Former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Bill Hagerty (R) won the Republican Senate primary in Tennessee, the AP reports.
Model Now Predicts 300,000 Deaths In U.S.
“Researchers behind an influential model are projecting that the US death toll from coronavirus could reach nearly 300,000 by December 1 — but that can be changed if Americans consistently wear masks,” CNN reports.
DeSantis Says It’s Safe to Hug In Nursing Homes
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said that it was safe for visitors to nursing homes to hug family members as long as they used personal protective equipment, contradicting medical experts, The Hill reports.
Said DeSantis: “Do not only fixate on testing … look, I’m comfortable with the PPE. Hell, hug ’em, I mean, come on. If you have PPE on and you hug and don’t sneeze or do something on them, you’re going to be fine.”
Saudi Crown Prince Accused of Ordering Assasination
“A former top Saudi intelligence officer and close U.S. intelligence ally has accused Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of targeting him for assassination and taking his children hostage because he has knowledge of damaging secrets about the prince’s rise to power,” the Washington Post reports.
What Were We Thinking?
A must-read out this fall: What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era by Carlos Lozada.
“The Washington Post’s Pulitzer Prize–winning book critic uses the books of the Trump era to argue that our response to this presidency reflects the same failures of imagination that made it possible.”
- Hardcover Book
- Lozada, Carlos (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages - 10/06/2020 (Publication Date) - Simon & Schuster (Publisher)
Trump Approval Near All-Time Low
A new Pew Research poll finds President Trump’s approval at a dismal 38% to 59%.
Among Republicans and Republican leaners, 77% currently say they approve of Trump’s performance; only 5% of Democrats and Democratic leaners say the same.
Trump Request for 4th Debate Rejected
The Commission on Presidential Debates rejected the Trump campaign’s request to add a fourth debate in early September.
Trump Says Biden Is ‘Against God’
President Trump claimed to a small crowd in Ohio that Joe Biden is “against God.”
Said Trump: “No religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt… God. He’s against God, he’s against guns.”
Three Interesting Senate Races
New Quinnipiac polls of some interesting U.S. Senate races:
- South Carolina: Graham 44%, Harrison 44%
- Maine: Gideon 47%, Collins 43%
- Kentucky: McConnell 49%, McGrath 44%
Said pollster Tim Malloy: “Big political names. Huge political stakes. High anxiety for the GOP. Three GOP Senators who easily won their last reelection bids are looking over their shoulders less than three months from Election Day.”
Michael Cohen Has Offer to Be Political Consultant
Michael Cohen “has been offered work as a consultant and to make media appearances for a political action committee,” the AP reports.
“Cohen also plans to have discussions with his editor and publisher ‘as quickly as possible’ to achieve his goal of publishing a book critical of Trump before November’s election.”
Biden Leads In Midwestern Battlegrounds
New polls from the Focus on Rural America:
- Iowa: Biden 49%, Trump 43%
- Michigan: Biden 51%, Trump 41%
- Minnesota: Biden 54%, Trump 36%
- Wisconsin: Biden 53%, Trump 42%
Whitmer Remains on Biden’s List
As Joe Biden appears set to begin holding final one-on-one conversations with potential running mates, sources close to the process tell NBC News that Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) is among those still under serious consideration.
Elliott Abrams to Replace Brian Hook as Iran Envoy
“Brian Hook, the State Department’s special envoy for Iran and one of the few national security officials to survive the turmoil in the foreign policy team through most of President Trump’s term, plans to announce Thursday that he is resigning his post,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. Hook will be succeeded by Elliott Abrams, a conservative foreign policy veteran and Iran hard-liner who is currently the State Department’s special representative for Venezuela.”
Larry Summers Won’t Take Job In Biden Administration
Former Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers, an adviser to Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, says he won’t be joining the Biden administration if the former vice president defeats President Trump in November, Bloomberg reports.
Said Summers: “I am very, very happy being able to speak freely. My time in government is behind me and my time as a free speaker is ahead of me.”
DeWine Tests Positive
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) announced that he tested positive but had no symptoms of covid-19, as President Trump traveled to the state, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
One Billion Americans
An interesting book out next month: One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger by Matthew Yglesias.
“If the most challenging crisis in living memory has shown us anything, it’s that America has lost the will and the means to lead. We can’t compete with the huge population clusters of the global marketplace by keeping our population static or letting it diminish, or with our crumbling transit and unaffordable housing. The winner in the future world is going to have more—more ideas, more ambition, more utilization of resources, more people.”
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Yglesias, Matthew (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 287 Pages - 09/15/2020 (Publication Date) - Portfolio (Publisher)
Trump Says Vaccine Could Be Ready by Election Day
President Trump said it was possible the United States would have a coronavirus vaccine before the November 3 election, a more optimistic forecast than timing put forth by his own White House health experts, Reuters reports.
Pelosi Rips Republicans Over Relief Package Negotiations
Speaker Nancy Pelosi tore into her Republican colleagues for their approach to negotiating the next coronavirus relief package, telling CNBC: “Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.”