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.]

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 …

Live Updates: Ahead of Meeting With White House Team, Manchin Criticizes Billionaire Tax Plan  —  Here's what you need to know:  —  Manchin denounces the Democrats' plan to tax billionaires as divisive.  —  Senate Democrats' plan to extract hundreds of billions of dollars from the wealth …

Cotton tells Garland: 'Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court'  —  Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday clashed with Republican senators over the Justice Department's efforts to crack down on violent threats against school boards, with one GOP member telling the former judge, “Thank God you're not on the Supreme Court.”

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.

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.

Meghan McCain says Sen. Lindsey Graham 'is not and hasn't been' a member of her family ‘for a very long time’  —  Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), on Wednesday sharply rebuked Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a onetime close family friend who she has previously likened to an “uncle.”

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.

Trump-Backed QAnon Candidates Launch Group to ‘Control the Election System’  —  A coalition of right-wing MAGA candidates, including multiple Trump-backed candidates, are seeking to take control of elections in states across the U.S.—and one says they're formally working with a group of conspiracy theorists …

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.

Federal Trade Commission Scrutinizing Facebook Disclosures  —  Lawmakers want agency to determine if Facebook engaged in deceptive conduct; company says internal research is mischaracterized  —  WASHINGTON—Federal Trade Commission staffers have begun looking into disclosures …

Men shot by Kyle Rittenhouse can't be called ‘victims’ at trial, but may be called ‘looters,’ judge says  —  A Monday decision from a Wisconsin judge about terms lawyers may use in Kyle Rittenhouse's trial is again drawing national attention to the case.  —  Rittenhouse will go on trial next week …

U.S. General Likens China's Hypersonic Weapon Test to ‘Sputnik Moment’  — Top U.S. general says suspected test is ‘very concerning’  — Afghan war a failure as the ‘regime that we supported lost’  —  The U.S.'s top uniformed military officer called China's suspected test …

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema wore a denim vest to preside over the Senate.  Here's why that matters  —  We see you, Senator.  We really do.  —  But that's no surprise, is it?  After all, it's what you seem to want.  —  Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Arizona's walking, talking headline — well …

No Labels/HarrisX Poll: Voters Want Congress To Take Time To Debate Spending Bill  —  THIS WEEK, NO LABELS/HARRISX SURVEYED 941 REGISTERED VOTERS ACROSS THE NATION ON THE CONGRESSIONAL DELIBERATIONS ON THE BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL AND THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIAL SPENDING AND CLIMATE PACKAGE (THE “RECONCILIATION BILL").

Boston Medical Center surgeon fined for leaving operating room to eat in his car, then falling asleep and missing the procedure  —  The longtime head of spine surgery at Boston Medical Center has been reprimanded by state regulators and fined $5,000 for leaving an operating room before the start …

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:

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 …

POLITICO Playbook PM: Dem happy talk vs. reality  —  DEMS SAY A DEAL IS WITHIN REACH — Sen. JOE MANCHIN (D-W.Va.) said this morning that he and KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) can “absolutely” agree to a deal today, giving renewed hope to Democrats that they can deliver President JOE BIDEN's legislative agenda …

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.

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.

Youngkin goes all-in on ‘critical race theory’ in campaign's final week  —  The Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee is leading the conservative crusade against public schools.  —  At the end of a campaign defined by equivocation, Glenn Youngkin has fully embraced the right-wing narrative on …

Texas House to launch investigation into school library books  —  The chairman of a Texas state House committee tasked with conducting investigations is launching a probe into books that school librarians keep on their shelves in the wake of a measure the legislature passed earlier this year …

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.