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.
PoliticsThe WeekReport: If re-elected, Trump will immediately fire FBI Director Christopher Wray
Should President Trump win a second term, he plans on immediately firing FBI Director Christopher Wray, two people who have discussed the matter with Trump told Axios. Trump is also expected to quickly replace CIA Director Gina Haspel and Defense Secretary Mark Esper. They aren't the only three people on the chopping block, the sources said, but they are at the top of the list.
WorldAssociated PressThai protesters' deadline passes, but PM says he won't quit
Thailand's government and the country's pro-democracy movement appeared no closer to resolving their differences Saturday, as the protesters' deadline for Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to step down came and went with no new action from either side, and no backing down. After the 10 p.m. deadline passed, protesters called another rally for central Bangkok on Sunday, at a major intersection in the capital's main shopping district where they have gathered before.
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.
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...
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.
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.
PoliticsAssociated PressPence to keep up travel despite contact with infected aides
Vice President Mike Pence plans to maintain an aggressive campaign schedule this week despite an apparent outbreak of the coronavirus among his senior aides, the White House says. Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, and “a couple of key staff surrounding the vice president” have tested positive for the virus, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said Sunday. The vice president, who along with his wife, Karen, tested negative on Sunday, according to his office, is considered a “close contact” of the aides under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria but will not quarantine, his spokesman said.
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.
PoliticsPoliticoPolls: Biden has the edge in Florida and North Carolina
A trio of CBS News Battleground Tracker polls show Democratic nominee Joe Biden with a slight edge over President Donald Trump in three crucial Southeastern states. The polls show Biden and Trump dead even among likely voters in Georgia at 49 percent, but Biden with a 50-48 edge over Trump in Florida and a 51-47 advantage in North Carolina. Trump won all three of the states in 2016, which offer a total of 60 electoral votes between them.
U.S.Associated PressZeta likely hurricane before hitting Yucatan, heading for US
A strengthening Tropical Storm Zeta is expected to become a hurricane Monday as it heads toward the eastern end of Mexico's resort-dotted Yucatan Peninsula and then likely move on for a possible landfall on the central U.S. Gulf Coast at midweek. Zeta, which on Sunday became the earliest ever 27th named storm of the Atlantic season, was centered about 260 miles (420 kilometers) southeast of Cozumel island late Sunday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It would then head into the Gulf of Mexico and approach the U.S. Gulf Coast by Wednesday, though it could weaken by then, the hurricane center said.
- NewsWLS – Chicago
Chicago police called to domestic incident at home of former CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson, multiple sources say
The victim refused medical attention, according to police.
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.
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.
PoliticsThe WeekWhite House chief of staff says Trump administration is 'not going to control the pandemic'
White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows on Sunday said the Trump administration is "not going to control the pandemic," and will instead "control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics, and other mitigations." Meadows made his comments during an interview on CNN, and when asked to elaborate on why the pandemic can't be contained, he said, "because it is a contagious virus just like the flu. What we need to do is make sure that we have the proper mitigation factors, whether it's therapies or vaccines or treatments to make sure that people don't die from this."
PoliticsBusiness InsiderHarry Reid says that Biden should spend 'no more than three weeks' testing Republican cooperation before eliminating the Senate filibuster
Former Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada said that if Joe Biden captures the White House and Democrats win control of the Senate, then the former vice president should spend "no more than three weeks" testing the waters for bipartisanship before eliminating the filibuster, according to the Associated Press. Reid, a 30-year veteran of the Senate and for Majority Leader, said that Democrats will have big pieces of legislation that will encounter hurdles in reaching the 60 votes necessary to push through legislation. "We should give the Republicans a little bit of time, to see if they're going to work with him," Reid said.
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."
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.
EntertainmentThe Daily BeastSamsung Boss Dies as Ex-Con Son Tries to Seize Control of World’s Biggest Phone Maker
The death Sunday of Samsung boss Lee Kun-hee, probably Korea's most admired, if hated, man, leaves his son, Lee Jae-yong, battling the authorities and a legion of lawyers for control of the empire that controls 20 percent of the Korean economy. Lee Jae-yong, or Jay Lee, was in Vietnam where Samsung Electronics produces the majority of its smartphones, when he got word that his father was on the verge of death. Jay Lee, who is 52, made it to his father's bedside in a Samsung hospital here in Seoul before he breathed his last.
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.
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.
EntertainmentINSIDER'The Walking Dead' spinoff may have just teased the answer to one of fan's biggest questions about the mysterious helicopter group
Each one appeared to be labeled with the letter "A." The scene may have teased the answer to a long standing mystery in "TWD" universe: What does it mean to be an "A" or a "B"? Though never said aloud, those labeled "A" may become test subjects for the CRM to find a potential zombie cure. It could be inferred, though not confirmed, that those labeled "B" are allowed to live and work for the CRM in some capacity.
- PoliticsReuters Videos
Hundreds loot warehouse as Nigeria protests continue
Social media video showed people climbing onto the roof of the warehouse, which "seemed like an abandoned storage facility", according to Omo Naija who uploaded the video to Twitter. Meanwhile in Lagos, Workers began a clean up of the streets of Lagos on Saturday (October 24) after the relaxation of a round-the-clock curfew. Violence in the sprawling commercial hub of Africa's largest economy, a city of 20 million, escalated after protesters in the Lekki district on Tuesday night were shot by what witnesses said were soldiers, hours after the curfew was announced.
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.
PoliticsSalonAmy Coney Barrett and the Second Amendment: Why her "expansive view" is utter BS
"Pro-life" Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who will almost certainly be seated on the Supreme Court this week, seems to have no problem putting guns in the hands of individual Americans who want to buy them — every Tom, Dick and Kyle. A number of groups advocating gun control and gun safety, including Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, and the Brady Campaign Against Gun Violence, expressed their deep concerns with Barrett's nomination in a recent letter sent to leading members of Congress. The 2008 Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller expanded the meaning of the Second Amendment far beyond militias — regulated or not.
“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.”