Hasan Minhaj’s “emotional truths” reportedly cost him his frontrunner status to succeed Trevor Noah as host of The Daily Show—which is set to return on October 16 with guest hosts through 2023. A new, permanent host is coming in 2024, the show confirmed on Wednesday. Earlier this month, a New Yorker profile explored portions of Minhaj’s biography (as told through stand-up) that didn’t quite pass fact-checking. Minhaj argued that his stories got at an “emotional truth”—prompting comedians to sound off on when it is and is not okay to lie on stage. While three sources told Variety in August that Minhaj was the frontrunner to take over Daily Show, the trade now reports that Paramount Global has gone “back to square one.” (Both Comedy Central and WME—which represents Minhaj—declined Variety’s request for comment; the magazine also noted that Comedy Central has never confirmed Minhaj as a frontrunner for the job.)

Video shared on social media shows the dramatic moment when a plane purportedly linked to the Russian Wagner private military company (PMC) crashed on a runway in Mali.

The clip posted by several X (formerly Twitter) users, including aviation accounts, shows the Soviet-era Ilyushin Il-76 landing at Gao Airport in the West African country on September 23, overrunning the runway at high speed, before breaking into pieces and catching fire.

The fate of those onboard is not known, but there has been speculation that they included members of the Wagner Group, which has a presence in Mali. Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, which claims to have links to Russia's security services, posted that "according to preliminary data, there could be mercenaries from PMC Wagner on board."

Thinking about the 2023 Virginia legislative elections, would you prefer to see [RANDOMIZE (a Republican) or (a Democratic)] majority in the Legislature next year?
37% Republican
40% Democratic
11% Other choice/write-in 4% None / Would not vote
6% Don't know
2% Refused

How much of a factor will the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling last year regarding abortion be in deciding your vote in the Virginia legislative elections – a major factor, a minor factor, or not a factor?
53% Major factor
21% Minor factor
20% Not a factor
5% Don't know
1% Refused

How much of a factor will Virginia public school policies be in deciding your vote in the Virginia legislative elections – a major factor, a minor factor, or not a factor?
64% Major factor
21% Minor factor
9% Not a factor
6% Don't know
Refused

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Ohio Redistricting Commission (ORC) voted unanimously to adopt new state legislative maps for the 2020 redistricting cycle, more than two years since the process began.

The adopted maps, which are heavily gerrymandered in favor of Republicans, were chosen late last night as the ORC’s working maps after closed door discussions. Shortly after, they were adopted in a 7-0 vote. The approved Senate map features a 23-10 seat split in favor of Republicans, while the House map contains a 61-38 Republican advantage. Ohio Republicans currently hold a 26-7 majority in the Senate and a 67-32 majority in the House.

The ORC had previously passed a Republican-sponsored working map over objections from Democrats on the commission, who released their own maps that would have curbed legislative gerrymanders in the state. In contrast to the Republican commissioners’ maps, the Democratic proposals featured a 19-14 Republican advantage in the Senate and a 56-43 Republican advantage in the House. That’s significantly more aligned with what activists in the state say would be a fair partisan breakdown.

The Republican-sponsored map seemed sure to be adopted in a party-line vote yesterday — since the working draft passed in a party-line 5-2 vote last week — until last-minute negotiations resulted in the surprise bipartisan agreement. Republicans on the ORC lauded the approved maps, with Auditor of State Keith Faber (R) saying the maps were “the result of an awful lot of hours of discussion, consideration, negotiation, mediation and more discussion.” Since the maps were adopted in a bipartisan vote, it’s possible the maps could be in place for eight years.

NEW YORK — Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) pleaded not guilty in Manhattan federal court Wednesday to bribery and extortion charges stemming from his relationship with three New Jersey businesspeople.

Federal prosecutors accused the senior senator last week of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and other gifts in exchange for using his office to benefit the businesspeople and the government of Egypt.

Menendez, 69, is charged with conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud and conspiracy to commit extortion.