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'They Question My Ethnicity, My Patriotism': Elaine Chao Slams Democrats for 'Double Standard' on Racism

Elaine Chao is accusing Democrats of a “double standard” on racism against Asian Americans, saying she has faced attacks on her Chinese heritage both in office and on the campaign trail. On Democrats: Chao, who served as the former secretary of Transportation in the Trump administration, said Democrats accuse her of “divided loyalties” while claiming to be “purveyors of anti-discrimination.” “They’re the ones who question my ethnicity, question my patriotism, question the patriotism of my family and my husband,” Chao, who is Taiwan-born and married to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, told the Washington Examiner.

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Daywatch: U. of I. saliva COVID-19 test approved, thousands of CPS students return and the plight of restaurant workers in the pandemic

Good morning, Chicago. Illinois on Monday recorded 1,143 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 — the lowest case count since late July — as well as 20 additional fatalities. The state administered 50,897 coronavirus vaccine doses Sunday. Meanwhile, the Tribune talked to Laurie Zoloth, a bioethicist at the University of Chicago, about the ethical questions around getting the COVID-19 vaccine. If you missed the Facebook Live, you can watch it here.

chicagotribune.com

WATCH: The 2021 EDDY Awards

Five finalists — Kenneth Ford, Jameea Jackson-Gaines, Kimberly Parker, Nadine Ebri, Jim Schmitt — in the running to be the VyStar Duval County Teacher of the Year will find out Wednesday if they have won the honor. The finalists were chosen among Duval County’s best based on their applications, interviews and footage of them teaching, according to the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. We will all find out at the same time as the winner is revealed during The EDDY Awards live on Channel 4 at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday. Watch the awards show, hosted by News4Jax anchor Melanie Lawson, below.

SpaceX successfully launches ridesharing mission off Florida coast

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – After scrubbing its launch attempt Saturday, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket off the Florida coast on Sunday. The payload consists of satellites from several customers, including DARPA, NASA and more of its own Starlink satellites. The mission, known as Transporter-1, also includes a somewhat last-minute addition of 10 Starlink satellites, after receiving Federal Communications Commission approval earlier this month to include those. Earlier in the week, another Falcon 9 launched 60 Starlink internet-beaming satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. There were nearly 1,000 Starlink satellites already in orbit.

LIVE: President Trump’s campaign to speak after suing Pennsylvania, Michigan

The Trump campaign will host a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with Eric Trump, Trump 2020 Senior Advisor Lara Trump, Former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, andcampaign Senior Advisor Corey Lewandowski. 3:35 p.m.President Donald Trump’s campaign says it’s suing to temporarily stop the vote count in Pennsylvania, claiming lack of “transparency.”Justin Clark, Trump’s deputy campaign manager, said in a statement Wednesday that the campaign is ``suing to stop Democrat election officials from hiding the ballot counting and processing from our Republican poll observers.'' He said the campaign wants ``to temporarily halt counting until there is meaningful transparency and Republicans can ensure all counting is done above board and by the law.'' Clark also said the campaign would seek to intervene in an ongoing Supreme Court case involving the deadline for receiving mail-in ballots. There have been no reports by law enforcement of fraud or any type of ballot concerns out of Pennsylvania.

Barrett confirmed as Supreme Court justice in partisan vote

Democrats were unable to stop the outcome, Trump’s third justice on the court, as Republicans race to reshape the judiciary. She will be able to participate in the court Tuesday after taking the judicial oath administered by Chief Justice John Roberts in a private ceremony at the court. However, Barrett, a federal appeals court judge from Indiana, is expected to be seated swiftly, and begin hearing cases. Just before the Senate vote began, the court sided with Republicans in refusing to extend the deadline for absentee ballots in Wisconsin. No other Supreme Court justice has been confirmed on a recorded vote with no support from the minority party in at least 150 years, according to information provided by the Senate Historical Office.

LIVE: President Trump holding 1st rally since contracting COVID-19

Just a week after his release from the hospital, President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail Monday for the first time since contracting the coronavirus as he tries to stage a late comeback in the election’s final stretch. Trump, whose doctor said Monday for the first time that he had received a negative test for COVID-19, faces a stubborn deficit in national and battleground state polling. He will be headlining a rally in Sanford, Florida — the first stop in a busy week that will include events in Pennsylvania, Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin. Click photo below to watch live. It’s scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.

LIVE: Ron DeSantis holding news conference on Hurricane Sally

Ron DeSantis is scheduled to hold a news conference at 5 p.m. from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee. (When he’s speaking live, you’ll be able to watch by clicking the link below.) Authorities in Pensacola say 200 National Guard members will be arriving Thursday in response to Hurricane Sally, which hit the Gulf Coast with wind and drenching rains that have caused flooding. At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, Escambia County authorities announced a dusk to dawn curfew for the next three days. Sally lumbered ashore Wednesday morning near the Florida-Alabama line as Category 2 hurricane with 105 mph (165 kph) winds and rain measured in feet, not inches.

WATCH LIVE: Jill Biden hosts virtual roundtable on school reopenings in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Jill Biden virtually hosts a roundtable conversation on school reopenings in Jacksonville as part of her national Back-to-School tour. The roundtable will be moderated by Duval County School Board member Darryl Willie and feature Duval County parents and teachers. Participants will discuss the challenges of distance learning and the recent return to in-person learning. Watch the event by clicking the video play button below:

Trump returns to briefing, says ‘shooting’ outside White House ‘under control’

President Donald Trump was abruptly escorted by a U.S. Secret Service agent out of the White House briefing room as he was beginning a coronavirus briefing Monday afternoon. He returned minutes later, saying there was a “shooting” outside the White House that was “under control.”“There was an actual shooting and somebody’s been taken to the hospital,” Trump said. The president said the shots were fired by law enforcement, saying he believed the individual who was shot was armed. “It was the suspect who was shot,” Trump said. The White House was placed on lockdown following the incident

LIVE: Gov. DeSantis to speak about 2020 school year in Florida

(Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. Ron DeSantis is scheduled to address the upcoming 2020 school year on Wednesday at 5 p.m.(When the governor is live, you can click the photo below to watch.) The governors comments will come after Florida added 9,785 new confirmed cases Wednesday, bringing the total since March 1 to nearly 380,000. The state health department reported 138 more deaths, bringing Floridas weekly average to 118 a day, equal with Texas for the worst current seven-day average in the nation. The Associated Press contributed to this report

Retired Jacksonville detective, ex-wife arrested in 1999 cold case murder

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After an investigation spanning more than two decades, Jacksonville police have announced the arrest of a retired Jacksonville detective and his then-wife in the murder of a business owner. Based on those profiles, Ivey said, William Robert Baer Jr., 64, who is a retired JSO officer, was arrested in Jacksonville on Wednesday. Ivey said Melissa Schafer, 50, who was Baer’s then-wife, was arrested in Jefferson City, Missouri. RELATED: What we know about retired Jacksonville officer arrested in cold case murderIn May 1999, Kawaf was getting ready to leave his home in the gated community of Deerwood on the city’s Southside. At the time of the murder, Baer was actively investigating Kawaf for an unspecified crime, according to police.