It's October. Election Day is next month.
Happy Thursday, Daily Briefing readers! October is here and I’m Jane Onyanga-Omara, bringing you today’s news. Election Day is in little over a month — how did that happen? And separately, is it too early to buy a Halloween costume?
Today the House will vote on a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill to help struggling Americans. Yvette Gentry will become the first woman and the first Black woman to lead the embattled Louisville Metro Police Department. And don’t forget to look up to the sky tonight to see the Harvest Moon shine. 🌕
Here’s Thursday's news:
House to vote on coronavirus aid package
The Democrat-run House plans to vote Thursday on a $2.2 trillion stimulus bill to help Americans struggling amid the coronavirus era. The proposal, a pared-down version of legislation approved in May, will likely pass, but faces opposition in the Republican-led Senate. Lawmakers there have balked at a higher price tag for more relief. The vote was postponed from Wednesday to allow House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House negotiators more time to discuss a compromise, according to a Democratic aide.
- Trump signs bipartisan legislation to avoid government shutdown through election
- A second coronavirus aid check may be in the cards after all
More coronavirus news:
- Experts: Politics will have a hard time getting in the way of a safe, effective COVID-19 vaccine
- Colleges are exploding with COVID and have lax testing. One school is keeping cases down
- CDC 'no-sail' order extension official: Cruise ships will not sail in US waters until Nov. 1
- COVID-19 ravaged meat plants: My refugee mother's life is worth more than the bottom line
Louisville swears in interim police chief
Louisville swears in an interim police chief Thursday amid criticism of the Metro Police Department over the Breonna Taylor case, its handling of ongoing protests and the city's record-high shootings and homicides. Protesters and police officers have had peaceful and violent interactions since unrest started May 28 over the death of Taylor, shot by police in March in a failed drug raid. The interim chief will be Yvette Gentry, 50, the first woman and first Black woman in Louisville history to lead the force. She replaces Steve Conrad, who was fired.
- Judge delays release of Breonna Taylor grand jury recordings to protect witnesses, lawyers say
- Seventeen weeks of protest end with no Breonna Taylor charges. Where do they go from here?
- Fact-checking 8 myths in Breonna Taylor case: Was she asleep when police shot her? Is there body-cam footage?
In election news:
- GOP chides Trump over white supremacy remarks, debate commission considering changes
- 'Mailmen selling ballots. Dumped in rivers. Found in creeks': Trump makes unfounded claims about mail-in voting
- Official slams 'completely inaccurate' Trump claim about Philly voting as campaign threatens lawsuit
- Analysis: A woman could never behave that way and be president
- Facebook bans ads that seek to delegitimize the election or make false claims about voting
- 'I did as well as I could': Moderator Chris Wallace talks Trump-Biden debate
- First presidential debate featured a bully, zero civility and lots of chaos: Reader views
- Who are the Proud Boys? Far-right group has concerned experts for years
Airlines prepare for mass layoffs as federal aid ends
Roughly 40,000 airline workers are bracing for layoffs that could come as soon as Thursday with the expiration of federal coronavirus aid. Since the pandemic hit, thousands of flight attendants, baggage handlers, gate agents and others have been getting at least partial pay through $25 billion in grants and loans to airlines through the federal CARES Act. That aid was set to expire Wednesday. With air travel down about 70% from last year, many carriers including United and American say they'll be forced to cut jobs without additional aid.
More news you need to know:
- In California wine country, wildfire-fatigued residents weigh the unthinkable: Moving out
- 7 people shot outside Milwaukee funeral home as about 100 mourners gathered
- 'A Breonna Taylor circumstance': Black college student says police drew guns on her after roommates filed false report
- Hurricane Laura trashed this Louisiana school's library. One teacher's plea on social media brought help (and books) from across the US
- Facebook cracks down on extremist conspiracy group QAnon for hijacking Save the Children movement
- After brain-eating amoeba killed 6-year-old boy, it could take months to clean Texas city's water
Shine on, Harvest Moon: Symbol of fall will light up the night sky
The month of October will kick off Thursday with a meteorological spectacle: the Harvest Moon. That's the name given to the full moon that is closest to the autumnal equinox — the beginning of fall — which this year fell on Sept. 22. The Harvest Moon is different from other full moons because it rises at roughly the same time for several nights running, giving more light. October will see a second full moon (known as a Blue Moon) on Halloween night. Order your werewolf costumes early.