ELEPHANTINE ENDORSEMENTS. 100 ex-staffers for John McCain support Joe Biden for president: “‘His frequent call on Americans to serve causes greater than our self-interest were not empty slogans like so much of our politics today,' the group of aides, most of them still Republicans, wrote in a joint statement, praising Mr. McCain and implicitly taking aim at President Trump. ‘They were the creed by which he lived, and he urged us to do the same.' The list of signatories includes a range of people — from chiefs of staff in Mr. McCain's Senate office to junior aides on his campaigns — who worked for him over his 35 years in Congress and during two presidential bids.”
HURRICANE LAURA. Storm comes ashore as a Category 4, then weakens. “Laura will track north, bringing the threat of heavy rain/flash flooding and gusty winds, and isolated tornadoes—tornado watches are already posted across Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta.” KSAT's Justin Horne was caught on film as a power line came down right behind him.
JARED KUSHNER. Trump adviser disses NBA players for their privilege. “The NBA players are very fortunate that they have the financial position where they're able to take a night off work without having to have the consequences to themselves financially. They have that luxury, so that's great.”
DAISY DOVE. Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have welcomed a daughter.
CELEBRITY SIGHTING OF THE DAY. Björk in the NYC subway, without a mask, flipping off a fan.
THIRST TRAP OF THE DAY. Tyler Posey frying some sausage (and his sausage) in the nude.
INTEL OFFICIALS. No evidence of foreign interference to mail-in voting: “In seeking to assure the public that federal, state and local governments are paying far closer attention to the dangers of hacking and misinformation, officials said Wednesday that they have also not seen any indications that foreign governments are trying to tamper with what is expected to be an unprecedented amount of mail-in voting this year.”
MINNEAPOLIS. Homicide suspect's death prompts protest: “The unrest was sparked by untrue rumors that a man wanted for a fatal shooting who killed himself as police closed in had actually been shot by officers. “Police almost immediately shared surveillance video of the suicide, but it did little to calm crowds who broke windows at retail stores, restaurants, bars and coffee shops. The sudden chaos prompted Gov. Tim Walz to declare an emergency in the city and mobilize the Minnesota National Guard and 150 State Patrol troopers. Mayor Jacob Frey also ordered a curfew from 10 p.m. Wednesday to 6 a.m. Thursday.”
TIKTOK. CEO abruptly resigns amid pressure to sell to U.S. company: “I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes will require, and what it means for the global role I signed up for,” he said in the letter. “Against this backdrop, and as we expect to reach a resolution very soon, it is with a heavy heart that I wanted to let you all know that I have decided to leave the company.”
ALEXEI NAVALNY. Kremlin will investigate alleged poisoning of opposition leader: “Navalny, 44, is in a medically induced coma in a Berlin hospital where he was airlifted on Saturday after collapsing during a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to Moscow. The German clinic treating him said its initial medical examination pointed to poisoning, though Russian doctors who had treated Navalny in a Siberian hospital have contradicted that diagnosis.”
TEASER OF THE DAY. David Guetta and Sia.
THIRSTY THURSDAY. Michael Arafat.
