Wednesday, October 21, 2020

The Rundown: McConnell Warns TWH On Relief Bill

Senate Majority Leader McConnell
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told fellow Republican senators yesterday that he'd warned the White House not to make a pre-election deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on a new coronavirus financial relief bill, according to media reports. 

At the same time, Pelosi struck an optimistic tone yesterday, saying her negotiations on a bill with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had produced, quote, "common ground as we move closer to an agreement." President Trump has said he wants another round of coronavirus relief, but most members of his Republican party in the Senate oppose it. Pelosi has been calling for a package of more than $2 trillion, far more than what most Senate Republican have said they'll agree to. In addition to concerns about the deficit, the New York Times reported that Republicans are particularly concerned that voting on a new coronavirus relief bill could interfere with their rapid planned timetable to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by early next week, one week before the election. 


➤TRUMP RALLIES IN PENNSYLVANIA, BIDEN PREPS FOR DEBATE TWO WEEKS BEFORE ELECTION: Yesterday marked two weeks before the November 3rd election, and President Trump held another campaign rally, this one in Erie, Pennsylvania, while former Vice President Joe Biden was off the campaign trial while he prepared for the final presidential debate on Thursday. 

Before he left for his rally, Trump taped part of an interview with CBS' 60 Minutes, set to air Sunday along with an interview that Biden recorded for the show. But according to reports, Trump walked out of the interview with Lesley Stahl, and then tweeted that it had been, quote, "fake and biased," and threatened to release the White House's own tape of the interview.

Trump Calls on Barr to Investigate Biden: Trump called on Attorney General William Barr yesterday to immediately launch an investigation before the election into unverified and unspecified corruption claims about Biden and his son Hunter Biden. He said in a Fox News interview, "He’s got to act, and he’s got to act fast. He’s got to appoint somebody. This is major corruption, and this has to be known about before the election." The Justice Department has historically resisted getting involved in elections.

Trump Has Bank Account in China: The New York Times reported that Trump's tax records show he's sought business projects in China for years and maintains a previously unreported bank account there that wasn't included in his public financial disclosures because it's held under a corporate name. Trump Organization attorney Alan Garten told the Times the account was opened to pay local taxes related to the efforts to do business in China. Trump has been attempting to portray Biden as weak on China. The former vice president's taxes and financial disclosures show no business dealings or income from China.



➤PARENTS OF 545 CHILDREN SEPARATED AT BORDER STILL HAVEN'T BEEN FOUND: The parents of 545 children who were separated from their parents at the U.S. border with Mexico between 2017 and 2018 under the Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy have still not been located, according to a court filing yesterday. The filing from the Justice Department and the American Civil Liberties Union is part of an ongoing effort to identify and reunite families separated by the policy. A court-appointed steering committee said that it's attempted to reach the families of 1,030 separated children, and hasn't been able to reach the parents of 545 of them. About two-thirds of parents are believed to have been deported without their children, who are mostly now in the U.S. with a sponsor.



➤NTSB RULES BOAT OWNERS RESPONSIBLE FOR FIRE THAT KILLED 34: The National Transportation Safety Board ruled yesterday that the owners of a Southern California dive boat were at fault due to a lack of oversight for a September 2019 fire that killed 34 people in their bunks below deck. The boat, called Conception, was on a scuba diving excursion near Santa Cruz Island. The NTSB said the boat's captain failed to post a roving night watchman, which allowed the fire to spread quickly and trap the 33 passengers and one crew member. It also blamed the Coast Guard for not enforcing the requirement. According to court documents, charges are expected against the captain, Jerry Boylan.

➤FAMILY OF KILLED SAUDI JOURNALIST KHASHOGGI SUE CROWN PRINCE: The family of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist who worked for the Washington Post who was killed in a Saudi consulate in Turkey, filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. against Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, accusing him of ordering Khashoggi's killing to silence him as critic of the Saudi government. The lawsuit was filed in Washington, D.C., on behalf of Khashoggi's fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, and a human rights organization Khashoggi founded. Khashoggi, who lived in the U.S., disappeared after going into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2nd, 2018 for documents he needed to marry Cengiz and never came out. Turkish officials allege he was killed and dismembered with a bone saw inside the consulate.



⚾DODGERS WIN OPENING GAME OF WORLD SERIES 8-3 OVER RAYS: The Los Angeles Dodgers won the opening game of the World Series 8-3 last night over the Tampa Bay Rays, getting the victory at the neutral site of the Texas Rangers' new stadium due to the pandemic, with only some 11,300 socially-distanced fans in the stands. L.A. starter Clayton Kershaw allowed just one run and two hits and struck out eight in six innings. The Dodgers offense included a two-run home run by Cody Bellinger in the fourth inning and a solo shot by Mookie Betts in the sixth. Betts also stole two bases in the four-run fifth inning, and with Corey Seager also stealing a base, the Dodgers became the first team to steal three bases in a single World Series inning since 1912. Game 2 will be played tonight.

🏈TAGOVAILOA REPLACING FITZPATRICK AS DOLPHINS STARTER: Rookie Tua Tagovailoa will take over from Ryan Fitzpatrick as the Miami Dolphins starting quarterback next week, according to media reports yesterday (October 20th). The former Alabama star made his pro debut at the end of Miami’s 24-0 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

🏀PACERS HIRE BJORKGREN AS NEW HEAD COACH: The Indiana Pacers have hired Nate Bjorkgren as their new head coach, with president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard announcing the news Tuesday. Bjorkgren had spent two seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Raptors, helping them win their first championship in 2019. It will be his first head coaching job in the NBA. He's replacing Nate McMillan, who was fired after four seasons on August 26th, two weeks after agreeing to a contract extension through the 2021-22 season.

⚾MANFRED WOULD LIKE TO KEEP COUPLE OF CHANGES FROM CORONAVIRUS SEASON: As the coronavirus-shortened MLB season is coming to an end with the World Series, Commissioner Rob Manfred told the Associated Press yesterday that there's a couple of changes that were made for this unique season that he'd like to keep. One is expanded playoffs, although likely not as expanded as this year's was, and starting extra innings with runners on second base. Players union head Tony Clark said it's too soon to commit to changes for next season.


🏈WASHINGTON NFL TEAM MAY LIKELY STILL BE 'FOOTBALL TEAM' NEXT SEASON: The NFL's Washington Football Team, which dropped its "Redskins" name after 87 years this season, may still be using its placeholder name next season. Team president Jason Wright told local station WJLA yesterday, "There's a pretty good chance we will be the Washington Football Team next season." He explained that all that needs to be done for a new name takes time, stating, "[I]t's actually pretty hard to get there that quickly because of all the steps that need to happen."

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