling author Michael Wolff is suing Melania Trump in an unprecedented court case—after she threatened to sue him for $1 billion. The author, who is co-host of The Daily Beast’s hit podcast, Inside Trump’s Head, is accusing the First Lady of launching an assault on his free speech and trying to stifle “legitimate inquiry” into Jeffrey Epstein. The case is the first time Melania Trump has been sued as First Lady and appears to be the first time a president’s wife has been the subject of court action. Wolff is asking the court for permission to question Melania and Donald Trump under oath about their dealings with Epstein...

I’ve had intense issues with insomnia and respiratory problems for 40 years – and yet, I only learned about cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) this year. Fellow insomniacs told me about it when I was reporting a story on the link I discovered between orthodontics and sleep health during my exhaustive search for sleep solutions. Two rounds of nasal surgery in the past year revolutionized my air flow – but didn’t improve the anxious mind that still kept me awake...