Suspect Arrested in Idaho College Murders

Authorities in Pennsylvania have made an arrest in the case of four University of Idaho students murdered in Moscow, Idaho. The suspect has been identified as 28-year-old Bryan Kohberger.  He was arrested on a warrant for first-degree murder.

The four victims, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, Xana Kernodle, and Ethan Chapin, were murdered by stabbing at an off-campus house on November 13.

Kohberger is a graduate student in criminology and criminal justice at nearby Washington State University.

 

Bill Cosby Freed from Prison After Conviction Overturned

Actor and comedian Bill Cosby, convicted in 2018 of sexual assault, was set free from prison Wednesday after serving nearly three years of a three to ten year sentence. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court overturned his conviction, citing violations of Cosby’s due process rights under the 5th and 14th Amendments.

In 2005, Montgomery County District Attorney Bruce Castor, also known for his defense of President Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial, promised Cosby that he would not be criminally prosecuted if he provided testimony under the penalty of perjury in a civil case that alleged sexual assault by him. In his testimony, Cosby admitted to providing Quaaludes to women, and this admission was a basis for his criminal conviction in 2018. The Supreme Court ruled that the prosecution broke Castor’s previous agreement when prosecutors later sought criminal charges against Cosby. The court also barred any further criminal charges from being brought against Cosby in this case.

After his release, Cosby returned to his home in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

How the Trump-Biden Race is Shaping Up on Election Day Eve

While former Vice President Joe Biden holds a solid lead in nationwide polling and more moderate but consistent leads in several crucial battleground states, few observers are completely counting out President Donald Trump's ability to pull off a win in tomorrow's election, remembering his victory in 2016 that flew in the face of battleground state polling.

This how we see the state of the race currently:

In this scenario Biden is favored to sweep the upper Great Lakes region, retaking Wisconsin and Michigan that Trump won in 2016 and maintaining Minnesota in the Democratic column. In addition to Minnesota, Biden seems in a strong position to win all the other states Hillary Clinton won in 2016, with New Hampshire and Nevada the other two Trump may have a decent chance to peel off, but likely only if he already has enough electoral votes from other battleground states.

Trump meanwhile has to content with the increasing competitiveness of traditionally solid Republican states of (in order of decreasing chance of a Democratic win) Arizona, Georgia, and Texas. 

Of course, the traditional battlegrounds of Florida, Ohio, and Iowa remain a tossup for either candidate, with Trump having a clearer polling advantage in the latter two than in Florida. However, Trump's polling strength among Hispanics in Florida along with the relatively strong Republican performance in the state in the 2018 midterm election could point to the ability to keep the state red.

North Carolina, a traditionally Republican state, has continued to poll with essentially no advantage to either candidate, though its competitive Senate race has seen an advantage for the Democrat over the incumbent Republican. Pennsylvania, considered a battleground but also a consistent Democratic state except for 2016, has given Biden a slightly stronger lead, but still can be won by Trump.

Nebraska and Maine, which split their electoral votes by congressional district and at-large winner, may both have split votes this election, the first time both states have split their votes in the same election. Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District, home of Omaha and portions of suburban Sarpy County, is tilting toward Biden in polling. Maine's 2nd Congressional District is a tossup, with perhaps a slight lean toward Trump. Trump won both last year.

If we had to choose who will in each state/congressional district:

Agree? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Images from 270towin.com

Trump Trails Biden as Race Heats Up

Incumbent President Donald Trump trails former Vice President Joe Biden by 9.6 percentage points, according to the nationwide poll aggregate from RealClearPolitics. This follows weeks of declining approval ratings for Trump as public disapproval grew over his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the protests and unrest that followed the death of George Floyd.

Biden himself has done little campaigning, which has consisted of producing videos in the candidate’s house, often with interviews with other Democratic politicians. Trump, on the other hand, has begun a return to active campaigning, hosting his first in-person rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last week. The attendance at the rally was markedly less than some of the other president’s rallies.

In addition to his nationwide polling lag, Trump is behind Biden in all of the battleground states, though often not as much as he is in national polling. Biden leads Trump in Wisconsin by 6.2 points, 8.6 points in Michigan, 4.0 points in Arizona, 6.8 points in Florida, and 6.0 points in Pennsylvania. Trump won all of these states in 2016, all by single digits or by less than a point. 

Shooting at Synagogue Leaves 11 Dead

A gunman who opened fire at a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania synagogue on Saturday, killing 11. The suspect was identified as Pittsburgh resident Robert Bowers, 46. Police have charged him with 29 offenses, including the 11 counts of murder. Federal investigators are also looking into adding hate crime charges against him.

Four officers were injured in the exchange, as well as two other attendees of the services.

Witnesses claim to have heard Bowers, “All Jews must die,” before opening fire. Social media accounts with his name are also reported to have had anti-Semitic content and espouse far-right views.

President Trump responded to the attack, saying, “It’s a terrible, terrible thing what’s going on with hate in our country, frankly, and all over the world. And something has to be done.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned the murders. He said in a statement, "I was heartbroken and appalled by the murderous attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue today...The whole of Israel grieves with the families of the dead...We stand together with the Jewish community of Pittsburgh, we stand together with the American people in the face of this horrifying anti-Semitic brutality. We all pray for their rapid recovery."