Today’s News Briefs: Gaza pier ends; Ruling on mailed ballots; Biden has covid.
Nevada judges rules on counting late ballots
Ballots that come in four days after Election Day can still be counted. A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by national and state Republicans that sought to bar Nevada from the highly controversial practice. Democrats in 2021 passed a law allowing election officials to count ballots received by 5 p.m. on the fourth day after Election Day, as long as the envelopes are postmarked before the end of Election Day, according to the AP. The judge rejected Republicans’ assertions that this was unconstitutional and violated federal law. Nevada is one of 19 states that allows ballots to be counted if they are received after Election Day.
Biden has covid, isolating in Delaware
The White House says President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while on a campaign trip to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Biden would not be able to speak at a scheduled event due to the diagnosis. The 81-year-old has returned to Delaware to self-isolate and “will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time,” Jean-Pierre stated. The isolation comes at a crucial time for the Biden campaign. Democrat leaders had been calling for a meeting this week in which they would make their case for him to leave the race.
Americans think “the country is spiraling out of the control”
Republicans and Democrats both fear their country is spiraling out of control following an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. The Reuters-Ipsos poll also found fears growing that the Nov. 5 election could spark more political violence. A full 80% of voters – including similar shares of Democrats and Republicans – said they agreed with a statement that “the country is spiraling out of the control.” Trump narrowly avoided death Saturday by an individual who had donated to a Democrat activist group. The shooting, according to the Jerusalem Post, brought back memories of turbulent political periods such as the 1960s, when Democratic President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, followed by the killing of Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy in 1968.
US disassembles pier meant to deliver aid to Gaza
The Biden administration has shut down a quarter-billion dollar floating pier meant to deliver aid to the Gaza Strip. The bridge was heralded as a solution to get around the theft of supplies by Hamas but only operated for 20 days because of technical and security problems. Israel has long asserted the issue was not the delivery, but what happened to aid once it entered Gaza. The UN and media continued to report, without proof, that Gaza was on the brink of famine. Supplies from Cyprus will now be shipped by US vessels to the Israeli port of Ashdod and then transported by semis to northern Gaza via an Israeli-controlled crossing.