People Tied to Project Veritas Scrutinized in Theft of Diary From Biden's Daughter  —  The F.B.I. carried out search warrants in New York as part of a Justice Department investigation into how pages from Ashley Biden's journal came to be published by a right wing website.

Virginia Gov.-elect Youngkin's underaged son tried to vote in Tuesday's election, elections officials said  —  The 17-year-old son of Virginia Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin (R) tried to cast a ballot in Tuesday's gubernatorial election twice despite being too young to vote, Fairfax County officials said in a statement released Friday.

Was the FBI Manipulated by the Democratic Party?  —  The latest indictment in the investigation of the bureau's Russia probe shows why the story is still relevant.  —  John Durham, the U.S. attorney appointed in 2019 by then Attorney General William Barr to investigate the origins …

Pfizer's Novel COVID-19 Oral Antiviral Treatment Candidate Reduced Risk of Hospitalization or Death by 89% in Interim Analysis of Phase 2/3 EPIC-HR Study  — PAXLOVID™ (PF-07321332; ritonavir) was found to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death by 89% compared to placebo in non-hospitalized high-risk adults with COVID-19

Pelosi tries to rev House Dems after season in the ditch  —  Democrats got a taste this week of how brutal their midterms could be.  Now Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her team are trying to turn things around before it's too late.  —  House leaders entered the Capitol Friday optimistic …

Retiring GOP lawmaker warns Trump will try to steal the next election  —  Programming note: A new CNN documentary, “Trumping Democracy: An American Coup,” reported by Jake Tapper about former President Donald Trump's attempts to subvert the 2020 election, premieres at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, November 5.

Trump DOJ official who aided effort to overturn election declines to answer Jan. 6 questions  —  A top Trump Justice Department official who aided the former president's quest to overturn the 2020 election refused to answer substantive questions in a meeting with congressional investigators on Friday.

No million-dollar checks: Democratic governors may sit out Florida  —  TALLAHASSEE — The Democratic Governors Association has no plans to give significant financial help to Florida Democrats as they seek to unseat Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022, a major setback that will make it harder for challengers to take on the popular Republican.

Cuomo Sex-Crime Charge May Be ‘Defective,’ D.A. Says  —  A judge granted the Albany County district attorney's request for an adjournment, after prosecutors cited potentially “exculpatory” mistakes in the investigation.  —  The sex-crime case against former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was thrown …

States Sue to Stop Biden's Covid-19 Vaccine Mandate  —  Lawsuit alleges requirement is unconstitutional; White House says it has authority to issue rules  —  Attorneys general in 11 states are suing the Biden administration to try to stop new rules that require employers with more than 100 workers …

Joe Manchin, Kyrsten Sinema, Know What Happened to Pols Who Did What They're Doing  —  It's a core principle of economics that people do what they are incentivized to do.  That may be why Senators Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., haven't hesitated to oppose popular progressive policies …

The Surprising Strategy Behind Youngkin's Stunner  —  Sometimes you want to hear from the strategists rather than the candidate.  —  With all due respect to Governor-elect Glenn Youngkin — who, for a first-timer from the world of high finance, proved to be remarkably disciplined on the stump …

A Very Exciting Introduction  —  TGIF.  A weekly report from Nellie Bowles.  —  Hello and welcome to the Common Sense weekly news roundup.  I'm Nellie Bowles.  Until a couple weeks ago, I was a reporter at the New York Times.  Funky local paper.  —  During my four years at the Times …

CIA director dispatched to Moscow to warn Russia over troop buildup near Ukraine  —  (CNN)President Joe Biden dispatched CIA Director Bill Burns to Moscow earlier this week to warn the Kremlin that the US is watching its buildup of troops near Ukraine's border closely, and to attempt to determine what is motivating Russia's actions.

John Eastman Is Not Good With Computers  —  The legal scholar who advised Trump on his Jan. 6 strategy is making a lot of mistakes.  —  John Eastman is having a rough go of it.  The 61-year-old attorney, founding director of the Claremont Institute's Center for Constitutional Jurisprudence …

State Dept. Report on Missing Gifts Finds Poor Oversight  —  The gift vault was “in a state of disarray,” and tens of thousands of dollars of items remain unaccounted for, including a $5,800 bottle of whiskey.  —  The State Department's inspector general has found in a new report that tens …

Democratic Aide Irritated with Biden: I'm Almost Ready to Chant 'Let's Go, Brandon'  —  To the extent President Biden commented about the seemingly endless negotiations over the spending bills on Capitol Hill, he has offered generic, optimistic assessments: “I believe that Joe [Manchin] will be there.”

Democrats Are Getting Crushed in the ‘Vibes War’  —  But in 2022, the economy's statistical recovery could become a bona fide vibes recovery.  —  About the author: Derek Thompson is a staff writer at The Atlantic, where he writes about economics, technology, and the media.

They Just Keep Closing Schools and Mandating Masks  —  Given this week's surprise drubbing at the polls—not just in Virginia, New Jersey, and Long Island, but also in many of the estimated 117 school districts where board seats were contested on the issues of COVID-19 response, race-based policies …

'I Don't Want to Die for It': School Board Members Face Rising Threats  —  Across the country, parents have threatened board members and vandalized their homes.  One board member scans his driveway before walking to his car.  —  It was only days after Sami Al-Abdrabbuh was re-elected …