
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — As congressional Democrats speed ahead this week in pursuit of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion plan for social and environmental spending, a Democratic senator vital to the bill’s fate says the cost will need to be slashed to $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion to win his support.

Allegations fly as recall vote looms for California’s Newsom
In a blitz of TV ads and a last-minute rally, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom urged voters to defeat a looming recall that could remove him from office.


Senate back to jampacked to-do list in key stretch for Biden agenda
The government must be funded. The debt limit needs to be raised. And there's tension between liberal and centrist Democrats over the president's economic agenda.


Capitol rally seeks to rewrite Jan. 6 by exalting rioters
Allies of former President Donald Trump are calling those charged in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol “political prisoners.”


House Democrats eye corporate tax rate hike, surtax on wealthy in spending package - sources
U.S. House Democrats are expected to propose raising the corporate tax rate to 26.5% from 21% as part of a sweeping plan that includes tax increases on the wealthy, corporations, and investors, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Social media making political polarization worse: report
A new report recommends that the federal government prioritize plans to enact stronger transparency requirements and other measures for tech platforms in an effort to combat polarization …


Senate Democrats near agreement on new voting rights legislation
The announcement of a voting rights bill is imminent as the Senate returns from its August recess this week.


Out West, Biden points to wildfires to push for big rebuild
President Joe Biden is using his first Western swing since taking office to hold out the wildfires burning across the region as an argument for his $3.5 trillion rebuilding plans, He is calling year-round fires and other extreme weather a climate change reality the nation can no longer ignore.


Most Republicans want Trump as the GOP’s leader but are divided about whether he’d help them retake the White House | CNN Politics
Most Republicans want former President Donald Trump to remain their party’s leader, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS. But differing views about Trump’s role in the party – and his strength as a future presidential nominee – highlight divides within the GOP.

Biden heads west to assess wildfires, campaign for Newsom
Biden departs on a three-state western swing on Monday. In California, he'll assess wildfire damage and campaign for Newsom ahead of the recall election.

Biden and UK’s Johnson to meet for talks this month: report
President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson are expected to meet later this month for talks in an attempt to fix a weakened relationship between the two countries, the Times repor…


‘Overall crime decreased in 2020’ in the U.S., report finds
An analysis by the moderate Democratic group Third Way runs counter to popular perceptions of rising crime nationwide.


Nicholas strengthens to hurricane ahead of Texas landfall
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Nicholas has strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane ahead of its expected landfall in Texas.

Biden's vaccine mandate pulls workplace safety agency to the center of political storm
WASHINGTON - The federal agency that President Joe Biden has tasked with implementing a national vaccine mandate has struggled to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, drawing fire for failing to issue broad safety rules specifically aimed at keeping workers safe from workplace transmission. But...


Ways Americans want to fight terrorism today — CBS News poll
Most are more leery of relying on U.S. military action to reduce terrorism.


North Korea says it tested new long-range cruise missiles
North Korea says it has successfully tested newly developed long-range cruise missiles over the weekend.


Manchin responds to Ocasio-Cortez tweet: ‘Continue to divide, divide, divide’
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) on Sunday responded to criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), who claimed in a tweet that Manchin has huddled “weekly” with personnel fro…


Manchin won't support $3.5T reconciliation package; Sanders calls that 'not acceptable'
The West Virginia Dem urges Senate to slow down its negotiations on key plank of President Joe Biden's agenda. Bernie Sanders pushes back on urgency.
www.usatoday.com
Labor unions, a key Democratic ally, lukewarm on Biden vaccine mandate
Even health care unions — whose members have seen firsthand how devastating the disease can be — have criticized vaccine mandates.


Texas AG Paxton suing school districts for defying Gov. Abbott mask mandate executive order
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Friday that his office launched six lawsuits against six school districts that have defied the governor’s order and implemented mask mandates.

Warner says $3.5 trillion package ‘falls short’ on housing assistance
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) issued a statement Sunday arguing that Democrats’ $3.5 trillion reconciliation package “falls short” on housing assistance, which he said is crucial to increasing hom…


Thousands were released from prison because of Covid. Will they have to return?
“It upsets me to be home doing all the right things and now they talk about I may go back,” Paulette Martin, 74, said.


Justice Amy Coney Barrett argues Supreme Court isn't 'a bunch of partisan hacks'
In the wake of a controversial decision on abortion rights, Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett says the highest court isn't politically driven.
www.usatoday.com

Without drastic changes, Democrats are on track to lose big in 2022
Simply put, the current 2022 outlook for Democrats is grim — and it could get even worse.

Will withdrawal from Afghanistan be a permanent stain on Biden's legacy? History says maybe not
The chaotic and deadly pullout of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is unlikely to define how Joe Biden is viewed through the long lens of history, analysts say.

Rose McGowan stumps for Larry Elder in California: ‘He is the better man’
Actress and activist Rose McGowan hit the campaign trail to stump for California Republican gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder on Sunday, alleging the wife of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) tried…


There is a common trend in school districts debating critical race theory, analysis shows
Many of the school districts facing backlash over equity initiatives are diversifying faster than the national average.


House Democrats eye 26.5 percent corporate tax rate
House Democrats are looking to raise the corporate tax rate to 26.5 percent as a way to help pay for their $3.5 trillion social spending plan, according to a Democratic source familiar with th…


Tropical Storm Nicholas to bring heavy rain, flash flooding to parts of Gulf Coast
Tropical Storm Nicholas has set course toward the Gulf Coast, bringing drenching rains to some regions still recovering from Hurricane Ida.

As Dubai's food delivery booms, dangers and casualties mount
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Running late, the delivery driver threaded his motorcycle around lurching cars, speeding against time and traffic to satisfy a customer’s burger craving — the day's last delivery in Dubai.


Sen. Sanders: ‘There is a real danger’ infrastructure, reconciliation bills will fail over Dem infighting
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Sunday "there is a real danger" congressional Democrats could fail to deliver on two major pieces of legislation furthering President Biden’s domestic agenda if moderates like Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., can’t agree on the price tag.

Iran Agrees To Let Inspectors Install New Memory Cards In Nuclear Site Cameras
The agreement came days before Iran was likely to be censured for failing to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency.


Sen. Manchin casts doubt on reconciliation deal by Pelosi's Sept. 27 deadline
Progressive lawmakers say they will support the Senate-passed infrastructure bill only if it is considered with the reconciliation package.


Republicans divided on Trump’s strength as possible 2024 candidate
A majority of Republicans believe that former President Trump should be the leader of the GOP, but they remain divided on whether the ex-president would be a strong candidate if he decided to wage …

Recall election: Campaign trip for Gavin Newsom could bring bigger benefit to President Biden
President Joe Biden's campaign trip for California Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of Tuesday's recall election, could help Biden as much as Newsom.

Pelosi ‘deeply concerned’ about alleged Saudi torture of aid worker
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said she is “deeply concerned” over allegations that an aid worker currently held in Saudi Arabia is being tortured ahead of an appeal hearing in his…


Barrett concerned about public perception of Supreme Court
Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett is expressing concerns that the public may increasingly see the court as a partisan institution.


5 questions about California's recall targeting Gov. Newsom
The California recall is the first major election since Joe Biden became president, and its results may hint at the political trajectory of the country.


Top US commanders in Afghanistan wrestle with mistakes and regrets as America’s longest war ends | CNN Politics
US commanders who led the war in Afghanistan are wrestling with the country’s collapse to the Taliban, with some ruing the “pretty horrible mistakes” the US military made along the way and one of them flatly declaring America’s longest war was not worth the price.


Trump says Afghanistan withdrawal opens door to China, Russia reverse-engineering US military equipment
Former President Trump speculated that China and Russia have already obtained U.S. military equipment left behind in Afghanistan and are reverse engineering it.

Manchin: I will not vote for $3.5 trillion bill | CNN Politics
Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin said Sunday he will not support the $3.5 trillion price tag for the economic bill that would expand the nation’s social safety net and that “there’s no way” Congress can meet the timeline set by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to pass it.


College students chant 'F--- Joe Biden' at football games
College football fans have started chanting "F--- Joe Biden!" in the stands during games, and Saturday marked the second weekend of taunts directed toward the president.

Nicaragua gov't squeezes doctors, talk of 'health terrorism'
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Other countries have lured doctors out of retirement, pushed medical students to the front lines and buoyed medical personnel exhausted by COVID-19 cases, but in Nicaragua doctors have been harassed, threatened and sometimes forced into exile for questioning official handling of t


The Taliban Say That Women Can Study In Gender-Segregated Universities
The Taliban government's new higher education minister said Islamic dress is compulsory. Their last time in power, girls and women were denied an education and were excluded from public life.

Biden approves California disaster declaration ahead of Sacramento visit
(Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration for California and will travel to Sacramento on Monday to survey the damage from recent wildfires, the White House said on Sunday. More than 6,800 wildfires large and small have blackened an estimated 1.7 million acres...

Toyota, Honda knock union-made EV incentive in Democrats’ spending package
Japanese automakers Honda and Toyota have criticized a proposal that would give an added $4,500 in tax credits to electric vehicles that are union-made in the United States, Reuters reported.M…


"My body is failing me": Autoimmune diseases may be up among 9/11 survivors
The 9/11 compensation fund and the World Trade Center Health Program don't acknowledge autoimmune diseases, so people with those diseases aren't eligible for free health care or compensation.


Adapt or else: Downtown businesses cope with new reality
As the resilient coronavirus keeps offices closed and workers at home, some are adapting while others are trying to hang on.


In the wake of Trump’s attack on democracy, election officials fear for the future of American elections | CNN Politics
Trump’s efforts to subvert the election leave the future of free and fair elections in jeopardy.


How Qatar’s role in Afghanistan helped to restore U.S. relations
"They saved our butts," said former Rep. Scott Taylor, R-Va., a former Navy SEAL who has been helping to organize evacuee flights.

Joe Manchin says AOC is not entitled to her 'own facts' after she said he's beholden to big energy companies
Manchin, a centrist Democrat, is urging his party to slow down the passage of a $3.5 trillion social spending bill.

North Korea test-fires long-range missiles, officials say
North Korean officials claim they have test-fired long-range missiles.

Harris started ‘politicization’ of COVID-19 vaccines, Christie says
Vice President Kamala Harris got the ball rolling on the politicization of COVID-19 vaccines when she declared at her sole vice presidential debate that she would not roll up her sleeve to take the jab approved by regulators under the Trump administration, Chris Christie, the former New Jersey...

Internet funding rule could favor rural areas over cities
Officials in some urban areas are raising concerns about a federal rule limiting how federal coronavirus relief money can be spent on high-speed internet.


Israel hits Hamas targets as Gaza militants fire rockets
Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in the Gaza Strip while Palestinian militants launched rockets into Israel in the third consecutive night of fighting between the sides.


Here’s what’s in Biden’s Build Back Better plan | CNN Politics
The House has passed the Democrats’ sweeping $1.9 trillion budget reconciliation bill, which now goes to the Senate and will likely see revisions. The plan would transform the nation’s social safety net by, for example, creating a universal pre-K program and assisting families with child care.

Blinken braces for GOP buzz saw in Afghanistan congressional hearings
Secretary of State Antony Blinken can expect the most aggressive questioning of his career when he testifies Monday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee and on Tuesday before Senate Foreign Relations.Why it matters: Republicans see the hearings as their first chance to directly confront a...

Cubans still reside on Guantánamo Bay base decades after US-Cuba relations deteriorated | CNN Politics
Sixty years after the United States’ failed Bay of Pigs invasion, the remnants of the US and Cuba’s fractured relationship are tucked away in a small neighborhood of the US Naval base at Guantánamo Bay. Nineteen Cubans still live on the base almost 60 years after the base closed its borders with...


Justice Breyer opposes politics surrounding Supreme Court, supports one possible reform
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, in a conversation with "Fox News Sunday," lamented how politically charged the Supreme Court has become in terms of people's attitudes toward the judiciary, while expressing hope that the institution will not lose the faith of the public.

‘We will have a really long, long memory’: Greens calling businesses’ bluff on climate change
Activists want the companies that have called for federal climate action to get behind the $3.5 trillion package: "We will have a really long, long memory."


California voters: Less Republican and white than in 2003
California is again choosing whether to recall a governor

Daniil Medvedev: US Open champion finally celebrates - and says title is anniversary present for his wife
Winning his first Grand Slam at the US Open was enough for Daniil Medvedev to finally celebrate - and he pulled out a move from a video game.
www.bbc.com

Trump expected to endorse Mark Finchem for Arizona secretary of state: sources
EXCLUSIVE: Former President Trump is expected to endorse Arizona state Rep. Mark Finchem for the state’s top election official, sources familiar with his plans told Fox News.

'Lifelong consequences': What happens to people who can’t get abortions
One study found that people who were denied an abortion had almost four times greater odds of being below the federal poverty level.


Firefighters advance on blaze that shut California highway
Authorities have reopened nearly all lanes of a major Southern California highway as firefighters made progress on a wildfire that jumped across the road

Canada election: Three voters explain what matters most to them
Three people tell the BBC what issues are at stake and who they are voting for, as election day nears.


Rose McGowan take shot at white Black Lives Matter supporters
McGowan called out the Black Lives Matter movement during her event with California gubernatorial candidate Larry Elder
Congress returns for legislative marathon after summer recess
The next few weeks will be crucial to enacting President Biden's agenda — and determining how Democrats perform in next year's midterms.Driving the news: The Senate's back from recess starting Monday, and deadlines over everything from infrastructure to a government shutdown to the U.S. debt...

Brazil protests show low street support for impeachment push
Turnout at protests across Brazil against President Jair Bolsonaro have been far smaller than rallies the president called earlier this week, underscoring that pressure from the streets remains insufficient to drive efforts seeking his impeachment

60 Minutes remembers 9.11: The FDNY
On September 11, 2001, 343 members of the Fire Department of New York perished while trying to rescue people trapped in the World Trade Center. Scott Pelley speaks with firefighters who were there that day and the loved ones of those who never made it home.

Donald Trump Jr. tried to entice people to tune in to his dad's boxing event by teasing Area 51 intel
In a video posted to Twitter promoting the boxing event, Donald Trump Jr. said he planned to press his father, the former president, on Area 51.

SpaceX to send 1st all-civilian crew into orbit for 3 days
The historic mission is targeting a takeoff on Wednesday.

Transcript: Michael Morell on "Face the Nation," September 12, 2021
The following is a transcript of an interview with former Acting CIA Director Michael Morell that aired on Sunday, September 12, 2021, on "Face the Nation."


Transcript: Representative Adam Kinzinger on "Face the Nation," September 12, 2021
The following is a transcript of an interview with Representative Adam Kinzinger, Republican of Illinois, that aired on Sunday, September 12, 2021, on "Face the Nation."



Nearly 74% of eligible Americans have at least 1 COVID-19 vaccine dose
The United States is facing a COVID-19 surge this summer as the more contagious delta variant spreads.

Northern Idaho's anti-government streak hampers COVID fight
Northern Idaho has a long and deep streak of antigovernment activism that is confounding attempts to battle a COVID-19 outbreak

Why people who already had Covid should still get vaccinated
People previously infected with the coronavirus may get a significant boost in immunity if they follow up with vaccination.


School starts for 1 million NYC kids amid new vaccine rules
Classroom doors are swinging open for about a million New York City public school students in the nation’s largest experiment of in-person learning during the coronavirus pandemic.


Covid: More than 300,000 suspected of breaking quarantine rules
It comes as the prime minister prepares to announce his winter Covid plan, including for booster jabs.


Fauci says he would support vaccine requirements for air travel
Anthony Fauci said in a new interview that he would support vaccine requirements for air travel.“I would support that, if you want to get on a plane and travel with other people that you shoul…


UK ditches plans for vaccine passports at crowded venues
Britain’s health secretary says authorities have decided not to require vaccine passports for entry into nightclubs and other crowded events in England

Covid rapid tests are cheap or free in other countries. Why do Americans pay so much?
Germans pay less than $1 per test. Brits get them free. Why do Americans pay so much more? Because companies can still demand it.


I Got A 'Mild' Breakthrough Case. Here's What I Wish I'd Known
After a year and a half of being COVID-cautious, a fully vaccinated health journalist thought he could finally travel and socialize this summer. The resulting illness didn't feel "mild" at all.

Joe Biden's $2B rapid testing plan calls for discounted COVID tests at Amazon, Kroger and Walmart
President Joe Biden's plan includes spending nearly $2 billion to procure 280 million rapid coronavirus tests for vulnerable U.S. populations.
Surgeon general defends new Covid policies as "part of a long tradition" to keep people safe
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy defended the Biden administration's latest coronavirus-related measures Sunday, saying they are "part of a long tradition that we have in this country" of taking action to keep people safe. Why it matters: Murthy's comments on NBC's "Meet the Press," follow President...
COVID Cases, Deaths Notably Worse In Red States Than Blue States: Report
Of the "23 states that have new case totals per capita higher than the nation overall, 21 voted for Donald Trump," The Washington Post reports.

Alabama patient dies after hospital contacts 43 ICUs in 3 states, family says
“He would not want any other family to go through what his did,” his family said.


Tensions mount between CDC and Biden health team over boosters
Senior officials from the White House and the FDA say the CDC is withholding critical data needed to develop the booster plan.


Why The World Should Be More Than A Bit Worried About India's Nipah Virus Outbreak
A case of the virus, which claimed a 12-year-old boy's life, has sparked fears of a new outbreak in India. Researchers fear that the deadly disease has the potential to cause global outbreaks as well.


Rep. Joe Morelle says he has tested positive for Covid-19 | CNN Politics
New York Rep. Joe Morelle announced Sunday that he has tested positive for Covid-19, stressing that his vaccination against the virus has prevented him from having a severe infection.


Biden to announce new COVID-19 steps ahead of U.N. meeting, surgeon general says
U.S. President Joe Biden will announce new steps to slow the spread of COVID-19 before the U.N. General Assembly meets, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said Sunday.

Nebraska Gov. Ricketts rails against vaccine mandate: Biden 'pretty ignorant of what's going on'
Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, a vocal opponent of President Biden's planned vaccine mandate on businesses with more than 100 employees, said the president is out of touch with how different parts of the country are handling the coronavirus pandemic.

Vaccine Mandates Crash Into America’s ‘Don’t Tell Me What To Do’ State
Pummeled by unemployment, Las Vegas tried to reopen without widespread vaccination. Here are the lessons the city learned — and the challenges ahead.


NY hospital pausing delivering babies after Covid-19 resignations | CNN
A hospital in upstate New York is “pausing” deliveries of babies because of the number of maternity unit employee resignations over the state’s Covid-19 vaccination requirements, health officials say.


Transcript: Dr. Scott Gottlieb on "Face the Nation," September 12, 2021
The following is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb that aired on Sunday, September 12, 2021, on "Face the Nation."


Transcript: Alberto Carvalho on "Face the Nation," September 12, 2021
The following is a transcript of an interview with Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of Miami-Dade County Public Schools, that aired on Sunday, September 12, 2021, on "Face the Nation."


Transcript: Dr. James Versalovic on "Face the Nation," September 12, 2021
The following is a transcript of an interview with Dr. James Versalovic that aired on Sunday, September 12, 2021, on "Face the Nation."

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