usatoday--2020-10-27--Supreme Court rules Wisconsin mail-in ballots must be received by Nov. 3

MADISON - The Supreme Court upheld Wisconsin 's voting laws Monday , rejecting an effort to require the counting of absentee ballots that are sent back to election officials on or just before Election Day .
The court 's 5-3 ruling means that absentee ballots will be counted only if they are in the hands of municipal clerks by the time polls close on Nov. 3 .
The justices determined the courts should n't be the ones to decide the election rules amid the coronavirus pandemic that is surging in Wisconsin and across the world .
`` The Constitution provides @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , not state judges , not state governors , not other state officials — bear primary responsibility for setting election rules , '' Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion .
In dissent , Associate Justice Elena Kagan gave that notion short shrift , noting Wisconsin 's Republican-run legislature has n't met since April .
Extending the deadline for absentee ballots should have been allowed , she wrote .
`` On the scales of both constitutional justice and electoral accuracy , protecting the right to vote in a health crisis outweighs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ days , '' Kagan wrote .
After the decision came out , election officials emphasized a message they have been hammering on for months — voters should return their absentee ballots as soon as they can .
`` If you ’ re planning to mail your ballot back , you should mail it back as soon as possible , '' said a statement from Meagan Wolfe , the director of the state Elections Commission .
Both sides were awaiting the decision anxiously because Wisconsin is a battleground in the presidential campaign .
President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 but has consistently trailed Democratic nominee Joe Biden in polls this fall .
Democrats , their allies and nonpartisan groups argued the state law requiring absentee ballots to be returned by Election Day should be loosened because of the pandemic and a slowing of mail .
They wanted ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted .
Republicans fought the rules , arguing the courts should n't change election rules even in the face of a pandemic that is keeping many people in their homes .
U.S. District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month with those who sued , but a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago reversed Conley 's decision in a 2-1 ruling this month .
The high court 's decision upholding the appeals ruling came less than an hour before the U.S. Senate confirmed Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court .
She replaces Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , who died last month .
The decision is the end of the road for the case and means voters will have to adhere to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ expected to have a record level of mail voting .
The district court ruling also would have given people more time to use an online portal to register to vote and allowed poll workers to serve in any community , not just ones in the counties where they reside .
But the Supreme Court , like the appeals panel , rejected those changes to election rules as well .
The decision was reached by the court 's conservative majority , Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Gorsuch , Clarence Thomas , Samuel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were its liberals , Kagan with Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor .
Gorsuch wrote that leaving decisions about how to conduct elections during the pandemic would lead to a `` Babel of decrees '' and that lawmakers were better positioned to make judgments about what to do .
`` Last-minute changes to longstanding election rules risk other problems too , inviting confusion and chaos and eroding public confidence in electoral outcomes , '' he wrote .
`` No one doubts that conducting a national election amid a pandemic poses serious challenges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judges may improvise with their own election rules in place of those the people ’ s representatives have adopted . ''
But Kagan warned that some voters wo n't get to cast ballots because of Monday 's decision .
`` Today , mail ballots often travel at a snail ’ s pace , and the elderly and ill put themselves in peril if they go to the polls , '' she wrote .
`` So citizens — thousands and thousands of them — who have followed all the State ’ s rules still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The decision comes amid a widening of the pandemic .
The state reported Monday that more than 200,000 Wisconsinites have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began .
Nearly 1,800 have died , including 10 recorded on Monday .
Democrats had hoped the justices might have seen the case differently because they allowed absentee ballots that were postmarked by election Day to be counted in Wisconsin 's April election for state Supreme Court .
About 80,000 additional votes were counted for that election because absentee ballots postmarked by election day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ received by election day .
Hundreds of election lawsuits have been filed around the country , mostly because of the pandemic and the expansion of mail voting .
Cases are headed to the Supreme Court over how absentee ballots are distributed , delivered and counted as Trump rails against the practice .
In one recent 5-3 ruling , the court blocked a judge 's ruling that would have allowed curbside voting in Alabama .
That decision came just days after a 4-4 tie among the justices allowed a decision to stand that allowed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if they arrived as late as Nov. 6 .
In the Pennsylvania case , Roberts sided with the liberals .
He wrote Monday that he voted the other way in the Wisconsin case because the lower court ruling came from a federal judge , not a state court , as it did in the Pennsylvania case .
Richard Wolf of USA TODAY contributed to this report .
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley @ jrn.com .
Follow him on Twitter at @ patrickdmarley .

Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Supreme Court rules Wisconsin mail-in ballots must be received by Nov. 3
Show Caption Hide Caption Elections 2020: Mail-in voting could decide next president Many states are planning on drastically different elections this year and mail-in ballots could be a big game changer. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
MADISON - The Supreme Court upheld Wisconsin's voting laws Monday, rejecting an effort to require the counting of absentee ballots that are sent back to election officials on or just before Election Day.
The court's 5-3 ruling means that absentee ballots will be counted only if they are in the hands of municipal clerks by the time polls close on Nov. 3.
The justices determined the courts shouldn't be the ones to decide the election rules amid the coronavirus pandemic that is surging in Wisconsin and across the world.
"The Constitution provides that state legislatures — not federal judges, not state judges, not state governors, not other state officials — bear primary responsibility for setting election rules," Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in a concurring opinion.
In dissent, Associate Justice Elena Kagan gave that notion short shrift, noting Wisconsin's Republican-run legislature hasn't met since April. Extending the deadline for absentee ballots should have been allowed, she wrote.
"On the scales of both constitutional justice and electoral accuracy, protecting the right to vote in a health crisis outweighs conforming to a deadline created in safer days," Kagan wrote.
After the decision came out, election officials emphasized a message they have been hammering on for months — voters should return their absentee ballots as soon as they can.
"If you’re planning to mail your ballot back, you should mail it back as soon as possible," said a statement from Meagan Wolfe, the director of the state Elections Commission.
Both sides were awaiting the decision anxiously because Wisconsin is a battleground in the presidential campaign. President Donald Trump won the state narrowly in 2016 but has consistently trailed Democratic nominee Joe Biden in polls this fall.
Democrats, their allies and nonpartisan groups argued the state law requiring absentee ballots to be returned by Election Day should be loosened because of the pandemic and a slowing of mail. They wanted ballots that are postmarked on or before Election Day to be counted.
Republicans fought the rules, arguing the courts shouldn't change election rules even in the face of a pandemic that is keeping many people in their homes.
U.S. District Judge William Conley in Madison agreed last month with those who sued, but a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in Chicago reversed Conley's decision in a 2-1 ruling this month.
The high court's decision upholding the appeals ruling came less than an hour before the U.S. Senate confirmed Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. She replaces Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last month.
The decision is the end of the road for the case and means voters will have to adhere to long-standing rules in an election that is expected to have a record level of mail voting.
The district court ruling also would have given people more time to use an online portal to register to vote and allowed poll workers to serve in any community, not just ones in the counties where they reside. But the Supreme Court, like the appeals panel, rejected those changes to election rules as well.
The decision was reached by the court's conservative majority, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Brett Kavanaugh. In dissent were its liberals, Kagan with Associate Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor.
Gorsuch wrote that leaving decisions about how to conduct elections during the pandemic would lead to a "Babel of decrees" and that lawmakers were better positioned to make judgments about what to do.
"Last-minute changes to longstanding election rules risk other problems too, inviting confusion and chaos and eroding public confidence in electoral outcomes," he wrote. "No one doubts that conducting a national election amid a pandemic poses serious challenges. But none of that means individual judges may improvise with their own election rules in place of those the people’s representatives have adopted."
But Kagan warned that some voters won't get to cast ballots because of Monday's decision.
"Today, mail ballots often travel at a snail’s pace, and the elderly and ill put themselves in peril if they go to the polls," she wrote. "So citizens — thousands and thousands of them — who have followed all the State’s rules still cannot cast a successful vote."
The decision comes amid a widening of the pandemic. The state reported Monday that more than 200,000 Wisconsinites have tested positive for the virus since the pandemic began. Nearly 1,800 have died, including 10 recorded on Monday.
Democrats had hoped the justices might have seen the case differently because they allowed absentee ballots that were postmarked by election Day to be counted in Wisconsin's April election for state Supreme Court.
About 80,000 additional votes were counted for that election because absentee ballots postmarked by election day were counted, rather than just those received by election day.
Hundreds of election lawsuits have been filed around the country, mostly because of the pandemic and the expansion of mail voting. Cases are headed to the Supreme Court over how absentee ballots are distributed, delivered and counted as Trump rails against the practice.
In one recent 5-3 ruling, the court blocked a judge's ruling that would have allowed curbside voting in Alabama.
That decision came just days after a 4-4 tie among the justices allowed a decision to stand that allowed ballots in Pennsylvania to be counted even if they arrived as late as Nov. 6.
In the Pennsylvania case, Roberts sided with the liberals. He wrote Monday that he voted the other way in the Wisconsin case because the lower court ruling came from a federal judge, not a state court, as it did in the Pennsylvania case.
Richard Wolf of USA TODAY contributed to this report.
Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.


usatoday--2020-10-26--Election 2020 live updates: Clarence Thomas to swear in ACB; Biden says he won't change SCOTUS lifet

President Donald Trump is back in Pennsylvania on Monday as his campaign tries to chip away at former Vice President Joe Biden 's polling lead in the Keystone State .
Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania in 2016 , but Biden is now leading Trump by 5.4 points there , according to USA TODAY 's polling average .
Both campaigns have their eyes on Pennsylvania .
Trump gave a rally there last week , former President Barack Obama was in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Biden and wife Dr. Jill Biden were there on Saturday .
Biden returned today to Chester , Pa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ninth justice today , when the Senate is expected to take its final confirmation vote on Amy Coney Barrett .
Vice President Mike Pence , who campaigns in Minnesota on Monday , had planned to preside over the Senate vote , but those plans are `` in flux '' after a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among his staff .
• 'Settle for Biden ' : The Settle for Biden organization urges young progressives to support the centrist as the better , if not ideal , candidate .
• Lincoln Project : Ivanka Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Lincoln Project over ads running in Times Square .
• Who performed better in debate ?
: A majority of registered voters said Biden performed better than Trump in the final debate last week , according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll .
📊 What the polls are saying : Biden is leading Trump in Florida and Pennsylvania , according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Saturday .
📆 Eight days until Election Day , 86 days until Inauguration Day , 67 days left in 2020 .
🗳 Voting : See @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on registering to vote , when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues .
We will update this article throughout the day .
You can follow all of USA TODAY 's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter .
Biden : No change in lifetime terms on Supreme Court Biden said Monday he wouldn ’ t try to limit the terms of Supreme Court justices , who serve lifetime appointments .
Biden ’ s comments came the same day the Senate was expected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barrett to the high court .
Biden and other Democrats have argued that the seat should have remained open until after the election , to give voters a voice in the decision .
Trump has accused Biden of wanting to expand the high court to dilute the power of conservative justices .
Biden has said if elected , he would appoint a bipartisan commission to study the federal courts for six months and make recommendations about possible changes in filling vacancies .
But at a campaign stop in Chester , Pennsylvania , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the length of terms .
“ It ’ s a lifetime appointment , ” Biden said .
“ I ’ m not going to attempt to change that at all.
” Jared Kushner : Black people do n't want to succeed enough Trump ’ s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner says the president wants to help Black people succeed but that they have to want to be successful .
“ But he can ’ t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful , ” Kushner said on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kushner also criticized people who protested after George Floyd 's killing .
“ You saw a lot of people who were just virtue signaling – they go on Instagram and cry , or they would , you know , put a slogan on their jersey or write something on a basketball court , ” Kushner said .
“ Quite frankly , that was doing more to polarize the country than it was to bring people forward .
You solve problems with solutions.
” Kushner 's implication that Black Americans lack a drive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he is blind to his own privilege from his family 's wealth .
`` Born on third base , thinks he hit a triple , '' said Rep. Don Beyer , D-Va. Clarence Thomas to swear in Amy Coney Barrett at Trump ceremony Justice Clarence Thomas is scheduled to swear in new Supreme Court member Amy Coney Barrett at a White House ceremony Monday night following the Senate confirmation vote , an official said .
The White House is planning to hold the event on the South Lawn , with social distancing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 , said an official familiar with the planning , speaking on condition of anonymity because the Senate has not yet confirmed Barrett .
After spending the day campaigning in Pennsylvania , Trump is scheduled to return to the White House around 7:40 p.m. , right around the time of the Senate vote .
Trump , who took criticism when the nomination ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett became a superspreader of COVID-19 , told reporters he wants a more low-key event .
“ Not a large event , just a very nice event @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dozen people tested positive for COVID-19 – including Trump himself – in the days after the Barrett nomination ceremony on Sept. 26 , in large part because guests were packed together in chairs set up in the Rose Garden and many did not wear masks .
`` We 'll be doing the best we can to encourage as much social distancing as possible , '' Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said of Monday 's event .
A ceremony is not required for Barrett to become a member of the high-court .
First @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major campaign appearance Tuesday in Pennsylvania .
The first lady will speak at an event moderated by former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway in Atglen , Pennsylvania , as the campaign looks to shore up support among suburban women , a key voting bloc crucial to the president 's reelection chances .
Last week she scrapped plans to appear with her husband at a rally in Erie , Pennsylvania , citing a `` lingering cough '' from her COVID-19 diagnosis earlier this month .
Melania Trump has shied away from the campaign trail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in June 2019 , when the president announced his reelection bid .
But the first lady supported her husband 's campaign through a keynote speech from the White House Rose Garden at the Republican National Convention in August .
Trump was speaking in Allentown , Lititz and Martinsburg , Pennsylvania on Monday .
In the first excerpt released Monday in The New Yorker from his upcoming presidential memoir , `` A Promised Land , '' due Nov. 17 , President Barack Obama , 59 , recalled his early days in the White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experiencing resentment and racist comments from fellow politicians and other Americans .
`` My instructions to the public-health team were simple : decisions would be made based on the best available science , and we were going to explain to the public each step of our response—including detailing what we did and didn ’ t know , '' he wrote .
Obama said that he did n't call out attacks labeling him an animal or Hitler because `` I didn ’ t believe a President should ever publicly whine about criticism from voters—it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in taking the job—and I was quick to remind both reporters and friends that my white predecessors had all endured their share of vicious personal attacks and obstructionism . ''
A government ethics office is investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for possible violations of the Hatch Act , a federal law that bars Executive Branch employees from engaging in partisan political activities , according to two House Democrats .
The probe centers on Pompeo ’ s controversial decision to deliver remarks to the Republican National Convention – even though it was a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ violate the State Department 's own policy barring partisan political activity .
“ Our offices have confirmed that the Office of Special Counsel has launched a probe into potential Hatch Act violations tied to Secretary Pompeo ’ s speech to the Republican National Convention , ” Reps. Eliot Engel , chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee , and Nita Lowey , chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee , said in a joint statement Monday .
The Hatch Act is intended to prevent public officials from using their taxpayer-funded office to conduct partisan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ OSC has opened a case file , but am unable to comment beyond that , ” said Zachary Kurz , a spokesman for the OSC .
The State Department ’ s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment .
The State Department previously dismissed questions about the ethics of Pompeo ’ s remarks by saying he was addressing the RNC in his `` personal capacity . ''
The agency said no official federal resources were used for the event .
But Pompeo made his speech in the middle of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Middle East .
His speech was recorded and piped in from Israel .
Pence 's plans to preside over Amy Coney Barrett vote 'in flux' Pence ’ s plans to preside over the Senate ’ s confirmation vote of Barrett were up in the air Monday , following the recent outbreak of coronavirus among his inner circle .
`` I think that is in flux , ” Meadows told reporters .
Pence ’ s vote , as president of the Senate , isn ’ t expected to be needed to break a tie @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Trump ’ s three Supreme Court nominations and presided over the confirmation votes of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh .
“ I ’ m gon na be in the chair because I wouldn ’ t miss that vote for the world , ” Pence said during a campaign rally in Florida Saturday .
But that was before his office revealed that Marc Short , Pence ’ s chief of staff , had tested positive for COVID-19 .
Other close aides have also contracted the virus .
Pence has not curtailed his public @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to Minnesota Monday – because the White House says he is an “ essential worker.
” Pence and second lady Karen Pence again tested negative for COVID-19 , the vice president 's office said Monday morning .
Senate Democrats , however , scoffed at the notion and said his presence in the Senate would be a clear violation of guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
“ It would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy , ” Democratic leaders wrote in a letter to Pence .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ [ Monday ] can be considered essential.
” Nancy Pelosi says she will seek another speaker term if Democrats keep House House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she will run for another term as speaker should Democrats keep control of the lower chamber .
When asked whether she would seek reelection in 2021 , Pelosi told CNN `` State of the Union '' host Jake Tapper , `` Yes , I am .
But let me also say , we have to win the Senate . ''
The statement is in line with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elected to the office , which limits her speakership to four years .
Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday that she would vote against Barrett ’ s confirmation to the Supreme Court , making the Maine Republican the only member of the GOP expected to oppose the federal appeals judge ’ s appointment to the high court .
Collins , who is facing a tough reelection battle , had said for weeks that she opposed the Senate taking up Barrett ’ s nomination before voters have their say on Election Day .
She reiterated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this vote is occurring prior to the election , I will vote against the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett , '' Collins said in a statement .
She added that her `` vote does not reflect any conclusion that I have reached about Judge Barrett ’ s qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court '' but rather , was about fairness after the Republican majority refused to take up Merrick Garland ’ s nomination by President Barack Obama to the Supreme Court months ahead of the 2016 election .

Election 2020 live updates: Clarence Thomas to swear in ACB; Biden says he won't change SCOTUS lifetime terms
Show Caption Hide Caption President Trump says he voted for 'guy named Trump' The US President said he voted "for a guy named Trump" after he cast his ballot in Fla. in early voting in the presidential elections. (Oct. 24) AP
President Donald Trump is back in Pennsylvania on Monday as his campaign tries to chip away at former Vice President Joe Biden's polling lead in the Keystone State.
Trump narrowly won Pennsylvania in 2016, but Biden is now leading Trump by 5.4 points there, according to USA TODAY's polling average.
Both campaigns have their eyes on Pennsylvania. Trump gave a rally there last week, former President Barack Obama was in Philadelphia on Wednesday and Biden and wife Dr. Jill Biden were there on Saturday. Biden returned today to Chester, Pa.
The Supreme Court could get its ninth justice today, when the Senate is expected to take its final confirmation vote on Amy Coney Barrett. Vice President Mike Pence, who campaigns in Minnesota on Monday, had planned to preside over the Senate vote, but those plans are "in flux" after a recent outbreak of COVID-19 among his staff.
☕ The latest:
'Settle for Biden': The Settle for Biden organization urges young progressives to support the centrist as the better, if not ideal, candidate.
The Settle for Biden organization urges young progressives to support the centrist as the better, if not ideal, candidate. Lincoln Project: Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have threatened to sue the Lincoln Project over ads running in Times Square.
Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have threatened to sue the Lincoln Project over ads running in Times Square. Who performed better in debate?: A majority of registered voters said Biden performed better than Trump in the final debate last week, according to a Politico/Morning Consult poll.
📊 What the polls are saying: Biden is leading Trump in Florida and Pennsylvania, according to a New York Times/Siena College poll released Saturday.
📆 Eight days until Election Day, 86 days until Inauguration Day, 67 days left in 2020.
Today in #Election2020:
•There are 8 days until Election Day
•Maryland starts early voting
•It's the last day to register to vote in Colorado, Montana and Washington. However, all three states allow in-person registration on Election Day. pic.twitter.com/8lzBL9gA10 — USA TODAY Politics (@usatodayDC) October 26, 2020
🗳 Voting: See USA TODAY's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote, when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues.
We will update this article throughout the day. You can follow all of USA TODAY's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter.
Biden said Monday he wouldn’t try to limit the terms of Supreme Court justices, who serve lifetime appointments.
Biden’s comments came the same day the Senate was expected to confirm federal appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the high court. Biden and other Democrats have argued that the seat should have remained open until after the election, to give voters a voice in the decision.
Trump has accused Biden of wanting to expand the high court to dilute the power of conservative justices. Biden has said if elected, he would appoint a bipartisan commission to study the federal courts for six months and make recommendations about possible changes in filling vacancies.
But at a campaign stop in Chester, Pennsylvania, he told reporters he wouldn’t change the length of terms.
“It’s a lifetime appointment,” Biden said. “I’m not going to attempt to change that at all.”
--Bart Jansen
Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner says the president wants to help Black people succeed but that they have to want to be successful.
“But he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful,” Kushner said on “Fox & Friends” on Monday.
Kushner also criticized people who protested after George Floyd's killing.
“You saw a lot of people who were just virtue signaling – they go on Instagram and cry, or they would, you know, put a slogan on their jersey or write something on a basketball court,” Kushner said. “Quite frankly, that was doing more to polarize the country than it was to bring people forward. You solve problems with solutions.”
Kushner's implication that Black Americans lack a drive to succeed drew criticisms of racism and that he is blind to his own privilege from his family's wealth.
"Born on third base, thinks he hit a triple," said Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va.
--William Cummings
Justice Clarence Thomas is scheduled to swear in new Supreme Court member Amy Coney Barrett at a White House ceremony Monday night following the Senate confirmation vote, an official said.
The White House is planning to hold the event on the South Lawn, with social distancing and masks for guests as precautions against COVID-19, said an official familiar with the planning, speaking on condition of anonymity because the Senate has not yet confirmed Barrett.
After spending the day campaigning in Pennsylvania, Trump is scheduled to return to the White House around 7:40 p.m., right around the time of the Senate vote.
Trump, who took criticism when the nomination ceremony for Amy Coney Barrett became a superspreader of COVID-19, told reporters he wants a more low-key event.
“Not a large event, just a very nice event," Trump said.
More than a dozen people tested positive for COVID-19 – including Trump himself – in the days after the Barrett nomination ceremony on Sept. 26, in large part because guests were packed together in chairs set up in the Rose Garden and many did not wear masks.
"We'll be doing the best we can to encourage as much social distancing as possible," Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said of Monday's event.
A ceremony is not required for Barrett to become a member of the high-court.
– David Jackson
First Lady Melania Trump will make her first major campaign appearance Tuesday in Pennsylvania.
The first lady will speak at an event moderated by former White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway in Atglen, Pennsylvania, as the campaign looks to shore up support among suburban women, a key voting bloc crucial to the president's reelection chances. Last week she scrapped plans to appear with her husband at a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, citing a "lingering cough" from her COVID-19 diagnosis earlier this month.
Melania Trump has shied away from the campaign trail with her last appearance at a rally in June 2019, when the president announced his reelection bid. But the first lady supported her husband's campaign through a keynote speech from the White House Rose Garden at the Republican National Convention in August.
Trump was speaking in Allentown, Lititz and Martinsburg, Pennsylvania on Monday.
– Courtney Subramanian
In the first excerpt released Monday in The New Yorker from his upcoming presidential memoir, "A Promised Land," due Nov. 17, President Barack Obama, 59, recalled his early days in the White House, dealing with the H1N1 pandemic and experiencing resentment and racist comments from fellow politicians and other Americans.
"My instructions to the public-health team were simple: decisions would be made based on the best available science, and we were going to explain to the public each step of our response—including detailing what we did and didn’t know," he wrote.
Fact check: H1N1 spread quickly but COVID-19 more deadly
Obama said that he didn't call out attacks labeling him an animal or Hitler because "I didn’t believe a President should ever publicly whine about criticism from voters—it’s what you signed up for in taking the job—and I was quick to remind both reporters and friends that my white predecessors had all endured their share of vicious personal attacks and obstructionism."
--Hannah Yasharoff
A government ethics office is investigating Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for possible violations of the Hatch Act, a federal law that bars Executive Branch employees from engaging in partisan political activities, according to two House Democrats.
The probe centers on Pompeo’s controversial decision to deliver remarks to the Republican National Convention – even though it was a break in diplomatic protocol and appeared to violate the State Department's own policy barring partisan political activity.
“Our offices have confirmed that the Office of Special Counsel has launched a probe into potential Hatch Act violations tied to Secretary Pompeo’s speech to the Republican National Convention,” Reps. Eliot Engel, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Nita Lowey, chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, said in a joint statement Monday.
"It was lawful.': Pompeo defends controversial RNC speech
The Hatch Act is intended to prevent public officials from using their taxpayer-funded office to conduct partisan politics.
“I can confirm that OSC has opened a case file, but am unable to comment beyond that,” said Zachary Kurz, a spokesman for the OSC.
The State Department’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The State Department previously dismissed questions about the ethics of Pompeo’s remarks by saying he was addressing the RNC in his "personal capacity." The agency said no official federal resources were used for the event. But Pompeo made his speech in the middle of an official State Department trip to the Middle East. His speech was recorded and piped in from Israel.
– Deirdre Shesgreen
Pence’s plans to preside over the Senate’s confirmation vote of Barrett were up in the air Monday, following the recent outbreak of coronavirus among his inner circle.
"I think that is in flux,” Meadows told reporters.
Pence’s vote, as president of the Senate, isn’t expected to be needed to break a tie. But Pence has been heavily involved in Trump’s three Supreme Court nominations and presided over the confirmation votes of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
“I’m gonna be in the chair because I wouldn’t miss that vote for the world,” Pence said during a campaign rally in Florida Saturday.
But that was before his office revealed that Marc Short, Pence’s chief of staff, had tested positive for COVID-19. Other close aides have also contracted the virus.
'Totally irresponsible': Dems criticize Pence presiding over Amy Coney Barrett vote after aides contract COVID-19
Pence has not curtailed his public schedule – which includes a campaign trip to Minnesota Monday – because the White House says he is an “essential worker.”
Pence and second lady Karen Pence again tested negative for COVID-19, the vice president's office said Monday morning.
Senate Democrats, however, scoffed at the notion and said his presence in the Senate would be a clear violation of guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It would also be a violation of common decency and courtesy,” Democratic leaders wrote in a letter to Pence. “Nothing about your presence in the Senate [Monday] can be considered essential.”
– Maureen Groppe
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that she will run for another term as speaker should Democrats keep control of the lower chamber.
When asked whether she would seek reelection in 2021, Pelosi told CNN "State of the Union" host Jake Tapper, "Yes, I am. But let me also say, we have to win the Senate."
The statement is in line with an agreement Pelosi made when she was elected to the office, which limits her speakership to four years.
– Matthew Brown
Sen. Susan Collins said Sunday that she would vote against Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, making the Maine Republican the only member of the GOP expected to oppose the federal appeals judge’s appointment to the high court.
Collins, who is facing a tough reelection battle, had said for weeks that she opposed the Senate taking up Barrett’s nomination before voters have their say on Election Day. She reiterated her stance on Sunday.
"Because this vote is occurring prior to the election, I will vote against the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett," Collins said in a statement.
She added that her "vote does not reflect any conclusion that I have reached about Judge Barrett’s qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court" but rather, was about fairness after the Republican majority refused to take up Merrick Garland’s nomination by President Barack Obama to the Supreme Court months ahead of the 2016 election.
– Christal Hayes


usatoday--2020-10-26--President Donald Trump leaves a trail of foreign policy fiction

In an election year overshadowed by a pandemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives , voters might be forgiven for showing little interest in Donald Trump 's helmsmanship over foreign policy .
Here 's a quick overview ( spoiler alert : it 's not much better than how he handles a disease outbreak ) .
With a few exceptions , Trump 's overseas pathway — from China to Iran to North Korea and beyond — has been littered with the same one-dimensional thinking and self-aggrandizing showmanship fundamental to his style of leadership .
Like other policies Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ valuable , if flawed , they may be — the president likes to smash things he gets his hands on , with or without an alternative to implement .
America 's role in the Paris climate accord ?
Gone .
A deal to rein in Iran 's nuclear ambitions ?
Jettisoned .
Membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership , a valuable forum for leveraging trade concessions from China ?
Dismissed .
Trump even withdrew from the World Health Organization in a fit of pique as the plague was raging .
And he has bruised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currying favor with autocrats in China , Russia and Turkey .
Where the former reality TV show star did offer a new foreign policy approach , it often sputtered .
A crucial example was China .
A pillar of Trump 's 2016 campaign was his promise to end the U.S. trade deficit with that nation — the `` greatest theft in the history of the world , '' he called it — and also confront Beijing on issues of intellectual property , forced technology transfers and government export subsidies .
Trump launched a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ done .
Such conflicts are `` good , and easy to win , '' he tweeted .
His tariffs wound up working like a tax on American consumers , with U.S. companies ultimately paying the bill and passing along the expense .
Downstream results were reduced wages and 300,000 lost jobs .
And Chinese retaliatory tariffs on American agriculture bankrupted thousands of U.S. farms , despite Trump 's plan to cover the losses with tariff revenue .
When the two countries finally signed a deal in January , it was little more than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ goods .
The showman and the strongman Always the showman , Trump preferred flash over substance when he met one-on-one with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un .
The two transfixed the global media , signed a vague agreement to denuclearize the peninsula and began exchanging `` beautiful letters . ''
Trump proclaimed that any nuclear threat from North Korea was now history .
It was fiction .
Disarmament talks went nowhere .
Kim suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests , but he continued building nuclear bombs .
During a nighttime military parade @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what was purported to be his newest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile .
Even where Trump has had solid successes , there have been asterisks : ►His recent brokering of agreements between Israel and Bahrain , Sudan and the United Arab Emirates tripled the number of nations in the Middle East or North Africa opening relations with the Jewish state , easing Israel 's isolation in a dangerous neighborhood .
That 's a good thing .
But it falls far short of Trump 's 2016 promise to achieve the `` ultimate deal '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Palestinians .
He has only managed to alienate the Palestinians , who refuse to even speak with the Trump administration .
►In Afghanistan , Trump brought the Taliban to the negotiating table with the prospect of ending America 's longest war .
But ever mindful of winning reelection , the president used an agreement struck with the Afghan resistance group as a chance to rush for the exit , undermining the success of stalled talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government for a full end to a war that continues after nearly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , Trump abruptly tweeted that all U.S. troops should be home by Christmas , a hasty notice of retreat that has since been walked back .
►Under Trump 's leadership , a coalition of U.S.-led forces — largely following an Obama-era war plan — liberated areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State terrorist organization .
The president rightly deserves credit for that , and for the elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi .
But he has glossed over the reality that 10,000 ISIS fighters are still at large @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and he eagerly drew down an already tiny U.S. troop presence , potentially undercutting his hard-fought victory and certainly abandoning Kurdish allies who helped defeat the caliphate .
►After pulling out of the Iran deal , Trump levied harsh sanctions that decimated the regime 's economy , and he authorized the assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani .
But Tehran is no closer to negotiating a new nuclear treaty and , in fact , has increased production of fissile material to where experts believe the Iranians now have enough to build @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United States has managed to isolate itself .
Washington demands that the United Nations restore sanctions on Iran were roundly rejected recently , including by such key U.S. allies as Britain , France and Germany .
Can Joe Biden do a better job ?
The former vice president brings some of the most extensive foreign policy experience of any presidential candidate , including as a lead operative for the Obama administration on areas of conflict — Afghanistan , China , Iraq and North Korea — where Trump has struggled to succeed .
Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accord and the Iran nuclear deal , and recommit to working with America 's traditional allies , including restoring support for NATO — arguably the world 's most successful alliance .
His would certainly be a steadier hand on the nuclear button .
The Democrat could hardly do worse .
And Biden holds out the prospect , by reasserting principled U.S. leadership in the world , of doing a lot better .
Our View was written by editorial writer Gregg Zoroya , on behalf of the Editorial Board .
This is the third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ major issues in the 2020 presidential campaign .
Previous editorials covered climate change and health care .

President Donald Trump leaves a trail of foreign policy fiction Our View: The showman did pull off a few successes on the international stage, but even they carry asterisks. Joe Biden offers the steadier hand.
In an election year overshadowed by a pandemic that has claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives, voters might be forgiven for showing little interest in Donald Trump's helmsmanship over foreign policy.
Here's a quick overview (spoiler alert: it's not much better than how he handles a disease outbreak).
With a few exceptions, Trump's overseas pathway — from China to Iran to North Korea and beyond — has been littered with the same one-dimensional thinking and self-aggrandizing showmanship fundamental to his style of leadership.
What Trump inherited
Like other policies Trump inherited from predecessors — no matter how valuable, if flawed, they may be — the president likes to smash things he gets his hands on, with or without an alternative to implement.
America's role in the Paris climate accord? Gone. A deal to rein in Iran's nuclear ambitions? Jettisoned. Membership in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a valuable forum for leveraging trade concessions from China? Dismissed.
Trump even withdrew from the World Health Organization in a fit of pique as the plague was raging. And he has bruised U.S. relationships with traditional allies, while currying favor with autocrats in China, Russia and Turkey.
Where the former reality TV show star did offer a new foreign policy approach, it often sputtered.
A crucial example was China. A pillar of Trump's 2016 campaign was his promise to end the U.S. trade deficit with that nation — the "greatest theft in the history of the world," he called it — and also confront Beijing on issues of intellectual property, forced technology transfers and government export subsidies. Trump launched a trade war in 2018 to get that done. Such conflicts are "good, and easy to win," he tweeted.
Except he isn't winning.
His tariffs wound up working like a tax on American consumers, with U.S. companies ultimately paying the bill and passing along the expense. Downstream results were reduced wages and 300,000 lost jobs. And Chinese retaliatory tariffs on American agriculture bankrupted thousands of U.S. farms, despite Trump's plan to cover the losses with tariff revenue.
When the two countries finally signed a deal in January, it was little more than a Beijing IOU to buy more American goods.
The showman and the strongman
Always the showman, Trump preferred flash over substance when he met one-on-one with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The two transfixed the global media, signed a vague agreement to denuclearize the peninsula and began exchanging "beautiful letters." Trump proclaimed that any nuclear threat from North Korea was now history.
It was fiction. Disarmament talks went nowhere. Kim suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests, but he continued building nuclear bombs. During a nighttime military parade in Pyongyang this month, he displayed what was purported to be his newest and largest intercontinental ballistic missile.
Even where Trump has had solid successes, there have been asterisks:
►His recent brokering of agreements between Israel and Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates tripled the number of nations in the Middle East or North Africa opening relations with the Jewish state, easing Israel's isolation in a dangerous neighborhood. That's a good thing. But it falls far short of Trump's 2016 promise to achieve the "ultimate deal" of peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He has only managed to alienate the Palestinians, who refuse to even speak with the Trump administration.
►In Afghanistan, Trump brought the Taliban to the negotiating table with the prospect of ending America's longest war. But ever mindful of winning reelection, the president used an agreement struck with the Afghan resistance group as a chance to rush for the exit, undermining the success of stalled talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government for a full end to a war that continues after nearly two decades of fighting. Early this month, Trump abruptly tweeted that all U.S. troops should be home by Christmas, a hasty notice of retreat that has since been walked back.
►Under Trump's leadership, a coalition of U.S.-led forces — largely following an Obama-era war plan — liberated areas of Iraq and Syria controlled by the Islamic State terrorist organization. The president rightly deserves credit for that, and for the elimination of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. But he has glossed over the reality that 10,000 ISIS fighters are still at large and posing a threat to the region, and he eagerly drew down an already tiny U.S. troop presence, potentially undercutting his hard-fought victory and certainly abandoning Kurdish allies who helped defeat the caliphate.
►After pulling out of the Iran deal, Trump levied harsh sanctions that decimated the regime's economy, and he authorized the assassination of Iranian military leader Qassem Soleimani. But Tehran is no closer to negotiating a new nuclear treaty and, in fact, has increased production of fissile material to where experts believe the Iranians now have enough to build a nuclear weapon. Meanwhile, the United States has managed to isolate itself. Washington demands that the United Nations restore sanctions on Iran were roundly rejected recently, including by such key U.S. allies as Britain, France and Germany.
What Biden offers
Can Joe Biden do a better job?
The former vice president brings some of the most extensive foreign policy experience of any presidential candidate, including as a lead operative for the Obama administration on areas of conflict — Afghanistan, China, Iraq and North Korea — where Trump has struggled to succeed.
Biden said he would rejoin the Paris climate accord and the Iran nuclear deal, and recommit to working with America's traditional allies, including restoring support for NATO — arguably the world's most successful alliance. His would certainly be a steadier hand on the nuclear button.
The Democrat could hardly do worse. And Biden holds out the prospect, by reasserting principled U.S. leadership in the world, of doing a lot better.
Our View was written by editorial writer Gregg Zoroya, on behalf of the Editorial Board. This is the third in a series of editorials about the major issues in the 2020 presidential campaign. Previous editorials covered climate change and health care.


usatoday--2020-10-26--Dow drops 650 points as coronavirus counts jump

U.S. stocks careened Monday , posting their worst day in a month as a spike in coronavirus cases raised concerns on Wall Street that more woes could be ahead for the still-fragile global economy .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 650.19 points , or 2.3 % , to 27,685.38 .
It was the blue-chip average 's biggest one-day drop since Sept. 3 .
The S & P 500 slid 1.9 % to 3,400.97 , its worst day since Sept. 23 .
The Nasdaq composite slumped 1.6 % to 11,358.94 .
Shares of companies that need the virus to abate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted some of the sharpest losses , including shares of battered cruise operators and airliners .
Coronavirus counts are spiking in much of the United States and Europe , which some investors fear could threaten the global economic recovery following a coronavirus-induced U.S. recession this year .
The U.S. economy has recovered a bit since the stay-at-home restrictions that swept the country early this year eased .
But momentum has slowed recently after a prior round of supplemental unemployment benefits and other stimulus that Congress approved earlier this year expired .
Unemployment benefits @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Congress stalls on COVID-19 stimulus ' I had to start my future ' : Workers who lost jobs because of COVID-19 find new careers in these fields '' The double whammy of a stalled stimulus bill and new highs in cases is a harsh reminder of the many worries that are still out there , ” Ryan Detrick , chief market strategist at LPL Financial , said in a note .
“ Most of the recent economic data has been strong , but when you see parts of Europe going back to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight is still far from over . ''
Daily cases in the U.S. have climbed by an average of 68,767 over the past seven days , marking a new record , according to Johns Hopkins University .
The U.S. had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week , setting a record for the most new cases reported in a week since the pandemic began .
In Europe , Spain ’ s government declared a national state of emergency on Sunday that includes an overnight curfew , while Italy ordered restaurants and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ p.m. and shut down gyms , pools and movie theaters .
Monday ’ s sell-off comes as doubts mount on Wall Street that Washington will come through with more stimulus for the economy before Election Day .
Worries about the diminishing prospect for more stimulus in the short term helped drive the S & P 500 to a 0.5 % drop last week , its first weekly loss in the past four .
“ The biggest risk appears to be the threat of a contested election and the country not knowing the winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” Brian Price , head of investment management at registered investment adviser Commonwealth Financial Network , said in a note .
“ I think that investors are taking some chips off the table.
” Any compromise reached between House Democrats and the White House would also likely face stiff resistance from Republicans in control of the Senate .
Another concern is that possible delays in sorting out the results of next week ’ s elections could end up pushing a stimulus deal back indefinitely .
“ I ’ m not holding my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ election , ” Lindsey Bell , chief investment strategist at Ally Invest , said in a note .
Economists expect a report on Thursday to show that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 30.2 % during the summer quarter after shrinking 31.4 % during the second quarter .
This upcoming week is the busiest of this quarter ’ s earnings season , with more than a third of the companies in the S & P 500 index scheduled to report .
Across the S & P 500 , profit reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Wall Street had feared , though they ’ re still on pace to be more than 16 % lower than year-ago levels .
Through Friday , 84 % of S & P 500 companies reported better results than analysts had forecast , according to FactSet .
If that level holds , it would be the best since at least 2008 , when FactSet ’ s records begin .
Energy stocks dropped to the largest loss among the 11 sectors that make up the S & P 500 , falling along with oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ few gainers were companies that can succeed even in a stay-at-home economy .
Zoom Video Communications gained 1 % .
Amazon fared much better than the broader market , ticking up a mere 0.1 % , while Apple was little changed .
Expectations are high for them , and analysts say they ’ ll report strong results for their latest quarter this week .
They and other Big Tech stocks have soared through the pandemic on hopes their growth will only continue as work-from-home and other trends that benefit them accelerate .

Dow drops 650 points as coronavirus counts jump
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID stimulus deal: What Democrats, Republicans and Trump want A new coronavirus stimulus deal is still in the works between Democrats and Republicans, bu they can't agree on a conclusion. USA TODAY
U.S. stocks careened Monday, posting their worst day in a month as a spike in coronavirus cases raised concerns on Wall Street that more woes could be ahead for the still-fragile global economy.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 650.19 points, or 2.3%, to 27,685.38. It was the blue-chip average's biggest one-day drop since Sept. 3. The S&P 500 slid 1.9% to 3,400.97, its worst day since Sept. 23. The Nasdaq composite slumped 1.6% to 11,358.94.
Shares of companies that need the virus to abate and the economy to return to normal posted some of the sharpest losses, including shares of battered cruise operators and airliners.
Coronavirus counts are spiking in much of the United States and Europe, which some investors fear could threaten the global economic recovery following a coronavirus-induced U.S. recession this year.
The U.S. economy has recovered a bit since the stay-at-home restrictions that swept the country early this year eased. But momentum has slowed recently after a prior round of supplemental unemployment benefits and other stimulus that Congress approved earlier this year expired.
Unemployment benefits: Racial disparity in jobless aid grows as Congress stalls on COVID-19 stimulus
'I had to start my future': Workers who lost jobs because of COVID-19 find new careers in these fields
"The double whammy of a stalled stimulus bill and new highs in cases is a harsh reminder of the many worries that are still out there,” Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at LPL Financial, said in a note. “Most of the recent economic data has been strong, but when you see parts of Europe going back to rolling shutdowns, it reminds us this fight is still far from over."
Daily cases in the U.S. have climbed by an average of 68,767 over the past seven days, marking a new record, according to Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week, setting a record for the most new cases reported in a week since the pandemic began.
In Europe, Spain’s government declared a national state of emergency on Sunday that includes an overnight curfew, while Italy ordered restaurants and bars to close each day by 6 p.m. and shut down gyms, pools and movie theaters.
Monday’s sell-off comes as doubts mount on Wall Street that Washington will come through with more stimulus for the economy before Election Day. Worries about the diminishing prospect for more stimulus in the short term helped drive the S&P 500 to a 0.5% drop last week, its first weekly loss in the past four.
“The biggest risk appears to be the threat of a contested election and the country not knowing the winner of the Presidential election next Tuesday night,” Brian Price, head of investment management at registered investment adviser Commonwealth Financial Network, said in a note. “I think that investors are taking some chips off the table.”
Any compromise reached between House Democrats and the White House would also likely face stiff resistance from Republicans in control of the Senate. Another concern is that possible delays in sorting out the results of next week’s elections could end up pushing a stimulus deal back indefinitely.
“I’m not holding my breath on getting something ahead of the election,” Lindsey Bell, chief investment strategist at Ally Invest, said in a note.
Economists expect a report on Thursday to show that the U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of 30.2% during the summer quarter after shrinking 31.4% during the second quarter.
This upcoming week is the busiest of this quarter’s earnings season, with more than a third of the companies in the S&P 500 index scheduled to report.
Across the S&P 500, profit reports for the summer have been mostly better than Wall Street had feared, though they’re still on pace to be more than 16% lower than year-ago levels. Through Friday, 84% of S&P 500 companies reported better results than analysts had forecast, according to FactSet. If that level holds, it would be the best since at least 2008, when FactSet’s records begin.
On Monday, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings fell 8%, Marathon Oil dropped 7% and United Airlines lost 7%.
Energy stocks dropped to the largest loss among the 11 sectors that make up the S&P 500, falling along with oil prices.
Among the market’s few gainers were companies that can succeed even in a stay-at-home economy. Zoom Video Communications gained 1%.
Amazon fared much better than the broader market, ticking up a mere 0.1%, while Apple was little changed. Expectations are high for them, and analysts say they’ll report strong results for their latest quarter this week. They and other Big Tech stocks have soared through the pandemic on hopes their growth will only continue as work-from-home and other trends that benefit them accelerate.
Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-10-27--Coronavirus updates: In one-week span, US reports highest number of cases during pandemic; NIH halts

The U.S. had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week , setting a record for the most new infections reported in a week since the pandemic began .
Nearly half the country set records for new COVID-19 cases in a week while five states had a record number of deaths in a week : Montana , North Carolina , South Dakota , Wisconsin and Wyoming .
Wisconsin 's public health officials and contact tracers say they 're struggling to keep up with virus spread , while El Paso , Texas , is airlifting COVID-19 patients to neighboring hospitals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ medical site for an additional 100 beds .
The U.S. reports a new COVID-19 case every 1.26 seconds , according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data .
Worldwide , there have been more than 43 million coronavirus infections .
In Washington , Vice President Mike Pence plans to attend several scheduled events this week , including the final vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday , despite several of his aides testing positive for COVID-19 .
📈 Today 's numbers : The U.S. has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 225,500 deaths , according to Johns Hopkins University data .
The global totals : 43.3 million cases and 1.15 million deaths .
🗺 Mapping coronavirus : Track the U.S. outbreak in your state .
When will there be a COVID-19 vaccine ?
Our panel of experts expects at least one COVID-19 vaccine will be approved in the coming months .
Then things could really get complicated .
The National Institutes of Health has stopped a trial of a monoclonal antibody being tested in hospitalized patients with advanced COVID-19 , deciding that it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar trial in patients at an earlier stage of disease will continue , Eli Lilly and Co. , which makes the antibody , said late Monday .
The trial was stopped earlier this month because of safety concern .
Lilly said that an analysis showed that the drug , bamlanivimab , was not dangerous , but also unlikely to help advanced patients .
President Donald Trump , who received a different pair of monoclonal antibodies when he was sick with COVID-19 , has proclaimed them a “ cure ” and promised to provide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
The company that makes the drug he took , Regeneron , has requested an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin providing it .
Lilly has requested similar authorization for bamlanivimab in recently diagnosed high-risk patients .
Contact tracers in Wisconsin ca n't keep up with COVID-19 spread With an average of 3,400 new cases each day just in the last week in Wisconsin – the third highest per-person rate in the U.S. – contact tracers are now so overrun that some have begun to wonder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ person who tests positive might report 10 or more close contacts who need to be reached quickly .
Multiply that by 3,400 and the task becomes impossible : close to 40,000 people for the state 's little more than 1,000 tracers to reach with each new day .
Some Wisconsin counties are now stopping short of reaching out to an infected person 's contacts , instead asking the infected person to do it themselves .
That includes Dane County , the second-most populous in the state , which said in a news release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ crisis model.
” DHS chief medical officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard told reporters last week that Wisconsin 's entire public health infrastructure – including state , local and tribal health departments – `` can not keep up . ''
California restaurants want refund for $ 100 million in fees California ’ s financially battered restaurants filed government claims Monday to recover more than $ 100 million in fees for liquor and health permits and tourism charges that they say were assessed even though their businesses were shuttered or only partially operating under long-running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hit as hard during the pandemic as restaurants , which in California were ordered closed , reopened , closed for a second time and then were allowed to welcome customers again with restrictions .
Thousands of restaurants have closed permanently .
Owners say one thing has remained constant amid the turmoil : State and county governments have continued to charge fees for liquor licenses , health permits and tourism assessments , even though the restaurants were closed down by government orders or limited in how they could operate .
US sets another record @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a week The United States had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week , setting a record for the most new cases reported in a week since the pandemic began .
Ohio , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania , all of them considered battleground states in the upcoming election , all reported their 200,000th cases Monday .
Twenty states set records for new cases in a week : Alaska , Arkansas , Colorado , Idaho , Indiana , Iowa , Kentucky Montana , New Hampshire , New Mexico , North Dakota , Ohio @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Dakota , Tennessee , Utah , Wisconsin and Wyoming .
Meanwhile , five states reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths in a week : Montana , North Carolina , South Dakota , Wisconsin and Wyoming .
The U.S. reports a new COVID-19 case every 1.26 seconds , according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data .
The capital of the state with the nation 's highest incidence of new coronavirus cases per capita has drawn a rebuke from the White House coronavirus response coordinator for its careless ways @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has taken her to nearly 40 states , said Bismarck , North Dakota , has the worst COVID-19 protocols she ’ s seen in her travels , calling the absence of face coverings and the lack of social distancing in the capital city “ deeply unfortunate ” and a danger to public health .
North Dakota has ranked first in the U.S. for new virus cases per capita in the last two weeks , according to The COVID Tracking Project .
Republican Gov .
Doug Burgum has urged people to wear masks out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but declined to issue a mask mandate .
The El Paso civic center will be converted into a medical care site and some patients will be flown to other cities as local hospitals are being inundated with COVID-19 patients .
The civic center site will have a capacity of 50 beds and can expand to 100 beds , Texas Gov .
Greg Abbott said .
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also deploying two 35-member disaster medical assistance teams and a trauma critical care team to El Paso , Abbott @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego on Sunday evening issued a stay-at-home order with a daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. , unless going to work or going to an essential service .
Violation of the order is punishable by a $ 500 fine .
As of Sunday morning , a record 786 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 in El Paso , an increase of 71 patients from the day before , and the number of known active cases was a 11,321 , according to city-county health data .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is far higher than previously reported , saying there were 193,170 “ excess ” deaths this year through Sept. 26 .
Of those , 139,153 are now judged to be attributable to COVID-19 .
Mexico ’ s official , test-confirmed death toll is about 89,000 , but officials previously acknowledged many people didn ’ t get tested or their tests were mishandled .
Authorities had previously presented an estimated death toll of 103,882 , after taking into account mishandled tests .
But the Health Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to come up with the latest figure .
The analysis picked up symptoms related to COVID-19 mentioned on death certificates even if they weren ’ t listed as the cause of death .
• In your inbox : Stay up to date with the latest news on the coronavirus pandemic from the USA TODAY Network .
Sign up for the daily Coronavirus Watch newsletter .
• Tips for coping : Every Saturday and Tuesday we 'll be in your inbox , offering you a virtual hug and a little bit of solace in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Staying Apart , Together .
• On Facebook : A lot is still unknown about the coronavirus .
But what we do know , we 're sharing with you .
Join our Facebook group , Coronavirus Watch , to receive daily updates in your feed and chat with others in the community about COVID-19 .

Adrianna Rodriguez, Jessica Flores and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY

Coronavirus updates: In one-week span, US reports highest number of cases during pandemic; NIH halts monoclonal antibody trial
Show Caption Hide Caption COVID-19: Pandemic is getting worse as new cases surge across the U.S. Months into the COVID-19 pandemic states are setting records for the most new cases and deaths in a week since the pandemic began. USA TODAY
The U.S. had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week, setting a record for the most new infections reported in a week since the pandemic began.
Nearly half the country set records for new COVID-19 cases in a week while five states had a record number of deaths in a week: Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Wisconsin's public health officials and contact tracers say they're struggling to keep up with virus spread, while El Paso, Texas, is airlifting COVID-19 patients to neighboring hospitals and converting the civic center into a medical site for an additional 100 beds.
The U.S. reports a new COVID-19 case every 1.26 seconds, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data. Worldwide, there have been more than 43 million coronavirus infections.
In Washington, Vice President Mike Pence plans to attend several scheduled events this week, including the final vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Monday, despite several of his aides testing positive for COVID-19.
📈 Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 8.6 million cases and 225,500 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: 43.3 million cases and 1.15 million deaths.
🗺 Mapping coronavirus: Track the U.S. outbreak in your state.
When will there be a COVID-19 vaccine? Our panel of experts expects at least one COVID-19 vaccine will be approved in the coming months. Then things could really get complicated.
The National Institutes of Health has stopped a trial of a monoclonal antibody being tested in hospitalized patients with advanced COVID-19, deciding that it was unlikely to be of help. A similar trial in patients at an earlier stage of disease will continue, Eli Lilly and Co., which makes the antibody, said late Monday.
The trial was stopped earlier this month because of safety concern. Lilly said that an analysis showed that the drug, bamlanivimab, was not dangerous, but also unlikely to help advanced patients.
President Donald Trump, who received a different pair of monoclonal antibodies when he was sick with COVID-19, has proclaimed them a “cure” and promised to provide them free to any American who needs them.
The company that makes the drug he took, Regeneron, has requested an emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to begin providing it. Lilly has requested similar authorization for bamlanivimab in recently diagnosed high-risk patients.
– Karen Weintraub
With an average of 3,400 new cases each day just in the last week in Wisconsin – the third highest per-person rate in the U.S. – contact tracers are now so overrun that some have begun to wonder whether the job is futile.
A person who tests positive might report 10 or more close contacts who need to be reached quickly. Multiply that by 3,400 and the task becomes impossible: close to 40,000 people for the state's little more than 1,000 tracers to reach with each new day.
Some Wisconsin counties are now stopping short of reaching out to an infected person's contacts, instead asking the infected person to do it themselves. That includes Dane County, the second-most populous in the state, which said in a news release this week it has switched to a “crisis model.”
DHS chief medical officer Dr. Ryan Westergaard told reporters last week that Wisconsin's entire public health infrastructure – including state, local and tribal health departments – "cannot keep up."
– Madeline Heim, USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Is the U.S. prepared for a coronavirus pandemic? A previous version of this video incorrectly stated how many people the 1918 Spanish influenza killed. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
California restaurants want refund for $100 million in fees
California’s financially battered restaurants filed government claims Monday to recover more than $100 million in fees for liquor and health permits and tourism charges that they say were assessed even though their businesses were shuttered or only partially operating under long-running coronavirus orders.
Few industries have been hit as hard during the pandemic as restaurants, which in California were ordered closed, reopened, closed for a second time and then were allowed to welcome customers again with restrictions. Thousands of restaurants have closed permanently.
Owners say one thing has remained constant amid the turmoil: State and county governments have continued to charge fees for liquor licenses, health permits and tourism assessments, even though the restaurants were closed down by government orders or limited in how they could operate.
-- The Associated Press
US sets another record for most new cases of COVID-19 in a week
The United States had more than 481,372 new cases of COVID-19 last week, setting a record for the most new cases reported in a week since the pandemic began. Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, all of them considered battleground states in the upcoming election, all reported their 200,000th cases Monday.
Twenty states set records for new cases in a week: Alaska, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
Meanwhile, five states reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths in a week: Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The U.S. reports a new COVID-19 case every 1.26 seconds, according to a USA TODAY analysis of Johns Hopkins University data.
– Michael Stucka
The capital of the state with the nation's highest incidence of new coronavirus cases per capita has drawn a rebuke from the White House coronavirus response coordinator for its careless ways.
Dr. Deborah Birx, whose tour has taken her to nearly 40 states, said Bismarck, North Dakota, has the worst COVID-19 protocols she’s seen in her travels, calling the absence of face coverings and the lack of social distancing in the capital city “deeply unfortunate” and a danger to public health.
North Dakota has ranked first in the U.S. for new virus cases per capita in the last two weeks, according to The COVID Tracking Project. Republican Gov. Doug Burgum has urged people to wear masks out of personal responsibility and care for others but declined to issue a mask mandate.
Hospitals in El Paso, Texas, overwhelmed by COVID-19 patients
The El Paso civic center will be converted into a medical care site and some patients will be flown to other cities as local hospitals are being inundated with COVID-19 patients.
The civic center site will have a capacity of 50 beds and can expand to 100 beds, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is also deploying two 35-member disaster medical assistance teams and a trauma critical care team to El Paso, Abbott added. The teams will arrive this week.
El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego on Sunday evening issued a stay-at-home order with a daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., unless going to work or going to an essential service. Violation of the order is punishable by a $500 fine.
As of Sunday morning, a record 786 patients were hospitalized for COVID-19 in El Paso, an increase of 71 patients from the day before, and the number of known active cases was a 11,321, according to city-county health data.
– Daniel Borunda, El Paso Times
Mexico health officials acknowledge higher COVID-19 death toll
Mexican health authorities acknowledged the country’s true death toll from the coronavirus pandemic is far higher than previously reported, saying there were 193,170 “excess” deaths this year through Sept. 26.
Of those, 139,153 are now judged to be attributable to COVID-19. Mexico’s official, test-confirmed death toll is about 89,000, but officials previously acknowledged many people didn’t get tested or their tests were mishandled.
Authorities had previously presented an estimated death toll of 103,882, after taking into account mishandled tests. But the Health Department said Sunday that they had analyzed databases to come up with the latest figure. The analysis picked up symptoms related to COVID-19 mentioned on death certificates even if they weren’t listed as the cause of death.
COVID-19 resources from USA TODAY
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Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-10-26--Drew Barrymore reveals the hardest part of her divorce from Will Kopelman

Drew Barrymore is revealing the hardest part of her divorce .
In a Sunday interview with the `` Today '' show 's Willie Geist , the `` Charlie 's Angels '' star opened up about her divorce from actor Will Kopelman .
The two separated in August 2016 after tying the knot in June 2012 and share two daughters : Olive , 8 , and Frankie , 6 .
`` I really did not take divorce well , '' Barrymore said , adding that she `` took it really hard .
`` Even now , I 'm just like , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing , ' `` she said .
While she praised Kopelman for continuing to `` be so together and united and connected '' during their split , the new daytime talk-show host admitted that her biggest concern was her children 's well being . '
I cherish you ' : Drew Barrymore and Tom Green reunite for first time in 15 years since divorce As a former child star , the 45-year-old actress said she knows that `` from not growing up with any family whatsoever that that was the last thing I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Though Barrymore has been candid about the struggles of childhood stardom as the daughter of two famous actors , Jaid and John Drew Barrymore , she said she hopes her children can still enjoy `` this amazing family '' despite the publicized nature of their divorce .
`` I think that 's why I took ( the divorce ) so hard , '' she shared .
`` I was like , 'Ugh , the ultimate promise I wanted to make with ( Kopelman ) and for ( him ) was to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and there 's something not working that is n't livable . '
`` But she said it was n't always easy to talk openly about her personal struggles .
`` It took me five years to be able to speak with strength , articulation , perspective , hindsight , and see everything we did right , '' she said .
`` Because when we were getting divorced , it felt like everything was just wrong .
… I think it applies to everyone who thinks that something will be forever and it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ book to any of this ' : Drew Barrymore on her daytime talk show , best parenting advice

Drew Barrymore reveals the hardest part of her divorce from Will Kopelman
Show Caption Hide Caption Drew Barrymore on Will Kopelman divorce, co-parenting their daughters In an interview on the Today show, Drew Barrymore opened up about her 2016 divorce from Will Kopelman and how they've stayed connected to co-parent. Entertain This!, USA TODAY
Drew Barrymore is revealing the hardest part of her divorce.
In a Sunday interview with the "Today" show's Willie Geist, the "Charlie's Angels" star opened up about her divorce from actor Will Kopelman. The two separated in August 2016 after tying the knot in June 2012 and share two daughters: Olive, 8, and Frankie, 6.
"I really did not take divorce well," Barrymore said, adding that she "took it really hard.
"Even now, I'm just like, 'oh, it's such a painful thing,' " she said.
While she praised Kopelman for continuing to "be so together and united and connected" during their split, the new daytime talk-show host admitted that her biggest concern was her children's well being.
'I cherish you': Drew Barrymore and Tom Green reunite for first time in 15 years since divorce
As a former child star, the 45-year-old actress said she knows that "from not growing up with any family whatsoever that that was the last thing I wanted to do for my daughters."
Though Barrymore has been candid about the struggles of childhood stardom as the daughter of two famous actors, Jaid and John Drew Barrymore, she said she hopes her children can still enjoy "this amazing family" despite the publicized nature of their divorce.
"I think that's why I took (the divorce) so hard," she shared. "I was like, 'Ugh, the ultimate promise I wanted to make with (Kopelman) and for (him) was to have this amazing family and I found them and there's something not working that isn't livable.' "
But she said it wasn't always easy to talk openly about her personal struggles.
"It took me five years to be able to speak with strength, articulation, perspective, hindsight, and see everything we did right," she said. "Because when we were getting divorced, it felt like everything was just wrong. … I think it applies to everyone who thinks that something will be forever and it's not."
'There's no rule book to any of this': Drew Barrymore on her daytime talk show, best parenting advice


usatoday--2020-10-26--Big Ten's debut weekend shakes up this week's NCAA Re-Rank 1-127

After losing to Indiana in overtime to open the Big Ten season , Penn State nearly falls out of the Top 25 in this week 's USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-127 .
The No .
25 Nittany Lions are down 19 spots and have fallen from second in the conference power rankings behind No .
3 Ohio State to fifth , trailing the Buckeyes , No .
8 Michigan , No .
13 Wisconsin and No .
24 Indiana .
The Hoosiers are up 38 , the largest single-week leap in this week 's 1-127 .
Several Big Ten @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
44 Purdue ( up 34 ) and No .
83 Rutgers ( up 26 ) .
On the other end of the spectrum , No .
53 Iowa ( down 29 ) and No .
107 Michigan State ( down 28 ) stumbled after starting 0-1 .
While Ohio State opened as expected with an easy win against Nebraska , the Buckeyes are not able to leap ahead of No .
1 Clemson and No .
2 Alabama .
After one week of Big Ten play , it seems obvious that OSU @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the unquestioned class of the Bowl Subdivision .
BUCKEYES JUMP : Ohio State up to No .
3 in Amway Coaches Poll HIGHS AND LOWS : College football winners and losers from Week 8 MISERY INDEX : Tennessee is stalled while watching Schiano 's start at Rutgers It was also a great week for the Group of Five .
Seven teams from these conferences landed in the Top 25 , led by No .
7 Cincinnati .
Following the Bearcats are No .
15 Brigham Young , No .
18 Marshall , No @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 Louisiana , No .
21 SMU and No .
22 Coastal Carolina .

Big Ten's debut weekend shakes up this week's NCAA Re-Rank 1-127
Show Caption Hide Caption Ohio State rises to No. 3 in the latest Amway Coaches Poll USA TODAY Sports' Paul Myerberg breaks down the latest Amway Coaches Poll. USA TODAY
After losing to Indiana in overtime to open the Big Ten season, Penn State nearly falls out of the Top 25 in this week's USA TODAY Sports NCAA Re-Rank 1-127.
The No. 25 Nittany Lions are down 19 spots and have fallen from second in the conference power rankings behind No. 3 Ohio State to fifth, trailing the Buckeyes, No. 8 Michigan, No. 13 Wisconsin and No. 24 Indiana.
The Hoosiers are up 38, the largest single-week leap in this week's 1-127. Several Big Ten teams made similar jumps, including No. 44 Purdue (up 34) and No. 83 Rutgers (up 26). On the other end of the spectrum, No. 53 Iowa (down 29) and No. 107 Michigan State (down 28) stumbled after starting 0-1.
While Ohio State opened as expected with an easy win against Nebraska, the Buckeyes are not able to leap ahead of No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama. After one week of Big Ten play, it seems obvious that OSU is set to join that pair as the unquestioned class of the Bowl Subdivision.
BUCKEYES JUMP: Ohio State up to No. 3 in Amway Coaches Poll
HIGHS AND LOWS: College football winners and losers from Week 8
MISERY INDEX: Tennessee is stalled while watching Schiano's start at Rutgers
It was also a great week for the Group of Five. Seven teams from these conferences landed in the Top 25, led by No. 7 Cincinnati. Following the Bearcats are No. 15 Brigham Young, No. 18 Marshall, No. 19 Boise State, No. 20 Louisiana, No. 21 SMU and No. 22 Coastal Carolina.


usatoday--2020-10-27--NFL coach rings bell for completing cancer treatment

Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and started treatment as the season began @ @ @ @ @ he completed his final treatment .

NFL coach rings bell for completing cancer treatment
Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma and started treatment as the season began. This is the moment he completed his final treatment.
Sportskind, USA TODAY