Tuesday, October 13 top news briefs
It is Tuesday, October 13. Here are today’s top news briefs.
A general election tracker from the University of Florida found that there have been 11.6 million ballots cast already during early voting and using mail-in ballots. Registered Democrats make up 56% of the voters, registered Republicans make up 23%, and those with no party affiliation made up 20% of the voters. News images and videos show long lines outside polling locations. So, over 11 million have voted so far.
The Social Security Administration announced today that Social Security and SSI beneficiaries will see a 1.3 percent increase in 2021 because of cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). That means if you receive a check for $1,000, it’ll go up $13 to $1,013. An USA Today analysis said if a beneficiary also has Medicare Part B, it is likely that the increase will be wiped out due to Medicare cost increases.
The drug company Johnson & Johnson said they had to pause a clinical trial of a coronavirus vaccine because one of the volunteers unexpectedly became ill. It is not known what the illness was. The vaccine trials are set up to detect any dangerous side effects from the vaccine, so the trials will have to be paused while scientists figure out if the illness was from the vaccine or from something else. The person also might not even had the vaccine but received a placebo, so there’s an investigation within the team. Experts said it’s normal to see this happen during a trial and that’s why it’s important to take the time needed to make sure a vaccine is safe.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize Dr. Anthony Fauci by saying that his pitching arm is more accurate than his prognostications. Trump was clearly referring to Fauci’s opening day pitch for the Washington Nationals in which he threw wide left.
A few days ago, Fauci criticized the Trump campaign for using a clip of him in an ad. The clip showed Fauci saying, “I can’t imagine that anyone could be doing more.” Fauci said he made the remark in March and was talking about the White House coronavirus task force team, not about Trump alone. Fauci said yesterday that he is not a political person and has never endorsed a candidate. He then said if the Trump campaign used him again in another ad, it would amount to harassment.
Last night Trump said in a rally in Sanford, Florida that he is immune from the virus and feels so powerful. He joked that he would kiss the guys and the beautiful women and everyone. He said restrictive lockdowns harm people’s mental health and that although it’s risky, you should go out and that it feels good to beat the disease.
In August, Fauci said he had to get a security team for him and his family because he received death threats from people who were angry about his advice to stop the spread of the virus.
The U.S. still leads the world in coronavirus cases with 7.8 million, and leads the world in Covid-19 deaths with 215,500 deaths.
The New York Times’ coronavirus tracker said there is a 19% increase in cases over the past two weeks with an average of 50,500 cases a day.
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An FBI agent testified that the six men who were arrested and charged with plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) also discussed kidnapping Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D). The FBI agent said the men were a part of an “anti-government paramilitary groups” and wanted to make Whitmer and Northam targets because of their strict coronavirus orders.
Northam’s spokesperson blamed President Trump for encoring violence, pointing to his tweets that said “LIBERATE VIRGINIA” and “LIBERATE MICHIGAN” when there were protests against lockdown orders in April. Trump also said “LIBERATE MINNESOTA!”
The FBI agent said the suspects, other than talking about plans to kidnap Whitmer, proposed an idea of someone dressing up as either a delivery man or a pizza delivery person to go to her door and fire several rounds with a gun.
There were seven other men who were charged in Michigan state court last week for plotting to break into the Michigan Capitol to start a civil war.
Kenneth Walker, the boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, said in an interview clip released by “CBS This Morning” that he had no idea that it was the police who were knocking at his apartment door around midnight. He said he grabbed his gun because it was a heavy knock and he never thought that it was the police because there was no reason for them to be there. The full interview will be released Wednesday morning.
Breonna Taylor died on March 13 when three Louisville (KY) police officers, who were wearing plainclothes, used a battering ram to breach through the apartment door during a drug investigation. Walker, who is a licensed gun owner, shot one bullet at them, and the three officers returned fire, sending 32 bullets into their apartment and a neighboring apartment. Breonna Taylor was hit six times and died. No drugs was found in the apartment.
The city of Louisville and the family of Breonna Taylor agreed on a $12 million wrongful death settlement. One out of the three officers were indicted by a grand jury, but for shooting into another apartment rather than for shooting Taylor. The Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said the shooting was justified because the officers were shot first. The case continues to spark a nationwide debate.
A hiker in Provo, Utah filmed a mother cougar walking aggressively towards him on a trail for six minutes. The hiker, Kyle Burgess, started filming when he saw four cougar cubs. Suddenly the mother cougar emerged from the woods. The hiker was walking backwards and speaking all the way while filming the cougar following him. He said he didn’t feel like dying today and that he was scared. The cougar made several warning charges in which it suddenly jumped forward while extending its front claws. When the hiker threw a rock, the cougar ran away. You can watch the video on YouTube, it’s gone viral.
That is all the top news briefs for today. Check out our other videos on “The Daily Moth.” See you tomorrow and stay with the light.
https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/releases/2020/#10-2020-1
https://electproject.github.io/Early-Vote-2020G/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/13/politics/trump-versus-fauci/index.html
https://www.tmz.com/2020/10/12/president-trump-tests-negative-covid-19-florida-rally/
https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/12/health/johnson-coronavirus-vaccine-pause-bn/index.html
Cougar video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pg2CDCm34w&feature=youtu.be
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/utah-hiker-chased-cougar-video-shows-i-don-t-feel-n1243082