Newsom's winning recall strategy offers a playbook for Democrats in 2022  —  The Democratic establishment played its cards exactly right in California — much to my surprise.  —  I watched the developments in Golden State politics this year with a mix of worry and annoyance.

Mark Milley's crisis  —  When Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley goes before Congress on Sept. 28, he may face some of the most hostile questioning of any modern four-star general.  —  Driving the news: Newly released excerpts from “Peril” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa …

Ministers granted border exemptions to attend urgent meeting in Canberra  —  Normal text sizeLarger text sizeVery large text size  —  Several federal cabinet ministers were called to a top-secret meeting in Canberra on Wednesday ahead of a major international development expected out of the United States on Thursday morning.

Norm Macdonald Dies: Influential Comedian & Former ‘SNL’ Weekend Update Anchor Was 61  —  Norm Macdonald, whose laconic delivery of sharp and incisive observations made him one of Saturday Night Live's most influential and beloved cast members, died today after a nine-year private battle with cancer.

Afghanistan: Taliban leaders in bust-up at presidential palace, sources say  —  A major row broke out between leaders of the Taliban just days after they set up a new government in Afghanistan, senior Taliban officials told the BBC.  —  Supporters of two rival factions reportedly brawled …

Ex-U.S. Intelligence Officers Admit to Hacking Crimes in Work for Emiratis  —  They were among a trend of Americans working for foreign governments trying to build their cyberoperation abilities.  —  WASHINGTON — Three former American intelligence officers hired by the United Arab Emirates …

Capitol Police officers face discipline for photos with rioters  —  A Capitol Police officer facing disciplinary action told investigators that he posed for a photo with a suspect during the Jan. 6 riot in order to identify him later.  —  But the officer never shared that plan with his supervisor …

Taxing Wealth Is a Fool's Errand  —  “TAX THE RICH,” blared the red lettering on the back of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's white evening gown at last night's Met Gala, the word “RICH” lettered impudently across her rump.  Yes, but how?  The lead story in Tuesday's New York Times …

ABC News Staffer Claims Network Retaliated After She Filed Sexual-Assault Complaint  —  The claim from a producer on ‘Good Morning America’ comes in an amended version of her lawsuit against the network and her former boss  —  An ABC News staffer claimed the network retaliated …

POLITICO Playbook: Scoop: Grisham texts cast doubt on book claim  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  NOT A SHOCKER: Calif. Gov. GAVIN NEWSOM crushed the recall attempt by a nearly 2-to 1 margin.  The coverage: David Siders and Carla Marinucci with how he did it. ...  AP's Nick Riccardi with 5 takeaways …

North Korea fires two ballistic missiles into East Sea, South says  —  North Korea has fired two ballistic missiles across its east coast, South Korea's military says, its first ballistic missile test in six months.  —  The tests, a breach of UN resolutions, came as South Korea …

Sinema wants Democrats to spend less on Biden's economic agenda  —  A new report from Axios that dropped late Monday revealed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., has spreadsheets.  And she's preparing to use those spreadsheets to demand that Democrats spend less on Democratic economic policies during …

Biden's wildly unconstitutional vaccine mandate  —  In what may go down as one of the most significant attempts to expand the power of the presidency in modern history, President Biden announced on Sept. 9 a series of sweeping new vaccine mandates, which, together, could affect as many 100 million people.

Biden to announce joint deal with U.K. and Australia on advanced defense-tech sharing  —  One source said there is a nuclear-defense infrastructure to the three-way pact known as AUUKUS.  —  The Australian flag flies.  Darrian Traynor/Getty Images  —  President Joe Biden will announce …

Philadelphia to pay $2M to Black woman beaten by officers, separated from toddler during unrest … The city of Philadelphia will pay $2 million to a Black woman who was pulled from a car, beaten by officers and had her toddler used for social media fodder by the police union, officials said.

Biden to Meet With Top Executives on Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate  —  Microsoft, Walgreens and others are expected to give their input after president announced plan to contain pandemic  —  WASHINGTON—President Biden is expected to meet Wednesday with executives from companies including Walt Disney Co. …

FBI fires agent who failed to pursue tips about sex abuse by USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar  —  An FBI agent accused of failing to properly investigate former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar — and lying about it later — has been fired by the FBI, days before a high-stakes public hearing …

Tucker Carlson confirms it: ‘I lie’  —  Fox News host Tucker Carlson is fashioning something of a professional defense: Sure, he lies, but not the way those guys at CNN lie.  —  In a 2018 podcast appearance, he ripped into CNN “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter.  “He's just such a pompous little guy. ...

California now the only state to exit CDC's ‘high’ COVID transmission category  —  California no longer has “high” community levels of coronavirus transmission, according to data published Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an achievement a top state health official credited …