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 …

As Trump Thunders About Last Election, Republicans Worry About the Next One  —  Donald Trump is the Republicans' greatest asset in mobilizing voters.  But some fret that his obsession with false claims about the 2020 election could cost the G.O.P. in 2022.  —  Republicans believe they have a good shot at taking Congress next year.

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 …

Threats, harassment and trolling — the scary part of being a journalist  —  CNN's Brian Stelter was recently, like a lot of journalists, including me, the subject of threats from people who didn't agree with his reporting.  —  On Jan. 6, as Trump supporters were storming the U.S. Capitol …

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 …

The wealthiest 10% of Americans own a record 89% of all U.S. stocks  — The wealthiest 10% of Americans now own 89% of all U.S. stocks, a record high that highlights the stock market's role in increasing wealth inequality.  — The top 1% gained over $6.5 trillion in corporate equities …

Amazon may have lied to Congress, five U.S. lawmakers say  —  Five members of the U.S. House Judiciary committee wrote to Amazon.com Inc's chief executive Sunday, and accused the company's top executives, including founder Jeff Bezos, of either misleading Congress or possibly lying to it about Amazon's business practices.

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.

Wheels on Metro rail cars involved in derailment had failed repeatedly, NTSB says  —  An NTSB investigation found that an axle of the car that derailed was out of compliance with specifications.  —  The chair of the National Transportation Safety Board said wheel assemblies on Metro rail cars …

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” …

‘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 …

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 …

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.

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.

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 …

QAnon Is Becoming Even More Antisemitic  —  The organizer of a major QAnon conference in Las Vegas later this week, where at least four sitting GOP lawmakers speak on stage, shared a neo-Nazi film with his 70,000 followers on Sunday evening.  —  John Sabal, who's known online as QAnon John …

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 …

American Journalist Smeared as ‘Special Ops Weapon’ Against Putin  —  The Kremlin media claims Hadley Gamble was part of an American Special Ops mission to pay Putin back for sending a beautiful translator to bamboozle Trump.  —  Russian State media pundits and personalities are claiming …

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 …

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 …

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.

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.