Biden mauls Trump's record on coronavirus in final presidential debate The Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden assailed Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic during Thursday night’s final presidential debate, as the president attempted to reset a race that shows him trailing his opponent in opinion polls less than two weeks before election day. The evening in Nashville began relatively calmly, with the rivals making their closing arguments to the nation amid a pandemic that has killed more than 220,000 Americans and infected millions more, including the president. In part due to the pandemic, more than 40 million Americans have already cast their ballot, shattering records and leaving Trump an increasingly narrow window to reset the debate around his handling of the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout. “It will go away,” Trump said, offering a rosy assessment of the pandemic’s trajectory even as cases have started rising again across the US and public health experts warn that the US is on the precipice of a dangerous new wave.
United Airlines flying Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine United Airlines Holdings Inc., reportedly began operating charter flights on Friday to better position Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine for distribution once the inoculation is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. United Airlines will fly the cargo from Brussels Airport to Chicago. (iStock) United will fly the chartered planes between Brussels International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport as part of the “first mass air shipment of a vaccine,” supported by the FAA, The Wall Street Journal reported. The news of securing the charter flights comes as Pfizer has started to lay the foundation to move the vaccine quickly once the FDA and other regulators approve it.
Israel and Sudan have agreed to normalize relations, Trump announces Trump made the announcement from the Oval Office while joined on the phone by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sudanese Chairman of the Sovereignty Council Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. According to a joint statement from the three countries, the leaders of Sudan and Israel "agreed to the normalization of relations between Sudan and Israel and to end the state of belligerence between their nations" and "agreed to begin economic and trade relations, with an initial focus on agriculture." "The leaders also agreed that delegations will meet in the coming weeks to negotiate agreements of cooperation in those areas as well as in agriculture technology, aviation, migration issues and other areas for the benefit of the two peoples. The leaders also resolved to work together to build a better future and advance the cause of peace in the region," the joint statement said. "This is an agreement to normalize; it is not yet normalization. Victim reaction
Thousands of people in California had their power shut off amid wildfire danger Strong Santa Ana winds, combined with dry fuels, led Southern California Edison (SCE) to enact a Public Safety Power Shutoff -- the intentional disruption of power to mitigate wildfire danger. Low humidity and wind gusts of 40-65 miles per hour are expected, according to the National Weather Center, raising the danger of debris coming in contact with power equipment that could emit sparks igniting dry brush and exploding into a wildfire. Nearly 112,000 more SCE customers have been warned that their electricity could be cut at any time on Thursday and Friday.
Poland delays abortion ban as nationwide protests continue Poland’s rightwing government has delayed implementation of a controversial court ruling that would outlaw almost all abortion after it prompted the largest protests since the fall of communism. “There is a discussion going on, and it would be good to take some time for dialogue and for finding a new position in this situation, which is difficult and stirs high emotions,” Michał Dworczyk, the head of the prime minister’s office, told Polish media on Tuesday. The decision by the country’s constitutional tribunal promised to further tighten Poland’s abortion laws, which were already some of the strictest in Europe. The tribunal ruled that terminations should be illegal even in cases where a foetus is diagnosed with a serious and irreversible birth defect. This kind of abortion accounts for almost all of the small number of abortions performed legally in the country.
Owl found in Rockefeller Christmas tree set to be released The 2020 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a 75-foot tall Norway Spruce that was acquired in Oneonta, N.Y., is prepared for setting on a platform at Rockefeller Center Nov. 14, in New York. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) The tiny owl rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree after surviving a harrowing, 200-mile journey from Oneonta to Manhattan was set to be released back into the wild Tuesday evening. The brown and white speckled Saw-whet, nicknamed Rockefeller, will now be free to continue her migratory journey after landscapers in charge of cutting down the famed spruce ripped her from the upstate town where she might’ve spent the winter.
U.S. Records 100,000 Cases in a Day for the First Time The United States on Wednesday recorded over 100,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time since the pandemic began, bursting past a grim threshold even as the wave of infections engulfing the country shows no sign of receding. The total count of new infections on Wednesday was more than 107,800, according to a New York Times database. Twenty-three states have recorded more cases in the past week than in any other seven-day stretch. Five states — Maine, Minnesota, Indiana, Nebraska and Colorado — set single-day case records. Cases were also mounting in the Mountain West and even in the Northeast, which over the summer seemed to be getting the virus under control. North and South Dakota and Wisconsin have led the country for weeks in the number of new cases relative to their population.
US coronavirus hospitalizations top 100K More than 100,000 patients are hospitalized due to the novel coronavirus in the U.S. for the first time since the outbreak began in early 2020. The grim milestone comes as health officials warned of surges tied to holiday travel and lockdown fatigue. The numbers had been steadily increasing – minus a slight dip on Nov. 27 -- since the end of October, but the increase of some 60,000 in a matter of weeks marks the steepest spike the country has seen yet, according to data collected by The COVID Tracking Project. Hope has been hinged on the rollout of a coronavirus vaccine, but the FDA is not scheduled to meet to discuss Pfizer’s application for emergency use authorization until Dec. 10. A meeting to decide on Moderna’s application will be held a week later.