Scoop: Dems' sneaky sabotage  —  A group tied to prominent Democratic strategists is posing as a conservative outfit to try to drive a wedge between the Republican candidate for Virginia governor and his core voters, Axios has learned.  —  Why it matters: The state's gubernatorial race …

Trump played tough with Putin when cameras were around, while Putin toyed with his insecurities, a new book says  —  Little is known about what happened in the 90-minute conversation between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Osaka, Japan, two years ago.

Pass the damn infrastructure bill, dammit  —  Then pass the reconciliation bill, then pass another bill...  I am annoyed at the way Democrats are handling the two spending bills now moving through Congress.  When the bipartisan infrastructure deal passed the Senate, I assumed it was a done deal …

New York can move forward with coronavirus vaccine mandate for school workers, judges say  —  Teachers and other school workers in the city have until Friday to show they have received at least one vaccine shot  —  A federal appeals court Monday made way for New York Mayor Bill de Blasio …

Trump's spiteful support for Abrams over Kemp sparks midterms fear from Georgia Republicans  —  (CNN)Donald Trump is escalating his fight against Republican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, and state Republicans fear it will give Democrats a stronger foothold in the key swing state as next year's midterm elections loom.

Republicans Block Government Funding, Refusing to Lift Debt Limit  —  Senate Republicans opposed legislation to avert a government shutdown and prevent a debt default at a critical moment for Democrats' domestic agenda.  —  WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans on Monday blocked a spending bill needed …

The unimportance of Trump's incompetence  —  The most talked-about essay of the past week is undoubtedly Robert Kagan's “Our constitutional crisis is already here” in The Washington Post, a long, gripping examination of the very serious danger that Donald Trump poses to American democracy …

A.C.L.U. Apologizes for Tweet That Altered Quote by Justice Ginsburg  —  The organization acknowledged that changing references from women to people was a mistake — albeit a well-intentioned one.  —  Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union …

Marine officer who blasted leaders over Afghanistan withdrawal now in the brig  —  “All our son did is ask the questions that everybody was asking themselves, but they were too scared to speak out loud.”  —  Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, the Marine officer whose meteoric rise to internet fandom began …

R. Kelly Found Guilty in Decades-Long Sexual Abuse Scheme  —  The six-week trial in Brooklyn, N.Y., included graphic and disturbing testimony about sexual abuse by one of America's best-known musicians.  —  Key Updates:  —  Jonah Bromwichcovers the courts in New York

The Largest Autocracy on Earth  —  In 1947, Albert Einstein, writing in this magazine, proposed the creation of a single world government to protect humanity from the threat of the atomic bomb.  His utopian idea did not take hold, quite obviously, but today, another visionary is building the simulacrum of a cosmocracy.

New Taliban Chancellor Bars Women From Kabul University  —  The new policy for Afghanistan's premier university is another major blow to women's rights under Taliban rule, and to a two-decade effort to build up higher education.  —  Tightening the Taliban's restrictions on women …

Florida Man Dies While Awaiting Trial on Charges Related to Jan. 6 US Capitol Breach  —  A U.S. military veteran who was charged in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach has died.  —  John Anderson, 61, died at a hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sept. 21, according to family members and his lawyer.

Here's the Truth About Brett Kavanaugh's Finances  —  No, liberals, the Koch brothers don't own him.  —  It's become a predictable pattern: The Supreme Court issues a controversial ruling on a hot-button social issue, and then Justice Brett Kavanaugh trends on Twitter.

Unvaccinated Americans say the need for booster shots proves Covid vaccines don't work, Kaiser survey shows  — A Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows that 71% percent of unvaccinated respondents said boosters are a sign that vaccines are not working.  — The split in attitudes toward …

Jumaane Jumps In He's running for governor, calling Kathy Hochul a Cuomo ‘enabler,’ and keeping an eye on Tish James.  —  Three years ago, Jumaane Williams came within seven points of beating Kathy Hochul in the Democratic primary for New York lieutenant governor.

Persistence Pays  —  “Harriet Tubman was born a slave, and her story could have ended there.  Instead, she persisted, escaping from slavery and becoming the most famous ‘conductor’ on the Underground Railroad,” begins the first section of Chelsea Clinton's baffling 2017 children's book …

Milley and Austin head for Capitol Hill buzz saw  —  Top Pentagon leaders are set to face tough questions over the Afghanistan withdrawal.  —  Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrives at Joint Base McGuire Dix Lakehurst, N.J., on Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, to tour an Afghan refugee camp on base.

Mapped: No majority-Hispanic districts added in Texas  —  Texas Republicans propose adding seats in Austin and Houston — but no majority-Hispanic districts — in new congressional district maps released Monday.  —  Why it matters: Texas is a rapidly growing, diversifying and politically changing state.

As daughter sought state license, Noem summoned agency head  —  SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Just days after a South Dakota agency moved to deny her daughter's application to become a certified real estate appraiser, Gov. Kristi Noem summoned to her office the state employee who ran the agency …

China's power shortage turns dire as traffic lights fail, homes fall dark  —  Half of China's provincial jurisdictions mandate rationing of electricity, but poor communication and unclear timeline leave angry public in the dark One local government warns that entire power grid at risk of collapse …

Ford Will Build 4 Factories in a Big Electric Vehicle Push  —  The automaker and a supplier will spend $11.4 billion on three battery factories and a truck plant, creating 11,000 jobs.  —  Ford Motor significantly increased its commitment to electric cars and trucks on Monday by announcing …

American Siblings Barred From Leaving China for 3 Years Return to U.S.  —  Their release coincided with an agreement on Friday that cleared the way for a senior executive of Huawei Technologies, the Chinese telecommunications giant, to return to China.  —  Victor and Cynthia Liu …

Viral Video of White Woman Allegedly Telling Black Couple To ‘Stay in Your Hood’ Was Recorded by a Known Fabulist  —  Frederick Joseph is a marketing guru, an Elizabeth Warren campaign surrogate, and the author of a 2020 book, The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person.  He is black.