| Yahoo News/YouGov poll: With one week left, Biden's lead over Trump grows to 12 points — his biggest yet Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:27 PM PDT  Biden's lead is four times the size of Hillary Clinton's national advantage over Trump at this point in 2016, underscoring how hard it will be for the president to pull off another upset on Election Day.
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| Pennsylvania teen fatally shot while watching sunset in park with girlfriend, authorities say Posted: 27 Oct 2020 04:52 AM PDT  Jason Kutt, the 18-year-old shot at Nockamixon State Park Saturday died from injuries, according to his family.
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| Head of Virginia military academy resigns amid report of racist culture Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:41 PM PDT  J. H. Binford Peay III, who had been the institute's superintendent for 17 years, told its board he was stepping down after learning on Friday that Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and "certain legislative leaders had lost confidence in my leadership ... and desired my resignation." "You have profoundly changed our school for the better," John William Boland, president of the school's Board of Visitors, said in a letter to Peay. Last week, Northam and several top elected officials and lawmakers wrote to the board to express concern "about the clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism" at the college.
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| White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany Is Now Formally Moonlighting as a Trump Campaign Aide Posted: 27 Oct 2020 10:56 AM PDT  White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appears to have taken on a new gig. In addition to her role as a government employee, she's now serving as a senior aide on her boss's reelection campaign.In an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday morning, McEnany was introduced as "Trump 2020 senior adviser and White House press secretary." A few hours later, Fox Business Network host Stuart Varney introduced McEnany by saying she is "serving now as adviser for the Trump campaign."McEnany's dual roles for the White House and the Trump reelection campaign immediately set off alarm bells among good-government advocates, who said they represent yet another instance of the often blurry lines between the Trump administration and the president's political operation."This looks like the latest example of Trump administration officials bending and breaking ethics laws and norms," said Paul Seamus Ryan, the vice president of litigation for the group Common Cause. "This is unfortunately par for the course for this administration."Now Kayleigh McEnany Has COVID, Making a Dozen From Rose Garden CeremonyA White House spokesperson said McEnany was not representing the White House during her Fox appearances on Tuesday."Kayleigh was appearing in her personal capacity as a private citizen," the spokesperson said.A spokesperson for the Trump campaign confirmed that McEnany is an unpaid adviser and also said she was appearing on Fox on Tuesday in a personal capacity. The spokesperson said that cable news shows on which she appears "have been instructed not to refer to her with her White House title," notwithstanding the America's Newsroom introduction on Tuesday that included both her campaign and White House titles.While most of McEnany's two Fox hits on Tuesday concerned the status of the Trump campaign and the 2020 race, she also weighed in on official administration policy on issues such as COVID relief negotiations with congressional Democrats."The chances [for a deal] are slim when you have someone like Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House," McEnany told Varney. "If we're providing stimulus relief for the American people, it should be just that, for American people, for United States citizens, not a wish-list from the liberal left," McEnany told Varney.Speaking in front of a backdrop that featured both the White House and the Trump campaign logo, McEnany also rattled off a series of policy proposals that "we offered" in those negotiations.Fox News Reporter Explodes Over Kayleigh McEnany: 'Stop Blaming the Media, I'm Tired of It!'It's that sort of blurry line between White House and campaign messaging, and the prospect that taxpayer resources could continue bolstering the president's reelection effort, that concern Ryan."This excerpt is McEnany commenting on federal government policy currently being negotiated by the Trump administration with Congress. This is McEnany doing the work of a [White House] press secretary," he said. "It's permissible for someone who works in the White House to also do campaign work. They just can't mix the two. They can't try to do the two things simultaneously."Ryan compared the situation to controversy over illicit politicking by former senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, who used her official Twitter account to share political messages, leading the Office of Special Counsel to recommend her removal over violations of the Hatch Act, which bars the use of taxpayer resources for partisan purposes.Conway brushed off the recriminations with a simple statement: "Blah blah blah."The Trump White House, and the president himself, have reveled in the frequent criticism they get over their unprecedented uses of taxpayer resources in the service of the president's reelection. After coming under fire for putting on a political nominating convention on the White House grounds in August, Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh tweeted, "Liberals are more upset about the use of government buildings than they ever were about the use of the FBI to target political opponents."McEnany's Fox appearances on Tuesday came about two months after White House attorneys waived ethics rules so that she could meet in her capacity as a government official with employees of the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, both of which previously employed her.The waiver memo is undated, but metadata in the file posted to the White House website indicates it was created on August 26. That was the day of McEnany's speech at the Republican National Convention. She also spoke at a Trump campaign rally this month.The White House has also waived ethics rules for another staffer, director of advance Bobby Peede, to permit communications with the Trump campaign. According to Federal Election Commission records, the Trump re-elect has made regular payments from December 2019 through early this month to the firm Event Strategies, where Peede served as a partner prior to joining the White House.The largest of those payments, for nearly $100,000, came on August 24, two days before Peede's waiver memo was created.\-- With reporting by Justin BaragonaKayleigh McEnany Grilled on Trump's Sudden Embrace of Mail-In VotingRead more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.
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| Tropical Storm Zeta expected to strengthen into hurricane Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:26 AM PDT  The formation of Zeta puts the 2020 hurricane season one name storm away from tying the all-time record.
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| Skull on fireplace mantel identified as man missing since 2012, Tennessee officials say Posted: 27 Oct 2020 05:29 AM PDT |
| As Trump says news about COVID should be illegal, WH chief of staff says goal is to 'defeat' virus, not 'control' it Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT  While President Trump's chief of staff on Monday attempted to clarify the assertion that the United States is "not going to control" the coronavirus crisis, the president himself complained that the media is too focused on the pandemic.
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| 84-year-old Ohio man assaulted for having Biden campaign sign in his yard Posted: 27 Oct 2020 10:53 AM PDT  A neighbor told a deputy that the 84-year-old man had been punched and kicked days after the suspect confronted the man for a Biden sign in his yard.
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| Venezuela's Guaido denounces forced disappearance of party coordinator Posted: 27 Oct 2020 10:33 AM PDT  Venezuela's Juan Guaido on Tuesday accused the government of illegally detaining an opposition activist, blaming it for what he called the forced disappearance of Roland Carreno of the Popular Will party. Carreno was approached on Monday afternoon by unidentified people in vehicles without license plates, Popular Will said on Twitter. "We alert the world about his forced disappearance and we hold the dictatorship responsible for his physical and mental integrity."
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| Turkey calls for France boycott as Islamic world backlash grows Posted: 26 Oct 2020 06:35 PM PDT  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday joined calls for a boycott of French goods, ramping up a standoff between France and Muslim countries over Islam and freedom of speech.
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| Our Favorite Home Decor Pieces From the Second Annual Etsy Design Awards Posted: 27 Oct 2020 02:41 PM PDT |
| Jaime Harrison runs out the clock on Amy Coney Barrett question as South Carolina chooses between him and Lindsey Graham Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:20 AM PDT  While South Carolina Democrat has railed against his opponent for flip-flopping on SCOTUS nomination, he hasn't said how he would actually vote on Amy Coney Barrett
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| Judge rejects Trump request to be replaced in columnist's defamation lawsuit Posted: 27 Oct 2020 07:34 AM PDT  A federal judge on Tuesday denied President Trump's request that he be replaced as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit alleging he raped a woman in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.
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| Seattle woman still missing three weeks after traveling to Dallas, Texas Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:18 PM PDT  Marisela Botello, 23, was last seen leaving her ex-boyfriend's house in Dallas, Texas on October 4, 2020. She took a Lyft alone to the entertainment district Deep Ellum. Her family said security video reportedly shows her leaving the Select Start bar at 1 a.m. with an unknown man. Her cell phone and debit card haven't been used since that night and her other belongings were left behind at her ex-boyfriend's house where she had been visiting from Seattle for the weekend. She missed her flig
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| Woman injured in police shooting says cops let boyfriend die Posted: 27 Oct 2020 10:02 AM PDT  A woman who was shot by police last week in suburban Chicago said Tuesday that officers did nothing more than cover her boyfriend with a blanket after he was shot and left him on the ground to die. Tafara Williams, 20, spoke to reporters during a Zoom call from her hospital bed as she described the Oct. 20 shooting in Waukegan that killed 19-year-old Marcellis Stinnette. "They allowed him to die," Williams said.
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| Ted Cruz says the swelling national debt will reemerge as a major concern for Republicans Posted: 27 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT  Under Trump, Republicans drove up the deficit with tax cuts and spending increases. They are reluctant to back another large coronavirus relief bill.
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| Are polls of the presidential race reliable this time? Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:05 PM PDT  President Trump's surprise victory in 2016 has made voters wary of trusting polls of this year's race. Will 2020 polls prove more accurate than they were four years ago?
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| Hurricane Zeta hits Mexico's Caribbean coast Posted: 27 Oct 2020 12:21 AM PDT  Hurricane Zeta slammed into Mexico's Caribbean coast late Monday, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to the Yucatan Peninsula, where authorities warned residents and tourists to shelter indoors.
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| Driver runs over policeman during protests after fatal shooting of black man in Philadelphia Posted: 27 Oct 2020 01:43 AM PDT  Police in Philadelphia fatally shot a 27-year-old black man after yelling at him to drop a knife, sparking protests that left an officer hospitalised when she was hit by a truck. The shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. occurred on Monday afternoon, local time. Police were called to an incident in the Cobbs Creek neighbourhood as they responded to reports of an individual with a weapon. Police spokesperson Tanya Little said the officers instructed Mr Wallace to put down his knife, but he instead "advanced towards" them. Both officers then fired "several times".
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| Jaime Harrison enlists Common in bid to defeat Lindsey Graham in South Carolina Posted: 27 Oct 2020 01:50 PM PDT  Democrat Jaime Harrison enlisted the help of Grammy Award-winning rapper Common at a Monday rally in Columbia, S.C., as polls continue to show a closer race between Harrison and Sen. Lindsey Graham than many had expected.
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| 'Murder hornet': First nest found in US eradicated with vacuum hose Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:59 AM PDT  The Asian giant hornets can wipe out a colony of honeybees in hours.
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| COVID-19 prevented new parents from meeting their baby born via surrogate. Then, the birth mother stepped in to care for the child. Posted: 27 Oct 2020 07:37 AM PDT  The new parents named their baby girl Jennifer — in honor of the surrogate who went above and beyond for their family.
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| Vietnam evacuating low-lying areas as strong typhoon nears Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:39 PM PDT  Vietnam scrambled Tuesday to evacuate more than a million people in its central lowlands as a strong typhoon approached while some regions are still dealing with the aftermath of recent killer floods, state media said. Typhoon Molave is forecast to slam into Vietnam's south central coast with sustained winds of up to 135 kilometers (84 miles) per hour on Wednesday morning, according to the official Vietnam News Agency. The typhoon left at least 3 people dead and 13 missing and displaced more than 120,000 villagers in the Philippines before blowing toward Vietnam.
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| Another Pollster Sees a Trump Win Posted: 27 Oct 2020 08:53 AM PDT  The Trafalgar Group's Robert Cahaly is an outlier among pollsters in that he thinks President Trump will carry Michigan, Pennsylvania, or both, and hence be reelected with roughly 280 electoral votes. (I explained his thinking here.) Last week another pollster, Jim Lee of Susquehanna Polling and Research, echoed some of Cahaly's points about shy Trump voters being missed by pollsters. "There is definitely a submerged Trump vote," Lee said. Asked for a prediction, he hedged a little but then predicted a Trump win: "I can't call it. If the turnout is going to be what I think, Trump wins it."Lee goes further than some other analysts in suggesting that pollsters may be deliberately overstating the strength of Democratic candidates in order to dampen Republican turnout. In this press release, he calls it "the very definition of 'voter suppression'" for a poll, by Franklin & Marshall College, to claim Hillary Clinton was ahead by eleven points among likely voters in surveys taken from October 26–30, 2016. He frankly calls this "liberal bias." Yet, Lee notes, Franklin & Marshall and its lead pollster are still taken seriously by the media and cited as nonpartisan experts. He thinks there should be professional consequences for pollsters who are so wildly inaccurate as to raise serious questions about their impartiality.In a recent interview for WFMZ, Lee elaborated, saying, "When pollsters get the results back and they look suspicious, or they should, because they're showing one candidate with a double-digit lead in a state that was carried by one candidate by, you know, a point or two, they should realize something's not right and that's where the art of polling comes in." Lee calls attention to what he describes as "garbage polls" showing a double-digit lead for Joe Biden in the past few weeks in Pennsylvania. He sees this as a replay of 2016 and adds, "I called on the American Association of Public Opinion Research to crack down on egregious polling to tighten standards for firms that clearly don't understand the landscape of Pennsylvania." (According to the FiveThirtyEight survey of pollsters, Franklin & Marshall is more reliable than Susquehanna.)The final Susquehanna poll of Pennsylvania in 2016 showed the race a statistical dead heat, with Hillary Clinton winning by two points, within the margin of error. Lee is blown away by polls showing wide leads for either candidate in certain states. "Do you think that's voter suppression?" he asks. "I'm sticking up for the industry, we need to crack down, someone needs to say this is out of control. Just look at those RealClear averages." Polls of likely voters released in the last week show a large lead for Biden in Pennsylvania — eight points per Quinnipiac, ten points per CNN. However, an October 25 poll by Insider Advantage gives Trump a two-point lead. It is the only poll published in the RealClearPolitics roundup since May showing Trump winning the duly named Keystone State. On average, Biden enjoys a 4.5 percent lead in Pennsylvania, according to RealClearPolitics.Lee elaborates that Pennsylvania could go either way: "The polls are not moving. We have the race in Pennsylvania [within] two points in the September poll and other firms showing a margin of error that the race is tied, it's been tied all along in our estimation." He adds, "I don't see this as a blue wave" and foresees a very close race in the Electoral College. He rehearses some of the arguments made by Cahaly about the nature of people who don't want to express what may be perceived as socially unacceptable views, even to a pollster on the phone. In Lee's view:> The president is out there with the narrative that we shouldn't do polling. Many people called him everything from a misogynist to a racist to everything in between. There are a lot of voters out there that don't want to admit they are voting for a guy that has been called a racist, that submerged Trump factor is very real. We have been able to capture it and I'm really disappointed others have not. In 2016 in the summer and early fall showed Pennsylvania up for grabs. Other firms are putting out leads for Hillary Clinton in double digits, that was never the case in my opinion and we are seeing it happening now.The 2016 average of final polls in Pennsylvania showed Clinton winning by 2.1 points. On Election Day, Trump won the state by less than one point. Polling in Wisconsin, however, showed Clinton with a 6.5 point average lead on the eve of the election, and in Michigan, Clinton was up by 3.6. Trump won both. Today Biden enjoys an average lead of 5.5 points in Wisconsin and nine points in Michigan. Most pollsters are forecasting an easy win for Joe Biden in the Electoral College, but if they're wrong you'll be hearing a lot more about Lee, Cahaly, and the "submerged Trump vote."
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| A Family Dollar customer reportedly shot and killed another shopper outside a store in Ohio Posted: 26 Oct 2020 09:12 AM PDT  The attack underscores the trend of violent crimes and robberies happening at dollar stores across the US.
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| Pfizer says Covid-19 vaccine still possible in 2020 despite data lag Posted: 27 Oct 2020 05:07 PM PDT  Pfizer executives expressed measured optimism Tuesday over the prospect of providing a coronavirus vaccine in 2020 even as they signaled key data on the vaccine would not be released before the US election.
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| NXIVM sex cult leader Keith Raniere sentenced to 120 years in prison Posted: 27 Oct 2020 05:35 PM PDT  The shadowy group that operated near Albany, New York, has been the subject of the HBO docuseries "The Vow."
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| German embassy in Bangkok becomes flashpoint as demonstrators pressure Berlin on Thai king's legal status Posted: 26 Oct 2020 07:41 AM PDT  The German embassy in Bangkok became a new focal point of Thailand's months-long pro-democracy rallies on Monday as thousands marched on the building to petition Berlin to investigate the Thai king's use of his powers while residing in Bavaria. Since 2007, King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who ascended to the throne in 2016, has spent long periods of time in southern Germany. But his extended presence on German soil has become a diplomatic headache for Berlin during Thailand's nationwide rallies, where some protest leaders have made bold demands for the monarchy to be reformed – long a taboo subject in the Southeast Asian nation because of strict lese majeste laws. In Germany, Heiko Maas, the foreign minister warned the king against using the country as a base to conduct Thai politics. "We are monitoring this long-term," Mr Maas said. "It will have immediate consequences if there are things that we assess to be illegal." His comments came as the embassy's premises in central Bangkok turned into a potential flashpoint between rival protest groups on Monday.
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| Viral photo sparks concerns about Indonesia's 'Jurassic Park' Posted: 27 Oct 2020 08:52 AM PDT  The viral image has raised questions about the conservation impact on the animal native to Indonesia.
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| Turkey's Erdogan sues Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker for insults Posted: 27 Oct 2020 05:00 AM PDT  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is suing Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders after the anti-Islam politician posted a series of tweets against the Turkish leader, including one that described him as a "terrorist." The state-run Anadolu Agency said Erdogan's lawyer on Tuesday filed a criminal complaint against Wilders at the Ankara Chief Prosecutor's office for "insulting the president" -- a crime in Turkey punishable by up to four years in prison. Wilders posted a cartoon depicting Erdogan wearing a bomb-resembling hat on his head, with the comment: "terrorist."
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| Chicago sisters accused of stabbing employee 27 times after being asked to wear a mask Posted: 27 Oct 2020 10:54 AM PDT  Two sisters entered a small shop in Chicago on Sunday when they were approached by a worker who asked them to wear a mask and to use hand sanitizer to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 according to Karie James who is a police spokesperson, the Chicago Sun Times reported. The argument escalated and the women Jessica Hill, 21, and Jayla Hill, 18, are accused of attacking the man. Jessica pulled a knife out of her back pocket and began stabbing the 32-year-old man.
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| Young and progressive voters aren’t just ‘settling for Biden’ anymore; they’re going all in Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:05 PM PDT  The general election is a week away, and groups like Settle for Biden hope to be the push that gets young voters and progressives to the polls.
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| Trump supporter pulls gun on protesters after unknown liquid is dumped on him Posted: 26 Oct 2020 06:55 PM PDT  The man was not cited or arrested for pointing his gun at a group of young anti-Trump protestors
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| The dark secret at the core of the yachting industry: 15 current and former crew members describe what it's really like to work on a superyacht, from bullying to sexual harassment Posted: 26 Oct 2020 08:29 AM PDT  In conversations with Business Insider, yacht crew members described an endless cycle of abuse on board and having nowhere to turn for help.
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| Rioters Injure Thirty Police Officers in Night of Violent Unrest in Philadelphia Posted: 27 Oct 2020 06:54 AM PDT  At least 30 police officers were hurt during rioting that broke out in West Philadelphia overnight after police fatally shot a man wielding a knife on Monday, authorities said.Rioters threw rocks and bricks at police and looted and vandalized businesses, NBC Washington reported. A 56-year-old sergeant was hospitalized after she was struck by a pickup truck, breaking her leg, among other injuries. The unrest broke out after police shot and killed 27-year-old Walter Wallace Jr., a black man, in Cobbs Creek. Wallace had a knife when he walked toward officers and ignored orders to drop his weapon, police said. Video of the incident appears to show Wallace approaching officers while his mother attempted to restrain him. The camera briefly points downward and the sounds of several gunshots ring out as police open fire. Wallace is then shown lying still on the ground while his mother, who is screaming hysterically, runs to him. Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney, Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw and District Attorney Larry Krasner said they would investigate the incident, while Fraternal Order of Police president John McNesby defended the officers in a statement. Looters took advantage of the unrest, breaking into a number of stores including several Rite Aid stores in West Philadelphia, clothing and shoe stores and at least one restaurant, NBC reported. At 57th and Vine streets, clothing and merchandise were thrown on the sidewalk. Two ATM machines were smashed as well.> A night of rioting and looting in West Philadelphia after police shot a man who they say was armed with a knife. Damage and looting reported at pharmacies, liquor stores, and shops along 52nd St @NBCPhiladelphia pic.twitter.com/x5ae6Dente> > -- Randy Gyllenhaal (@RandyGyllenhaal) October 27, 2020Rioters set fire to police cars and dumpsters. Police said five police vehicles and one fire department vehicle were vandalized.Police arrested more than 30 people for throwing rocks and bricks at police or looting, the department said.
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| Nigeria looting hits capital Posted: 26 Oct 2020 11:34 AM PDT  Huge crowds ransacked food warehouses in Nigeria's capital Abuja on Monday in the latest looting to hit the country during a wave of unrest.
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| Coronavirus in the U.S. is spreading like 'wildfire,' epidemiologist says Posted: 26 Oct 2020 04:56 PM PDT  "The U.S. is now seeing a pretty widespread transmission across the board," said William Hanage, an associate professor of epidemiology.
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| If America had any sense, we would be locking down again now Posted: 27 Oct 2020 02:50 AM PDT  Call it what you like — the third wave, the third crest of the first wave, or wave 1(c), but the coronavirus pandemic is once again completely out of control in the United States. Friday, October 23 set a new one-day record with over 85,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections, and the seven-day trend of new cases is accelerating upwards. Most of the Midwest and half of Appalachia are seeing explosive spread, while even formerly successful states like Massachusetts are losing their grip. Multiple states are being forced to open field hospitals or ration care.It is extremely aggravating to remember, but it remains the case that we could at least keep a lid on this thing, and save tens if not hundreds of thousands of lives, by following the same pandemic control strategies experts have been advocating since March. None of that will happen at the federal level until January at the earliest, but individuals, state, and local governments can at least take partial steps to limit the damage.All we need is the same four-part strategy that has been obvious since March. First, the places that are fully in the grips of exponential spread should reimpose a severe lockdown — and I mean the real thing, where people are prohibited from leaving their homes without a pass, which has never happened anywhere in the country. This is the only way to throttle a truly out-of-control outbreak. Second, we build up test-trace-isolate systems where they don't currently exist, or need work (which is most of the country). Third, everyone wears masks when in public and in close proximity to others at all times (ideally N95s or surgical style, but at least a cloth covering). These are probably not strictly necessary when running or biking outside, but they should be mandatory at any public space indoors like a grocery store — as new research demonstrates, they protect other people and the wearers. If you wear a (proper) mask you are less likely to get COVID, and more likely to have a mild case if you do.Finally, the government should keep everyone financially whole with an indefinite economic rescue package. Prevent bars, restaurants, nightclubs, airlines, and other businesses dependent on in-person activities from going bankrupt with subsidies, and protect individuals with super-unemployment, $1,200 checks, and so forth. Just put the in-person economy on ice until the virus is under control, or until there is an effective vaccine that has been delivered everywhere.It's unclear exactly why cases are accelerating now, but probably the weather has a lot to do with it. Contrary to my expectations (at least so far), several wealthy countries in Western Europe that had previously contained the pandemic, like France, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, have since lost control. Some are already resorting to a second lockdown. It seems that even in generally well-governed European states, governments were too lax in reopening the economy (especially indoor dining) and reluctant to impose new controls when infections started to rise. As we have seen over and over again, the slightest hesitation can lead to disaster. The virus spreads extremely fast, and contact tracing systems can easily be swamped if there are too many cases to manage, leaving only brute force lockdowns as a last resort, with all their significant drawbacks.As China has demonstrated several times, a hair-trigger aggressive response is far more effective than half-hearted half measures. Every time it has seen a flare-up of the virus, the state has stepped in with gargantuan mass-testing and isolation efforts — testing entire provinces in a matter of days, and throwing any positive cases in mandatory quarantine, as well as strict lockdowns if community spread gets started — to root out and squash the virus. It's a coercive approach, but it gets the bad part over as quickly as possible. As a result, its economy is recovering relatively quickly — while the U.S. and European countries remain in the doldrums, with much of their citizenry still voluntarily avoiding human contact for eight months and counting.Several democratic countries, like Taiwan, New Zealand, and Korea, have also managed to keep the virus contained without such draconian measures. Other European countries that remained cautious, like Norway and Finland, have seen only fairly small spikes so far.Of course, there is no chance whatsoever that any of this will be done in the United States at a federal level, or in most of the states, in the immediate future. President Donald "Superspreader" Trump is outright denying there is any new spike, while Vice President Pence is refusing to isolate despite being exposed, again, to a known COVID-positive person. "We are not going to control the pandemic," admitted White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows recently. It also appears there is little chance of getting another round of economic rescues through before the election, and none at all between then and January 20, if Biden wins.But we as American citizens can wear masks, and put on our coats to dine outside instead of risking indoor service. States and cities can, where possible, keep up their testing and tracing. Doing what we can to stop the pandemic around our deliberately broken government won't eradicate the virus, but it might still save many lives.More stories from theweek.com Republicans are on the verge of a spectacular upside-down achievement The very different emotional lives of Trump and Biden voters Middle-finger voting is driving the entire country mad
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| Fake heiress Anna Delvey says she wants people to stop showing up at her prison to visit her Posted: 26 Oct 2020 02:51 PM PDT  The "Soho scammer" was sentenced to prison last year and has been posting to Instagram while serving time.
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| UK sends flagship for joint naval drills with Cyprus, France Posted: 27 Oct 2020 09:58 AM PDT |
| Russian leader Putin rejects Trump’s claims about Hunter Biden Posted: 26 Oct 2020 08:24 AM PDT  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 Trump's attack lines in the U.S. presidential campaign.
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| 'It's definitely going to be more violent': A former Facebook content moderator says election results could spark violence, no matter who wins Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:07 PM PDT  A former moderator who had to review some of the most hateful content on Facebook said she expected the presidential election to result in violence.
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| 45 missing kids rescued in Ohio’s largest anti-human trafficking effort, officials say Posted: 26 Oct 2020 12:38 PM PDT  The U.S. Marshals Service worked alongside 50 state law enforcement agencies.
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