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| Happy Hump Day, Daily Briefing readers! It's Jane, bringing you Wednesday's top stories. |
| President Donald Trump postpones negotiations for a COVID-19 relief package, as the list of White House officials who have tested positive for the virus grows. Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris go head to head in Utah for the veep debate, moderated by none-other than USA TODAY's Susan Page. And the fattest bear of them all is ... scroll to the bottom of the page to find out who's heading to hibernation "fat and fabulous." |
| Here's today's news: |
Mike Pence and Kamala Harris face-off in vice presidential debate |
| Vice President Mike Pence and Democratic nominee Sen. Kamala Harris — the prosecutor vs. the "king of sound bites" — get their turn in the spotlight at the vice presidential debate at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Wednesday. The debate will be especially high stakes. With Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis and the quandary that surrounded the first presidential debate, voters may view the contest as a better chance to understand the issues. Though Pence has been through a vice presidential debate, this is a first for Harris. While she can rely on her prosecutorial skills, the rising Democratic star hasn't debated a Republican since her 2010 race for California attorney general. Susan Page, USA TODAY's Washington Bureau chief, will moderate. Page became a White House correspondent for USA TODAY in 1995 and has interviewed nine presidents, six of them while they were in office. |
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| In today's 5 Things podcast, our Washington correspondent Maureen Groppe looks ahead to the debate and tells us why Harris' prosecutor skills and Pence's radio background will be so important. Hear the full interview. |
Trump rejects Democrats' COVID-19 aid offer, says no deal until after the election |
| President Trump abruptly put an end to months of negotiations over a COVID-19 relief package Tuesday, rejecting the Democrats' latest offer and saying he wanted to postpone negotiations until after the November election. Americans waiting for urgently needed aid will have to wait at least another month. In a Tuesday afternoon tweet, Trump said Democrats were "not negotiating in good faith." He told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to instead "focus full time" on confirming Trump's Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday questioned whether the president taking a steroid to treat his COVID-19 infection was impacting his decision-making. Trump hasn't been seen since Monday when he returned to the White House from his stint at Walter Reed Military Medical Center to get treated for COVID-19. Trump also tweeted he will take part in the second presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 15. |
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More election news: |
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'Rapid intensification': Delta, now a Category 3 'major' hurricane |
| Hurricane Delta was rushing toward landfall in Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday with "life-threatening storm surge" and "significant flash flooding." The National Hurricane Center said Delta, which intensified into a powerful Category 3 "major" hurricane with winds up to 145 mph, is going through "a very impressive rapid intensification episode." Delta intensified from 40 to 110 mph in the first 24 hours since it became a named storm, said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Though forecasters are unsure exactly where or when it could hit the USA, areas from Louisiana to the western Florida panhandle could see dangerous conditions Thursday night into Friday. |
More news you need to know: |
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And finally: Who's the fattest bear of them all? |
| After a week of voting, southwest Alaska's Katmai National Park and Preserve has named bear 747 the winner of Fat Bear Week 2020. The annual, bracket-style tournament celebrates the success of the pre-hibernation preparations by bears at Brooks River in Katmai National Park. The park asked social media followers to vote on which husky hibernator is the fattest bear by voting on its website between Sept. 30 to Oct. 6. "For each set of two bears, vote for one who you think is the fattest," the website explained. "The bear with the most votes advances. Only one will be crowned champion of Fat Bear Week." The 2020 finalists: 32 "Chunk" and 747. "The votes are in!" the park said in a tweet Tuesday. "You've crowned the Earl of Avoirdupois, bear 747, the 2020 Fat Bear Week Champion. No longer the runner-up, 747 fulfills the fate of the fat and fabulous as he heads off to hibernation." |
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