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Democrat Beasley looks to close gap with Budd in North Carolina

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Democratic candidate Cheri Beasley is working furiously to close a gap with Rep. Ted Budd (N.C.) in a sleeper of a North Carolina Senate race that both sides see as a close race.

Budd is ahead, but polls show a tight race and political strategists in both parties predict victory and defeat will come down to a few percentage points.

“North Carolina is a true purple state. Thirty percent of our voters are registered Republicans, 34 [percent] are registered as Democrats, 35 percent are registered as unaffiliated voters,” said state Republican Chairman Michael Whatley. “Fifty-two to 48 is a landslide in North Carolina.” 

Beasley faces a difficult environment with high inflation, President Biden’s approval rating stuck at around 40 percent and more than 60 percent of voters nationwide saying the country is moving in the wrong direction.  

But Democrats hope Beasley can come through against a House GOP opponent who they see as vulnerable to attacks.

“Ted Budd has largely had a free pass over the last several months and it’s because this race has been a sleeper race,” said Morgan Jackson, a Raleigh-based Democratic consultant. “The truth of the matter is his positions are not in line with the majority of North Carolina voters. What Beasley and other groups have to do is disqualify Ted Budd. He’s the most conservative Republican nominee in more than 26 years for the U.S. Senate.”

Budd backs a 15-week abortion ban and praised the Trump supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6 as “patriots.”

Democrats have sought to use both issues across the country, but polls show most voters are more concerned about the economy and inflation.

“Ultimately this is going to come down to turning out the vote and whether or not Democrats are able to stem the tide of what’s happening nationally — the national environment,” Jackson said.

Democrats have certainly not given up in North Carolina, a state that has disappointed them in the past. 

A super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) has started to spend millions of dollars in North Carolina, investing a total of $15 million, including $8 million in the final four weeks of the race.  

Beasley has invited Democratic lawmakers to campaign with her, including Sens. Jon Ossoff (Ga.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Debbie Stabenow (Mich.) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (S.C.). 

She spent Friday morning with a group of Black pastors at the Little Rock African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in Charlotte urging them to get their parishioners to the polls.  

“There are lots of churches … that have church buses that are sitting in their parking lots. We’re going to ask you all to get them cranked up. I know gas is high, but put a little gas in there and make sure that we’re getting folks to the polls,” she said. 

Senate Republicans and a super PAC affiliated with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are spending heavily in the North Carolina Senate race, showing they’re nervous about the purple state even though the political winds are at their backs.  

The Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with McConnell, has reserved $27.6 million in airtime in North Carolina from Sept. 6 through Election Day. And the National Republican Senatorial Committee has spent more than $5 million on ads opposing Beasley.  

“North Carolinians face a simple choice as inflation spirals out of control: Ted Budd will support policies to alleviate inflation, but Cheri Beasley wants to spend more and make it worse,” said Senate Leadership Fund spokesman Jack Pandol. 

NRSC Chairman Rick Scott (R-Fla.) acknowledged that turnout will be the key to the race.  

“If we don’t win in North Carolina, we’re not going to get a majority,” he warned supporters at the Republican National Committee Black Community Center in Greensboro. “The way we win is we vote. If we don’t get all of our votes out there, we will not win.”  

The challenge for Beasley, a former state Supreme Court chief justice who would be the first Black woman elected to the Senate from North Carolina, is finding a way to motivate young, Black and female voters to come to the polls.

That task is more difficult without Donald Trump on the ballot and polls showing that many voters are more concerned about the economy and inflation than abortion rights.  

Budd is hitting President Biden and Beasley on the economy, crime and the southern border. 

He’s airing a hard-hitting ad on television criticizing Beasley’s record as a justice and accusing her of ruling to narrow a state law requiring GPS tracking of child predators.  

Beasley says Budd is distorting her record and three retired North Carolina judges have called the attack “ugly” and “dishonest.”  

She is criticizing Budd’s support for the 15-week abortion ban and portraying him as out of touch with North Carolinians on key issues, like prescription drug reform.  

And she has pressed Budd on whether he would support the results of the 2022 election after backing Trump’s claims of widespread fraud in 2020 without much evidence.  

“Even after all that violence he refused to certify the 2020 election,” she said of Jan. 6. “Even when he’s asked about this election he will not commit to accepting the results.” 

When asked whether he will accept next month’s results, Budd has retorted “why wouldn’t I?” and dismissed the criticism as “a false narrative from the left.”  

Budd spent Thursday afternoon revving up supporters at a get-out-the-vote event at a strip mall in Greensboro. On Friday he trekked around the rural northwestern part of the state, a Republican stronghold, holding meet-and-greet sessions in the small towns of Mt. Airy and Wilkesboro. 

The two issues that Democrats thought would help them win in North Carolina and other Senate battlegrounds — abortion and GOP candidates’ alignment with former President Trump — are getting drowned out by concerns over the economy and GOP attack ads.  

Beasley acknowledged that inflation “is a huge economic issue for folks in this state” but argued that Budd voted against legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs.  

A poll conducted Oct. 16 to Oct. 19 by the Republican-leaning Trafalgar Group shows Budd leading Beasley by 4 points, a slightly wider margin than the 3-point Budd lead the poll measured in early September.  

And an East Carolina University (ECU) poll conducted from Oct. 10 to Oct. 13 showed Budd ahead by 6 points after an ECU poll from early September showed him leading by only 3 points.

Brad Crone, a former Democrat who is now an unaffiliated political strategist based in Raleigh, said inflation is burying other issues, pushing independent voters to Republican candidates. 

“It’s shifting Republican,” he said of the Senate race. “In the private data and the public data that I’m seeing the last three weeks there’s incremental shift with unaffiliated voters and a lot of it’s being driven by gas prices, inflation and crime. That’s not going to help Cheri at all.” 

He said the abortion issue is driving the Democratic base but not generating new voters for Beasley. “It is very much muted in relationship to inflation, economic concerns,” he said of abortion rights.  

In a troubling development for Beasley, the ECU poll showed that Biden’s approval rating in the state has dropped to 38 percent — down 6 points from the 44 percent approval rating the poll measure in early September.  

Asked if Biden should run for reelection, Beasley declined to say whether he should or shouldn’t.  

“I can’t imagine he’s going to ask me about that,” she said 

Instead, she is urging Biden to focus on fighting inflation.  

“I really hope that right now what he’s focused on is addressing rising costs for folks here in North Carolina. This is a critical issue for folks who live here,” she said.  

Source: TEST FEED1

Here's what the decision blocking the student debt forgiveness plan means

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program, halting the administration’s ability to dole out up to $20,000 in relief to student borrowers.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit issued a stay on the program Friday after an appeal from six Republican attorneys general representing GOP-led states.

The ruling came the same week that the Department of Education officially launched the aid application website. And since then, almost 22 million borrowers had applied for forgiveness, Biden announced Friday.

The lawsuit from the six states is one of a few legal challenges against the plan.  

But the Friday ruling does not bar all aspects of the plan from commencing.

Borrowers can still apply

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement after the ruling on Friday that the order does not stop eligible borrowers from applying for relief, nor does it prevent the government from reviewing applications and preparing them to be transmitted to loan servicers. 

The only action that cannot occur while the stay is in place is the federal government officially forgiving the debt. 

The stay stops the Biden administration from moving forward in granting the relief until the appeals court issues a ruling on the merits of the case. 

“We will continue to move full speed ahead in our preparations in compliance with this order,” Jean-Pierre said in the statement. 

The plan would allow borrowers making less than $125,000 per year to have up to $10,000 in federal student debt forgiven. Borrowers who received Pell Grants would be able to have up to $20,000 forgiven. 

What Republicans argue

The states argue in their original complaint that the Biden administration’s plan is “economically unwise and downright unfair.”

They argue that most debt cancellation will go to people in the top 60 percent of income distribution, since people who make lower incomes are less likely to have attended higher education.

The attorneys general state that no statute grants the Biden administration authority to relieve millions of people from paying back loans that they chose to take.

The president slammed Republicans Friday who have spoken against his relief efforts in remarks he gave at Delaware State University. 

“Ted Cruz, the great senator from Texas, he said it’s for slackers — quote slackers — who don’t deserve relief. Who the hell do they think they are?” he said.

The administration has argued its authorization comes from the 2003 Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act, which permits the secretary of Education to waive debt for borrowers in times of national emergency. 

But the states argue that it is “inconceivable” that Congress intended to authorize across-the-board cancellation when it passed the act. They state that the act can only be invoked to support those negatively affected by a military operation or emergency, not for any reason.

Opponents to the plan have argued that the national emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic has ended, so that should not be a justification for the program.

Biden accused certain Republicans like Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.) and Vern Buchanan (Ga.) of hypocrisy for opposing relief for student debt but having received relief from small business loan payments during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A federal district judge ruled on Thursday that the six GOP-led states did not have standing to sue because they did not demonstrate that the policy directly harms them. The states appealed that decision to the appeals court, which granted a temporary stay until it hears the arguments of the case. 

After the appeals court makes its ruling, either side could further appeal to the Supreme Court, which would then decide whether to intervene. 

The Biden administration must file its response to the lawsuit to the appeals court by Monday, but the timeline for this case and other legal challenges to the plan is uncertain. 

Timeline remains uncertain but officials encourage applicants

Payments on federal student loan debt are scheduled to resume at the start of next year after the Trump and Biden administrations have continually extended a pause since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden promised that the extension of the federal student loan pause through Dec. 31 would be the last one when he simultaneously announced his debt relief plan.

Under the plan, borrowers can apply for forgiveness through next year, but the administration has encouraged people to apply by Nov. 15 if they want to ensure they can receive relief before the pause ends.

The hold, even if the plan is eventually able to go through, could play a key role in the political landscape with the midterm elections just more than two weeks away.

Younger voters are a key demographic for Democratic candidates and could be crucial to certain candidates in tight contests winning their races, which may decide the makeup of the House and Senate for the next two years.

The program being paused could poke a hole in a key platform point that many Democrats want to run on as the midterm cycle reaches the finish line.

But progressives are expressing confidence that Biden’s plan is legal and will survive the challenges it is facing.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said in a tweet on Friday after the ruling was made that Biden’s authority on the issue is “clear,” and she encouraged people to continue applying for relief.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) said she and Warren are traveling throughout the state next week to share information about the relief program.

The White House said in its statement that it will move “full speed ahead” with its preparations in the meantime.

Source: TEST FEED1

CDC director Walensky tests positive for COVID-19

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky tested positive for COVID-19 on Friday, according to a release from the agency.

Walensky tested positive Friday night and is experiencing mild symptoms, the CDC said. The director is isolating at her home and will participate in planned meetings virtually in accordance with CDC guidelines. 

CDC senior staff and Walensky’s close contacts have been informed of her positive test and are taking “appropriate action” to monitor her health, according to the agency.

Walensky, a persistent presence in the Biden administration’s pandemic strategy, is just the latest of high-profile government officials to test positive for the disease.

Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, tested positive for COVID-19 in June. Other leading figures including President Biden and first lady Jill Biden have also tested positive for coronavirus during the summer.

COVID-19 cases in the United States have been consistently dropping since August, but experts are concerned about a potential surge in the winter. 

Additional subvariants of the omicron strain of the coronavirus are continuing to develop, and the BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 subvariants made up more than 10 percent of cases nationwide earlier this month. Those two subvariants have gained traction in recent weeks and are now the third and fourth most common strains of the virus in the country. 

Health officials have rolled out an updated booster shot specifically designed to target the omicron variant of the virus, but reports have indicated that few of the eligible population have received the booster.

Source: TEST FEED1

GOP looks to avoid upset in Oklahoma governor's race

Republicans are looking to avert an upset in Oklahoma’s gubernatorial race as polls show a closer-than-expected contest less than three weeks out from Election Day.

Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has seen the gap in recent surveys close between him and opponent Joy Hofmeister, who’s aiming to become the first Democrat elected to statewide office in the Sooner State since 2006.

In a sign of how the dynamic has shifted, the Republican Governors Association (RGA) launched a major ad buy in the state this week attacking Hofmeister.

“That the RGA’s out there with a million dollars three weeks out tells you that their polling is showing what everything else is showing,” said Chad Alexander, a former chair of the state Republican Party and GOP consultant. “I don’t think they would spend a million dollars for no reason.”

Hofmeister has served as the state’s superintendent of public instruction since 2015. She was elected to the position twice as a Republican but changed her party registration to Democrat last year.

One poll showed Hofmeister leading by 7 points, and multiple surveys have shown the candidates locked in a tight race within the margin of error.

Republicans acknowledged the race appears headed for a photo finish, but they expect Stitt to pull through.

Stitt’s campaign told The Hill in a statement that the governor will win the race because of key differences between the candidates. An ad from the campaign and the one from the RGA seek to tie Hofmeister to President Biden and claim both support gas tax increases as supply issues remain, which would cost Oklahoma jobs.

“Kevin Stitt is going to win this race because Oklahomans know Kevin Stitt is fighting for them, cutting taxes, balancing the budget, and funding pay increases for every teacher, while his Democratic opponent supports tax increases and marches in lock-step with Joe Biden’s liberal agenda that’s threatening Oklahoma,” said Donelle Harder, Stitt’s campaign manager.

The RGA similarly sought to tie Hofmeister and Biden in a statement provided to The Hill.

“The difference between Joy Hofmeister’s and Joe Biden’s plans for Oklahoma are negligible — both want to push a radical agenda on students and make it harder for families to put food on the table,” said RGA spokesman Will Reinert.

Still, recent surveys have shown Stitt’s approval rating underwater this year, with 42 percent of Oklahomans approving of his job performance and 52 percent disapproving in a poll earlier this month.

Alexander said no one issue is responsible for the tight race, pointing instead to a combination of factors.

Education has been a central issue in the race as Stitt has made supporting school vouchers a major part of his campaign. Stitt promoted school voucher legislation during the past legislative session, but the bill failed.

Alexander said the bill was unpopular in rural parts of the state because it would have pulled money out of the state funding formula, causing major budget cuts for the schools in those areas.

In many cases, rural students in Oklahoma do not have any other options of nearby schools they could attend, so the voucher program would not help them.

“In rural Oklahoma, a lot of times the schools are the lifeblood of those communities,” Alexander said.

Hofmeister and Stitt sparred over education at the race’s only debate on Wednesday. Stitt criticized Hofmeister’s record as superintendent, pointing to the state’s continued low test scores, while Hofmeister called Stitt’s voucher proposal a “rural school killer.”

Hofmeister also attacked Stitt over crime, in a notable reverse of the trend seen in other races, where Republicans have hammered their Democratic opponents over the issue. During the debate, she claimed Oklahoma had a higher violent crime rate than California and New York, something Stitt denied. However, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to back up her argument.

Amid all of this, Stitt has been in a public feud with Native American tribes in the state, several of which have waded directly into the governor’s race in a major break from tradition.

Earlier this month, five of Oklahoma’s largest tribes issued a joint endorsement of Hofmeister, a surprise move that came after Stitt ended hunting and fishing license agreements with the Cherokee and Choctaw nations; opposed a Supreme Court ruling that found a large part of the state should remain tribal reservation; and unsuccessfully attempted to renegotiate the state’s share of casino revenue with tribes, which exclusively operate casinos there.

Hudson Talley, the co-founder of Ascend Action, the political consulting firm that conducted the poll showing Hofmeister up by 7 points, said the Democrat has focused her campaign heavily on criticizing Stitt’s record, while Stitt has concentrated on positive messaging around his platform.

But he said Stitt has shifted to negative campaigning as polls have shown a tighter race. 

Meanwhile, Hofmeister has hammered Stitt over allegations of corruption.

A recent investigation revealed that millions of dollars intended for families to purchase school supplies amid the COVID-19 pandemic were used for electronics like televisions and gaming consoles under Stitt.

Reports also showed that the state paid millions of dollars in taxpayer dollars to a restaurant as part of a state contract designed to attract interest in Oklahoma’s state parks. The money reportedly funded renovations and management fees and covered revenue losses.

Democrats said they are hopeful about Hofmeister’s chances and her competitiveness in the race is a strong sign regardless of the result.

“Kevin Stitt’s pattern of corruption and record of failing public schools has forced the RGA to spend over $1.5 million in Oklahoma to try to bail him out,” said Sam Newton, the Democratic Governors Association’s deputy communications director. “In contrast, Joy Hofmeister continues to build a strong, bipartisan coalition by focusing on solving the state’s biggest issues like improving public education and public safety.”

Alicia Andrews, the chairwoman of the Oklahoma Democratic Party, said elections are often a reflection of “something big,” and she believes people are responding to the “corruption and scandal” that the state is mired in. She said people want to feel that they are being heard and desire transparency.

She said the RGA and Republican National Committee have not needed to spend resources in Oklahoma in a long time, showing that Hofmeister’s message is resonating.

Andrews said she is “very optimistic” about the race and people need to understand that they cannot sit out this election.

“That’s what my focus is on right now, just making sure that people participate, that everybody who’s eligible and registered participates. And I think when that happens, we will have a new governor,” she said.

Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm (R) also emphasized turnout on the Republican side. He said he is skeptical about the accuracy of the polls showing the race so close, but he expects the race to be closer than in certain other solidly Republican states.

He pointed to Oklahoma’s long history as an overwhelmingly Democratic state since it gained statehood.

Pat McFerron, a pollster for the Oklahoma City-based polling and consulting firm CMA Strategies, said what swing voters will think about when they go into the polls is unclear.

“If they walk into the ballot box thinking about Joe Biden, I think Kevin Stitt’s going to win reelection,” he said.

“If they’re thinking about the direction of the state, Hofmeister has a shot,” he added. 

Source: TEST FEED1

Democracy in peril argument fizzles as midterm issue

Threats to U.S. democracy highlighted by the House Jan. 6 select committee’s blockbuster hearings are fizzling as a midterm election issue, drowned out by inflation and other economic concerns that appear to be driving voters in the final weeks of the campaign.

While the committee examining the 2021 Capitol attack has made a convincing case that the American experiment is a fragile one — and is sounding dire warnings that the foundational threat remains very much alive — the message is being overshadowed by more immediate economic anxieties, according to a series of recent national polls.

The trend threatens to undermine Democratic efforts to make former President Trump — and his ongoing bid to overturn the 2020 election results — a political liability for Republican candidates in races coast to coast. And that, in turn, spells bad news for Democrats fighting to retain razor-thin majorities in both the House and Senate, helping to keep President Biden’s approval rating underwater while lending an eleventh-hour boost to Republicans eyeing a return to power.

The late-cycle dynamics have exasperated Democratic leaders and investigators on the Jan. 6 committee, who are warning of an existential threat to democracy if the same Republicans who voted to keep Trump in power take the reins of Congress. Still, the uphill battle hasn’t stopped those Trump critics from amplifying their case in the home stretch. 

“You have to recognize that they are undermining our democracy,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said this week in an interview with MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell. “And if people think that they can be casual about that, they just don’t realize how serious the Republicans are about undermining our democracy.”

Recent polls indicate that Democrats have a steep climb in the final weeks if they’re hoping to make that issue a major factor shaping midterm outcomes. 

Researchers conducting a Harvard-CAPS-Harris poll asked voters this month to identify the most important issues facing the country. Inflation ranked first; the Capitol attack ranked 19th.

Another recent poll, conducted by Monmouth University, indicated that only 26 percent of respondents say the findings unearthed by the Jan. 6 committee have helped to strengthen American democracy, while an even greater number — 35 percent — say democracy is weaker as a result of the investigation.  

Still another survey, conducted this month by The New York Times and Siena College, found that only 7 percent of voters consider the “state of democracy” the most pressing issue facing the country, versus 45 percent who singled out the economy (including jobs) and inflation. 

That same survey also found that almost 40 percent of respondents are open to supporting candidates who voted to overturn the 2020 election results — a number that has left Trump’s critics dumbfounded. Asked about the figure, Pelosi was at a loss for words. 

“I can’t explain it,” she said. “I think it’s a tragedy for our country that people don’t value the vision that our founders had about a democracy, what our men and women in uniform fight for.” 

Presented with the same poll results, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) was equally discouraged. 

“It’s a really tough environment,” she told MSNBC on Tuesday. “The problem is, we are talking about fascism at our door. And what people unfortunately across this country, and what we are dealing with, is that people don’t believe the truth, right? I mean, they are being sold lies all the time.”

Over the course of nine explosive public hearings, the select committee had presented damning evidence that Trump was aware he lost the 2020 presidential contest but continued to promote falsehoods of a “stolen” election. The campaign culminated in the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when a pro-Trump mob, encouraged by the president, attempted to block Congress from formalizing the results.

In the months since then, Trump’s GOP allies — including the House leaders poised to control the chamber if it flips next month — have rushed to Trump’s defense, downplaying his role in the rampage and accusing Pelosi of a failure to secure the Capitol that day. It’s an argument that’s been widely condemned by those who see Trump as the clear mastermind. 

“That’s like blaming somebody who had a home invasion because they didn’t lock the front door,” Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), one of two Republicans on the select committee, told CNN this month. “It’s insane. And it’s a deflection. And the only people that don’t see right through that are those that choose not to see right through that because they don’t want to look at January 6 and see the truth.”

The Jan. 6 committee has been the most prominent vehicle for spreading the threat-to-democracy message this year, but it’s not the only one. After the long summer recess, House Democrats returned to Washington in September for a three-week session — the last before the midterms — where party leaders orchestrated a concerted effort to tie all Republicans to Trump’s election lies. 

“Extreme MAGA Republicans apparently do not believe in democracy anymore,” Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, told reporters just before the midterm break. 

While the warnings haven’t resonated with voters to the extent Democrats had hoped, there are also some subtle indications that the messaging campaign has helped to shine some light on an arcane issue that might otherwise have been a stark nonfactor as voters head to the polls. 

The 7 percent of voters most concerned about democracy, as revealed by the New York Times-Siena College poll, appears to be a low number, but it ranks third among all issues — above crime, immigration, abortion, health care, China, COVID-19 and climate change. 

Only the economy and inflation ranked higher. But those appear to be the issues truly driving voters this fall.

Source: TEST FEED1

About 1,000 students absent from a Virginia high school with flu-like symptoms

A Virginia high school canceled all activities this weekend after almost half of its students called in absent this week due to a flu-like illness.

“Due to the high number of student and staff illnesses reported this week, all Stafford High School activities and athletics scheduled through Sunday, October 23, are canceled,” wrote Stafford High’s official Facebook account on Friday.

The school said that it would follow up on illness levels over the weekend and reassess conditions on Monday.

The Hill has reached out to the Stafford County Public Schools office for comment.

NBC 4 Washington reported on Friday that about 1,000 students were absent from Stafford High School, which is located just outside Fredericksburg, Va.

The total number of students enrolled at Stafford High is approximately 2,100, officials told NBC.

A spokesperson said that the students, as well as some staff members, are suffering from flu-like and gastrointestinal symptoms.

Officials and the Virginia Department of Health are working together to investigate the root causes of the illness.

Source: TEST FEED1

Here's what you need to know about the respiratory disease surging among children

A virus common among young children is surging in the U.S. and sparking concerns that hospitals could become overwhelmed this year by potential winter spikes in both the flu and COVID-19. 

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is extremely common, with nearly everyone having been exposed to the pathogen by the time they’re 2 years old. In healthy adults and older children, RSV typically causes mild, cold-like symptoms that go away with moderate rest and self-care. 

Younger children, especially those less than 6 months old, have the highest risk of developing severe cases that could lead to hospitalization.

There are currently no vaccines available for RSV, and the only treatment is monoclonal antibodies, usually reserved for extremely high-risk cases, including infants born prematurely or those with chronic diseases related to the heart and lungs. 

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that more than 4,000 cases of RSV are being reported each week recently, similar to the last major surge, which was experienced in the summer of 2021. 

“We always expect it around November, to start appearing late November and peak through December, January and then decreasing by March, April,” Diego Hijano, an infectious disease specialist at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, told The Hill. 

“That has not been the case over the last few years, where we had one outbreak over the summer and then not a lot of activity early on,” Hijano said. “We have already seen above what we expect for October any given year in terms of RSV locally and around the country. So certainly, it’s a concern as we kind of head into the winter with COVID, flu and RSV.” 

The CDC is projecting that cases have already begun to decline, though the information is incomplete and subject to change. 

Like the influenza virus, exposure to RSV has been lower over the past few years as people worked from home and kept their children out of daycares during the coronavirus pandemic.

At St. Jude in Memphis, where he is based, Hijano said he is seeing an equal amount of COVID-19, flu and RSV cases. 

“That’s concerning, you know, because it will definitely overwhelm the emergency department and the health care system as these trends continue,” he said. 

As the Washington Post reported this week, several children’s hospitals in the D.C. area have already reached capacity as they respond to spikes in RSV and the common cold. 

Juan Salazar, the vice president of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, told NBC’s “Today” on Thursday that in his career of more than 30 years, he had never seen this level of viral transmission or need for hospitalization when it came to RSV. Salazar said that his hospital was considering temporary units out on its lawn, as well as the use of resources from the state and National Guard. 

Kristin Moffitt, an infectious disease specialist at Boston Children’s Hospital, said she felt her hospital was prepared for a potential surge in cases. Speaking to The Hill, Moffitt noted that the sharp increase in virus cases has not yet been observed where she works but opined that the Northeast should expect an uptick soon. 

“I can only speak for my hospital. We are very, very adaptable,” Moffitt said. “And frankly, children’s hospitals and pediatric emergency rooms have been adapting for two-and-a-half years now to what has been a real — especially in the last year-and-a-half — a real unbelievable surge in utilization of pediatric emergency rooms.” 

“I’m not terribly worried that we won’t be able to rise to a demand if need be and if there’s a real surge in pediatric hospitalizations,” Moffitt added. 

She said the recent shift in the annual reoccurrence of RSV cases has presented a potential challenge in treating severe cases. Monoclonal antibodies do not last very long and must be ordered monthly. RSV’s previous predictability had allowed hospitals to order enough treatments in advance, but Moffitt said the earlier surge increases the chances that a hospital will not have enough on hand. 

With no vaccines available for the virus and only one viable treatment, the infectious disease specialists who spoke with The Hill said the best way for parents to approach this season of respiratory viral spread is to limit and prevent potential exposure in general. 

Hijano noted that mask-wearing, particularly in daycares and preschools, is all but forgotten now. Acknowledging that this option can be difficult for parents to consider, he advised that children be kept at home if they are sick to prevent the potential spread of any viruses in the community. 

“When it comes to day-to-day basis, basically stay home if you’re sick, wash your hands and avoid coughing into each other,” Hijano said. 

Moffitt said that parents should make sure to be aware that the people who are in close contact with their young infants are feeling healthy themselves. She added that parents could also take the additional step of asking people outside their households not to kiss their babies, as respiratory secretions from the mouth are a common pathway for transmission. 

She added that parents with a young infant as well as a toddler should also ensure that their toddler is clean and isn’t displaying symptoms before interacting with their younger siblings, as toddlers are often exposed at daycare or playgroups. 

“I think parents can make decisions about what their risk tolerance is,” Moffitt said. “Steps like that can help to probably not eliminate but at least decrease the possibility of exposure for the infants.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Midterm Rankings: Here are the 7 Senate seats most likely to flip

A little more than two weeks stand between now and Election Day, and it’s likely going to come down to the wire as Republicans and Democrats duke it out for Senate supremacy. 

The two sides are fresh off of third-quarter fundraising releases and squarely in the middle of debate season, with Republicans starting to feel that the economic tide has turned in their favor at exactly the right moment.

On the Democratic side, abortion remains the hallmark issue that candidates are messaging on far and wide in order to help keep control of the upper chamber. 

Here’s a look at the seven Senate seats most likely to flip next month:

Pennsylvania

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s (D) campaign has long been considered the best pickup opportunity for Democrats, especially over the summer after Mehmet Oz limped out of a taxing primary. While Democrats still view him as their best shot to flip a seat, the dynamics of the race have changed substantially since mid-August as Oz, with the help of GOP outside groups, has made this a true toss-up contest with more than two weeks to go.

Attacks targeting Fetterman’s record on crime and personal background have vaulted Oz into a race that political operatives on both sides believe will go down to the wire. A new Fox 29-Insider Advantage poll showed the two candidates tied at 46 percent — marking Oz’s best showing in a general election survey. 

A central question throughout the race has concerned Fetterman’s health following the stroke he suffered days before the primary in May. On Wednesday, a doctor who examined Fetterman declared that he is in good health and “has no work restrictions” in the final weeks. All eyes will still be on Fetterman on Tuesday when he and Oz take part in the first and only debate of the campaign.

“The question is: Are answers to the questions the voters have about the economy good enough to carry us?” said T.J. Rooney, a Pennsylvania-based Democratic strategist who previously ran the state’s Democratic Party. “There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and that’s exciting.”

Nevada

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s (D) battle with former state Attorney General Adam Laxalt (R) is coming down the wire, with the winner set to help determine the future of the Senate majority. 

Cortez Masto, a first-term senator, and Laxalt have long been considered the hallmark Senate match-up on the board, and the finish seems to be living up to its billing. According to three surveys released since the start of October, the margin has not been more than 2 points, with Laxalt leading the most recent CBS News-YouGov poll released on Thursday by a single percentage point. 

“Everything points to a very close election. It’s all about GOTV, GOTV, GOTV,” said Greg Ferraro, a Nevada-based GOP strategist, using shorthand for “get out the vote.”

“Most Nevada voters are probably decided. It’s a function now of blocking and tackling — ID’ing the voters and getting them out.”

The mechanics of that operation kick into high gear this weekend in one sense, as early voting starts on Saturday and mail-in ballots in the state’s two most populous counties — Washoe (Reno and Carson City) and Clark (Las Vegas) — hit mailboxes in the past week.

On top of the massive money that has flooded the state, top surrogates are appearing in Nevada over the final month of the campaign. Former President Trump appeared recently in northern Nevada, while former President Obama is slated to campaign for Cortez Masto and Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) on Nov. 1 in Las Vegas. President Biden on Thursday indicated that he too will make the trip west to appear in support of Democratic candidates. 

Georgia

The national mood is trending Republican, but Herschel Walker (R) is testing that thought against Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) in what continues to be among the most contentious and hard-fought campaigns on the map.

The reverberations from reports that Walker paid for an abortion kept up this week as Warnock’s campaign rolled out a new ad titled “Hypocrite,” blasting the former University of Georgia running back over his calls for an abortion ban without exceptions (a position he has since tried to claw back).

“For you, Herschel Walker wants to ban abortion,” the ad’s narrator said before turning to the allegations. 

Nevertheless, the race has remained close, with top Republicans deciding to stick it out in support of Walker despite the allegations. They continue to think Walker has a real chance to pull out a victory on Nov. 8, and that could be due in part to the potential margin of victory by Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) over Democrat Stacey Abrams. According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Kemp leads by 5.6 percentage points. 

“It’s still tight,” one GOP operative involved in Senate races said. “Is there a Venn diagram where there is 5 to 10 percent of Kemp voters who vote for Warnock? Five percent I can see. Ten percent seems like it’s pushing it.” 

Wisconsin

Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) remains in the ballgame in his bid to defeat Sen. Ron Johnson (R), who holds a small lead in the final weeks as he seeks a third term in office.

After trailing in August following the state’s late primary, a barrage of GOP ads aimed at undercutting Barnes on crime and a host of other issues seems to have paid off, as Johnson now holds a nearly 3 percentage point lead over the sitting lieutenant governor. 

What should be of concern for Barnes at this point harkens back to 2016. Throughout Johnson’s first reelection campaign, he trailed in every single poll leading up to election day, and he still won. The Wisconsin incumbent has led or tied in every poll taken over the past month, including a recent Marquette Law School poll that showed him leading Barnes by 6 points. 

Nevertheless, Democrats like their chances to spring the upset on Nov. 8.

“Incredibly close. … It feels as good as it ever has,” one Democratic strategist told The Hill. “There was a moment in early September when Barnes was ahead and then there was late September when Johnson was ahead. It seems like things are tied and a bit of a jump ball.”

North Carolina 

In one of the quietest races on the Senate map, Rep. Ted Budd (R) holds a slim but steady lead over Democrat Cheri Beasley in the contest to succeed the retiring Sen. Richard Burr (R) 

In survey after survey conducted since Labor Day, Budd has either led or been tied, even though his margin over the Democratic challenger has remained within the margin of error in a number of polls. According to each of the most recent surveys released by the Trafalgar Group and East Carolina University (ECU), the sitting congressman has extended his lead. 

“Although it is still competitive, Ted Budd is the favorite to win North Carolina’s U.S. Senate election based on our latest poll numbers,” Peter Francia, director of the ECU Center for Survey Research, said in a statement. The ECU poll showed Budd leading by 6 percentage points. 

Ohio

As the old adage has it, close doesn’t count except in horseshoes and hand grenades. That’s the issue facing Rep. Tim Ryan (D) as he continues to trail closely behind Republican J.D. Vance in what has become an increasingly red state in recent years.

According to the latest surveys, Vance holds a 2.5 percentage point lead. However, the biggest problem for Ryan is that he has been unable to rake in more than 45 percent in any poll this month. The Ohio Democrat tried to land punches against Vance, who won the GOP primary on the back of Trump’s endorsement earlier this year, but it hasn’t helped him make a meaningful dent. 

“Tim Ryan is running a great campaign,” a second GOP strategist involved in Senate races told The Hill. “The problem for him is predicated on him trying to convince people he’s a Republican. He’s been a liberal Democrat for 20 years. … The idea that this is a race is just silly.”

New Hampshire

The biggest change on this list from the previous edition is in the Granite State where Sen. Maggie Hassan (R) remains the favorite over Republican Don Bolduc, but the race could end up closer than some anticipate. 

Buoyed by a late primary and the lack of a marquee GOP challenger (see: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu), Hassan has seen what was expected to be a tough-as-nails general election sail by the wayside. However, if national sentiment has anything to say, Hassan’s lead — which sits at 7 points, according to the latest AARP survey — could narrow as economic issues continue to crop up. 

Fuel behind the idea of a possible upset cropped up on Friday as Bolduc’s campaign released an internal poll conducted by a firm run by Tony Fabrezio, former President Trump’s pollster, showing Hassan leading by 2 percentage points (49 percent to 47 percent).   

“If I’m placing a bet, [Democrats] probably hold on to it, but it’s closer than people think,” said the first GOP operative. 

However, cold water was poured on that idea only hours later as the Senate Leadership Fund, which is run by allies of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), canceled $5.6 million in ads in the Granite State, a sign that national Republicans are waving the white flag on the race.

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Federal appeals court temporarily blocks Biden student loan forgiveness program

A federal appeals court has temporarily blocked President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program from continuing following an appeal from six GOP-led states, multiple outlets reported.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled Friday that the policy to cancel thousands of dollars in student loan debt should be put on hold while challenges play out.

The Biden administration must respond to the case before the appeals court by Monday evening.

Biden’s plan would cancel up to $10,000 in federal student loan debt for borrowers earning less than $125,000 per year. Those who received Pell Grants could receive up to $20,000 in relief.

The ruling comes after a federal district judge dismissed the states’ lawsuit on Thursday, ruling that they did not have standing to sue.

The president announced earlier on Friday that more than 22 million people had applied for student loan debt forgiveness following the application’s release earlier this week.

The attorneys general originally filed the lawsuit in September, arguing that the Biden administration does not have the authority to cancel the debt because Congress did not authorize it.

But U.S. District Judge Henry Autry ruled that they did not demonstrate they are directly harmed by the relief, which is needed to meet the standard of having standing. He did note that they presented “important and significant” challenges to Biden’s plan.

Multiple legal challenges have been filed to the loan forgiveness plan. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected an emergency bid from a group of Wisconsin taxpayers to block the plan on Thursday.

The Biden administration has argued that it is authorized to cancel debt through the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students Act of 2003. The legislation allows the secretary of Education to cancel debt to student loan borrowers in times of “national emergency.”

Updated at 7:29 p.m.

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Graham asks Supreme Court to block his testimony in Georgia election probe

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Friday asked the Supreme Court to shield him from testifying in an investigation into former President Trump’s alleged interference in the 2020 election in Georgia.

Graham’s request comes a day after a lower appeals court refused to bar his testimony before a Fulton County, Ga., special grand jury.

DEVELOPING…

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