Trump Looks for Challenger to Depose Mitch McConnell as Split Widens  —  GOP's most influential figure and its top elected official are divided on policy, politics and who should lead the party in the future  —  WASHINGTON— Mitch McConnell's record-long reign as Senate Republican leader …

Scoop: Beto plans Texas comeback in governor's race  —  Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke is preparing to run for governor of Texas in 2022, with an announcement expected later this year, Texas political operatives tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: O'Rourke's entry would give Democrats a high-profile candidate …

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.”

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 …

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 …

The Look of Gentrification  —  If you think of gentrification as coffee shops and bike lanes then you don't understand gentrification at all.  It's about what's inside, not outside.  —  My grandparents' house was located in a nice neighborhood in Berkeley, California filled with bungalows, Victorians and a few dingbat apartments.

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 …

Texas Doctor Says He Performed an Abortion in Defiance of New State Law  —  In an opinion essay in The Washington Post titled “Why I violated Texas's extreme abortion ban,” Dr. Alan Braid wrote, “I am taking a personal risk, but it's something I believe in strongly.”

Taliban-run Kabul municipality to female workers: Stay home  —  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Female employees in the Kabul city government have been told to stay home, with work only allowed for those who cannot be replaced by men, the interim mayor of Afghanistan's capital said Sunday …

Biden pitching partnership after tough stretch with allies  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden goes before the United Nations this week eager to make the case for the world to act with haste against the coronavirus, climate change and human rights abuses.

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 …

Delta perceptions lock Biden's economy in perpetual purgatory  —  WASHINGTON — The Biden administration arrived in Washington in January with a wind at its back.  After months of struggles with Covid-19, a new vaccine seemed poised to tamp down the virus and unleash a period of economic growth.

Boxer-senator Manny Pacquiao to run for Philippine president  —  MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine boxing icon and senator Manny Pacquiao says he will run for president in the 2022 elections.  —  Pacquiao accepted the nomination of his PDP-Laban party at its national convention on Sunday …

CNN's Shimon Prokupecz Goes ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ With Justice for J6 Protester Who Didn't Believe Cops Were Assaulted on Jan. 6 (Even After He Was Shown The Video)  —  CNN's Shimon Prokupecz went “down the rabbit hole” with a protester at the “Justice for J6” rally in D.C. …

The ‘JusticeForJ6’ Rally Wasn't a Joke — It Was A Warning  —  Support for the Capitol insurrectionists has taken root firmly inside the GOP  —  After the nation's capital spent weeks girding for a repeat of the insurrection, the small crowd who came to the national mall in the shadow …

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 …