Why I violated Texas's extreme abortion ban  —  Alan Braid is a physician who provides abortion care in San Antonio.  —  Newly graduated from the University of Texas medical school, I began my obstetrics and gynecology residency at a San Antonio hospital on July 1, 1972.

Trump's ‘Waning Influence’ Shown in ‘Very Small Crowd Size’ at ‘Justice for J6’ Rally: Ted Lieu  —  As a sparse crowd gathered in Washington D.C., to support the January 6 Capitol rioters on Saturday, Representative Ted Lieu said the “Justice for J6” rally's poor attendance shows …

Republicans caught in California's recall trap  —  Even after California Gov. Gavin Newsom's blowout victory in the Tuesday's recall vote, Democrats are re-considering the Golden State's 110-year history with the direct democracy device.  Democrats have good reason for their concern …

What if Covid Were 10 Times Deadlier?  —  “I think I've come to believe that even if the Covid death toll was 10 times what it currently is,” the MSNBC host Chris Hayes wrote a few days ago on Twitter, “the politics of all of it wouldn't be appreciably different.”

Former Joint Chiefs chair: Nothing unusual about Milley's contacts with China  —  “Having communications with counterparts around the world is routine,” Michael Mullen said.  —  Michael Mullen, then chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies at a March 31, 2011, hearing on Capitol Hill.

AOC's ‘Tax the Rich’ dress designer Aurora James owes debt in multiple states  —  Designer Aurora James called her “Tax the Rich” dress for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez a “powerful message” — but it's not one she has taken to heart.  —  The 37-year-old fashionista who made waves at the Met Gala …

Abbott's right turn deflates GOP rivals but opens door for O'Rourke, McConaughey: News/UT-Tyler poll  —  Survey shows sharp drop for Texas governor among independents after summer of pushing to ban abortion and mandates on masks and vaccines.  —  WASHINGTON — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott …

How Accounting Giants Craft Favorable Tax Rules From Inside Government  —  Lawyers from top accounting firms do brief stints in the Treasury Department, with the expectation of big raises when they return.  —  For six years, Audrey Ellis and Adam Feuerstein worked together at PwC …

Fox News Poll: Majorities favor mask and vaccine mandates as pandemic worries increase  —  Three-quarters of registered voters are ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about the pandemic  —  Fox News Flash top headlines for September 19  —  Majorities support mask and vaccine mandates advocated …

Biden's big union bailout  —  A generation ago, labor unions actually tried to represent the financial interests of workers.  For all their other faults, they at least focused on higher wages, better working conditions, and tight labor markets for their members.  —  That era is long gone.

Biden's Entire Presidential Agenda Rests on Expansive Spending Bill  —  A plan for the economy, education, immigration, climate and more binds disparate Democratic lawmakers, but the proposal risks sinking under its own weight.  —  WASHINGTON — No president has ever packed as much of his agenda …

Sunday morning talking heads  —  It's booster week in the USA and no one's sure what's going on thanks to Joe Biden and his scientific brain trust having made a hash of the policy.  The Sunday shows will try to make sense of it with America's top two public-health bureaucrats, Anthony Fauci and his boss at NIH, Francis Collins.

28 U.S. citizens depart Afghanistan on Qatar Airways flight  —  The State Department on Saturday confirmed that a Qatar Airways charter flight left Kabul on Friday with 28 U.S. citizens and seven lawful permanent residents on board.  —  The big picture: Friday's flight is the third such airlift …

Joe Manchin Got the Voting Bill He Wanted.  Time to Pass It.  —  The editorial board is a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.  It is separate from the newsroom.  —  Far too many Republicans are players …