President Biden and the Pentagon are defending General Mark Milley after it was reported that the top military officer made a secret call to his Chinese counterpart assuring him the U.S. had no intention of striking China in the final weeks of the Trump presidency. Nancy Cordes reports. Source

The four-person crew, including a tech billionaire and a young cancer survivor, will spend three days in orbit to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Source

Simone Biles and three other USA gymnasts gave emotional testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, claiming that the FBI turned a “blind eye” to their reports of sexual abuse against disgraced doctor Larry Nassar. CBS News congressional correspondent Nikole Killion joins CBSN’s Lana Zak with more from the hearing and the latest news on Capitol Hill. Source

A familiar face will be taking the stage in Virginia’s first gubernatorial debate this week. Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Glenn Youngkin will face off one day before early voting begins in the state. Charlotte Rene Woods, a local and state government reporter for Charlottesville Tomorrow, joins CBSN’s “Red and Blue” host Elaine Quijano to discuss the latest in Virginia’s race for governor. Source

Newsom acknowledged that the recall effort was launched “in no small degree because of our approach to this pandemic.” Source

Malala Yousafzai, who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban, called on President Biden to “stand up” for Afghan women who are now under Taliban rule. Watch Norah O’Donnell’s interview with the Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Source

Damen Fletcher, who grew up in Compton, is using chess to teach kids from some of Los Angeles’ toughest neighborhoods lessons about life. Jamie Yuccas takes a look. Source

Flash flooding, tornadoes and hail are forecasted for some areas still grappling with Hurricane Ida’s aftermath. Source

The push to remove Governor Gavin Newsom from office failed, and the Democrat will continue to lead the state of California. CBS News political contributor Antjuan Seawright and CBS News political analyst Leslie Sanchez spoke with Anne-Marie Green and Vladimir Duthiers on CBSN about what this race says about national politics and how Trumpism factored into the race. Source

Tensions are rising as North and South Korea carry out ballistic missile tests within hours of each other. Pyongyang says it fired off the weapons just days after it tested several cruise missiles. CBS News Asia correspondent Ramy Inocencio reports for CBSN. Source