FDA backs Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for seniors, high-risk  —  The U.S. moved a step closer Wednesday to offering booster doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine to senior citizens and others at high risk from the virus as the Food and Drug Administration signed off on the targeted use of extra shots.

Republicans usually lose shutdown fights.  So why are they going there again?  —  Republicans are threatening to withhold the votes needed to raise the debt ceiling and keep the government funded ahead of a crucial deadline in two weeks, putting the country on course for yet another fiscal crisis and government shutdown.

Sen. Susan Collins won't support abortion rights bill  —  As Democrats consider legislation to respond to a new Texas state ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, they have lost the support of one of the few remaining Republicans who support abortion rights.

Biden admin seeks contractor to run migrant detention facility at Gitmo, guards who speak Creole  —  LOS ANGELES — As it scrambles to deal with the surge of Haitian migrants at the southern border, the Biden administration is seeking a private contractor to operate a migrant detention facility …

Flynn: Libs Are Plotting To Put Vax In Salad Dressing  —  “Somebody sent me a thing this morning where they're talking about putting the vaccine in salad dressing.  Have you seen this?  I mean, I'm thinking to myself, this is the bizarro world, right?  This is definitely the bizarro world.

Murder Rose by Almost 30% in 2020.  It's Rising at a Slower Rate in 2021.  —  The increase in murders this summer does not appear to be as large as the record spike last summer.  —  The United States in 2020 experienced the biggest rise in murder since the start of national record-keeping in 1960 …

Tucker Carlson Goes All In On ‘The Great Replacement’ Theory, Says Biden Wants To ‘Change the Racial Mix Of the Country’  —  Tucker Carlson said the quiet part out loud on Wednesday night, calling the influx of immigrants into the United States via the southern border “the great replacement.”

Bipartisan Police-Overhaul Talks End With No Deal  —  Lawmakers had sought to address abuses by law-enforcement in wake of protests over killings of Black Americans  —  WASHINGTON — Bipartisan talks aimed at overhauling police tactics and accountability have ended with no agreement …

Hillary Clinton tried to warn us — and paid the price.  Let's at least call Republicans what they are  —  Still, America's political class is unwilling to call the fascist, white supremacist Republicans what they are  —  During a speech in September 2016, Hillary Clinton …

Gubernatorial Candidates Locked in Close Contest, UMW Survey Shows  —  Former Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) and Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin remain locked in a tight contest for governor of Virginia, a University of Mary Washington statewide survey shows.

‘Outrageous’: Judge Lays Into Trump-Loving Deputy Who Wore ‘Sheriff’ Patch On Jan. 6  —  Ronald Colton McAbee was a sheriff's deputy when he attempted to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6.  A judge is deciding whether he'll be freed pretrial.  —  A federal judge criticized a Capitol attack defendant …

Biden's Approval Rating Hits New Low of 43%; Harris' Is 49%  —  WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eight months after President Joe Biden's inauguration, his job approval rating has fallen six percentage points to 43%, the lowest of his presidency.  For the first time, a majority, 53%, now disapproves of Biden's performance.

What Jonathan Franzen and the Left Get Wrong About Free Speech Don't wait for an emergency to criticize dangerous ideas by your allies.  —  Novelist Jonathan Franzen, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, explained why he refused to sign a letter to Harper's defending free speech norms from the left.

News Media Can't Shake ‘Missing White Woman Syndrome,’ Critics Say  —  Major outlets have highlighted the case of Gabrielle Petito while often ignoring stories about women of color who go missing.  —  On Monday night, the MSNBC host Joy Reid invited two women on her show, “The ReidOut,” …

The Emerging Artistry of Hunter Biden  —  At some point in the coming weeks, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be funneled to the son of the sitting American president—and none of us will know anything about who sent the money, or where it originally came from, or why anyone chose to send it in the first place.

Not Getting Vaccinated to Own Your Fellow Libs  —  Conspiracy theorists who discount the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and other public-health mandates are often portrayed in the media as right-wing.  That's for good reason: a not-insignificant number of the most vocal conspiracists tie …

After Mandating Masks Outdoors, Oregon's Active COVID-19 Cases Increased 73 Percent  —  On August 24, Oregon governor Kate Brown instated a state masking requirement that requires everyone five years and older, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask, face covering or face shield …

Top Adviser to Ukrainian President Is Targeted in an Assassination Attempt  —  President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would return to Ukraine from New York immediately.  The adviser, Serhiy Shefir, was unharmed, but his driver was shot and wounded in the attack.

Special Report: Backers of Trump's false fraud claims seek to control next elections  —  One leading candidate seeking to become Georgia's chief elections official, Republican Jody Hice, is a Congressman who voted to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 presidential win in the hours after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Vaccine Mandates: The End of Covid?  Or the Beginning of Tyranny?  —  A Harvard law professor, a leading critic of the War on Terror, a rising GOP star and others weigh in. … This Will Come Back to Haunt Us  —  By Jay Bhattacharya and Jonathan Ketcham  —  Why the push for vaccine passports and mandates?

Diplomat overseeing ‘Havana Syndrome’ response is out after 6 months  —  WASHINGTON — The top State Department official overseeing the response to “Havana Syndrome” is leaving her position after only six months on the job, three officials tell NBC News.  —  Ambassador Pamela Spratlen …

Grand Jury Returns Indictments Charging 2 Afghan Evacuees with Crimes While at Fort McCoy & Wisconsin Residents with Gun & Drug Crimes  —  MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today.

Conspiracy Firm Behind Arizona Audit Defies Order to Release Behind-the-Scenes Texts  —  Cyber Ninjas is fighting an order to release communications about the GOP-led Arizona election audit, despite a judge repeatedly ruling they must do so.  —  Days before the long-delayed conclusion of an Arizona vote …

Tim Cook says employees who leak memos do not belong at Apple, according to leaked memo  —  The CEO says the company is doing everything in its power to track down workers  —  Tim Cook sent an email to Apple employees Tuesday evening about an all-hands meeting that leaked to The Verge last week.

Mary Trump unplugged  —  Donald Trump's niece, Mary, returns to talk about her new book, “The Reckoning: our nation's trauma and finding a way to heal.”  —  Among the topics Mary discusses with us: Don Jr's intelligence; Ivanka ego; her recent slapdown of Meghan McCain …

Facebook Chief Technology Officer Schroepfer to Step Down  — Veteran executive ‘Schrep’ will shift to senior fellow role  — Hardware boss Andrew Bosworth will be promoted to CTO role  —  Facebook Inc. Chief Technology Officer Mike Schroepfer, a 13-year veteran who oversees …

As Climate Envoy, John Kerry Faces Tough Path  —  As the first presidential envoy for climate, he wants to persuade world leaders to “do what the science tells us.”  With global climate talks less than two months away, he faces a tough path.  —  NEW DELHI — The lanky figure lugging …

12 former security officials who warned against antitrust crackdown have tech ties  —  The warning last week from a dozen former national security leaders was stark: An antitrust crackdown on Silicon Valley could threaten the nation's economy and “cede U.S. tech leadership to China.”

Alaska Gov. Dunleavy activates crisis standards of care for entire state to help COVID-overwhelmed hospitals  —  Alaska is activating crisis standards of care for the entire state, a drastic step that signals staff shortages and influx of COVID-19 patients could make it impossible for some hospitals to treat everyone.