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.
PoliticsUSA TODAY'Totally irresponsible': Dems criticize Pence presiding over Amy Coney Barrett vote after aides contract COVID-19
Senate Democrats on Sunday lodged harsh criticisms at Vice President Mike Pence who plans to preside over the chamber during a vote on Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation to the Supreme Court despite several of his top aides contracting COVID-19. News broke Saturday evening that Pence's Chief of Staff, Marc Short, had tested positive for the disease. Pence, who runs the White House's coronavirus task force and has since tested negative for the virus, had planned to preside over the Senate floor Monday when the chamber votes on Barrett's confirmation to the high court.
WorldThe TelegraphSingapore halts use of flu vaccines after 48 die in South Korea
Singapore has temporarily halted the use of two influenza vaccines as a precaution after some people who received them in South Korea died, becoming among the first countries to publicly announce a halt of the vaccines' usage. South Korea reported that 48 have died as of Saturday after getting flu shots, but said it would carry on with the state-run vaccination programme as they found no direct link between the deaths and the shots. No deaths associated with influenza vaccination have been reported in Singapore to date, but the decision to halt the use of SKYCellflu Quadrivalent and VaxigripTetra was precautionary, the health ministry and the Health Sciences Authority (HAS) said in a stateme...
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Hundreds rally in Taiwan, call for release of 12 Hong Kong people arrested by China
Hundreds of people rallied in Taiwan's capital on Sunday to call for China to release 12 Hong Kong people arrested at sea by mainland authorities in part of a global campaign to support the pro-democracy movement in the financial hub. The 12 were arrested on Aug. 23 for alleged illegal entry into mainland China after setting off from Hong Kong in a boat bound for democratic Taiwan, amid a crackdown by Beijing on pro-democracy activists in the former British colony. Hong Kong's Security Bureau has said all 12 were suspected of committing crimes including manufacturing or possessing explosives, arson and rioting in Hong Kong.
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.
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.
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.
WorldReutersBrussels edges towards lockdown as Belgian COVID-19 cases hit record high
Sport and cultural facilities in Brussels must close and residents will face a longer curfew from Monday, the regional government said on Saturday, as COVID-19 infections in Belgium continued to surge to record highs. Belgium, one of the European countries worst hit by COVID-19, is grappling with a new wave of the virus. The country's rate of new cases is at the highest since the start of the pandemic, with a record 15,432 infections recorded on Tuesday, the latest official figures show.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
PoliticsThe New York TimesFox News Is Covering Hunter Biden Claims More Than 2016 WikiLeaks Emails
A month before the 2016 presidential election, WikiLeaks released hacked emails from John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman. Last week, The New York Post published an article featuring emails from a laptop purportedly owned by Hunter Biden, son of the Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden. The answer: Fox News is giving more airtime to the unverified Hunter Biden emails than it did to the hacked emails from Podesta in 2016, according to an analysis from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab, which studies disinformation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
PoliticsThe IndependentPutin rejects Trump’s claims that Hunter Biden’s behaviour ‘criminal’
Vladimir Putin says he does not see anything criminal in Hunter Biden's behaviour despite Donald Trump's insinuations. The Russian president voiced his disagreement with Mr Trump's election attacks on Joe Biden's son and his business dealings in Ukraine. The president has tried to link his White House opponent with unproven allegations of “corrupt” business dealings, which the former vice president has dismissed as a Russian disinformation campaign.
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.
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.
PoliticsUSA TODAYVoting across the US live updates: Joe Biden leads Donald Trump in Texas poll; New Hampshire can't ban armed voters; Facebook threat
The unprecedented level of early voting nationwide has been most notable in Texas, where more than 7.1 million ballots have already been received, according to the U.S. Elections Project website. That's the highest total in the nation, and it augurs well for Democrat Joe Biden's chances of turning the state blue for the first time in more than four decades. A new poll by the Dallas Morning News and the University of Texas at Tyler shows Biden ahead of President Donald Trump among likely voters, 48%-45%, within the poll's margin of error.
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.
“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.”