PoliticsThe IndependentDemocrats planning 30-hour 'digital filibuster' to try to stop Amy Coney Barrett being confirmed
The Senate will vote on Sunday to send the federal judge's nomination to a full vote, which will be held on Monday. With little remaining hope of blocking her confirmation to the court, and her replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Democrats have announced a symbolic show of defiance. Unlike an actual filibuster, which slows proceedings and can make an unpopular bill run out of time and therefore be blocked, the digital filibuster will not affect the outcome.
PoliticsThe WeekOcasio-Cortez: No problem with Biden's lack of support for fracking ban, would be 'privilege' to lobby him
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday's edition of State of the Union that she feels strongly about the need to ban fracking in the United States, but she's not letting that get in the way of her efforts to help former Vice President Joe Biden defeat President Trump in the upcoming election. Biden, she said, has "made very clear" that he disagrees with a fracking ban, but she says it would be a "privilege" to lobby him on the issue in the future.
U.S.INSIDERA white woman yelled 'f--- Black Lives Matter' at a Starbucks barista after she told her to wear a mask
An unnamed white woman yelled at Alex Beckom, a 20-year-old Black barista, after Beckom told her she had to wear a mask in Starbucks. The woman yelled "f--- Black Lives Matter" at the barista, falsely claimed she was being discriminated against because she is a Trump supporter, and said the coronavirus was a hoax. Starbucks has required all customers to wear masks in its stores since July.
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Police chief: Illinois officer who shot Black couple in car fired
A police officer who shot a Black couple inside a vehicle — killing a 19-year-old man and wounding his girlfriend — has been fired, the police chief announced Friday.
U.S.USA TODAY'An incredibly tragic day for Ocala': Florida police chief Greg Graham killed in plane crash
A Florida police chief who had recently earned his pilot's license was killed in a small-plane crash on Sunday morning. The death of Greg Graham, who became Ocala's 30th police chief in January 2012, according to the Star-Banner of the USA TODAY Network, stunned the central Florida city northwest of Orlando. "An incredibly tragic day for Ocala.
PoliticsReutersPutin rejects Donald Trump's criticism of Biden family business
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in Hunter Biden's past business ties with Ukraine or Russia, marking out his disagreement with one of Donald Trump's attack lines in the U.S. presidential election. Putin was responding to comments made by Trump during televised debates with Democratic challenger Joe Biden ahead of the Nov. 3 election. Trump, who is trailing in opinion polls, has used the debates to make accusations that Biden and his son Hunter engaged in unethical practices in Ukraine.
PoliticsNational ReviewOcasio-Cortez Declines to Promise Support for Pelosi as Speaker, Will Back ‘Most Progressive Candidate’
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Sunday hedged on whether she would support Nancy Pelosi as House speaker again, saying she will support the “most progressive” candidate. “If Speaker Pelosi runs again, as she just indicated she will if the Democrats keep the House, will you support her?” CNN's Jake Tapper asked the freshman congresswoman during an interview on CNN. The New York progressive's remarks came just moments after Pelosi confirmed on CNN that she intends to run for speaker of the House should Democrats retain their majority in the chamber.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderUS Senate votes 51-48 to advance the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court before final vote on Monday
The US Senate on Sunday advanced the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett, setting up a final confirmation vote Monday evening. The GOP defeated a Democratic filibuster by a 51-48 vote. If confirmed, Barrett would cement a 6-3 conservative majority on the high court.
ScienceBBC'Murder hornet': First nest found in US eradicated with vacuum hose
The first nest of Asian giant hornets found in the US has successfully been destroyed by scientists. The nest, in the state of Washington, was found by putting tracker devices on the hornets and it was sucked out of a tree using a vacuum hose. The invasive species insects, known as "murder hornets", have a powerful sting and can spit venom.
PoliticsAssociated PressEarly vote total exceeds 2016; GOP chips at Dems' advantage
With nine days before Election Day, more people already have cast ballots in this year's presidential election than voted early or absentee in the 2016 race as the start of in-person early voting in big states led to a surge in turnout in recent days. The opening of early voting locations in Florida, Texas and elsewhere has piled millions of new votes on top of the mail ballots arriving at election offices as voters try to avoid crowded places on Nov. 3 during the coronavirus pandemic. The result is a total of 58.6 million ballots cast so far, more than the 58 million that The Associated Press logged as being cast through the mail or at in-person early voting sites in 2016.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderPelosi says she would seek another term as House Speaker if Democrats keep majority after election
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said she would seek another term as House Speaker if Democrats keep control of the house following the November election in an interview with CNN on Sunday. Additionally, Pelosi said Democrats must win back the Senate majority, which Republicans have held since 2014. Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans continue to clash on a COVID-19 relief package.
U.S.USA TODAY2 crew killed in U.S. Navy training plane crash in Alabama identified
A U.S. Navy training plane from Naval Air Station Whiting Field crashed at approximately 5 p.m. Friday in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, killing both crew members on board, according to Cmdr. Zach Harrell, a spokesman for the office of the commander of Naval Air Forces. The Navy "is not aware of any civilian casualties at this time," according to a brief statement on the Naval Air Forces' Facebook page, and the "Navy is cooperating fully with local authorities." The two crew members were identified Sunday as U.S. Navy Lt. Rhiannon Ross, 30, of Wixom, Michigan, and U.S. Coast Guard Ensign Morgan Garrett, 24, of Weddington, North Carolina.
PoliticsThe WeekTrump reportedly doesn't 'want to help some' GOP senators amid warnings of 'potentially catastrophic' election
Josh Holmes, a top adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), told Politico he thinks the Republican Party could win more Senate races than people expect on Nov. 3, but the fact that there are so many close contests means "you could have a whole bunch of scenarios play out on Election Day." The worst-case scenario for the GOP, he said, is "potentially catastrophic." As it turns out, the party may not get that much help from President Trump when it comes to avoiding such a fate.
U.S.INSIDERA 58-year-old woman who's a suspect in her elderly mother's stabbing told police 'she deserved it and now she's in a better place'
A 58-year-old Utah woman was arrested for allegedly killing her 84-year-old mother, according to Deseret News. The woman, Lori Lee Donlay, told authorities during questioning that "she deserved it, and now she's in a better place." A 58-year-old woman was arrested on Friday for allegedly killing her elderly mother and said to authorities that "she deserved it" and would take the reason why she did it "to the grave."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez is heavily favored to win her reelection race. Her challenger has still raised $10 million because Republicans are desperate to beat her.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the overwhelming favorite in her reelection race in New York's 14th Congressional district. "I guarantee you 75% of his contributors don't know anything about him," a Republican strategist told The New York Times. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is widely expected to win reelection next month as the US Representative for New York's 14th district.
PoliticsUSA TODAYThe Electoral College can pick a president who got fewer votes. Here's why and how.
"But most of us don't even know who the electors of our state are unless we've done our research." The state parties appoint electors to cast the electoral ballots on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December of the presidential election – about a month after the Americans cast their ballots in the popular vote. More than 54 million people have already voted Here's how that compares with past elections.
PoliticsAssociated PressHealth experts question Pence campaigning as essential work
Health policy specialists questioned White House officials' claim that federal rules on essential workers allow Vice President Mike Pence to continue to campaign and not quarantine himself after being exposed to the coronavirus. Campaigning is not an official duty that might fall under the guidelines meant to ensure that police, first responders and key transportation and food workers can still perform jobs that cannot be done remotely, the health experts said. A Pence aide said Sunday that the vice president would continue to work and travel, including for campaigning, after his chief of staff and some other close contacts tested positive.
BusinessBusiness InsiderThe operator of this Boeing 767 private jet says the plane has an air system so advanced it kills pathogens so passengers don't need to wear a mask onboard – see inside
European aircraft operator Comlux just welcomed back its second-largest plane, a Boeing Business Jet 767, that underwent a four-month refurbishment in the US. European private jet operator Comlux specializes in a unique type of aircraft that only an elite group of flyers can afford to enjoy: airliners-turned-private-jets. Comlux has five jets from Boeing and Airbus in its fleet and among the largest is a Boeing Business Jet 767-200ER, affectionately known as "SkyLady."
PoliticsThe IndependentRudy Giuliani caught up in anti-Trump protests in Manhattan
Rudy Giuliani was caught up in anti-Trump protests in New York City as opponents of the president and his supporters confronted each other. Mr Giuliani was confronted outside Trump Tower as he sat in the passenger seat of a car talking to police officers and gave his abusers a thumbs up. Anti-fascist protestors took to the streets of Manhattan on Sunday to counter a pro-Trump rally that was taking place in the city.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderJoe Biden is doubling down on raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour despite the economic downturn. It could bump paychecks for over 27 million workers.
Biden is pushing ahead with raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour even as the downturn takes a toll on small businesses. The Biden campaign hasn't laid out a timeline to implement it, and it did not respond whether it supported a House bill that would raise it to that level by 2025. Congress last raised the federal minimum wage in 2009.
EntertainmentINSIDERAdele breaking character on 'SNL' is being called the best moment of the night, but fans thought the sketch itself was the worst
Adele broke character during a "Saturday Night Live" sketch about the "Tourism Board of Africa." Alongside "SNL" cast members Kate McKinnon and Heidi Gardner, the singer played a divorcée that found a "new beginning" amongst the "tribesmen" in Africa. Some fans loved the sketch and thought Adele losing her composure was one of the best moments of the night.
WorldBusiness Insider'Of course not': McConnell responds to questions about whether there are health issues the public should be warned about concerning his bruised hands
After photos of his bruised hands raised concerns about his health, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters he does not have health issues. When asked if there are any health concerns the public should know about, he answered "of course not" and said the bruises raise "no concerns," CNN reported. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shut down concerns over his health raised from photos of his bruised and bandaged hands.
BusinessBusiness InsiderBillionaire James Dyson just sold his Singapore penthouse at a massive loss a year after his company scrapped plans to design an electric vehicle in the city
Dyson founder James Dyson just sold Singapore's most expensive penthouse at a loss. Since then, Dyson cancelled its hyped electric car project because it was not commercially viable. James Dyson, billionaire inventor of the Dyson vacuum, just sold the largest and most expensive penthouse in Singapore.
PoliticsBusiness InsiderOutgoing Virginia GOP congressman says 'the two-party system is really failing the American people right now'
US Rep. Denver Riggleman of Virginia on Sunday lamented the state of American politics on NBC's "Meet the Press," questioning the effectiveness of the current two-party system. "I believe duopoly is really, the two-party system is really failing the American people right now," Riggleman said. Riggleman, a Republican, has been highly critical of the QAnon movement and was a leader in passing a House resolution that condemned the movement.
PoliticsThe IndependentBiden tweet from exactly one year ago warns US is ‘not prepared’ for a pandemic
Mr Biden made the tweet months before reports indicated there was a novel coronavirus spreading through China. The Trump administration has faced backlash for its handlings of the coronavirus pandemic since cases were first reported in the US in February. An interview with veteran journalist Bob Woodward revealed that President Donald Trump knew about the potential severity of Covid-19 back in January, but at the same time he was telling the American public it was not a problem.
“Many are longtime Republicans wrestling with what they see as a choice between two lousy candidates.”
“Some undecideds turn out to be people who’ve long felt alienated from the two big political parties.”
“They’re not following the 24-hour news cycle. The election and politics are just not a high priority.”
“One common trait: at this stage of the game, the undecided voter doesn’t fit into an easy political profile.”
“More realistically...these voters may not be motivated to vote at all in the 2020 election.”