National
Schumer hammers out climate change, health care deal with recalcitrant Manchin
A climate change and health care package is primed to make its way through House goal posts, a stunning coup for the Biden administration after the Democratic majority leader of the Senate found middle ground this week with the coal-rooted Senator Joe Manchin.

Feds working to uncover full scope of court system data breach
A congressional oversight committee pressed one of the nation’s leading security advisers Thursday for an update into a security breach of the federal court digital document system dating back to early 2020.

Semiconductor bill passes House, heads to Biden’s desk
At a time of supply chain headaches and surging prices driven by an international shortage of semiconductors, a field where China has long been the dominant player, U.S. lawmakers passed legislation to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and boost American competitiveness in the technology market.

Ninth Circuit urged to revive Facebook housing bias lawsuit
A decades-old discrimination lawsuit against The New York Times could help resurrect housing bias claims against Facebook on behalf of a class of people who say the platform’s housing marketplace returned far fewer results when searched by racial minorities, single parents and people with disabilities.

Regional
Massachusetts grants absolution to its last remaining witch
The last remaining Massachusetts resident legally classified as a witch has been given a reprieve as part of a budget bill signed Thursday by Governor Charlie Baker.

CVS accused of using monopoly power to exploit federal drug subsidies
New York Attorney General Letitia James brought an antitrust complaint Thursday against CVS Health Corp., saying it forced hospitals that serve the state’s low-income patients to pay millions of dollars for exclusive access to discounted prescription drugs.

International
Bird flu outbreak leaves Swedish coast littered with carcasses
A record-breaking bird flu outbreak has hit the Swedish west coast, leaving hundreds of wild birds dead. Local authorities are just starting to take action despite the problem existing all summer.

Russia pummels Ukraine with missiles, grain shipments closer to resuming
Russia launched a barrage of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday as Kyiv and its Western backers claimed that Ukrainian forces were mounting a strong counteroffensive in the south of the country.

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