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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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.

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

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 …

How an Anti-Trump Plotter in 2016 Became His Champion Against Liz Cheney  —  Harriet Hageman, a Wyoming Republican, is the former president's choice to take on his leading G.O.P. critic.  But five years ago, she tried to overturn his victory in the party's primary race.

Red Covid  —  Covid's partisan pattern is growing more extreme.  —  During the early months of Covid-19 vaccinations, several major demographic groups lagged in receiving shots, including Black Americans, Latino Americans and Republican voters.  —  More recently, the racial gaps — while still existing — have narrowed.

Trump's ‘Mar-a-Lago Trio’ Broke Law in Plan to Monetize Veterans' Medical Records: Report  —  Three executives used their personal ties to former President Donald Trump to allegedly break the law to shape veterans' policies for their own benefit, according to the findings of an investigation by House Democrats released Monday.

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.

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 …

The Public Continues to Underestimate COVID's Age Discrimination  —  In mid-September, King County, Washington, in which Seattle is located, released an eye-popping slide about vaccine efficacy and breakthrough prevalence: Vaccines had reduced the risk of infection from COVID sevenfold …

Stable Governor's Race  —  McAuliffe maintains issue advantage  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Democrat Terry McAuliffe maintains a small lead over Republican Glenn Youngkin according to the latest Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll of the Virginia governor's race.

NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar calls for unvaccinated players to be removed from teams  —  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be on CNN's “Don Lemon Tonight” at 10 p.m. ET.  —  (CNN)If NBA players are not vaccinated, they shouldn't be on the team, basketball Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar told Rolling Stone.

Introducing the Real Will Smith  —  For decades, he worked tirelessly to make himself the biggest movie star on the planet.  Then he hit his “fuck-it 50s” and everything changed.  Now, as he prepares a raw new memoir and a pair of films tackling racial themes, Will Smith is ready to speak his truth.

How Republicans learned to stop worrying and embrace ‘replacement theory’ — by name  —  The story of the Republican Party in the Trump era is, by and large, one of a boiled frog.  —  Trump constantly pushed the envelope in ways that made his allies uncomfortable.

U.S. Asked Russia About Offer of Bases to Monitor Afghan Terror Threat  —  Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Mark Milley asked his Russian counterpart about Putin's comments at the request of the White House  —  The Pentagon's top military officer discussed with his Russian counterpart an apparent offer …

Education polarization is only growing  —  And it's making everyone mad all the time  —  A Harvard Crimson survey of the incoming Harvard Class of 2025 revealed that 87% of the class voted for Joe Biden, compared to 6.7% for Howie Hawkins and 6.3% for Donald Trump.

Misinformation Is About to Get So Much Worse  —  Editor's Note: This article is part of our coverage of The Atlantic Festival.  Learn more and watch festival sessions here.  —  For years now, artificial intelligence has been hailed as both a savior and a destroyer.

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 …

Has China already won?  —  Last week, President Biden convened the first in-person Quad Leaders' Summit, bringing together leaders of Japan, India and Australia to discuss and coordinate efforts toward maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific.  Topics ranging from vaccines and semiconductors …

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 …

Anti-Vaccine Cartoonist Ben Garrison Says He's Got Covid-19, Won't Go to Hospital  —  The pro-Trump cartoonist says he's lost about 15 pounds and is taking ivermectin.  —  Alerts  —  Ben Garrison, a right-wing cartoonist known for his opposition to vaccines and his extremely flattering drawings …

Bolsonaro's wife was vaccinated during their visit to New York for the U.N.G.A.  —  Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's proudly unvaccinated president, is contending with more fallout from his visit to New York last week to speak at the United Nations: A fourth member of his entourage has tested positive for Covid-19 …

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.

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 …

‘We won’: Trump and his allies barrel ahead with election lies despite Arizona review confirming his loss  —  Sham Arizona audit restates Trump lost.  But it may have succeeded in another way  —  (CNN)The Cyber Ninjas failed to prove fraud in the Arizona 2020 election …