Author: Sophie Robinson

Sophie Robinson is a recent graduate from Clemson University and is a Digital Intern at UnmutedCo.

On Wednesday, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that it is considering format changes for the remaining two debates after Tuesday’s debate was categorized as chaotic and lacking in any substantive policy conversation. What We Know: Prior to the debates, the CPD works with both candidates and their campaign teams to create an agreed-upon set of rules for both candidates. Typically no changes to the structure come once the rules have been set, so this announcement of forthcoming change is highly unusual and a testament to just how out of control Tuesday night’s event was. “Last night’s debate made clear…

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Chrissy Teigen and John Legend announced late Wednesday night that they had lost their third child due to pregnancy complications. What We Know: The couple shared the news on Wednesday revealing that her bleeding, which led to her hospitalization, couldn’t be stopped, “despite bags and bags of blood transfusions”. In her lengthy and emotional Instagram post, Teigen wrote, “We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of…

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Election officials acknowledged on Tuesday that 100,000 New York City voters received defective absentee ballots, raising doubts about the city’s ability to handle a pandemic-era presidential election with millions of mail-in ballots expected. What We Know: The problems with defective ballots were mostly confined to Brooklyn where voters raised concerns of outrage and confusion after seeing that their ballots had mismatched names and addresses on the outer and inner mail-back envelopes. Mayor Bill de Blasio, who does not control the New York City election board, called its most recent failure “appalling”. Residents in Brooklyn shared their experiences with the defective ballots.…

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Disney has announced that it will be eliminating tens of thousands of jobs at its resorts in California and Florida after suffering difficult losses from the coronavirus pandemic. What We Know: For the past six months, Disney has kept thousands of workers on furlough with full health benefits, but on Tuesday the company’s theme park division announced it would eliminate 28,000 jobs in the United States. Disney’s two theme parks will account for most of the layoffs, but Disney Cruise Line and Disney’s retail stores will also be affected. “As heartbreaking as it is to take this action, this is…

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Rapper Lil Yachty was arrested and charged with reckless driving and speeding after the Georgia State Police say he was driving over 150 mph on an Atlanta highway. What We Know: The incident occurred on September 21 when a GSP officer reported a white 2020 Ferrari F8 speeding northbound on Interstate 75. According to the GSP incident report, the officer began to follow the car, which was traveling over 150 miles per hour and the driver was reported to be weaving in and out of traffic. Once the officer caught up with the car, he initiated a traffic stop. It…

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United Kingdom outlet Channel 4 News reported a massive data leak from the Trump campaign’s 2016 database used for ad targeting on TV and social media. One group, labeled “deterrence,” disproportionately targeted Black voters. What We Know: Channel 4 News reported that the 2016 Trump campaign database contained details from almost 200 million Americans who were grouped based on demographic information to be targeted with TV and social media ads. According to the report, one of the groups, which largely targeted Black potential voters, in total approximately 3.5 million people, was labeled “deterrence,” a group that the Trump campaign’s chief…

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Over the weekend, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a series of laws aimed at protecting the LGBTQ+ community, including a law requiring California to house transgender inmates in prisons based on their gender identity. What We Know: Men and women are housed in separate facilities by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and until now, transgender inmates were often housed based on their sex assigned at birth. Many advocates for the transgender community have said this is dangerous, particularly for transgender women housed in facilities for men. The law Newsom signed over the weekend says that during the intake…

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The New York Times obtained President Donald Trump’s tax information for the last two decades revealing his federal income taxes, struggling properties, vast write-offs, decade-long audit battle, and hundreds of millions of dollars in debt coming due soon. What We Know: In the year that Trump won the presidency, he paid $750 in federal income taxes. During his first year at the White House, he paid another $750. In 10 of the previous 15 years, he paid no income taxes at all, largely due to the fact that he reported losing more than he made. As Trump’s re-election campaign wages…

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A recent survey conducted found that many establishments in New York City are still facing a financial crisis from the coronavirus pandemic, with 9 of every 10 restaurants and bars in the city not able to pay their full rent. What We Know: A survey, released this week by the New York City Hospitality Alliance, found that nearly 9 out of every 10 dining establishments had not paid full rent in August and that about a third had not paid any rent. Despite the opening of outdoor dining in late June, which was meant to provide a boost to the city’s…

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Organizers of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City announced that the event will go digital to ring in 2021. What We Know: For the first time in 114 years, a massive crowd will not be packed into Times Square to ring in the new year. In an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, the Times Square Alliance announced that the festivities will now be a “virtually enhanced celebration” that will come to people wherever they are. This year’s celebration won’t be totally digital, it will also feature some socially-distanced live elements including a limited…

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