The heads of Mercedes and Red Bull have shaken hands and wished one another good luck as drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen head into the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen head into Sunday's season finale tied in the championship standings — the first time since 1974 the Formula One title contenders have been level ahead of the deciding race.

FILE - In a May 2006 file photo, Senate leader Marc Basnight speaks on the Senate floor at the Legislative Building in Raleigh, N.C. Basnight died Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, at age 73. Despite humble beginnings and little formal education, Basnight rose through state politics to serve in the Senate for 26 years. His nine two-year terms as Senate president pro tempore made him the longest-serving head of a legislative body in North Carolina history. While Senate leader, GOP senators complained Basnight had consolidated too much power. Bob Jordan died in February, while Sen. Tony Rand, who was majority leader and rules committee chairman under Basnight, died in May.

Trump's challenge is acute here in North Carolina, a state that his senior aides describe as a “must-win." She said the Supreme Court debate might help motivate each side's base, including some “fence sitters” who may not have voted at all. Biden's team has largely relied on advertising to communicate its message, however, because the candidate himself has not been a regular presence in North Carolina — or anywhere — during the pandemic. “He needs to pick up his game some,” said former North Carolina Gov. "This has been one of the more grueling canvassing efforts I’ve ever been part of," said McCoy, a veteran of North Carolina politics.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – President Donald Trump’s rally in Virginia on Friday evening has brought criticism from Democratic leaders. The visit to Newport News is an attempt to reach rural North Carolinians, according to party officials. In a joint statement from former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe and North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt, they say that Trump has failed more than 200,000 Americans who died from coronavirus with how he has been handling the pandemic. “President Trump is putting countless Virginians' lives at risk in order to hold a political rally during a pandemic and prop up his chances in North Carolina,” the two say in the statement. Here’s McAuliffe and Hunt’s full statement: