Presidential candidates to participate in town halls tonight
Instead of a second debate between President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden, the two individuals will host separate town halls tonight, according to the Associated Press.
Trump’s town hall will air on NBC, taking place from Miami, and Biden’s town hall will be aired on ABC, live from Philadelphia.
Officials who were in charge of organizing the second debate wanted to schedule a virtual debate after Trump was diagnosed with COVID-19. Trump backed out of this and opted for the separate town halls.
Biden said he believes Trump will not change his tone or how harsh he was in the first debate.
“We’ve got 19 days left and you know he’s going to throw everything but the kitchen sink at me,” Biden said Thursday. “And it’s going to be an overwhelming torrent of lies and distortions.”
#MeToo leaders focus on inequality on anniversary of the movement
Three years ago, the #MeToo hashtag went viral as it sparked a nationwide debate on the topics of sexual assault and harassment.
The founder of the group, Tarana Burke, made it clear the group’s main goal is to continue the fight against inequality as she discussed with AP News.
“It sort of triggered something in me because I had experienced sexual violence myself as a child,” Burke said. “What would my life have been like if somebody had intervened at 12, 14 or 16, even just to say that I deserve healing, and that I deserve wellness and wholeness and joy?”
The goal is to use stories of survivors and those who have dealt with these battles to move to end sexual violence. The group is very concerned that another four years with Trump as president would be detrimental for those suffering from sexual violence and mistreatment.
“If we look at the two candidates, for a lot of people, neither of them are their top choice,” she said.
Trump has faced multiple accusations of assault and harassment, all of which he denies. Earlier this year, a former Senate staffer accused Joe Biden of sexually assaulting her in 1993, which Biden has denied.
Kamala Harris cancels in-person events after two staffers test positive for COVID-19
Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris suspended all in-person events until at least Monday as two people associated with her campaign have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Associated Press.
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign said Thursday that Biden had no exposure, though he and Harris spent several hours campaigning together in Arizona on Oct. 8, when the two were on a flight together. Both candidates have tested negative for COVID-19 multiple times since then, and Biden’s campaign said he tested negative again Thursday.
The Biden campaign told reporters Thursday morning Harris’ communications director, Liz Allen, and a flight crew member tested positive after the recent campaign trip to the Southwest.
“Neither of these individuals had any contact with Vice President Biden, with Sen. Harris or any other staff member since testing positive or in the 48-hour period prior to their positive test results,” said campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon, adding that under CDC guidelines there was “no need for quarantining.”
Europe and U.S. concerned over rapidly rising COVID-19 rates
COVID-19 cases throughout the world have climbed to more than 330,000 new daily cases, according to the Associated Press.
The U.S. is seeing a rise in cases in 44 states, with the biggest rise in numbers happening in the Midwest and the Great Plains.
“I see this as one of the toughest times in the epidemic,” said Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease specialist at the Baylor College of Medicine in Waco, Texas. “The numbers are going up pretty rapidly. We’re going to see a pretty large epidemic across the Northern Hemisphere.”
New U.S. cases have risen over the past couple weeks to more than 52,000 per day on average, according to Johns Hopkins University. Deaths remained around 720 per day during the past two weeks, well below the U.S. peak of more than 2,200 dead per day in late April.
