washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Black police officers break with unions over Trump endorsements

PHILADELPHIA — Police unions nationwide have largely supported President Donald Trump ’ s reelection , amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism – but a number of Black law enforcement officers are speaking out against these endorsements , saying their concerns over entering the 2020 political fray were ignored .
Trump has touted his support from the law enforcement community , which includes endorsements from national , city and state officers ’ unions – some of which publicly endorsed a political candidate for the first time .
He ’ s running on what he calls a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tapping into a strain of anger and frustration felt by law enforcement who believe they are being unfairly accused of racial discrimination .
There are more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S. , with large departments holding sway nationally .
The number of minority officers in policing has more than doubled in the last three decades , but many departments still have a smaller percentage of Black and Hispanic officers compared to the percentage of the general population those communities make up .
Many fraternal Black police organizations were formed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also to focus on how law enforcement affects the wider Black community .
There have often been tensions between minority organizations and larger unions , like in August , when the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers issued a letter condemning use of deadly force , police misconduct and abuse in communities of color .
While support for the Republican incumbent does not strictly fall along racial lines , many Black officers say the endorsements for Trump don ’ t fairly represent all dues-paying members .
“ We are members of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take into consideration our feelings about Donald J. Trump , then they don ’ t care about us and … they don ’ t care about our dues , ” said Rochelle Bilal , the recent past president of the Guardian Civic League of Philadelphia , calling the National Fraternal Order of Police ’ s Trump endorsement an “ outrage.
” Bilal , who was elected as Philadelphia ’ s first Black female sheriff last year , spoke at at an early October news conference with other Black law enforcement groups in Philadelphia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they say ignored their concerns over what they perceived to be racist remarks , support for white supremacist groups and a lack of respect for women from Trump .
But national union leaders say the process is designed to give everyone a voice and the endorsement represents the majority of officers .
The Fraternal Order of Police represents close to 350,000 officers nationally , but does not track racial demographics .
“ I am a Black American and a Black law enforcement officer , ” said Rob Pride , the National Fraternal Order @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It ’ s been emotionally a rollercoaster ride for me since the George Floyd incident .
It was horrific.
” Pride , who oversees the vote that leads to the organization ’ s presidential endorsement , says the May 25 police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis and the political climate “ is tearing America apart ” and having a similar effect on the FOP .
National FOP leaders said they have heard from members who don ’ t agree with the Trump endorsement – and they ’ re open to talking over concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orders of Police chapters that cast a ballot voted for Trump .
Pride said the whole process starts locally , with lodges passing out candidate survey answers and ballots and then voting at a statewide meeting .
State delegates then voted at the national meeting .
“ We could probably have an hourlong conversation about why some folks feel President Trump is racist and why others disagree , ” he said .
“ But there are a lot of officers of all races of all backgrounds who feel he best represents and supports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local level , police reform bills driven by protests against police brutality in the wake of Floyd ’ s killing have also stoked local unions ’ endorsements of candidates for state offices at higher rates this year – some issuing endorsement for the first time in decades .
While many union leaders say the endorsements aren ’ t based on political parties , they have largely been for Republicans challenging candidates who have voted for what unions call “ anti-police ” reform bills .
Philadelphia ’ s FOP Lodge 5 President John @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group , which represents 6,500 members , did not make an endorsement in the presidential race , and deferred to its parent union ’ s endorsement .
But members said that despite being the largest lodge in the state , they weren ’ t given a chance to vote or be counted by the state or national delegates .
Denouncing the endorsement processes , The Guardian Civic League has asked its about 1,200 members to be prepared to withdraw their dues from the national FOP , as has the Club Valiants of Philadelphia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority firefighters – from the Local 22 of the International Fire Fighters and Paramedics Union .
In endorsing Trump , Local 22 broke from its parent organization , which endorsed Democrat Joe Biden .
Valiants leaders said the Local 22 ’ s endorsement was based on survey responses from about 500 of the union ’ s nearly 5,000 members .
Local union leaders said a redo survey is being sent to members in response to the backlash and its endorsement will be revised if necessary by the end of the month .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people are out there voting now .
What is it going to do to rescind the endorsement days before the election ?
” said John Elam , a Philadelphia firefighter and Valiants member .
“ We want a fair process .
We wanted a fair process from the beginning.
” In New York City , Patrick Lynch – the head of the Police Benevolent Association that represents about 24,000 officers – announced the union ’ s endorsement of Trump at August ’ s Republican National Convention , something members said they had no @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the Guardians Association said the Black and minority officers the group represents felt blindsided by Lynch ’ s endorsement and wished the union had stayed neutral .
Lynch said it was the union ’ s first presidential endorsement in at least 36 years .
“ That ’ s how important this is , ” Lynch said to the crowd during an event at Trump ’ s golf club in Bedminster , New Jersey , telling the president : “ You ’ ve earned this.
” During September ’ s presidential debate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ felt he had support from law enforcement .
“ I have Florida , I have Texas , I have Ohio , ” he said .
“ Excuse me , Portland , the sheriff there just came out today and said , ‘ I support President Trump.
” ’ That sheriff – Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese – quickly took to Twitter to deny any support .
Terrance Hopkins , president of the Black Police Association of Dallas , said a handful of officers left the Dallas Police Department ’ s largest union , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and had joined his organization .
“ A lot of these officers feel like they aren ’ t being considered .
A lot of the issues that push them to that point border along racial lines , ” Hopkins , a 30-year veteran officer , said .
“ And it ’ s not just here .
I got a call from some Black officers in Kansas City , Missouri , who wanted to join my organization because they don ’ t have any other outlet and they don ’ t feel like @ @ @ @ @ @

PHILADELPHIA — Police unions nationwide have largely supported President Donald Trump’s reelection, amid mass demonstrations over police brutality and accusations of systemic racism – but a number of Black law enforcement officers are speaking out against these endorsements, saying their concerns over entering the 2020 political fray were ignored.
Trump has touted his support from the law enforcement community, which includes endorsements from national, city and state officers’ unions – some of which publicly endorsed a political candidate for the first time. He’s running on what he calls a “law and order” platform and tapping into a strain of anger and frustration felt by law enforcement who believe they are being unfairly accused of racial discrimination.
There are more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., with large departments holding sway nationally. The number of minority officers in policing has more than doubled in the last three decades, but many departments still have a smaller percentage of Black and Hispanic officers compared to the percentage of the general population those communities make up.
Many fraternal Black police organizations were formed to advocate for equality within police departments but also to focus on how law enforcement affects the wider Black community. There have often been tensions between minority organizations and larger unions, like in August, when the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers issued a letter condemning use of deadly force, police misconduct and abuse in communities of color.
While support for the Republican incumbent does not strictly fall along racial lines, many Black officers say the endorsements for Trump don’t fairly represent all dues-paying members.
“We are members of these unions, and they don’t take into consideration our feelings about Donald J. Trump, then they don’t care about us and … they don’t care about our dues,” said Rochelle Bilal, the recent past president of the Guardian Civic League of Philadelphia, calling the National Fraternal Order of Police’s Trump endorsement an “outrage.”
Bilal, who was elected as Philadelphia’s first Black female sheriff last year, spoke at at an early October news conference with other Black law enforcement groups in Philadelphia to condemn Trump endorsements and the process they say ignored their concerns over what they perceived to be racist remarks, support for white supremacist groups and a lack of respect for women from Trump.
But national union leaders say the process is designed to give everyone a voice and the endorsement represents the majority of officers. The Fraternal Order of Police represents close to 350,000 officers nationally, but does not track racial demographics.
“I am a Black American and a Black law enforcement officer,” said Rob Pride, the National Fraternal Order of Police chair of trustees. “It’s been emotionally a rollercoaster ride for me since the George Floyd incident. It was horrific.”
Pride, who oversees the vote that leads to the organization’s presidential endorsement, says the May 25 police killing of Floyd in Minneapolis and the political climate “is tearing America apart” and having a similar effect on the FOP.
National FOP leaders said they have heard from members who don’t agree with the Trump endorsement – and they’re open to talking over concerns – but that all 44 state Fraternal Orders of Police chapters that cast a ballot voted for Trump. Pride said the whole process starts locally, with lodges passing out candidate survey answers and ballots and then voting at a statewide meeting. State delegates then voted at the national meeting.
“We could probably have an hourlong conversation about why some folks feel President Trump is racist and why others disagree,” he said. “But there are a lot of officers of all races of all backgrounds who feel he best represents and supports the interests of law enforcement.”
On the local level, police reform bills driven by protests against police brutality in the wake of Floyd’s killing have also stoked local unions’ endorsements of candidates for state offices at higher rates this year – some issuing endorsement for the first time in decades. While many union leaders say the endorsements aren’t based on political parties, they have largely been for Republicans challenging candidates who have voted for what unions call “anti-police” reform bills.
Philadelphia’s FOP Lodge 5 President John McNesby said in a statement that the group, which represents 6,500 members, did not make an endorsement in the presidential race, and deferred to its parent union’s endorsement. But members said that despite being the largest lodge in the state, they weren’t given a chance to vote or be counted by the state or national delegates.
Denouncing the endorsement processes, The Guardian Civic League has asked its about 1,200 members to be prepared to withdraw their dues from the national FOP, as has the Club Valiants of Philadelphia – an organization of more than 500 minority firefighters – from the Local 22 of the International Fire Fighters and Paramedics Union. In endorsing Trump, Local 22 broke from its parent organization, which endorsed Democrat Joe Biden.
Valiants leaders said the Local 22’s endorsement was based on survey responses from about 500 of the union’s nearly 5,000 members. Local union leaders said a redo survey is being sent to members in response to the backlash and its endorsement will be revised if necessary by the end of the month.
“The election is Nov. 3, and people are out there voting now. What is it going to do to rescind the endorsement days before the election?” said John Elam, a Philadelphia firefighter and Valiants member. “We want a fair process. We wanted a fair process from the beginning.”
In New York City, Patrick Lynch – the head of the Police Benevolent Association that represents about 24,000 officers – announced the union’s endorsement of Trump at August’s Republican National Convention, something members said they had no warning would happen. An unsigned letter from the Guardians Association said the Black and minority officers the group represents felt blindsided by Lynch’s endorsement and wished the union had stayed neutral.
Lynch said it was the union’s first presidential endorsement in at least 36 years.
“That’s how important this is,” Lynch said to the crowd during an event at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, telling the president: “You’ve earned this.”
During September’s presidential debate, Trump ticked off the locations where he felt he had support from law enforcement. “I have Florida, I have Texas, I have Ohio,” he said. “Excuse me, Portland, the sheriff there just came out today and said, ‘I support President Trump.”’
That sheriff – Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese – quickly took to Twitter to deny any support.
Terrance Hopkins, president of the Black Police Association of Dallas, said a handful of officers left the Dallas Police Department’s largest union, partly driven by its support for Trump, and had joined his organization.
“A lot of these officers feel like they aren’t being considered. A lot of the issues that push them to that point border along racial lines,” Hopkins, a 30-year veteran officer, said. “And it’s not just here. I got a call from some Black officers in Kansas City, Missouri, who wanted to join my organization because they don’t have any other outlet and they don’t feel like they are being represented.”


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Gretchen Whitmer rips Trump for inciting 'domestic terrorism'

DETROIT — Michigan Gov .
Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday that President Trump is inciting “ domestic terrorism ” following “ lock her up ” chants at his rally in the state the night before .
Whitmer told NBC ’ s “ Meet the Press ” that the rhetoric is “ incredibly disturbing ” a little more than a week after authorities announced they had thwarted an alleged plot to kidnap the Democratic governor .
“ The president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism , ” Whitmer said .
“ It is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end .
It is dangerous , not just for me and my family , but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans .
People of good will on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down.
” At a rally in Muskegon Saturday evening , Trump urged supporters to push Whitmer to reopen the state following COVID-19 restrictions .
When the crowd starting chanting “ lock her up ” Trump added , “ Lock @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Nancy Pelosi , speaking on ABC ’ s “ This Week , ” said Trump ’ s statements were “ irresponsible ” and accused him of injecting fear tactics .
Several Republican and Trump campaign officials appeared on Sunday news shows to defend the president .
“ He wasn ’ t doing anything , I don ’ t think , to provoke people to threaten this woman at all .
He was having fun at a Trump rally , and , quite frankly , there are bigger issues than this right now for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president ’ s daughter-in-law and a senior campaign advisor , said on CNN ’ s “ State of the Union.
” Democrats have sought to tie Trump to the alleged plot against Whitmer , pointing to the president ’ s tweet earlier this year to “ LIBERATE MICHIGAN !
” after Whitmer restricted personal movement and the economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic .
Michigan – particularly the Detroit area – was hit hard early during the pandemic .
Many of the limits have since been lifted .
Authorities allege members @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in plotting Whitmer ’ s kidnapping , although some were charged under federal law and others under state law .
Six men , led by Adam Fox of the Michigan III % ers , are charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap her .
Eight others who are believed to be members or associates of a group called the Wolverine Watchmen are charged in state court with counts including providing material support for terrorist acts .
Some of the Wolverine Watchmen are accused of planning other violent crimes , such as storming @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement officers .

DETROIT — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said Sunday that President Trump is inciting “domestic terrorism” following “lock her up” chants at his rally in the state the night before.
Whitmer told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that the rhetoric is “incredibly disturbing” a little more than a week after authorities announced they had thwarted an alleged plot to kidnap the Democratic governor.
“The president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism,” Whitmer said. “It is wrong. It’s got to end. It is dangerous, not just for me and my family, but for public servants everywhere who are doing their jobs and trying to protect their fellow Americans. People of good will on both sides of the aisle need to step up and call this out and bring the heat down.”
At a rally in Muskegon Saturday evening, Trump urged supporters to push Whitmer to reopen the state following COVID-19 restrictions. When the crowd starting chanting “lock her up” Trump added, “Lock ‘em all up.”
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” said Trump’s statements were “irresponsible” and accused him of injecting fear tactics.
Several Republican and Trump campaign officials appeared on Sunday news shows to defend the president.
“He wasn’t doing anything, I don’t think, to provoke people to threaten this woman at all. He was having fun at a Trump rally, and, quite frankly, there are bigger issues than this right now for everyday Americans,” Lara Trump, the president’s daughter-in-law and a senior campaign advisor, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Democrats have sought to tie Trump to the alleged plot against Whitmer, pointing to the president’s tweet earlier this year to “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” after Whitmer restricted personal movement and the economy in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Michigan – particularly the Detroit area – was hit hard early during the pandemic. Many of the limits have since been lifted.
Authorities allege members of two anti-government paramilitary groups took part in plotting Whitmer’s kidnapping, although some were charged under federal law and others under state law. Six men, led by Adam Fox of the Michigan III%ers, are charged in federal court with conspiring to kidnap her. Eight others who are believed to be members or associates of a group called the Wolverine Watchmen are charged in state court with counts including providing material support for terrorist acts.
Some of the Wolverine Watchmen are accused of planning other violent crimes, such as storming the Michigan Capitol building and attacking law enforcement officers.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--National Guard spy planes monitored George Floyd protests: Report

SACRAMENTO , Calif. — A peaceful protest in a sleepy and affluent suburb that ’ s home to the head of the California National Guard was among four demonstrations monitored by National Guard spy planes earlier this year , according to a newspaper report Sunday .
The four planes took to the skies over several cities in early June to monitor street protests following the killing of George Floyd , triggering concerns that the military was improperly gathering intelligence on U.S. citizens , the Los Angeles Times reported .
Three of the reconnaissance planes watched demonstrations in Minneapolis , Phoenix @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds or thousands of protesters and were marred by violence .
But the target of the fourth plane was the prosperous Sacramento , California , suburb of El Dorado Hills , where much smaller rallies were entirely peaceful , the Times said .
Local and state authorities have not explained in detail how and why that neighborhood was chosen for the mission when other California cities that had seen property destruction and street clashes amid large protests – including Los Angeles and Oakland – were not .
The head of the California National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , lives in El Dorado Hills , the Times learned .
In addition to deploying the RC-26B reconnaissance plane , the Guard sent a Lakota helicopter to hover over the suburb , according to Guard officials and records .
The aircraft were requested by the El Dorado County Sheriff ’ s Office , state records show .
In response to questions from the Times , a spokesman for Gov .
Gavin Newsom , who oversees the California National Guard , issued a statement late Saturday criticizing the operation .
“ The use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s request for aerial support to provide situational awareness for law enforcement is concerning and should not have happened , ” Newsom spokesman Nathan Click said .
“ It was an operational decision made without the approval – let alone awareness – of the governor .
After the incident , operational policies and protocols were reaffirmed and strengthened to ensure RC-26 aircraft are not used for these incidents again.
” Click did not elaborate or say whether the governor ’ s office is examining Baldwin ’ s role in the matter .
Baldwin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recall whether he had approved the mission .
He said the fact that he lived in El Dorado Hills had “ nothing to do with ” the deployment of the RC-26B or the Lakota helicopter .
After questions from Congress members and others about the flights , an Air Force inspector general ’ s report issued in August concluded that the reconnaissance planes weren ’ t capable of capturing “ distinguishing personal features of individuals ” and did not violate rules barring the military from collecting intelligence on U.S. citizens .
The inspector @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a detailed examination of whether the mission to El Dorado Hills was warranted given the uneventful nature of the protests .
The report states that the mission grew out of a “ high priority ” request by the state Office of Emergency Services , made on behalf of the El Dorado sheriff ’ s office .
According to the report , the sheriff ’ s office said it needed the aircraft to provide support for deputies on the ground who were tracking demonstrations .
Five current and former Guard officers with knowledge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ knew of no justifiable reason for the El Dorado Hills mission .
“ El Dorado Hills was the most monitored place in California , ” said Dan Woodside , a recently retired Guard pilot who has flown the RC-26B .
“ Why was that ?
What was the threat ?
”

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A peaceful protest in a sleepy and affluent suburb that’s home to the head of the California National Guard was among four demonstrations monitored by National Guard spy planes earlier this year, according to a newspaper report Sunday.
The four planes took to the skies over several cities in early June to monitor street protests following the killing of George Floyd, triggering concerns that the military was improperly gathering intelligence on U.S. citizens, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Three of the reconnaissance planes watched demonstrations in Minneapolis, Phoenix and Washington, D.C., that drew hundreds or thousands of protesters and were marred by violence.
But the target of the fourth plane was the prosperous Sacramento, California, suburb of El Dorado Hills, where much smaller rallies were entirely peaceful, the Times said.
Local and state authorities have not explained in detail how and why that neighborhood was chosen for the mission when other California cities that had seen property destruction and street clashes amid large protests – including Los Angeles and Oakland – were not.
The head of the California National Guard, Maj. Gen. David S. Baldwin, lives in El Dorado Hills, the Times learned. In addition to deploying the RC-26B reconnaissance plane, the Guard sent a Lakota helicopter to hover over the suburb, according to Guard officials and records. The aircraft were requested by the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office, state records show.
In response to questions from the Times, a spokesman for Gov. Gavin Newsom, who oversees the California National Guard, issued a statement late Saturday criticizing the operation.
“The use of the RC-26 to meet the sheriff’s request for aerial support to provide situational awareness for law enforcement is concerning and should not have happened,” Newsom spokesman Nathan Click said. “It was an operational decision made without the approval – let alone awareness – of the governor. After the incident, operational policies and protocols were reaffirmed and strengthened to ensure RC-26 aircraft are not used for these incidents again.”
Click did not elaborate or say whether the governor’s office is examining Baldwin’s role in the matter.
Baldwin told the Times he didn’t recall whether he had approved the mission. He said the fact that he lived in El Dorado Hills had “nothing to do with” the deployment of the RC-26B or the Lakota helicopter.
After questions from Congress members and others about the flights, an Air Force inspector general’s report issued in August concluded that the reconnaissance planes weren’t capable of capturing “distinguishing personal features of individuals” and did not violate rules barring the military from collecting intelligence on U.S. citizens. The inspector general’s report did not include a detailed examination of whether the mission to El Dorado Hills was warranted given the uneventful nature of the protests.
The report states that the mission grew out of a “high priority” request by the state Office of Emergency Services, made on behalf of the El Dorado sheriff’s office. According to the report, the sheriff’s office said it needed the aircraft to provide support for deputies on the ground who were tracking demonstrations.
Five current and former Guard officers with knowledge of the flights said in interviews that they knew of no justifiable reason for the El Dorado Hills mission.
“El Dorado Hills was the most monitored place in California,” said Dan Woodside, a recently retired Guard pilot who has flown the RC-26B. “Why was that? What was the threat?”


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Delaware health system seeing huge demand for flu shot

DOVER , Del .
( AP ) - A Delaware health care system says it is seeing “ overwhelming demand ” for flu shots this year amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Beebe Healthcare has vaccinated more than 3,100 community members through 13 flu clinics , the Delaware State News reported Saturday .
That ’ s about 75 % of the total number of vaccinations Beebe recorded last year in more than 30 clinics .
This year ’ s total from Beebe doesn ’ t include its team members .
More than 2,200 were vaccinated in a 48-hour period in September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We ’ ve seen an overwhelming demand for flu shots from the community this year , which is really encouraging considering how important being vaccinated is with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , ” said Dr. Bill Chasanov , clinical transformation officer and infectious disease physician at Beebe Healthcare .
Health officials and medical groups are urging people to get either the flu shot or nasal spray , so that doctors and hospitals don ’ t face the extra strain of having to treat influenza in the midst of the pandemic .
Last year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the flu , with 400 individuals hospitalized and 11 recorded deaths .

DOVER, Del. (AP) - A Delaware health care system says it is seeing “overwhelming demand” for flu shots this year amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Beebe Healthcare has vaccinated more than 3,100 community members through 13 flu clinics, the Delaware State News reported Saturday. That’s about 75% of the total number of vaccinations Beebe recorded last year in more than 30 clinics.
This year’s total from Beebe doesn’t include its team members. More than 2,200 were vaccinated in a 48-hour period in September, according to the newspaper.
“We’ve seen an overwhelming demand for flu shots from the community this year, which is really encouraging considering how important being vaccinated is with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. Bill Chasanov, clinical transformation officer and infectious disease physician at Beebe Healthcare.
Health officials and medical groups are urging people to get either the flu shot or nasal spray, so that doctors and hospitals don’t face the extra strain of having to treat influenza in the midst of the pandemic.
Last year Delaware had more than 7,000 cases of the flu, with 400 individuals hospitalized and 11 recorded deaths.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Arizona reports 742 new COVID-19 cases, 3 additional deaths

PHOENIX ( AP ) - Arizona health officials on Sunday reported 742 new confirmed coronavirus cases with three additional deaths .
Officials with the Arizona Department of Health Sciences said there have now been 231,149 COVID-19 cases - with nearly 150,000 coming in Maricopa County - and 5,827 deaths statewide since the pandemic began .
They said Arizona is seeing a slow increase in the average number of coronavirus cases since a decline that lasted through August and September appears to be ending .
Arizona was a national hotspot for the virus in June and early July , but numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ saw the first daily tally above 1,000 in a month .
The number of Arizona ’ s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients dropped to 714 Sunday after hitting 757 the day before , which was a high for the month so far .
For most people , the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks .
But for some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness , including pneumonia @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people recover , however .

PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona health officials on Sunday reported 742 new confirmed coronavirus cases with three additional deaths.
Officials with the Arizona Department of Health Sciences said there have now been 231,149 COVID-19 cases - with nearly 150,000 coming in Maricopa County - and 5,827 deaths statewide since the pandemic began.
They said Arizona is seeing a slow increase in the average number of coronavirus cases since a decline that lasted through August and September appears to be ending.
Arizona was a national hotspot for the virus in June and early July, but numbers began to drop last month.
Thursday saw the first daily tally above 1,000 in a month.
The number of Arizona’s confirmed or suspected COVID-19 hospital inpatients dropped to 714 Sunday after hitting 757 the day before, which was a high for the month so far.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks.
But for some - especially older adults and people with existing health problems - it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death. The vast majority of people recover, however.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--No crowds, rides at Arkansas State Fair due to COVID-19

LITTLE ROCK , Ark .
( AP ) - A scaled-back version of the Arkansas State Fair , without crowds , rides and concerts , was held this weekend as the event ’ s size was greatly reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic .
Organizers announced in July that a large-scale fair would be canceled due to the pandemic .
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that mainly junior livestock competitions were scheduled to run until next weekend during this year ’ s fair .
On Saturday afternoon , children who participated in a junior livestock showing of wether dam goats led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members and friends watched .
A masked judge evaluated the goats .
Many staff members and attendees appeared to comply with the event ’ s face-covering requirement , but some did not .
“ It ’ s a lot slower , smaller … definitely a lot less people , not as many spectators and visitors , ” said Tim Efird , 58 , of Mount Ida , who was at the event with his 13 and 14-year-old daughters .
The girls showed two goats during the competitions .
A “ Taste of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food vendors will be held next weekend , with a capacity restriction of 500 people and all food packaged in to-go containers .
The pageant portion of the fair is scheduled to take place Oct. 24 , when winners of various divisions of the pageant competition , including Miss Arkansas State Fair Queen , will be crowned in a Facebook Live broadcast .
The Arkansas Livestock Show Association , which produces the annual event , said it would focus on resuming a full-scale fair in October 2021 .
The fair draws on average @ @ @ @ @ @ @

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A scaled-back version of the Arkansas State Fair, without crowds, rides and concerts, was held this weekend as the event’s size was greatly reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Organizers announced in July that a large-scale fair would be canceled due to the pandemic.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that mainly junior livestock competitions were scheduled to run until next weekend during this year’s fair.
On Saturday afternoon, children who participated in a junior livestock showing of wether dam goats led their animals around a barn as family members and friends watched. A masked judge evaluated the goats.
Many staff members and attendees appeared to comply with the event’s face-covering requirement, but some did not.
“It’s a lot slower, smaller … definitely a lot less people, not as many spectators and visitors,” said Tim Efird, 58, of Mount Ida, who was at the event with his 13 and 14-year-old daughters. The girls showed two goats during the competitions.
A “Taste of the Fair” portion of the event featuring food vendors will be held next weekend, with a capacity restriction of 500 people and all food packaged in to-go containers.
The pageant portion of the fair is scheduled to take place Oct. 24, when winners of various divisions of the pageant competition, including Miss Arkansas State Fair Queen, will be crowned in a Facebook Live broadcast.
The Arkansas Livestock Show Association, which produces the annual event, said it would focus on resuming a full-scale fair in October 2021. The fair draws on average more than 450,000 visitors a year.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Former NSA chief: Russia can change 2020 election outcome, unlikely to do so

Retired Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers , former head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command , said Sunday that Russia has the ability to upend the 2020 election but is unlikely to do so .
Mr. Rogers , who led the NSA during the 2016 election , told CBS ’ “ Face the Nation ” that Russia primarily is using disinformation to polarize Americans and spread division in 2020 .
“ Can Russia , at this point , actually change the outcome of the election by altering votes ?
” CBS ’ Margaret Brennan asked .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ So , do they have capability , yes .
Is it likely , no , ” Mr. Rogers said .
“ And we haven ’ t seen anything to date that would suggest that we ’ re certainly seeing in cyber , the same level of activity that we saw back in 2016.
” Mr. Rogers said Russia appears less interested in changing votes and more interested in focusing on voter registration rolls , machines used to cast ballots , and computer systems used to tabulate ballots .
On Election Day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for widespread challenges affiliated with Americans ’ voter registration and not isolated incidents of problems as indicative of potential efforts by a foreign entity to manipulate the 2020 election .

Retired Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers, former head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, said Sunday that Russia has the ability to upend the 2020 election but is unlikely to do so.
Mr. Rogers, who led the NSA during the 2016 election, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that Russia primarily is using disinformation to polarize Americans and spread division in 2020.
“Can Russia, at this point, actually change the outcome of the election by altering votes?” CBS’ Margaret Brennan asked. “Do they have that capability?”
“So, do they have capability, yes. Is it likely, no,” Mr. Rogers said. “And we haven’t seen anything to date that would suggest that we’re certainly seeing in cyber, the same level of activity that we saw back in 2016.”
Mr. Rogers said Russia appears less interested in changing votes and more interested in focusing on voter registration rolls, machines used to cast ballots, and computer systems used to tabulate ballots.
On Election Day, Mr. Rogers said he would be looking for widespread challenges affiliated with Americans’ voter registration and not isolated incidents of problems as indicative of potential efforts by a foreign entity to manipulate the 2020 election.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--El Paso sees largest number in hospitals due to COVID-19

EL PASO , Texas ( AP ) - The El Paso area has reported its highest number of hospitalizations due to the coronavirus since the pandemic began , officials said on Sunday .
A record high 449 hospitalizations were reported for Saturday , with 129 of those patients in intensive care , according to El Paso health officials .
In the El Paso area , only seven ICU beds are available , according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services .
Hospitalizations have been steadily increasing in the El Paso area since early September .
The increase in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week to implement tighter restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus .
El Paso Mayor Dee Margo had announced that visitors to facilities that care for the elderly will not be allowed , and businesses not considered essential must cut back to 50 % of their capacity from 75 % .
Restaurants are limited to takeout and drive-thru service after 9 p.m. , home gatherings are temporarily banned and bars , which had not been allowed to reopen , will remain closed .
The number of new daily COVID-19 cases recorded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ record-breaking 838 .
That number dipped to 684 on Saturday .
The increase in cases in the El Paso area has prompted Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott to send doctors , nurses , respiratory therapists and PPE to support hospitals there .
Abbott has also deployed medical personnel and supplies to the Texas Panhandle as the coronavirus has again surged in that part of the state .
Hospitalizations are increasing in Amarillo and Lubbock , mirroring overall numbers across the state .
Since Oct. 1 , the number of people hospitalized because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the state relaxed restrictions in mid-September , citing a decrease in hospitalizations .

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - The El Paso area has reported its highest number of hospitalizations due to the coronavirus since the pandemic began, officials said on Sunday.
A record high 449 hospitalizations were reported for Saturday, with 129 of those patients in intensive care, according to El Paso health officials.
In the El Paso area, only seven ICU beds are available, according to the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
Hospitalizations have been steadily increasing in the El Paso area since early September.
The increase in hospitalizations and cases prompted El Paso officials last week to implement tighter restrictions to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
El Paso Mayor Dee Margo had announced that visitors to facilities that care for the elderly will not be allowed, and businesses not considered essential must cut back to 50% of their capacity from 75%. Restaurants are limited to takeout and drive-thru service after 9 p.m., home gatherings are temporarily banned and bars, which had not been allowed to reopen, will remain closed.
The number of new daily COVID-19 cases recorded in El Paso soared Thursday to a record-breaking 838. That number dipped to 684 on Saturday.
The increase in cases in the El Paso area has prompted Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to send doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists and PPE to support hospitals there.
Abbott has also deployed medical personnel and supplies to the Texas Panhandle as the coronavirus has again surged in that part of the state. Hospitalizations are increasing in Amarillo and Lubbock, mirroring overall numbers across the state.
Since Oct. 1, the number of people hospitalized because of COVID-19 has risen 34% in Texas after the state relaxed restrictions in mid-September, citing a decrease in hospitalizations.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--CBS poll: Biden holds slight lead on Trump in Arizona, Wisconsin

A new CBS News poll showed Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden leading President Trump in two states the Republican incumbent won four years ago — Arizona and Wisconsin .
Mr. Biden holds a 3 percentage point lead in Arizona , 50 % -47 % , which is within the poll ’ s 4.1 % margin of error .
In Wisconsin , Mr. Biden leads Mr. Trump 51 % -46 % , with a 3.5 % margin of error .
“ We see a big lead for Joe Biden among ballots that have already been cast in both Arizona and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CBS News elections & surveys director , on CBS ’ “ Face The Nation.
” “ I suspect when we get to election night we may say that Joe Biden has a lead on ballots that have been cast already and then it ’ s a question of how many of the president ’ s supporters will turn up on Election Day to try to put him over the top.
” The big lead Mr. Salvanto identified in ballots already cast refers to the poll ’ s respondents who said they had already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from government officials .
“ We asked people what do you want politics in the next four years to be like ?
And of the things that they said , well the folks who said that they wanted it to be exciting , well in these states the president has a slight lead , ” Mr. Salvanto said on Face The Nation .
“ For those who said they wanted politics in the next four years to be calm , Joe Biden has a large lead .
The trouble for the president and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more people told us that they wanted things to be calm.
” The CBS News surveys were conducted by YouGov from Oct. 13-16 among 1,087 registered voters in Arizona and 1,124 registered voters in Wisconsin .

A new CBS News poll showed Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden leading President Trump in two states the Republican incumbent won four years ago — Arizona and Wisconsin.
Mr. Biden holds a 3 percentage point lead in Arizona, 50%-47%, which is within the poll’s 4.1% margin of error. In Wisconsin, Mr. Biden leads Mr. Trump 51%-46%, with a 3.5% margin of error.
“We see a big lead for Joe Biden among ballots that have already been cast in both Arizona and Wisconsin,” said Anthony Salvanto, CBS News elections & surveys director, on CBS’ “Face The Nation.” “I suspect when we get to election night we may say that Joe Biden has a lead on ballots that have been cast already and then it’s a question of how many of the president’s supporters will turn up on Election Day to try to put him over the top.”
The big lead Mr. Salvanto identified in ballots already cast refers to the poll’s respondents who said they had already voted, not an actual ballot count from government officials.
“We asked people what do you want politics in the next four years to be like? And of the things that they said, well the folks who said that they wanted it to be exciting, well in these states the president has a slight lead,” Mr. Salvanto said on Face The Nation. “For those who said they wanted politics in the next four years to be calm, Joe Biden has a large lead. The trouble for the president and the advantage for Joe Biden is that more people told us that they wanted things to be calm.”
The CBS News surveys were conducted by YouGov from Oct. 13-16 among 1,087 registered voters in Arizona and 1,124 registered voters in Wisconsin.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Hunter Biden left laptop at repair shop, owner tells Senate panel

Hunter Biden himself left his laptop computer at a Wilmington , Delaware , repair shop whose owner eventually gave the hard drive ’ s material to the FBI and later to President Trump ’ s attorney , Rudolph W. Giuliani , the shop owner has told a Senate committee .
How exactly the MacBook Pro , brimming with emails about Hunter Biden ’ s cash flow from a Ukrainian oligarch and Chinese communist-linked industrialists , ended up abandoned has been a key question .
The New York Post , which first received and published some emails , reported that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who left the computer in April 2019 .
But in a letter Saturday to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray , Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson , Wisconsin Republican , disclosed that the shop owner , identified in media reports as John Paul Mac Isaac , told the panel directly that Hunter Biden dropped off the machine .
It would be a federal crime to mislead a congressional committee on such an important fact .
Mr. Johnson said that on Sept. 24 , the day after his committee issued @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from his father , Vice President Joseph R. Biden , “ a whistleblower contacted my committee and informed my staff that he had possession of a laptop left in his business by Hunter Biden.
” This would appear to discredit allegations from Rep. Adam B. Schiff , California Democrat and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence , that the emails are part of a Russian disinformation operation .
No one in the Biden camp , including Hunter Biden ’ s attorney , has challenged the emails ’ authenticity .
No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forward to debunk their genuineness .
The chain of custody appears to be from the shop owner to Robert Costello , Mr. Giuliani ’ s attorney , to Mr. Giuliani to the New York Post .
Mr. Giuliani said he has retained a large amount of data to be released soon .
The emails show that an executive at Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings , which paid Hunter Biden millions of dollars as a board member , was able to meet with Vice President Biden in Washington in 2015 thanks to the son @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was not on the vice president ’ s official schedule but they might have met briefly .
The emails also show Hunter Biden was guaranteed $ 10 million annually from a corrupt Chinese billionaire for what Hunter Biden called “ introductions alone.
” Another email says a company was being set up for which the “ big guy ” would receive a 10 % stake .
Fox News reported that an email participant identified the “ big guy ” as Vice President Biden .
The Democratic presidential nominee declined to comment Friday when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s business dealings .
Why the shop owner initially told the press he did not know who left the computer is not known .
Normal business practices dictate that a ticket or receipt is created with the computer ’ s owner ’ s name , address and phone number .
The shop owner said he tried calling the customer with no luck and eventually took ownership as stipulated in the repair agreement .
In his Saturday letter , Mr. Johnson accused the FBI of stonewalling his committee .
“ Unfortunately , several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would not confirm or deny any information identified by the committee even though several of our questions were not related to the possible existence of an ongoing grand jury investigation , ” Mr. Johnson told Mr. Wray .
“ As my staff explained to FBI officials , this information is crucial for several reasons , ” he said .
“ For example , if any information offered to the committee was linked to a foreign adversary ’ s attempt to interfere in the election , I would expect the FBI to ensure @ @ @ @ @ @ @ defensive briefing .
Similarly , knowingly providing false information to Congress is a crime , and I would expect the FBI to have informed me if , after having been given notice of what we received , this may have occurred .
That is precisely why my staff reached out to the FBI.
” The letter posed Mr. Wray a series of questions , such as whether the bureau in fact took custody of the hard drive and whether the FBI had come to any conclusions and found any evidence of crimes .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ records were generated or authored by Hunter Biden ?
Has the FBI determined whether these records are a result from someone hacking Hunter Biden ’ s computer ?
” Mr. Johnson asked .
Mr. Giuliani , in an interview with the Daily Caller , said it was Hunter Biden who turned over the computer .
He gave this account : “ My lawyer was contacted by this gentlemen who owned this store that fixes hard drives .
Hunter Biden had come into the store probably a year earlier .
Turned over three devices @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one .
Fix the other immediately .
Had to keep the hard drive .
Hunter Biden came back in two days and brought him some kind of a keyboard that would help , and within a fairly short period of time he had it fixed and then he started calling Biden to pick it up .
Couldn ’ t get any answer .
Couldn ’ t get any response .
Didn ’ t get paid .
“ And for some reason Hunter Biden never showed up .
One of the reasons may be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was so drunk that he had a little trouble even getting his name out .
And since I ’ ve now looked at the hard drive I find that to be very credible because , this is probably a bit of an exaggeration , but it looks like he ’ s high on crack about every other day for the last five or six years , ” Mr. Giuliani said .
The timeline would be that the owner turned over the hard drive and then the computer by December 2019 .
Months later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans , he provided it to Mr. Giuliani .
The Johnson committee now also has the hard drive material .
For Hunter Biden , who has been in and out of rehabilitation centers for drug and alcohol addiction , the time frame for leaving and then abandoning the computer in April 2019 was tumultuous .
An exotic dancer in the District of Columbia filed a paternity lawsuit .
Hunter Biden denied having sex with the exotic dancer , but a DNA match eventually determined that he was the father .
He split up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who died of brain cancer .
Breitbart News reported on a 2016 Arizona police report that showed Hunter Biden left a cocaine pipe , credit cards and two D.C. driver ’ s licenses in a car rental .
He remarried a South African native living in California .
He stayed away from the launch event for this father ’ s campaign .

Hunter Biden himself left his laptop computer at a Wilmington, Delaware, repair shop whose owner eventually gave the hard drive’s material to the FBI and later to President Trump’s attorney, Rudolph W. Giuliani, the shop owner has told a Senate committee.
How exactly the MacBook Pro, brimming with emails about Hunter Biden’s cash flow from a Ukrainian oligarch and Chinese communist-linked industrialists, ended up abandoned has been a key question.
The New York Post, which first received and published some emails, reported that the shop owner did not recognize the man who left the computer in April 2019.
But in a letter Saturday to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray, Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Ron Johnson, Wisconsin Republican, disclosed that the shop owner, identified in media reports as John Paul Mac Isaac, told the panel directly that Hunter Biden dropped off the machine.
It would be a federal crime to mislead a congressional committee on such an important fact.
Mr. Johnson said that on Sept. 24, the day after his committee issued a report on how Hunter Biden profited from his father, Vice President Joseph R. Biden, “a whistleblower contacted my committee and informed my staff that he had possession of a laptop left in his business by Hunter Biden.”
DOCUMENT: Letter to FBI from Ron Johnson concerning Senate's Hunter Biden report
This would appear to discredit allegations from Rep. Adam B. Schiff, California Democrat and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, that the emails are part of a Russian disinformation operation.
No one in the Biden camp, including Hunter Biden’s attorney, has challenged the emails’ authenticity. No person listed in email threads has come forward to debunk their genuineness.
The chain of custody appears to be from the shop owner to Robert Costello, Mr. Giuliani’s attorney, to Mr. Giuliani to the New York Post. Mr. Giuliani said he has retained a large amount of data to be released soon.
The emails show that an executive at Ukrainian energy firm Burisma Holdings, which paid Hunter Biden millions of dollars as a board member, was able to meet with Vice President Biden in Washington in 2015 thanks to the son. The Biden campaign said the executive was not on the vice president’s official schedule but they might have met briefly.
The emails also show Hunter Biden was guaranteed $10 million annually from a corrupt Chinese billionaire for what Hunter Biden called “introductions alone.”
Another email says a company was being set up for which the “big guy” would receive a 10% stake. Fox News reported that an email participant identified the “big guy” as Vice President Biden. The Democratic presidential nominee declined to comment Friday when a reporter asked him about his son’s business dealings.
Why the shop owner initially told the press he did not know who left the computer is not known. Normal business practices dictate that a ticket or receipt is created with the computer’s owner’s name, address and phone number. The shop owner said he tried calling the customer with no luck and eventually took ownership as stipulated in the repair agreement.
In his Saturday letter, Mr. Johnson accused the FBI of stonewalling his committee.
“Unfortunately, several days later, the FBI responded that it would not confirm or deny any information identified by the committee even though several of our questions were not related to the possible existence of an ongoing grand jury investigation,” Mr. Johnson told Mr. Wray.
“As my staff explained to FBI officials, this information is crucial for several reasons,” he said. “For example, if any information offered to the committee was linked to a foreign adversary’s attempt to interfere in the election, I would expect the FBI to ensure the committee is protected and receives a defensive briefing. Similarly, knowingly providing false information to Congress is a crime, and I would expect the FBI to have informed me if, after having been given notice of what we received, this may have occurred. That is precisely why my staff reached out to the FBI.”
The letter posed Mr. Wray a series of questions, such as whether the bureau in fact took custody of the hard drive and whether the FBI had come to any conclusions and found any evidence of crimes.
“Has the FBI determined whether these records were generated or authored by Hunter Biden? Has the FBI determined whether these records are a result from someone hacking Hunter Biden’s computer?” Mr. Johnson asked.
Mr. Giuliani, in an interview with the Daily Caller, said it was Hunter Biden who turned over the computer.
He gave this account: “My lawyer was contacted by this gentlemen who owned this store that fixes hard drives. Hunter Biden had come into the store probably a year earlier. Turned over three devices. The guy couldn’t fix one. Fix the other immediately. Had to keep the hard drive. Hunter Biden came back in two days and brought him some kind of a keyboard that would help, and within a fairly short period of time he had it fixed and then he started calling Biden to pick it up. Couldn’t get any answer. Couldn’t get any response. Didn’t get paid.
“And for some reason Hunter Biden never showed up. One of the reasons may be that the gentleman says that Hunter Biden was so drunk that he had a little trouble even getting his name out. And since I’ve now looked at the hard drive I find that to be very credible because, this is probably a bit of an exaggeration, but it looks like he’s high on crack about every other day for the last five or six years,” Mr. Giuliani said.
The timeline would be that the owner turned over the hard drive and then the computer by December 2019. Months later, after getting no response from unidentified Republicans, he provided it to Mr. Giuliani. The Johnson committee now also has the hard drive material.
For Hunter Biden, who has been in and out of rehabilitation centers for drug and alcohol addiction, the time frame for leaving and then abandoning the computer in April 2019 was tumultuous.
An exotic dancer in the District of Columbia filed a paternity lawsuit. Hunter Biden denied having sex with the exotic dancer, but a DNA match eventually determined that he was the father. He split up with the widow of his brother, who died of brain cancer.
Breitbart News reported on a 2016 Arizona police report that showed Hunter Biden left a cocaine pipe, credit cards and two D.C. driver’s licenses in a car rental. He remarried a South African native living in California. He stayed away from the launch event for this father’s campaign.
• Rowan Scarborough can be reached at rscarborough@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Judiciary Committee Democrat calls for 'rebalance' of federal judiciary under Biden

Sen. Chris Coons , Delaware Democrat , said Sunday he is open to packing the Supreme Court with additional justices if Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden wins the White House .
Mr. Coons , a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee , told CNN that he is “ not a fan ” of adding justices to the Supreme Court but that he will be open to the idea if Mr. Biden wins next month ’ s election .
“ If we happen to be in a fact pattern where we have a President Biden , we ’ ll have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are to rebalance our federal judiciary , ” Mr. Coons said .
When pressed whether he would consider adding justices to the Supreme Court following a victory by Mr. Biden , Mr. Coons answered “ yes.
” Court packing refers to the practice of adding judges or justices to a court .
Before the latest battle over Judge Amy Coney Barrett ’ s nomination to the Supreme Court , the 2020 Democratic Party platform called for adding “ new federal district and circuit judgeships consistent with recommendations from the Judicial Conference ” as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ appointed by President Trump .
Mr. Coons said he believes Judge Barrett is “ extreme ” and “ unqualified ” and voters should hold Republicans responsible for allegedly rushing her nomination .
Mr. Biden has said that he is “ not a fan ” of court packing and that he will declare before the election whether he would support such as president .

Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Democrat, said Sunday he is open to packing the Supreme Court with additional justices if Democratic presidential nominee Joseph R. Biden wins the White House.
Mr. Coons, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told CNN that he is “not a fan” of adding justices to the Supreme Court but that he will be open to the idea if Mr. Biden wins next month’s election.
“If we happen to be in a fact pattern where we have a President Biden, we’ll have to look at what the right steps are to rebalance our federal judiciary,” Mr. Coons said.
When pressed whether he would consider adding justices to the Supreme Court following a victory by Mr. Biden, Mr. Coons answered “yes.”
Court packing refers to the practice of adding judges or justices to a court.
Before the latest battle over Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination to the Supreme Court, the 2020 Democratic Party platform called for adding “new federal district and circuit judgeships consistent with recommendations from the Judicial Conference” as a way to push back against judges appointed by President Trump.
Mr. Coons said he believes Judge Barrett is “extreme” and “unqualified” and voters should hold Republicans responsible for allegedly rushing her nomination.
Mr. Biden has said that he is “not a fan” of court packing and that he will declare before the election whether he would support such as president.
• Ryan Lovelace can be reached at rlovelace@washingtontimes.com.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Asia Today: South Korea testing at hospitals, nursing homes

SEOUL , South Korea ( AP ) - South Korea on Monday began testing tens of thousands of employees of hospitals and nursing homes to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks at live-in facilities .
Fifteen of the 76 latest cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency were from the southern port city of Busan , where more than 70 infections have been linked to a hospital for the elderly .
The disease caused by the coronavirus can be more serious in older people and those with existing health conditions like high-blood pressure .
Health workers have been scrambling to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , home to about half of the country ’ s 51 million people , as the virus spreads in a variety of places , including hospitals , churches , schools and workplaces .
From Monday , they will start a process to test 130,000 workers at hospitals , nursing homes and senior centers in the greater capital area .
Officials will also test 30,000 patients who have visited and used these facilities , but will leave out hospitalized patients , who already receive tests when they are admitted .
Officials plan to complete @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expand the screening to other regions if needed .
South Korea has confirmed 25,275 cases of coronavirus infection , including 444 deaths from COVID-19 .
In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region : - China ’ s economic growth accelerated to 4.9 % over a year earlier in the latest quarter as a shaky recovery from the coronavirus pandemic gathered strength .
China , where virus outbreaks began in December , became the first major economy to return to growth with a 3.2 % expansion in the quarter ending in June .
Output @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The ruling Communist Party began easing anti-disease controls and reopening factories , shops and offices in March after declaring the virus under control but has kept monitoring and some travel controls in place .

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea on Monday began testing tens of thousands of employees of hospitals and nursing homes to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks at live-in facilities.
Fifteen of the 76 latest cases reported by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency were from the southern port city of Busan, where more than 70 infections have been linked to a hospital for the elderly.
The disease caused by the coronavirus can be more serious in older people and those with existing health conditions like high-blood pressure.
Health workers have been scrambling to track infections in the Seoul metropolitan area, home to about half of the country’s 51 million people, as the virus spreads in a variety of places, including hospitals, churches, schools and workplaces.
From Monday, they will start a process to test 130,000 workers at hospitals, nursing homes and senior centers in the greater capital area. Officials will also test 30,000 patients who have visited and used these facilities, but will leave out hospitalized patients, who already receive tests when they are admitted.
Officials plan to complete the tests within October and could possibly expand the screening to other regions if needed.
South Korea has confirmed 25,275 cases of coronavirus infection, including 444 deaths from COVID-19.
In other developments around the Asia-Pacific region:
- India has reported 579 fatalities from COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, the lowest increase in three months, driving its death toll to 114,610. The Health Ministry on Monday also reported 55,722 more people infected, raising India’s total to more than 7.5 million. A government-appointed committee of scientists said Sunday the disease was likely to “run its course” by February if people used masks and adhered to distancing measures. The number of new infections confirmed each day has declined for a month. The committee said even if active cases increased during the upcoming festive season and cold weather, they were unlikely to surpass India’s record daily high of 97,894 cases.
- China’s economic growth accelerated to 4.9% over a year earlier in the latest quarter as a shaky recovery from the coronavirus pandemic gathered strength. China, where virus outbreaks began in December, became the first major economy to return to growth with a 3.2% expansion in the quarter ending in June. Output contracted 6.8% in the first quarter. The ruling Communist Party began easing anti-disease controls and reopening factories, shops and offices in March after declaring the virus under control but has kept monitoring and some travel controls in place.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Armenia, Azerbaijan blame each other for truce violations

YEREVAN , Armenia ( AP ) - Despite a second attempt at a cease-fire , Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations Sunday of violating the new truce in their destructive conflict over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh .
The latest truce , which was announced Saturday and took force at midnight , was the second attempt to establish a cease-fire since heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 27 .
The fighting and shelling has killed hundreds of people - both combatants and civilians - and marks the biggest escalation of a decades-old conflict over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The fighting , involving heavy artillery , rockets and drones , has continued despite repeated calls for cessation of hostilities coming from around the globe .
It also raises the specter of a wider conflict that could draw in Russia and Turkey and threaten Caspian Sea energy exports .
Armenian military officials on Sunday reported artillery shelling and missile strikes by Azerbaijani forces in the conflict zone overnight .
In the morning , “ the enemy launched an attack in the southern direction , ” and there were “ casualties and wounded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said .
Azerbaijan ’ s Defense Ministry , in turn , maintained that Armenian forces used mortars and artillery in the conflict zone overnight despite the cease-fire and in the morning attempted attacks in several directions .
The ministry accused Armenia of using large-caliber weapons to attack the positions of the Azerbaijani army in two regions north of Nagorno-Karabakh along the border , a claim Armenian military officials denied .
The Azerbaijani military also said it downed an Armenian Su-25 warplane “ attempting to inflict airstrikes on the positions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ direction , ” but Stepanian dismissed the statement as untrue .
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned attacks from both sides on populated areas and expressed deep regret that the warring parties have “ continuously ignored the repeated calls of the international community to immediately stop the fighting , ” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said .
The U.N. chief underscored in his latest calls with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan that both sides have an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure , Dujarric said .
Guterres also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oct. 18 humanitarian truce and resume negotiations without delay under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe .
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994 .
According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials , 673 of their servicemen have been killed in the renewed fighting .
Azerbaijan hasn ’ t disclosed its military losses , but says 60 civilians have died so far and 270 have been wounded .
Turkey has publicly backed oil-rich Azerbaijan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it reclaim its territory .
Russia , which has a security pact with Armenia but has cultivated warm ties with Azerbaijan , hosted top diplomats from both countries last week for more than 10 hours of talks that ended with the initial cease-fire agreement .
But the deal frayed immediately after the truce took effect last Saturday , with both sides blaming each other for breaching it .
The new cease-fire agreement was announced a week later on Saturday , following Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ’ s calls with his counterparts from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strongly urged them to abide by the Moscow deal .
But several hours after the truce took force at midnight , both sides started accusing each other of breaching the agreement .
Later Sunday , Armenia and Azerbaijan reiterated their commitments to the cease-fire in statements issued by their foreign ministries , and laid the blame for the breaches on each other .
Azerbaijan “ reserves its right to take counter measures to protect its civilians and positions , ” the country ’ s Foreign Ministry said .
Yerevan “ will continue to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Azerbaijan and establish a cease-fire regime which will entail precise and effective mechanisms for maintaining and verifying it , ” Armenian Foreign Ministry said .
In a separate statement , Armenia said the Azerbaijani government in Baku “ categorically rejected ” an attempt to reach an agreement on withdrawing wounded soldiers from the battlefield through mediation by the International Committee of the Red Cross .
Azerbaijani authorities said they were prepared to hand over the bodies of some Armenian servicemen to Armenia through mediation by the ICRC and an agreed-upon border corridor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ region.
” Officials didn ’ t clarify how many bodies that entailed .
Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova in Moscow and Aida Sultanova in London contributed to this report .

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) - Despite a second attempt at a cease-fire, Armenia and Azerbaijan traded accusations Sunday of violating the new truce in their destructive conflict over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The latest truce, which was announced Saturday and took force at midnight, was the second attempt to establish a cease-fire since heavy fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces broke out in Nagorno-Karabakh on Sept. 27. The fighting and shelling has killed hundreds of people - both combatants and civilians - and marks the biggest escalation of a decades-old conflict over the region in more than a quarter-century.
The fighting, involving heavy artillery, rockets and drones, has continued despite repeated calls for cessation of hostilities coming from around the globe. It also raises the specter of a wider conflict that could draw in Russia and Turkey and threaten Caspian Sea energy exports.
Armenian military officials on Sunday reported artillery shelling and missile strikes by Azerbaijani forces in the conflict zone overnight. In the morning, “the enemy launched an attack in the southern direction,” and there were “casualties and wounded on both sides,” Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanian said.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, in turn, maintained that Armenian forces used mortars and artillery in the conflict zone overnight despite the cease-fire and in the morning attempted attacks in several directions. The ministry accused Armenia of using large-caliber weapons to attack the positions of the Azerbaijani army in two regions north of Nagorno-Karabakh along the border, a claim Armenian military officials denied.
The Azerbaijani military also said it downed an Armenian Su-25 warplane “attempting to inflict airstrikes on the positions of the Azerbaijan army in the Jabrayil direction,” but Stepanian dismissed the statement as untrue.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned attacks from both sides on populated areas and expressed deep regret that the warring parties have “continuously ignored the repeated calls of the international community to immediately stop the fighting,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
The U.N. chief underscored in his latest calls with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan that both sides have an obligation under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, Dujarric said. Guterres also expects both parties to abide by the Oct. 18 humanitarian truce and resume negotiations without delay under the auspices of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994.
According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials, 673 of their servicemen have been killed in the renewed fighting. Azerbaijan hasn’t disclosed its military losses, but says 60 civilians have died so far and 270 have been wounded.
Turkey has publicly backed oil-rich Azerbaijan in the conflict and vowed to help it reclaim its territory.
Russia, which has a security pact with Armenia but has cultivated warm ties with Azerbaijan, hosted top diplomats from both countries last week for more than 10 hours of talks that ended with the initial cease-fire agreement. But the deal frayed immediately after the truce took effect last Saturday, with both sides blaming each other for breaching it.
The new cease-fire agreement was announced a week later on Saturday, following Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s calls with his counterparts from Armenia and Azerbaijan, in which he strongly urged them to abide by the Moscow deal.
But several hours after the truce took force at midnight, both sides started accusing each other of breaching the agreement.
Later Sunday, Armenia and Azerbaijan reiterated their commitments to the cease-fire in statements issued by their foreign ministries, and laid the blame for the breaches on each other.
Azerbaijan “reserves its right to take counter measures to protect its civilians and positions,” the country’s Foreign Ministry said.
Yerevan “will continue to undertake all necessary measures to impose peace on Azerbaijan and establish a cease-fire regime which will entail precise and effective mechanisms for maintaining and verifying it,” Armenian Foreign Ministry said.
In a separate statement, Armenia said the Azerbaijani government in Baku “categorically rejected” an attempt to reach an agreement on withdrawing wounded soldiers from the battlefield through mediation by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Azerbaijani authorities said they were prepared to hand over the bodies of some Armenian servicemen to Armenia through mediation by the ICRC and an agreed-upon border corridor “in the direction of the Tovuz region.” Officials didn’t clarify how many bodies that entailed.
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Associated Press writers Daria Litvinova in Moscow and Aida Sultanova in London contributed to this report.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Police: 3 killed in 'drug-related' shooting in Tennessee

NASHVILLE , Tenn. ( AP ) - Three men were killed in a weekend shooting in Tennessee ’ s capital city , according to authorities .
Nashville Metro Police officers responded to a shooting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the city ’ s Donelson neighborhood , the agency said in a statement obtained by news outlets .
Officers discovered Gennaro Daniele , 29 , and Jesus Torreo , 27 , wounded in a parking lot at the address , which was the home of Daniele .
The men were taken to a hospital where they later died , police said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fire at Daniele and Torrero from behind a building during an exchange of gunfire .
The suspected shooter escaped in a burgundy Chevrolet sedan , according to police .
Later Saturday a car matching the description attempted to drop off a gunshot victim at a hospital but sped away after being approached by staff .
A third victim later identified as Quencharios Edmonds , 28 , was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds inside his SUV along a road in Smyrna , according to police .
Investigators said the shooting was likely drug-related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kilograms ) of marijuana , 500 ecstasy pills , a gun and more than $ 42,800 in cash from the address where the shooting was first reported .

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Three men were killed in a weekend shooting in Tennessee’s capital city, according to authorities.
Nashville Metro Police officers responded to a shooting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the city’s Donelson neighborhood, the agency said in a statement obtained by news outlets.
Officers discovered Gennaro Daniele, 29, and Jesus Torreo, 27, wounded in a parking lot at the address, which was the home of Daniele. The men were taken to a hospital where they later died, police said.
Officials said witnesses reported seeing someone fire at Daniele and Torrero from behind a building during an exchange of gunfire.
The suspected shooter escaped in a burgundy Chevrolet sedan, according to police. Later Saturday a car matching the description attempted to drop off a gunshot victim at a hospital but sped away after being approached by staff.
A third victim later identified as Quencharios Edmonds, 28, was found dead from multiple gunshot wounds inside his SUV along a road in Smyrna, according to police.
Investigators said the shooting was likely drug-related and detectives recovered 7 pounds (3.18 kilograms) of marijuana, 500 ecstasy pills, a gun and more than $42,800 in cash from the address where the shooting was first reported.


washingtontimes--2020-10-18--Millions more virus rapid tests, but are results reported?

WASHINGTON ( AP ) - After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing , the U.S. can now screen several million people daily , thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests .
But the boom comes with a new challenge : keeping track of the results .
All U.S. testing sites are legally required to report their results , positive and negative , to public health agencies .
But state health officials say many rapid tests are going unreported , which means some new COVID-19 infections may not be counted .
And the situation could get worse , experts say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 100 million of the newest rapid tests to states for use in public schools , assisted living centers and other new testing sites .
“ Schools certainly don ’ t have the capacity to report these tests , ” said Dr. Jeffrey Engel of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists .
“ If it ’ s done at all it ’ s likely going to be paper-based , very slow and incomplete.
” Early in the outbreak , nearly all U.S. testing relied on genetic tests that could only be developed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ best circumstances , people had to wait about two to three days to get results .
Experts pushed for more “ point-of-care ” rapid testing that could be done in doctors offices , clinics and other sites to quickly find people who are infected , get them into quarantine and stop the spread .
Beginning in the summer , cheaper , 15-minute tests - which detect viral proteins called antigens on a nasal swab - became available .
The first versions still needed to be processed using portable readers .
The millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out to states are even easier to use : they ’ re about the size of a credit card and can be developed with a few drops of chemical solution .
Federal health officials say about half of the nation ’ s daily testing capacity now consists of rapid tests .
Large hospitals and laboratories electronically feed their results to state health departments , but there is no standardized way to report the rapid tests that are often done elsewhere .
And state officials have often been unable to track where these tests @ @ @ @ @ @ @ being reported .
In Minnesota , officials created a special team to try and get more testing data from nursing homes , schools and other newer testing sites , only to be deluged by faxes and paper files .
“ It ’ s definitely a challenge because now we have to do many more things manually than we were with electronic reporting , ” said Kristen Ehresmann , of the Minnesota Department of Health .
Even before Abbott ’ s newest BinaxNOW rapid tests hit the market last month , undercounting was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have together shipped well over 35 million of their own quick tests since June .
But that massive influx of tests hasn ’ t showed up in national testing numbers , which have mostly ranged between 750,000 and 950,000 daily tests for months .
Besides tallying new cases , COVID-19 testing numbers are used to calculate a key metric on the outbreak : the percentage of tests positive for COVID-19 .
The World Health Organization recommends countries test enough people to drive their percent of positives below 5 % .
And the U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that rate since mid-September , a point that President Donald Trump and his top aides have touted to argue that the nation has turned the corner on the outbreak .
The figure is down from a peak of 22 % in April .
But some disease-tracking specialists are skeptical .
Engel said his group ’ s members think they aren ’ t getting all the results .
“ So it may be a false conclusion , ” he said .
One of the challenges to an accurate count : States have wildly different @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of tests together in one report , some don ’ t tabulate the quick antigen tests at all and others don ’ t publicize their system .
Because antigen tests are more prone to false negatives and sometimes require retesting , most health experts say they should be recorded and analyzed separately .
But currently the vast majority of states do not do that and post the results online .
The federal government is allocating the tests to states based on their population , rather than helping them develop a strategy based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ That ’ s just lazy ” said Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard University .
“ Most states won ’ t have the expertise to figure out how to use these most appropriately.
” Instead , Mina said the federal government should direct the limited test supplies to key hot spots around the country , driving down infections in the hardest-hit communities .
Keeping tighter control would also ensure test results are quickly reported .
Johns Hopkins University researcher Gigi Gronvall agrees health officials need to carefully consider where and when to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for tracking the tests will catch up , she said .
“ I think having the tools to determine if someone is infectious is a higher priority , ” she said .
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute ’ s Department of Science Education .
The AP is solely responsible for all content .

WASHINGTON (AP) - After struggling to ramp up coronavirus testing, the U.S. can now screen several million people daily, thanks to a growing supply of rapid tests. But the boom comes with a new challenge: keeping track of the results.
All U.S. testing sites are legally required to report their results, positive and negative, to public health agencies. But state health officials say many rapid tests are going unreported, which means some new COVID-19 infections may not be counted.
And the situation could get worse, experts say. The federal government is shipping more than 100 million of the newest rapid tests to states for use in public schools, assisted living centers and other new testing sites.
“Schools certainly don’t have the capacity to report these tests,” said Dr. Jeffrey Engel of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. “If it’s done at all it’s likely going to be paper-based, very slow and incomplete.”
Early in the outbreak, nearly all U.S. testing relied on genetic tests that could only be developed at high-tech laboratories. Even under the best circumstances, people had to wait about two to three days to get results. Experts pushed for more “point-of-care” rapid testing that could be done in doctors offices, clinics and other sites to quickly find people who are infected, get them into quarantine and stop the spread.
Beginning in the summer, cheaper, 15-minute tests - which detect viral proteins called antigens on a nasal swab - became available. The first versions still needed to be processed using portable readers. The millions of new tests from Abbott Laboratories now going out to states are even easier to use: they’re about the size of a credit card and can be developed with a few drops of chemical solution.
Federal health officials say about half of the nation’s daily testing capacity now consists of rapid tests.
Large hospitals and laboratories electronically feed their results to state health departments, but there is no standardized way to report the rapid tests that are often done elsewhere. And state officials have often been unable to track where these tests are being shipped and whether results are being reported.
In Minnesota, officials created a special team to try and get more testing data from nursing homes, schools and other newer testing sites, only to be deluged by faxes and paper files.
“It’s definitely a challenge because now we have to do many more things manually than we were with electronic reporting,” said Kristen Ehresmann, of the Minnesota Department of Health.
Even before Abbott’s newest BinaxNOW rapid tests hit the market last month, undercounting was a concern.
Competitors Quidel and Becton Dickinson have together shipped well over 35 million of their own quick tests since June. But that massive influx of tests hasn’t showed up in national testing numbers, which have mostly ranged between 750,000 and 950,000 daily tests for months.
Besides tallying new cases, COVID-19 testing numbers are used to calculate a key metric on the outbreak: the percentage of tests positive for COVID-19. The World Health Organization recommends countries test enough people to drive their percent of positives below 5%. And the U.S. has mostly been hovering around or below that rate since mid-September, a point that President Donald Trump and his top aides have touted to argue that the nation has turned the corner on the outbreak. The figure is down from a peak of 22% in April.
But some disease-tracking specialists are skeptical. Engel said his group’s members think they aren’t getting all the results.
“So it may be a false conclusion,” he said.
One of the challenges to an accurate count: States have wildly different approaches. Some states lump all types of tests together in one report, some don’t tabulate the quick antigen tests at all and others don’t publicize their system. Because antigen tests are more prone to false negatives and sometimes require retesting, most health experts say they should be recorded and analyzed separately. But currently the vast majority of states do not do that and post the results online.
The federal government is allocating the tests to states based on their population, rather than helping them develop a strategy based on the size and severity of their outbreaks.
“That’s just lazy” said Dr. Michael Mina of Harvard University. “Most states won’t have the expertise to figure out how to use these most appropriately.”
Instead, Mina said the federal government should direct the limited test supplies to key hot spots around the country, driving down infections in the hardest-hit communities. Keeping tighter control would also ensure test results are quickly reported.
Johns Hopkins University researcher Gigi Gronvall agrees health officials need to carefully consider where and when to deploy the tests. Eventually, methods for tracking the tests will catch up, she said.
“I think having the tools to determine if someone is infectious is a higher priority,” she said.
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AP data journalist Nicky Forster contributed to this story
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Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.