The fire erupted Corona Municipal Airport and has since grow to over 500 acres, shutting down Highway 71 and causing air-filled smoke all over Orange County.
The fire began on Tuesday night, though it really rocketed in size on Thursday due to strong winds. As of 8 A.M. Thursday, the fire is 0% contained.
The fire, due to its size and the smokey air causing vision issues for drivers, has caused a shutdown of State Route 71 on Thursday morning.
The winds overnight made residents near the flames, in towns like Sonora Ranch which is about 2 miles away from the fire, frightful of whether or not it was going to be able to be contained.
An evacuation order was issued for many areas including, but not limited to, Springs Court, Rock Ridge Court, and Cheyenne Road. However, those orders were lifted as of 10 P.M.
The fire was reported first on Tuesday behind the airport at the Prado Basin and at the time of the report was at less than five acres. Though because of the strong wind and low humidity, the fire kicked up to 25 acres by Wednesday afternoon and then onto 50 later in the evening.
So far there have been no damages or injuries reported due to the fire, though the air quality may be unsafe for some people due to the heavy smoke and wind.
There have also been almost 200 encountered flames in the thick vegetation burning at a mild rate away from the airport. Two water-dropping helicopters were making different runs until nightfall hit, not dissolving the fire but at least slowing it.
Of course, the airport was closed because of the firefighters working on slowing and eventually stopping the fire. There has been a temporary flight restriction that covers a five-mile diameter area around the field.
People in all areas of Orange County can go out of their homes and see the heavy smoke in the sky, which was very predominant in the morning and the smoke scent is still heavy, which for some people may be unsafe to go out in.
Though it is not contained, it is slowing and the firefighters are doing their best to keep it from getting worse and too close to towns and cities.
The man behind Darth Vader, Prowse had a profound impact on the Star Wars Franchise and fans worldwide, even if he didn’t voice the famed villain. Unfortunately, Prowse passed away at the age of 85 on Saturday due to COVID-19.
David Prowse on set of Star Wars films as Darth Vader.
Prowse was born in Bristol, United Kingdom on July 1, 1935. He went on to do many amazing things in his life, including becoming a weightlifting champion in Britain and also being the first Green Cross Code man.
However, what most people know him as is portraying one of the most iconic movie villains in history, Darth Vader.
David Prowse was 41 years old when George Lucas asked him to audition for the role after seeing him in the 1971 Stanley Kubrick film, A Clockwork Orange.
He had the choice between playing Chewbacca or Darth Vader, choosing to play Darth Vader because he believed that everyone always remembers the villain. He would be absolutely correct in that prophecy.
After receiving the role of Darth Vader and playing him for some time on set, George Lucas made the decision that his voice would be scrapped in post-production due to his heavy British accent that didn’t fit the character.
This would lead to the voice being portrayed by James Earl Jones, while Prowse handled actual Darth Vader character duties.
Though Darth Vader was his most popular role, he had other roles in his acting career, including playing Julian the Bodyguard in “A Clockwork Orange”.
He also worked to help other actors prepare for a role, helping Christopher Reeve get ready for his role in the 1978 version of “Superman”.
Despite his rise to fame during adulthood, Prowse faced many adversities in his younger life that he had to overcome, such as having disabilities, having no father in his life after he passed when David was 5, and being a poor student.
When he was 12 years old, he had to spend 3 years wearing a leg-iron because the doctors suspected that he had tuberculosis, though that was later proved to be unfounded.
When David was younger he found a passion early on for weightlifting and bodybuilding. Due to his passion and hard work, he was regarded as a highly regarded member of the fitness community, receiving many awards for competing in weightlifting competitions, including his win of the British Heavyweight Weightlifting Title. One of his most popular appearances was his appearance in the Mr. Universe contest.
David Prowse lived in the spotlight for most of his life, whether it was in weightlifting competitions or movies. Though he was most known for his role as Darth Vader, he was a very successful man in whatever craft he put his mind to.
He will be remembered as an amazing actor for portraying one of the most iconic and intimidating villains in movie history, as well as for being a well-respected actor and person who overcame lots of adversity.
If you’re a Black Friday shopper who usually joins the early deal hunters on Thursday, you can take this year off because most stores won’t even open until Friday.
The usual pushing and shoving to snag that Black Friday item won’t happen this year as retailers grapple with the busiest shopping day amid the pandemic.
As retailers and customers brace themselves for the possibility of tighter pandemic-related restrictions and mandatory closures, this year’s Black Friday shopping season is shaping up to be unlike any before it.
Face masks, straight lines, contactless payments and other safety measures will now define the 2020 shopping experience. Also, in an effort to make sure no shopper is left out, several companies will extend their doorbuster sales before and after Nov. 27.
A number of stores have bucked the usual holiday tradition and will be closed on Thanksgiving this year. Of course, they’ll be “open” online, and most have already with their promotions throughout November to avoid the typical post-turkey crowding.
If you choose to head out for that in-store spree, you’ll want to check the latest closure updates related to the coronavirus pandemic. (Los Angeles County is currently in the purple tier, which means stores are open but must maintain a maximum of 25% capacity.)
Target continues to roll out its Black Friday deals throughout the month. From now until Nov. 21, the store will offer discounts on electronics, apparel and beauty products. Between Nov. 22 and 28, shoppers can find deals on toys, kitchen, floorcare and electronics, including video games and select consoles. Target stores will close on Thanksgiving Day and will open for normal store hours on Black Friday.
Best Buy will require customers to wear a face-covering inside stores. Additional employees will be on staff to answer any questions and manage lines. The stores will limit the number of indoor customers and direct customers where to walk to promote social distancing. Contactless pickup will also be available. The consumer electronics store will offer some Black Friday deals beginning Nov. 22.
Best Buy will keep its doors closed on Thanksgiving Day but will open them for Black Friday starting at 5 AM (PST) and the stores will stay open until 10 PM (PST).
Walmart announced in October that it will “reinvent” Black Friday to help shoppers remain safe from the pandemic. The company’s approach is to spread out Black Friday over several days.
Company leaders already kicked off, “Black Friday Deals for Days” earlier this month for online purchases. The next event will run from Nov. 25 to Nov. 27 with online and in-store deals.
Stores will open up on Black Friday at 5 AM (PST). Customers will have to form a single, straight-line before entering the store. Associates will require customers to wear a mask and will sanitize shopping carts. Stores will also limit the number of people inside to promote social distancing. Aisles will be marked with signs telling shoppers where to walk as well.
Honestly, this year online ordering will be your best bet for holiday gift shopping on Black Friday — select curbside pickup as a backup plan if your items can’t be delivered in the time frame that you need.
Online orders and curbside pickup will remake the look of the 2020 holiday shopping season, especially as COVID cases surge again.
Curbside pickup helps overcome one big hurdle facing this holiday season: Shipping delays. That’s why many retailers have been enticing customers with deals for weeks already, further diminishing the importance of Black Friday.
If you still insist on having a Black Friday experience inside a store, stop and reevaluate your priorities. Seriously, there’s zero reason to go into a crowded store in the middle of a pandemic. And anyone who does venture into a store will be required to wear face masks or coverings (regardless of local ordinances), since nearly all national retailers require that precaution for entry.
After Former Vice President Joe Biden’s election victory was officially called on November 7, 2020, President Trump and his legal team filed a multitude of lawsuits in key battleground states as they levied accusations of voter fraud in an attempt to contest the election results. Almost two weeks later, here is where President Trump and his melting legal pursuits stand as the Presidency has officially escaped his grasp.
Despite former Vice President, and now President-Elect, Joe Biden winning the election in a relatively convincing fashion, at a presumed electoral college vote of 306 to 232 – the exact same numbers seen in the 2016 Presidential Election – President Trump and GOP Members of Congress immediately began to doubt the legitimacy of Vice President Biden’s victory and in turn, the democratic process of voting that has been featured in the United States since George Washington was unanimously elected President in 1788.
In an election that was as chaotic, exhausting and unpredictable as expected, both President Trump and President-Elect Biden set milestones never before seen in US election history. As of now, President-Elect Biden has 79,661,770 million popular votes compared to President Trump’s 73,685,981 million popular votes – an overwhelming 6 million vote lead. The tallies received by both candidates are the first and second most popular votes obtained by presidential candidates in US Election history, respectively.
Besides his historic popular vote numbers, the President-Elect became the first Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1996 to win Arizona, flipping the state and its 11 electoral votes blue. Concurrent with Arizona’s results, President-Elect Biden became the first Democrat since Bill Clinton in 1992 to win Georgia, flipping the state and its crucial 16 electoral votes blue.
Speaking of Georgia – which went into a recount due to tremendously slim margins, but was not the result of a President Trump lawsuit – President-Elect Biden has sealed his victory there after the recount confirmed that President-Elect Biden had, in fact, flipped the former Republican stronghold.
Additionally, the Rust Belt states of Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan, which President Trump stunningly flipped toward the red column against Hillary Clinton in 2016, was flipped back blue by President-Elect Biden, taking all of its combined 46 electoral votes.
Due to the successes of now President-Elect Biden in the election after months of President Trump’s mudslinging, in which he stated that the former Vice President was “sleepy” and not fit to be President, the Trump administration’s legal team decided to file lawsuits to contest the election results – even after declaring victory early – which has not gone their way thus far.
Essentially, President Trump filed major election challenges in the following states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
As of today, here are where things stand with President Trump and former Mayor of New York City who now serves as the President’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani’s, Hail Mary attempt to contest President-Elect Joe Biden’s convincing victory.
Arizona: On Wednesday, November 18, Judge John R. Hannah Jr rejected efforts from state Republicans to request an additional audit in Maricopa County, the state’s most populous county, just five days after rejecting an attempt by Republicans to delay the certification of results in Maricopa County, according to KXAN Austin. The Trump Campaign’s lawyers hopes for a contested result in Arizona has been essentially shut, as even if Hannah Jr had allowed for an audit to take place, the votes would not have been enough to flip Arizona back to President Trump.
Georgia: As previously stated, the Trump Campaign’s attempts to contest the results here were on Thursday, as a successful recount confirmed a final blow to President Trump’s reelection hopes, with President-Elect Biden once again winning the peach state.
Michigan: On Thursday, the Trump Campaign dropped their case in the state they flipped in 2016 after Wayne County officials approved the results of the states largest county, effectively reaffirming President-Elect Biden’s victory.
Nevada: In the state that took seemingly an eternity to count ballots, there have been no rulings in two cases filed by the Trump Campaign – one that seeks the approval of a state Judge to block statewide certification of a Biden victory, and another that claims votes were cast on behalf of deceased people, so the state should nullify the votes and undergo a recount. While it will be a developing story as a decision from a state Judge looms, it may not truly matter after President-Elect Biden’s official victory in Georgia on Thursday.
Pennsylvania: After President-Elect Biden flipped back the state to the Democrats, a lawsuit filed by the Trump Campaign attempted to stop the state from certifying the election results after they claimed that Philadelphia – a Democratic stronghold – and six other counties in the state wrongfully allowed voters to fix issues with their mail-in ballots that would’ve been disqualified had they not done things such as signing their ballot. On Tuesday, Rudy Giuliani argued in court for the first time in over two decades after signing onto the case to continue the fight for President Trump. However, the Judge did not reach a decision yet, cancelling a hearing that was originally scheduled for Tuesday allowing Giuliani and the opposition to make new filings in the case this week.
Wisconsin: On Wednesday, the Trump Campaign filed for a recount in the counties that include cities such as Madison and Milwaukee, which are two Democratic strongholds, but allegedly (with no evidence to support the claim) had absentee ballots that were illegally meddled with in a state Biden leads by about 20,000 votes. A recount is set to begin on Friday and must be completed by December 1, which is the deadline the state has to certify the election results. Despite the state headed towards a recount after Trump shelling out $3 Million to only partially recount the state (presumably the aforementioned Democratic strongholds), Wisconsin officials continued to state that the Trump Campaign had no evidence to support their wild claims.
While it is possible for critics to contend that the election is not over yet, all the evidence states otherwise. As the days go by, President Trump’s reelection bid slips further out of his hands no matter how much Rudy Giuliani and his legal team argue otherwise and the legitimacy of President-Elect Biden’s victory and the democratic process of elections – which should have never been doubted to begin with – becomes clearer.
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine is on its final laps. The main goal for the world is to find a vaccine as soon as possible.
As for the drug making companies, their future relies on if they can be the first ones to produce the vaccine. Many big known companies are making a lot of progress to make the best vaccine possible, while some are falling behind.
With the race coming to an end, there are still a few questions to be answered. Will the race slim down even more? Will a big name company fall behind? Will a small name company come into the running? And, which company will prevail to get a massive paycheck?
From the beginning of the pandemic, many have looked to the promise of a vaccine to prevent infection by COVID-19. Vaccines typically take years to develop before they ultimately reach the market, but given the pandemic’s urgency, progress is being made much more rapidly.
When candidate vaccines make it to human clinical trials, they must go through three phases. The first two stages have already been tested by two major companies. The final stage, Phase 3, involves tens of thousands of people, to confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine and test whether there are any rare side effects that only show up in large groups.
Moderna and Pfizer, two of the biggest drug companies in this race, exceeded expectations. When looking at the vaccines and what is to come from them including the effectiveness, side effects, and many more, there are still a few big questions to be answered. Here is a slightly more in-depth look at the two big named candidate vaccines in the final phases of trials and close they are to the finish line.
Readiness:
While Pfizer and its partner BioNTech claimed that its COVID-19 shot is over 90 percent effective, Moderna claimed that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5% effective.
Side-effects:
Moderna in its claim said the side-effects of the vaccine were short-lived, and that no significant safety concerns were reported. Pfizer has not said anything specific about the side-effects.
Commonness:
Both Moderna and Pfizer’s vaccines rely on a technology called messenger RNA. The approach is designed to transform the human body’s own cells into vaccine-making factories. The vaccines instruct cells to make copies of the spike protein of the novel coronavirus, stimulating the creation of protective antibodies.
Financial Assistance:
Though Pfizer didn’t receive any federal funding to develop its vaccine, its partner BioNTech received the German government’s assistance of 375 million euros ($444 million). The pharma firm has inked a deal with the US administration for supply agreement of nearly $2 billion.
Meanwhile, Moderna has received financial assistance from the US Operation Warp Speed programme, and the US administration has agreed to purchase Moderna vaccine for up to $1.53 billion.
Dateline for Deployment:
Both Moderna and Pfizer are expected to seek emergency-use authorization from the US Food and Drug Administration. While Moderna could seek clearance from regulators in the coming weeks, Pfizer expects to get two months of safety follow-up data in the third week in November. If all goes well, Pfizer could apply for an authorization in the US this month.
Challenges:
Despite the claims by both the firms of COVID-19 vaccine’s effectiveness, concerns on long protection from virus and people volunteering for vaccination remain at large. Increasing production, availability, and distribution are other key concerns.
These are the two big name companies that are almost at the finish line for this big vaccine that is desperately needed. However, there are over 40 more companies that are in the long race for a COVID-19 vaccine.
As 2021 nears, there are still many questions to be answered by the creators of the future COVID-19 vaccine company. The goal for the big two companies is to release the vaccine by the end of the year. Can it happen? They have been pushing the release for months now, and as cases rise, the more needed are the vaccines. Although the world is needing a vaccine as soon as possible, the company that wins the race can be in for a big pay day.
Who will win this huge race to save humanity from this global pandemic?
When will the first vaccine be released to the world?
Last Wednesday,possession of small amounts of drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine will no longer be punishable by jail time in Oregon, instead people will receive something similar to a traffic ticket
The passage of the measure makes Oregon, which in 1973 became the first state to decriminalize marijuana possession, a pioneer in America in trying the same with extremely harmful drugs. The measure takes effect 30 days after Tuesday’s election, but the punishment changes don’t take effect until Feb. 1.
By favoring rehabilitation over incarceration, the measure prevents recovering drug users from being stigmatized by employers, lenders and landlords for years, and gives them the ability to pull themselves out of a cycle of drug-related criminality.
Under the measure, people who possess larger quantities of illicit drugs could still face misdemeanor chargers and felony charges would apply to people who are alleged to possess enough drugs to sell.
Some proponents of decriminalizing drug addiction warn that Oregon’s ballot measure tears down an intricate system of getting people addiction treatment, replacing it with what they call a blunt instrument. Opponents of the measure said what passed Tuesday doesn’t address long-standing issues surrounding access to treatment.
Mike Marshall, co-founder and director of Oregon Recovers, said the measure threatens to replace addiction treatment infrastructure with a system that compels people to get assessments, but not actual treatment. He accused Measure 110’s marketing campaign of misleading Oregonians about weakened safeguards with regard to teenage drug use.
“The net effect of it is to take away a pathway to treatment for a bunch of people in Oregon,” Marshall said, emphasizing that it was a way for ballot supporters to win decriminalization, “locking people up because they’re addicted to substances is not a place you want to go to, but in the moment it’s interrupting their use and it’s getting them a pathway to treatment.”
In an effect to revolutionize the social stigma of drug use around the world, Oregon is close to becoming an influential hub in transforming normally considered “taboo” topics into the norm.
As many criticize Oregon, the possibility for a different point of view in the topic of drug abuse will stay a relevant topic in the coming years as a response to this measure.
In 2020, anything is possible. As Americans have endured a tumultuous year and have witnessed the desecration of partisanship, civility, and decency throughout the country, it is evident that a remedy to mend the wounds of the nation and restore its status as a beacon of hope to an often vitriolic, asinine, and hopeless world may be coming soon.
The rapid proliferation of a polarized political realm has indubitably changed the way in which Americans have chosen to engage in political discourse and vocalize their support for specific candidates, which often comes with preconceived notions on the character of individuals solely based on political ideologies and stances on national issues.
Throughout the history of the United States, the American people have always seemed to find a way to set aside political differences and unite as one during times of strife.
When the national state of affairs and overall well being of the country is at a compromise due to foreign or domestic challenges, Americans in every state, no matter what political party they belonged to, what religion they were faithful to, what the color of their skin was, or what state they lived in, everyone found a way to truly embody the fundamental idea of America being composed of the “United States”.
When the back of the country was to the wall after events such as the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the misery of the Great Depression, the seemingly everlasting battle for Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, 9/11, and the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shootings, Americans found a way to persevere, come together, and unite. Not once did the American people waver on their strength in numbers, and in times like those, uniting wasn’t a choice, it was a given.
Yet, somehow and someway, amidst a global pandemic that has ravaged communities, desecrated homes, and essentially put an end to any sense of normalcy that was left in the world, Americans began to grow contempt for one another based off of the same very thing that makes this country so strong and powerful – differences and diversity in thought.
All the same, amidst national civic unrest due to police brutality and calls for an improved criminal justice system, the American people were once again faced with the challenge of picking a side – either left or right – with the inability to choose neutrality due to societal pressures.
In a country where millions have lost their jobs due to the ongoing pandemic and faced with the pressures of wallowing in the mire of unemployment and dire financial straits, once again Americans found themselves pointing fingers at one another, choosing their own scapegoats, and thinking of different ways to set one another apart and add fuel to a spreading fire.
The America of today is not the America of yesterday. The biggest fallacy and irony found within the nation is the very name of the country, which promotes the notion of unity when everything is tremendously polarized.
In the election playing out right before the very eyes of all Americans nationally, the division and polarization of the country are displayed through the two candidates – former Vice President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, two men who are symbols for the two sides Americans find themselves in.
No, not the sides of Democrat and Republican, but Unity and Division.
While the election was certainly closer than many Americans thought it would be, everything that played out most definitely went as expected.
After midnight on November 3rd, with states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina hanging in the balance – with a presidency attached to it – both candidates were caught in the middle of an election hot potato.
At the end of the night, Biden had leads in Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, with President Trump holding slim leads that were within a margin of error.
With polls long closed and the grueling election process playing itself out in a very prolonged manner, both Vice President Biden and President Trump decided to make formal statements to the American people as the presidency hung in the balance with no clear winner established to claim it.
In order to quell the concerns of his base of support, the former Vice President said in a short statement from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware that while he was confident he was headed toward a victory and the 270 threshold needed to formally win the presidency, there was no way he could possibly claim victory without results finalized, instead commending his supporters for their patience in getting the results and telling them to “keep the faith” while promoting the idea of civility and unity.
On the other hand, in a polar opposite speech given at the White House by President Trump, he claimed victory of the entire election while throwing around the baseless accusation of voter fraud within those key battleground states, undermining the integrity of America’s democracy by degrading the power of the people from their right to use their voice at the polls and vote.
The divisive, accusing rhetoric employed by President Trump is the same divisive rhetoric that he has built his political career and campaigns around, which has amplified the polarization and divisions that plagues American society.
The fabric of our democracy is built around the process of counting all ballots and upholding the integrity of our elections and allowing Americans everywhere to exercise their right to vote, no matter whom they decide to vote for.
A palpable sense of relief that Americans can feel everywhere in the integrity and accuracy of our elections is being undermined by President Trump and his reelection campaign, who seek to undermine a staple of our democracy that has long preceded their existence of power in Washington by preparing lawsuits and requesting state-wide recounts in an attempt to not concede and drag out the process of electing a president as much as possible.
In an almost orwellian situation, the American people – no matter what party – found themselves as middlemen in a back and forth election, as the actions taken by Vice President Biden and President Trump amidst the close races in each state are not just reflective of the rhetoric they have employed throughout their political careers and respective campaigns, but create a further divide in an already overly polarized country.
Once again, the divide is not split into Democrat v. Republican, or Left v. Right, but is instead split into Unity v. Division and Rationality v. Irrationality.
After Biden took Wisconsin late Tuesday and Michigan on Wednesday afternoon – two flips back to the blue column after President Trump flipped them red in 2016 – there was a paradigm shift in the race and the path to 270 Electoral Votes for each candidate.
While the Biden camp’s confidence was confirmed, it continued to soar with a path to 270 much more clear than the potential paths to victory for President Trump’s camp.
Then, as Biden began to take the lead in Georgia and Pennsylvania, the end result was clear – the former Vice President was on track to be elected the 46th President of the United States.
Early this morning, AP, CNN, and Fox News, amongst others, officially called the election for Joe Biden, as he won Pennsylvania, later winning Nevada. While the official final results have yet to be released from Arizona, Alaska, Georgia (which may head toward a recount, but will not have an affect on Biden’s victory regardless), and North Carolina, the former Vice President fulfills a lifelong dream of ascending to the presidency. Meanwhile, President Trump, despite his denial of the election’s results, takes a stunning loss and becomes the first incumbent president since George H.W. Bush to lose their bid for reelection.
As of now, the former Vice President has 74.49 Million popular votes and 50.5% of the vote, while President Trump has 70.34 Million popular votes and 47.7% of the vote. Both marks are the first and second most popular votes received by any candidate in US History, respectively.
Barring anything unforeseen, on January 20, 2021, Joe Biden will be sworn in on Inauguration Day as the 46th President of the United States, with Senator Kamala Harris becoming the first African American Woman – and Woman regardless – to hold the Vice Presidency.
The initial point of inflection caused by the rapid polarization of our nation is not a wound that will be easy to mend. If history is any guide, however, Americans may once again prevail and rise above political differences as a new administration comes into power.
Despite the fact that Americans nationwide were under the general consensus that this presidential election would be very close, it is unlikely that anyone knew it would be this close.In an election that has spanned two days and going into three without a clear winner, here’s where both candidates stand as a presidency hangs in the balance.
Around 200 people participated in a “Protect the Vote” rally in Middlebury, Vermont on November 4, 2020, as they call for states to “count every vote”.
While the election is certainly closer than many Americans thought it would be, everything that has played out thus far has most definitely gone as expected.
After midnight on November 3rd, with states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and North Carolina hanging in the balance – with a presidency attached to it – both candidates were caught in the middle of an election hot potato.
At the end of the night, Biden had leads in Arizona, Nevada, and Wisconsin, with President Trump holding slim – and now even slimmer – leads that were within a margin of error.
With polls long closed and the grueling election process playing itself out in a very prolonged manner, both Vice President Biden and President Trump decided to make formal statements to the America people as the presidency hung in the balance with no clear winner established to claim it.
In order to quell the concerns of his base of support, the former Vice President said in a short statement from the Chase Center in Wilmington, Delaware that while he was confident he was headed toward a victory and the 270 threshold needed to formally win the presidency, there was no way he could possibly claim victory without results finalized, instead commending his supporters for their patience in getting the results and telling them to “keep the faith” while promoting the idea of civility and unity.
On the other hand, in a polar opposite speech given at the White House by President Trump, he claimed victory of the entire election while throwing around the baseless accusation of voter fraud within those key battleground states, undermining the integrity of America’s democracy by degrading the power of the people from their right to use their voice at the polls and vote.
The way in which President Trump claimed victory early and accused the battleground states’ election officials of voter fraud was so far past staying within the bounds of Democracy that even Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the heavily partisan Senate Majority Leader, spoke out against President Trump in statement, saying “Claiming you’ve won the election is different from finishing the counting.”
Furthermore, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) also made sure, as a Republican, to distance himself from the President’s claims of voter fraud and speak out against his attempt to prematurely claim victory, saying, “taking days to count legally cast votes is NOT fraud.”
Due to the social media climate being extremely toxic due to extremes from both sides of the aisle, with leftists on Twitter claiming voter suppression while right-winging Twitter users claim voter fraud due to Biden’s leads and comebacks in key battleground states, Marco Rubio weighed in against the leftists claiming voter suppression, saying “And court challenges to votes cast after the legal voting deadline, is NOT suppression.”
Meanwhile, key left politicians have pushed back against the voter fraud conspiracy being pushed by right-wing social media users, as Bernie Sanders stated in a tweet:
In 2016, when Trump won PA, MI, and WI by a handful of votes, the election system worked just great. Now that he's losing, it's a "fraud" and they're "stealing the election." This is how demagogues destroy faith in democracy and move us toward authoritarianism. Count every vote!
In spite of all the things that may be being pushed on social media from left and right winging social media users – either claims of voter suppression or voter fraud – are simply not correct or rational.
The reason Vice President Biden has continued to make tremendous late strides in key states is due to the fact that the battleground states counted same-day votes BEFORE they counted early votes and mail-in votes. The mail-in votes in this election have favored Biden, since almost 80% of those mail-in ballots were votes to Biden, with the remainder of the chunk going to President Trump.
A claim suggesting either voter suppression or voter fraud – more specifically the latter – are simply not true. For many states such as Pennsylvania, early voting is new, and the seismic uptick in mail-in votes cast have reached unprecedented numbers, meaning states are taking longer to count every vote.
The best thing to do as of now is to maintain patience as votes are counted and precincts finalize vote tallies. The counting of votes, even if prolonged, is how elections have always worked within American Democracy, even if this year seems longer than usual.
As of now, the Presidency hangs in the balance and the rhetoric of the two candidates thus far shows a stark contrast in the way they view such an integral part of American Democracy.
The most recent results, Via CNN, have President Trump leading in Georgia by 13,534 votes with 98% of the results in, North Carolina by 76,737 votes with 95% of the results in, and Pennsylvania by 111,369 votes with 92% of the results in. All the aforementioned states are far from being called, with a large amount of outstanding votes yet to be fully reported.
On the flip side, Vice President Biden leads in Arizona by 68,390 votes with 86% of the results in, while also leading in Nevada by 11,438 votes with 89% of the results in.
Vice President Biden leads in the popular vote with 72.3 Million votes – the most for a single candidate in US History – while President Trump has 68.5 Million votes, another impressive mark.
As of now, Vice President Biden leads President Trump 253-213 in the race to 270 electoral votes. If Biden wins Arizona and Nevada, which he may be on the path to, he hits exactly 270 and secures the presidency. Meanwhile, even if President Trump wins North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Alaska, he still loses the election.
With many more outstanding votes left to be reported in places such as Pennsylvania and Georgia, which have heavily favored Vice President Biden during this cycle, the prospects of a second term – and a clear path to 270 – look grim for President Trump, barring anything unforeseen.
As the Biden and Trump campaigns close out their final days of trying to garner the support of the American people nationwide, the two candidates’ standing in a number of national polls has seen marginal movement, even after a hard-fought, action packed summer and fall.
The 2020 Presidential Election is finally here. After months of campaigning, voter deliberation, purported corruption scandals, insult-laden debates, asinine mudslinging, and a White House ravaged by COVID-19, former Vice President Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump will see all their work culminate as the American people get their chance to speak at the polls.
In the latest national poll from Real Clear Politics, former Vice President Biden leads President Trump 51.1% to 43.9%, with an advantage of 7.2 points.
The polls indicate that President Trump has slightly tightened Vice President Biden’s lead, but the Biden Campaign is in a good position as their lead holds steady – yet within a margin of error where President Trump is still within striking distance.
Despite the fact that many voters nationwide have shown contempt for polling numbers since President Trump’s upset victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016, it is imperative to dispel the notion that polling numbers are wrong, per se.
While polling numbers contain only a small sample and percentage of Americans nationally and in battleground states, the lead that has been held by former Vice President Biden over President Trump has been steadier than the lead held by Hillary Clinton four years ago.
In recent polls of the battleground states from the New York Times, the former Vice President leads in 10 of those 13, with President Trump holding on to slim leads in Ohio, Iowa, and Texas – yes, Texas, the historically “red” state that has not been won by a Democratic Candidate since Jimmy Carter did so in 1976.
In the two congressional districts that split up their electoral votes, Biden leads in both, holding on to slim leads in Nebraska’s and Maine’s 2nd Congressional Districts.
While Carter carrying Texas in 1976 is impressive after 44 years of seeing new political trends, it is important to note that Carter was a southerner, having been Governor of Georgia, leading to him having the trust of southern voters in general.
The question many are asking is how the former Vice President has made Texas a real battleground, considering he was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania and served as a US Senator from Delaware for more than four decades.
The answer is simple – an increase in voter turnout and changing demographics in Texas. Due to the strenuous efforts of former Democratic Candidate for President Beto O’Rourke to turn out Texas voters and flipping some Republicans to vote for Biden, 9.7 Million Texans have cast early ballots, making up 57.3% of registered voters in Texas. It’s also important to note that Texas, as big as it already is, is a growing state that has added 1.8 Million new voters.
By comparison, the total turnout in 2016 was 59.4% – only two percentage points more than current early voting numbers. On Election Day itself, Texas may see 12 or 12.5 Million more people vote, bringing their turnout percentage beyond 70%, which would be a new high in the new era of presidential elections.
Around the United States in general, around 92 Million people have already cast ballots – more than twice the amount of Americans who voted early in 2016.
The historic early voting numbers can be attributed to the fears of catching COVID-19 at polling stations on Election Day, but may also be a result of spectacular efforts by Democrats to turn out new voters and help voters who did not vote in 2016 to see the importance of their vote.
The American people will finally get their chance to speak up and use their voice at the polls. Whether polls should be trusted is up to each individual, but regardless, they show Vice President Biden holding a national lead over President Trump, and a steadier lead than the one Hillary Clinton held in 2016 at that.
Of course, though, after 2016, anything can happen.
While President Trump has endured a tumultuous first term and reelection campaign, he still has a very good chance at winning reelection, as his underdog status propelled him in 2016 and may very well work in his favor.
If the polls are right this time around, the elder statesman in Vice President Biden will finally get a chance to hold an office he has sought for nearly five decades.
In this chart from the New York Times, the polling leads held by Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama before election day were displayed. The chart is meant to show the fallacy in polling data and how they may be inaccurate – in some of the states that Secretary Clinton was leading in going into election day, she lost them as they flipped “red” towards now-President Trump.
Essentially, no matter what polling data displays for either Vice President Biden or President Trump, neither candidate should feel comfortable solely based on polling data.
The margins of error are there for both candidates, and the American people will only know the accuracy of the polls once precincts within each state report their results.
Obama Won the 2012 Election against Mitt Romney (R-MA, now UT), while Hillary Clinton (D-NY) lost the 2016 election in an upset to Donald Trump (R-NY).
The race for a COVID-19 vaccine intensifies as cases rise worldwide, and people are starting to lose their patience.
For drug-making companies, their future relies on if they can be the first ones to produce the vaccine first. Many big known companies are making a lot of progress to make the best vaccine possible, there are still many questions to be answered.
With elections around the corner, there are many scenarios that can happen. Will the race slim down? Will there be bigger gaps between companies and their stages? Will there be a winner soon after the elections?
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From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many have looked to the promise of a vaccine to prevent infection of COVID-19. Vaccines typically take years to develop before they ultimately reach the market, but given the global urgency, progress is being made much more rapidly.
When candidate vaccines reach human clinical trials, they need to go through Phase 1 trials to start with. Primarily to test the vaccine’s safety, determine dosages and identify any potential side effects in a small number of people.
Phase 2 trials further explore safety and start to investigate larger groups. The final stage, Phase 3 trials, which few vaccines ever make it to, are much larger, involving thousands or tens of thousands of people, to confirm the effectiveness of the vaccine and test whether there are any rare side effects that only show up in large groups. The World Health Organization lists candidates at various stages of clinical trials.
Here is a slightly more in-depth look at the big named candidate vaccines in the Phase 1 trials or beyond.
Moderna
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine development appears to be at its home stretch. The company said that it completed the enrollment process of 30,000 participants in its final-stage study. While the clinical trials continue to progress,
Moderna and its manufacturing partners are doubling down on production with plans to produce 20 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year. Assuming that two doses are required, this would be enough for about 10 million people.
Pfizer
Pfizer, one of the leaders in the race to develop a vaccine against COVID-19, said the final-stage trial of its vaccine candidate has now enrolled nearly all of the planned 44,000 participants worldwide. Nearly 36,000 had received the second shot of the two-dose vaccine as of last Monday. It has expanded enrollment in the trial to include individuals as young as 12 as well as people with chronic stable HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B.
AstraZeneca
Although the AstraZeneca trials were halted due to an unexplained illness during clinical trials in September, they were able to resume where they left off. AstraZeneca said it is a COVID-19 experimental vaccine that produces an immune response in both old and young adults. The vaccine also triggers lower adverse responses among the elderly, it said. Their vaccine candidates are in late-stage trials.
Johnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson resumed clinical trials last week due to a patient getting sick, due to one of their earlier trials, causing them to go on halt for a while. They were able to strike a vaccine deal with Aspen Pharmacare, a South African firm, and the J&J test vaccine is now one of four different vaccines currently undergoing clinical trials in South Africa.
These are the four big-name companies that are almost at the finish line for this big first trial for a vaccine that is desperately needed. However, there are over 40 more companies that are in the long race for a COVID-19 vaccine.
As election day nears in the United States, there are still many questions to be answered by the creators of the future COVID-19 vaccine company. The goal for the big four companies is to release the vaccine by the end of the year.
Can it happen? They have been pushing the release for months now, and as cases arise, the more needed are the vaccines. Although the world is needing a vaccine as soon as possible, the company that wins the race can be in for a big payday.
Who will win this huge race to save humanity from this global pandemic? When will the first vaccine be released to the world?
The only thing that is certain is that when a vaccine is ready to be released, a big global focus will be brought to whoever produces the vaccine
The Brave News 