Former Vice President Joe Biden says if he’s elected president next week, he will consider launching a commission to examine the Supreme Court. U.S. Senator and President Pro Tempore Charles Grassley says that idea is simply an attempt to appease members of the far left and open the door to possibly packing the Supreme Court. The New Hartford Republican made the comments on Fox News Channel’s America’s News Headquarters program this past weekend. The Senate was in rare session both Saturday and Sunday to debate the nomination of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the bench. A vote is scheduled for tonight. One Republican, Susan Collins of Maine, has said she’ll break ranks and vote against Barrett, but Grassley said he believes the vote will be down party lines and that the nomination will go through. There are 53 Republicans in the Senate, meaning as many as three could vote against Barrett but still have the nomination pass, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the 50-50 tie in his role as President of the Senate.
Iowa voters are casting ballots early in person or by mail at a record pace for the Nov. 3 election with several days of early voting still remaining. The Iowa secretary of state’s office reported that more than 685-thousand absentee ballots had been returned to county auditors statewide by last Friday morning. Those include people who voted by mail or early in person at auditor’s offices or satellite voting locations. Nationally, the latest numbers show 53.8 million Americans have already cast their votes. U.S. Senator Joni Ernst told “Fox and Friends” on the Fox News Channel Saturday that the pandemic is the reason early voters are turning out in such high numbers. Sen. Ernst is on the ballot, running for re-election to the seat she first won in 2014. And the Red Oak Republican says she’s excited by the high voter turnout for next week’s election.Sen. Ernst is facing a challenge from Democrat Theresa Greenfield.
Officials say a 76-year-old man died after he apparently fell out of a tree stand while hunting. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says Raymond Bear’s body was found after he was reported missing Thursday when he did not return from hunting on his land in Ollie. The Keokuk County Sheriff’s office and local police found his body; they say while it appears he fell from the tree stand, an autopsy is being performed.
A black man who was shot by police outside a Waterloo nightclub five years ago has agreed to a nearly $400,000 settlement. 33-year-old Jovan Webb claimed he was singled out because of his race in April 2015 when he was wounded while attempting to pull out of the parking lot of the New World nightclub during a disturbance. His suit also alleged excessive force, equal protection violations and battery on the part of the police officers. The lawsuit had been scheduled to go to trial this month. The decision to settle for $399,999 was made by the city’s liability insurance carrier. The city’s attorney, David Baker, declined to comment.
