Thursday, October 15, 2020

The Rundown: Barrett Questioned For Third Day

SENATE COMMITTEE TO START CONSIDERING TODAY: Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett went through a second and final day of questioning by the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday, with the committee today scheduled to start considering her nomination ahead of a planned vote next week. As she did the day before, the conservative Barrett declined to give specifics about her legal views on hot button issues like the Affordable Care Act or Roe v. Wade, but promised she would keep an open mind on cases before her, while distancing herself from her past writings on the issues. 



She also refused to say whether she thinks a president can pardon himself, wouldn't commit to recusing herself from any potential cases related to the November election, and wouldn't say whether racial discrimination in voting still exists.

➤INSTEAD OF DEBATE, TRUMP AND BIDEN TO HAVE TELEVISED TOWN HALLS AT SAME TIME TONIGHT: On the night when they were supposed to have their second presidential debate, President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden will instead both hold separate televised town halls tonight that will air on different networks at the same time. Trump backed out of the second debate, which was supposed to be in a town hall format, after the Commission on Presidential Debates that organizes them changed it to a virtual format following Trump's coronavirus diagnosis. Immediately after it was then canceled, Biden announced a town hall on ABC for the night that debate was supposed to be held -- tonight. Then yesterday, NBC announced it would host a town hall with Trump on the same night at the same time as Biden's, 8 p.m. ET. Trump will take questions from voters in Miami, while Biden will do so in Philadelphia.

➤FIRST LADY REVEALS SON BARRON HAD CORONAVIRUS, DETAILS HER SYMPTOMS: First Lady Melania Trump revealed yesterday that her and President Trump's 14-year-old son, Barron, tested positive for the coronavirus soon after both his parents did earlier this month. She said Barron at first tested negative, but then later tested positive, however he never had any symptoms, and has since tested negative. In the same lengthy note in which she disclosed that news about Barron, Trump also wrote about what she described as a "roller coaster" of symptoms she experienced. She said they included body aches, a cough, headaches and feeling extremely tired. She said, "I chose to go a more natural route in terms of medicine, opting more for vitamins and healthy food," and stated that she's now negative and hopes to resume her first lady duties soon. Trump praised the care she and her family received, saying they were "fortunate" to have it, and added, "If you are sick, or if you have a loved one who is sick -- I am thinking of you and will be thinking of you every day."

Newsday 10/15/20





➤U.S. POSTAL SERVICE AGREES TO REVERSE CHANGES THAT SLOWED MAIL: The U.S. Postal Service agreed Wednesday to reverse changes made this summer that slowed mail service across the country, settling a lawsuit brought by Montana Governor Steve Bullock. Those changes include reduced retail hours, removal of collection boxes and mail sorting machines, closure or consolidation of mail processing facilities, restriction of late or extra trips for timely mail delivery, and banning or restricting overtime. The agreement, which applies to all states, also requires the Postal Service to prioritize election mail, of particular concern this year because significantly more people are expected to vote by mail due to the pandemic.

➤WALMART’S BLACK FRIDAY 2020 HOURS GO WAY BEYOND THANKSGIVING WEEKEND: Due to the pandemic, Walmart is launching a Black Friday Deals for Days event, offering customers multiple ways to save during three November sales. 
  • The first sales goes from Wednesday, November 4th, through Saturday, November 7th, with online deals starting at 7 p.m. Eastern time on November 4th and midnight Eastern time on November 7th. 
  • In-store deals begin at 5 a.m. local time on November 7th. The second set of sales runs from Wednesday, November 11th through Saturday, November 14th. Similar to the first sale, the online sales start at 7 p.m. Eastern time on November 11th, and at midnight Eastern time on November 14th, and the in-store deals begin at 5 a.m. local time on November 14th. 
  • The third event will take place during Thanksgiving weekend, and begins online on Wednesday, November 25th at 7 p.m. Eastern time. Then on November 27th, or Black Friday, new deals will be added in-store at 5 a.m. local time and online at midnight Eastern time. The store’s full Black Friday ad wasn’t out at the time of this writing, but you’ll find deals for each of the events as they are announced on Walmart’s Black Friday Deals for Days event page.


⚾DODGERS PUMMEL BRAVES 15-3, CUT ATLANTA'S NLCS LEAD TO 2-1: The L.A. Dodgers pummeled the Atlanta Braves 15-3 last night to get on the board and cut the Braves' National League Championship Series lead to 2 games to 1. The Dodgers ran away with it early, scoring 11 runs in the first inning, capped by a grand slam by Max Muncy, the highest-scoring inning in an MLB playoff game. Game 4 is tonight.


ASTROS BEAT RAYS 4-3 TO STAY ALIVE IN ALCS: The Houston Astros beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 last night to stay alive in the American League Championship Series, getting their first win to cut the Rays' lead to 3 games to 1. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, whose three errors helped Tampa Bay win Game 2 and 3, hit a home run in the first inning and an RBI double in the third. George Springer brought in Houston's other runs with a two-run homer in the fifth. Game 5 will be played this afternoon. 


Nick Saban
➤SABAN TESTS POSITIVE FOR CORONAVIRUS:
Legendary Alabama football coach Nick Saban tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, as did athletic director Greg Byrne, three days before the second-ranked team is set to play Number 3 Georgia. The 68-year-old Saban said he immediately went home to isolate and didn't have any symptoms as of yesterday evening. Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian is overseeing game preparations on site while Saban works from home.

🏈SEC POSTPONES LSU-FLORIDA GAME DUE TO CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK: This Saturday's scheduled college football game between defending national champion LSU and Florida has been postponed to December because of a coronavirus outbreak on the Florida team. The cancellation on Wednesday came a day after 19 players and coaches tested positive, and Florida athletic director said yesterday that it's now up to 21 positives. The game was tentatively rescheduled for December 12th.

➤NFL CANCELS PRO BOWL: The NFL canceled the Pro Bowl yesterday, which had been scheduled to be played in Las Vegas on January 31st, one week before the Super Bowl. The league canceled the all-star game in part because it needs flexibility in January in case it needs to move regular-season games there because of postponements due to coronavirus outbreaks on teams. The NFL hopes to replace the Pro Bowl with virtual activities.

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