From the Pacific coast to the eastern seaboard, election denialism has seeped from state capitols into village halls, bars and living rooms -- sickening the U.S. body politic and threatening democracy itself. Two weeks ahead of the midterm election, Republicans up and down the ballot are embracing defeated president Donald Trump's false assertion that the 2020 election was stolen and that voter fraud is rife. The Brookings Institution has identified 249 GOP "election deniers" in the 567 races for the House, Senate and key statewide offices.

TRUMP HOLDS HIS GROUND AT FIRST RALLY SINCE SUBPOENA 

China's Xi Jinping secured a precedent-breaking third term on Sunday and introduced a top governing body stacked with loyalists, cementing his place as the country's most powerful ruler since Mao Zedong. Shanghai Communist Party chief Li Qiang followed Xi onto the stage at the Great Hall of the People as the new Politburo Standing Committee was introduced, putting him in line to become premier when Li Keqiang retires in March. The other members of the seven-man Standing Committee are all seen by analysts to have close allegiance to Xi.

FIND OUT THE CHALLENGES XI IS FACING IN HIS THIRD TERM

The age of "The Jetsons" is finally here as researchers unveiled a new robot that can fold between 30-40 garments per hour. The robot, called SpeedFolding, was developed by the UC Berkeley AUTOLab research team. The robot's BiManual Manipulation Network and a pair of robotic arms allow it to finish folding a garment within two minutes -- far faster than previous prototypes. SpeedFolding can also identify how to fold a garment based on the color, shape or stiffness of the item.

HOW THE TECHNOLOGY COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR AI

What was the full name of the robotic housekeeper on "The Jetsons"?

Friday's answer: The U.S. casino industry reported a record $53 billion in revenue in 2021, crushing the previous annual record of $44 billion.