Daily infection rate hit 91,000 . . . The White House coronavirus task force warned that much of the country is in the grips of an “unrelenting” surge in COVID-19 cases and urged tough countermeasures, as the number of U.S. infections reported on Thursday hit a new daily record of more than 91,000. The hardest-hit regions in the West and Midwest encompass a number of battleground states expected to play a pivotal role in Tuesday’s U.S. presidential election contest between Republican incumbent Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, Joe Biden. Reuters

 

United offers New York-London flights for which everyone gets tested . . . United Airlines will begin offering flights from New York to London where every single passenger on board must take — and pass — a COVID-19 test, the carrier announced Thursday. Starting Nov. 16 through Dec. 11, United will provide free rapid tests for every crew member and passenger over 2 years old on select Heathrow Airport-bound trips out of Newark, New Jersey — and put anyone who refuses to get tested on a different flight. New York Post

 

Trump makes late pitch on the economy . . . President Trump’s campaign is seizing on record-breaking U.S. economic growth in the third quarter to make a last-ditch effort at convincing voters that he is the best candidate to handle the recovery from the coronavirus recession. U.S. gross domestic product increased at annualized rate of 33.1 percent, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, the fastest increase in modern history after a second-quarter collapse of even greater magnitude. The Hill

 

 

Court blocks Minnesota plan to count absentee ballots after Election Day . . . A federal appeals court on Thursday said Minnesota’s plan to count absentee ballots received after Election Day was illegal, siding with Republicans in the battleground state. In a 2-1 decision, the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals said the deadline extension was an unconstitutional maneuver by the state’s top election official, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, a Democrat. Reuters

 

 

Trump has built nearly 400 miles of border wall . . . It’s much less than President Trump promised. But it’s something, and it is interfering with smuggling and illegal immigration. According to the Washington Examiner: The Trump administration touted the completion of nearly 400 miles of border wall system along the U.S.-Mexico border in a ceremony staged days ahead of the presidential election. “Without the president’s vision and dedication, we would not be here today to celebrate the construction of nearly 400 miles of new state-of-the-art border wall system,” said acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf. White House Dossier

 

 

Video || Trump backer tries to talk sense into CNN after question on accepting election result . . .This whole notion of President Trump being unwilling to concede the election is nonsense. Both he and Joe Biden have said the same thing: That they will accept the result of a fair election. Obviously if there is massive voter fraud or if the vote is extreme close, this thing is going to the courts. And Trump has accepted every decision a judge has handed down. It’s the Democrats who want to change the entire judiciary system to accommodate their wishes. White House Dossier

 

Biden press secretary declines to deny Joe Biden met with Hunter associate . . . I love the reason given. “We’re not going to waste any time on this.” How much time does it take to say, “No.”? Not to mention that Joe Biden has spent the entire election wasting time in his basement. White House Dossier

 

Elizabeth Warren wants to be Biden's Treasury Secretary . . . Elizabeth Warren wants to be Joe Biden's Treasury secretary and will make her case for it if he wins next week, according to three Democratic officials who have spoken with her inner circle. “She wants it,” two of them said matter-of-factly. Warren’s moves could set up the marquee fight between the party's left and its center over what will be one of the most consequential Cabinet roles in the next administration. Politico

 

Another reason to flee the country.
 

 

Donald Trump Jr. says Covid deaths "almost nothing" as count nears 100 a day . . . Donald Trump Jr. on Thursday said COVID deaths 'are almost nothing' on the day nearly 1,000 Americans died from the virus and as cases hit a record high. The president's oldest son told Fox News' Laura Ingraham that CNN's Sanjay Gupta and those who agree with him are 'truly morons' for warning voters who have attended his father's rallies to quarantine for 14 days. Daily deaths remain low compared the counts seen in the spring, but are now creeping toward 1,000 a day, with 974 fatalities recorded Thursday. Daily Mail

 

 

Most Americans disapprove of Trump mass rallies . . . Nearly six in 10 Americans disapprove of Trump's decision to continue to hold large rallies during the pandemic, according to the poll, while nearly 64% approve of Biden's decision to jettison big events in favor of much smaller gatherings. The rallies are held outdoors, usually at airports, and supporters are packed in tight. While some rallygoers wear masks, many do not and Trump himself does not wear one. USA Today

 

Trump administration to allow Americans born in Jerusalem to list "Israel" as birthplace . . . The Trump administration, in a major reversal of U.S. foreign policy, will now permit Americans born in Jerusalem to list "Israel" as their birthplace on passports and other consular documents, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Thursday. The issue has been a flashpoint in U.S. diplomacy for many years. Previous administrations would not allow those born in Jerusalem to include Israel as the holy city’s location, citing a policy of not taking a stand on the contested area that is claimed by both Jews and Palestinians as their capital city. Washington Free Beacon

 

Pentagon leaders under threat . . . U.S. military, intelligence and law enforcement officials were briefed late last month on a threat against the Pentagon's most senior leaders while they are on American soil, not just traveling overseas, according to five senior U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the matter. Some officials said the briefings suggested the threat, which remains active, may be potential retaliation for the U.S. military's assassination of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January, although the information provided did not draw a definitive link. NBC News

 

France on high alert after church terror attack . . . French officials were on high alert Thursday after a knife-wielding assailant shouting “Allahu akbar” killed three churchgoers in the Mediterranean city of Nice, fueling an already bitter national debate about free speech, terrorism and the place of Islam in a fiercely secular democracy. The attack, which took place inside Nice’s Notre-Dame Basilica, was the third in two months tied to suspected Islamist terrorists. A provincial high school teacher was beheaded earlier this month after showing his class caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.

President Emmanuel Macron said Islam must be “reformed” in France. Washington Times

 

Thousands at Halloween parade in Wuhan . . . Halloween revelers flocked to an amusement park in Wuhan, China, to celebrate the spooky holiday less than a year after the deadly coronavirus began infecting people in the city before spreading across the globe. The crowds, dressed in customs including pirates, superheroes, and zombie nurses, celebrated by watching a parade at Happy Valley Wuhan amusement park, photos of the scene show. Fox News

 

Twitter posted much stronger than expected third-quarter results thanks to surging advertiser demand, however profit slipped and daily users came in lower than analysts expected. That sent shares plunging 15% in after-hours trading. The stock had closed up $3.92, or 8.1%, at $52.43. Fox Business

 

More proof there is a God.

 

Amazon posts $96.2B profit for third quarter . . . Amazon has reported record sales and profits for the quarter ended in September, reflecting a surge in online shopping during the coronavirus pandemic. The company said on Thursday that sales surged rose 37 percent for the quarter to a record $96.2 billion, generating a $6.3 billion profit, roughly three times its profits from the same period last year. Daily Mail

Twitter locks CBP chief out of account for political correctness violation . . . The acting Customs and Border Protection commissioner was locked out of his Twitter account because he shared a tweet saying the border wall keeps out criminals from Mexico – a claim he has made on the social media platform several times in the past. Mark Morgan, who has been in the acting commissioner role since July 2019, said one of his tweets was removed and he was locked out of Twitter account for posting support for the wall. The now-removed tweet from Morgan claimed, 'Every mile helps us stop gang members, murderers, sexual predators, and drugs from entering our country. It's a fact, walls work.' Daily Mail

 

Glenn Greenwald resigns over censorship from publication he helped found . . . Glenn Greenwald is walking away from The Intercept, citing widespread “repression, censorship and ideological homogeneity” from liberal editors who support Joe Biden as the reason he resigned from the media outlet he co-founded on Thursday. Greenwald explained his decision in a scathing blog post that blasted his former company for censoring an article that was critical of the Democratic presidential nominee and his alleged overseas business dealings. He called the current iteration of The Intercept “completely unrecognizable when compared to that original vision” because it no longer offers a venue for airing dissent, marginalized voices and unheard perspectives. Fox News

 

 

Trump administration strips gray wolves of endangered species protection . . . Trump administration officials on Thursday stripped Endangered Species Act protections for gray wolves in most of the U.S., ending longstanding federal safeguards and putting states and tribes in charge of overseeing the predators. The U.S. Department of Interior announcement just days ahead of the Nov. 3 election could lead to resumption of wolf hunts in Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin -- a crucial battleground in the campaign between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. Daily Mail

 

Bodyguard dating Gov. Cuomo's daughter exiled to Canadian border . . . A state trooper assigned to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s security detail got hot and heavy with one of New York’s first daughters — and was soon transferred to a post near the Canadian border, The Post has learned. Trooper Dane Pfeiffer, 35, met Cara Kennedy-Cuomo, 25, through his job as one of her dad’s bodyguards, sources said. They began dating about seven months ago — after she moved into the Executive Mansion in Albany due to the coronavirus pandemic — and Cuomo learned about the relationship a short time later, sources said. Pfeiffer’s relationship with Kennedy-Cuomo mandated his removal from her dad’s protective detail due to “the protocol of dignitary protection,” according to a law enforcement source familiar with the matter. New York Post

 

Ten-foot Burmese python found under hood of Ford Mustang in Florida . . . The 10-foot Burmese python found underneath the hood of a Ford Mustang in Florida. Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission. A Burmese python was found underneath the hood of a Ford Mustang in Florida, authorities announced Thursday.