Patch Morning Briefing: Chinese President Xi Visits; Gorsuch Filibuster Looms; Body Cams For All Cops

Good morning! It's Thursday, and the weekend is just around the corner and over the hill. Here's what you need to know to start your day.

President Xi Jinping To Arrive In Florida

Chinese President Xi Jinping will arrive in Florida today to begin his weekend visit with President Trump at Mar-a-Lago. As a candidate, Trump was frequently critical of China's relationship with the United States; He pledged to have his Treasury secretary label the country a currency manipulator. Observers will be watching closely for signs of tension in this deeply fraught, and highly impactful, meeting of world leaders. (Patch)

Democrats Plan To Filibuster Gorsuch

Senators in the Democratic Caucus plan to filibuster the confirmation of Judge Neil Gorsuch as Republicans hope to push for cloture — a historic move in the appointment of a Supreme Court justice. Expect fireworks in response, accept these fireworks will bring only boring, parliamentary-procedure levels of excitement. In what journalists are contractually obligated to call the "nuclear option," Republicans are expected to vote to change the rules of the filibuster. The merits of these moves on both sides are hotly debated, and the debate will likely continue long after — as is almost certain to happen — Gorsuch is sworn in on the highest court of the land. (Patch)

Taser-Producing Company To Offer Free Body Cameras To American Cops

Formerly known as TASER International, the company now called Axon will provide body cameras to police officers across the country free of charge. Any officer interested in the offer can visit the Axon website and sign up to get a body camera, plus data storage, accessorizes, and training on the camera systems. As concerns about police brutality and misconduct have come to the fore in recent years, body cameras have been seen by many advocates as a way to establish trust between law enforcement and the public. (Patch)

Quick Hits

Bill O'Reilly Sexual Harassment Scandal: More Than 40 Advertisers Abandon Show (Patch)

‘Ban The Box’ Bill Returns: Ex-Cons Deserve Work Too, Lawmakers Say (Patch)

Alan Jackson, Jerry Reed, Don Schlitz Elected To Country Music Hall Of Fame (Patch)

PDS Student Writes #BlackLivesMatter 100 Times On Stanford Application, Gets Accepted (Patch)

News Minute

We All Make Mistakes

This Naperville Teen Runs His Own Lawn Care Company

"My business has shaped me into who I am today," the 19-year-old said. (Patch)

Republicans Invoke Specter Of Osama Bin Laden In Tight Special Election

The ad, titled "Jon Ossoff: How Can We Trust Him?" references that Al Jazeera has been called a "mouthpiece for terrorists." With Ossoff leading in all the latest polls, the GOP is genuinely concerned about the 6th District seat, which was vacated by Republican Congressman Tom Price when he was tapped by Trump to become Secretary of Health and Human Services. (Patch)

New England's 'Largest Town' Is No More

Say hello to the City of Framingham. (Patch)

Steve Bannon Removed From National Security Council

In a statement, Bannon said, "Susan Rice operationalized the NSC during the last administration so I was put on NSC to ensure it was 'de-operationalized.' General McMaster has NSC back to its proper function."
Bannon did not explain what "operationalized" means in this context. (Patch)

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry Waltzes Into National Security Council Role In Shakeup

Bannon's departure enabled Perry — a former contestant on "Dancing With the Stars" — to waltz into the role. Perry also served the longest governor's term in Texas history, holding the office from December 2000 to January 2015. (Patch)

This Day In History

1841 — President John Tyler was took the oath of office just days after President William Henry Harrison died 31 days into his first term.

Famous Birthdays

1773 — James Mill, British historian, economist, philosopher and father of renowned liberal thinker John Stuart Mill

1975 — Paul Rudd, American actor known for comedic roles in movies such as "Clueless" and "Wet Hot American Summer"

Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images