As virus rages, some convinced it is too late to stop it . . . Governors around the country, particularly Republican ones, are following the president’s lead in resisting new restrictions against a virus that has powerfully persisted despite lockdowns in some areas over the spring and summer. Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota wrote that “there is no way to stop the virus,” while Gov. Doug Burgum of North Dakota said that when it comes to saving lives, “it’s not a job for government, this is a job for everybody.” In Tennessee, Gov. Bill Lee told residents that “at the end of the day, personal responsibility is the only way.” Gov. Mike Dunleavy of Alaska said in an interview that rising case numbers this fall should not cause people to go into hiding. New York Times

 

Covid curbs spark resistance across Europe . . . A wave of COVID curbs has stirred resistance across Europe, with the right-wing British politician who helped force a referendum on Brexit harnessing popular anger at a new lockdown by recasting his Brexit Party under a new banner. The United Kingdom, which has the highest official death toll in Europe from COVID-19, is grappling with more than 20,000 new coronavirus cases a day and scientists have warned the “worst case” scenario of 80,000 dead could be exceeded. Reuters

 

Clyburn says voter suppression is the only way Biden can lose . . . House Majority Whip James Clyburn insisted that 'voter suppression' is the only thing that could prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency. The South Carolina Democrat, who is black, claimed that many black residents in his state are facing voter suppression with the election looming in less than two days. Daily Mail

 

 

 

Pennsylvania: It will be days before ballots counted . . . Pennsylvania’s secretary of state on Sunday said it could be “a matter of days” before all ballots in the battleground state are counted. Kathy Boockvar told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that 2.4 million Pennsylvanians have already voted by mail, and that she estimates there will be 10 times as many mail-in ballots than in 2016, meaning they’ll take longer to tally. “I expect that the overwhelming majority of ballots in Pennsylvania, that’s mail-in and absentee ballots, as well as in-person ballots, will be counted within a matter of days,” she said. New York Post

 

Biden pledges to ban "assault" weapons and high-capacity magazines . . . Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said he will ban “assault weapons and high-capacity magazines” if he wins the election.  “It’s long past time we take action to end the scourge of gun violence in America,” Biden tweeted Sunday.  “As president, I’ll ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, implement universal background checks, and enact other common-sense reforms to end our gun violence epidemic,” he added. Washington Examiner 

 

 

Bloomberg spending tens of millions to defeat Trump . . . Billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is trying to make good on a promise he made when he exited the Democratic primary: spend whatever it takes to beat President Trump. In the final weeks of the election, Bloomberg has poured tens of millions into an advertising blitz backing Democratic nominee Joe Biden in several key swing states. Bloomberg, who is worth more than $50 billion, is listed as the second-biggest overall individual donor this cycle by the Center for Responsive Politics, topped only by mega-GOP donor and casino owner Sheldon Adelson. Washington Examiner

 

 

Trump defends drivers who harassed Biden bus . . . President Trump on Sunday night defended a group of his pickup truck driving supporters who sparked an FBI investigation by surrounding a Joe Biden campaign bus on a Texas interstate. “In my opinion, these patriots did nothing wrong,” the president tweeted about the Friday incident that led to at least one minor collision and prompted the Biden campaign to cancel several events in the state. “Instead, the FBI & Justice should be investigating the terrorists, anarchists, and agitators of ANTIFA, who run around burning down our Democrat run cities and hurting our people!” the president wrote. New York Post

 

Trump suggests he will fire Fauci . . . President Trump suggested in Miami on Sunday he might fire infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci after the election. Chants of "fire Fauci" broke out about 25 minutes into Trump's fifth campaign rally of the day. In response, Trump indicated he was open to the idea. "Don't tell anybody, but let me wait till a little after the election," he said. "I appreciate the advice." Washington Examiner

 

Biden begins campaign "sprint" in Pennsylvania . . . Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Sunday kicked off a two-day blitz in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state that both candidates are honing in on in the closing days of the campaign. Biden delivered a fiery address at a drive-in rally on Sunday evening in Philadelphia, rebuking President Trump and urging voters to turn out for him in large numbers. “In two days we can put an end to a presidency that has fanned the flames of hate all across this nation,” Biden said. The Hill

 

Crews begin building non-scalable fence aroudn White House . . . The White House is taking no chances for Election Day as crews will begin constructing a ‘non-scalable’ fence to secure the Executive Mansion, the Ellipse, and Lafayette Square, it has been reported. The potential for unrest has also prompted Metro Police in Washington, DC, to put 250 National Guardsmen on standby. Daily Mail

 

Palestinian government continues to pay terrorists . . . The Palestine Liberation Organization continues to pay terrorists and their families from government coffers despite a massive cash crunch that has paralyzed the Palestinian government, according to a non-public State Department report obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. Known as a policy of "pay to slay," the Palestinian government uses money from international donors and other aid groups to financially support imprisoned terrorists and their families. The practice has long attracted international scorn and played a significant role in the Trump administration’s 2018 decision to cut nearly $200 million in U.S. funding to the Palestinian government. Washington Free Beacon

 

Friendly's files for bankruptcy . . . Friendly’s Restaurants LLC, an iconic chain on the East Coast of the U.S. known for its sundaes, became the latest dining institution to go bankrupt amid the pandemic.

The company filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware on Sunday, according to a filing. It listed estimated liabilities of $50 million to $100 million, and estimated assets of $1 million to $10 million. FIC Restaurants Inc., which operates the Friendly’s brand, will sell substantially all of its assets to Amici Partners Group, according to a press release. Nearly all of Friendly’s 130 corporate-owned and franchised restaurant locations will likely remain open subject to pandemic limitations, it said. Bloomberg

 

America boards up ahead of the election . . . Tuesday’s presidential election has the nation on edge and business and property owners in some of America’s major cities are taking no chances in case violence spills out into the streets. Workers were seen this weekend all across the country boarding up store fronts, business offices, restaurants, banks, hair salons, and other places of commerce as law enforcement warned of possible unrest on Tuesday night. Daily Mail

 

John Depp branded a wife beater . . . A U.K. judge ruled Monday that the 2018 article in British tabloid The Sun that branded Johnny Depp a "wife beater" was not libelous after a contentious legal showdown this summer. Judge Andrew Nicol delivered his verdict in writing without a hearing – due to the coronavirus – at the High Court in London, dismissing Depp's complaint against The Sun and finding that "the great majority" of Amber Heard's claims of assault could be "proved to the civil standard." USA Today

 

Indian doctor pays  £72,000 for Aladdin's Lamp only to find no genie . . . A doctor in India paid £72,000 for an 'Aladdin's Lamp' after tricksters faked a genie and said it would bring him riches and good fortune. Dr. Leeak Khan told police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh that a trickster pretended to be an occultist and made a genie appear from the lamp. But the genie was a second conman who was in on the swindle. The impressed victim paid seven million rupees for the lamp but when he brought it home and a genie failed to appear he realized he had been a victim of an audacious scam and contacted police. Mirror