Pacers star Victor Oladipo has no interest in 'sticking to sports'

INDIANAPOLIS — Stick to sports? No thanks, says Victor Oladipo. That philosophy is reserved for people who define themselves as athletes and nothing more.

That’s not Victor Oladipo. Not anymore.

The budding Indiana Pacers superstar vowed to start pushing the envelope, to "play nothing safe now. I used to be conservative but that really didn’t get me anywhere.”

That’s why Oladipo had no problem defending LeBron James when President Donald Trump attacked the face of the NBA on Twitter, and that's why he was in Hammond, Ind. on Friday. The Pacers star attended a campaign rally last week with former Vice President Joe Biden where he publicly endorsed Democratic Sen. Joe Donnelly.

Pelosi details her plans for House majority

With 21 days until the midterm elections, the California Democrat and House minority leader is crisscrossing the country fundraising and rallying the Democratic troops, all while plotting her return to the speakership.

Electing more women is central to Pelosi’s mission. Of the 84 “Red to Blue” candidates whom Democrats see as top pickups in races to win the House majority, female Democratic candidates are running in 43 of them.

“It’s not a zero-sum game,” she said in an interview, talking about the need to add more women to the ranks of Congress. “We should celebrate the success because that opens another door.”

Obama, Biden to appear in Las Vegas for rallies

LAS VEGAS - Former President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will be in Las Vegas for Democratic candidates in the next week as early voting kicks off.

The Nevada State Democratic Party said that Obama will appear in Las on Monday, Oct. 22 to appear at a #RiseNVote rally to campaign for Rep. Jacky Rosen, who is running for U.S. Senate, and Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak, who is running for governor. That rally will be at the Cox Pavilion, at UNLV at 1 p.m. Ticket information will be provided in the coming days.

Biden will also appear with Rep. Jacky Rosen and Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak on Saturday, Oct. 20 which is the first day of early voting. He will be at a rally hosted by the Nevada State Democratic Party, Latino Victory Fund, and Culinary Workers Union.

Racism, sexism and bigotry.

They really have a hold on us. The Republican party would truly be dead if they didn't maintain the status and power of all three.

Imagine a woman, person of color, or gay person with a similar background to Trump running for national office. It wouldn't happen. White males are literally given opportunities in this country that others aren't. It's not just favoritism. It's literally opportunity others are not afforded.

Can you imagine a married woman talking about grabbing guys by the dicks, discussing how weak and sensitive mens little balls are, denying sexual allegation after sexual allegation, disparaging members of the military, etc. It would be a non-starter.

Nancy Pelosi's Internet Bill of Rights

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi plans sweeping regulation of tech if Dems win the majority, Recode's Kara Swisher reports in a New York Times essay:

In an interview with Swisher, Pelosi suggested that " a new agency could be created to manage tech’s growing impact." And in April, Pelosi put congressman Ro Khanna — the Democratic whose California district is home to Apple, Intel and Yahoo — in charge of with creating a list of principles. "Call it a Bill of Rights for the internet," Swisher writes.

Vintage photos show the realities of life after World War I

Pentagon grounds all F-35 fighter jets following crash -- latest issue for costly program

The U.S. Navy, Air Force and Marines — as well as 11 international partners who participated in the program — grounded all F-35 fighters on Thursday as part of an ongoing investigation into a jet that crashed in Beaufort, South Carolina, late last month.

A Navy aircraft mishap board is charged with overseeing the investigation, and they will be conducting a fleet-wide inspection of a fuel tube inside the engine of the F-35 aircraft, according to military officials.

"The primary goal following any mishap is the prevention of future incidents," Joe Dellavedova, the director of public affairs for the F-35 program, said in a statement. "We will take every measure to ensure safe operations while we deliver, sustain and modernize the F-35 for the warfighter and our defense partners."

Dellavedova said that they will remove and replace any fuel tubes they suspect might be problematic. Those planes that don't have the problem will be cleared to fly, he said, and they hope to have the inspections completed within 24 to 48 hours.

Washington state abolishes death penalty

Washington has become the 20th US state to ban the death penalty, after its Supreme Court ruled the punishment was applied in an "arbitrary and racially biased manner".

BBC

Andrew Gillum wants to pay starting teachers $50,000. Could that ever happen in Florida?

When Valerie Chuchman moved to Florida from Wisconsin eight years ago, her new principal joked that while she was taking a significant salary cut, she would be repaid in sunshine.

Unfortunately, the Riverview High School chemistry teacher said, sunshine doesn’t pay the bills. And if she’s still living paycheck to paycheck after 21 years, she can only imagine how tough it is for newer educators.

"You still need to attract and retain teachers," she said.

So Chuchman sees value in a proposal by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum to increase teachers’ starting salaries to $50,000 a year. But does she see it ever happening?

Tampa Bay Times

Keith Ellison says he is considering stepping down from the DNC

Washington (CNN)Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellison is considering an exit from his position as deputy chair of the Democratic National Committee. His comments come as he continues to defend himself against allegations that he abused his former girlfriend, Karen Monahan.

Speaking to Minneapolis radio station WCCO, Ellison says he needs to focus on his current race to become Minnesota's attorney general, which is why he might leave the DNC post he has held since 2017.

"You know, I've been evaluating that recently so we'll see. I need to put 100% of my time, energy and resources into the race and my office, so it is something I am taking into consideration," Ellison said. The Minnesota lawmaker did not say whether his decision would be influenced by the abuse allegations -- which Ellison has denied.

The charges against Ellison surfaced in a Facebook post by Monahan's son, Austin. The son claimed he saw a video that allegedly showed Ellison cursing at his mother while trying to drag her off a bed. Ellison told WCCO, the video "couldn't possibly exist because what is alleged didn't happen."