Biden crafts new spending package aimed at attracting all Democrats  —  The White House on Thursday unveiled a new $1.75 trillion package to overhaul the country's health-care, education, climate and tax laws, muscling through a slew of policy disagreements and internecine political feuds …

Trump suggests he might drop a bomb on the Va. gov race.  Then leaves.  —  Donald Trump's proclamation that he'd “soon” visit Virginia as the state's gubernatorial race comes to a close was so unexpected that few outside his inner orbit knew it was coming and the Republican candidate's own campaign was left searching for details.

President Trump Responds on Pennsylvania's 2020 Election  —  Donald Trump writes a letter to the editor.  —  In your editorial “The Election for Pennsylvania's High Court” (Oct. 25), you state the fact that a court wrongly said mail-in ballots could be counted after Election Day.

An army of poll watchers — many driven by GOP's ‘election integrity’ push — turns out across Virginia  —  Loudoun County General Registrar Judy Brown doesn't recall seeing many poll watchers during early voting last year — they usually turn up only on Election Day, primarily during presidential elections.

U.S. Economy Slowed in Third Quarter on Delta Surge, Supply Crunch  —  Factors that fueled spending faded, including an infusion of government stimulus, business reopenings and rising vaccination rates  —  The U.S. economy grew by 2.0% in the third quarter, with the Delta variant of Covid-19 and supply issues dampening gains.

Four U.S. Intelligence Agencies Produced Extensive Reports on Afghanistan, but All Failed to Predict Kabul's Rapid Collapse  —  Summaries of intelligence reports show how agencies diverged over the strength of the Afghan government and military  —  WASHINGTON—Leading U.S. intelligence agencies failed …

Vatican cancels live broadcast of Biden greeting pope  —  ROME (AP) — The Vatican on Thursday abruptly canceled the planned live broadcast of U.S. President Joe Biden meeting Pope Francis, the latest restriction to media coverage of the Holy See.  —  The Vatican press office provided …

Texas lawmaker says 850 books ranging from race to sexuality could cause ‘discomfort’  —  Teachers union fires back: “What will Rep. Krause propose next?  Burning books he and a handful of parents find objectionable?”  —  A Texas Republican lawmaker has drawn up a list of 850 books …

Taiwan's President says the threat from China is increasing ‘every day’ and confirms presence of US military trainers on the island  —  Taipei, Taiwan (CNN)The leader of Taiwan, the island thrust into the center of rising tensions between the United States and China, said the threat from Beijing is growing …

Build Back Better Framework  —  The Build Back Better Act will create millions of good-paying jobs, enable more Americans to join and remain in the labor force, spur long-term growth, reduce price pressures and set the United States on course to meet its clean energy ambitions.

Media to Chappelle and Sinema: Conform or else  —  If there's one thing the Left loves, it's deciding who is and isn't a real member of a historically marginalized group. … Comedian Dave Chappelle, for example, is out with another Netflix special that both praises and criticizes the transgender community.

'Let's Go Brandon' rapper Bryson Gray boots Adele out of No. 1 spot with banned anti-Biden song  —  Cover your ears, President Biden!  —  A controversial new rap song mocking the leader of the free world has rocketed to the top of the iTunes charts, booting Adele from the No. 1 spot …

The GOP Is the Theranos Party  —  “To try to do something which is inherently impossible is always a corrupting enterprise.”  —  If you listen to Elizabeth Holmes's attorney, the only thing the Theranos founder is guilty of, is being a dreamer.  —  “The villain the government just presented …

Books deemed ‘harmful to staff and students’ are being removed from region's public school libraries  —  WRDSB has developed a framework to identify and remove inappropriate or questionable texts  —  The Waterloo Region District School Board is undertaking a multi-year review …

Slow Boat from China  —  What happens when the weakest link in the chain is you?  —  To some in the Biden Administration, the supply chain crisis can be dismissed as a loss of East Asian-made consumer trinkets that, as Vox tells us, we could all be better off without—or as White House …

Merck will allow drugmakers in other countries to make its COVID-19 pill  —  U.S.-based pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. said it will license drugmakers worldwide to produce its potentially lifesaving antiviral pill for treatment of COVID-19 in adults.  —  The drug, known as molnupiravir …

Black Political Rights Can't Be Divorced From Economic Justice.  Why Fannie Lou Hamer's Message and Fight Endure Today  —  Their community garden yielded crops that served more than 1,600 families in the Mississippi Delta, as well as other parts of the country.