The top news of the evening
That’s all for this blog for the night! My colleague Helen Sullivan is blogging Trump’s rally live at the link below:
Here are the top stories to be aware of going into tomorrow.
- Chuck Schumer honored Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a Senate floor speech on Monday
- US Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat who has in the past voted in line with Republicans, said the new supreme court justice should not be voted on until after the 2020 elections.
- A pre-emptive state of emergency has been declared ahead of an announcement regarding the Breonna Taylor case, leading some to believe her killers will not be charged.
- Trump may be investigated for tax fraud, says Manhattan district attorney, after a year battling different courts for permission.
- The majority of Trump campaign funds spent in August have been funneled through a Trump-owned LLC and are not traceable.
- Trump met with Amy Coney Barrett, one of five women he is considering for a supreme court justice seat, in the White House on Monday. The president said he will announce his choice on Friday or Saturday.
Updated
Donald Trump is speaking at a rally in Ohio now. So far he has complained on the stream, which is featured on Bloomberg’s website, that the media does not cover his rallies. You can watch the stream here if you want.
Chuck Grassley may have found your dead pigeon
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley found a dead “pidgin” [sic] in his front yard over the weekend that he clarified in an update on Monday came from a pigeon flying club in Wisconsin and was not, as he initially suggested, a pet.
The initial tweet from the 87-year-old lawmaker resembled a bleak haiku poem.
If u lost ur pet pidgin /
it’s dead in front yard
my Iowa farm JUST DISCOVERED
here r identifiers
Right leg Blue 2020/3089/AU2020
/SHE ///LEFT LEG GREEN BAND
NO PRINTED INFO.
Sorry for bad news
Grassley thanked his followers for helping him solve the mystery of the pigeon’s origins. In actual news, the senator tweeted on Monday he will vote for whatever supreme court nominee Donald Trump nominates “based on her merits”.
Updated
The majority of Trump campaign funds spent in August are not accountable
More than three-fourths - $46m out of $61m - of the funds spent by the Trump campaign in the month of August is not accounted for, according to nonprofit democracy advocacy group the Campaign Legal Center.
$46M out of $61M spent by the Trump campaign in August went to American Made, the LLC created and managed by senior Trump officials. We don't know where the money ultimately went.
— Brendan Fischer (@brendan_fischer) September 21, 2020
That means over 75% of the Trump campaign's spending last month is basically untraceable. pic.twitter.com/EJ4OL2P8ty
The money has been funneled through American Made, the LLC created and managed by senior Trump officials, making it essentially untraceable. The group also found Trump’s campaign had received $10m in donations from Kelcy Warren, CEO of Energy Transfer Partners, which owns the Dakota Access Pipeline and is reportedly hoping for a multi-billion-dollar deal in Ukraine if Trump is reelected.
The revelations are just the latest in transparency concerns surrounding Donald Trump, who is the only president in US history to refuse to release his tax returns.
Republican senator Kelly Loeffler puts out bizarre ‘more conservative than Attila the Hun’ tagline
The political strategy of Georgia Republican senator Kelly Loeffler appears to be “compare yourself to a 4th-century barbarian ruler”. Loeffler released an advertisement with the tagline “more conservative than Attila the Hun”, wherein she jokes about firing liberal scribes, seemingly a dig at the “liberal media” conservatives love to hate.
Now here's an ad for you: Sen. Kelly Loeffler's new spot is all about how she's "more conservative than Attila the Hun," and includes an actor portraying a grunting Attila who delivers orders to, among other things, "eliminate the liberal scribes." pic.twitter.com/080nIJGwng
— Jacob Rubashkin (@JacobRubashkin) September 21, 2020
Loeffler, who is running for reelection in Georgia, is considered “the most conservative senator in America”.
During her campaign she has also met with rightwing militia members and Marjorie Taylor Greene, a congresswoman who supports QAnon conspiracy theories.
Updated
Trump meets with potential nominees to fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s supreme court seat
Donald Trump reportedly met with Amy Coney Barrett at the White House on Monday, according to a Reuters report. The circuit court judge is rumored to be a top pick for the supreme court seat left open when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday. Trump has pledged to fill the seat with a female candidate and reportedly may meet with Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban American Republican judge from Miami, as well.
Trump’s attempts to fill Ginsburg’s seat are facing pushback from legislators who believe there is not enough time to vet and confirm a new candidate before the 2020 elections in November. Ginsburg said on her deathbed that her greatest wish was that she would not be replaced until a new president was installed.
Updated
Trump may be investigated for tax fraud, says Manhattan district attorney
After more than a year-long legal battle with Donald Trump, Manhattan’s district attorney said Monday he could have grounds to investigate the president and his businesses for tax fraud.
District attorney Cyrus Vance is seeking to persuade a federal appeals court to let him enforce a subpoena for Trump’s tax returns, four days before it considers Trump’s request to block the August 2019 subpoena to his accounting firm Mazars USA.
Lawyers cited in the filing “mountainous” public allegations of misconduct linked to Trump and his businesses to justify a grand jury investigation into tax fraud, insurance fraud and falsifying business records. Vance had previously said the subpoena was also related to possible insurance and bank fraud.
Jay Sekulow, a lawyer for Trump, declined to comment on the filing, according to Reuters.
Updated
A pre-emptive state of emergency has been declared ahead of an announcement regarding the Breonna Taylor case
The police in Louisville, Kentucky, have declared a state of emergency for the department ahead of an announcement from the state’s attorney general in the Breonna Taylor case, regarding police who fatally shot a 26-year-old black woman in her sleep during a drug-related raid.
Many have said the declaration seems to anticipate violent protests, suggesting an unfavorable ruling for those seeking justice in the case. Officials have also closed two federal buildings in anticipation of the announcement and the police force has prohibited officers from taking time off work.
The family of Taylor has received a settlement from the city of $12m in a civil suit stemming from the incident, in which Taylor was mistaken for a suspect in a drug raid. The incident has called into question “no-knock” warrants, in which police enter a home without announcing or identifying themselves.
Updated
One more senator comes out against a Trump supreme court nomination
US Senator Joe Manchin, the only Democrat who voted to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh despite party objections in 2018, said the vote on a new Supreme Court nominee should be delayed until after the November 2020 presidential election “for the sake of the integrity of our courts and legal system”.
“For Mitch McConnell and my Republican colleagues to rush through this process after refusing to even meet with Judge Merrick Garland in 2016 is hypocrisy in its highest form,” he said. “The US supreme court is the highest court in the land and it is simply irresponsible to rush the adequate and proper vetting required of any new candidate for the bench.”
The reactions of Manchin and several Republican senators have been closely watched in recent days to see if a justice nominee from Donald Trump would have enough votes to be confirmed before the 2020 elections. Republican senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine have said the next judge should be nominated by whomever is elected in November. Trump has said he intends to pick a woman for the seat and will announce the nomination this week. It is speculated that US circuit court judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is fervently anti-abortion, is at the top of Trump’s list of nominees.
Updated
Chuck Schumer honors the legacy of RBG in Senate speech
Chuck Schumer made remarks on the floor of the Senate on Monday honoring the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg days after her death.
Schumer noted that in Jewish tradition only the “most righteous” people die on the eve of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, calling Ginsburg “a woman of great righteousness and valor”.
“She might be the only justice to become a meme,” the New York senator said, citing the “Notorious RBG” meme, which likened the octogenarian judge to the rapper Notorious BIG. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg was, in fact, a rebellious force to be reckoned with.”
Sen. Schumer honors RBG’s immense legacy: ‘She might be the only justice to become a meme’ pic.twitter.com/YtwSW1S3l9
— NowThis (@nowthisnews) September 21, 2020
Schumer outlined many of Ginsburg’s life accomplishments, including her making the court enforce the constitutional idea that people cannot be discriminated against on the basis of sex. He said if Donald Trump is able to replace the late supreme court justice, reproductive rights, workers’ rights, and voting rights will be imperiled. He also said RBG’s dying wish was that a justice not be picked until after the 2020 elections.
Updated
Hello! Kari Paul here in California taking over for the next few hours. Stay tuned for updates.
Today so far
That’s it from me today. My west coast colleague Kari Paul will take over the blog for the next few hours.
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Trump said he wants to have his supreme court nominee confirmed before election day, on 3 November. In a floor speech this afternoon, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell signaled the vote would take place “this year” but he did not specify whether it would happen before or after election day.
- Trump said he would “probably” announce his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday, following ceremonies honoring the legacy of the late supreme court justice. The president said he has narrowed his list of potential nominees down to five candidates, all of whom are women.
- Ginsburg will lie in repose at the supreme court on Wednesday and Thursday. House speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced Ginsburg would lie in state at the Capitol on Friday.
- House Democrats released their stopgap government funding bill, which would keep the government open until 11 December. But McConnell quickly signaled he would not support the bill because it does not include bailout funds for farmers, which Trump has demanded. The government is currently set to close on 30 September if a bill is not passed.
- The CDC removed information on the potential airborne transmission of coronavirus from its website. The agency had posted an update on Friday to warn Americans that the virus can spread over a distance beyond six feet, particularly in poorly ventilated areas. The CDC removed the guidance today, claiming the update was posted in error. The news follows reports about Trump administration officials trying to interfere with CDC reports to paint a rosier picture about the pandemic.
Kari will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Updated
Senator Lindsey Graham, the Republican chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, said the panel would move “expeditiously” to advance Trump’s supreme court nominee.
In a letter to the Democratic members of the committee, Graham said his view of the judicial confirmation process had changed after witnessing the treatment of Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was accused of sexual assault but was ultimately confirmed by the Senate.
“I therefore think it is important that we proceed expeditiously to process any nomination made by President Trump to fill this vacancy,” Graham told his Democratic colleagues. “I am certain if the shoe were on the other foot, you would do the same.”
Trump says he wants supreme court confirmation to happen before election
Speaking to reporters before leaving for Ohio, Trump said that he hoped his supreme court nominee will be confirmed before election day, on November 3.
“I’d rather see it all take place before the election,” the president said.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said moments ago that a confirmation vote would occur “this year,” but he did not specify whether it would take place before or after election day.
Trump also confirmed the announcement of his nominee will likely come on Saturday, following this week’s ceremonies honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the supreme court and at the Capitol.
Echoing his previous comments to Fox News, the president said he was considering five women for the seat.
Updated
Joe Biden has now concluded his speech at an aluminum plant in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
The Democratic nominee criticized the president for previously suggesting the US coronavirus death toll would be much lower if Americans who died in blue states weren’t counted.
Biden promised to act as a unifying figure to help bring the country together during this time of national crisis.
The presidential candidate also took a moment to address those who voted for Trump in 2016, saying he knows they felt like they weren’t being heard by Democrats.
“It will change with me,” Biden said. “You will be seen, heard and respected by me.”
Joe Biden argued Trump had failed in his response to coronavirus because he “panicked” rather than confronting the crisis head-on.
“Trump panicked. The virus was too big for him,” Biden said in Wisconsin. “All his life Donald Trump has been bailed out of any problem he faced.”
The Democratic nominee dismissed the president’s claim that he downplayed the threat of the virus because he wanted to help Americans remain calm.
In reality, Biden said, Trump “just wasn’t up to” the challenge of handling the crisis.
Biden blames coronavirus death toll on Trump's 'lies and incompetence'
Joe Biden is delivering remarks on the country’s coronavirus death toll at an aluminum plant in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
The Democratic nominee noted the country is about to hit the “tragic milestone” of recording 200,000 deaths from coronavirus.
Biden said that number represented many “empty chairs” for families who had lost loved ones to the virus.
The presidential candidate emphasized Americans could not allow themselves to become “numb” to the mounting death toll.
“We can’t let the numbers become statistics and background noise,” Biden said.
Biden specifically blamed Trump’s response to the pandemic for causing tens of thousands of unnecessary deaths in the country.
“Due to Donald Trump’s lies and incompetence over the last six months, we have seen one of the greatest losses in American history,” Biden said.
Updated
Senate will vote on Trump pick 'this year', McConnell says
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell said the chamber would vote on Trump’s supreme court nomination “this year”.
But the Republican leader did not provide much clarity on whether the confirmation vote would occur before or after election day, on November 3.
Democrats have a chance to flip the Senate in November, but even if they do, that seems unlikely to change McConnell’s plans to move forward with a nomination.
Updated
McConnell promises a vote on Trump's supreme court nominee
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell reiterated that the chamber would take up Trump’s supreme court nomination.
“President Trump’s nominee for this vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell said in a floor speech.
The Republican leader dismissed Democratic complaints that he is trying to jam through the nomination, noting the late justice John Paul Stevens was confirmed 19 days after being nominated.
McConnell also argued that this situation is not analogous to the 2016 vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death because Republicans now control both the Senate and the White House, while the two were split when Scalia died.
Updated
Democratic nominee Joe Biden is currently touring the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc.
Biden tours the Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc pic.twitter.com/cqqQDodXts
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) September 21, 2020
After the tour, Biden is scheduled to deliver remarks on the country’s coronavirus death approaching 200,000.
According to Johns Hopkins University, 199,660 Americans have already died of the virus.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the first woman to lie in state at the Capitol, continuing the late supreme court justice’s legacy of trailblazing.
Ginsburg will lie in repose at the supreme court on Wednesday and Thursday before lying in state in the Capitol’s Statuary Hall on Friday.
Civil rights icon Rose Parks was the first woman to lie in “honor” in the Capitol, but she did not lie in state. Thirty-four men have received the honor since 1852.
McConnell signals Republicans will oppose stopgap funding bill
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell signaled Republican senators would oppose the stopgap government funding bill released by House Democrats earlier today.
“House Democrats’ rough draft of a government funding bill shamefully leaves out key relief and support that American farmers need. This is no time to add insult to injury and defund help for farmers and rural America,” McConnell said in a tweet.
House Democrats’ rough draft of a government funding bill shamefully leaves out key relief and support that American farmers need. This is no time to add insult to injury and defund help for farmers and rural America.
— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) September 21, 2020
House Democrats released their bill earlier today, which would keep the government funded through December 11 and avert a shutdown at the end of the month.
The bill does not include the $30 billion in funding for farmers that Trump has demanded. If the two parties cannot reach an agreement on a funding bill, the government will shut down on October 1.
After the Daily Beast published its story about William B Crews, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said the public relations official planned to retire.
“NIAID first learned of this matter this morning, and Mr. Crews has informed us of his intention to retire,” a spokesperson for NIAID told the Daily Beast in a statement. “We have no further comments on this as it is a personnel matter.”
The announcement comes just hours after the Daily Beast reported that Crews was anonymously attacking the NIAID director, Dr Anthony Fauci, on the conservative website RedState.
A public relations official at the National Institutes of Health has been anonymously attacking Dr Anthony Fauci on a conservative website, according to a new report.
The Daily Beast reports:
The managing editor of the prominent conservative website RedState has spent months trashing U.S. officials tasked with combating COVID-19, dubbing White House coronavirus task force member Dr. Anthony Fauci a ‘mask nazi,’ and intimating that government officials responsible for the pandemic response should be executed.
But that writer, who goes by the pseudonym ‘streiff,’ isn’t just another political blogger. The Daily Beast has discovered that he actually works in the public affairs shop of the very agency that Fauci leads.
William B. Crews is, by day, a public affairs specialist for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But for years he has been writing for RedState under the streiff pseudonym. And in that capacity he has been contributing to the very same disinformation campaign that his superiors at the NIAID say is a major challenge to widespread efforts to control a pandemic that has claimed roughly 200,000 U.S. lives.
In his writing, Crews has insisted that coronavirus guidelines, such as avoiding crowds and wearing masks, have no basis in science, even though health experts widely agree that those measures are essential in mitigating the spread of the virus.
CDC removes information on airborne transmission of coronavirus
Three days after posting information online about the possible airborne transmission of coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has removed the guidance from its website.
The CDC posted the information on Friday, warning that the virus can spread over a distance beyond six feet, particularly in poorly ventilated areas.
“There is growing evidence that droplets and airborne particles can remain suspended in the air and be breathed in by others, and travel distances beyond 6 feet (for example, during choir practice, in restaurants, or in fitness classes),” the page previously said. “In general, indoor environments without good ventilation increase this risk.”
The guidance had gone relatively unnoticed until yesterday, when CNN published a report on the updated recommendation.
The CDC claimed the update had been published in error. The news follows reports indicating that Trump administration officials have attempted to interfere with CDC reports to paint a rosier picture about the pandemic.
Trump books being like buses in a city which has plenty of buses – you never have to wait for them and 76 repeatedly come along at once – it will not surprise readers to learn that HR McMaster, Donald Trump’s second national security adviser, has a tome coming out next week.
In fact, the retired general is keen to emphasise that his is not a Trump book, in the sense that it is not a memoir of the most scandal-ridden and leaky White House in all human memory. Details of his treatment by Trump are widely available elsewhere.
Instead, Battlegrounds offers a sober look at the challenges faced by the US in the world today, filtered through the author’s experience as national security adviser.
That said, in an interview with CBS on Sunday night, McMaster did:
- Criticise aspects of foreign policy including the pursuit of peace talks with the Taliban
- Reject Trump’s claim that climate change is a hoax
- Agree that the president is indecisive – that he “might make a decision, but it’s not likely to stick”
- Say he reacted with “surprise, disappointment, disbelief” when Trump said he believed Vladimir Putin’s claim Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election
- Say the hashtag #FireMcMaster, which proliferated on social media before Trump fired him by tweet, was partly fueled by Russia
My report on the interview and the book is here. And my own interview with McMaster, from shortly after he was fired two years ago, is here. It is about rugby. Of course it is.
Today so far
Here’s where the day stands so far:
- Trump said he would announce his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday or Saturday, following ceremonies honoring the legacy of the late supreme court justice. The president said he has narrowed his list of potential nominees down to five, all of whom are women.
- Ginsburg will lie in repose at the supreme court on Wednesday and Thursday. House speaker Nancy Pelosi also announced Ginsburg will lie in state at the Capitol on Friday.
- House Democrats released their stopgap government funding bill, which would keep the government open until December 11. The government is currently set to close on September 30 if a bill is not passed.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Joe Biden will travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, on Wednesday, his campaign has just announced.
The visit comes as polls show Biden and Trump running neck and neck in the swing state. According to the RealClearPolitics average of North Carolina polling, Biden has a 0.9-point lead in the state.
North Carolina is also home to one of this year’s most hotly contested Senate races. Senator Thom Tillis is seeking reelection, but polls show him trailing Democratic candidate Cal Cunningham by an average of 3.6 points, according to RealClearPolitics.
Tillis sparked outrage among Democrats when he announced shortly after Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday that he supported moving forward with a supreme court nomination.
House Democrats release stopgap funding bill
House Democrats have released their stopgap funding bill to keep the government open past the end of the month.
The bill would allow the government to stay open until December 11. It needs to win the support of the Republican-controlled Senate and Trump in order to avoid a government shutdown on October 1.
The president had called for including $30 billion for farmers in the bill, but the legislation released by Democrats does not include that funding.
In addition to maintaining government operations, the bill also calls for extending expiring programs, such as the National Flood Insurance Program.
Senator Mitt Romney will not release a statement on filling Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s supreme court seat until tomorrow, after Senate Republicans meet for their weekly policy lunch, according to a CNN reporter.
Romney’s office says he won’t comment about whether he backs a SCOTUS vote this year until after GOP senators meet tomorrow during lunch.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 21, 2020
Grassley is expected to release a statement later today, while no response from Gardner’s office about his position yet
Senator Chuck Grassley is expected to release a statement later today. The Iowa Republican said back in July, “If I were chairman of the committee and this vacancy occurred, I would not have a hearing on it because that’s what I promised the people in 2016.”
Senator Cory Gardner, who is facing a difficult reelection race, has not yet said whether he would vote on a supreme court nomination before the next president takes office.
A member of Congress described her breathing issues after announcing yesterday that she had tested positive for coronavirus.
Congresswoman Jahana Hayes, a Democrat of Connecticut, said her breathing is “labored” and she spiked a fever yesterday.
Good morning pic.twitter.com/AJJwSI3PVW
— Jahana Hayes (@RepJahanaHayes) September 21, 2020
Hayes also described her staffers’ struggles to get tested for coronavirus, as they faced limited available time slots and long wait times.
The congresswoman said yesterday she had to visit three urgent care centers before she could receive a coronavirus test. She is now quarantining for two weeks.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will also lie in state at the Capitol on Friday, House speaker Nancy Pelosi announced.
The Democratic speaker said in a statement that the late supreme court justice will lie in state in Statuary Hall, after Ginsburg lies in repose at the supreme court Wednesday and Thursday.
The Capitol ceremony will be limited to invited guests, due to restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
Pelosi said shortly after Ginsburg’s death, “Justice Ginsburg embodied justice, brilliance and goodness, and her passing is an incalculable loss for our democracy and for all who sacrifice and strive to build a better future for our children.”
Ginsburg to lie in repose Wednesday and Thursday
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose at the supreme court on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, the court just announced.
RBG in repose at Supreme Court Wednesday and Thursday pic.twitter.com/Cdwp0bLjeh
— Robert Barnes (@scotusreporter) September 21, 2020
According to the court’s statement, Ginsburg’s casket will arrive at the court Wednesday morning. Shortly afterwards, a private ceremony will be held for Ginsburg’s family, close friends and colleagues.
After the private ceremony, Ginsburg’s casket will lie in repose under the portico at the top of the court steps to allow for public viewing outdoors.
House intelligence committee chairman Adam Schiff denounced Trump’s suggestion that he wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish.
“Mr. President, this is low. Even for you,” Schiff said in a new tweet. “No, I didn’t write Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish to a nation she served so well, and spent her whole life making a more perfect union. But I am going to fight like hell to make it come true. No confirmation before inauguration.”
Mr. President, this is low. Even for you.
— Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) September 21, 2020
No, I didn’t write Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish to a nation she served so well, and spent her whole life making a more perfect union.
But I am going to fight like hell to make it come true.
No confirmation before inauguration. https://t.co/QgwPCUK5n7
Trump said during his Fox and Friends interview this morning that he did not believe Ginsburg crafted her final statement, which was shared by her family. In it, Ginsburg said she did not want her supreme court seat to be filled until after the presidential election.
“I don’t know that she said that, or was that written out by Adam Schiff and Schumer and Pelosi,” Trump said, referring to the Senate minority leader and the House speaker. “I would be more inclined to the second ... but that sounds like a Schumer deal or maybe a Pelosi or Shifty Schiff.”
Joe Biden is expanding his advertising game to the states of Iowa and Georgia, both of which Trump won in 2016 and will almost certainly need to win again in November.
The AP reports:
The expansion reflects Biden’s newfound status as a fundraising behemoth and his campaign’s longstanding promise to set up ‘multiple paths’ to the 270 electoral votes required to win the presidency. ...
The Biden campaign did not disclose exact spending plans in Georgia and Iowa, but described a significant commitment. In his 2016 election win, Trump won the two states by 5.1 and 9.4 percentage points, respectively, and Republicans have maintained a campaign presence there, leaving the president’s team confident of repeat victories.
Meanwhile, the president’s reelection campaign canceled ads that were set to start airing in Iowa and Ohio tomorrow.
The Trump campaign has again canceled TV ad schedules that had been booked in IA and OH (9/22-9/28 flight); no changes yet in NV, so they might be going back up there
— Medium Buying (@MediumBuying) September 21, 2020
Also making schedule additions/revisions in multiple other states
Biden closed out August with $466 million cash on hand, giving him a $141 million advantage over Trump. The Democratic nominee set a single-month fundraising record in August, pulling in $364.5 million.
In the wake of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death, Democrats are framing the supreme court battle as a fight to protect Americans’ health care.
Senator Chris Murphy noted in a tweet this morning that those who have had coronavirus could be subject to higher insurance rates if Obamacare’s protections for those with preexisting conditions are gutted by the court.
Heads up - anybody in this country who has had COVID, or ever tests positive for the COVID antibodies, has a preexisting condition.
— Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 21, 2020
And when Trump rams through an anti-health care judge, and the ACA is eliminated, your rates are going through the roof.
FYI.
Since RBG’s death on Friday, Joe Biden has similarly criticized Trump for having his administration move forward with a lawsuit aimed at dismantling Obamacare in the middle of a global pandemic.
“In the middle of the worst global health crisis in living memory, Donald Trump is at the supreme court trying to strip health coverage away from tens of millions of families and to strip away the peace of mind from more than 100 million people with pre-existing conditions,” Biden said yesterday.
DOJ labels New York, Portland and Seattle 'anarchist jurisdictions' - reports
The justice department has reportedly labeled three cities -- New York, Portland and Seattle -- “anarchist jurisdictions” over local leaders’ response to recent anti-racism protests.
The New York Post reports:
New York City was among three cities labeled ‘anarchist jurisdictions’ by the Justice Department on Sunday and targeted to lose federal money for failing to control protesters and defunding cops, The Post has learned.
Portland, Ore., and Seattle, Wash., were the other two cities on the list, which was approved by US Attorney General William Barr.
‘When state and local leaders impede their own law enforcement officers and agencies from doing their jobs, it endangers innocent citizens who deserve to be protected, including those who are trying to peacefully assemble and protest,’ Barr said in a statement set to be released Monday.
‘We cannot allow federal tax dollars to be wasted when the safety of the citizenry hangs in the balance,’ the AG added.
It’s unclear what funds will be targeted. The move may also face legal challenges, considering New York governor Andrew Cuomo previously criticized Trump’s threat to defund the city as an “illegal stunt.”
President Trump has actively sought to punish NYC since day one.
— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) September 2, 2020
He let COVID ambush New York.
He refuses to provide funds that states and cities MUST receive to recover.
He is not a king. He cannot "defund" NYC.
It's an illegal stunt.
The Maine Senate race has shifted from “Toss Up” to “Leans Democrat” in the ratings of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
The South Carolina Senate race has also shifted from “Likely Republican” to “Leans Republican,” after a poll released last week showed senator Lindsey Graham tied with Democratic candidate Jaime Harrison.
CRYSTAL BALL SENATE RATING CHANGES:
— Kyle Kondik (@kkondik) September 21, 2020
Susan Collins (R-ME) Toss-up > Leans D
Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Likely R > Leans R
ME-2 electoral vote - Leans > Toss-up
All explained here: https://t.co/I0d972FZ01 pic.twitter.com/d8kwwiBd8r
Sabato’s Crystal Ball writes:
The passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday elevates the Supreme Court to a major electoral issue for the third election in a row, following Senate Republicans’ refusal to consider Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016 and the bitter confirmation battle over Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. The implications for the future of American government are extraordinary. The implications for the election may be as well — or not.
In the aftermath of Ginsburg’s passing, many have speculated as to whether one side might be extra motivated by the vacancy over the other. But was this a sleepy election in need of a jolt? Hardly. It is possible that, despite the pandemic, 2020 could set a modern record for turnout. The battle over the court’s future turns up the heat of American politics, but the temperature was white hot already. ...
Of the eight Republican-held Senate races the Crystal Ball now rates in the Toss-up or Leans categories, just two of them — Colorado and Maine — are very likely to vote more Democratic than the nation as a whole in the presidential election. That makes the Ginsburg vacancy an added burden for Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and Susan Collins (R-ME).
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.
Trump acknowledged politics was affecting his decision on who to nominate to the supreme court, during his Fox and Friends interview this morning.
Asked whether the president’s consideration of judges from Michigan and Florida had anything to do with those states being key to his reelection bid, Trump said, “I try not to say so. I think probably automatically it is.”
Trump admits that politics are playing in a role in him considering judges from Michigan and Florida as RBG's possible replacement: "I try not to say so. I think probably automatically it is." pic.twitter.com/QCeYn1iqhs
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 21, 2020
Trump casts doubt on Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dying wish, claiming Democrats wrote it
In his interview this morning on Fox and Friends Donald Trump has baselessly cast doubts on the last wishes of the late US supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. My colleague Martin Pengelly has more:
Donald Trump has attempted to cast doubt on Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish, baselessly claiming a statement released by the supreme court justice’s family was written by Adam Schiff, Nancy Pelosi or Chuck Schumer, prominent Democrats in Congress.
The move is likely to anger many who will see it as disrespectful to the millions of Americans mourning Ginsburg’s death, as well as a tasteless attack on the legacy of the pioneering woman justice.
Ginsburg died on Friday, from pancreatic cancer at the age of 87. NPR reported that she had dictated a statement to her granddaughter.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” it said.
“I don’t know that she said that,” the president said of Ginsburg’s statement, “or was that written out by Adam Schiff or Pelosi? I would be more inclined to the second.”
Trump on RBG's reported dying wish that next pres fills her seat: "I don't know that she said that, or was that written out by Adam Schiff and Schumer and Pelosi. I would be more inclined to the second ... But that sounds like a Schumer deal or maybe a Pelosi or Shifty Schiff." pic.twitter.com/zE979kK2Q3
— The Recount (@therecount) September 21, 2020
Read more here: Trump doubts Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dying wish, claiming Democrats wrote it
Updated
Away from the controversy over replacing Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on which she has been very vocal, this story has also caught Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s eye overnight. She tweeted an NPR report on documents emerging that officials at the Census Bureau were warning the administration against the effects of cutting short this year’s count.
Internal emails and memos, which were released this weekend as part of a federal lawsuit in California, show career officials trying to hold the integrity of the once-a-decade count together in the last weeks of July amid mounting pressure from the administration to abandon the extended timeline it had previously approved in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Shortening that schedule, a draft document dated July 23 warned, “will result in a census that has fatal data quality flaws that are unacceptable for a Constitutionally-mandated national activity.”
With counting now set to end on 30 September, the revelations come shortly before federal courts are expected to decide whether to order the administration to keep tallying the country’s residents through 31 October.
Read it here: NPR – Census could look ‘manipulated’ if cut short by Trump officials, bureau warned
It feels like under the Trump administration that the news cycle is moving faster than ever – in the space of a couple of weeks we’ve gone from the row about whether the president denigrated America’s war dead, to the revelations from Bob Woodward that he had been recorded saying he wanted to down-play the coronavirus, to the showdown over replacing the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the supreme court.
One story that therefore hasn’t perhaps been getting as much coverage as it should are the whistleblower allegations about unwanted hysterectomies being performed on women being detained by Ice. Miranda Bryant looks into this for us, and its disturbing historical antecedents.
Her immigration attorney Vân Huynh, told the Guardian: “When she first learned about it, the way that she described it to me is that she was sitting in this wheelchair post operation and the doctor’s telling her that she may not be able to conceive children in the future and it was very upsetting for her. She was sobbing in this wheelchair, not understanding why this was happening.”
Her account is in one of multiple harrowing allegations of women held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) at Irwin county detention center in Georgia who have been forced to undergo unwanted hysterectomies and other unnecessary gynaecological procedures. Their stories have come to light in recent days following the release of an explosive whistleblower report.
Read it here: Allegations of unwanted Ice hysterectomies recall grim time in US history
FiveThirtyEight have added a new poll to their in-depth look at who is winning in Georgia, and that race, according to them, now has a polling average of Trump on 47.3% and Biden on 46.3%. But with the confidence interval on polling often running at 2 or 3 percent, that looks like it could end up being too close to call.
Trump carried the state, and its 16 Electoral College votes, in 2016 by a five point margin over Hillary Clinton. Trump has mostly polled in the lead in the state during 2020, barring a few weeks in June and July when Biden briefly overtook him.
Trump tells Fox he will announce supreme court pick 'Friday or Saturday'
Donald Trump has told Fox & Friends in an interview this morning that he will announce his nominee to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on either Friday or Saturday.
He says that in respect of Ginsburg, “we should wait until the services over.”
He said he had narrowed the list down to five potential nominees, which he has confirmed are all women. He also says he would expect the opposition to do the same in the same circumstances.
If Democrats were in the same situation he is, Pres Trump says there’s “zero chance” they wouldn’t quickly push to confirm a Supreme Court nominee.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) September 21, 2020
He says there’s “a tremendous amount of time” for the Senate to confirm his nominee before the election.
That pushes the timetable back slightly. Earlier this morning White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany had intimated the pick could come as soon as before Wednesday.
That would make the confirmation timetable prior to the election very tight indeed.
There will only be 39 or 38 days before the election if Trump names the pick on Friday/Saturday as he just said. That would be extremely fast for a confirmation process, which typically takes 2-3 months. Suggests a lame-duck confirmation vote is more likely.
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 21, 2020
Trump suggests though he wants a confirmation vote before the elections, citing election disputes and his baseless claim of “fake ballots” being filled out. We don’t want a 4-4 tie at the court, he said
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 21, 2020
Not every conservative commentator is happy with the speed that the nomination is moving at – some think it is still too slow.
Why was the pick not ready? What is different today compared to a year ago?
— Tim Carney (@TPCarney) September 21, 2020
Make the pick Friday, and we're less than 40 days from the election.
Make the pick today, and you have more time before Election Day than Ginsburg's confirmation took.
Updated
There’s going to be a lot of “That’s not what you said in 2016” going around and coming around in the next few days, and Kayleigh McEnany, the White House press secretary, has been attempting to spin the “use my words against me” quote from Lindsey Graham back against the Democrats.
This morning she’s taunted Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Barack Obama by thanking them on Twitter for supporting Trump’s decision to nominate someone to the Supreme Court.
Thank you @JoeBiden, @KamalaHarris & @BarackObama for supporting President @realDonaldTrump’s decision to nominate a highly qualified nominee to the Supreme Court! ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/xxEZs9bOvJ
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) September 21, 2020
There’s a slight weakness to her argument, because McEnany has also been following the party line that what Republicans said in 2016 doesn’t count anymore, because the circumstances are different. She told CBS this morning:
Leader McConnell has made clear 2016 was a different circumstance because we did have divided government. We did have Republicans controlling the Senate, and you had a Democrat president. Now you have unified government in the sense of the Senate’s being Republican, and the president being Republican. In fact, expanding their majority in 2018. So we do believe it’s a different circumstance.
Incidentally, before appearing on Fox News this morning, the president has found time to plug a book about himself, while at the same time having a dig at Bob Woodward. The president has claimed to have read the new Woodward book in an evening and found it “boring”.
“The Trump Century, How Our President Changed the Course of History Forever”. On sale tomorrow. A great book by an even greater author. Make Lou NUMBER ONE! Much better than the boring, no new info., Woodward book. Besides, Lou is much smarter and sharper than Bob, by a lot!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2020
Our David Smith in Washington interviewed Woodward at the weekend.
Jennifer Rubin has weighed in for the Washington Post this morning, describing Joe Biden’s performance last night as “his most compelling speech of the campaign ”. She says he blew away the notion that “the Republicans’ effort to jam through a confirmation to fill the seat held by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in any fashion a plus for the right.”
Instead, she argues, Biden’s words showed why the Trump move to quickly force through a successor to Ginsburg is “a boost to Democrats’ chances in winning the Senate majority and the White House — and ultimately reversing any damage two-faced Republicans would do in the meantime.”
According to her:
Biden accomplished several essential tasks. First, like Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democrats earlier Sunday, he formulated that the open seat boils down to preserving the Affordable Care Act.
Second, he put the fight in simple terms of fairness. Republicans think they can make up rules and rewrite them for their benefit without regard to — indeed, despite — majority opinion. Bullying your way through fights with nonsensical blather to disguise your motives is antithetical to democracy.
Third, Biden made the most of his ability to appeal to the most persuadable senators while sending a message to moderates and disaffected Republicans that he intends to end the cycle of inflammatory partisanship. “I’m not speaking to President Trump, who will do whatever he wants. I’m not speaking to Mitch McConnell, who will do what he wants, and he does,” Biden said, acknowledging these men are beyond reason and utterly shameless.
That message, delivered in sober and quiet terms, is one that less partisan Americans are hungering for.
Read it in full here: Washington Post: Jennifer Rubin – Biden blows up the notion RBG’s seat helps the right
White House press secretary: Trump will name his replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg "very likely" before Wednesday
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany has been on CBS This Morning already today, and she has said that Donald Trump will announce his nominee to take the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the US supreme court “very likely” before Wednesday.
She also said the president believed he could get the new justice in place before the election.
President Trump says he will soon nominate a justice to replace the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) September 21, 2020
White House @PressSec @KayleighMcEnany joins us with details on the president's timeline, and what she says the president is looking for in a nominee. pic.twitter.com/3nPk4tCJez
Asked about why Donald Trump was moving forward with the process so close to the election, when it would inevitably be contentious, McEnany said:
29 times in history a president in their last year of their term has in fact nominated someone and been considered by the Senate. So the President will be following that precedent, and we believe that voters will be supportive of this move as we move forward and they see the quality of our nominee.
Questioned as to whether the White House believed that they could get the pick through the process, with two Republican senators already dissenting, she said:
We do think that we will end up having the votes. We encourage Republican senators to take a look at this nominee we’re putting forward, it will be a very talented woman.
And McEnany predicted “a tight turnaround”:
We know Justice Ginsburg – we honour her legacy here at the White House – she was confirmed in 42 days, so it can be done, and we think it will be done.
I expect we will hear more on this topic from the president himself when he dials in to Fox and Friends from 8am.
Will be interviewed on @foxandfriends at 8:00 A.M. Enjoy! @FoxNews
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 21, 2020
Updated
Poll: Biden leads Trump 62-26 nationally among Latino registered voters
Donald Trump will be campaigning in Ohio today, while Joe Biden will be giving a speech in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Biden will be buoyed by some positive poll numbers emerging for him this morning among the Latino population. A new NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Telemundo poll released Sunday shows that Biden leads the president nationally by 62 percent to 26 percent among Latino registered voters.
The poll’s respondents see Biden as better at addressing concerns of the Latino community, at 59 percent to 18 percent, and the candidates are nearly even on who is better at dealing with the economy, with 41 percent saying Biden and 39 percent choosing Trump.
Biden’s 36-point lead in the presidential contest shows that Democrats still have strong backing in the community, which could help Biden in some states where the race is tight.
The poll also finds that Biden’s greatest support with Hispanic registered voters is among those 18 years old to 39 years old — 71 percent of that group backs him.
Latinos are one of the largest demographic blocs of eligible voters this election, at 32 million, and their votes and turnout could be a crucial factor in several key battleground states.
One thing to note though, Biden’s lead is less of an advantage than Hillary Clinton held at this point in the race last time around.
Sam Levine and Alvin Chang report for us this morning on new data obtained by the Guardian that provides some of the most detailed insight yet into widespread United States Postal Service mail delays this summer.
Shortly after taking the helm, Louis DeJoy - a major Republican donor with no prior USPS experience - implemented operational changes he said were intended to make the financially beleaguered agency more efficient. Those changes, which included an effort to get postal trucks to run on time, led to severe delays and widespread public outcry this summer.
In late August, DeJoy announced he was putting the changes on hold until after the election, and last week a federal judge in Washington blocked USPS from implementing them. The changes were clearly aimed at “voter disenfranchisement”, given the increased role USPS will play in this year’s presidential election, the US district judge Stanley Bastian wrote in his ruling.
“It is easy to conclude that the recent Postal Services’ changes is an intentional effort on the part the current Administration to disrupt and challenge the legitimacy of upcoming local, state, and federal elections,” Bastian wrote.
Read it here: Revealed: evidence shows huge mail slowdowns after Trump ally took over
Biden campaign in huge cash boost over Trump
The Biden campaign team have been touting a significant cash advantage over the Trump team this weekend. On Friday, Trump’s campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh announced they had $325 million cash on hand.
On Sunday, Biden’s team revealed that they have $466 million cash on hand, an advantage of $141m.
Some reasons for the disparity, given that Biden’s fund-raising was way behind the president’s earlier in the year?
Firstly, Democrats were more cautious with their spending in spring, when Trump was advertising heavily. Secondly, the Biden campaign saw a spike in donations after Kamala Harris was named as his VP pick.
As Politico report:
Last month, the Trump campaign significantly reined in its TV advertising, even going off the air at times in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio and Minnesota. Biden ended up outspending Trump more than 3-to-1 on TV in August, $69.9 million to $18.8 million, according to Advertising Analytics.
The cuts to Trump’s TV spending reflected a growing fear of a cash crunch for the campaign, as Biden caught up in fundraising. But Trump officials have pushed back on the notion that they’re facing financial problems, pointing to a focus on digital and in-person campaigning, among other things.
A quick snap report from Reuters here about US-Russia relations over nuclear weapons. The Russians say that they see “minimal” chances of extending the New START treaty with the United States - the last major nuclear arms pact between the two countries - because it does not accept conditions set out by Washington. The quote is from deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov, who was talking earlier this morning.
His comments came after Marshall Billingslea, the US special presidential envoy for arms control, told a Russian newspaper that Moscow must accept a joint agreement with the United States on extending the treaty before the US presidential election in November.
“I suspect that after President Trump wins re-election, if Russia has not taken up our offer, that the price of admission, as we would say in the US, goes up,” Billingslea told Kommersant newspaper in an interview.
Ryabkov said the condition stated by Billingslea constituted an ultimatum and lowered the chances of reaching any kind of agreement to extend the deal, which expires in February next year.
“We cannot talk in this manner,” TASS news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying. Another agency, RIA, quoted him as saying the chances of a treaty extension were minimal.
The New START accord, signed in 2010, limits the number of strategic nuclear warheads that Russia and the United States can deploy.
Failure to extend it would remove the main pillar maintaining the balance of nuclear arms between the two countries, adding yet another element of tension to their already fraught relationship.
Women arrested after attempting to send poisoned package to White House
Associated Press are reporting that a woman suspected of sending an envelope containing the poison ricin addressed to the White House has been arrested at the New York-Canada border.
The letter had been intercepted earlier this week before it reached the White House. The woman was taken into custody by US Customs and Border Protection officers at the Peace Bridge border crossing near Buffalo and is expected to face federal charges, officials said. Her name was not immediately released.
The letter addressed to the White House appeared to have originated in Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have said. It was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump and a preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, according to the officials.
There have been several prior instances in which US officials have been targeted with ricin sent through the mail.
A Navy veteran was arrested in 2018 and confessed to sending envelopes to Trump and members of his administration that contained the substance from which ricin is derived. In 2014, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 25 years in prison after sending letters dusted with ricin to Barack Obama.
Robert Graetz, minister who helped organize Montgomery Bus Boycott, dies at 92
Some sad news overnight here. The Montgomery Advertiser reported late last night that Rev. Robert Graetz, whose support of the 1955-56 Montgomery Bus Boycott made him a target of segregationists and sparked a career dedicated to social justice, died on Sunday. He had been in hospice care and was 92. The paper reports that:
Graetz was the only white clergyman to support the boycott, and like other participants in the boycott, the reverend and his family persisted in the face of harassment, terrorism, and death threats that extended to their preschool children. The family home was bombed twice, and while arrests were made, no one was ever convicted. Graetz often became emotional remembering the bombings in later years.
Graetz had spent barely six months as the pastor of Trinity Lutheran Evangelical Church in 1955 when Black leaders in the city organized the boycott, following Rosa Parks’ arrest on 1 December. The Sunday after the arrest and first organizational meetings, Graetz encouraged his congregation to unite behind the protest.
“Let’s try to make this boycott as effective as possible because it won’t be any boycott if half of us ride the buses and half don’t ride,” Graetz told the congregation. “So if we’re going to do it, let’s make a good job of it.”
With a full schedule that included preaching at churches in Clanton and Wetumpka, Graetz took an active role in the boycott. From 6am to 9am each day, he drove a Chevrolet in support of the boycott, shuttling as many as 50 people a day between home and work.
Read more here: Montgomery Advertiser – Robert Graetz, minister who helped organize Montgomery Bus Boycott, dies at 92
If you need a quick refresher on what is at stake here, our video team have put together this explainer on why Democrats are worried about the prospect of a conservative majority supreme court for decades to come, and are hoping to push back the appointment of a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg until after an election they hope to win.
Within hours of the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Donald Trump tweeted that he would select her replacement “without delay”, then said he would select a woman. He recently issued a list of potential supreme court nominees, and one of the women on it, considered a front-runner for the pick, is Amy Coney Barrett. Here’s Soo Youn in Washington with a profile of the woman who might end up at the centre of the supreme court storm as election day approaches:
In Barrett, 48, conservatives see a young, strict constructionist who interprets the constitution through what she thinks its writers intended – a jurist in the mold of Antonin Scalia, the conservative justice (and close friend of Ginsburg), who died in February 2016 and for whom Barrett clerked.
That the devout Catholic mother of seven – she and her husband, Jesse M Barrett, have five biological children and adopted two from Haiti – is seen as a potential successor to Ginsburg has raised concerns among progressives. Many fear that if confirmed on the bench, Barrett would vote to overturn Roe v Wade, the 1973 ruling which safeguards the right to abortion.
Barrett opposes abortion. And she has already fielded questions about her faith and its role in how she views the law. During a 2017 confirmation hearing, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California commented: “The dogma lives loudly in you.”
Some said the remark was discriminatory against Catholics. But some who know Barrett said the line of questioning went to the heart of what makes her a good candidate for the supreme court, as her responses showed a dispassionate temperament and calm demeanor.
Read more here: ‘I’m saving her for Ginsburg’: who is Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s likely supreme court pick?
Here’s a clip of Joe Biden making his appeal to moderates across the aisle:
“I’m speaking to those Republicans out there, Senate Republicans, who know deep down what is right for the country and consistent with the constitution.”
Good morning, welcome to our coverage of US politics for Monday, which will inevitably be dominated by the continuing row over filling the seat on the supreme court vacated after the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Here’s a catch-up on where we are, and a little of what we might see today.
- “You can’t unring the bell” – in Philadelphia last night Joe Biden appealed to more moderate Republicans to do the right thing by their conscience, and wait until after the election before appointing a new US supreme court justice.
- He quoted back Sen. Lindsey Graham’s own words from 2016 when Republicans stalled on accepting Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland for the court because it was an election year.
- It wasn’t the Democratic nominee’s most assured performance though. On social media Republican commentators made much of the fact that Biden mangled his numbers and appeared to say that 200 million Americans had died from coronavirus.
- Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has joined Susan Collins of Maine in opposition to Mitch McConnell’s plan to push through a new supreme court justice – but he can still afford one more defection before November.
- There were 213 new coronavirus deaths and 36,401 new cases reported yesterday. Worryingly that is slightly up on the average from two weeks ago, when numbers usually take a dip on a Sunday because of the way they are recorded.
- A leak revealed $2tn of possibly corrupt US financial activity. Among those named in reports is Paul Manafort, former political strategist for Trump.
- There may be an executive order from Trump imposing further sanctions on Iran.
- The president has two campaign stops today. Donald Trump deliver remarks on “Fighting for the American Worker” in Dayton, Ohio at 5pm ET, then moves on to Swanton for a “Great American Comeback” rally.
I’ll be here for the next couple of hours and you can get in touch with me on email at martin.belam@theguardian.com
Updated
