“Terry Branstad is stepping down as U.S. ambassador to China, ending a more than three-year tenure at the forefront of Washington’s increasingly strained relationship with Beijing,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Quote of the Day
“It’s an extraordinary flip of the mood in the country in a short amount of time… that portends change. Whether voters hold Trump or Republicans in the House or Senate accountable or not, they’re still going to vote for change.”
— GOP pollster Neil Newhouse, quoted by Vox.
Most Disapprove of Trump’s Virus Response
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll finds President Trump’s approval for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic at 35%, compared to 65% who disapprove.
“Roughly two-thirds of the country think the president acted too slowly in responding to the outbreak and also distrust what he has said about the coronavirus — a precarious reality for Trump who is facing reelection in less than two months in a campaign largely seen as a referendum on his response to the unprecedented crisis.”
Sisolak Slams Trump as ‘Reckless and Selfish’
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) slammed President Trump Sunday night for violating state rules by holding a campaign rally indoors with thousands of people, NBC News reports.
Said Sisolak: “This is an insult to every Nevadan who has followed the directives, made sacrifices, and put their neighbors before themselves. It’s also a direct threat to all of the recent progress we’ve made and could potentially set us back.”
The governor said of Trump, “As usual, he doesn’t believe the rules apply to him” and accused the president of “reckless and selfish actions.”
Why Fed Officials Are Pushing for More Stimulus
“Federal Reserve officials don’t like to wade into political debates, which is why it can be a distress signal when they do,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“In normal times, central bankers generally avoid making specific recommendations on hot-button spending, tax and other policy matters handled by elected officials, because they want to preserve their autonomy to manage monetary policy with minimal interference.”
“These aren’t ordinary times. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell has delicately but resolutely said in recent months he expects Congress will need to do more to compensate for income losses sustained by unemployed workers and revenue holes facing hard-hit businesses and city and state governments because of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Vaccine Makers Keep Safety Details Quiet
New York Times: “It’s standard for drug companies to withhold details of clinical trials until after they are completed, tenaciously guarding their intellectual property and competitive edge. But these are extraordinary times, and now there is a growing outcry among independent scientists and public health experts who are pushing the companies to be far more open with the public in the midst of a pandemic that has already killed more than 193,000 people in the United States.”
“These experts say American taxpayers are entitled to know more since the federal government has committed billions of dollars to vaccine research and to buying the vaccines once they’re approved. And greater transparency could also help bolster faltering public confidence in vaccines at a time when a growing number of Americans fear President Trump will pressure federal regulators to approve a vaccine before it is proved safe and effective.”
How Biden’s Campaign Is Trying to Avoid Virus
Politico: “Joe Biden’s chartered airplanes and SUVs are meticulously sprayed with disinfectant and scrubbed. The microphones, lecterns and folders he uses are wiped down in the moments before his arrival. News reporters covering the campaign have their temperature taken. People he meets are scanned in advance with thermometer wands and guests at his events are cordoned off in precise locations mapped out with a tape measure.”
“The former vice president is seldom without a mask when in public or around anyone other than his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. Access to their home is limited to only a few staffers — and when they’re inside, each wears a mask, including Biden. The level of discipline is such that at times when someone stops to take a drink of water, that person will turn their head away from the others to reduce the chances of scattering droplets.”
“With more than 6 million people infected and nearly 200,000 dead from the coronavirus, the former vice president is taking no chances with his safety. He operates in a sanitizer-saturated bubble within the traditional presidential campaign bubble, an environment designed and obsessively cultivated by staff in an attempt to protect him from a possible encounter with the virus.”
Quote of the Day
“Donald Trump is a liar who has killed people, straight up.”
— Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist (D), quoted by WDIV.
South Dakota AG Involved In Fatal Crash
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) called a surprise press conference on Sunday evening to announce that state attorney general Jason Ravnsborg (R) had been involved in a fatal car crash the night before, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports.
Noem did not say who was killed or how.
Iran Mulls Assassinating U.S. Ambassador
“The Iranian government is considering assassinating the American ambassador to South Africa, U.S. intelligence reports say,” Politico reports.
“News of the plot comes as Iran continues to seek ways to retaliate for President Trump’s decision to kill a powerful Iranian general earlier this year, the officials said. If carried out, it could dramatically ratchet up already serious tensions between the U.S. and Iran and create enormous pressure on Trump to strike back — possibly in the middle of a tense election season.”
Another Political Wire Reader
It’s interesting to learn that Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is a Political Wire reader.
Trump to Hold Indoor Rally Violating Nevada Rules
President Trump plans to hold a fully indoor rally, where thousands are expected, for the first time in three months on Sunday in Henderson, Nevada, CNN reports.
“The City of Henderson has issued a compliance letter and verbal warning to the event organizer that the event as planned would be in direct violation of the governor’s COVID-19 emergency directives. Specifically, gatherings of more than 50 people in a private or public setting is prohibited.”
Biden Will Run Ads During Every Football Game
Joe Biden’s campaign has purchased at least one advertising slot for every game between now and Election Day, NPR reports.
The news comes as Biden’s campaign has closed in on the Trump campaign’s formerly-large cash advantage in recent months.
Pompeos Knew Staff Were Doing Personal Chores
Newly-released emails show Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife, Susan knew their requests of State Department staff were personal tasks and not official business, McClatchy reports.
Trump the Peacemaker?
New York Times: “Next week, Mr. Trump will host a signing ceremony for Israel’s twin détentes with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. On Saturday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo presided over the start of intra-Afghan peace talks in Afghanistan that offer the best promise yet of ending that country’s 19-year war. And last week, the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia visited the White House to announce normalized economic relations that could help end decades-old hostilities. At the same time, Mr. Trump is withdrawing more American troops from Afghanistan and Iraq.”
How Conspiracy Theories Are Shaping the Election
Time: “This matters not just because of what these voters believe but also because of what they don’t. The facts that should anchor a sense of shared reality are meaningless to them; the news developments that might ordinarily inform their vote fall on deaf ears. They will not be swayed by data on coronavirus deaths, they won’t be persuaded by job losses or stock market gains, and they won’t care if Trump called America’s fallen soldiers ‘losers’ or ‘suckers,’ as the Atlantic reported, because they won’t believe it. They are impervious to messaging, advertising or data. They aren’t just infected with conspiracy; they appear to be inoculated against reality.”
Minnesota Seemed Ripe for a Trump Breakout
“If any state is positioned to go from blue to red in 2020, to embrace the fullness of Trumpology and provide the president some much-needed Electoral College insurance, it is Minnesota,” the New York Times reports.
“The state’s northern and eastern regions have grown more conservative over the years, and Republicans won two House seats in the state during the 2018 midterm elections — a rare bright spot during an election characterized by an anti-Trump wave. Going into 2020, conservatives crowed that the issues that defined the state’s politics were straight from Mr. Trump’s playbook: in particular, a robust refugee relocation program that has inspired a white backlash in certain places outside the Twin Cities.”
“Mr. Biden’s advantage is driven by an erosion of Republican support for Mr. Trump in the state’s metropolitan areas, continuing the trend of suburban voters’ fleeing a president in crisis.”
