Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
October 6, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Trump criticized for saying not to be afraid of Covid . . . Celebrities, political pundits, and critics responded to President Donald Trump's tweet to not "be afraid of Covid", calling the message "preposterous" and "dangerous" for the leader of a nation that has surpassed 210,000 deaths to spread. Trump returned to the White House Monday evening, despite still being infected with COVID-19, just three days
after he arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center with coronavirus symptoms that caused doctors to administer oxygen. Trump, who received around-the-clock care at Walter Reed and therapies not widely available to most patients experiencing mild symptoms, advised his followers to not let COVID-19 "dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge." USA Today
Biden says Trump responsible for contracting Covid . . . Joe Biden suggested on Monday night that President Trump is partly at fault for his own coronavirus diagnosis. Biden lobbed the criticism in an NBC town hall after host Lester Holt asked if he agreed with a poll in which 65 percent of Americans said Trump bore some responsibility for catching COVID-19. “Look, anybody who contracts the virus by essentially saying, masks don’t matter, social
distancing doesn’t matter, I think is responsible for what happens to them,” Biden said. New York Post
Trump's health remains precarious . . . Though Mr. Trump left Walter Reed medical center on Monday night to continue his recovery in the White House, the future of his health status is unclear. Physicians have warned that the president remains at a precarious point in his disease course. The coronavirus can be a tricky adversary — and for many people whose cases of Covid-19 are severe, the greatest threat to survival might not be the
pathogen itself, but the deadly forces that the body marshals to fight it. To quash the virus, the immune system unleashes an arsenal of powerful weapons. Sometimes these turn inward and destroy healthy tissues. Combatting this friendly fire has become as crucial a part of the Covid-19 treatment strategy as subduing the virus itself. New York Times
Trump removes mask upon return to White House . . . President Trump took off his mask upon his return to the White House on Monday as he posed for photos from the balcony above the South Lawn. The president posed for photos and appeared to be taking part in a video shoot. After landing in Marine One, Trump walked up the stairs of the South Portico, removed his mask and looked over the balcony. The president was near an official
photographer, and other staffers could be seen behind him. He did not put his mask back on as he turned to walk back into the White House. The Hill
Democrats investigating Trump drive by to greet supporters at hospital . . . House Democrats are launching an investigation into President Trump’s treatment of the Secret Service during his bout with the coronavirus. Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, accused Trump of disregarding the safety of his protective detail when he left Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a short
drive in his limousine to greet supporters who were outside the facility. Thompson called Trump’s Sunday night trip a “joyride” that risked the health and safety of the agents who had to accompany him on the trip. Washington Examiner
CDC acknowledges coronavirus is airborne . . . The CDC on Monday confirmed that the coronavirus is airborne and may be able to infect people who are more than six feet apart, especially indoors with poor ventilation. The agency first said last month that the virus spreads mainly through "aerosols, produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes, sings, talks, or breathes." CDC pulled that language days later, saying it had
been posted in error and required further review. The update posted Monday to the CDC website tempers that earlier warning. It acknowledges that airborne transmission is possible, but says the virus is more commonly spread when people are in close contact with someone who is infected. The agency defines close contact as within six feet of a sick person for at least 15 minutes. Politico
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Biden vows federal law legalizing abortion if Roe v Wade overturned . . . .Biden promised to protect abortion rights if they were threatened by President Trump's Supreme Court pick. Judge Amy Coney Barrett's position regarding Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that legalized abortion nationwide, has come under scrutiny as Democrats try to stop her from being elevated to the country's highest court. “We
don't know exactly what she will do, although the expectation is that she may very well move to overrule Roe," Biden said Monday during an NBC town hall. "The only responsible response to that would be to pass legislation making Roe the law of the land." Washington Examiner
Biden tries to distance from "socialists" . . . Joe Biden seemed intent to appeal to moderate Democrats during the NBC News town hall on Monday night, and told the audience that he is far from being a socialist and reminded them that he defeated one in the primaries. “I look like a socialist?” Biden told the audience. “I’m the guy that ran against the socialist, remember? I got in trouble through the whole
campaign, 20-some candidates — ‘Joe Biden was too centrist, too moderate, too straightforward.’ That was Joe Biden.” Fox News
The true socialists won't object because they know he has to do this to get elected. And once he is, they'll step in and "help."
Coronavirus shutdowns threaten Democrats' campus vote . . . College campuses that once reliably boosted Democratic candidates in key swing states have seen voter registration rates plunge amid coronavirus shutdowns, public data show. Universities across the country have embraced online-only classes or "hybrid" learning models in response to the pandemic. Those restrictions have likely dealt a blow to Democrats in some of the most
competitive election races in the country. New voter registrations in the vicinity of seven major public universities in Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and North Carolina have plummeted compared with 2016. Washington Free Beacon
Trump intends to debate Biden Oct. 15 . . . President Trump plans to take part in next week's second presidential debate in Miami, which will take place less than two weeks after the president contracted the novel coronavirus, Trump 2020 Communications Director Tim Murtaugh told Fox News. "The President intends to debate," Murtaugh said. Murtaugh's comment came less than an hour after the president left
Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. Fox News
Trump vows return to campaign trail . . . President Trump vowed a triumphant return to the campaign trail on Monday just moments before he walked out of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after contracting the coronavirus. “Will be back on the Campaign Trail soon!!! The Fake News only shows the Fake Polls,” Trump told his 87 million followers, referring to a slump in his polling numbers since announcing
he tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday. New York Post
White House not contact tracing super-spreader Rose Garden event . . . Despite almost daily disclosures of new coronavirus infections among President Trump’s close associates, the White House is making little effort to investigate the scope and source of its outbreak. The White House has decided not to trace the contacts of guests and staff members at the Rose Garden celebration 10 days ago for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, where at least eight
people, including the president, may have become infected, according to a White House official familiar with the plans. New York Times
Comey Barrett hearing to proceed . . . The Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday formally scheduled the confirmation hearings for President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett, saying that the proceedings will begin on Monday, Oct. 12.Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., announced the formal hearing on Barrett’s nomination, which is set to begin on Monday, Oct. 12, on Capitol Hill and last through
Thursday, Oct. 15. Fox News
Harris and Biden to be separated by plexiglass . . . Vice President Mike Pence and opponent Kamala Harris will duke it out between a sheet of plexiglas and 13 feet of social distancing at their first and only debate in Utah on Wednesday. The last-minute changes were approved by the Commission on Presidential Debates amid mounting concerns of COVID-19 transmission after President Trump and at least a dozen associates and White House
staffers contracted the virus. New York Post
Hopefully, they can hear each other.
Supreme Court allows restrictive GOP vote-by-mail rule in South Carolina . . . The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday ensured that a restrictive Republican-backed law in South Carolina that requires voters to have a witness sign mail-in ballots will be in place for the Nov. 3 election. The justices, granting a request by various Republican officials, put on hold a lower court ruling that had blocked the restriction. The court, in a brief order,
said that ballots already sent would not have to comply with the signature requirement. Reuters
Biden gets ripped for suggested black women stock grocery shelves . . . Joe Biden has found himself being criticized for saying that he had the luxury of staying at home during the pandemic because 'some black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf'. The Democratic presidential nominee made the comments last month, but the clip went viral on Monday after it was picked up by a pro-Trump group, and retweeted by Donald
Trump Jr. He was speaking to a group of veterans in Tampa, Florida, on September 15 and was asked about the pandemic. Daily Mail
Eric Trump testifies in probe of asset valuations . . . President Donald Trump’s son Eric was questioned under oath by the New York attorney general’s office, which is probing whether the family’s real-estate company falsely reported property values to get loans or tax benefits, according to a person familiar with the matter. Eric Trump, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization, was deposed by state investigators on
Monday via video-conference, said the person, who declined to be identified discussing the matter. Trump had initially refused to provide testimony, then unsuccessfully tried to postpone the questioning until after the November election. Bloomberg
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Chinese propaganda features attack on American soil . . . China has intensified its propaganda to feature militarist displays, including footage of a simulated airstrike on American territory. Propaganda from Chinese Communist Party-affiliated outlets has increasingly showcased Chinese military strength, featuring footage manipulated from Hollywood movies like The Rock and The Hurt Locker. "If war breaks out," one video of Chinese soldiers charging through a forest said, "this is my answer." Another video featured a Chinese aircraft attacking Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. Washington Free Beacon
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Three win Nobel physics prize for work on black holes . . . Three scientists won this year’s Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for advancing our understanding of black holes, the all-consuming monsters that lurk in the darkest parts of the universe. Briton Roger Penrose received half of this year’s prize “for the discovery that black hole formation is a robust prediction of the general theory of relativity,” according to the Royal
Swedish Academy of Sciences. German Reinhard Genzel and American Andrea Ghez received the second half of the prize “for the discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy,” the academy’s secretary-general, Goran K. Hansson, said. Associated Press
Coup attempt in Kyrgyzstan . . . Opposition groups in Kyrgyzstan said they had seized power in the strategically-important Central Asian country on Tuesday after taking control of government buildings in the capital during protests over a parliamentary election. President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said the country, which hosts a Russian air base and a large Canadian-controlled gold mine, was facing an attempted coup d’etat. He ordered security
forces not to open fire protesters however. One person was killed and 590 wounded in unrest overnight, the government said. Reuters
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House Democrats antitrust report hints at breakup of big tech firms . . . The U.S. House of Representatives antitrust report on Big Tech firms contains a “thinly veiled call to break up” the companies, Republican Congressman Ken Buck said in a draft response seen by Reuters. The House antitrust subcommittee is expected to publish its report this week on Amazon., Apple, Facebook Inc and Google owner Alphabet. A Buck representative
confirmed to Reuters the authenticity of the draft response, which was first reported by Politico. In the draft, Buck said he shared Democratic concerns about the power of Big Tech firms, with their penchant for “killer acquisitions” to eliminate rivals and self-preferencing in guiding customers to their other products. Reuters
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IRS investigating NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre for tax fraud . . . The Internal Revenue Service is investigating longtime National Rifle Association CEO Wayne LaPierre for possible criminal tax fraud related to his personal taxes, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. LaPierre was paid $2.2 million by the NRA in 2018, the most recent year available, the nonprofit group’s public filings show. His total reported pay from 2014
to 2018 was $11.2 million. In August, he was charged in a civil suit by New York Attorney General Letitia James with taking millions of dollars of allegedly undisclosed compensation from the NRA and its vendors, in the form of free yacht trips, private jet flights for his family, exotic safaris and other benefits. Wall Street Journal
Another hurricane threatens Lousiana and Florida . . . Tropical Storm Delta, the 25th named Atlantic storm this year, is moving toward the Gulf of Mexico and expected to take aim at the U.S. Gulf Coast this week as a major hurricane, the National Hurricane Center said. If Delta strikes the U.S. Gulf Coast, it would break a record that dates to 1916 for the most named storms to hit the United States, another milestone in a year marked by repeated
natural disasters ranging from floods, to wildfires to tornados. The storm was expected to drop heavy rains on Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula and head up the Gulf of Mexico toward landfall between Louisiana and Florida. Reuters
No, it's not global warming. It's a hurricane.
Supreme Court refuses case saying Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven was stolen . . . Six years of litigation over the authenticity of Led Zeppelin's classic song Stairway To Heaven is over. The U.S. Supreme Court denied a petition aimed at reviving the copyright battle that alleged the legendary English rock band stole parts of its 1971 epic tune from the 1968 song Taurus by the American band Spirit.
The high court did not explain why it declined to take on the case. Daily Mail
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Firefighters rescue college student stuck in the dryer . . . A drunk college student got herself into a weird predicament after her friends dared her to get inside a dryer.
Rosie Cole, 21 and a student at Hull University in the UK, had to be rescued from the dryer by three firefighters. “It wasn’t until I wiggled both my hips in and got my legs crossed behind me that I realized I couldn’t get out,” Cole told the outlet. “I am a bit dramatic so I didn’t think it was that bad at first and
my house mates were making me laugh.” Daily Caller
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Keith Koffler
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