Texas law could flip script on abortion politics, with Democrats eying gains  —  WASHINGTON — Virginia was once at the forefront of anti-abortion efforts, going to the Supreme Court to defend its right to prosecute a newspaper publisher for running an ad promoting abortion.

The Harms of Masking Young Students Are Real  —  Scientists have an obligation to strive for honesty.  And on the question of whether kids should wear masks in schools—particularly preschools and elementary schools—here is what I conclude: The potential educational harms of mandatory-masking policies …

Cotton leads Senate GOP push on Biden's Afghanistan withdrawal  —  Senate Republicans are pressing President Joe Biden to account for how many Americans, green card holders and special immigrant visa applicants remain in Afghanistan after the U.S. completed its withdrawal earlier this week.

Heeding Steve Bannon's Call, Election Deniers Organize to Seize Control of the GOP — and Reshape America's Elections  —  ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.  Sign up to receive our biggest stories as soon as they're published.

Scenes from New York City as Ida paralyzes region.  —  City buses turned into amphibious vehicles, plowing through several feet of water, past orange traffic cones floating like buoys in the muck.  —  Subway stations roared with the sounds of rushing water that cascaded through platforms …

The effort to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom is struggling, new California poll shows  —  Most likely California voters are opposed to the Republican-led recall effort against Gov. Gavin Newsom and a growing number fear the consequences of removing him from office with a hard-right conservative best positioned …

Liz Cheney named vice chair of the January 6 select committee  —  (CNN)Democratic Chairman of the January 6 Select Committee Bennie Thompson announced on Thursday that Republican Rep. Liz Cheney will become the panel's vice chair, the latest sign that the Democrat-run committee is attempting …

Woman hurls racist slurs at Jefferson Parish workers, aims car at deputy, is shot dead  —  'There didn't seem to be a whole lot right with her,' sheriff says  —  A crew of Jefferson Parish workers was repairing a Metairie water main broken by Hurricane Ida when a woman pulled up in her car Wednesday, called them “f—

The election gambit that's sending Georgia Democrats into a frenzy  —  Georgia Republicans say it's merely an attempt to improve a chronically mismanaged elections administration.  —  But a newly-formed election review panel in Atlanta's Fulton County is nevertheless sparking outrage …

“2016 on Steroids”: The Race to Inherit Trump's MAGA Base Is Already On—And the Knives Are Out  —  With the 2024 election in sight, Republican presidential contenders such as Ron DeSantis, Ted Cruz, and Mike Pompeo have begun racing each other to the bottom to claim the party's base.

AP sources: Intel shows extremists to attend Capitol rally  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — Far right extremist groups like the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers are planning to attend a rally later this month at the U.S. Capitol that is designed to demand “justice” for the hundreds of people who have been charged …

A hurricane of misinformation on climate change  —  Before Hurricane Ida even had the chance to dissipate into Tropical Storm Ida, Democratic politicians were already on Twitter using the natural disaster to score political points.  —  Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was typical …

China bans men it sees as not masculine enough from TV  —  BEIJING (AP) — China's government banned effeminate men on TV and told broadcasters Thursday to promote “revolutionary culture,” broadening a campaign to tighten control over business and society and enforce official morality.

Biden's Job Approval Has Entered Dangerous Territory  —  ANALYSIS  —  In 1880, Americans did something momentous: They all elected their congressional delegations in the same year.  Prior to that, elections had been a hodgepodge affair.  For example, the first elections for the 28th Congress …

Israeli coronavirus vaccine booster data gives the U.S. hope  —  Preliminary Israeli data shows that coronavirus booster shots quickly spike a person's protection against both severe disease and infection, suggesting that the additional shots could help blunt the virus' spread in the U.S. — although it's very unclear how much.

Mueller Scrutinized an Unidentified Member of News Media in Russia Inquiry  —  The scrutiny was one of several new disclosures the Justice Department made about investigative actions involving the news media during the Trump years.  —  WASHINGTON — The special counsel who investigated …

JD Vance Surrenders to the Politics of Hate  —  Hillbilly Elegy author JD Vance was already some way along a journey when he took the stage at the first “National Conservatism Conference” in July 2019.  —  In the runup to 2016, he had been an outspoken critic of Donald Trump's candidacy.