Brian Laundrie's remains found, FBI says

The FBI confirmed that human remains found in Florida's Carlton Reserve on Wednesday were those of Brian Laundrie. The 23-year-old went missing just days after his fiancée, Gabby Petito, was reported missing on September 11.

Biden says he'd be willing to eliminate filibuster for some issues

Mr. Biden appears to be more open than he's been in the past to changing the filibuster, but any change isn't likely to happen soon.

CBS Evening News, October 21, 2021

A CDC advisory panel is recommending booster doses of both Moderna’s and Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines. Now CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will decide whether to accept or revise the committee’s recommendations. Meg Oliver has more; Two ER nurses in Marietta, Georgia, became inseparable during the pandemic. A proposal was imminent, and one of the nurses’ devotion to her patients provided the perfect set-up. Norah O'Donnell has more.

Biden says he's open to eliminating filibuster to pass voting-rights 'and maybe more' issues

President Joe Biden said at a CNN town hall on Thursday that he's open to eliminating the filibuster for voting rights legislation "and maybe more."
     

CDC gives go-ahead to J&J, Moderna and mix-and-match COVID boosters, beginning as soon as Friday

All COVID-19 booster doses will be free, and a booster is not required to be considered fully vaccinated.
     

Biden at CNN town hall: Medicare expansion, free community college likely out of social safety-net package

Biden spoke repeatedly about obstacles posed by Sens. Manchin and Sinema to key pieces of his economic agenda.
     

CDC approves Moderna and J&J Covid vaccine boosters, allowing people to mix-and-match shots

A CDC advisory panel Thursday endorsed boosters of Moderna and J&J Covid vaccines, sending the recommendation to the agency's director for final approval.

Texas and Missouri sue Biden administration over its efforts to stop border wall construction

Texas and Missouri filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Biden administration for its efforts to stop wall construction projects at the US southern border.

Trump is going public by taking advantage of Wall Street's blank-check boom

Former President Donald Trump is planning a return to Wall Street.

Covid may have killed up to 180,000 health workers globally, WHO says

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemns inequality in vaccine rollout, saying less than one in 10 health workers in Africa are fully vaccinated

The World Health Organization says 80,000 to 180,000 healthcare workers may have been killed by Covid-19 up to May this year, insisting they must be prioritised for vaccination.

A WHO paper on Thursday estimated that out of the world’s 135 million health staff, “between 80,000 to 180,000 health and care workers could have died from Covid-19 in the period between January 2020 to May 2021”.

‘Not our approach’: NRL won’t follow AFL in mandating Covid-19 vaccine

Abdo flags ‘rigorous requirements’ for unvaccinated players‘Might be taken out of our hands by health orders or airlines’

NRL chief executive Andrew Abdo says players will not be mandated to have a Covid-19 vaccine but warned unvaccinated players would be subject to more stringent protocols.

Hours after the AFL mandated its players to be vaccinated by mid-February, Abdo took a slightly different approach.

New Zealand Covid: Ardern unveils post-lockdown ‘traffic light’ system linked to 90% vaccination rate

New plan will see end of lockdowns but those unvaccinated against Covid will not enjoy freedoms available to others, PM Jacinda Ardern says

More than 18 months into the pandemic, New Zealand has announced its roadmap for a post-lockdown future – and says dropping restrictions hinges on the country hitting some of the world’s most ambitious vaccination rates.

Prime minister Jacinda Ardern on Friday announced that 90% of eligible New Zealanders needed to be fully vaccinated across each District Health Board (DHB) region before the whole country moves to a new “traffic light” system of much looser public health restrictions. The country has a growing outbreak of the Delta variant, and on Friday announced 129 new cases – a record high since the pandemic began.

‘Sorry, a slight distraction’: Jacinda Ardern unruffled as earthquake interrupts press conference

The 5.9 magnitude quake forced the prime minister to pause and grip her podium before continuing to outline post-Covid lockdown plans

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has been interrupted by an earthquake midway through announcing the country’s plans for a post-Covid-lockdown future.

The 5.9 quake rattled parliament in Wellington on Friday as Ardern was holding a press conference on the country’s new vaccination targets.

CDC panel approves Moderna and J&J boosters

A CDC advisory panel is recommending booster doses of both Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccines. Now CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky will decide whether to accept or revise the committee's recommendations. Meg Oliver has more.

House votes to hold former Trump adviser Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress

Speaker Nancy Pelosi will now recommend the contempt charge to the Justice Department, who has final say on whether to prosecute Steve Bannon.
     

Gabby Petito case: Remains found in Florida park identified as Brian Laundrie, FBI says

The human remains found in a Florida wilderness park were identified as Brian Laundrie. Dental records allowed the FBI to ID the skeletal remains.
     

U.S. government agency in charge of financial stability weighs in on climate change risks

The Financial Stability Oversight Council issued a report on the risks a changing climate poses to the U.S. financial system, in response to Biden's order.

Trump plan for new media venture gets Wall Street's thumbs up

Shares of Digital World Acquisition, the SPAC that wants to take Donald Trump's new media venture public, quadrupled in value in Wall Street trading Thursday.

Human remains found in Florida are those of Brian Laundrie, FBI says

Dental records used for identification, agency confirmsLaundrie a person of interest in death of fiance Gabby Petito

Partial human remains that were found on Wednesday in a Florida wilderness area were confirmed on Thursday afternoon to be those of Brian Laundrie, the fiance of Gabby Petito, a young woman who disappeared on a road trip with Laundrie, the FBI said.

Authorities had also found items believed to belong to Laundrie after his parents, Chris and Roberta Laundrie, took part in the search with the FBI and police more than a month after Laundrie was reported missing after heading to the vast Carlton Reserve park.

What it's like to be on the front lines of the school board culture war

Karen Watkins ran for her local school board because she wanted to be involved in her children's education. Since her election in 2020, she's been yelled at, threatened and followed to her car.

The Federal Reserve imposes new restrictions on investments after trading controversy

The Federal Reserve is adopting new restrictions on investments after active trading last year by two regional Fed bank presidents drew criticism.

House holds Trump ally Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress

Contempt citation for Bannon approved by 229 votes to 202Strategist refused to comply with Capitol attack subpoena

The House voted on Thursday to hold Donald Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress, over his refusal to comply with a subpoena issued by the House select committee investigating the 6 January Capitol attack.

The approval of the contempt citation, by 229 votes to 202 against, escalates the select committee’s efforts to punish Bannon for his non-compliance as they intensify their inquiry into whether then-president Trump helped plan or had advance knowledge of the insurrection.

Fed's Bostic sees interest rate hike coming next year as inflation lingers

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Raphael Bostic said Thursday that he sees an interest rate hike coming later in 2022.

CDC says these are the most common side effects people report after getting Moderna, J&J boosters

The CDC said the most common side effects people reported after getting Covid vaccine boosters included pain at the injection site, fatigue, fever and headache.

Some first responders are quitting over vaccine mandates

Hundreds of first responders are leaving the workforce due to the COVID vaccine mandate. Jeff Pegues has the latest.

Joe Biden's Fed conundrum: Stick with Jerome Powell or let him go?

President Joe Biden faces a number of economic concerns, from supply chain disruptions to inflation. But the White House will soon need to tackle another major financial issue: whether or not to nominate Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell for a second term.

Federal Reserve cracks down on how its officials invest

New restrictions follows resignation of two Fed bank presidents amid ethics questions over their stock market trades.

'You can't make this stuff up': Reaction to Trump's Truth Social is mixed

After former President Donald Trump announced his Truth Social app on Wednesday, social media users shared varying opinions of the new platform.
     

House January 6 committee unanimously votes to hold Bannon in contempt

Bannon was ordered to appear before the committee last week, but his attorney said he was following the direction of the former president's legal team to not provide documents or testify.

In 1983, he was kidnapped as a boy. Bizarre tale of Florida man's terrifying abduction

David Rattray's kidnapping at age 4 on March 1, 1983, mobilized dozens of deputies, FBI agents determined to find blond-haired preschooler
     

Texas calls on Supreme Court to keep abortion ban in place

Texas officials urged the Supreme Court to deny the request from the Biden administration to block enforcement of its law banning most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.

Ghislaine Maxwell loses bid to seal jury questions before trial in Jeffrey Epstein-related sex crime case

Jeffrey Epstein, an ex-friend of President Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, was a boyfriend of Ghislaine Maxwell at one point. She goes on trial next month.

Assad regime ‘siphons millions in aid’ by manipulating Syria’s currency

Government pocketed half of donations in 2020 as central bank forced UN agencies to use lower exchange rate

The Syrian government is siphoning off millions of dollars of foreign aid by forcing UN agencies to use a lower exchange rate, according to new research.

The Central Bank of Syria, which is sanctioned by the UK, US and EU, in effect made $60m (£44m) in 2020 by pocketing $0.51 of every aid dollar sent to Syria, making UN contracts one of the biggest money-making avenues for President Bashar al-Assad and his government, researchers from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the Operations & Policy Center thinktank and the Center for Operational Analysis and Research found.

Melbourne freedom day: world’s most locked down city takes first cautious steps to reopening

After 262 days, Australia’s second-most populous city is emerging from stringent Covid restrictions – battered but hopeful

Before the pandemic hit, Melbourne had topped the world’s most liveable city list seven consecutive times and was the fastest-growing urban centre in Australia.

But as major cities shrugged off lockdown restrictions with the arrival of the vaccine, Melbourne’s shops remained shuttered, residents were under a 9pm curfew, and the usually buzzing city earned a new title: the world’s longest lockdown.

Top Saskatchewan health official moved to tears by unchecked Covid spread

Dr Saqib Shahab, the Canadian province’s chief medical officer, spoke of grief and frustration at deaths despite vaccine availability

A senior health official in western Canada has made an emotional plea for people to get vaccinated against coronavirus and observe social distancing recommendations, highlighting the grief and frustration felt by health workers in a country where Covid deaths continue despite the availability of vaccines.

Saskatchewan’s chief medical officer, Dr Saqib Shahab, was brought to tears during a briefing on Wednesday, as he presented new data showing the continuing pressure on the province’s hospitals and intensive care units.

Lawmakers puzzled that Biden is yet to name nominee for senior military job

Senators are concerned that President Joe Biden has not named a nominee for one of the most senior positions at the Pentagon, with the job becoming vacant at the end of November.

Barbados elects first president as it prepares to drop Queen as head of state

Caribbean nation elects governor general to new role prior to former British colony becoming a republic

Barbados has elected its first president with just weeks to go until the Caribbean island becomes a republic and ceases to recognise Queen Elizabeth as its head of state.

The island’s governor general, Dame Sandra Mason, was elected almost unanimously by the former British colony’s parliament on Wednesday, with only one member declining to vote.

Stephen Colbert on Steve Bannon: ‘I feel a lot of contempt for that criminal’

Late-night hosts discuss the House’s expected vote to hold Trump’s former adviser in criminal contempt of Congress

Stephen Colbert opened Wednesday’s Late Show with a celebration: the House was expected to vote on Thursday to hold Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist to Donald Trump, in criminal contempt for refusing to assist the congressional investigation into the 6 January insurrection. “Hell yeah! Criminal contempt makes sense to me because I feel a lot of contempt for that criminal,” Colbert said.

Personal items belonging to Brian Laundrie found along with suspected human remains near search site

The FBI says a backpack and notebook belonging to Brian Laundrie were found near the search site along with suspected human remains. Jericka Duncan has more about the investigation into the whereabouts of Gabby Petito's fiancé.

Apparent human remains found near Brian Laundrie's belongings, FBI says

The FBI said "we don't have all the answers yet."

In-N-Out sued for violating vaccine verification

This is not the first time the chain has gotten in trouble for violating COVID-19 mandates in the state.

Britain’s Covid numbers show we need to move immediately to ‘plan B’ | Kit Yates

Our comparatively good position has been eroded and now, heading into the winter, the data looks truly alarming

All the Covid indicators in the UK are going in the wrong direction. They have been for a while now. Cases are surging upwards; hospitals are feeling the strain of increasing numbers of Covid patients, and daily death tolls are rising. At the same time, vaccination delivery is slowing down.

On Monday we saw almost 50,000 cases reported. Only on 16 days throughout the whole pandemic have we seen higher numbers. On Wednesday we saw similar numbers. Our seven-day average is more than 45,000 cases a day, and the ONS estimates that one in 60 people are infected – the highest level since January. For comparison, Germany is seeing 165 daily cases per million of its population. In France, the figure is just 71, and in Spain 35. The corresponding rate for the UK is more than 650 per million.

Kit Yates is director of the Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Bath and author of The Maths of Life and Death

Democrats push to close the deal on Biden's agenda: 'This part of the process needs to be handled with care'

Democrats aren't there yet on cracking a deal on a President Joe Biden's sweeping, if now scaled back, economic and climate package. But the over the course of the next 36 hours, those involved in these talks think it is possible to get at least one of the two Senate moderates to sign off on a final and detailed framework.

Superman will no longer champion 'the American way.' It's sad, but our nation deserves it.

If you were a country aspiring to democracy or an effective COVID response, would you emulate America? We are not living our best national life.
     

Chile far-right candidate rides anti-migrant wave in presidential poll

José Antonio Kast has exploited Trumpian issues ahead of November’s election despite the country’s recent leftward turn

Hopes for a more progressive Chile have been dealt a blow as a far-right candidate surges in opinion polls ahead of the first presidential election since massive demonstrations against inequality erupted in 2019.

A month before the vote, polling shows that the leftwing candidate – former student leader Gabriel Boric – has slipped behind (by one percentage point) José Antonio Kast, a supporter of the dictator Augusto Pinochet, who has suggested digging ditches along the country’s border to stop migrants.

The harsh truths of partition in Ireland can’t be avoided in the name of reconciliation | Brian Hanley

Bland ceremonies avoid the difficult questions of imperialism, power and class that have divided the country

Today in Armagh a church service is marking the centenary since the partition of Ireland. Though the event is hosted by the five main Christian churches on the island of Ireland, it has been shrouded in controversy since it emerged in September that the Irish president, Michael D Higgins, had declined an invitation to attend.

The president objected that the title and structure of the “Service of Reflection and Hope” to “mark the centenaries of the partition of Ireland and the foundation of Northern Ireland” were political in nature; though he insisted it wasn’t a boycott. Minister for foreign affairs Simon Coveney is now representing the Irish government, with Boris Johnson also attending – the Queen’s attendance was cancelled yesterday on health grounds. Members of the DUP, and former taoiseach John Bruton, were quick to criticise Higgins’ decision, but it was an entirely logical move. Partition was imposed on Ireland a century ago, against the wishes of the majority of its people. The border was opposed not only by republicans, but also by the so-called “constitutional” nationalists of the Home Rule party, the labour movement and indeed many southern unionists. The birth of the border came as part of a violent process with what was to become the minority community in the new Northern Ireland effectively battered into submission.

Brian Hanley is a historian and author of The Impact of the Troubles on the Republic of Ireland

This article was amended on Thursday 21 October 2021. Simon Coveney is Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs, not the tánaiste.

Opinion: Cheney is asking the right question about Bannon, Trump and Jan. 6

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney made an intriguing observation Tuesday about the legal arguments made by Donald Trump's team. During a meeting of the committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol, she implicitly reminded us of the most important aspect of the panel's work, the part that must remain at the forefront of its efforts, and a key guide in the timing of its investigation.

Face off: the government versus GPs

The government is demanding that GPs see more patients face-to-face in return for an injection of extra funding, but many in the profession say the pandemic has left them close to breaking point

When Covid-19 struck the UK in early 2020, GPs in England were already feeling the pinch of an increasingly ageing society presenting in their surgeries with increasingly complex medical needs. The arrival of the pandemic at an instant moved their work almost entirely online. Instead of face-to-face consultations being the norm, they became the exception. In their place came phone and video consultations.

But as lockdown ended and the country opened up, the demand for a return to in-person GP appointments has grown, fuelled in no small part by high-profile newspaper campaigns. Despite promises from the government to increase the number of GPs to ease some of the strain on the system, instead numbers have been dropping as doctors retire early or move to part-time work.

My impulse to surf with strangers from the internet was a social experiment gone very right

An ad posted on Gumtree became the perfect welcome mat for a lonely expat returning to Australia during the pandemic

I learned to surf in California, and continued to develop after moving to Hawaii. By the time I left, moving back to Sydney during Covid, I could still pull off a sweet wave, even where the big boys surfed. At least on a good day. Surfing makes me feel powerful, connected and happy.

Starting life again in Australia – a place so familiar, yet so foreign – was really hard. I found myself a boyfriend who gave me a sweet longboard for my birthday, but then we broke up. I was a mess: lonely, lost, stressed and sad. I tried to enrol friends who surfed to come out with me, but everyone was too busy with their robust lives of children and work. I tried to make friends on the beach, but surfers can be surprisingly solemn. I tried going alone and I found it too intimidating.

The future of Europe is at stake in the fight for Germany’s finance ministry | Adam Tooze

A fiscal conservative in the job and a new era of debt limitation could spell disaster for EU countries

The result of the German election was known within minutes of the polls closing on 26 September. But the kind of government that will emerge is being decided now, behind closed doors, in intense three-way coalition negotiations. With the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)/Christian Social Union (CSU) humiliated by a defeat of unprecedented magnitude, Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic party (SPD) is the clear favourite to succeed Angela Merkel at the chancellery.

The real question is the balance of power between the SPD’s two coalition partners, the Greens and the Free Democratic party (FDP). A key issue in those negotiations is who gets the job at the Finance Ministry. The politicians concerned may be unknown outside of Germany, and the battle over who controls the purse strings may not seem glamorous. But it will, in fact, decide the prospects not just of Germany’s next government, but of Europe.

Adam Tooze is a professor of history at Columbia University. His latest book is Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World’s Economy

Little Amal’s journey: the puppet that crossed Europe – in pictures

Since leaving Turkey in July, Little Amal, a 3.5 metre (11ft 5in) tall puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl, and her entourage of about 25 people have navigated Covid border restrictions to walk across Europe to the UK. Amal, whose name means hope in Arabic, was created by Handspring, the company that made the equine puppets in War Horse. The puppet represents the millions of children forced to leave their homes in desperate situations. The global pandemic has made them more vulnerable than ever

Is a ‘negative microwave’ – a device that quickly cools food and drink – possible?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

I’ve been grappling for decades about how you’d get a “negative
microwave” to work, a device that very quickly cools things such as food or drinks without having to pre-fill it with something that’s already cold. I understand many of the reasons why it’s near impossible but is it actually impossible? Maybe quantum physics can mysteriously do it. George Stewart

Post your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published on Sunday.

Colin Powell, former US secretary of state, dies aged 84 – video obituary

Colin Powell, the first Black US secretary of state, has died at the age of 84 from Covid complications. Powell was a retired four-star general who served as chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in the early 1990s, before joining the George W Bush administration as secretary of state. Before the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, Powell made the case to the United Nations security council that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had biological weapons and was developing nuclear weapons. He later said that this represented 'a blot' that will 'always be a part of my record'. Although he was a Republican, in 2008 he endorsed Barack Obama for president. In the years that followed, he felt increasingly detached from the party, ultimately leaving it in the wake of the 6 January insurrection on the Capitol

‘You reap what you sow’: Russians party despite record Covid figures

Critics blame Kremlin denial and mixed messaging for pursuit of normality as deaths top 1,000 a day

Moscow’s streets were buzzing with energy on Friday evening. At Simach, a trendy bar and nightclub in the city centre, the small, sweaty dance floor was packed and a long queue of chatty people formed outside.

Looking at the crowd, it is easy to forget that Russia is at the centre of the worldwide coronavirus pandemic, recording daily record deaths and infections just as global fatalities from the disease have fallen to their lowest level in a year.

The global future of vaccines

From adding a new vaccine to the arsenal against Covid-19 to preparing for the next pandemic, here’s what the future may hold

Vaccines have been a routine part of preventive healthcare throughout modern history, so much so that up until about two years ago, many people in the developed world took them for granted. Babies were vaccinated against diseases like diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. School-age kids got jabs to guard against measles, mumps and chickenpox. Travelers got shots to prevent yellow fever or typhoid before venturing far afield.

But in the wake of a pandemic that’s upended life as we know it, vaccines have taken on a new role – a leading one – in the larger conversation about public health. Words and phrases like “spike protein”, “mRNA”, “viral vector” and “herd immunity” have become part of the global vernacular. And that’s vital, because increased vaccine awareness and action are critical to overcoming the current pandemic.

Steve Bannon says he won't comply with January 6 panel's subpoena

Bannon's attorney said he was following the direction of former President Trump's legal team.

The weird, the wonderful and the political: highlights from the 2021 Met Gala red carpet

The Met Gala has returned to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art after a year off due to Covid-19. There were multiple show-stopping outfits from Lil Nas X, while Kim Kardashian turned heads by dressing entirely in black, even covering her face. Amid the glamour, some guests highlighted social issues. The Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had 'tax the rich' written in red across the back of her white gown and the sports star Megan Rapinoe carried a clutch bag with the words ‘in gay we trust’

Living in Australia: share your experience of coronavirus

We’d like to hear from those living in Australia who have tested positive recently for Covid or are recovering

There are more than 5,000 active cases of Covid in Australia with greater Sydney, Melbourne, the ACT and parts of regional New South Wales and Queensland now in lockdown.

We’d like to speak to those in Australia about their experiences and how they’re affected by the situation. We’re particularly interested in hearing from people who have tested positive recently for Covid or are recovering.