Early voting numbers at record highs
The number of voters who have turned out for the first two days of early voting in the state of Maryland is a record breaker. As of Oct. 28 there were 219,376 registered voters statewide, according to wbaltv.com. The first day of early voting registered 122,880 voters. That number is a 57 percent increase from the first day of early voting in the 2012 election. On the first day of early voting, all 69 locations opened on time and some people even had to wait two hours due to long lines, according to nbcwashington.com. Due to a two-to-one ratio of Democrats to Republicans during the early stages of early voting, the ratio of ballots is three-to-one in favor of Democrats, the same ratio seen in the 2012 election. “I think, at the end of the day, what early voting shows is an enthusiasm for the election,” Dr. Mileah Kromer of Goucher College said.

FBI relaunches investigation on Clinton
The FBI recently relaunched an investigation into Hillary Clinton and the 33,000 emails that were deleted from her person email account. Clinton is angered by the recent reinvestigation because of how close it is to the election as well as the lack of information being given over the investigation. “It’s pretty strange to put something like that out with such little information right before an election. In fact, it’s not just strange, it’s unprecedented and it’s deeply troubling because voters deserve to get full and complete facts,” Clinton said to supporters in Daytona Beach, Florida. Trump brought up the reinvestigation in one of his campaigns in Colorado. Trump was wondering if Clinton would keep Huma as her advisor, according to CNN.com. “Huma’s been a problem. I wonder if Huma’s going to stay there. I hope they haven’t given Huma immunity because it seemed that everybody that walked down the sidewalk got immunity. She knows the real story. She knows what’s going on,” Trump said. The recent launch of the investigation sparked uncertainty due to the lack of information being given as well as the fact that most of the 33,000 emails could just be duplicates of one another.

Huge earthquake hits Italy
Italy was hit with the biggest earthquake in the past 36 years. The earthquake that hit on Oct. 30 was recorded as having a magnitude of 6.6., according to foxnews.com. The same areas affected by an earthquake in August were again hit the hardest. Fabrizio Curcio, the head of Italy’s civil protection agency, said there were no reported deaths, but that people were injured as a result of buildings collapsing, according to foxnews.com. “I’m praying for the injured and the families who have suffered the most damage, as well as for rescue and first-aid workers,” Pope Francis said to crowds at St. Peter’s Square. Families have been sleeping in their cars, or have gone to shelters or hotels due to the damage that the earthquake caused. “1,300 had been evacuated to the coast, and more would follow,” Curcio said. As of Oct, 31, over 15,000 people have in placed in temporary shelters.
– Radley Ellenbogen, staff writer