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.

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

Joint Statement on the Phone Call between President Biden and President Macron  —  President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic and President Joe Biden of the United States of America spoke on September 22, at the request of the latter, in order to discuss the implications of the announcement on September 15.

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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?

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 …

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.

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,” …

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 …

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.

Biden Is Less Popular With Black Voters After Vaccine Mandate Rollout  —  President's net approval rating among key Democratic constituency is down 12 points since Sept. 9 announcement  — 71% of Black voters approve of Biden's job performance, down 5 points since the federal vaccine mandate …

New Florida surgeon general on COVID: 'We're done with fear'  —  TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis named a UCLA doctor and health policy researcher who shares his approach to managing the coronavirus pandemic to serve as the state's surgeon general Tuesday.

Charter schools boomed during the pandemic  —  Charter schools picked off hundreds of thousands of public school students across the U.S. during the pandemic, according to a new analysis from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.  —  Why it matters: The pandemic …

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 …

High Covid Hospitalizations Have Delayed Elective Surgeries  —  In areas inundated with coronavirus patients, hospitals have postponed treatments and surgeries for people with other serious conditions.  —  In chronic pain, Mary O'Donnell can't get around much.

Chaos Theory Is the Future of American Politics  —  A website changes its algorithm and a game show host becomes president.  —  1. A Butterfly Flaps Its Wings in Peking . . .  I've pointed you to the Margins before and I'm going to do it again with this essay from Ranjan Roy about Reddit.

Susan Collins To Endorse Paul LePage For Another Term As Maine Governor  —  The former governor known for his racist comments once called himself “Baby Trump.”  —  Sen. Susan Collins (Maine) is set to endorse fellow Republican Paul LePage for a third term as governor of the state he ran from 2011 to 2019.