| By Derek Caney
Indiana Governor Mike Pence did his job well at the vice presidential debate last night. The Republican was smoother and cooler than his opponent Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia. He refused to be drawn in to arguments about Donald Trump's more outlandish behavior and positions. He drew attention away from Trump's positions toward a more sober brand of conservatism that Republican voters rejected during the primary season. And Pence effectively played the role that Joe Biden played for President Barack Obama in 2012 after the president's wretched outing in that campaign's first debate: He took the heat off the top of the ticket, allowing for a potential comeback in the second presidential debate. The problem for the Trump camp going forward is likely to be that many of the attacks that Kaine made were accurate. That left Pence having to deny that his running mate said a number of things that are already in the record. Donald Trump did call undocumented Mexicans rapists, adding the caveat, "And some, I assume, are good people." He did call for a ban on new Muslim immigrants after the San Bernardino and Orlando shootings. He did suggest that women should be punished for having abortions. And both Trump and Pence declared that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a stronger leader than Obama. Trump did say that Russia was not going into Ukraine after it had already annexed Crimea. Politicos have pointed out that's going to be a problem for Republicans when Democrats regroup in the editing room for their next campaign ad and splice together Trump clips, juxtaposed with images of Pence denying that he said them. Kaine's biggest whopper was that he exaggerated Clinton's role in the Iran nuclear weapons deal. The Washington Post sums it up nicely: For one thing, her successor John Kerry negotiated the deal, although arguably Clinton helped get Iran to the table with economic sanctions. Secondly, the deal expires in 15 years and Iran's nuclear infrastructure remains in place. Digits of the day 81 percent That's Hillary Clinton win probability, according to betting markets, her highest since August and up one point from yesterday. Polling data will roll in over the next week.  
Riots in Johannesburg 
South African police clash with students at Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, Oct. 4, 2016. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
Around the world - Hurricane Matthew claimed at least six lives in the Dominican Republic and Haiti as the 140-mile-an-hour storm swamped the Caribbean. Matthew knocked out communications in many of the worst-affected areas, including the main bridge that links much of the country to the southwest peninsula, making it harder to assess the damage. There was particular concern over Haiti as tens of thousands of people are still living in tents and makeshift dwellings due to the 2010 earthquake, which killed more than 200,000 people. Matthew was downgraded this morning to a Category Three hurricane from Category Four. Matthew's next stop: The Bahamas, potentially followed by the East Coast of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
- Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned Turkey that keeping troops in northern Iraq could lead to a "regional war." Last week, Turkish parliament extended a mandate that allows military operations against terrorist organizations in Iraq and Syria for another year.
- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's latest tirade asserts that should the United States refuse to sell weapons to the Philippines, the island nation could just buy them from Russia and China, as easily as you can walk from Wal-Mart to Target. Not so, say military experts. Such a strategy would require a re-training of a military that has been working with the U.S. for years. "You can't just buy a radar from this country and a missile from that country," said Lyle Goldstein, an expert on Chinese maritime issues at the U.S. Naval War College. "The weaponry has to work together."
Around the country - Yahoo secretly built a custom software program last year to search all of its customers' incoming emails for specific information provided by U.S. intelligence officials. The company complied with a classified U.S. government demand, scanning hundreds of millions of Yahoo Mail accounts at the behest of the National Security Agency or FBI. It is not known what information intelligence officials were looking for, only that they wanted Yahoo to search for a set of characters. That could mean a phrase in an email or an attachment.
- Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump says paying no income tax would make him "smart." While nearly half of Americans agree with him, more people think it is "selfish," and "unpatriotic," according to a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.
- Oklahoma's highest court struck down a law imposing restrictions on abortion providers, including a requirement that they take samples of fetal tissue from patients younger than 14 and preserve them for state investigators. The law also set new criminal penalties for providers who violate abortion-related statutes as well as individuals who help a minor evade the requirement to obtain parental consent. In addition, the bill created a new, stricter inspection system for abortion clinics.
Around Wall Street - The scandal over improper sales practices at Wells Fargo extended to thousands of small-business owners, according to a U.S. lawmaker, raising questions about the scope of the bank's issues with unauthorized accounts. Discussions between congressional staffers and Wells Fargo "have indicated that the fraudulent activity of your employees was not limited to Wells Fargo's consumer banking operations," Senator David Vitter (R-La.) wrote in a letter. "Thousands of small business owners were impacted by this fraud."
- For decades, jobs at Venezuela's state-run oil giant PDVSA were coveted for above-average salaries, generous benefits and cheap credit that brought home ownership and vacationing abroad within reach for many workers. Now, in Venezuela's asphyxiating economy, even PDVSA employees are struggling to pay for everything from food and bus rides to school fees.
- Robots: They're good for banks and factory floors. Restaurants, not so much. Many kitchen jobs still are too complex for robots, which can’t multitask and don’t necessarily work safely with humans in cramped spaces. They are, however, less likely to spit in your food when you send it back.
Today's reason to live Cool Out Son – Junior Murvin |
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