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.”

Exclusive: Billionaires back new media firm to combat disinformation  —  A new public benefit corporation backed by billionaires Reid Hoffman, George Soros, and others is launching Tuesday to fund new media companies and efforts that tackle disinformation.  —  Why it matters …

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 …

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

Republican Leaders Could Still Stop Trump.  They Just Don't Want To.  Trump wants to take over.  Republicans just want party unity.  —  If Terry McAuliffe holds on to defeat Glenn Youngkin in the Virginia governor's race, a large number of Republicans will blame Donald Trump.

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.

Faster Buses on 5th Avenue?  Not if Business Leaders Get Their Way.  —  A busway in the heart of Manhattan is now uncertain after a major real estate developer expressed opposition to the plans to Mayor Bill de Blasio.  —  On the second Friday in October, Mayor Bill de Blasio met at City Hall …

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.

Men accused of plotting ‘race war’ may be sentenced as domestic terrorists, judge rules  —  A federal judge decided Monday that he will consider adding a “terrorism enhancement” to the prison terms of two white supremacists who prosecutors said plotted to carry out deadly violence …

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.

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.

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.

Sinema confronted in airport for second time this month, 'Don't touch me'  —  Biden has no votes to spare in order to pass his top domestic priorities  —  Larry Kudlow: Give credit to Manchin, Sinema for not wanting to spend and tax  —  A new video emerged Monday that showed Sen. Kyrsten Sinema …

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.

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 …

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 …

Ohio Supreme Court case interviews detail how negotiations on Statehouse maps fell apart  —  Jessie Balmert Titus Wu Laura A. BischoffThe Columbus Dispatch  —  Members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission often worked at cross-purposes, leading to four-year Statehouse maps that maintained …

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.

The anti-filibuster effort is winning  —  Whether it will ultimately succeed while Democrats are in power is another matter  —  The filibuster took another small-but-significant step last week toward what some experts believe is its inevitable demise.  President Biden, in a CNN town hall …

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 …