WHAT'S BREWING
POLICE SHOOT 13-YEAR-OLD BOY WITH AUTISM Authorities in Utah are investigating the shooting of a 13-year-old autistic boy by police in the Salt Lake City area. Police said they were called to a home in Glendale Friday night with a report of a boy who had threatened people with a weapon. The boy reportedly ran and was shot by an officer after being pursued by police. The boy’s mother Golda Barton said her son has autism and she had called police because he was having a breakdown and needed a crisis intervention team. Barton claimed she told police her son was unarmed and warned them that he did not know how to regulate his behavior. [AP]
DRUGMAKERS MAKE VACCINE SAFETY PLEDGE Nine drugmakers racing to develop a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. and Europe have signed a pledge to put safety first and adhere to scientific guidelines amid growing public skepticism and pressure from the White House to release a vaccine by the end of the year. The companies publicly vowed to follow “high ethical standards and sound scientific principles” set by regulatory agencies, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Any product submitted for emergency use authorization will have to first demonstrate safety and efficacy through large clinical trials. [HuffPost]
ASTRAZENECA HALTS LEADING VACCINE TRIAL AFTER ILLNESS A potential COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford was abruptly halted after a participant in a large-scale trial developed a “potentially unexplained illness.” The participant was a part of a Phase 2/3 trial of the drug in Britain who developed a serious inflammatory syndrome that affects the spinal cord. It’s unclear how long the trial will be on hold. [HuffPost]
ROCHESTER POLICE CHIEF RETIRES Police Chief La’Ron Singletary of Rochester, New York, announced his retirement Tuesday, days after details of the police killing of Daniel Prude, a Black man who died in March after officers violently detained him, were revealed in newly released body camera footage. Other members of the department also announced their retirement. “As a man of integrity, I will not sit idly by while outside entities attempt to destroy my character,” Singletary said in a statement. “The events over the past week are an attempt to destroy my character and integrity.” [HuffPost]
WHY MAJOR COMPANIES ARE PAYING EMPLOYEES TO SKIP WORKON ELECTION DAY The U.S. is one of the few democracies in the world where Election Day is not on a weekend or recognized as a federal holiday. Americans must vote on a Tuesday in November, forcing many to choose between exercising their right to vote or earning a day’s pay. This disenfranchises many low-wage workers, working parents and others who might not be able to leave work, miss out on paid hours, or find child care. To clear the path to the polls, hundreds of companies including Coca-Cola, Nike, PayPal and Uber are offering employees a paid day off (or other benefits) to encourage voting. [HuffPost]
WHY IS THE POSTAL SERVICE HIDING DEJOY'S CALENDAR? Postmaster General Louis DeJoy is one of the most important people in the country. He has also faced extensive questions about conflicts of interest -- from his work in the private sector, to his political ties to Donald Trump and the Republican Party, to allegations that he illegally used bonuses to reimburse employees for political donations. So, several members of Congress, along with good-government groups and HuffPost, have made a simple request of DeJoy: Reveal your calendar of appointments. [HuffPost]
TRUMP GOES LOW ON KAMALA HARRIS Trump hurled sexist and racist insults at Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris at a North Carolina rally, repeatedly mispronouncing her name with great exaggeration. Harris, meanwhile, went viral for her campaigning footwear choice. [HuffPost] | 
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