Johnson & Johnson halts vaccine trial after one unexplained illness . . . Johnson & Johnson JNJ.N has paused clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine candidate due to an unexplained illness in a study participant, delaying one of the highest profile efforts to contain the global pandemic. The move comes around a month after AstraZeneca AZN.L also suspended trials of its experimental coronavirus vaccine - which uses a similar technology - due to a participant falling ill. J&J said on Monday the illness was being reviewed by an independent data and safety monitoring board as well as the U.S. group’s clinical and safety physicians. Reuters

 

Nevada man's Covid reinfection is first in US . . . An otherwise healthy 25-year-old Nevada man is the first American confirmed to have caught COVID-19 twice, with the second infection worse than the first. He has recovered, but his case raises questions about how long people are protected after being infected with the coronavirus that causes the disease, and potentially how protective a vaccine might be. "It's a yellow caution light," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, who was not involved in the research. USA Today

 

WHO warns against lockdowns . . . The World Health Organization has warned leaders against relying on COVID-19 lockdowns to tackle outbreaks — after previously saying countries should be careful how quickly they reopen. WHO envoy Dr. David Nabarro said such restrictive measures should only be treated as a last resort, the British magazine the Spectator reported in a video interview. “We in the World Health Organization do not advocate lockdowns as the primary means of control of this virus,” Nabarro said. “The only time we believe a lockdown is justified is to buy you time to reorganize, regroup, rebalance your resources, protect your health workers who are exhausted, but by and large, we’d rather not do it.” Fox News

 

Trump promises kisses and victory as he returns to campaign trail . . . A week after leaving the hospital, President Trump returned to the campaign trail, telling a raucous rally crowd that he was immune to the virus that laid him low and joked about wading into the audience to deliver “big, fat” kisses. He hurled face masks into the crowd as he arrived and danced to the Village People’s disco track "Y.M.C.A." as he left in a display of rhythmic vigor. "It's great to be back in my home state, Florida, to make my official return to the campaign trail," he declared in front of thousands of mostly maskless supporters standing shoulder to shoulder. "I am so energized by your prayers and humbled by your support.” Washington Examiner

 

 

Incredible. Eleven days ago I watched him leave the White House and wondered if he was going to return.

 

Fauci opposes Trump rallies . . . Anthony Fauci, the nation’s infectious disease expert, on Monday warned that President Trump’s campaign rallies, where social distancing and mask-wearing aren’t required, are “asking for trouble” as COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

Asked by CNN’s Jake Tapper if he is worried about the public health consequences of Trump’s rallies, Fauci replied, “We know that is asking for trouble when you do that. We’ve seen that when you have situations of congregate settings where there are a lot of people without masks, the data speak for themselves.” The Hill

 

Biden says he's "not a fan" of packing the Supreme Court . . . Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Monday that he is “not a fan” of expanding the Supreme Court, his clearest answer on the issue after weeks of dodging the question. “I’ve already spoken on -- I’m not a fan of court packing, but I don’t want to get off on that whole issue,” Biden said in an interview with WKRC-TV in Cincinnati. “I want to keep the focus -- the president would like nothing better than to fight about whether or not I would in fact pack the court or not pack the court.” Bloomberg

 

Well, that's a start. I guess he's feeling the pressure.

 

Video || Biden thinks he is running for Senate

 

A lot of people will be relieved to learn he is actually running for the Senate. He seems to be running in Ohio though, not sure how good his chances are there.

 

Rep. Doug Collins introduces resolution to remove Pelosi as House Speaker . . . Rep. Doug Collins on Monday introduced a resolution to push for the removal of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, claiming she “does not have the mental fitness” to lead the House of Representatives. “Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s unwillingness to abide by the Constitution, combined with her recent actions, call into question her own mental fitness, which is why it’s critical that the House of Representatives demand her removal from the line of succession,” Collins said in a statement to Fox News. A draft of Collins’ resolution, obtained by Fox News, argues that Pelosi “is unable to adequately serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives and should therefore be removed from her position.” Fox News

 

Ah, what goes around, comes around.

 

Trump backers chant "CNN sucks" as Jim Acosta reports from Trump rally . . . CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta did not receive the warmest welcome while reporting from the Trump rally in Sanford, Fla. Hours before President Trump made his debut on the campaign trail following his recovery from the coronavirus, Acosta told "The Situation Room" anchor Wolf Blitzer about the planned rallies the president has on his schedule including Iowa and North Carolina, states Acosta asserted should have been "in the bag" for the GOP incumbent. However, a couple of rallygoers are heard chanting "CNN sucks," which grew louder quickly with more people piling on the anti-Trump network.  "And as this crowd is chanting that there are members of the press here who suck, I should also point out, Wolf, what also sucks- getting the coronavirus," Acosta said. Fox News

 

 

Cal Cunningham doing better in NC Senate race after cheating scandal . . . North Carolina Democratic senatorial candidate Cal Cunningham is leading his challenger, Sen. Thom Tillis, even after a cheating scandal that brought him national news attention, according to a poll released Monday. A SurveyUSA poll put Cunningham 10 percentage points ahead of Tillis. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they would vote for Cunningham, 39% said they would vote for Tillis, 3% said they would vote for someone else, and 8% said they were undecided. The question carried with it, however, a significant margin of error at plus or minus 4.8 points. Washington Examiner

 

 

Iran seeks "strategic partnership" with China . . . Iranian president Hassan Rouhani recently called for a "strategic partnership" with the similarly anti-American regime in China. Rouhani remarked October 1 that Tehran and Beijing had taken a "major step" forward in its 25-year partnership. The two countries have deepened security, technological, and economic ties in recent months, though many details of a potential breakthrough agreement remain unclear. A partnership with China gives Iran an opportunity to revive its shattered export regime. Foreign investment in Iran's oil trade has ground to a halt. Washington Free Beacon

 

Covid creeping into Europe's schools . . . Parents across the continent sent their children back to school a month ago after officials insisted there was scant evidence the virus would spread among children in school. Now schools are reporting thousands of cases in some of Europe’s biggest coronavirus hot spots. The rising numbers are an early-warning sign for the U.S., where schools that opened for in-person classes across the country are trying to prevent clusters at a time cases are trending higher nationally. Wall Street Journal

 

Kim Jong UN apologizes to his people, weeps . . . The North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, shed tears as he issued a rare apology for his failure to guide the country through tumultuous times exacerbated by the coronavirus outbreak. Speaking at a huge military parade, Kim removed his glasses and wiped away tears – an indication, analysts say, of mounting pressure on his regime.

“Our people have placed trust, as high as the sky and as deep as the sea, in me, but I have failed to always live up to it satisfactorily,” he said, according to a translation of his comments in the Korea Times. “I am really sorry for that.” The Guardian

 

 

Larry Summers: Covid will cost US economy $16 trillion . . . The Covid-19 pandemic will exact a $16 trillion toll on the U.S. -- four times the cost of the Great Recession -- when adding the costs of lost lives and health to the direct economic impact, according to former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers and fellow Harvard University economist David Cutler. About half of that amount is related to lost gross domestic product as a result of economic shutdowns and the ongoing spread of the virus, while the other half comes from health losses including premature death and mental and long-term health impairments.  Bloomberg

 

Apple to unveil new 5G iPhone with 30x zoom camera . . . Apple is revealing its next-generation Tuesday that is rumored to include 5G connectivity and boast squared-off edges – but new leaks provide more details of what many are calling the iPhone 12. The smartphone is set to have a 30x zoom camera that is capable of focusing in on objects and people three times farther than previous models. Previous leaks suggested there will be four models release during the ‘Hi, Speed’ event and the latest news to surface says pricing will range from $699 to $1,099, with pre-orders starting October 16. Daily Mail

 

Netflix CEO defends Cuties movie sexualizing children . . . Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has defended the platform's decision to stream controversial movie Cuties and complained about 'censoring storytelling' after a Texas grand jury last week criminally indicted the streaming giant for depicting children in a lewd manner. Directed by French-Senegalese director Maimouna Doucoure and released online in early September, the coming- of-age film follows the story of a rebellious 11-year-old Parisian girl called Amy who joins a dance group started by three other girls from her neighborhood. Daily Mail

 

Columbus Day fans defiantly celebrate . . . His statues have been toppled and his holiday increasingly displaced by Indigenous Peoples Day, but Christopher Columbus still has plenty of Italian American fans, who refused Monday to be shut down by the protests or the pandemic. In New York, the Columbus Citizens Foundation replaced its annual extravaganza with a “virtual parade,” an Italian Heritage & Achievement event featuring Gov. Andrew Cuomo that culminated in the unveiling of a statue of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, also known as Mother Cabrini, in Battery Park. “I’m so happy that this day has finally arrived,” said the foundation’s chairman, Angelo Vivolo. Washington Times

 

Harry Reid says US covering up UFO evidence . . . Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the US government has been hiding key details about UFO encounters from the public for years. Reid made the claim in the newly released documentary. ‘Why the federal government all these years has covered up, put brake pads on everything, stopped it, I think it’s very, very bad for our country,’ Reid tells Fox in the film. When asked if he’s saying there’s still some evidence that hasn’t yet been publicly disclosed, Reid replies: ‘I’m saying most of it hasn’t seen the light of day.’ Daily Mail

 

Roberta McCain, mother of former senator, dies at 108 . . . Roberta McCain, whose son, Senator John McCain of Arizona, said she had inspired his will to survive as a prisoner of war in Vietnam — and who at 96 campaigned spiritedly in his losing bid for the presidency against Barack Obama in 2008 — died on Monday at her home in Washington. She was 108. Her death was announced on Twitter by her daughter-in-law, Cindy McCain. An adventurous world traveler who took frequent home dislocations in stride and wartime family perils with outward calm, Mrs. McCain was Navy through and through  — the wife and daughter-in-law of admirals and the mother of the naval aviator who was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and who, for five and a half years, was America’s most famous prisoner of the Vietnam War. New York Times

 

Foul-mouthed parrots forced to be separated by zoo . . . Five foul-mouthed parrots have had to be separated after encouraging each other to swear at a Lincolnshire zoo. The parrots - named Billy, Eric, Tyson, Jade, and Elsie - joined Elngland's Lincolnshire Wildlife Centre’s colony of 200 grey parrots in August. But it did not take them long to ruffle a few feathers with their foul language. “We saw it very quickly; we are quite used to parrots swearing but we’ve never had five at the same time,” Steve Nichols, CEO of the wildlife park said. Nichols explained that nobody had complained about the parrots, but they were separated for the sake of young visitors. “People have come to us, they think it’s highly amusing, we haven’t had one complaint,” he added. “When a parrot tells you to f*** off it amuses people very highly. Sky News