Pill Intended to Be Covid-19's Tamiflu Succeeds in Key Study  —  Drug from Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics cut risk of hospitalization or death by 50% in early look at progress  —  Merck & Co. and its partner Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP said their experimental Covid-19 pill helped …

The Progressive Caucus Wields Power  —  In a rare moment in Congress, progressive Democrats held the line, for now.  —  Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) speaks to reporters at the Capitol, September 30, 2021, in Washington.  —  This is the 30th year of the Congressional Progressive Caucus …

Cracking the Sinema code  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's political allies have some free advice for anyone trying to bully the wine-drinking triathlete into supporting President Biden's $3.5 trillion budget bill: She doesn't play by Washington's rules — and she's prepared to walk away.

How Jared and Ivanka Hijacked the White House's Covid Response  —  The year 2020 started on a promising enough note for the president, at least considering all we'd endured the previous three years.  The economy was good, the impeachment effort on Ukraine looked like a dud and the polls were decent.

Dissension at the Supreme Court as justices take their anger public  —  (CNN)Supreme Court justices have revealed a new level of defensiveness and anger in recent weeks, showing irritation with public expectations, the news media and one another.  —  The extraordinary public display extends beyond …

Special ops troops ‘hunkered down’ in California airport hangar after nighttime ninja attack  —  A sword-wielding man dressed as a ninja attacked several special operations soldiers who were training at a California airport, reportedly forcing them to shelter in a hangar and inflicting wounds that required stitches.

Biden's Slide With Key Voters: Momentary Blip or Danger Sign?  —  Polls show women and other reliably Democratic voters have soured on the president's performance, raising questions about the causes of dissatisfaction.  — Read in app  —  President Biden's approval rating …

The Conservatives Dreading—And Preparing for—Civil War  —  “Let me start big.  The mission of the Claremont Institute is to save Western civilization,” says Ryan Williams, the organization's president, looking at the camera, in a crisp navy suit.  “We've always aimed high.”  A trumpet blares.

This Is Why We Need to Spend $4 Trillion  — Read in app  —  I've spent the last few weeks in a controlled fury — and I'm not normally a fury kind of guy.  Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and others are trying to pass arguably the most consequential legislative package in a generation …

“God's will is being thwarted.”  Even in solid Republican counties, hard-liners seek more partisan control of elections.  —  The political battle in one Texas county where Trump got 81% of the vote offers a rare view into the virulent distrust and unyielding pressure facing elections administrators.

Trump Extremists Brought Numerous Guns on January 6, Evidence Shows  —  Rioters at the Capitol carried concealed pistols, allegedly stockpiled weapons nearby, and called for overthrowing the US government.  —  Fight disinformation.  Get a daily recap of the facts that matter.

The Debt Limit Chronicles, Sept. 30  —  Believe it or not, this is a largely positive entry.  —  This is a streamlined, video-centric, and mainly positive (!) update.  For previous installments, with all the background details I am skipping this time, see those from September 24, September 26, and September 28.

Alex Jones Just Lost 2 Sandy Hook Cases  —  A judge issued default judgments — a rarity in the legal world — against Jones and Infowars after the conspiracy theorist failed to produce discovery records.  —  Infowars host Alex Jones has lost two of several lawsuits filed against him by relatives …

In Portugal, There Is Virtually No One Left to Vaccinate  —  Portugal is among the most highly vaccinated countries in the world.  Vice Adm. Henrique Gouveia e Melo, who led the campaign, said there was a key to his success: Keep politics out of it.  — Read in app

The Biden family's secrets  —  After seven Senate terms and three runs for president, Joe Biden has mastered his folksy image.  But behind “the Delaware way” are secrets in Joe's family tree and son Hunter's foreign deals.  National political correspondent Ben Schreckinger tells Playbook's Ryan Lizza …

Ozy Built a TV Show on a False Claim, Says Its Former Producer  —  Producers say they were led to believe they were making a talk show for A&E, which said no to the program.  “You are playing a dangerous game with the truth,” the top producer wrote in his resignation email.  — Read in app

POLITICO-Harvard poll: Drug price negotiation is Americans' top priority  —  Americans support letting the government negotiate drug prices above all the other major priorities in the infrastructure and social spending packages now before Congress, according to a new POLITICO-Harvard poll …

POLITICO Playbook: Another big day for Biden's presidency: What to watch  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  NO DEAL — So much for that make-or-break Thursday vote on the bipartisan infrastructure bill (aka BIF).  Speaker NANCY PELOSI delayed the roll call just before 11 p.m. after a flurry …

Border Patrol horse unit ‘alive and well’ in Del Rio despite Psaki suspension claim  —  Border Patrol's horse patrol unit in Del Rio, Texas, is “alive and well,” operating daily despite a White House claim that mounted agents had been pulled from their saddles following false abuse allegations …