This isn’t a TV boardroom; there are rules here. [Ben Smith/Politico]
THE FEED
The latest COVID-19 vaccine to enter the final stage of trials is easier to store and administer
The first coronavirus vaccine that aims to protect people with a single shot has entered the final stages of testing in the United States in an international trial that will recruit up to 60,000 participants.
The experimental vaccine being developed by pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is the fourth vaccine to enter the large, Phase 3 trials in the United States that will determine whether they are effective and safe. Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer of J&J, predicted that there may be enough data to have results by the end of the year and said the company plans to manufacture 1 billion doses next year.
Three other vaccine candidates have a head start, with U.S. trials that began earlier in the summer, but the vaccine being developed by Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a division of J&J, has several advantages that could make it logistically easier to administer and distribute if it is proved safe and effective.
The company is initially testing a single dose, whereas the other vaccines being tested in the United States require a return visit and second shot three to four weeks after the first one to trigger a protective immune response. The J&J vaccine can also be stored in liquid form at refrigerator temperatures for three months, whereas two of the front-runner candidates must be frozen or kept at ultracold temperatures for long-term storage.
Trump’s reported disdain for the military moved Cindy McCain from offering kind words about Biden during the DNC to actually endorsing him
Cindy McCain endorsed Democratic nominee Joe Biden for president on Tuesday.
“My husband John lived by a code: country first,” McCain tweeted. “We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There’s only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is @JoeBiden.”
Her announcement came a few hours after Biden said McCain would be endorsing him during a virtual fundraiser. Biden said at the event that the widow of Republican Sen. John McCain decided to support him following a damning report by The Atlantic that said President Donald Trump had called fallen war veterans “suckers.”
“Maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I’m about to go on one of these Zooms with John McCain’s wife, who is, first time ever, is endorsing me because of what he talks about with my son and John’s who are heroes, who served their country, you know he said they’re losers, they’re suckers,” Biden said according to a pool report of the event.
qanon
QAnon Is Madness. But Believing In It Can Be Rational.
the national interest
Trump Says Reporters Covering Protests Deserve to Be Attacked
coronavirus
Pentagon Spent Most of Its CARES Act Cash on Jet Parts and Uniforms: Report
vision 2020
Pennsylvania Becomes Ground Zero For Election Lawsuits
florida
Bloomberg Helps Pay Fines of 32,000 Florida Ex-Felons So They Can Vote
The Trump administration has deliberately undermined the census
A new Commerce Dept OIG report concludes:
“I. The decision to accelerate the Census schedule was not made by the Census Bureau.
II. The accelerated schedule increases the risks to obtaining a complete and accurate 2020 Census.”
(This is what a politicized census looks like.)
—@jbendery
“I. The decision to accelerate the Census schedule was not made by the Census Bureau.
II. The accelerated schedule increases the risks to obtaining a complete and accurate 2020 Census.”
(This is what a politicized census looks like.)
coronavirus stimulus
Will Distractions Kill COVID-19 Stimulus Talks Until After the Election?
games
Sports Pulled Off a Miracle in 2020. Now What About 2021?
the national interest
Senate Republicans Approve Trump Court Nominee Sight Unseen
poll position
New State Polls Show Biden Landslide and Narrow Trump Win Are Both Possible
But he’s still going to be asked about this at every debate
Joe Biden on expanding Supreme Court: “It’s a legitimate question, but let me tell you why I’m not going answer. Because it will shift the focus…Let’s say I answer that question, then the whole debate’s gonna be about what Biden said or didn’t say.” https://t.co/vMbV97lpF4 pic.twitter.com/lXm63oJu4c
—@mviser
How COVID-19 could come home for the holidays
New guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the upcoming holiday season warns that hosts and attendees at holiday celebrations will need to take steps to limit the risk of contracting and spreading the novel coronavirus. …
Instead of communal, potluck-style food, hosts can ask attendees to bring their own, the CDC said. Cutting down on shared items by having one person serve, and getting single-use plates and condiments, are also recommended, according to the CDC.
Traditional celebrations like Halloween trick-or-treating, large indoor Día de los Muertos gatherings, crowded Thanksgiving parades and Black Friday shopping sprees could spread the virus and should be avoided, according to the guidance. The CDC recommends alternatives such as virtual Halloween costume contests, holding a small dinner for household members and shopping online.
vision 2020
Trump’s Closing Message to Seniors: I Don’t Care If You Die
supreme court
Game Over: Romney Says He’s Fine With Supreme Court Vote This Year
the top line
Nikola Says It’s Not the Next Theranos
supreme court
How the Timeline for Confirming Trump’s SCOTUS Nominee Will Play Out
power
The Grand Jury Decision on the Officers Who Killed Breonna Taylor Is Imminent
the national interest
Trump, Orbán, and Putin Are Forming an Authoritarian Alliance
Trump is upset that Republicans only back some of his authoritarian efforts
President Donald Trump said Monday he was furious with Republicans in Washington for not doing enough to take up his unsubstantiated claims about former Obama administration officials and Hunter Biden.
“Does anything happen? Nothing happens,” Trump said at an event in Dayton, Ohio. “I’m so angry at Republicans. I am. I’m so angry. I am so angry, but a lot of things are happening.”
supreme court
If the McConnell Rule Is Dead, Court-Packing Is Permitted
trump rally
Ohio Lt. Governor Booed at Trump Rally for Promoting Trump 2020 Masks
trump tax returns
Manhattan District Attorney Says Trump Could Be Investigated for Tax Fraud
ruth bader ginsburg
Anti-Abortion Zealots Demand a Vote to Fill Ginsburg’s Seat
None of the early polling suggests a majority of Americans want Republicans to fill RBG’s seat right now
🚨 New 🚨 Supreme Court polling:
53% - 39% Don’t fill before election
51% - 39% Don’t fill in lame duck if Biden wins
40% - 39% Expand Court if Trump fills
Democrats more likely to say Supreme Court increases their motivation. https://t.co/IgEgoLZD4U
—@DataProgress
53% - 39% Don’t fill before election
51% - 39% Don’t fill in lame duck if Biden wins
40% - 39% Expand Court if Trump fills
Democrats more likely to say Supreme Court increases their motivation. https://t.co/IgEgoLZD4U
centers for disease control
CDC Reverses on COVID-19 Airborne Transmission Guidelines
2020 elections
Loeffler Ad Boasts She’s More Conservative Than Attila the Hun
supreme court
How a New Conservative Justice Could Affect the Supreme Court
Crews told the CDC he would “retire” from his post in the aftermath of this article
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.
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