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- Harris Distances Herself From Biden's 'Garbage' Comment
Harris Distances Herself From Biden's 'Garbage' Comment
Your unbiased daily news brief
James Kratch
October 31, 2024
Good Thursday morning. And Happy Halloween! There is a good chance you may have a Snickers bar at some point. Here is a look at the science behind the treat. Have a great day!
In Today’s Brief
New York: Jaywalking legalized
EU: Spy games
Washington: Ballots salvaged
Pepsi: Plant closings
Dodgers: Win World Series
... and more
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1) Unforced error
Vice President Kamala Harris is on the defensive after her boss made a late-game flub.
What happened: A comedian called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" during former President Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, starting a national firestorm. President Joe Biden then addressed the comments on Tuesday, saying in part, "the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters," a reference to Trump's backers with a week before Election Day.
Damage control: The White House said Biden was referring to the rally's hateful rhetoric as "garbage." The president also clarified his remarks on social media. Trump criticized both Biden and Harris, claiming the president "finally said what he and [Harris] really think of our supporters" and that "you can't lead America if you don't love Americans."
Harris' response: The vice president has tried to distance herself from Biden's comments. She called to "stop pointing fingers at each other" and pledged to be a president for all Americans, adding she "strongly disagrees" with criticizing people based on their vote.
Big picture: Harris' campaign has reportedly sought to keep Biden out of the spotlight in recent weeks, which is said to have generated tensions. This situation will feed into that narrative. It also allows Trump some cover (and a distraction) after his controversial, divisive MSG rally and evoke memories of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's infamous "deplorables" comment in 2016.
2) School scam
Prosecutors in Texas say they broke up a teacher certification fraud ring.
The news: Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg indicted five people accused of falsely certifying about 200 teachers in the state. She said the co-defendants made at least $1M in combined profit through the scheme; they face money laundering and tampering with a government document charges.
The racket: Ogg said the scheme utilized test-taking proxies, teacher impersonators and a corrupt testing proctor. The scam was centered near Houston but certified "unqualified teachers" who now work in public schools across the state. Ogg said at least two "sexual predators" received certification and then had access to children.
Big picture: Two vice principals, a head boy's basketball coach, a testing center worker and a proctor were all charged. Prosecutors said the full extent of the operation will never be fully known; the leader of the scam may have made over $1M himself.
3) Hack claim
A disgruntled former Disney employee allegedly tampered with some of the entertainment giant's restaurants.
The news: A federal criminal complaint in Florida alleges Michael Scheuer hacked into menu software after his firing. He is accused of altering the listings over a three-month period. The complaint said he changed prices and removed important food allergy information. Scheuer is alleged to have tampered with listings of items that would be dangerous to people with peanut allergies. Disney said no one was harmed due to the alleged activity.
The backstory: Scheuer was a Disney menu production manager. The company said he was fired for alleged misconduct in June. He then maintained access to several systems and accessed them with a personal computer.
Big picture: Federal agents raided Scheuer's home in September. Scheuer said he is innocent and accused Disney of trying to frame him. His attorney said Scheuer was improperly fired due to an undisclosed disability and has filed a federal complaint against Disney. The company was recently embroiled in a controversy over an allergy-death lawsuit tied to one of its restaurants.
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U.S. News
Jaywalking is now legal in New York City. Legislation de-criminalizing the act of walking outside of crosswalks or against traffic lights took effect after Mayor Eric Adams failed to take action for 30 days; a local lawmaker said 90% of tickets issued last year went to Black and Latino people (More)
A man breached TSA security and forcibly boarded an Alaska Airlines flight at the Missoula Montana Airport. The suspect injured two airline workers in the act and claimed "bad people" told him to fly the plane to Seattle, then Estonia; he did not reach the cockpit and does not know how to fly (More)
Erik and Lyle Menendez will have a resentencing hearing on Dec. 11. The men have been in prison for 34 years after the infamous 1989 double-murder of their parents; Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon has recommended they be freed after new evidence supporting their self-defense claims due to sexual abuse emerged (More)
World News
A European Union review concluded the bloc should launch a spy agency. Former Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, who helmed the project, said the 27 member nations should have an unified CIA equivalent to share information and protect the continent against Russia and other adversaries (More)
Close to 100 people have died after flash flooding rocked parts of Spain. There were at least 95 confirmed fatalities following torrential hail and rainstorms that disrupted railways, including a train derailment, and washed cars away; it is the country's worst natural disaster in decades (More)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's job remains tenuous, but safe. Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the New Democratic Party, said his caucus is not ready to support a non-confidence vote; the Conservative Party and Bloc Quebecois cannot force a snap election without NDP votes (More)
Campaign News
Almost 500 ballots were salvaged from a Washington state dropbox that was set on fire. Law enforcement believes the suspect in that attack and one in Oregon is an experienced metalworker based on an analysis of the incendiary devices found in the boxes; cops say he may be planning additional attacks (More | More)
A Florida man allegedly intimidated voters with a machete outside a polling place. A local Democratic official claimed the man identified himself as a supporter of former President Trump during the incident; police said more people involved in the incident may be charged (More)
The Supreme Court said Virginia can remove about 1.6K alleged noncitizens from its voting rolls, reversing a lower court ruling. A Pennylvania county will need to extend mail ballot voting after a judge sided with a lawsuit filed by Trump's campaign and Republican Senate candidate Dave McCormick (More | More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed down yesterday. The Nasdaq fell over 100 points (Dow -0.22%, Nasdaq -0.56%, S&P 500-0.33%).
PepsiCo will close four U.S. bottling plants and lay off about 400 workers. Plants in Chicago, Atlanta, Cincinnati and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, will be impacted; the soft drink giant said some operations will remain at the latter three locations (More)
Spirit Airlines will furlough about 330 pilots effective Jan. 31, 2025. About 120 pilots will also be demoted to first captains as the budget carrier tries to cut costs after a proposed merger with JetBlue was blocked on antitrust grounds; Spirit has reportedly revived merger talks with rival Frontier Airlines (More)
Entertainment & Sports
The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series with a 7-6 win over the New York Yankees in Game 5. It is the eighth championship in franchise history and the first since 2020; LA rallied from a five-run deficit (More)
Disney reached a 10-year deal worth over $500M for the Grammy Awards' broadcasting rights starting in 2027. CBS has carried the annual music awards show since 1973; ABC will air the Super Bowl, Academy Awards and Grammys in the first year of the agreement (More)
The Paris Olympics drove France's 0.4% economic growth in Q3, according to analysts. The city region was expected to generate between $7-12B from the Games; French GDP growth was 0.2% in the first two quarters of the year (More)
Quick Hitters
Feel Good: Two dogs became unexpected best friends while spending over a year combined at a North Carolina shelter. And now they are family members in the same forever home.
Real Hero: A Los Angeles teenager saw a man trying to kidnap an 11-year-old girl in her neighborhood and sprung into action. The Good Samaritan's got the man to stop and protected the girl before police eventually apprehended him.
Go Deep: Researchers are still unsure if mental health challenges can spread socially. But there is evidence that exposure to affected peers can, at the very least, drive awareness about depression and other issues.
Take Note: Always wash your new kitchen items before using them. While they may look clean, they may still carry contaminants, dust and even glass shards in some cases.
Life Hack: There is no cure for the common cold. But there are some science-backed ways to ease symptoms and potentially shorten illness. Here are some tips as we head into the winter.
Watch This
If you are headed to Prague anytime soon, make sure you watch this video.
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