Kill the debt limit now, Democrats.  If you don't, here's what will happen.  —  Back in 2011, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell famously described the debt limit as a “hostage that's worth ransoming.”  —  The Kentucky Republican meant that the threat of financial Armageddon …

FDA Authorizes Booster Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Certain Populations  —  For Immediate Release:  —  Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration amended the emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine to allow for use of a single booster dose …

A year after Trump said he wanted to “get rid of the ballots,” has the press learned anything?  —  “That particular question was the precursor to everything that followed - the Big Lie, the Insurrection and what we're living with as far as Trump being in denial about the election results...”

Biden's Deportation of Haitian Migrants Uses Trump-Era Immigration Tactics  —  The deportation of Haitian migrants is a stark example of how President Biden has deployed some of the most aggressive approaches to immigration put in place by former President Donald J. Trump.

Sen. Susan Collins won't support abortion rights bill  —  As Democrats consider legislation to respond to a new Texas state ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, they have lost the support of one of the few remaining Republicans who support abortion rights.

The Emerging Artistry of Hunter Biden  —  At some point in the coming weeks, hundreds of thousands of dollars will be funneled to the son of the sitting American president—and none of us will know anything about who sent the money, or where it originally came from, or why anyone chose to send it in the first place.

Biden Security Adviser Jake Sullivan Tied to Alleged 2016 Clinton Scheme to Co-Opt CIA and FBI to Tar Trump  —  White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan figures prominently in a grand jury investigation run by Special Counsel John Durham into an alleged 2016 Hillary Clinton campaign scheme …

Not Getting Vaccinated to Own Your Fellow Libs  —  Conspiracy theorists who discount the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines and other public-health mandates are often portrayed in the media as right-wing.  That's for good reason: a not-insignificant number of the most vocal conspiracists tie …

EXCLUSIVE: New emails reveal Hunter Biden asked for $2 million plus ‘success fees’ to help unfreeze Libyan assets … Two previously unpublished emails sent by business contacts of Hunter Biden indicate that the president's son requested an annual retainer of $2 million to help recover billions …

As the Petito case grips the nation, families of color say their missing loved ones matter, too  —  The last time Kimberly Bryan spoke to her sister, Tiffany Foster was showing off her new car.  Bryan cracked some jokes about how it was about time but also told her big sister how proud she was.

Diplomat overseeing ‘Havana Syndrome’ response is out after 6 months  —  WASHINGTON — The top State Department official overseeing the response to “Havana Syndrome” is leaving her position after only six months on the job, three officials tell NBC News.  —  Ambassador Pamela Spratlen …

Grand Jury Returns Indictments Charging 2 Afghan Evacuees with Crimes While at Fort McCoy & Wisconsin Residents with Gun & Drug Crimes  —  MADISON, WIS. - A federal grand jury in the Western District of Wisconsin, sitting in Madison, returned the following indictments today.

The Stacey Abrams tour  —  Stacey Abrams this week launched an ambitious national tour that will stretch across months and many swing states ahead of the 2022 midterms — and potentially elevate her standing in the Democratic Party in the process.  —  Driving the news: Abrams kicked off …

Paul LePage Is Back.  And Maine Is Terrified.  —  Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via AP  —  LEWISTON, Maine — Remember Paul LePage?  Sure you do.  He's the former governor of Maine who has called himself, accurately enough, “Donald Trump before Donald Trump” — a hot-headed …

Ousting Cuomo disenfranchised NY voters  —  As a lifelong Democrat and practicing lawyer for over 40 years, I am appalled by the Albany coup d'êtat in which Andrew Cuomo's political rivals trampled the rights of the electorate and basic due process for their own political gain.

Florida's new surgeon general says COVID-19 vaccines are ‘nothing special’ and opposes mask mandates  — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Dr. Joseph Ladapo to surgeon general and secretary of the state's health department on Tuesday.  — But Ladapo has come under fire for his criticism of COVID-19 vaccines and mask mandates.

POLITICO Playbook: Inside the room of Biden's talks with Dems  —  DRIVING THE DAY  —  THE READOUT — Here's the most important development that came from President JOE BIDEN's five hours of meetings with 23 legislators in the Oval Office on Wednesday, according to a senior White House official …

White House blames Boris Johnson after U.S. press corps' questions for Biden shut down  —  Members of the White House press corps filed a formal complaint after a meeting between President Biden and the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ended with questions only from members of the British press.

What Jonathan Franzen and the Left Get Wrong About Free Speech Don't wait for an emergency to criticize dangerous ideas by your allies.  —  Novelist Jonathan Franzen, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, explained why he refused to sign a letter to Harper's defending free speech norms from the left.

Mike Pence Says He Hopes the Supreme Court Will Restrict U.S. Abortions  —  Budapest, Hungary (AP) — Former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said Thursday that he is hopeful the new conservative majority on the Supreme Court created during his and President Donald Trump's administration …

Organizations desperate for translators as Afghan refugees settle in US  —  PHOENIX, Ariz.- - Organizations helping resettle Afghan refugees across the country say that as they take in more people over the next few weeks, there will likely be an increased demand for translators.

RIP, Angelo Codevilla, the conservative thinker who took on the ruling class  —  Donald Trump's election in 2016 caught most intellectuals by surprise — and not least conservative intellectuals.  —  The right-of-center editors, columnists and think-tankers who had sung hymns …

‘Outrageous’: Judge Lays Into Trump-Loving Deputy Who Wore ‘Sheriff’ Patch On Jan. 6  —  Ronald Colton McAbee was a sheriff's deputy when he attempted to breach the Capitol on Jan. 6.  A judge is deciding whether he'll be freed pretrial.  —  A federal judge criticized a Capitol attack defendant …

After Mandating Masks Outdoors, Oregon's Active COVID-19 Cases Increased 73 Percent  —  On August 24, Oregon governor Kate Brown instated a state masking requirement that requires everyone five years and older, regardless of vaccination status, to wear a mask, face covering or face shield …

Vanderbilt children's hospital chief: COVID-19 is spurring mental health crises in kids  —  COVID-19 is driving both physical and mental health crises among kids, according to the leader of Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.  —  A surge of pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations …

The tangled tale of the Israel consulate, the Dilbert cartoonist and the Matt Gaetz case  —  MIAMI — Of the many only-in-Florida aspects of the Rep. Matt Gaetz sex-crimes investigation, one stands out for its utter weirdness: the story of the Israeli consulate staffer, the cartoonist …

Special Report: Backers of Trump's false fraud claims seek to control next elections  —  One leading candidate seeking to become Georgia's chief elections official, Republican Jody Hice, is a Congressman who voted to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 presidential win in the hours after the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.