Colin Powell, first Black US secretary of state, dies of Covid-19 complications amid cancer battle  —  (CNN)Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state whose leadership in several Republican administrations helped shape American foreign policy in the last years of the 20th century …

Scoop: Manchin's red lines  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) has told the White House the child tax credit must include a firm work requirement and family income cap in the $60,000 range, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.  —  Why it matters: While Manchin's demands would dramatically weaken …

GOP senator smacks Trump  —  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) told “Axios on HBO” he's not sure former President Donald Trump would win the Republican nomination if he ran in 2024 — a rare voice of criticism from within the party.  — When I raised the conventional wisdom that Trump would be expected …

Out of the Shadows: Christopher Steele defiant on dossier, says Trump still ‘potential’ threat  —  The British former spy says the Russians still may hold “kompromat” on Trump.  —  Retired British spy Christopher Steele is stepping out of the shadows to discuss his so-called “Steele dossier” …

GOP senator calls for senility test for aging leaders  —  Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a physician, told me during an “Axios on HBO” interview that he favors cognition tests for aging leaders of all three branches of government.  —  Why it matters: Wisdom comes with age.  But science also shows that we lose something.

As Japan's yakuza mob weakens, former gangsters struggle to find a role outside crime  —  KITAKYUSHU, Japan — Noodle chef Takashi Nakamoto moves so deftly as he boils, strains and arranges his signature plates of udon that it's easy to overlook the brutal reminder of his former life: his missing left pinkie.

Why no outrage for new Kentucky election laws?  They're no better than Texas or Georgia  —  A Democratic governor signed an election integrity bill into law — with Republican support.  —  In the hyperbolic, hyper-partisan political landscape we're facing, this type of situation would be normally unthinkable.

How Virginia school boards are being weaponized to help elect a GOP governor  —  “I am a concerned parent.  I am not a plant.  I am not an activist.  And as anyone who knows me, I've always been identified as a Democrat,” Virginia resident Harry Jackson said on an October 14 appearance on Fox News.

‘His Street Cred Went Up’: The Unintended Consequences of Outing the GOP Lawmakers at Jan. 6  —  It didn't occur to them, not at first, that in the human mass pushing past police barricades around the Capitol, they might see the bald head of a Pennsylvania state senator gliding through the crowd …

Trump faces a pile of civil lawsuits as depositions begin  —  Former President Donald Trump has been ordered to answer questions under oath in a lawsuit Monday, and his attorneys could set a date for a deposition in another case, as well.  —  The lawsuits, involving allegations …

In book, former Sen. Joe Lieberman describes how Karl Rove and Republicans helped him beat Ned Lamont in 2006  —  HARTFORD — For the past 15 years, former U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman has never spoken publicly about the secret help that he received from Republicans Karl Rove and Elizabeth Dole …

As a Woman Was Raped, Train Riders Failed to Intervene, Police Say  —  The SEPTA train car near Philadelphia had several passengers aboard but none called 911 while the woman was sexually assaulted, the authorities said.  —  As a woman was being raped while on a train near Philadelphia on Wednesday night …

Eric Adams Once Led Sexist Smear Campaign Against a Whistleblower Cop  —  In 1991, Adams portrayed Officer Lizette Lebron as the “scorned lover” of another cop and displayed a picture of her in a bathing suit after she exposed a cheating scandal.  The mayoral frontrunner now expresses …

Russia shuts mission to NATO in row over spying  —  Russia said on Monday it would halt the activities of its diplomatic mission to NATO after the Western military alliance expelled eight Russians in a row over spying.  —  Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that in return …

Major League Baseball to require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022, sources say  —  Amid mounting pressure from players and advocacy groups, Major League Baseball will require teams to provide housing for minor league players starting in 2022, sources told ESPN.

Inside the N.Y.C. Neighborhood With the Fastest Growing Asian Population  —  In a corner of Queens, a fivefold increase in Asian residents since 2010 is transforming the area's restaurants, housing and politics.  —  Yumpling, a Taiwanese eatery, opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant in August 2020 …

Give no-show Buttigieg full-time paternity leave — abolish his department  —  Here's a question for you: What if a Cabinet secretary took a couple months off from work and nobody noticed?  —  What if his extended vacation took place right amid a crisis in which one would expect his agency …

At Axel Springer, Politico's New Owner, Allegations of Sex, Lies and a Secret Payment  —  A high-flying German media giant is ahead on digital media but seems stuck in the past when it comes to the workplace and deal-making.  —  A high-level editor at the powerful German tabloid Bild …

Harris to highlight drought, climate change in Nevada trip  —  Vice President Harris will visit Lake Mead in Nevada on Monday to receive a briefing from Interior Department officials about the impact of this year's drought and highlight the Biden administration's proposals to address climate change.

Biden Administration Seeks to Accelerate Cleanup of Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’  —  Concerns mount over health toll of substances used to make everything from cellphones to medical devices  —  The Biden administration said it is moving forward on regulations to limit the spread …

Washington Hears Echoes of the '50s and Worries: Is This a Cold War With China?  —  Incursions into Taiwan's air zone, a space launch and what looked like a prisoner swap raise a question that is about more than just semantics.  It could signal a dangerous new mind-set.

Murder trial for the killing of Ahmaud Arbery set to begin with jury selection in Georgia  —  (CNN)Three White men accused of chasing down and killing Ahmaud Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man out for a jog, are set to stand trial for murder in Georgia this week in a case thick with issues of racism, self-defense and cellphone video.

It's Time to Disobey Covid Mandates  —  Laws contrary to the human good are not only false laws, but acts of violence against the human person which can be disobeyed.  —  In early September, approximately one month after the re-imposition of the indoor mask mandate in Washington …

I get abuse and threats online - why can't it be stopped?  —  Online abuse against women is on the rise, but why aren't the police, the government and social media companies doing more to stop it?  —  Warning: Story contains strong language  —  I'm the BBC's first specialist disinformation reporter …

U.K. Covid Surge Sparks Call for Probe Into Delta Plus Mutation  —  Former U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb called for “urgent research” into a mutation of the delta variant — known as delta plus — following a surge in Covid-19 cases in the U.K.

Biden admin to build intelligence-gathering cell to track groups of migrants headed north  —  WASHINGTON — Planning is underway at the Department of Homeland Security to build an intelligence-gathering cell that would more closely monitor and better predict the movements of groups of migrants to the U.S. …