Why the Virginia Election Is Freaking Democrats Out  —  Ms. Cottle is a member of the editorial board.  —  With just under a week to go, the governor's race in Virginia has gotten tighter than Spanx on a hippo, prompting much agita in Democratic circles.  When the Democrats won full control …

An Open Letter in Defense of Democracy  —  The future of democracy in the United States is in danger.  —  (DESIGN BY HANNAH YOEST / PHOTOS: GETTYIMAGES / SHUTTERSTOCK)  —  [This open letter is being published simultaneously by The Bulwark and the New Republic.]

New cases down nearly 60 percent since delta variant surge … New coronavirus infections in the United States have dropped nearly 60 percent since a September spike brought on by the more contagious delta variant, according to data compiled by The Washington Post.

Murphy Maintains Lead  —  Slight narrowing in governor race, but little change overall  —  West Long Branch, NJ - Phil Murphy maintains a sizable lead over Jack Ciattarelli, although the margin has narrowed over the past two months, according to the final Monmouth ("Mon-muth") University Poll of the New Jersey governor's race.

Scoop: Manchin waffles on billionaire tax  —  Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is telling colleagues he has deep concerns about a proposed “billionaire tax” but is waiting for more details before making a final decision, people familiar with the matter tell Axios.

January 6 committee plans to subpoena John Eastman  —  ‘Scary’: John King reacts to memo from Trump lawyer  —  (CNN)The House select committee investigating the US Capitol insurrection plans to subpoena John Eastman, a conservative lawyer who had worked with then-President Donald Trump's legal team …

Manchin warns that Biden's agenda would create an ‘entitlement society.’ But his state leads the way.  —  In his skirmishes with the liberals of his party over the size and shape of their agenda, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D) has repeatedly warned that the left would lead the nation into a crippling dependency on government.

Bidenomics Is Working  —  Consumer prices are high and rising, and so is disapproval of Joe Biden.  In recent days, the president's net-favorability rating has hit new lows in FiveThirtyEight's aggregation of polls.  Meanwhile, America's headlines are full of testaments to economic discontent.

Merrick Garland Says He'll Keep Targeting Parents Even After School Board Group Apologized For Its Bogus ‘Domestic Terrorism’ Claims  —  Attorney General Merrick Garland indicated in a Senate Judiciary oversight hearing on Wednesday that the Department of Justice will keep targeting parents …

State Department issues first ‘Gender X’ passport, working toward permanent change  —  A spokesman for the Department of State announced Wednesday that the department has issued its first nonbinary passport.  —  The department is transitioning toward a permanent change to allow people to identify as nonbinary on the document.

Political Speech for Human Dingleberries Has Never Been More Robust  —  There might be a “cancel culture” chilling effect out there, but it isn't chilling performers.  —  When considering the inescapable “free speech” debate there is an important maxim I want everyone to keep at the top of mind:

Men shot by Rittenhouse can't be called ‘victims’ during trial, but ‘rioters,’ ‘looters’ are OK, judge rules  —  The three men Kyle Rittenhouse shot during a protest against police brutality in Wisconsin can be labeled rioters, looters or arsonists if the teenager's defense team has evidence …

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene bought shares of Trump SPAC Digital World Acquisition as stock skyrocketed  — Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene on Friday invested up to $50,000 in the SPAC stock linked to Donald Trump's planned social media platform.  — According to a public disclosure …

Longtime Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin describes sexual assault by US senator  —  Revelation of incident ‘buried’ by Abedin contained in new memoir Both/And, to be published next week  —  Huma Abedin, a longtime close aide to Hillary Clinton, has written in a new book that she was sexually assaulted …

Wikileaks: US begins legal appeal to extradite Assange  —  Lawyers for the US have told the High Court the judge who blocked Julian Assange's extradition was misled by his psychiatrist.  —  The United States government is starting a legal appeal to try to get the Wikileaks founder extradited.

Harvard's modern-day Darwin warns against humanity's downward slope  —  The Harvard University scientist who has called for setting aside half the planet as a nature preserve says the slope of human history will always be downward unless there is global cooperation to save existing species.

The M25 is our Maginot Line  —  Anyone who believes there are biological differences between men and women is literally a Nazi  —  This article is taken from the October 2021 issue of The Critic.  To get the full magazine why not subscribe?  Right now we're offering five issue for just £10.

'We're being pressured into sex by some trans women'  —  Is a lesbian transphobic if she does not want to have sex with trans women?  Some lesbians say they are increasingly being pressured and coerced into accepting trans women as partners - then shunned and even threatened for speaking out.

Iran to Return to Nuclear Deal Talks in Vienna Next Month  —  Tehran's chief negotiator said it would resume stalled discussions in November on reviving the 2015 accord  —  Iran will return to nuclear talks before the end of November, its chief negotiator, Ali Bagheri, said on Wednesday …

Biden heads abroad with most of his ambassadorial picks stranded in the Senate, stunting U.S. diplomatic efforts  —  President Biden — who has made renewed international engagement a hallmark of his foreign policy ethos — is headed to a pair of global summits in Europe this week with just a handful …

Cigarette Sales Rose in 2020 for First Time in 20 Years  —  New FTC report confirms people were lighting up more during the pandemic  —  Americans purchased more cigarettes last year, the first uptick in two decades, according to a new report released by the Federal Trade Commission.