Compiled by Mary Lou Masters
Laura Lenz kicked off the show with the story on Kamala Harris’ upcoming trip to Atlanta. Senator Kamala Harris is traveling to Atlanta on Friday, according to WSB. Senator Harris is expected to make multiple stops throughout the city in efforts to encourage Georgians to vote early. This will be her first visit to Georgia since being named Joe Biden’s running mate.
Georgia has been a focus of both campaigns, as polls are showing a close race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. President Trump paid a visit to Macon last Friday and hosted a rally. At Trump’s Friday rally, Senator David Perdue mispronounced Senator Harris’ name, drawing criticism from state Democratic lawmakers that he intentionally mocked her name.
Senator Perdue responded to the criticism, stating he “meant no disrespect to the Senator from California.” But many state Democratic lawmakers think that his “words were filled with malice.” Perdue’s Democratic challenger John Ossoff raised nearly two million dollars following Perdue’s remarks at the Trump rally, according to Georgia Public Broadcasting.
Wood Smith had the details on Google’s lawsuit over antitrust laws. The US Department of Justice filed a landmark lawsuit against Google on Tuesday accusing the tech giant of illegally holding monopolies in search and search advertising, the culmination of a more than yearlong investigation into alleged anticompetitive practices at the company, and the first such antitrust case in the tech world in decades.
The federal government alleges that Google violated antitrust laws to act as a “gatekeeper” to the internet. The complaint says the company unlawfully blocked out competitors by reaching deals with phone makers including Apple and Samsung to be the preset, default search engine on devices. Google also abused the dominance of its Android operating system to strong-arm manufacturers to preload Google’s apps onto phones, the lawsuit alleges.
Eleven states, all with Republican attorneys general, are joining the lawsuit as plaintiffs: Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, South Carolina and Texas.
Google’s antitrust legal woes may just be beginning. Separate from the DOJ announcement, seven states including New York and Colorado said they plan to conclude parts of their own investigations into Google in the “coming week.” If they file a complaint, they’ll file a motion to consolidate it with the Justice Department case, they said.
Mary Lou Masters reported that Monday afternoon, Georgia’s first senate special election debate took place. Although the debate consisted of the top six candidates, it was mainly between Incumbent Republican Senator Kelly Loeffler, Republican Representative Doug Collins and the Atlanta Democratic pastor Raphael Warnock.
According to the Associated Press, the main topics that were debated were “President Donald Trump’s coronavirus response, the Black Lives Matter movement and support for police and economic recovery.” The night consisted of Loeffler and Collins trying to out conservative each other, with both accusing each other of secret liberal traits. Warnock “challenged Loeffler on accepting the endorsement of a congressional candidate who has made racist comments and expressed support for QAnon.”
Due to the pandemic, the debate was virtual with all candidates on video. A separate debate was also held for the less prominent candidates.
Sarah Train had the story on the Avengers reuniting to vote. It seems that Marvel’s Avengers have reunited for one last mission: the US election. Actors from the Marvel franchise including Don Cheadle, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo reunited for a virtual fundraiser in support of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The event, called “Voters Assemble,” brought together these cast members and Senator Kamala Harris who participated in a Q&A session and a game of trivia. The event also included the Russo Brothers, who directed four films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
During the fundraiser, Harris and the Hollywood stars discussed the parallels between the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the political situation in America.
Harris said, “If the Avengers can assemble from across the galaxy, then the American people can get together from wherever we are, whoever we voted for in the last election and whatever language our grandmother spoke and come together to get our country on the right track.”
However some fans were quick to notice some famous Marvel stars did not attend the event, especially Guardians of the Galaxy actor Chris Pratt. Fans online assumed the star was absent because of his own political beliefs, and immediately social media was filled with jokes and criticisms.
However, fellow Endgame co stars including Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr. came to his defense, saying “I know him personally, and instead of casting aspersions, look at how he lives his life. He is just not overtly political as a rule. This is a distraction.”
Pratt has not yet commented publicly on the situation.
Laura also had the latest financial updates. According to a new report published by the World Economic Forum, automation may be closer than it has earlier seemed. The “double disruption scenario” of automation and the COVID-19 recession warns that technological changes in the workplace could displace nearly 85 million jobs by 2025.
The report outlined the need for protections for vulnerable jobs. The report stated “as unemployment figures rise, it is of increasing urgency to expand social protection including support for retraining to displaced and at-risk workers as they navigate the paths.”
Advancements in technology and the coronavirus pandemic is only accelerating this shift. Since March, workplaces are shifting online, and businesses are increasing demand for cloud computing service, video conferencing platforms and e-commerce compatibility. Workplaces are also considering other ways to cut costs, including eliminating work tasks that can be completed by robots.
Despite the trend towards automation, there is a promising future in the green sector and big data. Additionally, there is continued demand for jobs that require human interaction and analysis, according to the report.
Wood closed out the show with election coverage. The last-minute decision to cut microphones during portions of the final presidential debate has injected a new element of uncertainty into a high-stakes political event that could be a make-or-break moment for President Donald Trump.
Following a widely panned debate on Sept. 29 during which Trump repeatedly interrupted Democrat Joe Biden, the Commission on Presidential Debates said it will mute each candidate’s microphone for two minutes as their rival answers questions.
The decision set off a furious debate about whether the move would lower the temperature of an especially vitriolic and divisive presidential campaign and whether it would benefit Trump or Biden more. The final presidential debate is set to begin tomorrow night at 9 p.m. EST.