Trump 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. Trump privately told donors this past Thursday at a fundraiser in Nashville, Tennessee, that he isn't sure the party will maintain its Senate majority, The Washington Post reports. "I think the Senate is tough actually," Trump said at the event, an attendee told the Post on condition of anonymity. "The Senate is very tough. There are a couple senators I can't really get involved in. I just can't do it. You lose your soul if you do. I can't help some of them. I don't want to help some of them."Instead, the president reportedly said he believes the GOP will "take back the House," a stance that he made clear during Thursday's presidential debate, as well. Trump's optimism about the lower chamber isn't shared by many Republican officials and strategists, who consider it a long shot. Read more at Politico and The Washington Post.More stories from theweek.com Trump loses on the merits Who won the final 2020 debate? Call it a draw. Get ready for Trump TV, America

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Ocasio-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."Again, I want to make sure that we win the House. I do believe that we will, but it's critically important that we are supporting Democrats in tight swing races, making sure that not only all of them come back but that we grow our majority. I believe that we have to see those races as they come, see what candidates are there," Ocasio-Cortez responded."I am committed to making sure that we have the most progressive candidate there. But, if Speaker Pelosi is that most progressive candidate, then I will be supporting her," she concluded.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.Last year, Pelosi clashed with Ocasio-Cortez and three other freshmen progressive congresswomen after the four voted against an emergency border-aid bill brought to the floor by leadership, saying they wanted to see more protections for migrants in the measure.“All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world,” Pelosi said after the bill passed in July last year. “But they didn’t have any following. They’re four people, and that’s how many votes they got.”Ocasio-Cortez then took issue with Pelosi’s minimizing the influence of the four representatives.“It got to a point where it was just outright disrespectful,” she said at the time. “The explicit singling out of newly elected women of color.”However, the two had an amicable meeting and united shortly afterwards on a resolution condemning President Trump's remarks about the congresswomen as racist.

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Cameroon: Children killed in attack on school in Kumba

Officials have blamed Anglophone secessionists for the attack on a private school in a restive region.

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Republicans crash Florida early vote, eating into Democrats’ lead

Dueling appearances from President Trump and former President Obama kicked off statewide early voting in Florida.

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Majority of voters say Biden won second debate, poll finds

Sixty-five percent of voters said the candidates were mostly respectful of each other's time, as opposed to 10% who said that after the first debate.

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No tightening so far after the debate.

By BY NATE COHN from NYT The Upshot https://ift.tt/2TmzJhB

Infection of Pence Aides Raises New Questions About Trump’s Virus Response

By BY MICHAEL D. SHEAR, ANNIE KARNI, MAGGIE HABERMAN AND SHERYL GAY STOLBERG from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3mssjWF

Game Day in Green Bay: Empty Sports Bars, Full Hospitals

By BY GIULIA MCDONNELL NIETO DEL RIO from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2J0pBZL

In Boston, someone set fire to a ballot drop box. Local officials decried a ‘disgrace to democracy.’

By BY NEIL VIGDOR from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/2HwPq3e

‘Dear Evan Hansen’ and ‘Leopoldstadt’ Pick Up Olivier Awards

By BY ALEX MARSHALL from NYT Theater https://ift.tt/2HprZZV

Trump’s Army of Angry White Men

By BY CHARLES M. BLOW from NYT Opinion https://ift.tt/37Fv8zj

Questions and Answers About the Bidens and a Deal in China

By BY ERIC LIPTON, KENNETH P. VOGEL AND MAGGIE HABERMAN from NYT U.S. https://ift.tt/3oqAHHT

Biden promises increased scientific investment if elected in 'most in-depth statement of priorities'

In the latest episode of Pod Save America -- a podcast hosted by several former Obama administration staffers -- the Democratic presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, laid out what Politico described as "the most in-depth statement of priorities we've heard from" the candidate.Biden, responding to the Republican Party's agenda for a second Trump administration term (which includes items focused on space exploration and a national high speed wireless network), said that, first and foremost, he's determined to "get control" of the coronavirus pandemic. Beyond that, though, he said he wants to invest in "real infrastructure," with a heavy focus on science and technology. "We used to invest a little over 2.6 percent of our GDP in research and science," Biden said. "It's now down to 0.6 percent ... We're going to make sure that we can compete with the rest of the world and lead the rest of the world."The former vice president predicted that, through these renewed efforts, "we're going to cure cancer" while making strides in research on Alzheimer's and diabetes, among other diseases. He also described an aspect of his agriculture policy plan, which he said could make the industry the first in the U.S. to reach the net zero carbon emission threshold. > I led Playbook with this podcast because @jonlovett and @danpfeiffer got Biden to talk about first term priorities in a way that I don't thin I've heard before> > Got the transcript and podcast linked in Playbook too, so you can explore the whole thing. https://t.co/71NsqXqKKD> > -- Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) October 24, 2020More stories from theweek.com Trump loses on the merits Who won the final 2020 debate? Call it a draw. Get ready for Trump TV, America

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Afghan security forces kill senior al Qaeda leader al-Masri

Afghan security forces have killed Abu Muhsin al-Masri, a senior al Qaeda leader who was on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Most Wanted Terrorists list, Afghanistan's National Directorate of Security (NDS) said in a tweet late on Saturday. The head of the U.S. National Counter-Terrorism Center, Chris Miller, confirmed al-Masri's death in a statement, saying his "removal .. from the battlefield is a major setback to a terrorist organization that is consistently experiencing strategic losses facilitated by the United States and its partners."

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My kids want to trick-or-treat, but coronavirus rates are rising. Do I have to change plans and disappoint them?

Trick-or-treating can be moderately safe if you make significant tweaks to the tradition. Alternatives, like backyard scavenger hunts, are safer.

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Murkowski to vote to confirm Barrett to the Supreme Court

Murkowski was the only Republican who did not support Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation.

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Women donors emerge as new power brokers in 2020 election as Democrats look to flip the Senate

Record-high campaign contributions from women helped Democrats take the House in 2018 and now women have their sights set on the Senate.

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Amy Coney Barrett faces recusal questions over links to Shell

Barrett previously recused herself from cases because her father worked for Shell but has failed to commit to doing so in futureAmy Coney Barrett is poised to make critical rulings on whether oil and gas companies will be held accountable for the effects of the climate crisis once she is confirmed to the supreme court, even though she has acknowledged in the past that she has a conflict of interest in cases involving Royal Dutch Shell.As an appellate court judge, Barrett – who is expected to be confirmed to the supreme court on Monday – recused herself from cases involving four Shell entities because her father worked at Shell Oil Company as a lawyer.Industry experts and lawyers have expressed concern – and doubt – whether Barrett would recuse herself from the cases again once she joins the court, in part because there are no rules for supreme court justices that would force her to do so.Pressed on the matter in written questions by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat from Rhode Island, Barrett would not commit to recusing herself from cases in the future.“The question of recusal is a threshold question of law that must be addressed in the context of the facts of each case,” she wrote. “As Justice Ginsburg described the process that supreme court justices go through in deciding whether to recuse, it involves reading the statute, reviewing precedents, and consulting with colleagues. As a sitting judge and as a judicial nominee, it would not be appropriate for me to offer an opinion on abstract legal issues or hypotheticals.”Barrett has not recused herself in the past from cases involving the oil industry’s most powerful lobby group, the American Petroleum Institute, even though her father was an “active member” of the group’s subcommittee of exploration and production law as recently as 2016, and twice served as its chairman.Environmentalists have already expressed alarm at Barrett’s handling of environment-related questions at her confirmation hearing, in which she refused to accept science that shows humans are dangerously heating the planet and said she could not opine on the issue of climate change because it was a “very contentious matter of public debate”. She separately stated that she did not hold “firm views” on climate change.Her views are behind even most mainstream Republicans, many of whom have stopped denying climate change and instead begun to downplay its impacts or suggest that a free market and new technology will be enough to fix the problem.In the very likely event that she is confirmed, Barrett’s decision about whether she will recuse herself from cases involving Shell given her conflict will be known relatively soon because the supreme court recently agreed to hear a case in which the city of Baltimore is suing major oil companies, including Shell, for damages related to the climate crisis.“Judge Barrett’s evasions last week and in responses to our questions for the record may be what Senate Republicans needed to jam this nominee through for their big donors, but that’s no good for a court that must be seen as giving every litigant a fair proceeding and impartial ruling,” said Whitehouse. “As the Senate rushes headlong to get her confirmation done before the election, we are left to wonder whether she will recuse herself in matters involving Shell subsidiaries, or the American Petroleum Institute, once in a court with no code of ethics; particularly where her evasions on climate change aligned with industry propaganda.”At the heart of the Baltimore case – whose outcome will probably influence similar legal challenges in a dozen other lawsuits across the country – is the question of whether cities and states can seek damages through state laws for harms due to the climate crisis, which they blame on the companies.According to Scotusblog, the case before the supreme court is centered on a narrow and technical procedural matter about federal law. But the handling of the case by Barrett will nevertheless be closely watched, in part because another conservative justice, Justice Samuel Alito, recused himself from the case.Of 16 lawsuits from state and local governments who want the courts to hold oil and gas companies accountable for the effects of the climate crisis, 13 name Shell.Jean Su, energy justice director and attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said if Barrett does not recuse herself on cases involving the company “it is a true reflection of the unraveling of the ethics of that court.”“If you now have the supreme judicial branch and judges who completely flout pretty cut and dry ethical rules, you are discrediting the judiciary very heavily,” Su said. “It’ll be a sign that the highest court in the land is political.”Helen Kang, a law professor and director of the Environmental Law and Justice Clinic at Golden Gate University School of Law, said that if Barrett has recused herself previously “unless there has been a change of circumstances, it appears that she should recuse herself”.

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A 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 barista Alex Beckom when she told her she had to put on a mask in Starbucks. A video of the encounter went viral.

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Lebanese Christian cleric to Hariri: avoid 'secret deals' in forming cabinet

Lebanon's top Christian cleric urged Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri on Sunday to avoid back-door deals and to quickly form a new government that will start lifting the country out of financial crisis. Veteran Sunni politician Hariri was named premier for a fourth time on Thursday, a year after huge protests against the ruling elite pushed him to quit. Hariri promised a cabinet of specialists to enact reforms set out in a French plan to unlock foreign aid.

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Indiana student, 20, killed by stray bullet while visiting New York City

Indiana University sophomore Ethan Williams had dreamed of a trip to New York City ever since seeing a Spider-Man movie as a child, his family said.

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Spain declares state of emergency over coronavirus as Italy closes cinemas, theatres and gyms

Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, declared a state of emergency and imposed a nationwide curfew on Sunday, as Italy closed down event halls and Bulgaria’s leader tested positive for coronavirus. Under Spain’s state of emergency, which was due to come into force on Sunday, citizens must remain inside their homes between 11pm and 6am unless they have a valid reason, such as work or other essential activities. Regional governments have been allowed to adjust the timing of the start and end of the curfew by one hour, while the Canary Islands have been exempted from the curfew altogether. After Spain recorded 110,000 new cases last week, passing a milestone of one million cases, Mr Sánchez said the situation was “extreme”, and urged citizens to “stay at home wherever possible”. The state of emergency also includes a “rule-of-six” limit on social gatherings, and allows regional governments to seal their borders against non-essential entry or exit, as well as place districts or cities under perimeter lockdowns. Mr Sánchez said he wants parliament to approve the state of emergency for six months, until 9 May. “Experts estimate that is the time we need to overcome the most destructive phase of the pandemic. The cost in terms of lives must be as low as possible,” he said. It came as Italy announced it would close cinemas, theatres, gyms and swimming pools, while restaurants and bars were told to shut at 6pm, in a fresh round of tough restrictions. The new rules, which come into force on Monday, were imposed after 20,000 cases of coronavirus were recorded on Saturday. Giuseppe Conte, the Italian prime minister, has stopped short of a full nationwide lockdown as the country’s economy was severely damaged by a ten-week lockdown imposed earlier in the pandemic. "Our aim is to protect health and the economy," Mr Conte said.

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'COVID, COVID, COVID': Trump complains media too focused on pandemic as US hits record cases – election updates

Trump railed against media coverage of the coronavirus pandemic: "That's all I hear about now. Turn on the TV, 'Covid, Covid, Covid, Covid."

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