The New York Times reports: President Biden told reporters on Friday that Pope Francis had called him a “good Catholic” and said he should keep receiving communion, an unexpected development that appeared to put a papal finger on the scale in a debate raging in the United States’ Roman Catholic Church over whether the president and other Catholic politicians who …

Roll Call reports: Facing criticism that mandates for coronavirus vaccinations could force the Defense Department to fire thousands of civilians, contractors and troops, the Biden administration is signaling that vaccine resisters may get more time to comply. Three administration officials in the last couple of days have described the deadlines not as the dates when an axe will fall but …

Carl Trueman writes for the Christian Post: “Deathwork” is a term used by sociologist Philip Rieff. It refers to the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose. It is one thing for someone unaware of the biblical narrative and the sacred significance of the rainbow …

The Washington Post reports: Virginia’s race for governor is a toss-up as Tuesday’s election draws near, with 49 percent of likely voters favoring Democrat Terry McAuliffe and 48 percent favoring Republican Glenn Youngkin, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll. The result is little changed from last month, when a Post-Schar School poll measured the race at 50 percent McAuliffe-47 …

CNN reports: Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a Republican from Illinois who has been a strong critic of former President Donald Trump, announced in a video Friday morning he is not running for reelection. “I also remember during that campaign saying that if I ever thought it was time to move on from Congress, I would, and that time is now,” Kinzinger …

The Los Angeles Times reports: The Los Angeles Unified School District was among the first school systems in the nation to require employees to be vaccinated. The Oct. 15 deadline prompted a last-minute surge among thousands who were hesitant. No vaccine meant no entry onto a campus — and likely no job. Similar vaccination deadlines — and decisions — are …

Politico reports: Sixty-six former lawmakers, including two dozen Republicans, have signed on to a legal brief urging a federal judge to reject former President Donald Trump’s effort to block Jan. 6 investigators from accessing his White House’s records. The brief, which is slated to hit the docket in the D.C. federal District Court on Friday, contends that no possible argument …

Mediaite reports: The one reaction Carlson picked out to respond to came from Congresswoman Liz Cheney (R- WY). Cheney ripped Fox for giving Carlson a platform to “spread the same type of lies that provoked violence on January 6.” Carlson only showed that part of her tweet, but not the rest of it, which said, “As @FoxNews knows, the election …

The New York Daily News reports: The NYPD is planning a two-day retirement fair at police headquarters for what could be a surge of cops who’d rather end their careers than take the COVID shot. The police Pension Fund will set up shop Friday and Sunday in the auditorium of 1 Police Plaza in Downtown Manhattan to process paperwork for …

The Guardian reports: Pope Francis has urged world leaders to take “radical decisions” at next week’s global environmental summit in a special message recorded for BBC Radio 4’s Thought for the Day. Leaders attending the Cop26 conference in Glasgow must offer “concrete hope to future generations”, the pontiff said. Francis is not attending the summit, despite earlier suggestions that he …

The Associated Press reports:  Polish lawmakers held an emotional debate Thursday on proposed legislation dubbed “Stop LGBT,” which would ban pride parades and other public gatherings deemed to “promote” same-sex relationships. The lawmakers are due to vote Friday on whether to reject or continue work on the proposal, which is a citizen’s legislative initiative that was submitted to parliament by …

The Washington Post reports: The Iowa state legislature passed a bill Thursday that allows residents fired for noncompliance with vaccine mandates to receive unemployment benefits, while also broadening religious and medical exemptions from immunization. The bill was passed with overwhelming support in both chambers, which Republicans control. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said she plans to sign the legislation into law, …

Playbook reports: Remember when Major League Baseball moved the All-Star Game out of Atlanta in protest of Georgia’s new law imposing restrictions on voting? Well, consider it payback time. Heritage Action is launching a new six-figure ad buy to air in Georgia and D.C. during Game 3 of the World Series tonight — when the Atlanta Braves will play host …

The Week reports: The high-stakes Virginia gubernatorial race between Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin has been narrowing in recent weeks, and now it couldn’t get much tighter. After a Fox News poll on Thursday gave Youngkin an 8 percentage point likely-voter lead over McAuliffe — versus McAuliffe’s 5-point lead in the same poll two weeks ago — the …

Media Matters has the transcript: I will tell you now that Terry McAuliffe is preparing to try and steal the election. McAuliffe spends big in final days on sanctioned lawyer who sued to overturn Iowa House race.  This is very important to understand. So they’re going to try and steal the election. The same guy, McAuliffe, who said that Bush …

The Associated Press reports: Hours after arriving in Rome, President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis on Friday at the Vatican, where the world’s two most notable Roman Catholics plan to discuss the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and poverty. On the eve of Biden’s visit, a leading U.S. conservative cardinal and Francis critic, Cardinal Raymond Burke, penned an impassioned …

The Daily Beast reports: The writer of Tucker Carlson’s controversial documentary series on the Jan. 6 Capitol riot previously directed films made by far-right figures, including a leading promoter of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, a virulent anti-refugee activist, and an alt-right comic book writer whose lead superhero’s outfit resembles a Confederate flag. Los Angeles-based filmmaker Scooter Downey will likely reach …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: The latest trailer for MGM’s anticipated House of Gucci movie teases even more of the dramatic saga that gave way to Maurizio Gucci’s death in 1995. With “Sweet Dreams” serving as the soundtrack, the new trailer plots how Patrizia Reggiani (Lady Gaga) made her way into the powerful family before ultimately conspiring against her former partner …

Bridge Michigan reports: Michigan State Police launched a criminal investigation Thursday after election equipment at the center of a voting tabulator conspiracy theory went missing this week in a rural, conservative community. Adams Township Clerk Stephanie Scott, a Republican whose social media has included QAnon memes, had refused to allow a vendor to conduct routine maintenance on a Hart Intercivic …

Gothamist reports: More than 19,000 of New York City’s first responders have yet to comply with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s new COVID-19 vaccine mandate on the eve of its deadline. As of Wednesday, 86% of the city’s 378,000 municipal workers have received at least one dose, according to the mayor’s office. That’s only a 2 percentage point increase since the …