| Biden and Democrats raised record $383 million in September for White House bid Posted: 14 Oct 2020 06:43 PM PDT  The campaign had $432 million in cash at month's end for the final five weeks of the race, campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon said on Twitter. "To every person who chipped in a few dollars last month - thank you," Biden wrote on Twitter in announcing the sum. Biden has held a significant lead over Trump in national polls for months, although Reuters/Ipsos polling shows a somewhat closer race in the battleground states likely to decide the winner.
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| Accused Kenosha shooting suspect Kyle Rittenhouse won't be charged in his home state of Illinois Posted: 14 Oct 2020 08:51 AM PDT  Local authorities said there's no evidence Rittenhouse, who is accused of killing two people in August, possessed the weapon outside of Wisconsin.
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| GOP suggests Supreme Court, on brink of 6-3 majority, may not strike down Obamacare after all Posted: 14 Oct 2020 06:27 PM PDT  With balloting well underway in the Nov. 3 election, Republicans downplay the idea that the Supreme Court would wipe out the Affordable Care Act, fearing a voter backlash.
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| Rent for a studio in San Francisco plummeted over 30% from this time last year as remote workers now seek to flee the city Posted: 14 Oct 2020 08:59 AM PDT  San Francisco saw the biggest drop in rental prices in the US as more tech workers work remotely and can move away from Silicon Valley offices.
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| School says students may be intentionally getting COVID-19 Posted: 14 Oct 2020 09:46 AM PDT  Brigham Young University's campus in Idaho warned that students caught intentionally contracting the virus will be suspended and potentially "permanently dismissed."
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| Chloe Wiegand's grandfather pleads guilty in toddler's cruise ship death, won't serve time Posted: 15 Oct 2020 10:07 AM PDT  Sam Anello has pleaded guilty in the cruise ship death of his granddaughter Chloe Wiegand. But he won't serve jail time.
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| Video shows seconds before and after fatal shooting at Denver protest Posted: 14 Oct 2020 03:45 PM PDT  Verbal altercation quickly escalates leaving one dead and one in custody
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| White supremacist pleads guilty in plot to blow up Colorado synagogue Posted: 15 Oct 2020 03:15 PM PDT  A self-described white supremacist pleaded guilty on Thursday to federal hate crime and explosive charges for a botched plot to blow up a historic Colorado synagogue last year, prosecutors said on Thursday. Richard Holzer, 28, who was arrested in November following an undercover FBI sting, admitted to planning to bomb the Temple Emanuel synagogue in Pueblo, Colorado, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.
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| Democratic strategist privately warns of surging voter registration among Trump-leaning demographics Posted: 15 Oct 2020 08:22 AM PDT  Poll after poll may give Democratic nominee Joe Biden the advantage next month, but Democrats still have some fears.While Democrats have made voter registration and flat-out voting a major message throughout their pushes for Biden, Republicans have still so far been winning the voter registration game. Democrats haven't publicly acknowledged their shortcomings, but at least one is privately sounding the alarm, Thomas B. Edsall relays in an opinion column for The New York Times.Both national and swing-state polls continue to give Biden an advantage over President Trump this November, with FiveThirtyEight's presidential tracker showing Biden with an 87 in 100 chance of winning. But voter registration tells a different story: Republicans have added hundreds of thousands more voters to their ranks across the swing states of Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.A Democratic strategist "who closely follows [voter registration] data on a day-to-day basis" revealed Republicans' advantage from a different angle in a privately circulated newsletter, Edsall reports. "Since last week, the share of white non-college over 30 registrations in the battleground states has increased by 10 points compared to September 2016, and the Democratic margin dropped 10 points to just 6 points," the strategist writes. "And there are serious signs of political engagement by white non-college voters who had not cast ballots in previous elections."Pew Research Center data also spells a bit of trouble for Biden among Hispanic Catholics and Black women, who seem to have slightly drifted to Trump. Read more at The New York Times.More stories from theweek.com Will there be another Trump surprise in Michigan? The 1 big problem with 2 town halls Democrats need a better counter to 'originalism'
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| Afghan-Taliban conflict: Helicopters carrying wounded troops collide Posted: 14 Oct 2020 10:22 AM PDT  Nine people died in the collision in Helmand province, amid fierce fighting with the Taliban.
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| Marine Corps fires commander after 9 service members died when their amphibious assault vehicle sank into the sea Posted: 13 Oct 2020 07:13 PM PDT  The commanding officer of the unit involved in the accident was relieved "due to a loss in trust and confidence in his ability to command."
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| Does the flu vaccine affect my chances of getting COVID-19? Posted: 15 Oct 2020 12:08 AM PDT  The flu vaccine protects you from seasonal influenza, not the coronavirus — but avoiding the flu is especially important this year. Health officials and medical groups are urging people to get either the flu shot or nasal spray, so that doctors and hospitals don't face the extra strain of having to treat influenza in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Not to mention the confusion factor: The illnesses have such similar early symptoms that people who get the flu may mistakenly think they have COVID-19, said Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious disease specialist at Mayo Clinic.
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| Former Idaho gubernatorial candidate charged in 1984 abduction and killing of Colorado girl Posted: 14 Oct 2020 03:59 AM PDT  Steven Pankey has been charged with the death of a 12-year-old Colorado girl who vanished in 1984, authorities said on Tuesday.
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| Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of killing 2 people during Wisconsin protests, won't face charges in Illinois, his home state Posted: 13 Oct 2020 09:31 PM PDT  Illinois police found Rittenhouse committed no crimes there. It was unclear whether someone else possessed the gun in Illinois, or where it is now.
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| Russian spies living among us: Inside the FBI's "Operation Ghost Stories" Posted: 13 Oct 2020 08:10 PM PDT  FBI agents reveal how they tracked and stopped a Russian spy ring operating in the U.S., tasked with gathering government secrets.
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| Trump celebrates fatal shooting of Antifa activist by US Marshals Posted: 15 Oct 2020 02:22 PM PDT  'We sent in the US marshals, took 15 minutes it was over, 15 minutes it was over, we got him'
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| Sleeping homeless man on bench reported to Ohio cops. It was a sculpture of Jesus Posted: 15 Oct 2020 04:10 PM PDT  "Within twenty minutes of the statue arriving, I was having a conversation with a very kind police officer."
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| Mexican court blocks ex-president's bid to register new party Posted: 15 Oct 2020 07:07 AM PDT  Mexico's top electoral tribunal has rejected former President Felipe Calderon's bid to register a new political party, citing insufficient proof on the origin of cash contributions, it said on Thursday. Calderon, president from 2006 to 2012, and his wife Margarita Zavala, a presidential candidate in the 2018 election, had sought to register Mexico Libre (Free Mexico) after splitting with the center-right National Action Party (PAN). The upper chamber of the Federal Electoral Tribunal (TEPJF) ruled by a majority vote to deny the registration.
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| Should you trust the polls in 2020? Here’s what pollsters have to say Posted: 15 Oct 2020 07:42 AM PDT  Trump caused a massive upset in 2016. Could he do it again?
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| Nagorno-Karabakh volunteers get weapons as clashes intensify Posted: 15 Oct 2020 11:32 AM PDT  MARTUNI, Nagorno-Karabakh (AP) — As the fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces rages on in the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, its residents are joining volunteer squads to defend their towns. The Ovanisyan family and their neighbors were called Wednesday to receive their Kalashnikov rifles to help protect Martuni, a town close to the front line in the eastern part of the region. The recent fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh erupted on Sept. 27 and has since killed hundreds.
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| 3-week-old baby sexually assaulted in Marion County foster home, lawsuit says Posted: 15 Oct 2020 10:06 AM PDT  Foster officials knew the risk when they put a 3-week-old child in a foster home with a sexually aggressive teen, a lawsuit alleges. The girl was assaulted and battered.
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| Amy Cooper Made Another 911 Call on Black Birder—and It Was Worse Than the First Posted: 14 Oct 2020 07:44 AM PDT  Amy Cooper, the white woman who called police on a Black man after he asked her to leash her dog in Central Park, called 911 twice during the Memorial Day incident, falsely stating in a previously unreported call that he "tried to assault her," prosecutors revealed Wednesday.Cooper, 41, was charged in July with a misdemeanor count of falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said. In a 911 call captured in a viral video, she allegedly falsely reported that Christian Cooper, 57, was threatening her life. The charge is punishable by up to a year in jail.However, Cyrus R. Vance, the Manhattan district attorney, said in a statement Wednesday that Cooper allegedly "engaged in racist criminal conduct" when she made a second 911 call in which she "falsely accused a Black man of trying to assault her." "Fortunately, no one was injured or killed in the police response to Ms. Cooper's hoax," the statement said.Black Birdwatcher Declines to Cooperate With Police in Case Against White Woman Who Called the Police on HimDuring a brief court hearing on Wednesday, Assistant District Attorney Joan Illuzzi stressed that at no time during the May 25 encounter did Christian Cooper try to assault the 41-year-old woman, stating that "using the police in a way that is both racially offensive and designed to intimidate is something that can't be ignored."Cooper is negotiating a plea deal with Manhattan prosecutors that would spare her jail time. Illuzzi said Cooper was prepared to "take responsibility for her actions" and will be working with her defense team to explore a rehabilitative program that would "educate her and the community on the harm caused by such actions.""We hope this process will both enlighten, heal and prevent similar harm to our community in the future," the prosecutor added. "This process can be an opportunity for introspection and education."Authorities say that, on May 25, Cooper was walking her dog through the Ramble in Central Park, a woodsy area of the New York City sanctuary where dogs must be leashed, when Christian Cooper approached her. Christian Cooper, an avid bird watcher and PR professional, asked the 41-year-old to leash her dog but she refused. The two individuals are not related.In the video taken by Christian Cooper, Amy Cooper gets increasingly upset by his request and states she is going to call the police and tell them, "There's an African American man threatening my life.""I'm in the Ramble, there is a man, African-American, he has a bicycle helmet and he is recording me and threatening me and my dog," Amy Cooper is then heard yelling to a 911 operator while gripping her dog's collar. Before hanging up, she adds: "I am being threatened by a man in the Ramble, please send the cops immediately!"Before the video ends, Christian Cooper calmly thanks her when she finally puts her dog on a leash. His sister, Melody, later posted the video on social media, where it went viral—igniting worldwide outrage over Amy Cooper's white privilege.In the second, previously unreported 911 call, the 41-year-old repeated the accusation to another NYPD dispatcher before adding that the birder "tried to assault her," according to the DA's office. "When responding officers arrived, Ms. Cooper admitted that the male had not 'tried to assault' or come into contact with her," the DA's office said Wednesday.A day after the incident, Cooper was fired from her job as the head of insurance portfolio management at Franklin Templeton. The company said it doesn't "tolerate racism of any kind." The 41-year-old also surrendered her dog, Henry, to the shelter he was adopted from—though she was later reunited with the cocker spaniel.In a public apology issued on May 26, Cooper said she "reacted emotionally and made false assumptions about his intentions when, in fact, I was the one who was acting inappropriately by not having my dog on a leash.""He had every right to request that I leash my dog in an area where it was required. I am well aware of the pain that misassumptions and insensitive statements about race cause and would never have imagined that I would be involved in the type of incident that occurred with Chris," Cooper said in the statement."I hope that a few mortifying seconds in a lifetime of forty years will not define me in his eyes and that he will accept my sincere apology."Read 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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| GOP senators plan to subpoena Jack Dorsey to testify about Twitter's decision to block the link to an unverified and dubious story about Hunter Biden's emails Posted: 15 Oct 2020 11:12 AM PDT  Twitter said it blocked the link to the New York Post articles for violating its policy against "hacked materials."
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| Graham's $28 million sets quarterly fundraising record for Senate Republicans Posted: 14 Oct 2020 04:02 PM PDT  Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has set a fundraising record for Republican Senate candidates, bringing in $28 million in the third quarter of a reelection battle that is becoming among the more expensive in the country.
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| US dumping hundreds of migrants in dangerous Mexican border town Posted: 14 Oct 2020 12:45 PM PDT  Expelled are being targeted by organised crime it is claimed
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| Senate to vote on another ‘skinny’ stimulus bill next week. Here’s what’s in it Posted: 14 Oct 2020 09:30 AM PDT  Mitch McConnell said the bill will have "another round of checks for those who have been hit the hardest."
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| Navy's Top Officer Wants a New Mid-Size Destroyer That Packs a Major Punch Posted: 15 Oct 2020 10:14 AM PDT |
| Prop 22 explained: how California voters could upend the gig economy Posted: 15 Oct 2020 03:00 AM PDT  Voters in the state will decide whether Uber, Lyft and other companies should classify gig workers as employees * She was a farmworker. Her grandson is a Lyft driver. A fight for workers' rights unites themIt's not often that the fate of an industry hangs in the balance during an election, but that is exactly what's happening in California this November.Proposition 22, a proposal on the state ballot, is the result of a years-long battle between gig economy heavyweights like Uber, Lyft and Instacart, and their workers, who are fighting for better benefits and protections.It's also become the most expensive ballot-measure campaign in state history, as the Silicon Valley companies that built their businesses around gig labor seek to avoid having to reclassify their workers as full-time employees.The high-stakes face-off could upend the gig economy as we know it and has been called a called "a bellwether" for worker rights. But who is behind it, and what would the proposition do? Here's what you need to know. What is Proposition 22?Proposition 22 is a ballot measure that would exempt gig companies from AB5, a landmark labor law passed in 2019 that extended employee protections to gig workers. In other words, Prop 22 would allow these companies not to treat gig workers like employees.The official name of the ballot measure is the "Protect App-Based Drivers and Services Act". The measure, if passed by the majority of voters on 3 November, would apply to app-based drivers, including those who work for Uber, Lyft and DoorDash. What is AB5?Proposition 22 comes in response to California assembly bill 5, known as AB5, a law that changes the way workers in the state are classified.AB5 sets out specific requirements for workers to be classified as contractors, which are: 1) they are free from the company's control; 2) they are doing work that isn't central to the company's business; and 3) they have an independent business in that industry.If the worker does not meet all three of the standards, they will be classified as an employee and thus entitled to the legal protections and benefits that come with employment in California. This includes minimum wage, overtime, expenses reimbursed, paid sick days, paid family leave, unemployment insurance and an employer healthcare option.Uber and Lyft maintain that drivers are properly classified as independent contractors, but in August a California court ruled that both companies were violating AB5 in not reclassifying drivers as employees. That ruling appears to be stayed while Uber and Lyft argue their case before the judge. What is the case against Prop 22?Drivers and labor groups oppose Prop 22, saying it allows companies to sidestep their obligations to provide benefits and standard minimum wages to their workers. The official No on Prop 22 campaign claims gig economy companies "have made billions by exploiting their drivers for years" and now are spending millions to push Prop 22 "so they can permanently deny fair wages and benefits for drivers".The companies behind Prop 22 have indeed made billions on the contractor-based business model. When Lyft went public in 2019, it was valued at $22bn and had 1.9 million drivers working through its app. Uber was valued at $82bn ahead of its initial public offering in May 2019 and had 3.9 million drivers.Many drivers say they have created a lot of the value for these companies but have seen very little of the profit. "Uber is paying drivers poverty wages and continues to slash wages while executives make millions," one driver told the Guardian at a protest tied to the Uber IPO.The Covid-19 pandemic has further underscored how the contractor system leaves workers in precarious positions, the campaign against Prop 22 says.The passage of Prop 22 would be difficult to overturn, positioning gig workers as permanent contractors and posing a major blow to workers' rights. California is the birthplace of the gig economy, and how it is regulated in its home state may have effects on how regulation plays out in the rest of the country, and the world. What benefits does Proposition 22 offer?While Proposition 22 would exempt workers from employee benefits gleaned through AB5, proponents of the ballot measure maintain that it would "ensure driver flexibility" by maintaining contractor status of workers "while providing new earning guarantees and benefits".Advocates of Proposition 22 say it would provide drivers with occupational accident insurance to cover injuries and illnesses on the job and "funding for new health benefits" that apply to drivers who work at least 15 hours a week. This means drivers who work at least 15 hours would be provided with stipends towards private health insurance, rather than be provided health insurance through an employer healthcare option. Workers who drive more than 25 hours would get a higher stipend to use towards health insurance.Prop 22 also promises "guaranteed minimum earnings" equal to 120% of California minimum wage. Those minimums, however, only apply to "engaged time" on the app, which is the 28-33% of workers' shifts when there is a passenger in the car. A study funded by the Yes on Proposition 22 coalition estimated workers would make $25-27 per hour. Another study from University of California, Berkeley, said earnings could still be well below the minimum wage, at $5.64 per hour. California's minimum wage will be $15.60 in 2021. Who supports Proposition 22?A coalition of gig economy firms, including Instacart, DoorDash, Lyft, Uber and Postmates (a delivery service now owned by Uber) has spent more than $184m on campaigns promoting Proposition 22. The Yes on Proposition 22 campaign claims the majority of rideshare drivers support flexibility in work.A number of workers outside of the ride-hailing platforms have also spoken out against AB5 and its effects. The bill was amended after freelance journalists complained of a measure in the bill that would prevent them from submitting more than 35 stories per year. Truckers and musicians have also spoken out against the bill and its effects on their work.The California Chamber of Commerce, California Police Chiefs Association, and the California NAACP also support Prop 22. A recent online poll cited by the Yes on 22 campaign found more than 60% of app-based drivers supported Prop 22. The group maintains that most drivers want to remain contractors."Drivers prefer independence because it provides the flexibility to choose when, where and how long they want to work," Geoff Vetter, spokesman for the Yes on 22 campaign, said.Tactics used to promote Proposition 22 have been aggressive and persistent: Uber and Lyft both sent out a number of emails and push notifications within their apps encouraging riders to vote yes. Instacart has encouraged workers to advertise the ballot measure with stickers. Who is against Proposition 22?A number of workers and worker groups have publicly organized against Proposition 22. The official "No On Prop 22 Coalition" is made up of four driver groups: Gig Workers Rising, We Drive Progress, Mobile Workers United and Rideshare Drivers United. Cumulatively these groups represent more than 55,000 workers in California.Editorial boards at the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times and a number of California papers including the Sacramento Bee, the Fresno Bee, the Modesto Bee, Merced Sun Star and San Luis Obispo Tribune have called on voters to reject Prop 22.Kamala Harris and Joe Biden have spoken also against it, while Bernie Sanders has also condemned the ballot measure, tweeting: "I'm opposed to Prop 22 because people working full time deserve decent wages and good benefits." The Service Employees International Union also joined the fight against Prop 22. What happens if Proposition 22 passes?If Proposition 22 passes, workers will retain their status as independent contractors. They will not be provided health insurance through Lyft or Uber but will get stipends towards insurance. It will also be difficult to change or overturn in the future, because that would require a 7/8 supermajority – difficult to attain in the California legislature. What happens if Proposition 22 doesn't pass?In theory, companies will not be exempt from AB5 and drivers would then be entitled to healthcare, minimum wage and other employee benefits. However, Uber and Lyft have threatened to pull out of California if the bill is passed – so it's possible we will no longer have rideshare as we know it. Uber has also forecasted that fares would increase 25%-111% if it were to comply with AB5.
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| Angela Merkel warns of potential 'disaster' as Germany records highest daily case total Posted: 15 Oct 2020 03:59 AM PDT  Angela Merkel is said to be deeply concerned that new coronavirus restrictions agreed by regional leaders do not go far enough and Germany may be heading for "disaster". The warning comes as Germany and Italy – two countries that appeared to have escaped the worst of the second wave – recorded their highest daily rise in infections since the start of the pandemic. Mrs Merkel put on a brave face for the cameras after German regional leaders stopped short of agreeing tough new measures she had proposed on Wednesday. But behind closed doors she reportedly lost her temper during marathon six-hour talks with the leaders of Germany's 16 states, telling them she was "not happy" and warning: "What you've agreed is not enough to avert disaster." Under Germany's federal system, the state governments have the final say over lockdown measures and Mrs Merkel is powerless to overrule them. Regional leaders agreed new restrictions for areas where the infection rate rises over safety limits, including an 11pm curfew for restaurants and pubs, a limit of 10 on gatherings and the mandatory use of face masks in crowded areas outdoors.
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| Chinese nationals laundered money and helped sell drugs for Mexican cartels, feds say Posted: 15 Oct 2020 03:53 PM PDT  The six suspects made at least $30 million in an alleged scheme that involved funneling illicit drug money to the feared Sinaloa cartel, court documents say.
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| London will go back into coronavirus lockdown from midnight Friday, with indoor household mixing banned Posted: 15 Oct 2020 03:57 AM PDT  The UK government is set to move London into the second-most-serious COVID-19 tier — "high" — at midnight on Friday.
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| Support for Barrett's confirmation has grown steadily across political spectrum, poll shows Posted: 14 Oct 2020 08:52 AM PDT  Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court has been a major point of contention between Republicans and Democrats since President Trump made the call last month, primarily because of its proximity to the November election, which was the reason the Republican-led Senate blocked then-President Obama's nominee in 2016. But the latest Morning Consult poll on the matter suggests Americans across the political spectrum have grown increasingly supportive of Barrett's confirmation.Back on Sept. 26, for example, only 14 percent of Democrats said the Senate should vote to confirm Barrett. That figure nearly doubled in Wednesday's poll. Overall, a plurality of Americans back Barrett's confirmation, while only 31 percent said the upper chamber should block her nomination, indicating that most of those in the initially undecided crowd have shifted toward the confirm camp.> Morning Consult poll: Support to confirm Amy Coney Barrett continues to rise, going from +3 at the end of September to +17 today.> > Support from idependents has moved from -3 to +7 over the last two weeks.> > There is zero chance that ACB is not confirmed given these numbers. pic.twitter.com/E0PcQt50aE> > — Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) October 14, 2020Although public opinion does not directly affect the process, the numbers certainly appear to boost the likelihood that the GOP will have the numbers needed for Barrett to fill the seat. Still, it's worth noting the poll was conducted before Barrett's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing began this week.The Morning Consult poll was conducted online from October 09-11, 2020, among a national sample of 1986 registered voters. The margin of error was 2 percentage points. Read the full results here.More stories from theweek.com Will there be another Trump surprise in Michigan? The 1 big problem with 2 town halls Democrats need a better counter to 'originalism'
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| Soldiers to evaluate new light tank prototypes Posted: 15 Oct 2020 09:28 AM PDT  An upcoming soldier vehicle assessment for the Mobile Protected Firepower competitive entries could be a determining factor in helping the Army choose a winner.
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| Tennessee mayor arrested for allegedly shoplifting $300 worth of Target merchandise Posted: 14 Oct 2020 02:24 PM PDT  John Blade is accused of using self checkout and not scanning items
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| Massive meth pile towers over DEA agents after what the agency calls a historic raid Posted: 14 Oct 2020 04:41 PM PDT  The huge drug bust comes just days after another record-setting meth seizure near San Diego
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| Gordon Ramsay roasted a TikTok chef who covered their chicken in toothpicks and 'turned it into a hedgehog' Posted: 15 Oct 2020 01:00 PM PDT  "Acupuncture doesn't belong on a chicken!" Gordon Ramsay said of the TikTok creation. "You've turned the chicken into a hedgehog!"
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| Postal Service agrees to reverse changes that slowed mail service nationwide Posted: 15 Oct 2020 05:45 AM PDT  The U.S. Postal Service agreed Wednesday to reverse changes that slowed mail service nationwide, settling a lawsuit filed by Montana Gov. Steve Bullock during a pandemic that is expected to force many more people to vote by mail.
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| Security guard faces second-degree murder charge after killing at dueling protests in Denver Posted: 15 Oct 2020 04:10 PM PDT  The charges against Matthew Dolloff, 30, in the fatal shooting of Lee Keltner, 49, will be filed in Denver District Court on Monday.
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| 'You will be infected or you will die of starvation': Amazon contractors reportedly say their office is still unsafe months after first complaining of 'subhuman' conditions Posted: 15 Oct 2020 12:41 PM PDT  The report comes after claims surfaced in April of "subhuman" conditions at the call center, where workers slept on the floor between shifts.
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| GOP Sen. Ben Sasse admitted that Trump "ignored" the coronavirus and "flirted” with white supremacy Posted: 15 Oct 2020 03:24 PM PDT  Sasse asked why GOP thought "selling a TV-obsessed narcissistic individual" to America was "good" in leaked call
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| Cuomo Says ‘Religious Practices’ of Orthodox Jews Causing Virus to Spread in New York City Posted: 14 Oct 2020 10:09 AM PDT  New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday singled out the "religious practices" of Orthodox Jews as the cause of renewed spread of the coronavirus in New York City."We're now having issues in the Orthodox Jewish community in New York, where because of their religious practices, etc., we're seeing a spread," Cuomo said.Last week, Orthodox Jewish leaders vehemently criticized Cuomo and took to the streets of Brooklyn to protest the governor's new coronavirus restrictions on schools, businesses, and houses of worship. The restrictions would shutter schools, non-essential businesses, and strictly limit the number of congregants allowed in houses of worship, in some areas allowing only ten worshippers at a time. Many of the Brooklyn and Queens "red zones" designated for the new restrictions are Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods."We are appalled by Governor Cuomo's words and actions today," read a letter from four Orthodox Jewish lawmakers who represent the neighborhoods affected by the new restrictions. "He has chosen to pursue a scientifically and constitutionally questionable shutdown of our communities."During a protest in Borough Park, demonstrators lit at least one fire in the street, and activist Harold "Heshy" Tischler was charged in an alleged attack on an Orthodox Jewish reporter who was targeted by the crowd during the protest.Cuomo blamed the growing frustration on the failure of communities to follow the state's previous restrictions, allowing the virus to spread."To the extent there are communities that are upset, that's because they haven't been following the original rules," Cuomo said. "That's why the infection spread, because they weren't following the rules and the rules weren't being enforced."Coronavirus hospitalizations spiked Wednesday from 705 to 748 patients, Cuomo said.The coronavirus outbreak in New York is entering a "new phase," the governor said, specifically "mini clusters" across the state that spring from a single event, such as a party or bar that did not observe social distancing rules."This is not going away anytime soon," Cuomo said. "Best case scenario, we're looking at another year … even if everything works out well."
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| Lindsey Graham accused of ‘committing a crime in plain sight’ for soliciting donations amid senate hearing Posted: 15 Oct 2020 07:09 AM PDT  Senate judiciary chairman seemingly calls for campaign donations during a break at Judge Amy Coney Barrett senate confirmation hearings
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| In California, people lived on the edge of homelessness before COVID-19. Now, it's worse. Posted: 15 Oct 2020 04:30 AM PDT  California's middle class isn't done shrinking. They await their fate, one government program away from minimum-wage jobs or losing their homes.
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