Go for the gold: Your Weekend Briefing

October 24, 2021

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. We're covering the U.S. booster shot campaign, President Biden's economic agenda and the M.L.B. playoffs.

Elizabeth Gillander, 78, got a booster shot of the Pfizer vaccine in McMinnville, Ore., this month.Alisha Jucevic for The New York Times

1. Tens of millions of Americans are now cleared to get booster shots for all three Covid-19 vaccines offered in the U.S.

Among those who received two doses of a Pfizer or Moderna vaccine six or more months ago, here's who is eligible for a booster right now: people 65 and older; those 18 and older who live in long-term care; and those 18 and older who have underlying medical conditions or work or live in high-risk settings. For those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, anyone 18 and older who was vaccinated two or more months ago is eligible. (Read the C.D.C.'s full guidelines).

The C.D.C. also gave a green light to a mix-and-match strategy, so people who are eligible for boosters can decide to get a dose of a different brand than the one they first received.

Next up for shots: children. F.D.A. regulators said the Pfizer vaccine's benefits outweigh the risks for 5- to 11-year-olds. Emergency authorization could come as early as next week.

The country has suffered through five waves of the coronavirus pandemic now, depending on how you count. Here's why few experts are forecasting a substantial winter peak.

Facing resistance in Congress, President Biden has scaled back many items in his agenda in an effort to build more support.Doug Mills/The New York Times

2. President Biden pushed for a big agenda knowing that he would most likely have to pare it back. But accepting less and calling it a win has its limits — and consequences.

After pushing for months for a $3.5 trillion bill, the president is likely to end up with a measure including less than $2 trillion in spending spread across various initiatives. That could create a sense of disappointment that could hurt his party at the polls.

Negotiations are continuing on the final framework of the package, but among the initiatives to be cut are free community college for everyone; free dental, hearing and vision coverage from Medicare; and a new system of penalties for the worst polluters.

Biden's new plan relies on tax credits, regulation and state action. It could meet his climate goals, but it faces many hurdles.

Families evacuated from Kabul arrived in Kosovo on Aug. 29.Visar Kryeziu/Associated Press

3. Two months after the evacuation of 80,000 Afghans fleeing the Taliban takeover, most evacuees have cleared vetting for admission into the U.S. But dozens have been red-flagged and are now in limbo.

Though the flagged evacuees helped America during its 20-year war in Afghanistan, screenings uncovered apparent records of violent crime or links to Islamist militants that follow-up evaluations have not cleared, officials said. The military transferred most of them to a NATO base in Kosovo, but because many will be barred from the U.S., the Biden administration has been meeting to determine what to do with them.

In Kabul, the Taliban brought together families of suicide bombers at a publicized event, praising their actions while alienating those who have suffered at their hands. It seemed to be an effort to appease the aggrieved families of the bombers and an overt attempt to rewrite the history of the war.

Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook arriving to testify before Congress in 2019. Pete Marovich for The New York Times

4. Internal Facebook documents show that employees repeatedly warned of misinformation about the 2020 election. Executives have placed blame elsewhere.

Company documents obtained by The Times revealed the degree to which Facebook knew of extremist movements on its site that were trying to polarize American voters before and after the election, but failed or struggled to address the issues. "Enforcement was piecemeal," read one internal review in March of Facebook's response to Stop the Steal groups, which contended that the election was rigged.

And the spread of misinformation hasn't just been limited to the U.S. More documents lay out Facebook's struggle with hate speech and celebrations of violence in India, the company's biggest market.

The Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M., where "Rust" is being filmed.Roberto E. Rosales/The Albuquerque Journal, via Associated Press

5. We're still learning more about the deadly shooting on a film set in New Mexico involving Alec Baldwin.

Days before the actor fatally shot Halyna Hutchins, a cinematographer on the set of "Rust," a gun used in the production inadvertently went off at least two times, ex-crew members said. The incidents prompted a complaint to a supervisor about the safety practices on the set, which was outside Santa Fe. The crew members were among several workers who quit just hours before the fatal shooting over complaints about working conditions and unpaid work.

According to an affidavit, Baldwin was told that the gun was safe before he fired it, and an assistant director "did not know live rounds were in the prop-gun" when he gave it to him.

Here's everything we know about the fatal shooting.

When you subscribe to The New York Times, you're helping support journalists who are uncovering stories around the world, holding power to account and keeping the public informed. Become a subscriber today.

Kim Exum, an actress in "The Book of Mormon," signed a letter from Black actors that expressed concerns over racial depictions.Sara Krulwich/The New York Times

6. "Hamilton" restaged a scene. "The Lion King" removed references with potential racial overtones. "The Book of Mormon" made a series of alterations.

As Broadway shows resume after the long pandemic shutdown, some of the biggest plays and musicals are reconsidering their content midrun to reflect concerns that intensified after last year's wave of protests against racism and police misconduct. They took advantage of an unexpected window of time in which rewriting was possible, and re-rehearsing was necessary.

Separately, when residents of Franklin, Tenn., were not able to have a Confederate monument removed, they came up with a provocative response: a new bronze statue honoring Black soldiers who served in the Civil War.

Ye Guangfu, Zhai Zhigang and Wang Yaping entering the space station core module Tianhe last week.Tian Dingyu/Xinhua, via Associated Press

7. An astronaut is breaking China's gender barriers in space while facing an undercurrent of sexism on the ground.

Col. Wang Yaping is a space veteran, and in the coming weeks, she is set to be the first Chinese woman to walk in space. But as she began a six-month mission last week, officials made it known that they had supplied the space station with sanitary napkins and makeup. The media questioned her about the daughter she had left behind. The discourse is the latest example of the sexist overtones that course through Chinese society.

In other space news, on a special zero-gravity flight last week, a dozen passengers with disabilities proved they could go to space safely. For some passengers, it was the first time in their lives that they were able to stand.

Eddie Rosario's three-run homer in the fourth inning gave Atlanta enough cushion to win Game 6 of the N.L.C.S.Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports, via Reuters

8. The World Series matchup is settled: The Houston Astros will play the Atlanta Braves. Game 1 is on Tuesday.

Atlanta rode a surprising group of trade deadline acquisitions to a pennant, outlasting the 106-win Dodgers for their first World Series appearance since 1999. They'll play the Astros, who will make their third World Series appearance in five years. Stained by a cheating scandal, Houston's core stuck together, outlasting the Boston Red Sox in pursuit of another ring.

Later this morning, one of the greatest rivalries in sports — when war off the field allows it — will face off: India and Pakistan play in the cricket World Cup. They play at 10 a.m. Eastern.

Knowing what to cook in your electric pressure cooker can set you up for weeknight successes.Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill.

9. Welcome, Instant Pot season.

When Melissa Clark first wrote about Instant Pots in 2017, she saw the electric pressure cooker with "the ardor of new love." After hundreds of meals, she has a few tips to share: play to its strengths with dishes that traditionally need long, slow cooking; lock the lid; salt your beans; and clean that smelly seal.

Yewande Komolafe is dedicated to a different kitchen tool: the mortar and pestle. Grinding and pounding aromatics by hand can yield textures and flavors that are full of nuance. She uses her asanka, a traditional Ghanaian earthenware mortar lined with thin grooves, and a two-sided wooden pestle, to make this roast fish recipe.

A seal population boom has attracted sharks to the Northeast.Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

10. And finally, enjoy a great weekend read.

Fear on Cape Cod as sharks hunt again. The curious collection of the magician Ricky Jay. The best olive oil in the world. Read these and more in the latest edition of The Weekender.

Our editors also suggest the final season of "Insecure" and new music from Lana Del Rey, My Morning Jacket and others. Looking for a new book? Here's this week's New York Times best-seller list.

Did you follow the news this week? Test your knowledge. And here's the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion, and today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here.

Have a gripping week.

Shaminder Dulai compiled photos for this briefing.

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