Government

Hillary Clinton: Don’t “Give An Inch” In SCOTUS Fight

“The Democrats who are in the Senate will have to use every single possible maneuver that is available to them to make it clear that they are not going to permit Mitch McConnell to enact the greatest travesty, the monument of hypocrisy that would arise from him attempting to fill this position. “Let’s go down fighting. And let’s not give …

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AOC On Ginsburg: “Let This Moment Radicalize You”

The Washington Post reports: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is urging her social media followers to let Ginsburg’s death “radicalize you” ahead of the November election. In an Instagram live video Friday night, the freshman lawmaker with celebrity status said the Supreme Court vacancy underscored what is at stake in November. “Let this moment radicalize you,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Let this moment …

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Obama On Vacancy: “Apply Rules With Consistency”

From a statement issued last night by Barack Obama: Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end, through her cancer, with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals. That’s how we remember her. But she also left instructions for how she wanted her legacy to be honored. Four and a half years ago, when Republicans refused to hold a hearing …

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Mourners Pay Tribute To RBG On Supreme Court Steps

CBS News reports: A large crowd of people gathered on the steps of the Supreme Court on Friday night after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Well-wishers left flowers and signs and broke into applause and songs, and the American flag outside the Supreme Court was lowered to half-mast. “I think it’s a testament to who she was as …

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US Census Reports 980K Same-Sex Couple Households

The Associated Press reports: In 2019, there were slightly fewer than 1 million same-sex couple households in the U.S., and a majority of those couples were married, according to new figures the U.S. Census Bureau released Thursday. Of the 980,000 same-sex couple households, 58% were married couples and 42% were unmarried partners, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. …

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Connecticut To Fine Mask Refusers, Event Organizers

Hartford’s NBC News affiliate reports: Fines will now be implemented for those who are not following Connecticut’s mask orders and event size limits, according to Governor Ned Lamont. The governor said a $100 fine will be implemented for individuals who do not follow the state’s mask order. Also, people will now have to pay a $500 fine for organizing an …

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Indonesian Mask Refusers Forced To Dig Graves

The Jakarta Post reports: Eight people in Gresik regency, East Java, were ordered by local authorities to dig graves for those who have died of COVID-19 as punishment for not wearing face masks in public. Cerme district head, Suyono, said that he punished residents who did not wear face masks by making them dig graves at a public cemetery in …

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Israel To Enter Second Lockdown Amid Surge In Cases

The Washington Post reports: Israel will head into a second coronavirus lockdown, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced in a televised news conference Sunday night, following a sharp escalation in the number of new infections in the country in recent weeks. The lockdown, which requires schools, stores, malls and hotels to close and reinstates restrictions on people’s movements for at least …

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Canada: Zero COVID Deaths For First Time Since March

Reuters reports: Canada reported zero COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours for the first time since March 15, according to public health agency data released late on Friday. Canada’s death toll from the pandemic stood at 9,163 as of Sept. 11, the same as the number of the deaths reported on Sept. 10, government data showed. The number of …

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Florida Bars To Reopen At 50% Capacity On Monday

The Miami Herald reports: The state will allow bars to reopen at 50% capacity starting Monday, Florida’s top business regulator announced via Twitter Thursday evening. But that’s not going to apply in Miami-Dade County. Halsey Beshears, the secretary of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, said that the state will rescind Executive Order 20-09, which forced some standalone bars …

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NE Gov To Drop Most COVID Restrictions Amid Spike

Omaha’s NBC News affiliate reports: Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts will end nearly all of his state’s social-distancing restrictions on Monday even as the number of new coronavirus cases has trended upward over the last few months. Ricketts said all counties except Lancaster County would move into Phase 4, which loosens restrictions and allows outdoor venues to have 100% occupancy and …

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Ben Sasse: Have State Legislatures Appoint Senators

The National Review reports: Senator Ben Sasse (R., Neb.) called to repeal the 17th Amendment on Tuesday, which would eliminate the requirement that U.S. senators be elected by popular votes. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed titled “Make the Senate Great Again,” Sasse called for an end to the amendment, among other changes to the Senate “aimed at promoting debate, …

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NY State COVID Infection Rate Under 1% For 30 Days

ABC New York reports: Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Sunday that the state’s COVID-19 infection rate has been less than 1% for 30 days — or an entire month. The governor said that 0.85% of Saturday’s tests were positive. Cuomo also announced that the state’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped to 410, which is a new low since March 16. There were …

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FL Gov Breaks With Trump On Coronavirus Vaccine

USA Today reports: Breaking ranks with President Donald Trump, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that a vaccine might not bring an end to the coronavirus pandemic. “People should have tempered expectations on that,” he said at a press conference in Daytona Beach when asked about the hoped-for vaccine. “I don’t want people to think that in 2½ months it will be …

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WH Model Now Predicts 410K Deaths By Jan. 1st

ABC News reports: A key forecasting model often cited by experts and used by the White House has revised its prediction of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., now estimating a peak of 410,451 by January 1. The model created by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington posted an update Friday predicting an additional …

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FL Cuts Ties To Lab Over 75K “Dumped” Test Results

The Washington Post reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is cutting ties with the coronavirus testing lab responsible for reporting covid-19 test data to the state’s public database after the lab reported a backlog of nearly 75,000 test results dating back to April. The state Department of Health and the Division of Emergency Management severed its ties to Quest Diagnostics, …

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Ex-Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi Tests Positive For COVID

Bloomberg reports: Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has tested positive for the coronavirus and is continuing to work in isolation at his home near Milan, his spokeswoman said. The leader of the Forza Italia party will continue to support candidates of his group and of the center-right bloc with daily media interviews, the spokeswoman said. At 83, Berlusconi falls …

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CDC Now Links 134 Maine Cases To Wedding Reception

Portland’s CBS News affiliate reports: The Head of the Maine CDC, Dr. Nirav, Shah, says 134 cases of COVID-19 are linked to a Millinocket area wedding and reception in early August. On Tuesday’s CDC briefing, director Dr. Nirav Shah broke down the numbers. He said 123 cases are confirmed, 11 are probable. He also reported 56 people are wedding guests …

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US COVID Cases Pass Six Million Amid Midwest Surge

Reuters reports: U.S. cases of the novel coronavirus surpassed six million on Sunday as many states in the Midwest reported increasing infections, according to a Reuters tally. Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota have recently reported record one-day increases in new cases while Montana and Idaho are seeing record numbers of currently hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nationally, metrics on new …

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European Leaders Warn Of New Lockdown Amid Surge

The New York Times reports: In France, President Emmanuel Macron warned on Friday that the authorities were doing “everything to avoid a new lockdown.” A day later, the country reported over 7,300 new virus cases, its highest daily tally since March 31 and a number that sent its seven-day average to a new record of 4,668. As Germany faces its …

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