5 things to know for October 8: VP debate, Covid-19, SCOTUS, police, Russia
The pandemic is devastating economies around the globe, but the world’s billionaires have never been richer. Thanks in part to soaring tech stocks, their cumulative wealth has reached a record high.
Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day.
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1. Debate
Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic VP candidate Sen. Kamala Harris kept it relatively cool during last night’s debate in Salt Lake City. The night ultimately centered around President Trump, with Harris offering blistering criticism of his handling of the pandemic and Pence, who heads up the White House’s coronavirus task force, defending him at every turn. Harris is known for her pointed, no-nonsense dialogue, but she played it mostly safe last night by letting certain points go without repeated challenges. Both Pence and Harris were essentially mum on issues of presidential health and transfers of power. Harris avoided a question about a potential progressive effort to add seats to the Supreme Court, and Pence offered irrelevant answers to questions about the pandemic, the Supreme Court and health care.
2. Coronavirus
Biotech company Regeneron has asked the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use authorization for an experimental antibody therapy given to President Trump to help fight the coronavirus. It’s still in clinical trials and has had limited use, but so far it’s been found to be largely safe. Trump has called the therapy a “cure” for Covid-19, and said his diagnosis was “a blessing from God” because it gave him insight into potential treatments. Meanwhile, a Harvard epidemiologist is the latest health expert to predict that a coronavirus vaccine could be made available under emergency use authorization for some groups by the end of December. On a much less optimistic note, the pandemic could push 150 million more people worldwide into extreme poverty by next year, according to the latest World Bank assessment.
3. Supreme Court
Republican senators are still pushing for a quick confirmation vote for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, possibly by the end of the month. Before that happens, she’ll be on the hot seat in front of Democrats next week during a round of Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. In a series of private meetings, Dems will likely try to learn more about her views, which she holds close to the vest. So far, Barrett has shed little light how she might rule on health care and has not agreed to recuse herself from any case involving the 2020 election results. Democrats are, of course, furious that Republicans are pushing a nominee through during an election year, and the US public appears split on the matter. In a CNN poll, 42% of respondents were in favor of her confirmation, and 46% were not.
4. Police violence
Derek Chauvin, the ex-Minneapolis police officer facing murder charges in the May death of George Floyd, is out of jail after posting bond on his $1 million bail. It’s not clear who put up the money — a sum that could have reached $100,000 — to free him. Chauvin faces counts of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, and his next court date is set for March 8. Meanwhile, Jacob Blake has been moved from a Wisconsin hospital to a spinal injury rehab facility. Blake was shot several times in an altercation with police in August and suffered severe injuries to his spinal cord and multiple organs. His family’s attorney has said it would “take a miracle” for Blake to ever walk again. Both incidents of police violence prompted nationwide protests.
5. Russia
The UK, France and Germany all plan to impose sanctions on Russia after the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny. The noted Kremlin critic became gravely ill in August, and an international chemical weapons watchdog has confirmed he was poisoned with a Soviet-era Novichok nerve agent. A Novichok agent was also used in a 2018 attack on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal. The Kremlin has denied any involvement in Navalny’s poisoning, but the foreign ministers of France and Germany have said Russian involvement is the only credible explanation. The targeted sanctions could include Russian officials and people involved in the country’s Novichok chemical weapon program.
BREAKFAST BROWSE
Singapore is offering travel-starved locals ‘cruises to nowhere’
It might be a fun idea, but there’s something ominous about the phrase “cruise to nowhere.”
Smaller Thanksgiving gatherings may mean smaller Thanksgiving turkeys
One industry expert called the prediction “a wild turkey guess.” Fantastic.
Kelly Rowland reveals pregnancy on Women’s Health cover
This Child is Destiny-ed for great things.
All our new cooking-at-home routines have led to a Mason jar shortage
A Pinterest wedding planner’s nightmare!
CNN Correspondent Joe Johns fought off a raccoon during a live shot
What can we say? It’s a tough business.
TODAY’S NUMBER
617,000
That’s how many women left the US workforce in September alone, compared with only 78,000 men during that same time. Industries that employ a lot of women, such as hospitality and leisure, are faring worse during the pandemic. Women are also more likely to take on home care responsibilities, which are more demanding than ever.
TODAY’S QUOTE
“This crisis has produced a test of leadership … Here in the United States, our leaders have failed that test. They have taken a crisis and turned it into a tragedy.”
An editorial by the New England Journal of Medicine. The journal’s editors made the unprecedented move of condemning the Trump administration for its response to the Covid-19 pandemic and calling for current US leadership to be voted out of office. The editorial board did not endorse a specific candidate.
TODAY’S WEATHER
Check your local forecast here>>>
AND FINALLY
Mmmm. Croissants.
The next best thing to eating a croissant is watching croissants get made. (Click here to view.)
