By Jamie Ross and Izin Akhabau

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Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Oct. 6, and we feel a little bit better about the world after reading about this man’s revelatory experience volunteering at a D.C. food bank. Let’s get to the news.

	Kamala Harris has major advantages for 2028, but they may not be enough.

• If she runs for president again: Harris would benefit from near-universal name recognition, White House experience and the hard-earned lessons of her defeat in 2024.

• However: There is anxiety among Democrats about her potential political return. The Post interviewed 18 strategists, donors and other party figures about the pros and cons.

President Donald Trump said he’ll stop using taxpayer money for campaign-style ads.

• In recent weeks: Officials have run pro-Trump TV ads paid for by taxpayers. Yesterday, following backlash from Democrats and some Republicans, the president reversed course.

• In other Trump news: The White House yesterday blocked Politico from traveling on the president’s plane to Nebraska, leaving the campaign trip with no primary print pool reporter.

The U.S. is tracking reports of a death in Russia potentially related to pneumonic plague.

• The latest: Agencies are trying to learn more about the reported death of a lab worker as well as quarantines imposed on hospitals in Siberia. Much about the situation is unclear.

• What is pneumonic plague? An infectious disease that is fatal when untreated, but many recover with a swift course of antibiotics. Find out everything you need to know about it here.

Republicans are at risk of major losses in state legislatures, a Post analysis found.

• Where things stand: Most attention ahead of the midterms is on congressional and governor races. But Democrats could also break up full Republican control in as many as six states.

• A major issue for Republicans: Soaring fuel prices are causing concern inside the party about voter turnout next month. Vice President JD Vance is scrambling to address the problem.

• As gas prices rise, should you buy an electric car? Answer these six questions.

Hundreds of students protested at Cornell University yesterday.

• Their demands: They called on the school to expel or revoke the degrees of several frat members after allegations of gang rape sparked widespread criticism of the school’s leaders.

• The case: A former student alleges she was drugged and raped by seven frat members in 2024. See how the allegations and the nationwide fallout unfolded on this visual timeline.

You can boost your brain’s health by helping it clear waste.

• Our bodies need to remove waste to stay healthy: This is especially important in the brain, which has special plumbing (called the glymphatic system) to flush out metabolic garbage.

• There are three ways to help: Sleep, exercise and mindful breathing. Experts shared the most beneficial sleep and exercise practices here, as well as some calming breathing patterns.

A mystery about Thomas Jefferson may have been settled by a hair.

• For more than 200 years: Questions have swirled about whether the third president fathered children with Sally Hemings, the enslaved half sister of his late wife.

• Now, according to a new book: DN