News Wrap Up
There is a lot happening in our world right now! Make sure you stay informed by reading about five of the top news stories from this week below.
On Sept. 29, American President Donald Trump and former Vice President Jo Biden engaged in the first presidential debate of 2020. The debate took place in Cleveland, Ohio, and is set to be followed by two more before Election Day. Over the course of an hour-and-a-half, the men were presented with six different current issues to speak on, including personal records, the Supreme Court, COVID-19, the economy, race and violence, and election integrity. The debate was riddled with continual interruptions and insults from both sides. To watch the full debate, click here!
On Sept. 30, Facebook made a statement announcing its plan to help eliminate voting confusion over the upcoming election. In an effort to dispel any misinformation about the 2020 Presidential election, Facebook stated it would not allow any new political ads to run during the final week of the election. They stated, “We’ll remove posts that claim that people will get COVID-19 if they take part in voting.” The media site also promised the following, “If any candidate or campaign tries to declare victory before the final results are in, we’ll add a label to their posts directing people to the official results from Reuters and the National Election Pool.”
On Oct. 1, Trump explicitly condemned white supremacy on Fox News. After the presidential debate on Tuesday night, many political commentators accused Trump of allegedly failing to condemn white supremacists in the debate. Trump called Fox News two days later and stated, “Let me be clear again, I condemn the KKK. I condemn all white supremacists.” To listen to his full announcement, click here.
On Oct. 1, Texas Governor Greg Abbott cut the drop-off ballot boxes in Texas to one per county. Governor Abbott made this shift in an effort to help establish ballot security. Abbott stated, “…we must take extra care to strengthen ballot security protocols throughout the state. These enhanced security protocols will ensure greater transparency and will help stop attempts at illegal voting.” This decree will cause a significant change for Texas voters from larger counties such as Harris, Tarrant, and Dallas County. Harris, a Democratic-dominated county, is downsizing from 12 drop-off locations to one. Abbot’s statement has unsurprisingly spurred a host of Democratic objections.
On Oct. 2, President Trump tested positive for COVID-19. Thursday night, Trump announced on Twitter that he and his wife had tested positive for COVID-19. Trump’s campaign manager released a statement Friday stating, “All previously announced campaign events involving the President’s participation are in the process of being moved to virtual events or are being temporarily postponed.” However, Vice President Pence will continue his campaigning events since he tested negative. Trump ended his post with the statement, “We will get through this TOGETHER!”
