Presented by the

Energy Institute of Alabama

Good morning!

Here’s your Daily News for Wednesday, October 7.

 

 

1. Trump reports no symptoms, downplays virus

• President Donald Trump, said to be making progress in his recovery from COVID-19, tweeted his eagerness to return to the campaign trail Tuesday as the outbreak reached ever more widely into the upper echelons of the U.S. government.
• As Trump convalesced out of sight in the White House, the administration defended the protections it has put in place for staff working there to treat and support him. Trump again publicly played down the virus on Twitter after his return from a three-day hospitalization, though even more aides tested positive, including one of his closest advisers, Stephen Miller.
• As for Trump’s own recovery, his doctor, Navy Cmdr. Sean Conley, said in a letter that the president had a “restful” Monday night at the White House and “reports no symptoms.”
• On Tuesday, the nation’s top military leaders including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, and the vice chairman, Gen. John Hyten, were in quarantine after exposure to Adm. Charles W. Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard.
• Meanwhile, Trump was grappling with next political steps four weeks from Election Day. Anxious to project strength, Trump, tweeted Tuesday that he was planning to attend next week’s debate with Democrat Joe Biden in Miami and “It will be great!”
• Biden, for his part, said he and Trump “shouldn’t have a debate” as long as the president remains COVID positive.
• Read more HERE.

 

 

2. After Hurricane Sally, a weary Alabama coast braces for Delta

• Alabama beach communities that are still recovering from Hurricane Sally warned residents Tuesday to get ready for rapidly strengthening Hurricane Delta, which is forecast to hit the Gulf Coast later this week.
• Towns began distributing sandbags and warning boat owners to secure vessels as Gov. Kay Ivey ordered a mandatory evacuation of visitors and tourists from the coast. Ivey also signed a state of emergency she said would let officials seek federal aid more quickly if needed later.
• “As residents along the Gulf Coast know all too well, these storms are unpredictable, and I strongly encourage everyone to take Hurricane Delta seriously,” she said in a statement.
• Delta made landfall on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula late Tuesday as a Category 2 storm and is expected to enter the southern Gulf of Mexico sometime Wednesday. It was on a path that forecasters said would take it toward possible landfall west of Alabama as a powerful Category 4 storm later in the week.
• Read more and see the latest track HERE.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A message from the

Energy Institute of Alabama

 

• Electric Vehicles (EVs) are quickly gaining traction across the country and within Alabama. On average, the state has experienced a greater than 40% year-over-year growth of registered EVs.

• Over the last thirty years, Alabama has established itself as the No. 3 auto-exporter in the country and boasts over 40,000 jobs within the automotive sector. Increasing Alabama’s electric mobility and investing in EV infrastructure will continue to ensure Alabama remains a forward-leaning automotive leader.

• Watch the Energy Institute of Alabama’s full video HERE to learn more about the growing EV sector, the benefits of EVs and their impact on the economy.

 

 

 

 

3. Veep debate night

• Vice President Mike Pence and his Democratic challenger, California Sen. Kamala Harris, are set to face off in a debate that will offer starkly different visions for a country confronting escalating crises.
• The debate Wednesday night in Salt Lake City is the most highly anticipated vice presidential debate in recent memory. It will unfold while President Donald Trump recovers at the White House after testing positive last week for the coronavirus and spending several days in the hospital, a serious setback for his campaign that adds pressure on Pence to defend the administration’s handling of the pandemic.
• Pence’s debate strategy aims to highlight the administration’s economic record and attempt to portray the Democratic ticket as beholden to “radical left.”
• For Harris, the debate is her highest profile opportunity to say how Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden would stabilize the United States, especially when it comes to the pandemic and racial injustice. She will have the chance to explain her views on law enforcement, an area in which she’s viewed warily by some progressives, given her past as a prosecutor.
• Ultimately, the debate is a chance for voters to decide whether Pence and Harris are in a position to step into the presidency at a moment’s notice. It’s hardly a theoretical question: The 74-year-old Trump is fighting the virus and Biden, at 77, would become the oldest person elected president.
• The debate starting at 9 p.m. EDT at the University of Utah is the only matchup scheduled between Pence and Harris.
• Read more about what to watch for HERE.

 

 

4. Blue Cross provides premium relief to customers

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the state’s largest health insurer, is providing customers with significant discounts on premiums to offer some financial relief from the coronavirus pandemic.
• For the month of November, Blue Cross will discount health insurance premiums 20% and dental insurance premiums 50%. All told, the savings will total an estimated $80 million, the company said in a press release.
• “Many of our customers are struggling with the financial impacts of COVID-19,” said Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama president and CEO Tim Vines. “We care about our customers and hope these discounted premiums will ease some of the financial burden during these challenging times.”
• Customers with health and dental plans will receive both discounts, the company said. Customers can expect the discount to be automatically applied to their November invoice.
• Read more HERE.

 

5. Inside Alabama Politics

• Tallassee prison decision details
• Contract review, review
• Orr proposes more teacher development days tied to pay increase
• RSA: no significant increase in teacher retirements
• Behind the scenes on Ivey’s mask order extension
• Fun with electoral math
• Potpourri

 

 

 

Headlines

INSIDE ALABAMA POLITICS – October 7, 2020

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump reports ‘no symptoms,’ downplays virus

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – After Hurricane Sally, weary Alabama coast braces for Delta

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Viewer’s Guide: Virus response on stage with Pence, Harris

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Trump halts COVID-19 relief talks until after election

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Blue Cross provides premium relief to customers amid ongoing pandemic

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – New poll shows Tuberville leading Jones by 12 points

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – Alabama counties report record absentee voting amid pandemic

 

ALABAMA DAILY NEWS – DAILY NEWS DIGEST – October 6, 2020

 

AL.COM – John Meredith, son of Civil Rights icon James Meredith, wins Huntsville city council seat

 

AL.COM – Alabama prison inmate stabbed to death in Atmore

 

AL.COM – Alabama school employee retirements up in August, September

 

AL.COM – Ivey declares State of Emergency ahead of Hurricane Delta

 

AL.COM – SEC ‘monitoring’ Hurricane Delta ahead of Saturday games

 

AL.COM – Alabama can’t agree which counties are in the Black Belt – and that’s a problem

 

AL.COM – Tuberville sticking with what works in Alabama: He’s with Trump

 

AL.COM – Alabama’s Doug Jones is Senate’s most endangered Democrat. Can he pull off another electoral upset?

 

AL.COM – FEMA centers opened after Sally to shut down for Hurricane Delta

 

Montgomery Advertiser – Safety video from Wade Shows

 

Montgomery Advertiser – ‘Very impressive rapid intensification’: Delta, now a Category 3 ‘major’ hurricane, heads for Mexico, then US Gulf Coast

 

Montgomery Advertiser – What changes has MPS made under state intervention? Enough to stop the oversight, they say

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Burned body found inside car in Birmingham

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – JeffCo’s top doctor releases new COVID guidance for schools, districts weigh options

 

WBRC Fox 6 Birmingham – Municipal runoff election results

 

Tuscaloosa News – Jasper police investigating separate shooting deaths

 

Tuscaloosa News – Crow announces bid for the Tuscaloosa City Council’s District 3 seat

 

Tuscaloosa News – Mayor: Most in compliance with COVID-19 regulations for first UA home football game

 

Decatur Daily – Bowling wins second term as Decatur mayor

 

Decatur Daily – Red Kettle Ride to help Salvation Army meet needs

 

Decatur Daily – Interpretive panels added to site of historic fort, former school

 

Times Daily – Chief ‘confident’ in trooper investigation

 

Times Daily – Leukemia diagnosis forces MSPD canine into retirement

 

Times Daily – Lauderdale makes accommodations for trials

 

Anniston Star – Anniston mayor Draper defeats Reddick to win second term; Smith ousts Little in Ward 3

 

Anniston Star – Polls close in most cities, but one Anniston site still open

 

Anniston Star – Gulf hurricane intensifies, Anniston could see rainy weekend

 

YellowHamm ews – Ivey proclaims State of Emergency ahead of Hurricane Delta

 

YellowHammer News – An inside look at Alabama’s first-in-the-nation School of Cyber Technology and Engineering

 

YellowHammer News – WATCH: Video highlights how continued investment in EV sector could pay off for Alabama

 

Gadsden Times – Runoff winners: Hutchins in Southside, Jenkins in Rainbow City, Snow in Attalla

 

Gadsden Times – Do you know this man? Southside police want to know

 

Gadsden Times – Former Sylvania teacher charged with enticing a child, transmitting obscene material

 

Dothan Eagle – Dangerous Hurricane Delta closing in on Mexico’s Yucatan

 

Dothan Eagle – Around the Wiregrass

 

Dothan Eagle – Officials revive local legislation to streamline weed abatement process and lessen taxpayer burden

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Updated: Here’s who in President Trump’s circle has tested positive for COVID-19

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Viewer’s Guide: Virus response on stage with Pence, Harris

 

Opelika-Auburn News – Police: Alabama officer jailed after drugs found during stop

 

WSFA Montgomery – Election results: Municipal runoff elections

 

WSFA Montgomery – James Perkins wins back Selma mayoral seat

 

WSFA Montgomery – Montgomery councilman wants hazard pay for more city employees

 

WAFF Huntsville – Florence mayor race too close to call; Provisional ballots to be counted next week

 

WAFF Huntsville – Suspect in custody following high speed chase in Morgan County

 

WAFF Huntsville – John Meredith wins Huntsville City Council District 5 seat in runoff

 

WKRG Mobile – Car of missing Georgia woman found in wooded area of Heard County 3 months after disappearance

 

WKRG Mobile – Biden leads NewsNation/Emerson College Pennsylvania poll, Trump closing gap

 

WKRG Mobile – Prichard mayor Jimmie Gardener re-elected

 

WTVY Dothan – Dothan to reopen basketball courts and playgrounds

 

WTVY Dothan – Allegation: Dothan officer forces his way into wrong home where family slept

 

WTVY Dothan – Businessman Jimmy Money elected mayor of Abbeville

 

WASHINGTON POST – Coronavirus again dominates campaign as Trump struggles to regain political ground

 

WASHINGTON POST – White House signals stronger coronavirus precautions, but Trump continues to resist

 

WASHINGTON POST – Trump’s determination to attend next week’s debate seen as part of pattern of recklessness

 

NEW YORK TIMES – How Much Would Trump’s Coronavirus Treatment Cost Most Americans?

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Kamala Harris and Mike Pence Debate: What to Watch For

 

NEW YORK TIMES – Mike Pence Brought Conservatives Home. What If They Don’t Need Him Anymore?

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Stocks End Lower After Trump Puts Halt to Stimulus Talks

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – Trump Halts Covid-19 Relief Aid Talks Until After Election

 

WALL STREET JOURNAL – House Panel Says Big Tech Wields Monopoly Power

 

 

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