TOP STORIES

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Friday, October 30

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APPEALS COURT BOTTLES UP BALLOTS A federal appeals court ordered Minnesota election officials to set aside any mail-in ballots that arrive after 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, a move that threatens a seven-day extension the state had imposed to make sure all votes were counted amid because of the pandemic. In a 2-1 decision, a three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit said the state’s decision earlier this year to apply the grace period could result in legal challenges after the election over the validity of ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 but delivered later. The ruling doesn’t completely block late ballots from being counted, and any ballots that arrive in time are unaffected. [HuffPost]

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TRUMP RALLY FANS RUSHED TO HOSPITAL AMID HEAT At least a dozen people who were overcome by heat during Donald Trump’s rally in Tampa, Florida, were taken to a hospital. Although 17 people needed medical attention, some were treated at the scene. One person who was transported to an area hospital had fainted and another suffered a seizure. A fire truck sprayed water into the air to rain down on rallygoers and keep them cool. Trump asked the crowd if the spray was coming from “friend or foe,” adding: “If they’re foe, let’s take care of those sons of bitches.” [HuffPost]

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MINNEAPOLIS POLICE UNION RECRUITS EX COPS AS 'POLL CHALLENGERS' The Minneapolis police union is facing a warning after recruiting retired cops to work as “poll challengers” in a “problem” area of the city at the request of an attorney for Trump’s reelection campaign. “Targeting anyone for a challenge based on being in a so-called ‘problem area’ is unlawful and will not be permitted in Minnesota’s polling places,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steven Simon said. State law guarantees voters the right to a peaceful polling place free of harassment or intrusion, he added. [HuffPost]

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• The "Home Edit" stars get real about parenting and organizing in 2020.
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• The surprising truth about how long postpartum depression lasts.

Get the latest coronavirus updates on our dedicated page

HURRICANE ZETA WREAKS DEATH, DESTRUCTION The remnants of Hurricane Zeta were far from land over the Atlantic early today, but people across the South were still digging out from the powerful storm that killed six people. The wind effects of Zeta, which came ashore in Cocodrie, Louisiana, and barreled northeast, were felt all the way from the Gulf Coast to southern New Jersey. At the height of the outages, as many as 2.6 million people were without power across seven states from Louisiana to Virginia. Utility crews were out assessing the damage and fixing it. [AP]

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JUSTICE DEPT. DROPS TAMIR RICE SHOOTING PROBE The Justice Department effectively ceased its civil rights investigation into the 2014 police killing of Tamir Rice, a 12-year-old Black boy in Cleveland. The DOJ brought to a halt its probe last year by blocking prosecutors from using a grand jury to investigate. The department has not told Rice’s family it wouldn’t be bringing charges in the case, which technically remains open on the books, but has not advanced. [HuffPost]

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TRUMP AGENCY CHIEF TOOK REVENGE AFTER EMPLOYEE COMPLAINT The head of the U.S. Geological Survey violated the federal whistleblower protection law when he retaliated against an agency employee who had filed a complaint about his conduct, according to a new report from the Interior Department’s internal watchdog. The Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General concluded that USGS Director James Reilly had the employee reassigned after learning of the individual’s complaint regarding Reilly’s conduct ― though the report does not detail the content of that initial complaint. [HuffPost]

WHAT'S BREWING

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TRUMP'S BEST LIE MAY HAVE LOST ITS PUNCH Trump’s most frequent and most effective lie -- that he built “the greatest economy in history” -- appears to be losing its punch at the worst possible time for him. Trump has never had overall favorability ratings in his entire three years and nine months in office, but for most of that time has enjoyed the perception that he was doing a good job handling the economy. Now, with his election for a second term only days away, just about as many Americans think he is doing a bad job. [HuffPost]

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NORTH CAROLINA SUSPENDS EVICTIONS THROUGH 2020 North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) signed an executive order Wednesday that will suspend all evictions in the state for the thousands of renters who are out of work because of the coronavirus. More than 300,000 people in the state are unable to pay rent, Cooper’s order says. The order will last until the end of 2020. Landlords and utility providers will also receive money from the state’s new order. [HuffPost]

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EXTREME ABORTION RESTRICTIONS ON THE BALLOT Voters in Louisiana and Colorado are casting their ballots on two extreme anti-abortion measures that could have devastating effects on people seeking abortions and reproductive health care. In Colorado, Proposition 115 would ban abortion after 22 weeks with almost no exceptions. In Louisiana, Amendment 1 would ban abortion completely with no exceptions for rape, incest or the health of the mother. Both ballot initiatives use intentionally vague language to mislead voters, abortion rights activists in each state told HuffPost. [HuffPost]

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BIDEN CAMPAIGN EXCORIATES FACEBOOK FOR WRONGFUL AD BAN Joe Biden’s presidential campaign excoriated Facebook for being “wholly unprepared to handle this election” after thousands of its ads were allegedly wrongly banned as part of the platform’s pre-election restrictions on political ads. Facebook announced last month that it would ban all new political ads in the week leading up to the Nov. 3 election as a way to limit the spread of misinformation. Per Biden’s campaign, the platform mistakenly blocked many pre-approved ads as part of the ban, which the campaign said had cost half a million dollars in projected donations. [HuffPost]

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N.J. GOP OFFICIAL QUITS AFTER POSTING OFFENSIVE PICS OF KAMALA HARRIS, THEN BACKTRACKS A Republican elected official in Cape May County, New Jersey, resigned from his post after posting vulgar, manipulated images of Kamala Harris in sexually suggestive poses on his Facebook page, which he later deleted. That appeared to be the end of it, until Monday night, when Hobart Young showed up during a virtual public Upper Township Committee meeting and said he spoke to an attorney who “totally disagrees” that he formally resigned. [HuffPost]

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WISCONSIN GOP SAYS HACKERS STOLE $2.3 MILLION Hackers stole $2.3 million from the Wisconsin Republican Party’s account that was being used to help reelect Trump in the key battleground state, the party’s chairman said. The party noticed the suspicious activity on Oct. 22 and contacted the FBI, said Republican Party Chairman Andrew Hitt. “There’s no doubt RPW is now at a disadvantage with that money being gone,” Hitt said. The party and campaign needs money late in the race to make quick decisions, he said. [AP]

HuffPost Highline

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• Adaptation, determination, luck: How four small businesses are surviving the pandemic.
• They call themselves "Wives of the Deplorables" because their husbands support Trump.
• I broke up with my boyfriend because he refused to wear a mask.
• The astrology of Election Day looks pretty dire.
• How "America first" became "America alone."
• How Trump could win through the Electoral College.
• Can poo chat with your partner lead to the end of sex?

BEFORE YOU GO