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| Good morning, Daily Briefing readers! It's Jane with the top stories this Friday eve. |
| Brace yourself: President Trump and Joe Biden will have their final showdown before Election Day. Senate Republicans are expected to approve Amy Coney Barrett's SCOTUS nomination, despite a Dem boycott. And firefighters' battle against Colorado's biggest-ever recorded wildfire could get even more complicated. |
| Here's Thursday's news: |
Final Trump vs. Biden debate: Brace for another blistering showdown |
| President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden will have their last chance to appeal to a wide swath of voters Thursday in the final debate ahead of Election Day . The high-stakes political event could be a make-or-break moment for the president, who has been trailing Biden nationally by double digits in some polls. For Biden, experts said, the goal is much easier: Do no harm. In addition, the Commission on Presidential Debates said it will mute each candidate's microphone for two minutes as their rival answers questions — a move experts described as unprecedented in a general election presidential debate. Our 2020 Elections Editor Annah Aschbrenner gives her predictions on today's 5 Things podcast. |
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Iran, Russia obtained voter registration info to sow confusion, US officials say |
| Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said late Wednesday that voter registration information had been obtained by Iran and Russia in an attempt to undermine confidence in the 2020 election . Ratcliffe said Iran sought to sow unrest in the U.S. in an attempt to damage the candidacy of President Donald Trump. He also said that Russia has obtained voter information just as the Kremlin had done when it interfered in the 2016 election. Ratcliffe, who appeared with FBI Director Christopher Wray, said that Iran had sent false information to voters, including spoof emails claiming that fraudulent ballots can be sent from overseas. Ratcliffe said intelligence officials have not seen the same level of activity from Russia but said the country has also obtained voter information. "These actions are desperate attempts by desperate adversaries," Ratcliffe said. "We will not tolerate foreign interference in our election." |
More election news: |
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Republicans expected to vote Amy Coney Barrett's nomination through as Democrats boycott hearing |
| The Senate panel tasked with vetting Amy Coney Barrett is set to approve her nomination to the Supreme Court on Thursday, meaning the federal appeals court judge could take her place as the ninth member of the high court by early next week, when the full Senate votes to confirm her. Barrett is expected to be approved by Republicans who hold the majority on the panel, with Democrats saying they will boycott the day's proceedings. The full Senate is expected to take a final vote on Barrett's confirmation on Monday , eight days before Election Day. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Democrats on the committee said in a statement Thursday that they wouldn't show up to grant these "sham" and rushed proceedings any legitimacy for a nominee that could "take away health care from millions and execute the extreme and deeply unpopular agenda" that Republicans have attempted for years. It came after four days of hearings last week, where senators peppered Barrett with questions about issues including the Affordable Care Act, abortion, voting rights and climate change. |
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Mike Pence will head to Indiana between rallies |
| Vice President Mike Pence will collect some much-needed campaign dollars from his home state during a trip to Indiana on Thursday — a visit that is sandwiched between multiple rallies in battleground states. Pence will meet privately with a group of donors before a public rally at an airport in Fort Wayne, Indiana, which Bill Bean, a GOP donor and developer, said was squeezed into Pence's schedule as a "favor to the supporters here in the area" and not because the Trump/Pence campaign is concerned about losing Indiana or because the coffers are running dry." National polls and those in competitive states near Indiana show Trump behind less than two weeks before Election Day. Pence is expected to cast his vote in Indiana on Friday, then he'll head to Toledo, Ohio for another rally. |
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FDA group holds first meeting about COVID-19 vaccines |
| An important yet little-known FDA advisory group that will someday be one of the last groups to sign off on a COVID-19 vaccine will convene virtually on Thursday. The Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee is a group of outside experts who advise the FDA on whether or not to approve drugs, therapeutics and vaccines after they have gone through the FDA's rigorous approval process. Does this mean a vaccine is ready to be approved? Not quite. The committee will not vote on any specific vaccine on Thursday, but they're expected to discuss FDA's guidance, requirements and licensing. |
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More coronavirus news: |
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Cameron Peak Fire, East Troublesome Fire, rage on in Colorado |
| A red flag warning through Thursday morning was expected to complicate firefighters' battle against the Cameron Peak Fire , the largest wildfire in Colorado history. The forecast called for winds of nearly 60 mph Wednesday night over the western portions of the fire before cold and windy weather with the possibility of snow moves into the area later Thursday into early Friday. "We are looking at another critical fire weather day,'' Paul Delmerico, the fire's operations section chief, said. "These conditions are really tough for firefighters.'' By Wednesday night, the Cameron Peak Fire had grown to more than 206,000 acres. Another of the 11 wildfires burning in Colorado, the East Troublesome Fire, forced the mandatory evacuation Wednesday night of Grand Lake, a town of about 500 people located about 100 miles northwest of Denver. The blaze, which had torched about 20,000 acres and was just 10% contained, was "growing faster than we can catch it right," Incident Commander Jake Winfield warned Wednesday night. |
More news you need to know: |
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And in better news: |
| Captain Cal, a mountain lion cub that was rescued by a firefighter from the Zogg Fire in California, has been introduced to two other orphaned cub sisters at the Oakland Zoo. Check out the sweet moment in this Animalkind video. |
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