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The day after the head of the White House coronavirus task force tried to defend the administration’s pandemic response from behind a plexiglass divider, President Trump has refused to participate in a debate in which he can’t potentially infect Joe Biden. Name a more normal 24 hours, we’ll wait.
- In the Wednesday vice-presidential debate that almost certainly shouldn’t have happened, Kamala Harris clearly and concisely laid the Trump administration’s failures at Mike Pence’s feet, Pence evaded questions about COVID-19, abortion, climate change, and healthcare, and a fly that landed on Pence’s snow-white hair for a full two minutes captured the hearts and minds of a traumatized nation. The fly thing was honestly the big takeaway, but you should also be aware of Pence’s garbage answer on racial justice, his claim that Trump’s repeated, live-televised refusals to condemn white supremacists were somehow matters of “selective editing,” and his offensive counterpoint that Trump has Jewish grandchildren. In snap polls, voters declared Harris the winner by a large margin.
- Pence was notably not made to answer for the White House coronavirus outbreak and Donald Trump’s personal recklessness, nor stopped from repeatedly steamrolling through Harris’s time. Moderator Susan Page followed up his refusal to commit to a peaceful transfer of power with the question, how come the political parties cAn’T jUsT GeT AlOng? Anyway, totally unrelated, remember when Page hosted a “Girls’ Night” for the Trump administration’s top health-insurance official Seema Verma? Lastly, we would be remiss not to say a quick “fuck you” to Mother for appearing onstage without a mask in violation of debate rules, during this reckoning of a week.
- On Thursday the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the October 15 town hall-style debate would be virtual, on account of Trump’s continued status as (paraphrasing) a walking bucket of murder germs. Trump refused to participate in a format in which he a) could be easily muted and b) couldn’t cough on his opponent, and announced he would hold a superspreader rally instead. His campaign then called for the debate to be delayed altogether, an idea the Biden campaign immediately rejected: “Trump's erratic behavior does not allow him to rewrite the calendar, and pick new dates of his choosing.” After Trump backed out (cue Elizabeth Warren chicken noises), Biden set up an ABC News town hall on October 15 to address voters on his own. The final debate on October 22 is, for now, still on.
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Meanwhile, the White House coronavirus cover-up continues.
- It’s now been nearly a week since Trump announced his diagnosis, and we still have no answer to the basic question of when he last tested negative. We did learn how far Trump will go to hide pertinent information about his health: Last year he made doctors at Walter Reed sign nondisclosure agreements before they were allowed to participate in his Very Routine Surprise Physical (Part I). A number of lawyers have noted that NDAs forced on government workers—including the staff at Walter Reed—are unenforceable, meaning there would be no actual legal repercussions for any cool-ass doctors who decided to squeal, wink wink our DMs are open.
- In his first deranged Fox News interview since his hospitalization, Trump suggested that perhaps the Gold Star families whom he exposed to coronavirus at a White House event actually infected ~him~. While Trump tries to deflect blame for a giant outbreak that may have exposed thousands of people across the country, the Washington, DC, Health Department has released an open letter begging all White House staff and anyone who attended the Rose Garden superspreader to seek medical advice and get tested.
So here we are in the election homestretch, with the candidate who failed to protect the country and himself from a deadly virus now fighting tooth and nail against measures to prevent him from transmitting that virus to the other ticket. It’s hard to imagine any debate answer, in any format, that could reveal a more damning contrast than that. 26 days.
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On a special takeover episode of Campaign Experts React, we’re joined by returning guest Alex O’Keefe (Creative Director of the Sunrise Movement,) Kohar Minassian (Video Producer at Team AOC and Co-Founder of &Roses,) and Tahseen Rabbi (former Bernie 2020 Video Producer and Co-Founder of &Roses.) They look at four ads to discuss what worked well and what made them cringe. Watch & subscribe here →
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Thirteen men have been charged in connection with a domestic terrorism plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI). Federal authorities charged six of the men with conspiracy to kidnap, while state authorities charged the other seven people—linked to the militia group “Wolverine Watchmen”—with state terrorism crimes. The men’s plan involved storming the state capitol and instigating a civil war, in addition to kidnapping Whitmer and other government officials. They had met several times for firearms training and to try to build explosives. We now hark back to when Donald Trump egged on armed anti-lockdown protesters in Michigan. Today’s announcement is a chilling reminder that not only has the president refused to denounce white supremacy, he’s aligned his rhetoric with that of people who pose the greatest terrorist threat to the country, and Americans are in real danger as a result.
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- Joe! Biden! Tested! Negative! We can now turn our full attention to worrying about whether Vice President Mike “I’m canceling a trip to Indianapolis, actually” Pence sprayed more than just lies on the debate stage with Kamala Harris.
- Elliot Broidy, a former top fundraiser for President Trump and the GOP, has been charged for his role in a scheme to influence the U.S. government on behalf of foreign interests. Broidy will plead guilty to participating in a scheme to illegally lobby the Trump administration to abandon an investigation into a Malaysian businessman.
- White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows hosted an Atlanta wedding for his daughter with 70 guests in May, in violation of a statewide order and city guidelines limiting gatherings to 10 people. Just a nice little anecdote for everyone who’s been unable to see their loved ones for the last seven months.
- The Regeneron antibody cocktail that Trump has falsely called a coronavirus “cure” was developed with cells derived from fetal tissue, a type of research the administration has moved to shut down to satisfy the anti-choice lobby. Republicans hate hypocrisy, so this will surely change some minds.
- Health officials have been rushing to deliver Trump’s illegal drug-discount bribes to seniors before the election, as Trump loses their support in the polls at a rapid clip.
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he hasn’t been to the White House in months because of its lax approach to coronavirus, then got right back to work trying to jam through a Supreme Court justice who would agree to hand the election to the leader of that White House over the will of the voters.
- Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron filed a motion to bar a grand juror in Breonna Taylor’s case from discussing the proceedings.
- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there will be no standalone airline aid without a larger stimulus package, and also that “We’re going to be talking about the 25th Amendment.” Two great tastes that taste great together.
- Saturday Night Live canceled Morgan Wallen’s scheduled musical performance after he spent the weekend violating coronavirus safety protocols. Live from New York, it’s the consequences of your own actions!
- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo put out a memo on “upcoming elections in Africa,” without specifying any particular countries. We are begging an NPR reporter to ask Mike to point to the countries with upcoming elections on a blank map.
- Mayor Pete has found his calling and it is cheerfully doing cold-blooded murders on Fox News.
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Many Black communities deeply distrust vaccines thanks to a long history of abuse, and researchers have begun turning to neighborhood leaders to recruit participants for coronavirus vaccine trials. Historical medical nightmares like the Tuskegee experiment combined with a famously untrustworthy and racist federal government have naturally made people of color reluctant to participate in trials—so far, only about three percent of people who have signed up nationally are Black. But with the coronavirus taking a greater toll on people of color, diversity in the vaccine trials is crucial. In Pittsburgh, PA, teams of volunteer recruiters have made headway in persuading people to enroll by meeting them where they are, listening to their fears and concerns, and understanding the overlapping traumas at play.
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Today through October 18 at Nordstrom Rack, find limited-time price drops on home organization, bedding & more! Shop now →
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Democrats raised $15 million in just 12 hours after the start of Kamala Harris’s debate performance.
Toto, I’ve got a feeling we're sticking around Kansas to win a Senate seat, actually.
Progressive groups have unveiled a 2021 “People’s Charter” laying out what’s possible for a Joe Biden administration to achieve next year.
Sesame Street will air a special teaching kids to stand up against racism.
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