Grand jury recordings capture dispute over Breonna Taylor’s final moments, but not prosecutors’ recommendations (WaPo)
Police and civilian witnesses sharply disagreed about whether Louisville officers announced themselves before breaking down Breonna Taylor’s door in March and shooting her, newly revealed grand jury recordings show, laying bare a core disagreement about what happened in the moments before she was killed.
Police said they announced themselves and, according to different officers, waited 30-45 seconds, 90 seconds, or two minutes before smashing the door.
Six of Taylor’s neighbors said the first noise they heard was gunshots, rather than police announcing themselves.
Debates
Next Presidential Debate
Trump Objects to Commission’s Virtual Debate Plan (NYT)
The Commission on Presidential Debates, citing the “health and safety of all involved,” abandoned plans for the in-person debate in Miami scheduled for Oct. 15, saying that Mr. Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. would instead debate from separate locations.
Trump rejected the plan.
“I’m not going to waste my time on a virtual debate, that’s not what debating is all about. “You sit behind a computer and do a debate — it’s ridiculous.”
In 1960, the third debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon was held remotely. Kennedy debated from a television studio in New York; Nixon appeared from Los Angeles.
VP Debate
FactChecking the Vice Presidential Debate (20 fact-checks) (Factcheck)
Fact-checking the vice-presidential debate between Pence and Harris (15 fact-checks) (WaPo)
In the vice-presidential debate, Vice President Pence took a number of flimsy claims out of the Trump playbook, although he often delivered them more deftly. Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) also stretched the truth at times.
Economy
Powell warns of severe, ongoing risks to the economy as second-round of stimulus remains elusive (WaPo, October 6, 2020)
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell compared the pandemic’s initial shock to “a case of a natural disaster hitting a healthy economy.”
“Too little support would lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses. Over time, household insolvencies and business bankruptcies would rise, harming the productive capacity of the economy, and holding back wage growth. By contrast, the risks of overdoing it seem, for now, to be smaller. Even if policy actions ultimately prove to be greater than needed, they will not go to waste.”
“The recovery will be stronger and move faster if monetary policy and fiscal policy continue to work side by side to provide support to the economy until it is clearly out of the woods.”
FBI Video: Safeguarding Your Vote: A Joint Message on Election Security
FBI Director Chris Wray
Chris Krebs, the director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of the National Security Agency and commander of U.S. Cyber Command
William Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center.
Election Violence
Justice Dept, FBI planning for the possibility of Election Day violence, voting disruption (WaPo)
Bracing for possible civil unrest on Election Day, the Justice Department is planning to station officials in a command center at FBI headquarters to coordinate the federal response to any disturbances or other problems with voting that may arise across the country, officials familiar with the matter said.
F.B.I. Director Warns of Russian Interference and White Supremacist Violence (NYT)
“Racially motivated violent extremism,” mostly from white supremacists, has made up a majority of domestic terrorism threats, Christopher Wray told the House Homeland Security Committee. He also echoed an intelligence community assessment last month that Russia is conducting a “very active” campaign to spread disinformation and interfere in the presidential election, with Mr. Biden as the primary target.
If POTUS and VP are both incapacitated
The plan for governing if multiple leaders are incapacitated: There isn’t one. Norman Ornstein (WaPo)
The 25th Amendment provides for replacing the vice president and dealing with a presidential disability, but it does not have an answer if both the president and the vice president are incapacitated. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 is triggered by the deaths of the president and vice president. There is no path in law or the Constitution to determine who has presidential authority if both are, say, on ventilators. We could have Mike Pompeo proclaim “I’m in charge!” and Mark Meadows responding: “No, I’m the White House chief of staff, I’ll make the decisions.”
Texas Drop Off Locations
Abbott limits Texas counties to one mail-in ballot dropoff location in move Democrats decry as ‘voter suppression’ (DMN)
Texas governor’s limit on drop-off sites for mail-in ballots criticized as voter suppression (WaPo)
Voting rights advocates sue to block Texas governor’s order limiting counties to one ballot drop-off location (WaPo)
Old age, male, racial or ethnic minority, underlying health conditions
Covid Pneumonia
Covid Pneumonia tends to take hold in both lungs. Air sacs in the lungs fill with fluid, limiting their ability to take in oxygen and causing shortness of breath, cough and other symptoms.
A Philosopher's View 