Monday morning news - November 7, 2022

For WORLD Radio, I'm Kent Covington.

U.S. Election » Today is election-eve, and Republicans are feeling confident. Florida Senator Rick Scott says a red wave is coming.

SCOTT: This election is about the Biden agenda. People don’t like high inflation, high crime, open borders, fentanyl. That’s what we’re talking about.

Democratic New York Congressman Patrick Maloney says Democrats are campaigning on abortion access and voting rights.

MALONEY: Because our candidates have real plans, they’re going to do better than people think on Tuesday night.

Election (Senate) » And heading into Election Day, control of the Senate balances on a knife’s edge. No race is closer than the contest in Pennsylvania, where Republican Mehmet Oz is trying to ride a late surge of momentum to Capitol Hill.

OZ: I believe in the American dream because I’m an embodiment of it. My father grew up on a dirt floor, immigrated here …

Oz blasted Democratic opponent John Fetterman for supporting sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants. Fetterman, meantime, told his supporters …

FETTERMAN: And Oz of course stands with Mastriaono, and they all want to ban all abortions here in the state of Pennsylvania.

An average of recent polls has that race tied. However, the three most recent polls give Oz a 2 to 3 point edge.

Election (governors) » Numerous governors races have also grown tighter in recent weeks, including one in New York. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul told supporters,

HOCHUL: When Democrats turn out to vote in the state of New York, we win. It’s that simple, that’s all we need to do. You turn out to vote, we win this!

But her Republican challenger Lee Zeldin predicted an upset victory. He said New Yorkers are growing weary of rising crime.

ZELDIN: I mean, the number of murders in Rochester this year already has set a record.

One recent poll showed the race tied, but an average of recent polls still shows Governor Hochul with a 6-point lead.

Biden criticizes oil companies » Last month, President Biden touted falling gas prices as he campaigned for Democrats. But with pump prices on the rise again, he lashed out at oil companies over the weekend saying they’re enjoying record profits.

BIDEN: They should have used that money—what they’re supposed to do—to lower gas prices at the pump for the American people.

Republicans blame Biden’s energy policies.

AAA has the national average at $3.80 per gallon. That’s 4 cents higher than a week ago.

Korean miners » Two South Korean men are recovering in a hospital after being trapped in a collasped zinc mine shaft for nine days.

The miners, aged 62 and 56, were pulled to safety over the weekend. They survived on instant coffee powder and water falling from the ceiling.

The doctor who treated the miners said both men suffered hypothermia and muscle pains, but they’re in fairly good condition and should be released soon.

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame » The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted a new class of artists over the weekend, including some that most people wouldn’t think of as “rock-n-roll.”

SOUND (Jolene): Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene....

It was a diverse field. Dolly Parton was inducted alongside Eminem, Duran Duran, Lionel Richie, Carly Simon, and several others.

Inductees absent from the ceremony included Duran Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, who is battling prostate cancer, and 95-year-old Harry Belafonte.

Lunar eclipse » You’ll have to get up pretty early in the morning to catch it, but if you miss it, you’ll have to wait another three years.

A total lunar eclipse will be visible throughout North America from 5:16 to 6:41 Eastern Time tomorrow morning. Known as a blood moon, it will appear a reddish-orange from the light of Earth’s sunsets and sunrises.

There won’t be another eclipse like it until 2025.

I'm Kent Covington. For more news, features, and analysis, visit us at wng.org.

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