Welcome to a new community space for breaking news
A daily community thread to collect updates and events pertinent to the daily shock and awe, this is The Latest. Updates will contribute to @matt’s daily WTFJHT posts.
This thread has ended. The discussion continues here: The Latest - Wednesday, October 7.
Today so far:
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Trump returned to the White House after leaving Walter Reed medical center. Upon his arrival, Trump stood outside and removed his mask, despite the fact that he is still infected and contagious. He flashed a double thumbs up and posed for photos before walking inside as his helicopter departed. Shortly after, he released a video produced by his aides, in which he claimed that he “had to” face the coronavirus because he is a leader. “We’re going back. We’re going back to work. We’re gonna be out front. As your leader I had to do that. I knew there’s danger to it but I had to do it,” Trump said. “I stood out front. I led. Nobody that’s a leader would not do what I did. I know there’s a risk there’s a danger.” He added: “And now I’m better, and maybe I’m immune? I don’t know.” Trump then encouraged Americans to “get out there” and to not let the virus “dominate your lives.” (CNN / Washington Post / CBS News / Associated Press / The Guardian / Axios)
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The White House is not conducting contact tracing for guests and staff members who attended the Rose Garden party where at least eight people, including Trump, are believed to have contracted COVID-19. Officials with the D.C. Department of Health have been unable to connect with the White House to assist with contact tracing and other protocols regarding the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, the White House has only been notifying people who came in close contact with Trump during the two days before his diagnosis on Thursday. “We have reached out to the White House on a couple of different levels, a political level and a public health level,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern said in a statement that the White House “has a robust contact tracing program in place led by the White House Medical Unit with CDC personnel and guidance.” (New York Times / NBC News)
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Top White House officials are blocking new federal guidelines for the emergency release of a coronavirus vaccine. Officials are objecting to a strict new provision that would effectively guarantee that no vaccine could be authorized before the election on Nov. 3. The FDA is trying to find other ways to ensure that the vaccines meet the guidelines, including by sharing them with an outside advisory committee of experts in the hopes that the committee will enforce them even if the White House objects. Health experts are concerned that by refusing to allow the FDA to release the guidelines, the White House is undercutting the government’s effort to reassure the public that any vaccine will be safe and effective. (New York Times)
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Eric Trump was deposed under oath as part of New York’s investigation into the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. The New York attorney general’s office is probing whether Trump’s real-estate company falsely reported property values in order to obtain loans or tax benefits. Eric initially refused to provide testimony until after the November election, but a state judge rejected his argument that he was too busy working on his father’s re-election campaign to submit to questioning. New York AG Letitia James is focusing on a property called Seven Springs that sits on 212 acres outside New York City, as well as transactions involving the Trump-owned 40 Wall Street building in lower Manhattan, a golf club in Los Angeles, and the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago. The Trump Organization has denied any wrongdoing. (Bloomberg / Axios)
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poll/ 57% of likely voters now say they support Biden for president, while 41% support Trump. The poll was conducted entirely after the first debate and mostly after Trump’s coronavirus infection was made public. 52% of Americans say they have a positive impression of Biden, compared with 39% who have a positive view of Trump. (CNN)
Looking for the Calendar?
What we’re all talking about?
- WTF - Get Out the Vote - Voter resources 2020 & Obstacles
- 🗳 2020 General Election - Trump vs Biden
- Day 1355
- Portrait of a President
- Coronavirus (Community Thread)
How To Vote In The 2020 Election In Every State:
Register to vote
Check your registration
Voter Guides: FiveThirtyEight / Washington Post / NBC News / Wall Street Journal
Reminders
Wednesday Watch Party - look for a thread 
tomorrow
Most liked meme from yesterday
icon url) cross-post it here. That way we end up with an accounting for the “day” while also maintaining the flexibility of the forum and all the other threads.