Dems seek to ‘avoid a shutdown, at all costs’ as GOP picks debt fight  —  Democrats want to bludgeon the GOP over its debt ceiling intransigence as much as they can — though not necessarily hard enough to shut the government down next week.  —  Publicly, Senate Democrats' preferred option …

FDA Authorizes Booster Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Populations  —  For Immediate Release:  —  Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for use of a single booster dose …

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 …

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.

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 …

Atlantic writer slams GOP, Trump voters as obese drug users: ‘Go for a walk and order the salmon’  —  'If you found a county where there is a lot of obesity and drub abuse, that's where you had a lot of Trump votes'  —  The Atlantic staff writer David Frum disparaged Donald Trump voters …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

‘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 …

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.

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,” …

Haitians Who Fled The US Border Are Now Facing Nights Of Raids And Terror In Mexico  —  CIUDAD ACUÑA, Mexico — Mexican authorities carrying rifles and flashlights combed through this city's downtown early Wednesday, searching for the Haitians who were in hiding after being pushed to flee the US just days ago.

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 …

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 …

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.”

My Time with Kurt Cobain  —  Befriending a rock star isn't necessarily as cool as you'd think—particularly when tragedy happens.  —  In early 1992, when I first met Kurt Cobain, he and Courtney Love were living in a little apartment in a two-up-two-down building on an ordinary street in the Fairfax section of Los Angeles.

How to Navigate Your Climate Anxiety  —  How do you live in a world that is ending?  This is the central question of Daniel Sherrell's debut book Warmth: Coming of Age at the End of Our World.  Half-memoir and half-love letter to a future child, Sherrell's book provides insight on how to navigate …

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.