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Czech prime minister's party narrowly loses re-election days after Pandora Papers revelations in surprise outcome  —  Scandal-clouded billionaire Andrej Babis now faces probes over secret luxury property deals exposed in ICIJ's global investigation based on the biggest ever offshore data leak.

Taliban say they won't work with US to contain Islamic State  —  ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban on Saturday ruled out cooperation with the United States to contain extremist groups in Afghanistan, staking out an uncompromising position on a key issue ahead of the first direct talks between …

Too fun — and dumb — to check: Did Biden snub Pelosi for Vatican ambassador pick?  —  Answer: Come on, man.  For some reason, though, rumors had apparently swirled in the Beltway that Joe Biden would pick Nancy Pelosi to be his ambassador to the Vatican.  Punchbowl founder Jake Sherman noted …

Sam Anthony, Facing Death, Found the Courage to Find His Father  —  After struggling with cancer for years, Sam Anthony was running out of time.  Before he died, he found the courage to mail a letter that he had long been afraid to send.  —  FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Three weeks before he died …

The Democrats' Privileged College-Kid Problem  —  To anyone who's spent time in Democratic politics in the past decade, a certain type of young person will immediately be familiar: bright-eyed, old enough to drive a car but not old enough to rent one without insurance fees …

It's Not Misinformation.  It's Amplified Propaganda.  —  One Sunday morning in July of last year, a message from an anonymous account appeared on “Bernie or Vest,” a Discord chat server for fans of Senator Bernie Sanders.  It contained an image of Shahid Buttar, the San Francisco activist …

French elections: Far-right TV pundit climbs to second behind Macron  —  A far-right firebrand is shaking up the French presidential election and, with six months to go, has pulled into second in the polls.  —  Why it matters: This race had long seemed on course for a rematch between President …

Democrats edge toward dumping Iowa's caucuses as the first presidential vote  —  President Biden is not a big fan.  Former Democratic National Committee chair Tom Perez is openly opposed.  And elsewhere in the Democratic inner sanctum, disdain for Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucus has been rising for years.

‘Starting a Fire’: U.S. and China Enter Dangerous Territory over Taiwan  —  The self-ruled island has moved to the heart of deepening discord and rivalry between the two superpowers, with the potential to ignite military conflagration and reshape the regional order.

America's unemployed are sending a message: They'll go back to work when they feel safe - and well-compensated  —  September marked the weakest hiring this year, and an alarming number of women had to stop working again to deal with unstable school and child-care situations

‘Mad Men’ advice for Biden  —  BUILD BACK BETTER, BETTER — Wherever you sit on the political spectrum, and whatever you think of the substantive merits of the multi-trillion dollar bill that Joe Biden has staked his presidency on, you will probably agree that the bill has been terribly named.

Austria's Kurz Quits as Chancellor Amid Corruption Probe  — Foreign minister Alexander Schallenberg proposed as successor  — Kurz to remain party leader with influence over policy  —  Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz resigned Saturday in the face of corruption allegations …

Appeals court reinstates Texas's six-week abortion ban, two days after it was lifted  —  A federal appeals court late Friday reinstated the nation's most restrictive abortion law, which bars the procedure as early as six weeks into pregnancy with no exceptions for rape or incest.

A Boston Mayoral Candidate Is Leaning Into Her Accent  —  The mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George, the daughter of Polish and Tunisian immigrants, speaks with the accent of working-class Boston.  And she's having some fun with it.  —  BOSTON — The mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi George …

Hungary's Orban backs Polish court ruling challenging EU law  —  Hungary has called on European Union institutions “to respect member states' sovereignty” after it backed a Polish court ruling that some EU law is incompatible with the Polish constitution.  —  Prime Minister Viktor Orban signed …

McConnell vows GOP won't help raise debt ceiling in December after Schumer ‘tantrum’  —  Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) warned President Biden Friday that Republicans won't help raise the debt ceiling later this year, and stated that a recent speech by Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y) had “poisoned the well.”

Kyrsten Sinema Wants to Cut $100 Billion in Proposed Climate Funds, Sources Say  —  The Arizona senator, who started in politics as an environmentalist, is one of two centrist Democrats who could make or break a spending bill at the center of President Biden's legislative agenda.

National Democrats seek to intervene in GOP-backed challenge to mail voting in Pennsylvania  —  The Democratic National Committee is seeking to intervene in a lawsuit brought by Pennsylvania Republicans aimed at curbing the use of mail voting, according to a copy of the filing shared with NBC News.

Harrison Nominates New Corporate Lobbyists to Join the DNC  —  DNC members say they were not allowed input on the nominees, who were put forward as a slate by Chair Jaime Harrison and will almost certainly be approved.  —  EDITED BY  —  Tomorrow, Democratic National Committee members …