News From Around the Web
#1 Gov. DeSantis Declares Emergency in 7 Counties Across Florida as Flooding Threatens Election Day Polling Sites - CBS, Nick Sortor, ONLY in DADE, Eric Daugherty, Matt Devitt, and Brett Lindenberg on X
Torrential rain along Florida's central and eastern coastline and in some inland counties has flooded roads, led to school shutdowns in some counties, and prompted election officials to find alternative polling places in affected areas. Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday afternoon issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, and St. Lucie counties. Included in the order is a provision allowing local supervisors of elections in affected areas to designate new polling places at sites that are unsafe or where voters can't reach them because roads are blocked by flooding. State law requires election officials to "designate a new polling place which shall be accessible to the public on election day" when a state of emergency is in effect, and to post a notice at the old polling place informing voters of the alternative precinct...
#2 Flash Floods Trigger Evacuations in Arizona and Colorado Amid Heavy Rains in Southwest - Philip Marcelo and Michael Casey for AP/KSL, CPW SW Region, Sovey,
#PitBullForJustice/Tina Zimmermann, ABC News, and Whi_rlz on X
More heavy rainfall produced flash flooding and mandatory evacuations in a wide swath of the Southwest on Sunday, including in a Colorado tourist town bracing for its main river to rise to historic levels, as weary residents in the normally arid region deal with another massive drenching. Officials in Pagosa Springs, a southwestern Colorado town of more than 2,000 in the Rockies located near ski resorts and known for its hot springs, warned in a Facebook post of potentially "catastrophic flooding" as the San Juan River was forecast to crest at more than 20 feet late Sunday night...
#3 Union Boss Stuns With Major Republican Endorsement as Election Nears - Charles Creitz for Fox News, David Burke, Sean M. O'Brien, Gina Milan, Ashley Moody, The Western Journal, and New York Post on X
The leader of one of the nation’s oldest and largest unions stunned political observers by issuing a surprise endorsement for a Senate Republican stalwart over the weekend. Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, who famously nearly came to blows with now-Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin during a Senate hearing before ultimately becoming acquaintances, issued a ringing endorsement of Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., signaling a major break from national union sentiment that has tended to favor Democrats. "Just voted in the State of Florida for the first time, and very proud to have cast a ballot for Sen. Ashley Moody," O’Brien, whose 123-year-old union is about 1.3 million strong, announced Sunday...
#4 FBI Visits Dan J. Sullivan Donors as Part of Federal Investigation Into Voter Fraud - Taylor Heckart and Angela Denning for Alaska Public Media, Paula Ponsonby/Nick Sortor, Stefstuff, Michael A Lovett, and Thag Simmons on X
While many people saw trick-or-treaters knock on their doors this weekend, some in Southeast Alaska were instead visited by the FBI. The agents were checking on donors to Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign for U.S. Senate as part of a federal investigation. In Petersburg, Barry Bracken was one of those donors. He has known Dan J. Sullivan for over 40 years. When Sullivan announced his campaign for U.S. Senate this summer, Bracken, an independent voter, was one of the first to donate. He said he was surprised on Friday when two federal agents in plain clothes rang his doorbell and identified themselves as FBI. They told Bracken they were investigating election fraud...
#5 DOJ Is Deploying a Record Number of Monitors on Election Day - The Atlantic, Al Jazeera English, Fox News Politics, NBC News, Politics & Poll Tracker, and Democracy Docket on X
For more than 60 years, the Department of Justice has sent its attorneys and staff to polling places across the country to ensure that Americans can vote free of discrimination or intimidation. They’ve watched to see if Black voters were illegally hindered in any way, if those who use a wheelchair or walker could get into facilities, and if those who couldn’t read the ballot for any reason—blindness, lack of English proficiency, or simply not having the skill—had help. Officials selected locations that had had problems in the past or where people had reported concerns...#6 SCOTUS Rejects Trump’s Bid Over Disputed California Ballots - Josephine Walker for Axios, Brian Cates - Political Columnist & Pundit/mellyrn, Mr.Tropic, Steve Tatum, Jim Meadows, and American Greatness on X
The Supreme Court denied the Trump administration's request Monday to hear its case regarding more than 20,000 California ballots that President Trump claims were cast by noncitizens. It's a blow to the administration, which has been tussling with the state in what it says is a fight to ensure all eligible voters can vote and have their ballots counted, as the law requires. "The application for injunction pending appeal presented to Justice Kagan and by her referred to the Court is denied," an unsigned order from the court read...
#7 ‘Weaponization’: Judge Blasts DOJ in Dismissing Case Against Ex-FBI Agents Who Investigated Hunter Biden - Alexander Mallin for ABC News, NBC News, CNBC, The Associated Press, Real America's Voice (RAV), and New York Post on X
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a false statements case against two former senior FBI agents accused of lying to Congress about past investigations of Hunter Biden. In dismissing the case, Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui delivered a scathing rebuke from the bench of current FBI and DOJ leadership, whom he accused of seeking to impact the midterm elections. "What has transpired here cannot be described as anything other than weaponization," the judge said in tossing the case against former FBI officials Nikki Floris and Bradley Benavides...
#8 Disney to Undergo More Layoffs With Divisions Eyeing up to 20% in Cost Savings - Anthony D'Alessandro and Nellie Andreeva for DEADLINE, MrsDoubtFire/Bloomberg, Scott Gustin, zerohedge, Variety, and MCU Film News on X
The Walt Disney Company is laying the groundwork for more cuts, with thousands poised to be impacted. According to sources, the new round of layoffs will be made across multiple divisions, including TV networks and the motion picture studio, at varying amounts. As is customary in the run-up to staff reductions, managers of the affected teams have been given targets, with some asked to achieve as much as 20% in annual cost savings, we hear. Disney declined to comment on the latest cuts, first reported by Bloomberg, whose exact timing is unclear....
#9 Thousands of Blood Pressure Medication Bottles Recalled Nationwide After Pills Fail Quality Test - Sophia Compton for FOXBusiness, FOX 2 Detroit, Shareshare, 13WMAZ News, gazza2, New York Post, and USA TODAY on X
Americans who take medication for high blood pressure may want to check their medicine cabinets after thousands of bottles of a prescription drug were recalled nationwide. New Jersey-based Macleods Pharma USA is recalling certain lots of Olmesartan Medoxomil, Amlodipine and Hydrochlorothiazide Tablets after the medication failed to meet federal quality standards, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recall covers 3,528 30-count bottles from lot 12251163A and 216 90-count bottles from lot 12251163B. Both lots expire on May 31, 2027...#10 Murdoch Blames Fox’s Ratings Collapse on ‘Viewer Fatigue' - NEWSMAX, Financial Times, Bloomberg, Jim Greenlee, CNN/Paul, and Brian Steinberg on X
Fox News has suffered one of its steepest audience declines in years, losing almost 30% of its daily viewers ahead of Tuesday's crucial midterm elections. But on Monday, Lachlan Murdoch dismissed the figures as "viewer fatigue" as critics questioned why audiences would be abandoning the network at precisely the moment when American politics and the war with Iran should be driving unprecedented interest in news. Fox News is facing an uncomfortable ratings crisis, with October figures revealing a dramatic collapse in viewership that has raised questions about the network's relationship with its traditionally loyal conservative audience...
