We *could* be nearing the home stretch of what has been one of the most chaotic legislative processes in recent memory for the U.S. Congress: President Biden's "Build Back Better" budget is slimmed down and far less ambitious than it once was, but still represents a potentially big remaking of social safety net programs.

So what's in, and what's out?

How mad will Democratic progressives and moderates be at the end of what's been messy and often bitter negotiations over the legislation?

And does Build Back Better represent the last, best hope for President Biden to get any of his domestic policy agenda turned into law?

We'll go In Depth on all of it. 

In real-world scenarios, are electric cars cheaper to operate than a fuel-efficient, gasoline-powered car---especially with gas prices as expensive as they are today? An economist ran a real-world experiment to find out--we'll get the results.

History was made this week when it comes to the demarcation of gender on U.S. passports--we'll explain.

And we'll talk with the 70-year-old woman who became the oldest person ever to climb El Capitan in Yosemite.

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Alec Baldwin and the crew of the film Rust seemed to make a staggering number of mistakes leading up to the accidental shooting of the movie's cinematographer and director--so we'll go In Depth on the latest on the investigation out of New Mexico, the possibility of criminal charges and to ask why in the world any real bullets were on that set.

And remember when we told you about Merck's potentially groundbreaking antiviral pill to treat COVID infections? What if we told you there was another option that was even more effective........and cheaper to boot?

The FDA has officially cleared the way for young kids, ages 5-to-11, to receive their vaccinations against COVID-19 -- the question now is, will anxious parents take their kids to get the shots?

There are no indications that one of the biggest factors holding back economic growth in this country--and exacerbating the labor shortage--is a lack of affordable child care.

And we'll take a look at the new universal basic income program coming for 3-thousand residents of Los Angeles, making it the largest experiment with this type of program in the country.

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The President and his fellow Democrats had visions of a massive, 3-and-a-half-trillion-dollar budget plan that would remake the social safety net and enact ambitious reforms to address climate change..... but ...... reality has hit. So we'll go In Depth on where the Biden agenda stands.

Industry groups from retail to manufacturing to transportation are lobbying the White House to delay enforcement of the new COVID vaccination rules until after the holidays -- in the hopes of avoiding having to fire a whole lot of unvaccinated people.

And if you've ever felt like taking a Tesla on a test drive ... go rent one from Hertz.

How hard will unions and states looking to attract Hollywood productions crackdown on safety protocols in the wake of the deadly on-set accident in New Mexico?

We're going to talk with two infectious disease experts who remain skeptical about the need for boosters.

And Stevie Van Zandt...... guitarist in one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands............an actor on one of the best TV shows........and now an author -- Little Stevie is on the show.

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We know a lot more about the conditions on the set of Alec Baldwin's film in New Mexico, leading up to the accidental shooting and killing of the film's cinematographer--and it all adds up to a ton of unanswered questions about safety protocols and oversight when it comes to handling prop guns--so we'll go In Depth.

And does Alec Baldwin face possible criminal negligence charges in the accidental death, and not just because he fired the fatal shot: does he bear responsibility as one of the film's producers?

You might have noticed: it's raining! Up in Northern California, it really rained, for two straight days: so will it be enough to put an end to California's fire season, and does all of this wet weather put a dent in the state's drought?

A new report charges that January 6th rioters communicated and coordinated--for weeks leading up to the insurrection--with some Republican members of Congress and even with some Trump White House staffers.

You and I still can't see top-secret government documents pertaining to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, but we'll talk with a pair of lawyers trying to change that.

And an admittedly disturbing story at the end of In Depth: how the federal government, universities, and pharmaceutical companies are conducting medical experiments on beagle puppies--and the effort to put a stop to it.

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Something clearly went horribly wrong on the set of Alec Baldwin's new movie in New Mexico -- as Baldwin accidentally shot and killed the film's cinematographer and injured the director after firing was supposed to be a prop gun loaded with a blank.

We'll get details and try to get a better understanding of how many safety protocols had to break down in order for something like this to occur.

And .... echoes of the winter of 2020 playing out in the UK right now .... COVID infections are starting to surge again.

When you buy a box of Strawberry Pop-Tarts, what's your expectation for how many strawberries actually went into it? We'll talk with the lawyer leading a lawsuit against Kellogg's claiming we're all being lied to.

We'll look at a national investigation of incidents of police force against children, and how little training cops get in dealing with kids.

And: Congressman Adam Schiff on the January 6th insurrection, the investigation his new book "Midnight in Washington"

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Governor Gavin Newsom moves to get a lot tougher on oil and gas production in California. But how much pushback will he get from a powerful industry? We'll go In Depth,

The Pentagon and American intelligence agencies say climate change is one of the biggest national security threats we're facing. Why is that? We'll try to get answers.

And, former President Trump hopes to become a social media tycoon.

For many LAUSD students, the pandemic was a lost year. What is the district doing about it? We'll go In Depth on that.

There's a labor movement percolating at Starbucks in Buffalo, New York that could grind the coffee giant's business plan to a halt. 

And the first scientific proof that Vikings were the first European settlers in North America.

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Just when we think we may be getting a handle on this COVID thing, an uninvited guest shows up to the dinner party.

Delta Plus, a sub-variant of the Delta variant, is starting to show up in the UK, and it could prove to be more transmissible -- so we'll go In Depth.

A report of human remains found on a trail in a Florida nature preserve could belong to Brian Laundrie, the person wanted for questioning for weeks in the murder of his girlfriend Gabby Petito.

And this holiday shopping season is starting to look like a bleak one: retailers and shippers are sounding the alarm on potentially empty store shelves by Christmas.

Up in the Bay Area it's In-N-Out versus San Francisco's Public Health Department: the chain's only location in the city is refusing to enforce the indoor vaccinate mandate.

The LA Zoo has big expansion plans, which are not sitting well with environmentalists who don't want to see acres of Griffith Park gobbled up.

And after years of promises, diversity may finally come to the Grammy Awards.

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The Dodgers aren't choosing an easy path to repeating as world champs: the boys in blue have their backs against the wall ... and while today's game isn't necessarily a must-win ... we're getting closer. So we'll go In Depth.

If you're eligible to get a COVID booster shot, feel free to mix and match! That's the messaging from the FDA.

And there is more evidence that the best protection you can have is natural immunity *plus* a dose of vaccine. And no, that's not a suggestion to go out and get infected.

Tik Tok has proven to be pretty positive in exposing teenagers to mental health issues -- and in other ways, it's been a negative. Some teens watching mental health videos have developed physical tics.

Cryptocurrency is going more and more mainstream, as you can now invest in a Bitcoin-linked fund.

And with Netflix workers scheduled to walk out in protest tomorrow, we revisit the Dave Chappelle controversy.

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Colin Powell served as America's top soldier, top diplomat, and top national security advisor .... in almost all of those cases becoming the first Black American to hold those positions. His death today at age 84 leaves behind a complicated legacy: one of a trailblazer and one also tied with the controversial decision to invade Iraq. So we'll go In Depth.

And yes, while Powell died from complications related to COVID and he was fully vaccinated, there are more factors at play.

Also: former President Donald Trump is back in New York City today, being deposed for an old lawsuit against him: can the lawyers in that room ask him about...........anything?

The men and women working behind the scenes of TV, film and commercial sets have a tentative contract in place with Hollywood studios, but that doesn't mean they're all happy.

Growing evidence that COVID vaccine mandates are working, quite well.

And the COVID pandemic was very, very lucrative for America's billionaires --- once again, the rich keep getting richer.

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Netflix is digging in on the controversial comedy special by Dave Chappelle -- even as pressure mounts from LGBTQ groups and some of its own employees to pull it. Chappelle's comments on transgender people are the issue. How far can comics go in today's ultra-sensitive culture? We'll go In Depth.

The FDA has signed off on Moderna and Johnson & Johnson COVID booster shots -- but there is still a whole lot of debate within the medical community about boosters.

And can we avoid yet another winter of COVID discontent?

Travel restrictions for people looking to come into the U.S. are about to be eased..........if you're vaccinated.

We're going to the Middle East where Lebanon looks like it's a country on the verge of total collapse -- which is really, really bad news for the rest of the region.

And all hail Adele: the queen of pop music is back.

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