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U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden delivers remarks at a Voter Mobilization Event campaign stop at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S., October 12, 2020.

Tom Brenner | Reuters

Democrats easily outraised Republicans during the third quarter, beefing up their money advantage as polls increasingly indicate a potential blue wave on Election Day.

ActBlue, the Democratic fundraising website, processed $1.5 billion in donations spanning the July-September period. Small-dollar donors gave over $750 million in September alone. To compare, GOP fundraising site WinRed processed over $620 million in donations during that same time period.

Democrats taking on Republican senators in races deemed "lean Democrat" or "toss-up" are also dominating their opponents in the fundraising game.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden announced late Wednesday that his campaign brought in $383 million during September, slightly more than he raised in his record-smashing August. His campaign manager, Jen O'Malley Dillon, tweeted that the campaign had over $400 million going into October. Biden has an approximate 10-point national lead over President Donald Trump, according to polling averages.

There is at least one bright spot when it comes to Republican fundraising down the stretch of the election. The pro-Trump super PAC Preserve America raised just over $83 million in the third quarter, according to Federal Election Commission records. The fundraising success was largely off of $75 million in big money contributions from casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, and his wife Miriam.

CNBC previously reported that Sheldon Adelson was plotting a last minute spending blitz in support of Trump and that he was eyeing up to $50 million in contributions. He ended up giving $37.5 million to the super PAC last month.

Record numbers of people have already voted. Election Day is Nov. 3.

A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not reply to a request for comment. Late Thursday night, the campaign said it, along with joint committees, raised $247.8 million in September.

Democrats reaped large gains during multiple events, such as the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. ActBlue had its biggest fundraising day ever the day after Ginsburg died, processing just over $70 million.

Other key moments include the August announcement that Biden chose Sen. Kamala Harris as his running mate. She had an immediate cash impact, with her allies in the business community jumping in to help Biden's campaign raise cash. Just before the quarter ended in September, Biden's debate performance versus Trump helped raise at least $25 million for Democrats.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to face criticism for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He has returned to the campaign trail after recovering from Covid-19.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, October 13, 2020.

Jonathan Ernst | Reuters

The enthusiasm for Democratic Senate candidates led to a good chunk of the fundraising haul. Republicans hold a 53-47 lead in the chamber, but they are defending several more seats than Democratic candidates this year.

In South Carolina, Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina, Colorado and Montana, Democrats combined to raise over $200 million over the past three months. All six of those states have been deemed either "lean Democrat" or toss-ups by the Cook Political Report.

In South Carolina, Democrat Jaime Harrison raised $57 million in the third quarter, while his opponent, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham, brought in $28 million. For Graham, it's the most he's ever had to raise when trying to defend his Senate seat. A Democrat hasn't held the seat since the 1960s.

In Arizona, astronaut Mark Kelly said he brought in more than $38 million. The campaign said on Thursday that it will be going into the final month of the election with nearly $19 million on hand. It remains unclear how much his opponent, GOP Sen. Martha McSally, raised.

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Democrats are crushing Republicans in fundraising as campaign hits the final stretch - CNBC

For nine seasons, the television series Touched By An Angel inspired viewers in its stories centered around angels helping people in their everyday lives. The CBS drama series was centered on an angel named Monica (Roma Downey) and her supervisor Tess (Della Reese) as they passed along messages from God to those needing help.

Since its first season debuted in 1994, the show was nominated for eleven Primetime Emmy Awards as well as three Golden Globes. The TV show, created by John Masius and perfected by Executive producer Martha Williamson was so popular, there was even a spinoff series, Promised Land, that ran for three seasons.

Touched By An Angel was one of those shows that it seems like everyone was on. Some of their most notable guest stars over the years included Wynonna Judd, Rue McClanahan, Maya Angelou, Angela Lansbury, Ann-Margret, Carol Burnett, Celine Dion, Kirk Douglas and Jack Black.

Here's what all of your favorite cast members have been up to since the show wrapped in 2003.

The Irish actress has been very busy since her days playing the kindhearted angel Monica. She's appeared on numerous made for TV films as well as the show The Division and miniseries The Bible,in which she played Mary, mother of Jesus. She is also a producer, producing many of her own Biblical themed TV shows and films including Messiah and A.D. The Bible Continues. Downey has been married to TV producer Mark Burnett since 2007 and they share his two children from his previous marriage as well as her daughter from her previous marriage.

Tess was a bit tough and at times sarcastic, but she always played a meaningful role in Monica's cases throughout the series. Following her time on the show, Reese appeared on TV shows like That's So Raven, The Young and the Restlessand Signed, Sealed, Delivered on the Hallmark Channel in addition to numerous seasonal made for TV films. Reese, who was an ordained minister in the '80s, retired from acting in 2014. She passed away in 2017 at the age of 86.

Andrew, the Angel of Death, became a regular on the series after first appearing in a recurring role in season 2. In addition to playing his Touched By An Angel role in the spinoff series Promised Land, he only acted in a few more roles, including holiday films Once Upon a Christmas and Twice Upon a Christmas. Dye passed away in San Fransisco, California in 2011 reportedly due to heart problems.

Oh, Gloria. The accident-prone but well meaning angel that becomes a main cast member in the last two seasons of the show. Bertinelli was married to rocker Eddie Van Halen until 2007 and they share a child, Wolfgang. She has gone on to appear in numerous additional TV shows, including her main role on Hot in Cleveland as well as become a Food Network star with her own series, Valerie's Home Cooking.

Read More:'Designing Women' Cast: Then and Now

The country star appeared on five episodes of the show as Sheriff Wayne Machulis and one episode as Jed Winslow. Travis has continued making the occasional acting appearance over the years, including the holiday film Christmas on the Bayou. In 2013, he suffered a viral upper respiratory infection and massive stroke and wasn't sure if he would recover let alone sing again. After years of rehabilitation and therapy, he is not only able to sing and perform again, but he sang live at his own induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Cruz appeared as the angel Rafael for 16 episodes throughout the series run. He is still acting, booking roles on shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Shark, Eagleheart, Castle, Love Lifeand the film Drag Me to Hell.

Academy Award winner Cloris Leachman had a recurring role on the series as the archangel Ruth. She is still an incredibly active actor even later in life. She had a main role on Raising Hope, competed on Dancing With The Starsand has appeared on numerous other shows including Malcolm in the Middle and Thanks.

Jasmine Guy played the role of fallen angel Kathleen for 3 episodes. Guy has been on a number of shows since her arc on Touched By An Angel, including Grey's Anatomy, Dead Like Me, The Vampire Diaries, and Drop Dead Diva.

Read the original here:
'Touched By An Angel' Cast: Where Are They Now? - Wide Open Country

When Fannie Flagg first wrote her novel, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, she had no idea anyone would want to turn it into a film. When Hollywood came calling to bring the small Alabama town of Whistle Stop to the big screen, it ended up being a major box office hit and gave southern women a chance to shine.

Executive producer and director, Jon Avnet, initially hired Carol Sobieski to write the Fried Green Tomatoes. The initial draft was a musical (which as we know did not pan out) so Fannie Flag herself came in to make edits to the script which is what ended up making it to the screen. Both women received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 1992 Academy Awards.

Just like the 1987 novel, the film follows a discontent housewife who befriends an old lady in a nursing home in the small town of Whistle Stop. The old lady regales her new friend with stories of her relatives from years before which are seen in flashbacks. The film was impeccably cast and is exactly how you'd picture Whistle Stop to look.

The film and story have become so beloved, there is even a new TV show launching starring Reba McEntire. Three decades later, here's where all of the beloved cast members of the film have been.

Jessica Tandy, also known for her Oscar-winning performance in Driving Miss Daisy, received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for the role of Ninny Threadgoode, the old lady who befriends Evelyn Couch. The year before the film was released, Tandy was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but continued working. Before her death in 1994, she had appeared in multiple more films -- Used People, To Dance with the White Dog, A Century of Cinema, Camilla, and Nobody's Fool.

Kathy Bates did an impressive job playing depressed housewife Evelyn Couch. Bates is also a celebrated actress having won an Academy Award, two Emmys, and two Golden Globes. She has since appeared on countless TV shows including Six Feet Under, Harry's Law, American Horror Story, and The Big Bang Theory as well as films like Titanic, The Blind Side, and The Highwaymen.

Mary Stuart Masterson did an incredible job playing Idgie Threadgoode, who is devasted at the loss of her brother Buddy until his former girlfriend Ruth steps in to bring her back to life. Masterson appeared in Benny & Joon, Bad Girls, and The Postman, as well as TV shows NCIS, Blindspot, and For Life.

Ruth Jamison is the straightlaced former girlfriend of Idgie's deceased brother and the two women end up having a deep attachment to each other. Idgie even rescues her from her abusive husband Frank in Georgia and brings her back home where they open up the Whistle Stop Cafe. Parker went on to star in the show Weeds, as well as films The Portrait of a Lady, Red Dragon, Saved!, Red, and Red Sparrow.

The sweet family cook Sipsey, who had worked for Papa and Mama Threadgoode, comes to work for Idgie and Ruth at the Whistle Stop. Despite being in her 90s, Tyson is still a busy actress in Hollywood. She has appeared on How to Get Away with Murder, House of Cards, Madam Secretary, and Cherish the Day in recent years. Fun fact, in the 80s she was married to musician Miles Davis!

Read More:The 'Fried Green Tomatoes' Whistle Stop Cafe's Mixes Are Available Online

Sweet Chris O'Donnell was the perfect choice to play Buddy Threadgoode who tragically loses his life at the beginning of the film. O'Donnell was a bit of a heartthrob in the 90s in films like The Three Musketeers, Circle of Friends, Batman Forever, and The Bachelor. Since 2009 he's been starring on NCIS: Los Angeles. O'Donnell has been married to wife Caroline Fentress since 1997 and they have 5 children together.

Evenlyn's disappointing husband, Ed Couch, couldn't have been captured better. Gailard Sartain, who had been a regular on Hee Haw in the 70s, has continued appearing in multiple films including The Patriot, The Replacements, and Elizabethtown. He was also well-known for his appearances in several of the Ernest films.

Abusive husband to Ruth, Frank Bennett, is quite scary in the film so it took an impressive actor to be able to pull it off. Nick Searcy has since been in The Fugitive, Cast Away, Flicka, The Last Song, Moneyball, and The Shape of Water.

Local sheriff Grady Kilgore investigates the mysterious death of Frank in the film. Basaraba is what you could call a "career police officer" because he frequently plays them on the screen. He has appeared in Boomtown, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Brooklyn South, Blue Bloods, and Mad Men. Recently he was even in the Scorsese film, The Irishman.

Big George, son of Sipsey the cook, also joins the Whistle Stop Cafe and impresses all of their guests with his BBQ skills. Shaw is still acting, his recent credits include Jeepers Creepers 3 and A Christmas Winter Song. Did you know that his cousin was soul singer Sam Cooke?

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'Fried Green Tomatoes' Cast: Where Are they Now? - Wide Open Country

Nearly a month ago, I called for an urgent24-day full national lockdown, arguing that therestrictions were unlikely to make a significant difference in reducing transmission. If we had acted strongly and decisively then, and implemented a circuit-breakerlockdown as we now know that the government's scientific advisory group Sagealso wanted we would be in a much stronger position today.

Many readers considered it a controversial and unwise strategy. The government agreed, declining Sage's advice and instead announcing the eventual rollout of a three-tier system covering areas of medium, high and very high risk, each with their ownrestrictions. Yet case rates, hospitalisations and deaths continue to increase across the country.

This prompted Sir Keir Starmer to finally call for a national two to three weekcircuit break. The Labour leader hascorrectly recognised that the current mixture of restrictions and pseudo-mini-lockdowns which have no clear end or exit-strategy are likely to yield an even greater negative economic impact than a national, brief and finite circuit break after which we could fully reopen the economy.

So why isnt the governments strategy working? After all, the central premise of the restrictions makes sense: if we reduce peoples contact with others in areas of particularly high prevalence, then the virus will struggle to infect new hosts.

It has failed because this isnt a chess game. People arent pawns that can be moved about without ever objecting to whatever strategy the player is employing in each move. Managing pandemics is instead much more like managing a football team. You can have the best players who in theory should always win you the game, but football, like epidemic management, isnt as simple as that.

What is needed in epidemics, like in a successful football team, is collective harmony. The majority of people need to be on board with a particular strategy. This will depend on them clearly understanding whats required of them, that everyone else is putting in a fair and equal effort and, crucially, a belief that their collective adherence to the strategy will make a significant difference. This is what happened during the first lockdown in March and why it was so strongly adhered to.

These principles align with what we know about health behaviour science, an important toolkit that I believe the government has crucially failed to effectively leverage. Most health behavioural models emphasise the importance of motivation. Simply put, if people are motivated enough, they will at least try to adhere to actions designed to protect their health. Behavioural science also highlights how fragile motivation can be and how perception underpins it.

It is clear that today we do not, as a nation, have collective harmony or motivation. This is because of many factors but an important one is perception. Many people simply do not perceive the governments restrictions as making sense because, frankly, many of them do not. Consider those people living under the very high tier whose motivation is likely to be particularly fragile given the sacrifices they are being asked to make.

To protect their motivation to adhere, these people will need clarity on why their particular area is classified as very high while a neighbouring area is not. They will question why their local gyms are closed but restaurants can remain open. Some will question whether a local lockdown is really a lockdown when schools and some workplaces remain open. Many will also question why we are making such sacrifices for a virus perceived to be of little threat to public health. Crucially, they will question the overall strategy as well as askingwhen this will all endand what happens after the second wave is over.

This is why a finite, national and even approach is much more likely to be effective than a fragmented locally targeted one. A collective national approachwill mean people are much more likely to perceive the measures as fair. With just one set of clear rules, the confusion over different restrictions for neighbouringareas will be eliminated and there will be unified clarity on what is expected. Most importantly, there will be a sense of optimism given that a circuit breaker has a finite end followed by thefull re-opening the economy.

The post-second wave strategy should also be made clear now. People need to know what the government is planning for the long-term. It should be made clear that case rates are likely to increase again but that they will do so at a much slower rate. This should allowour weapons widespread testing and track and trace to increase their effectiveness. And when the second wave does indeed pass, the government must value the expert advice of Sage including their health behaviour scientists and stop viewing the public as willing pawns in a game of chess.

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Chess vs football: The vital distinction in restriction strategy - Spectator.co.uk

By: PTI | Chennai | October 18, 2020 10:31:59 pm(Representational Image)

Indian men on Sunday qualified for the quarterfinals of the Asian Online Nations (Regions) Cup Team Championship after finishing sixth in the Swiss system preliminary round.

The top-seeded Indians endured a day of mixed fortunes, winning one match, losing one and drawing the other. They face Mongolia in the last eight stage on October 23.

Starting the day with a 1.5-2.5 loss at the hands of the Philippines in the seventh round, the team led by Surya Sekhar Ganguly bounced back to outclass Bangladesh 3.5-0.5 in round eight before settling for a thrilling 2-2 draw against Australia.

In the match against Australia, the 16-year-old Nihal Sarin provided the crucial win, beating Termur Kuybokarov after B Adhiban had lost to Anton Smirnov. S P Sethuraman and K Sasikiran drew their games.

In the eighth round, Adhiban, Ganguly and Sasikiran posted victories while Sethuraman was held to a draw by Reffat Bin-Sattar.

The fourth-seeded Philippines team had pulled off a 2.5-1.5 win over India in the seventh round with Reglio Barcenilia putting it across Ganguly while Sarin, Sethuraman and Sasikiran drew their games.

Sasikiran was the best performer for India, winning eight of his nine games while Sarin won four of his five and Ganguly five out of the seven he played.

Iran finished on top of the heap at the conclusion of the preliminaries with 15 Match Points (2 MPs for a win, 1 for a draw) followed by Philippines and Mongolia.

The tournament is being played on nine-round Swiss System preliminaries in both mens and womens division with a time control of 15 minutes plus 5 seconds increment.

The top eight teams qualify for the knockout stage of quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals. Each stage will be a duel of two matches. There are cash prizes worth USD 20,000 and gold, silver and bronze certificates as individual board prizes on offer in the preliminary stage.

The women will play their matches in the seventh to ninth rounds on Monday with the top-seeded Indians in joint top spot with Philippines and Iran.

The tournament will conclude with the finals on October 25.

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Asian Online Team Chess: India finishes 6th in preliminary round, qualifies for quarterfinals - The Indian Express