Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
October 7, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Trump orders declassification of all documents related to "Russia Hoax" . . . President Donald Trump said Tuesday he has authorized the declassification of all intelligence documents related to what he called the “Russia hoax,” though he did not say what information he has approved for disclosure. “I have fully authorized the total Declassification of any & all documents pertaining to the single greatest political CRIME in American
History, the Russia Hoax. Likewise, the Hillary Clinton Email Scandal,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday. “No redactions!” Trump has said multiple times during his presidency that he authorized declassification of Russia-related documents only to backtrack later. But with just 28 days until the election, Republicans have grown anxious that information about FBI and CIA intelligence-gathering activities related to the Trump campaign will never see the light of day. Daily Caller
Spy chief releases redacted documents . . . National Intelligence Director John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified documents that claim Hillary Clinton ordered “a campaign plan to stir up a scandal” by linking President Trump to Russia in 2016 — and that then-President Barack Obama knew about her possible role. But many items are redacted. New York Post
Chinese Covid vaccine appears safe . . . A Chinese experimental coronavirus vaccine being developed by the Institute of Medical Biology under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences was shown to be safe in an early stage clinical trial, researchers said. In a Phase 1 trial of 191 healthy participants aged between 18 and 59, vaccination with the group’s experimental shot showed no severe adverse reactions, its researchers said on
Tuesday in a paper posted on medRxiv preprint server ahead of peer review. The most common adverse reactions reported by the trial participants were mild pain, slight fatigue and redness, itching and swelling at the injection site. Reuters
|
|
Majority of Americans expect violence after election . . . A new poll shows a large swath of Americans harbor deep reservations about the election results weeks before Election Day and are concerned
about what actions people might resort to as a consequence. The YouGov poll of 1,999 registered voters found that nearly half – 47% – disagree with the idea that the election "is likely to be fair and honest." And that slightly more than half – 51% – won't "generally agree on who is the legitimately elected president of the United States." In addition, a YouGov poll of 1,505 voters found that 56% said
they expect to see "an increase in violence as a result of the election." That question had a margin of error of 4.2 percentage points. USA Today
VP debate a chance for Pence to score points on policy . . .
The vice presidential debates are generally an afterthought to the main event, where both candidates aim to get through the night without doing any harm to their running mate. Not this time. “You add the performance on Tuesday when people got very little substantive information,” said Jeanne Zaino, professor of political
science at Iona College of last week’s presidential debate, “and I think it will mean more eyes on these vice presidential candidates." For Vice President Mike Pence, it is an opportunity to fill in some of the process and policy questions that got lost in last week’s chaotic clash between Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Washington Examiner
Trump campaign releases touchdown parody video
Biden afraid of debating Trump if he's still positive for Covid . . .
Biden said Tuesday he and President Trump should not go ahead with next week's presidential debate if Trump still has COVID-19.
Biden said the pair's second scheduled faceoff should follow protocols from health officials. The former vice president said he will ultimately be guided by the Cleveland Clinic, which is overseeing health conditions for all presidential and vice presidential debates this year. The Hill
Video || Michelle Obama accuses Trump of racism in "closing argument" for Biden . . . Michelle Obama Tuesday waded into the campaign with an extended, 24-minute lecture calling President Trump racist and saying voters need to check their consciences and vote for Joe Biden “I
want everyone who is still undecided to think about all those folks like me and my ancestors the millions of folks who look like me and fought and died and toiled as slaves and soldiers and laborers to help build this country,” she sad. “Racism, fear, division, these are powerful weapons. And they can destroy this nation if we don’t deal with them head on . . . Search your hearts, and your conscience, and then vote for Joe Biden like your lives depend on it.” White House Dossier
Well, at least if this is the "closing argument," maybe that's the last we'll hear from her.
Seniors moving away from Trump . . . Senior voters, who comprise one of the largest voting blocs in the country, are supporting President Donald Trump at far lower rates in critical battlegrounds than four years ago, according to a slew of recent polls. In 2016, Trump’s victories in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania were clinched by his support from voters 65+, winning them by one, four and 10 points, respectively. Now,
however, polls show Trump trailing Democratic nominee Joe Biden among senior voters in all three states. Daily Caller
Trump campaign beating Democrats at voter registration in key states . . . The Republicans have cut the Democratic Party’s voter registration edge in key states, a development President Trump’s campaign views as a hidden advantage as polls show rival Joe Biden growing his lead. In Pennsylvania, the Republican Party has sliced the Democrats’ dominance with registered voters by nearly 200,000 since Election Day 2016. The Republicans also
made up ground in North Carolina, reducing the Democrats’ superiority among registered voters by 243,000 compared to four years ago. In Florida, the GOP chopped the Democratic advantage by 154,000. In Iowa, the Republicans turned a nearly 15,000 voter registration deficit on March 1 into a 13,000 lead on Thursday. Washington Examiner
Voter registration also reflects enthusiasm, which is definitely in Trump's corner. A colleague of mine just complete a cross-country drive. All the signs on lawns were for Trump.
Trump's Covid disease entering critical phase . . . Far from having vanquished Covid-19, the outside doctors said, Mr. Trump is most likely still struggling with it and entering a pivotal phase — seven to 10 days after the onset of symptoms — in which he could rapidly take a turn for the worse. He’s 74, male and moderately obese, factors that put him at risk for severe disease. New York Times
Trump campaign video touts a glorious return to the White House . . . A triumphant Hollywood return. They weren’t going to let this go to waste. And they shouldn’t. I just hope he’ll be okay where he is now. He probably should still be in the hospital. But people are who they are. It’s not like President Trump to remain in a sickbed any longer than he feels he has to. And whether it is the wisest thing to do medically or not, it also says something
about who he is.I do not think Joe Biden’s super-careful Covid approach, rarely ventruing outside of Delaware — or even his basement — beyond neighboring Pennsylvania, is going to play well in the end with Americans. White House Dossier
The cautions experts and pundits offer about safety make medical sense. But those who repeat them endlessly don’t necessarily feel the loneliness and economic desolation that also causes untold damage. And Americans are not about hiding, even if I also think some of them should be more careful and Trump should not tell
people they shouldn’t fear this virus.
Democratic North Carolina Senate candidate snared in sex scandal . . . Cal Cunnignham, Democrats' nominee for the crucial Senate race in North Carolina, is facing new scrutiny about an extramarital affair that has entirely upended the contest just four weeks before Election Day. Arlene Guzman Todd, a woman from California, confirmed that she and Cunningham had been "intimate" in July, and additional text messages between Guzman Todd and a
third, unidentified individual, further describe the details of their relationship. This is the first corroboration of a physical, consensual relationship between Cunningham and Guzman Todd, though it was previously reported that they had exchanged sexually suggestive text messages. Politico
The Senate seat held by Republican Thom Tillis was viewed as in jeopardy. Now, maybe not, assuming Thom has kept his own pant on.
|
|
Pompeo: US will be a "good partner for security" with Taiwan . . . Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged that the United States is “a good partner” to prevent China from taking over Taiwan by force. “Our military has been very active in the region, ensuring that we have a presence so that we can ensure that there is, in fact, a capacity for a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Pompeo told the Nikkei
Asian Review while traveling in Japan. "These are the kind of things one does. Whether it's Taiwan or the challenge presented to Japan, the United States will be a good partner for security in every dimension.” Washington Examiner
|
|
Countries across the world turn against China . . . Three in four citizens in over a dozen first-world nations dislike the People's Republic of China, data released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center reveal. Citizens of nations such as Japan, the United States, and France have grown increasingly skeptical of China over the past decade, with half on average reporting an unfavorable view as recently as 2018. But over the
past two years, Pew's survey data show, that figure has spiked, rising to an average of two in three disapproving in 2019, and then to three in four in 2020. This latest spike is linked to widespread discontent with how China has handled the coronavirus pandemic, which started in Wuhan before spreading to the rest of the world. Washington Free
Beacon
|
|
Fed chair presses Congress for more relief, warning of "tragic" scenario . . . Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Tuesday said Congress should err on the side of overdoing it with the next economic relief bill, saying a conservative approach could imperil a rebound from the coronavirus recession. Powell warned of a "tragic" scenario where "a long period of unnecessarily slow progress could continue to exacerbate existing
disparities in our economy." He said too little support from policymakers would "lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses." Daily Caller
Trump says he will back specific measures after initially cutting off stimulus talks . . . President Trump late Tuesday signaled he would support specific measures on stimulus checks, help for the airline industry and small business loans, hours after cutting off bipartisan talks for more coronavirus relief. “The House & Senate should IMMEDIATELY Approve 25 Billion Dollars for Airline Payroll Support, & 135 Billion Dollars
for Paycheck Protection Program for Small Business. Both of these will be fully paid for with unused funds from the Cares Act. Have this money. I will sign now!” Trump tweeted Tuesday, referring to the coronavirus stimulus package passed in March. The Hill
|
|
Prosecutors drop trespassing charges against BLM and indict McCloskeys . . . St. Louis lawyer Mark McCloskey decried a grand jury's decision to indict him and his wife after the city declined to prosecute members of a Black Lives Matter crowd accused of trespassing on the couple's property.
On Tuesday, McCloskey and his wife were indicted on charges of exhibiting guns and tampering with evidence in connection to a June protest in which the couple confronted Black Lives Matter protesters on their property. "What you're witnessing here, in this case, is just an opportunity for the government—the leftist, Democrat government—of the city of St. Louis to persecute us for doing no more than exercising our Second Amendment rights," McCloskey said in a press conference after
the indictment. Washington Free Beacon
This will get thousands of gun advocates to the polls.
Facebook bans QAnon groups . . . Facebook Inc. said it would step up its crackdown on QAnon, removing more groups and pages devoted to the fast-growing conspiracy-theory movement that has thrived on social media. The move builds on Facebook’s efforts announced in August to remove QAnon pages and groups that included discussions of potential violence. The company will now ban any pages or groups dedicated to QAnon across Facebook, as well as
Instagram accounts focused on QAnon content. The new policy doesn’t ban individuals from posting about the movement. Wall Street Journal
Antifa violence escalates as movement goes mainstream . . . As the movement enters the mainstream, its sympathizers are escalating the violence from throwing rocks and blocking doors to physical assaults and, for the first time, killing. The rising level of violence from the group marks a sinister evolution
from minor street crime to guerrilla tactics usually reserved for revolutionaries. “The fear is that we are witnessing the beginning of something that could be more violent over time,” said Michael Kenney, a University of Pittsburgh professor who has interviewed Antifa sympathizers. Washington
Times
Eddie Van Halen, RIP . . . Eddie Van Halen, the guitar virtuoso whose blinding speed, control and innovation propelled his band Van Halen into one of hard rock’s biggest groups and became elevated to the status of rock god, has died. He was 65. A person close to Van Halen’s family confirmed the rocker died Tuesday due to cancer. With his distinct solos, Eddie Van Halen fueled the ultimate California party band and helped knock disco off the charts
starting in the late 1970s with his band’s self-titled debut album and then with the blockbuster record “1984,” which contains the classics “Jump,” “Panama” and “Hot for Teacher.” Associated Press
|
|
Surgeon general breaks lockdown rules . . . US Surgeon General Jerome Adams was reportedly slapped with a citation for violating coronavirus lockdown rules in Hawaii. Adams, who was helping out with a spike of cases on the island this summer, received the citation dated Aug 23, for congregating in a park that was closed to the public during the pandemic to prevent crowded gatherings. “Observed ADAMS in Kualoa Regional Park with
two other males standing, looking at the view taking pictures,” wrote the officer who ticketed the federal official. New York Post
Wide-bodied bear named "747" crowned Alaska's fattest . . .
In Alaska’s annual battle of heavyweights, a salmon-chomping bruin named 747 – like the jetliner – has emerged as the most fabulously fat. The bear, one of more than 2,200 brown bears roaming Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve, was victorious on Tuesday after a week of frenzied online voting in what has become an
international sensation: Fat Bear Week. Winner 747 was a worthy champion, the park said in a statement. “This year he really packed on the pounds, looking like he was fat enough to hibernate in July and yet continuing to eat until his belly seemed to drag along the ground by late September,” the park said. Reuters
|
|
Do you love Cut to the News? Let your family and friends know about it! They'll thank you for it. Spread the word . . .
By Email - use the message that pops up or write your own. On Facebook - On FB, write your own message
Thank you for doing it.
Have a great day.
Keith
Keith Koffler
If you enjoy Cut to the News, please help support it. You can make a single contribution or set up regular payments, like a voluntary subscription. Donate here today. Thank you for your generosity.
Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning.
|
|
|
