promoearn: All eyes on Florida as early voting begins

Monday, October 19, 2020

All eyes on Florida as early voting begins

Monday, October 19

Florida's early voting is about to start, the Presidential campaigns continue in the Sunshine State and the futuristic Paramount Miami Worldcenter tower is lighting-up America's largest electronic U.S. flag and gigantic L.E.D.

All eyes on Florida as early voting begins

The full Senate will reconvene, early voting kicks off in Florida and more things to start your Monday.

Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! It's Monday again and it's almost two weeks to go until Election Day. It's Jane, bringing you this morning's news.

The full Senate will reconvene and vote on a COVID-19 relief plan and early voting begins in Florida. Wildfires are raging in Colorado with hundreds of thousands of acres ablaze. And in good news, a woman who was missing for nearly two weeks at a national park in Utah has been reunited with her family.

Here's today's news:

COVID-19 relief, SCOTUS nomination top of Senate agenda

The full Senate will reconvene Monday, two weeks after its return was delayed when two Republican senators tested positive for COVID-19. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the "first order of business" will be to vote on a "targeted" COVID-19 relief plan, including new funding for the Paycheck Protection Program — a $500 billion package in total. Also on the Senate's agenda is to push through the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. After the Senate Judiciary Committee approves her nomination, which is expected to pass in a 12-10 party-line vote, the full Senate will consider her. McConnell said the chamber will bring up her nomination on Oct. 23, leaving a final vote on her confirmation likely to happen the week of Oct. 26.

•	Amy Coney Barrett hearings conclude: Here's what happens next in Supreme Court confirmation

In coronavirus news:

•	Asian Americans in San Francisco are dying at alarming rates from COVID-19: Racism is to blame
•	Dentists expected to raise fees, exit family practices as pandemic keeps patients away despite safety measures
•	As cases spike, Trump's ad strategy targets senior citizens: He recovered from COVID-19, so can America
•	Ventilation and air filtration play a key role in preventing the spread of COVID-19 indoors

All eyes on Florida as early voting kicks off

Voters in Florida will have the option to cast their ballot in person on Monday as early voting begins in a state that has voted for the presidential winner in every election since 1996. More than 1.7 million Floridians have already voted early by mail in Florida, with Democrats holding a big advantage – 850,000 Democrats have returned mail ballots, compared with 480,000 Republicans. In the meantime, the coronavirus continues to spread and the number of infections in Florida is trending up: 2,539 new cases reported Sunday, bringing the state's overall total to 755,020 cases, with 16,168 deaths across the state.

•	Election week? Maybe not: Arizona, Florida and others could give early indication of who is winning

Kamala Harris is back on the campaign trail

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris is hitting the campaign trail again with an appearance in Florida on Monday after canceling trips to key battleground states because two staffers tested positive for COVID-19. The positive tests last week included a flight crew member, who doesn't work for the campaign, and the senator's communications director, Liz Allen, said Jen O'Malley Dillon, campaign manager for presidential nominee Joe Biden. Dillon said Harris wasn't in close contact with either person within two days of the tests and so faces no obligation to quarantine. In place of the missed in-person events, Harris planned virtual events, and says she'll continue a "robust and aggressive" schedule.

More election news:

•	Donald Trump speaks in Nevada on his current political strategy: Attacking Joe Biden
•	College students struggle to spot misinformation online as 2020 election approaches
•	Ahead of 3rd debate, Trump again goes after moderator. This time it's NBC's Kristen Welker he calls 'unfair'
•	Brian Wilson, Al Jardine speak out against the Beach Boys playing Donald Trump fundraiser
•	Kirstie Alley responds to 'nasty people' criticizing her decision to vote again for Donald Trump

Wildfires in Colorado continue to burn

Smoke is in the forecast for Colorado on Monday, as several wildfires continue to burn hundreds of thousands of acres all over the state . One of them, the Cameron Peak Fire, has been burning for over two months and is the largest wildfire in the state's history, having burned more than 200,000 acres. Health officials have issued air quality alerts for parts of the state, and voluntary and mandatory evacuations have been called as firefighters work to control the fire, which was 62% contained as of Sunday. High winds drove the wildfires into residential areas, destroying an unknown number of homes. Fire officials said cooler weather moving into the area helped with containment, but significant fire activity and areas of thick smoke are expected over the week ahead.

•	Colorado's largest wildfire ever: These photos show the intense smoke

And in good news:

A California woman who was missing for nearly two weeks at Zion National Park in Utah was found safely Sunday and reunited with her family. Holly Suzanne Courtier, 38, hadn't been seen since riding a private shuttle into the park's Grotto area on Oct. 6. Her disappearance prompted multiple search and rescue efforts that were complicated by the fact that she didn't have a cell phone and hadn't left a trip itinerary. Park rangers located Courtier after receiving a "credible tip from a park visitor," the National Park Service said in a news release, adding that Courtier has since left the park with her family. "We are overjoyed that she was found safely," Courtier's family said in a statement. "We would like to thank the rangers and search teams who relentlessly looked for her day and night and never gave up hope."