McAuliffe and Youngkin are in a dead heat with one week to Virginia governor election, poll shows  —  Phillip M. Bailey David JacksonUSA TODAY  —  Virginia's bellwether race for governor remains close in the final stretch of a campaign that is testing President Joe Biden's sagging approval numbers going into the 2022 midterms.

Five points for anger, one for a ‘like’: How Facebook's formula fostered rage and misinformation … Five years ago, Facebook gave its users five new ways to react to a post in their news feed beyond the iconic “like” thumbs-up: “love,” “haha,” “wow,” “sad” and “angry.”

Democrats quietly scramble to include immigration provision in social spending bill  —  Democrats are scrambling intensely behind-the-scenes to address immigration in the framework they are crafting to expand the nation's social safety net, according to people with knowledge of the situation …

In case at center of political firestorm, judge finds teen committed sexual assault in Virginia school bathroom  —  In a case that has generated a political firestorm, a Virginia juvenile court judge found sufficient evidence during a trial Monday to sustain charges that a teen sexually assaulted …

Texas governor signs bill banning transgender girls from female sports in schools  —  Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Monday signed into law a bill banning transgender girls from participating in female sports at public schools, joining a wave of similar measures emerging from Republican-controlled statehouses across the country.

Covid Cases Keep Falling  —  Covid cases have been falling in every region of the U.S., offering hope.  —  It is time for one of The Morning's occasional updates on the state of the pandemic.  Today's is focused on the U.S. and organized around three main points.  —  1. Covid's retreat continues

Arlington County Board candidate who said she was 52 is actually 72, records show  —  Arlington County Board candidate Audrey Clement, who previously told news outlets that she is in her early 50s, appears to be two decades older, according to government records.

Why ‘Evangelical’ Is Becoming Another Word for ‘Republican’  —  Mr. Burge, an assistant professor of political science at Eastern Illinois University and a Baptist pastor, has written extensively about the interaction of religion and politics.  —  The conventional wisdom about religion …

‘Woke Racism’—A Review  —  A review of Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America by John McWhorter.  Portfolio, 224 pages.  (October, 2021)  —  If you had told someone a decade ago—after the election of the first black president, and in anticipation …

Rep. Espaillat Campaign Paid Thousands to Online Influencers Who Delivered Flattering Posts  —  The bloggers' videos and articles do not disclose their financial ties to the Bronx and Manhattan congressman — exploiting a legal gray area as paid social media influencers play a growing role in campaigns nationally.

Weekly Update: #COVID19 case & death rates by county, partisan lean & vaccination rate  —  Here's the weekly look at the rate of COVID-19 cases & deaths at the county level since the end of June, broken out by partisan lean (i.e, what percent of the vote Donald Trump received in 2020).

Get politics out of the CDC  —  Go to any school in Europe, and you'll see happy children running, reading, and learning — all without any masks on their little faces.  But here in the United States, 10 states and countless counties have mandated the wearing of masks for even the youngest kindergartners.

Days away from its deadline, Tyson Foods reaches a 96 percent vaccination rate.  —  Nearly three months after Tyson Foods mandated coronavirus vaccines for all its 120,000 U.S. workers, more than 96 percent of them are vaccinated, the company's chief executive, Donnie King, said in an employee memo on Tuesday.

Hate is on the rise: Antisemitism surges on America's far left and far right.  —  In May, as Hamas rockets exploded in Israeli cities and Israeli aircraft targeted terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, thousands of miles away, American Jews were under attack.  —  A young man wearing a kippah …

Miles donations are providing flights for Afghan refugees  —  A campaign that began with ordinary people donating frequent-flyer miles has raised enough in two months to provide 40,000 flights for refugees from Afghanistan, and organizers and the White House are looking to nearly double that figure.

A Scottish Judge Could Expose Donald Trump's Shady Golf Finances  —  Donald Trump has long seemed to offer conflicting financial pictures to the U.S. and U.K. when it comes to his Scottish golf courses.  A judge might be able to offer new insight.  —  A judge in Scotland will hold …

Why is Anthony Fauci trying to kill my puppy?  —  My family recently got a new puppy, a strong-willed and mouthy but ultimately lovable little nipper.  We named him Bernie Sanders.  —  Unfortunately, though, I can't take Bernie out on walks.  Here in the capital, we have a puppy killer on the loose …

Immigration arrests fell to lowest level in more than a decade during fiscal 2021, ICE data shows  —  Immigration arrests in the interior of the United States fell in fiscal 2021 to the lowest level in more than a decade — roughly half the annual totals recorded during the Trump administration …

Loudoun County Forces Parents To Sign NDA-Style Form To View CRT-Inspired Curriculum  —  Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) is requiring parents to sign a form comparable to a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to view a portion of the district's new curriculum inspired by critical race theory …

Kyle Rittenhouse and the New Era of Political Violence  —  What brought the teenager and so many others to the streets of Kenosha, Wis., equipped for war?  —  To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Facebook Encounters Challenge in Bid to Hire a Prominent Democratic Lobbyist  —  Social-media company's strained relations with the White House and Congress prompt concern the position might be the ‘worst job in Washington.’ Facebook says hiring the right person takes time.

Dave Chappelle Willing to Discuss ‘The Closer’ With Trans Community, but Says He's 'Not Bending to Anybody's Demands' … Dave Chappelle has spoken out about the controversy over his Netflix special “The Closer” in a new stand-up video, saying that he is willing to meet with transgender Netflix employees …

How to Fix the Democrats' Build Back Better Plan  —  Mr. Dayen is the executive editor of The American Prospect.  —  The Build Back Better Act's strength is also its weakness.  Tackling health care coverage, prescription drug prices, family care, education, housing, poverty, the climate crisis …