Trump admits vaccine will not be available before election . . . Trump has admitted that a vaccine will likely not be available until after the November 3 election. In a video shared on Twitter, Trump addressed the American people's concerns for a vaccine to combat the virus that has killed more than 210,000 people and infected more than 7 million others in the US alone. The president has repeatedly expressed his wish for a vaccine to be available prior to the election. 'We're going to have a great vaccine very, very shortly. I think we should have it before the election, but frankly the politics gets involved and that's OK,' Trump said in the video that was recorded outside the White House. Daily Mail

 

 

Trump calls his Covid a "blessing from God" . . . Trump credited Regeneron Pharmaceutical Inc.’s experimental monoclonal antibody treatment with his apparent recovery from the coronavirus, and announced Wednesday his intention to authorize emergency use of the therapeutic and provide it free to Americans. “I want everybody to be given the same treatment as your president, because I feel great,” Trump said in a video posted on Twitter Wednesday evening. “To me it wasn’t therapeutic, it just made me better, O.K.?” he said. “I call that a cure.” Trump added that he believed his brush with the virus was “a blessing from God” because it gave him first-hand experience with the Regeneron monoclonal antibodies, which he described as “key” to his recovery. Bloomberg

 

 

Americans oppose Democratic court packing plan . . . Even Democrats don’t want what Democratic leaders want, which is to stack the Court with liberals. This is why Joe Biden won’t answer the question about whether he backs the plan. He know’s it’s unpopular, but he doesn’t want to anger the Left. According to the Washington Examiner: Only 1 in 3 registered voters favor a Democratic proposal to expand the Supreme Court in order to install a liberal majority, according to a new poll. White House Dossier

 

 

Well, it’s good to see Jane Fonda making as much sense as she ever did. Covid has “ripped the bandaid” off who Trump “is and what he stands for,” she said. Anyway, everyone knows that God votes Republican.

 

Lindsey Graham race moves to toss-up . . . The Cook Political Report changed its prediction for Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham’s Senate race, moving it from “lean Republican” to a “toss-up.” The race has continued to tighten between Graham and his Democratic opponent Jaime Harrison, who is neck and neck with Graham in the polls as of Wednesday when Cook changed their prediction of the race. In April, Cook moved the race from “solid Republican” to “lean Republican.” Daily Caller

 

 

Trump returns to the Oval Office . . . President Trump Wednesday returned to the Oval Office to work for the first time since returning Wednsday from Walter Reed medical center, where he was treated for Covid-19. Trump was being briefed on stimulus talks and the hurricane threatening Texas and Louisiana, an aide said. Trump remains positive for coronavirus, and while he is doing well, his outlook is not yet completely clear. The White House says precautions are being taken to keep him from infecting aides. White House Dossier

 

Pelosi open to aid for airlines but resists stimulus checks . . . House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signaled openness to an airline-relief bill in a call with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin after President Donald Trump pulled his negotiators from broader stimulus talks.

Pelosi’s receptiveness to stand-alone legislation for airlines doesn’t appear to include other elements of what was to have been a comprehensive relief package, however. She rejected pressure from Trump to green-light a bill authorizing $1,200 individual stimulus checks, saying that was insufficient to address the Covid-19 challenge. Bloomberg

 

Two "ISIS Beatles appear in Virginia court . . . Two terror suspects known as one half of the 'ISIS Beatles' appeared on U.S. soil for the first time on Wednesday, after having been flown from Iraq to stand trial in Virginia. Alexanda Kotey, 36, and El Shafee Elsheikh, 32, made their first federal court appearance this afternoon, appearing via videolink in Alexandria at 5pm. The pair were indicted on eight charges, including conspiracy to murder and hostage-taking resulting in death, in connection with the killing of four US hostages in Syria and Iraq. Daily Mail

 

National security concerns emerge with as top brass goes into quarantine . . . The quarantining of most of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, coming on the heels of President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, is raising fears that U.S. adversaries might seek to exploit a perceived weakness. Few expect any sort of overt military action, but there are other ways to wreak havoc on the United States. Chief among them is disinformation. Experts have been warning ever since Trump tested positive for the coronavirus last week that disinformation is likely to kick into overdrive. The Hill

 

Iranian terror proxies propping up Venzuela's Maduro . . . A network of Iranian terror proxy groups operating in Latin America, including Hezbollah, are providing the resources necessary for dictator Nicolas Maduro's regime in Venezuela to flourish, according to a new investigation released on Wednesday. Maduro's oppressive regime has faced down months of U.S. opposition and sanctions by forming "an extensive relationship with several foreign terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah and its terror sponsor the Islamic Republic of Iran," according to a new report. Washington Free Beacon

 

Tasmanian Devils return to Australia for the first time in 3,000 years . . . The Tasmanian Devil is back on the Australian mainland after almost going extinct. The Tasmanian Devil was listed as endangered on the United Nation’s Red List back in 2008. Actor Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky helped released 11 of the animals back into a wildlife sanctuary, the outlet reported. Daily Caller

 

 

Economists downgrade economic forecast . . . Economists are dialing back their forecasts for U.S. economic growth this year as prospects fade for a renewed round of government stimulus. Economists expect to see more workers facing permanent layoffs and a wave of business closures rather than the temporary shock and quick bounce back that some policy makers envisioned earlier this year. That could portend the kind of lackluster growth that followed the last economic downturn. Wall Street Journal

 

Derek Chauvin released from custody . . . Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer charged with second-degree murder for the death of George Floyd during a May 25 arrest, was released from custody Wednesday after posting a $1 million bond. Mr. Chauvin, 44 years old, was arrested May 31 and initially held in Hennepin County jail before being moved to a state facility. He is charged with killing Mr. Floyd by pressing his knee into Mr. Floyd’s neck for an extended period. A bystander’s video of the killing shared on social media sparked a summer of protest and unrest in Minneapolis and across the U.S. Wall Street Journal

 

"Halloween decoration" in parking lot turns out to be dead body . . .  A passerby who thought they spotted a Halloween decoration in the parking lot of a Maryland bar actually discovered a dead body, a report said Wednesday. The unidentified person called 911 after seeing what they believed to be the Halloween decoration in the parking lot of a closed bar called the Rustic Inn in White Marsh, outside of Baltimore, WBAL reported.

Police responded and discovered the dead body. New York Post

 

I like Halloween as much as everyone else, but this is taking it too far.

 

CNN reporter battles with raccoon at White House . . . CNN's Joe Johns went viral on Tuesday night after a confrontation with a raccoon on the White House lawn. The network's senior Washington correspondent can be seen in the video throwing what appeared to be a work bag at the animal while attempting to shoo it away. “Frickin' raccoons, man. God, again! This is the second time! Jesus ... It always comes around right around when I’m about to go on TV ... get!" a frustrated Johns said before growling at the raccoon. The Hill