Month: November 2020

Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc on Tuesday suspended several recently created right-leaning news accounts for spreading misinformation regarding the U.S. election, as well as for violating their policies.

Twitter said the accounts had been suspended for violating its policy against “coordination,” posting identical content while appearing independent or engaging in other covertly automated behavior. Facebook suspended them for inauthentic behavior. One of those suspended, SVNewsAlerts, had more 78,000 Twitter followers, after adding more than 10,000 in the past week. Other accounts suspended by Twitter included FJNewsReporter, Crisis_Intel and Faytuks.

A Facebook page also named SVNewsAlerts, which was suspended on Tuesday afternoon, had more than 20,000 followers. Facebook declined to comment further.

False or exaggerated reports about voting fraud and delays at the polls circulated on social media throughout the day, in some cases helped along by Republican accounts and online publications.

US election 2020: Twitter, Facebook suspend accounts over misinformation spread

Via www.msn.com

Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc on Tuesday suspended several recently created right-leaning news…

11/03/2020 6:15 PM

 

Editorial credit: fyv6561 / Shutterstock.com

The three major U.S. indexes rose on Monday as markets prepared for Election Day and the potential effect of the result on long-awaited stimulus. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 423.45 points, or 1.6%, while the S&P 500 increased by 1.23%. The Nasdaq Composite gained 0.42% as its rise was limited by declining tech stocks.

Analysts predicted that the results of the presidential election, as well as the various Senate races, could lead to an end in the ongoing stalemate in negotiations over another round of stimulus in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. However on Monday, the Treasury Department scaled back its estimates for borrowing through the end of the year, predicting it would borrow $617 billion from October through December down from $1.22 trillion estimated in early August.

The major averages entered the month coming off of their worst week since March 20 amid rising COVID-19 cases throughout the country.

Dow Ends Higher Ahead of Election Day; Tech Drops and Recoups

Via www.thestreet.com

The Dow finishes higher as Wall Street looks to rebound from its worst month since March. Tech…

11/02/2020 3:30 PM

 

Editorial credit: Stuart Monk / Shutterstock.com

The U.S. Elections Project said on Monday that more than 96 million Americans have already voted ahead of Tuesday’s election — almost twice the number from four years ago.

According to the independent election monitor, by early Monday afternoon, 61 million mail-in ballots have been received and 35 million voters have cast ballots at in-person early voting centers. The total number of people who voted early during the 2016 campaign was 50 million.

A similar number was reported by the NBC News Decision Desk/Target Smart, which said almost 94 million Americans had voted as of 8 a.m. Monday. Early turnout in Texas and Hawaii has already surpassed those states’ entire vote totals from four years ago. Eight other states have seen early vote totals at 90% of their 2016 figures — Montana, Washington, North Carolina, Georgia, Nevada, Florida, New Mexico and Tennessee.

More than 95 million Americans have voted with one day to go until Election Day

Via www.msn.com

More than 95 million Americans have voted nationwide with one day left until…

11/02/2020 9:37 AM

 

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On Sunday, the Texas Supreme Court rejected a petition seeking to invalidate 127,000 votes cast at drive-thru polling stations in the state’s most populous county, Harris County. The court denied the challenge by a Republican activist and three Republican candidates in the state arguing that the drive-thru polling sites in the largely Democratic Harris County are unconstitutional. The court denied the request without an order or opinion. An emergency hearing will be held on Monday morning in Houston for a challenge by the same plaintiffs in federal court.

Drive-thru ballots account for about 10% of in-person ballots cast through the state’s early voting period. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the county set up 10 drive-thru centers where voters can pull up in their vehicles and vote on an electronic tablet passed through their window by a poll worker after having their registrations and identifications confirmed. The plaintiffs argued drive-thru voting was an expansion of the state’s curbside voting policy and should only be available to people with disabilities. The Harris County Clerk’s Office countered that its drive-thru locations are separate and distinct polling places from the curbside locations and therefore can be utilized by all voters.

Texas court rejects bid to toss out 127,000 drive-thru votes, but fight isn’t over

Via news.yahoo.com

The Texas Supreme Court rejected a bid to discard almost 127,000 votes cast in drive-thru lanes…

11/01/2020 6:01 PM

 

As COVID-19 cases continue to surge in Illinois at an unprecedented rate, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced on Sunday that new restrictions will be placed in all eleven regions of Illinois.

Pritzker will be imposing a ban on indoor service at bars and restaurants, among other restrictions, this week for Region 2 — which covers 20 North-Central counties, including Rock Island, Kendall and Knox counties — after the area saw an average positivity rate above the 8% positivity threshold for three consecutive days. Starting Wednesday, all 11 of the state’s regions will be operating under the governor’s COVID-19 restrictions.

Pritzker, who hinted last week the peak of this outbreak is still nowhere in sight, said the mitigation measures are being put in place to help limit the spread of the virus. “As cases, hospitalizations and deaths are rising across our state, across the Midwest and across the nation, we have to act responsibly and collectively to protect the people we love,” Pritzker said in a statement.

The news comes as state health officials announced 6,980 new cases and an additional 35 coronavirus-related deaths, making Sunday the fifth consecutive day Illinois’ daily caseload has topped 6,000 — a number that far exceeds anything seen in the state’s previous COVID-19 peak in May.

More than 119,600 people tested positive for the virus in Illinois over the last 30 days, and the state has broken the daily caseload record five out of the last 12 days, including Saturday when state health officials announced 7,899 new cases. Even more concerning, Illinois hospitals are treating the most coronavirus patients they’ve seen since the end of May. 

Illinois institutes COVID-19 restrictions in all 11 regions as U.S. reports 81K new cases

Via www.upi.com

Illinois will reinstitute COVID-19 mitigation measures in all 11 of its regions beginning…

11/01/2020 6:18 PM

 

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