Debates, plane crashes, and more all in one place.
While you were out trick-or-treating, quite a bit happened. Here’s a crash course.
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Wednesday, CNBC hosted the third Republican Debate in Boulder, Colorado, where it was criticized by both the candidates and conservative media for asking “gotcha” questions.
“The questions asked in this debate illustrate why the American people don’t trust the media,” said Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
“This is not a cage match,” Cruz said. “You look at the questions – Donald Trump, are you a comic book villain, Ben Carson can you do math, John Kasich will you insult two people over here, Marco Rubio why don’t you resign, Jeb Bush why have your numbers fallen? How about talking about the substantive issues people care about?”
Other highlights of the debate include former Florida Governor Jeb Bush attacking Florida Senator Marco Rubio about missed votes in the Senate, and Rubio saying “The only reason you’re [attacking] me now is that someone has convinced you that attacking me will help you.”
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On Monday, the Washington Post published a list of demands compiled by 13 Republican presidential campaigns to news networks sponsoring debates in the future, in the wake of last Wednesday’s CNBC debate.
The demands include an equal amount of questions and speaking time, the names of moderators, pre-approval of on-screen graphics, a restriction on reaction shots of those in the crowd, and the debate center being kept at 67 degrees.
Instead of going through the Republican National Convention, which cut ties with NBC after the debate, the campaigns worked with attorney Ben Ginsberg, a top Republican lawyer who has worked with Mitt Romney’s and George Bush’s election campaigns.
Notable candidates who are not taking part in the Republican protest are Donald Trump, Chris Christie, Carly Fiorina, and John Kasich, breaking the unified front the candidates had hoped to form, according to CNN.
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The newsrooms of the Inquirer, Philly.com, and The Daily News will all be merged, and that means layoffs are in the future, according to USA Today.
Terrence Z. Egger, the CEO of the Philadelphia Media Network, cited declining advertising revenue as the basis for the downsizing, according to Philly.com.
It is unknown how many employees will lose their jobs, but Stan Wischnowski, the Vice President of News Operations for the Network, will oversee the merger, and stated that the Network had considered merging in 2011, but didn’t.
“It’s 2015, and we have to do this,” he said in a meeting of reporters, editors, and other employees of the Network on Friday.
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A Russian airliner flying from Sharm El-Sheik to St. Petersburg crashed in the Sinai Peninsula this weekend, killing over 224 people.
Although Russian officials will not say what officially caused the crash, U.S. National Intelligence Director James Clapper said he won’t rule out ISIS involvement.
“There is a very aggressive ISIL chapter in the Sinai,” Clapper said. “But we really don’t know and I think once the black boxes have been analyzed … then perhaps we’ll know more.”
According to a statement circulated by an ISIS affiliate, “The fighters of the Islamic State were able to down a Russian plane over Sinai province that was carrying over 220 Russian crusaders. They were all killed, thanks be to God.”
Aleksandr Smirnov, deputy director for aviation of the airline flying the plan, has “excluded” a technical failure, as well as pilot error, but is waiting on the investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
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On Monday, President Obama unveiled a plan to ban government employers from asking ex-convicts about their criminal past in an application form.
The move, which is commonly known as “ban the box” measures, works to help ex-convicts have a fair chance in the hiring market, and thus out of more jail time.
Similar measures are in effect in 19 states, the District of Columbia, and more than 100 cities and counties across the nation.
Hours before President Obama unveiled the plan in New Jersey, New Jersey Governor and Republican Presidential Candidate Chris Christie criticized the President’s stance on criminal justice reform, saying the President was taking credit for what Christie had done in New Jersey.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that the Governor’s comments “aren’t surprising” for a low-polling presidential candidate.
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