DML Morning Briefing ~ Mon. Oct. 3

Today is October 3. Below are some of the stories grabbing headlines this morning. I hope you share this briefing as doing so will make you the smartest person in the room.

1 – Historic search and rescue operation underway as Ian’s death toll reaches 87
NBC News reports: As federal emergency management officials launched their largest ever search and rescue effort, the number of fatalities in Hurricane Ian’s wake climbed to 87 Sunday.

That number, tallied by NBC News, was expected to climb as additional deaths were investigated for possible ties to last week’s storm.

The fatalities so far have included 83 in Florida, where Ian struck as a Category 4 hurricane Wednesday, and four in North Carolina, where the storm ended up after striking the coast of South Carolina Friday.

Here’s one couple who tried to ride it out:

MY TAKE: DeSantis showing real leadership, and Floridians don’t need Biden!

2 – NYC migrants pile into vans they say are headed to Florida for Hurricane Ian cleanup
The New York Post reports: Scores of Venezuelan migrants in New York City are hopping on vans to head down to Florida for Hurricane Ian clean-up, they told The Post.

The migrants had scant information about who they would be working for, but they still piled into vans in Queens that they said were headed to the Sunshine State over the weekend.

“They want us for hurricane cleanup, we’d get paid $15 an hour, overtime and $15 for food daily, I think,” said Javier Moreno, 37, noting that a woman named Camila “from an organization” approached him with a flier.

“I’m going for the work. It’s been hard for us migrants to find work here in New York, that’s why a lot of us are going. How’s the work in Florida?”

A driver of one of the vans at the designated pick-up site, a corner in Corona, told The Post on Saturday that he was headed to Florida. He said he was under contract with a water and debris company. The firm did not answer its phone despite repeated attempts to call by The Post.

“I’m taking these people in the van straight to Florida tonight,” the van driver said. “I don’t know how many people have left or how many more vans are coming.”

“They are telling us that are we going to work,” Avila said. “We have a contact with a lady who is taking us to Florida. We are going to work as contractors on the disaster.”

A Venezuelan asylum seeker said about 100 people had left the 30th Street men’s shelter in Manhattan to take advantage of the work offer.

MY TAKE: This smells fishy – are Democrats behind this?

3 – Kim Kardashian charged by SEC over crypto post
ABC News reports: The Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday charged reality star Kim Kardashian over a post she made promoting a crypto asset security sold by EthereumMax “without disclosing the payment she received for the promotion.”

Kardashian will pay $1.26 million to settle the civil charges, the SEC said in its announcement.

The SEC alleged that Kardashian failed to disclose that she received $250,000 to publish a post on her Instagram account about EMAX tokens, the crypto asset security being offered by EthereumMax.

“This case is a reminder that, when celebrities or influencers endorse investment opportunities, including crypto asset securities, it doesn’t mean that those investment products are right for all investors,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement.

The $1.26 million settlement equals the payment Kardashian received for the promotion as well as a $1 million penalty, the SEC said. Kardashian also agreed to forego the promotion of any crypto asset securities for three years, the agency added.

MY TAKE: Good question… why not go after Pelosi too?

4 – Dem lead with Latinos halved in past decade, poll says
Politico reports: The Democratic advantage among Latino voters has shrunk by half in the past decade, according to an NBC News/Telemundo poll released Sunday.

Fifty-four percent of Latino voters surveyed said they preferred Democrats to be in charge of Congress, compared with 33 percent who would prefer Republicans. That gap — now 21 points — was a 42 point difference in October 2012, according to NBC News/Telemundo.

Republicans made gains with Latino voters in the 2020 election. Republicans have also put forth a slate of Latino House candidates in the upcoming midterm elections.

The question of party preference has slid fairly steadily in the past decade, with a 26-point gap in October 2020, a 34 point gap in November 2018 and a 38-point gap in October 2016.

MY TAKE: Will Democrats’ open border plans backfire?

5 – Woke Amherst College introduces dystopian anonymous survey that will force all students to wear masks in class if a SINGLE person requests them
The Daily Mail reports: A woke liberal arts college has introduced a new masking policy that would require all students in a class to wear face masks if a single person requests them using an anonymous survey.

Under the new policy at Amherst College in Massachusetts, each student and teacher would be provided an anonymous survey in which they could express their views on whether they want a mask mandate in their classroom.

The new guidance was created by Catherine Epstein, provost and dean of faculty at the Massachusetts school, who wrote to her colleagues on September 29 that the new policy will go into effect on October 17.

At that time, she wrote, classrooms, teaching laboratories an all other instructional spaces ‘will either continue to require masking or be mask optional, depending on the outcome of an anonymous survey conducted in each class or lab.

‘Prior to October 17, faculty members will conduct an anonymous survey of their classes, either by collecting handwritten (no names!) responses to the question, ‘Should masks be required in this class?’ or by distributing a survey,’ she explained.

‘If anyone in the class, including the instructor, wants to continue with masking, then masks will be required,’ Epstein wrote. ‘Additionally, even those classes that determine that masks will be optional will respect an individual’s choice to wear a mask.’

MY TAKE: Just can’t make this stuff up, folks!