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If Democrats and their congressional hopefuls didn’t already know the 2020 election and the fight to fill a Supreme Court vacancy is all about health care, they do now. Rep. Cheri Bustos, chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), explained to House Democrats and candidates across the country on Friday why “Americans’ health care is on the ballot,” and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s recent death “only raises the stakes for Americans who need health care....

But this past week, the opposite happened. Simmering feuds exploded in public, and rifts appear to have deepened ahead of Congress returning Monday with just two weeks before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s October 31 deadline to reach agreement on two bills at the heart of Biden’s plans. Two moderate Democratic senators who have balked at aspects of the Democrats’ sweeping $3.5 trillion reconciliation bill, Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, continued to complicate the negotiations....

Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders joined 16 of his Democratic colleagues including Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren in signing the letter, which was addressed to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn. “We must take every possible step to secure our nation’s blood supply in this critical time,” the senators wrote. “And in order to do so, we need to shift away from antiquated and stigmatizing donation policies to ones that are scientifically sound, based on individual risk, and inclusive of all potential healthy blood donors....

With other November titles such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Spider-Man: Miles Morales confirming their “gold” status, Twitter user Moonlao was wondering why no such confirmation has come from Bluepoint. The user, nervous that the game may not arrive on its previously announced release date because of this, questioned industry insider and YouTuber Lance McDonald. Surprisingly, McDonald stated that the game already went gold last month. RELATED: 10 Action RPGs To Play If You Like Demon’s Souls...

San Jose, Houston climb Power Rankings Dempsey is back with the national team for the first time since being sidelined by a heart condition that required surgery, as he headlines the 24-man roster for training camp ahead of crucial World Cup qualifiers against Honduras and Panama. Dempsey hasn’t been with the U.S. since starring at last summer’s Copa America, during which he was the team’s best player. A heart condition discovered in August forced him to sit out the rest of the year, including the Sounders’ run to an MLS Cup title, but he has made a successful return, scoring a goal in Seattle’s 2017 opener and most recently playing 90 minutes in a 2-2 draw with the Montreal Impact on Saturday....

Cellphone video posted to Reddit Tuesday shows a Denny’s server grabbing her purse, flagging down her manager and leaving the restaurant as two men cite the “Civil Rights Act of 1964” as one reason they don’t have to wear masks intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The video recorded by one of the two maskless patrons shows a dateline from September but was first posted online this week. The anti-masker customers immediately cite several “religious exemptions,” which prompts the Denny’s employee to reject this outright by telling them twice, “you’re required to wear a mask....

Click the letter to enlarge PHOTOS: Derek Jeter through the years | Derek Jeter’s girlfriends Jeter appeared in just 17 games in 2013 as he recovered from a broken ankle suffered in the 2012 MLB playoffs. He will be 40 years old on June 26. The 13-time All-Star and future Hall of Famer won the AL Rookie of the Year award in 1996, when he helped lead the Bronx Bombers to their first World Series title in 18 years....

If it didn’t hit you in the face too, then maybe it should. MORE: 5 things about Bama win | 5 things about Gators’ win Alabama is the crimson-cloaked big, bad wolf in the FBS again. They are on track to perhaps face Ohio State or whoever else in a College Football Playoff semifinal again. Alabama improved to a FBS-best 67-10 record this decade, and they’re going to have a say in who holds up the national championship trophy again....

The answer this year appears to be “Yes.” MORE: Classic photos of Derrick Rose | Offseason grades for all 30 teams The Bulls point guard said playing in the season opener against Cleveland on Tuesday “looks like it’s a go” following his debut in the preseason finale on Friday night. “I felt good,” Rose said via ESPN. “I just wanted to come out and get a feel for the offense....

In a roundtable discussion Tuesday, DeSantis—a longtime skeptic of the science deployed to stall the spread of the virus at the start of the pandemic—announced he would launch a grand jury investigation into “any and all wrongdoing” involved not only in the creation of the vaccines themselves, but how they were used in Florida and any long-term harms that could have come as a result of their use. He also announced the creation of a board to “advise the public and provide oversight” of the public health establishment in what he described as a counterweight to institutions like the Centers for Disease Control, with which he regularly clashed during the pandemic over recommendations to self-isolate and wear masks in public settings....

Rusty Hardin said he believes “any allegation that Deshaun forced a woman to commit a sexual act is completely false” and there was “strong evidence” one of the lawsuits was false, which in turn “calls into question the legitimacy of other cases.” Hardin’s statement came before Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee filed two more lawsuits against Watson, bringing the tally to 16. Buzbee claimed on Monday that a total of 24 women had come forward with similar sexual and civil assault allegations....

“I really want to challenge the crowd and fans to show up,” Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said (via ESPN.com), referring to Clemson’s April 9 spring game. “It’s going to be the last time to see Deshaun Watson, most likely, in a spring game.” MORE: Why Clemson can win it all | Watson will need to carry Clemson Watson’s likely decision to leave Clemson after this season comes as no surprise to Swinney, who said it was Watson’s plan all along....

There were already signs that Houston was preparing for Watson’s eventual departure in wake of his offseason trade request. It signed veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor during free agency and spent its first 2021 NFL Draft pick on Stanford QB Davis Mills. Now, the team is apparently listening to trade offers for Watson. However, he won’t come cheap. MORE: Aaron Rodgers completes offseason training before Packers camp As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports, the Texans are still apparently looking to trade Watson for a package that includes “at least three first-round picks and more....

This one, which ended in a 110-102 win by the Warriors, who now have a 3-0 lead in the series, did not have the drama and the palpably foul taste of a wasted opportunity that Game 1 did. But so much went right for the Cavs over the course of the evening that they should have been able to seal their first win of the series and give a glimmer of hope to NBA fans eager to see a worthwhile series....

It’s a detail that may have slipped through the cracks but one that is important for all Destiny players to be aware of. No doubt there will be some who instantly want to jump into Vault of Glass and claim their Fatebringer, Vision of Confluence, or Vex Mythoclast, but that will have to wait. Not long, mind you, but Crota is up first. As some may know, Destiny’s Age of Triumph will introduce a new Featured Raid in the main director, next to the Weekly Nightfall Strike, the Weekly Strike, and the featured Crucible playlist....

Love it or hate it, the Gjallarhorn has become one of the central weapons of Destiny, an essential piece of every Guardian’s arsenal or the golden goose that all players seek. As such, Bungie has been hard at work figuring out just how to design Gjallarhorn’s competitor and (hopefully) its successor. In an interview with Game Informer, the team at Bungie shared details about a new gun coming in Destiny: The Taken King this fall....

Destiny: The Taken King is a DLC primed to breathe new life into Bungie’s extremely successful action-RPG franchise. Recently, the studio announced two new multiplayer modes – called Rift and Mayhem, respectively – for the Crucible that will be included in the add-ons, and fans couldn’t be happier. Plus, with the forthcoming content promised to be double the size of The Dark Below, would-be Guardians ought to have plenty to be excited about....

Bungie introduced the DCV to Destiny 2 in June, in hopes of conserving old content and allowing for new content to enter the game, as well as reintroduce old favorites as a way to keep Destiny 2 engaging and fresh for “years to come.” Beyond Light will bring a bunch of new content, so Bungie is moving some locations into the DCV, which generally means the locations’ PvE activities and rewards go into the vault too....

In the most recent This Week At Bungie (TWAB) announcement thread, Community Manager DeeJ discussed a range of upcoming features and issues with Destiny 2, ending his post with a shoutout to all the great friendships inspired by Bungie’s latest title. It’s a sweet sentiment and in many ways DeeJ’s thoughts on the game are the way we should all see our Destiny 2 experience, but the quote has been taken as an insult to many invested members of the game’s fanbase....

As part of the exclusive content, PS4 players will get to take on the Broodhold strike and fight a Hive Brood Queen deep inside a crashed Tombship in the Tangled Shore patrol zone. What makes this fight interesting is that the Queen can change between a physical and a shadow form, each coming with different abilities. Players must fight their way through waves of Hive in order to face off against this new and powerful boss....