The Great Debate

The Pope & Same-Sex Civil Unions

Pope Francis endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples in a new documentary screened at the Rome Film Festival yesterday. The documentary, titled Francesco, features the pope saying, “Homosexual people have the right to be in a family,” and endorsing legislation that would legally cover same-sex civil unions, marking a departure from traditional Catholic doctrine (though the Pope’s comments do not represent the official Church stance).

Iran Behind Voter Intimidation Emails

Iranian intelligence was responsible for a recent email campaign attempting to intimidate voters in at least four battleground states, including Florida and Pennsylvania, the FBI announced at a press conference Wednesday night. The FBI said the emails, which ominously instructed Democratic voters in Florida to switch to the Republican party (example), were actually “spoofed” and “designed to incite social unrest and damage President Trump.”

More: The FBI also said that Russia obtained some Americans’ voter registration information.

Even More: Many states, including Florida, make voters’ information (including names, addresses, and party affiliation) easily accessible to the public upon request.

Police Open Fire On Nigerian Protests

Protests in Nigeria turned deadly on Tuesday after police at two separate locations opened fire into a crowd of peaceful demonstrators violating a government curfew in the capital, Lagos. The 24-hour curfew was imposed after protesters set multiple police stations on fire Monday night and into Tuesday following two weeks of peaceful demonstrations against police brutality. Amnesty International on Wednesday reported that at least 12 people were killed and hundreds more severely injured.

More: The protests began earlier this month in response to alleged torture, extortion, and extrajudicial killings by Nigeria’s SARS police unit. (Learn more)

🏛️ Stimulus Update: A GOP-backed $500B Senate stimulus bill failed to garner the 60 votes necessary to pass on Wednesday. House Speaker Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin continue to hold talks regarding a larger deal. Dig deeper.

💬 Final Debate Preview: Left-Center | Right-Center

False Alarm

Phase 3 trials of a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University resumed on Wednesday following a review into the death of a Brazilian volunteer. Local health authorities gave no details about the death, citing confidentiality protocols, while Brazilian media reported the volunteer was a 28-year-old doctor who died of COVID-19 complications after exposure to infected patients. Per the BBC, the volunteer did not receive AstraZeneca’s vaccine candidate.

Earnings Report Card

Tesla announced Q3 earnings after the closing bell on Wednesday, reporting a net income of $331M on revenues of $8.77B. The company recorded a fifth consecutive quarterly profit - its longest streak in history - during which Tesla rose to become the world’s most valuable automaker. (Market cap: ~$400B)

Quibi Calls It Quits

Quibi, a short-form mobile video streaming platform, will reportedly cease operations and lay off its employees, according to multiple sources (WSJ, The Information) who cited a phone call from founder Jeffrey Katzenberg to Quibi investors. The service, co-founded by Katzenberg and former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, raised $1.75B in funding but was plagued with issues following its April launch.

💰 New Feature Launch: PayPal announced a partnership with cryptocurrency company Paxos that will allow PayPal users in the U.S. to buy, hold, and sell cryptocurrencies by early 2021.

☄️ Bonus: NASA released a breathtaking image showing its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft successfully touching the surface of an asteroid. (See how the process works)

An Unexpected Journey

When the pandemic hit this spring, 11-year-old Romeo Cox of Sicily, Italy, had not seen his 77-year-old grandmother in over a year. The young boy had moved with his family to Sicily from Hackney, England -- a transition that put an overwhelming 1,700 miles between the two. Once flights between Sicily and London were grounded due to COVID, Romeo’s grandmother seemed farther away than ever.

On June 20th, Romeo decided to walk from Sicily to his grandmother’s house in London to surprise Rosemary with a hug, traveling with his father on a journey that took 93 days to complete. After trekking through Western Europe for three months, fending off wild dogs, getting lost, and even adopting a wild donkey, Romeo reached Rosemary’s house, where the astonished grandma greeted her grandson with “the biggest hug ever.”

Every Dog Has Its Day

Earlier this month, the Lavish Dog Day Spa staff in Portland, ME, were surprised to find a plush toy puppy had been left on a bench outside of the spa's storefront. Known for the high-quality grooming they provide for canines of all kinds, the facility's stylists treated the toy dog to a special spa day as they searched for the lost toy's owner.

That day, the misplaced plaything received the pampering of a lifetime, as the staff at the Lavish Dog treated the toy to a bubble bath and a thorough combing – complete with a handsome blue bow. After posting photos of the unaccompanied puppy's grooming session to Facebook, the spa's staff were able to return their unique client to its owner, a local little boy who was overjoyed to be reunited with his plushy.

Mail Order Hero

U.S. Postal Service letter carrier Fernando Garcia was completing his daily delivery route through Norwalk, CA, on October 9th when he heard a cry for help come from the backyard of Juanita Cabral. As Fernando approached the house, he saw that a man – identified as Juanita’s brother – had severely cut his arm with a chainsaw and was losing blood fast.

Without hesitation, Fernando unclasped his belt and looped it around the injured man’s arm, fastening it into a tourniquet that slowed the bleeding while the group waited for an ambulance. Due to the mail carrier’s quick thinking, the victim currently has a good prognosis for recovery. The extraordinary essential worker, who was hailed as an “Everyday Hero” in a tweet from the local sheriff’s department, said the idea to use the belt came from seeing such a technique in movies.

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