Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 22 Oct 2020

1. Barack Obama mocks ‘crazy uncle’ Trump

Barack Obama has attacked Donald Trump while campaigning for Joe Biden in Pennsylvania, comparing the president to a “crazy uncle” on social media whose actions “embolden other people to be cruel, and divisive and racist”. Trump hit back at a rally in Gastonia, North Carolina, saying: “There was nobody that campaigned harder for crooked Hillary Clinton than Obama, right? He was all over the place.”

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2. Rashford in ‘despair’ as Tories reject free meals

Marcus Rashford has spoken of his “despair” after the Conservatives voted down a Labour motion for free school meals to be extended. MPs rejected the extension until Easter 2021 by 322 votes to 261 with a government majority of 61. Rashford said: “A significant number of children are going to bed tonight not only hungry but feeling like they do not matter because of comments that have been made today.”

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Why everybody’s talking about Marcus Rashford and free school meals

3. FBI says Russia and Iran have US voting information

The FBI claims that Moscow and Tehran have obtained US voting registration information and are attempting to sow unrest in the upcoming election. The director of national intelligence said: “We have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails, designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.” The FBI director added: “You should be confident your vote counts.”

Russian hackers again targeting US election, Microsoft warns

4. Carers banned from working in more than one home

Staff will be banned from working in more than one care home in a bid to halt the spread of Covid-19, the Daily Telegraph reports. Ministers are believed to be drafting legislation that will make it illegal for care homes to employ staff working at multiple sites, after scientists warned that outbreaks within the sector are “seeding” infections across whole communities.

Coronavirus: just how bad was the Covid crisis in UK care homes?

5. Pope voices support for same-sex civil unions

Pope Francis has offered his support for same-sex civil unions, saying “homosexual people have a right to be in a family”. The Pope continued that the LGBT community “are children of God and have a right to a family. Nobody should be thrown out or be made miserable over it”. Father James Martin, a priest who has campaigned to build bridges with gays in the Church, said the remarks were “a major step forward”.

The countries where gay marriage is legal

6. Government attacked over homeless deportations plan

Charities have slammed government plans to deport foreign rough sleepers from Britain under new immigration laws to be introduced when the Brexit transition period ends. Experts say the new immigration rules are a “huge step backwards”, with homelessness charity Shelter adding that “rough sleepers, no matter where they are from, are a symptom of a home-grown housing emergency”.

Coronavirus: what has it cost to house the homeless during the pandemic?

7. Angela Rayner apologises for ‘scum’ remark

Labour’s deputy leader has apologised for saying “scum” during a debate on Covid-19 restrictions. Angela Rayner was heard during a speech by Tory MP Chris Clarkson, with Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing telling her: “We will not have remarks like that, not under any circumstances”. In a statement, Rayner said: “I apologise for the language that I used in a heated debate in Parliament earlier.”

8. Sunak preparing to announce support package

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to announce his fourth package of support for business in as many months as pressure grows on the government to help hard-hit companies in regions affected by lockdown restrictions. Sunak will warn MPs that the outlook for the economy is worsening as more of the country faces tougher regulations to combat rising coronavirus infections.

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9. Martin Bashir ‘seriously unwell’ with Covid-19

The broadcaster Martin Bashir is “seriously unwell” with coronavirus-related complications, the BBC has announced. A spokesperson for the corporation said “everyone at the BBC is wishing him a full recovery. We’d ask that his privacy, and that of his family, is respected at this time.” The 57-year-old is best known for his 1995 interview with Diana, Princess of Wales and a documentary on Michael Jackson.

10. Giuliani claims Borat video clip is ‘complete fabrication’

Rudy Giuliani is under fire after being caught with his hands down his trousers with a 24-year-old actress in a new film. Donald Trump’s personal attorney, 76, is seen in the second Borat film lying on a bed in a New York hotel room after being lured there by actress Maria Bakalova, who plays the daughter of Sacha Baron Cohen's character, Borat. Giuliani claims the video is a “complete fabrication”.

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