Friday, November 4 top stories
It is Friday, November 4. Here are today’s top stories.
Trump, Biden, Obama rally for votes
Election Day is on Tuesday, November 8. The results will determine control of the U.S. House, U.S. Senate, and many governorships. Over 30 million votes have already been cast in early voting in 46 states.
Former President Trump was in Sioux City, Iowa at a rally for Republican candidates, including longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley. He is 89 years old and is seeking reelection to an eighth term. Grassley was at the rally and made a promise that if he won, he would continue to press on with his investigation on Hunter Biden and his money.
President Biden was in Albuquerque, New Mexico at a rally in support of Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who is running for reelection. Biden warned that abortion rights would go away if she loses.
Former President Obama has also traveled to campaign in support of Democratic candidates and appeared in numerous political ads.
In separate but related news, there are reports that Trump is planning to announce that he will run for the presidency again in 2024 in about two weeks.
Powerball lottery jackpot now at record $1.6B
The Powerball lottery jackpot is now at a record $1.6 billion. Nobody has won the jackpot over 39 drawings. The next drawing is on Saturday.
Whoever wins will have an option to get a cash payment of $782 million after taxes. Powerball tickets start at $2 each. You will have to pick five numbers from 1 to 69 for the general white balls and one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball. It is almost impossible to win — the odds are 1 in 292.2 million. But if you buy a ticket, then there’s a chance.
Elon Musk’s Twitter starts laying off employees
News reports said Twitter, which is now owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has begun laying off employees. Some reports said Musk may fire half of Twitter’s workforce. Twitter had about 7,500 employees before Musk’s takeover.
Several Twitter employees filed a class action lawsuit against Musk with the allegation that he is violating laws that require large employers to provide at least 60 days of advanced written notice prior to a mass layoff. The employees said they didn’t get one.
In separate but related news, Musk’s big idea of how he can make money on Twitter is to charge users $8 a month to have a blue checkmark next to their names. That feature has been free for all this time and is usually associated with celebrities or public figures or organizations to give verification that they are the real person behind the account. There is criticism over the idea of charging people $8, but Musk has been persistent, saying it would give Twitter a revenue stream and give additional benefits to creators. He said Twitter would still be free for those who are not willing to pay $8 to have a checkmark.
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Kyrie Irving suspended 5 games over antisemitism controversy
Kyrie Irving, an NBA star with the Brooklyn Nets, will be suspended for five games due to the controversy that sprang after he posted a link to an antisemitic documentary called “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America.”
A Jewish civil rights organization, the ADL, said the film spreads false and antisemitic ideas that Jews have a conspiracy to oppress Black people or that Jews made up the history of the Holocaust. The film was not well known until Irving shared it on Twitter with his 4.6 million followers.
Irving initially said he wouldn’t “stand down” to criticism because the documentary was something that he “believed in,” but later deleted his tweet and promised to donate $500,000 towards causes that try to stop hate and intolerance. The Nets team said it would donate another $500,000 toward the effort.
But on Thursday night Irving was asked by reporters if he had any “antisemitic beliefs.” He said he meant no harm and cannot be antisemitic if he knew where he came from. That brought even more controversy that’s led to the Nets issuing a five-game suspension.
Irving later posted on his Instagram an apology for spreading “false anti-Semitic statements” and said he is taking full responsibility and accountability.
Former Pakistan PM Khan shot
Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, was shot four times in his legs during a rally and parade on Thursday. Khan was hospitalized and is expected to recover. Khan said this was an assassination attempt and vowed that when he recovered, he would go back on the streets.
Khan was ousted from power in April and has been giving rallies calling for new elections. Sky News said local police have identified the suspected shooter and are questioning him.
Daylight saving time ends Sunday
This Sunday is the end of DST. Not “Deaf Standard Time,” but daylight saving time. Clocks will “fall back” one hour on Sunday at 2 a.m. That means mornings will be brighter but it’ll be dark earlier in the evening.
The time change is not popular and there have been proposals in Congress to do away with DST, but there has been no real progress.
Studies show that the end of daylight saving time causes a 16% increase in collisions between deer and vehicles. Many aspects of daily life are also impacted by time changes. But there’s nothing we can do about it right now except try to adjust to it the best we can and be careful during sunset.
That is all the top stories for today. See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/04/politics/obama-trump-campaign-trail-return/index.html
https://www.axios.com/2022/11/04/trump-presidential-run-2024-announcement
https://www.axios.com/2022/11/04/powerball-lottery-jackpot-record-billion
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/elon-musk-put-foot-down-102738196.html
https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/hebrews-negroes-what-you-need-know
https://www.nba.com/news/joint-statement-from-kyrie-irving-brooklyn-nets-and-anti-defamation-league
https://abc13.com/daylight-savings-time-saving-fall-back-dst-2022/12380600/