Joe Biden said Saturday that he has discouraged some governors from endorsing him, warning them that if they do so, the Trump administration may retaliate by withholding critical COVID-19 supplies.
What he's saying: "I probably shouldn't say this. ... I told some governors, don't endorse me ... because you'll pay a penalty," Biden said in a virtual town hall at Amalgamated Transit Union in Wilmington, Delaware. "You won't get what you need from the federal government in terms of this COVID crisis.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) tweeted Saturday that he has checked himself into a hospital as a "precautionary measure" after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The big picture: Christie attended an indoor briefing by President Trump in the White House on Sept. 27, and helped the president prepare for Tuesday's debate. He also attended Judge Amy Coney Barrett's Rose Garden formal nomination on Sept. 29, which saw multiple politicians close to the White House test positive for COVID-19.
President Trump's re-election campaign on Saturday announced the launch of "Operation MAGA," a "full marshaling of top-level surrogates, campaign coalitions and Trump supporters to rally behind the president and carry the campaign forward" after Trump was sidelined due to his COVID-19 diagnosis.
Why it matters: The announcement comes just 31 days before Election Day. The Trump campaign said on Friday that all previously scheduled campaign events involving the president were being moved to virtual events or would be temporarily postponed.
What is the actual state of President Trump's health — now and over the past 24 hours?
Why it matters: It’s one of the most high-stakes questions in the world, and I cannot answer it, despite having spent since 5 a.m. on Friday on my phone with sources inside and close to the White House.
Sunday's NFL game between the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs has been postponed after "positive COVID-19 tests on both teams," the league said in a statement Saturday.
Catch up quick: The Patriots confirmed Saturday morning that an unnamed player tested positive for COVID-19 Friday night and immediately quarantined, after ESPN's Adam Schefter reported that quarterback Cam Newton tested positive. Several coaches, players and staff who had been in close contact with the infected player tested negative on Saturday morning, the team said.
Republican officials tell us they worry that the number of infected people around President Trump will rise, and fear that enough senators could be sidelined to delay the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
The state of play: Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer began the pressure to slow the GOP's roll, tweeting: "We now have two members of the Senate Judiciary Committee who have tested positive for COVID [Sen. Mike Lee and Sen. Thomas Tillis], and there may be more."
It's the storyline of a Republican nightmare: A mask-disdaining President Trump gets the coronavirus on the eve of the election, against a political backdrop that looks dire for Republicans.
Driving the news: Some top GOP operatives, privy to data from swing states, tell me that this week's chaotic presidential debate had a calamitous effect on Republican chances in tight Senate races.
Vice President Mike Pence will hold a MAGA rally in Peoria, Arizona next Thursday, following the campaign's plan to keep the VP on the road after President Trump tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday.
Why it matters: Pence, who tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday and reportedly again on Saturday, will likely be speaking to a large crowd that will not be socially distanced unless new guidelines are issued.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday after returning to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29 and coming into contact with someone who had contracted the virus, spokesperson Ben Voelkel said in a statement on Saturday.
Driving the news: Johnson is the third Senate Republican to test positive for the coronavirus, after news broke that President Trump tested positive early on Friday.
India surpassed 100,000 coronavirus fatalities on Friday, per data from Johns Hopkins.
Threat level: Doctors and officials in India are scrambling to acquire medical oxygen to treat patients, the Washington Post reports, after the country reported more COVID-19 cases in September than any other in the world.
The wild uncertainty that is 2020 can be psychologically paralyzing, but there are ways to better navigate a future that has never seemed less clear.
Why it matters: If this year has taught us anything, it's that anything can happen. With an uncertain pandemic, election and who knows what else coming, now is the time to prepare yourself to live through an age of anxiety.
President Trump is undergoing antiviral remdesivir treatment "in consultation with specialists," according to a Friday night memo from White House physician Sean Conley.
Where it stands: "I am happy to report that the President is doing very well. He is not requiring any supplemental oxygen," Conley wrote.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said in a statement Friday evening that he tested positive for the coronavirus, writing: "I’m following the recommendations of my doctor. Thankfully, I have no symptoms and feel well."
Why it matters: Tillis, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was at the White House last Saturday to watch President Trump introduce federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the Supreme Court nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Tillis also met with Barrett at the Capitol on Sept. 30.
At least three reporters working at the White House tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday, Zeke Miller, president of the White House Correspondents' Association, said in a letter to colleagues.
Why it matters: The cases follow President Trump's positive COVID-19 diagnosis and cases among other White House staffers. Multiple White House journalists are self-isolating while awaiting test results, Miller said.
