State

After Pritzker’s ‘grifter’ comment, attorney considers defamation case

Gov. J.B. Pritzker speaks at a news conference on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2021.   Courtesy of Facebook

• Illinois Supreme Court strikes down Cook County tax on guns

• Bill would give counselors authority when dealing with abuse at school

• JCAR asks IDPH for more time before enforcing vaccine mandate on ambulances

• Pritzker stands by goal of 1 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030

• Study shows Illinois remains last in rainy day funds

Nation

Factbox-Five facts about Alec Baldwin

Actor Alec Baldwin speaks at a protest against U.S. President-elect Donald Trump outside the Trump International Hotel in New York City, U.S. January 19, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith

• Ex-Minneapolis police officer sentenced to 57 months in fatal shooting of Australian woman

• Jury to begin deliberations in ex-Giuliani associate's U.S. campaign finance case

• U.S. CDC signs off on Moderna, J&J COVID-19 vaccine boosters, mix-and-match shots

• Memorial service set for Colin Powell at Washington National Cathedral on Nov. 5

Government, Politics, Campaigns  & Elections

'Snitch line': Republicans assail U.S. effort to protect school boards from violent threats

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) questions Attorney General Merrick Garland during a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing of the Department of Justice on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. October 21, 2021. Greg Nash/Pool via REUTERS

• Divided Democrats see slow progress on Biden's social spending bill

  • White House: Senators Sinema, Manchin are negotiating in good faith

  • Biden, Democrats shred spending, tax plans to get a deal done

  • Explainer-What are the child tax credits Democrats are battling over?

• Biden urges patience amid stalemate on voting rights, police reform

• Biden backs down on corporate tax hikes, open to altering filibuster

• U.S. House holds Trump ally Bannon in contempt, seeks prosecution

• Fed bans stock trading, restricts other investing activities by top officials

• Texas taps Trump's ex-counsel in vote-fraud case as top election official

International

Huge blast kills 16 at Russian chemicals plant

Firefighters work to put out a fire at a gunpowder and chemicals plant in Ryazan Region, Russia October 22, 2021. Russia's Emergencies Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

• Biden says United States would come to Taiwan's defense

  • With Xi-Biden meeting, U.S. aims to show responsible handling of China ties

• 'Don't be afraid' of EU defence ambitions, France tells NATO

• Analysis-Moon's push for South Korean military independence may echo far beyond his presidency

• Ethiopian government strikes Tigray regional capital for fourth day this week

• Friday prayers resume in Tehran after nearly two-year hiatus due to COVID-19

• Analysis-Vaccinated Singapore shows zero-COVID countries cost of reopening

• Melbourne reopens as world's most locked-down city eases pandemic restrictions

• Queen Elizabeth in good spirits after first night in hospital in years

ODD & Extraordinary

Floods force Indian couple to float to their wedding - in a cooking pot

Bride and groom sit with garlands around their necks for wedding rituals after they floated to a temple in a cooking vessel on a flooded road for their wedding ceremony in this screengrab taken from video, in Alappuzha, Kerala, India, October 18, 2021. REUTERS TV/via REUTERS

Science, Medicine, Technology & Environment

Rocket failure mars U.S. hypersonic weapon test as others succeed

The Pentagon logo is seen behind the podium in the briefing room at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Al Drago