NEWS OF THE DAY

From Across the Nation

1 _ Mask mandate: A federal judge ruled that Texas’ statewide mask mandate must include polling places, but election officials Wednesday did not rush to enforce the order that was handed down after more than 8 million people have already voted. U. S. District Judge Jason Pulliam, who was appointed last year by President Trump, said not requiring face coverings in polling places created a discriminatory burden on Black and Latino voters who are at higher risk of death and severe illness from the virus. Texas is three weeks into early voting, but Pulliam said enforcing a mask order would not be disruptive. 2 _ Police shooting: Lawyers for two Black people who were shot by suburban Chicago police said Wednesday that video shared by authorities showed a bulletriddled car but not the entire incident. “We don’t have the transparency. We don’t have the truth,” Antonio Romanucci told reporters in Des Plaines. Marcellis Stinnette, 19, was killed and his girlfriend, Tafara Williams, 20, was wounded after Waukegan police shot them in their car on Oct. 20. Attorney Benjamin Crump said it appears that Waukegan officers had their body cameras off during key moments. 3 _ Bus crash: A school bus driver was killed along with a 7yearold girl after a utility vehicle swerved into their lane. The bus, carrying 22 children, slammed headon into the vehicle’s side, the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. Five children were airlifted to a regional hospital and two were taken by ambulance after Tuesday’s crash on state Highway 58 in Meigs County in eastern Tennessee, Lt. Bill Miller said. Authorities said the oncoming utility vehicle veered off the road and then overcorrected, swerving and skidding sideways just in front of the oncoming bus. The bus driver, a woman, had no opportunity to stop, the highway patrol said. 4 _ Covert operation: The Justice Department has charged eight people with working on behalf of the Chinese government in a pressure campaign aimed at coercing a New Jersey man who was wanted by Beijing to return to China to face charges, officials said. Five of the eight were arrested Wednesday, accused of participating in a covert operation that officials say was built on intimidation, bullying and “very disturbing” tactics aimed at pressuring targets sought by Beijing. The other three are believed to be in China. The defendants are accused of participating in a Chinese government operation known as “Fox Hunt” that U. S. officials say has been used to go after dissidents and political opponents. 5 _ Florida governor: Gov. Ron DeSantis couldn’t initially cast his ballot this week because someone changed his address online, a snafu that resulted in a suspect’s arrest on felony charges and raised questions about the security of the state’s online registration system. Law enforcement authorities determined the record had been changed online from a house in Naples, Fla. Anthony Guevara, 20, later admitted changing DeSantis’ address through the elections website by using the governor’s birth date, which he got from Wikipedia.