More lethal strain of COVID created in Boston University lab, researchers say  —  ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED BY:  —  Researchers at Boston University say they have developed a new COVID strain that has an 80% kill rate following a series of similar experiments first thought to have started the global pandemic that began in China.

Fiona Hill: ‘Elon Musk Is Transmitting a Message for Putin’  —  It's been nearly eight months since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops and tanks over the border into Ukraine, and a lot has changed in that time.  Ukraine has shown itself to be a far more robust military force than pretty much anyone predicted.

Ex-UK pilots lured to help Chinese military, MoD says  —  Former British military pilots are being lured to China with large sums of money to pass on their expertise to the Chinese military, it is claimed.  —  Up to 30 former UK military pilots are thought to have gone to train members of China's People's Liberation Army.

Saudi Arabia sentences U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets  —  The Saudi government has sentenced a 72-year-old U.S. citizen to 16 years in prison for tweets he posted while inside the United States, some of which were critical of the Saudi regime.

Voters See Democracy in Peril, but Saving It Isn't a Priority  —  A New York Times/Siena College poll found that other problems have seized voters' focus — even as many do not trust this year's election results and are open to anti-democratic candidates.  —  Voters overwhelmingly believe …

Retired U.S. brass cash in with Saudis, other repressive governments … More than 500 retired U.S. military personnel — including scores of generals and admirals — have taken lucrative jobs since 2015 working for foreign governments, mostly in countries known for human rights abuses …

‘What is wrong with this state?’  Video shows stunned Floridians arrested for voting  —  When police went to arrest Tony Patterson outside his Tampa home in August, he couldn't believe the reason.  —  “What is wrong with this state, man?”  Patterson protested as he was being escorted to a police car in handcuffs.

Trump Says He Wants Marjorie Taylor Greene in His Next Administration  —  “Wouldn't she be great?” former president tells confidants of a person who mocked a school shooting survivor and blamed wildfires on a secret space laser … As he lays the groundwork for a 2024 presidential run …

Trump Hotels Charged Secret Service Exorbitant Rates, House Inquiry Finds  —  Records obtained by the House Oversight Committee show the former president's properties charged more than $1.4 million to agents protecting him and his family.  —  WASHINGTON — The Trump Organization charged …

Exclusive: Gisele Fetterman calls for NBC to apologise following ‘shocking’ interview with husband John Fetterman  —  John Fetterman's wife speaks to Eric Garcia about closed captioning and the controversy after Senate candidate's interview with NBC News  —  Pennsylvania Democratic Senate …

Why Wakanda might be a model for our future cities  —  Wakanda is a marvel.  The fictional country of the Marvel Universe is the most advanced civilization in the world, years beyond the rest of the world in technological learning.  —  But it's a little-noticed part of Wakanda that may predict …

10/18/22 ☀️ Punchbowl News AM … THE NATION'S STATUTORY BORROWING CAP WILL NEED TO BE LIFTED AT SOME POINT IN 2023, PROBABLY DURING THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR.  —  MCCARTHY SIGNALED THAT REPUBLICANS WOULD AGAIN HOLD THE DEBT LIMIT UP FOR POLICY CHANGES.

Lee Chatfield suspected of engaging in criminal enterprise  —  Lansing — Former Michigan House Speaker Lee Chatfield is under investigation in connection with an alleged “criminal enterprise,” potentially involving embezzlement, bribery, campaign finance violations and controlled substances …

Blinken Says China Wants to Seize Taiwan on ‘Much Faster Timeline’  —  China has made a decision to seize Taiwan on a “much faster timeline” than previously thought, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, shortly after China's leader reiterated his intent to take the island by force if necessary.

Exclusive: Republican JD Vance has slight lead on Democrat Tim Ryan in Senate race in Ohio  —  Republican J.D. Vance has opened a narrow edge over Democrat Tim Ryan in the Senate race in Ohio, a USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, as President Joe Biden's unpopularity complicates …

Mike Lee tries to distance himself from Trump in Utah debate  —  Fending off attacks from his independent challenger, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah worked to distinguish himself from former President Donald Trump in a contentious debate Monday evening.  “I stood against my party time and time again to oppose reckless spending.

Top Georgia journalist warns about Herschel Walker's political assets  —  Award-winning journalist and author Greg Bluestein of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution joined our show to talk about what lessons can be learned from the 2020 special elections in Georgia and shared wisdom about Herschel Walker's campaign.

Cross-Tabs for October 2022 Times/Siena Poll of Registered Voters … Do you think the United States is on the right track, or is it headed in the wrong direction?  —  REGISTERED VOTERS  —  AGE  —  GENDER  —  EDUCATION  —  RACE/ETHNICITY  —  RACE AND EDUCATION  —  REGION  —  COMMUNITY

Ukraine war: US says Iranian drones breach sanctions  —  The US says it agrees with Western allies that Iran's supply of explosive drones to Russia violates UN sanctions.  —  Kyiv was struck by so-called “kamikaze” drones on Monday, unleashed by Russia but believed to be Iranian-made.

In Kari Lake and Tudor Dixon, the GOP offers a cynical alternative to Trump  —  Arizona Republican nominee for governor Kari Lake declared in a Sunday interview on CNN that she will accept the results of her state election in November — if she wins.  —  In that declaration …

Menstrual cycle lengths vary between people of different ethnicities  —  Cycles may be 1.6 days longer in people who self-identify as Asian compared with their white non-Hispanic counterparts  —  A person's ethnicity may influence the length of their menstrual cycle.

Fox News Execs Hunt Down the Tucker-Kanye Video Leaker … This reporting appears as one of several scooplets featured in this week's edition of Confider, the newsletter pulling back the curtain on the media.  Subscribe here and send your questions, tips, and complaints here.

Death toll rises to 13 after military bomber crashes into Russian apartment complex  —  Moscow says the crash was the result of an accident in which the plane's engine ignited at takeoff.  At least 19 people were injured.  —  The death toll from a Russian military bomber's crash …

U.N. Security Council considers sending multinational force to Haiti  —  United Nations — The U.N. Security Council met in an urgent session on Monday to deal with the gang violence that has enveloped Haiti.  The Caribbean nation has been dealing with what the U.N. called “catastrophic” …

What the eclipse of Tencent by a liquor company says about Xi's China  —  Kweichow Moutai has overtaken the tech group in market capitalisation thanks to the whims of one man  —  What would it say about US innovation and President Joe Biden's stewardship of the economy if America's largest beer company …

Congress braces for new members who were at Capitol on Jan. 6  —  Three people who were on Capitol grounds on Jan. 6 stand a serious chance of returning to the site of the deadly riot next January — this time as duly elected Republican members of Congress.

No Laughing Matter  —  John Oliver badly botches the “gender-affirming care” debate.  —  The Social Order  —  Health Care  —  Yesterday, John Oliver devoted an episode of Last Week Tonight to transgender rights, specifically the controversy over “gender-affirming care” for minors.

Ted Cruz reimbursed himself $555,000 after successfully challenging a political spending law at the Supreme Court  — Ted Cruz's campaign paid him $555,000 to cover old personal loans to his Senate committee.  — It comes after Cruz successfully challenged a law that capped the amount candidates could repay themselves.

Ted Budd Aided Donors Trying To Bypass Predatory Lending Laws  —  North Carolina Republican Senate candidate Ted Budd used his congressional office to press federal regulators to let financial institutions evade his own state's prohibitions against predatory lending, despite warnings …

New law asks Texas schools to distribute kits to students to keep DNA samples in case of emergencies like Uvalde  —  Texas public school systems are set to distribute DNA and fingerprint identification kits for K-8 students to parents who wish to store their child's DNA is case of emergency.