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 …

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.

Latest Updates: Death Toll Rises as New York Region Struggles With Ida Destruction  —  Rescues continued and bodies were retrieved from flooded basement apartments.  Our reporters and photographers are sending in live updates.  —  RIGHT NOW Philadelphia is inundated by floodwaters as Ida leaves …

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 …

Jan. 6 Rioter Goes Back To Jail Over ‘Addiction’ To Online Conspiracy Theories  —  Doug Jensen chased Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up the stairs as the mob stormed the Capitol.  He's going back to jail.  —  A QAnon conspiracy theorist who stormed the U.S. Capitol in support …

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.

De Blasio sees hope in gubernatorial field as he faces political wilderness  —  Bill de Blasio, a career politician and operative, was facing the prospect of life outside public office for the first time in two decades.  —  Then came the downfall of his archnemesis, Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

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 …

Biden's Approval Rating Hits A New Low After The Afghanistan Withdrawal  —  Amid the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden's approval rating slid to just 43% in the latest NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll.  —  That is down 6 percentage points from a survey conducted …

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.

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.

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 …

Sex offending suspect claims transgender harassment in Wi Spa case  —  In June, a group of women complained that a person who identified as female exposed their penis at the Wi Spa in Los Angeles.  The incident led to months of sometimes violent protests, with media outlets declaring …

A judge rebukes Donald Trump Jr. for misinformation — as Trump Jr. doubles down on misinformation  —  It was a telling moment in the GOP's continual descent into a post-truth party in the Donald Trump era.  Even though multiple fact-checkers debunked a claim that the Taliban hanged a man …

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—

Australia Traded Away Too Much Liberty  —  In a bid to keep the coronavirus out of the country, Australia's federal and state governments imposed draconian restrictions on its citizens.  Prime Minister Scott Morrison knows that the burden is too heavy.  “This is not a sustainable way to live in this country,” he recently declared.