Joe Biden sent a letter to the Secretary of the Senate on Friday asking for a search of his records to try to locate a sexual harassment complaint that Tara Reade allegedly made in 1993 about Biden.
Why it matters: In the letter, Biden goes farther than just asking to release a complaint if it exists — he asks to make public "all other documents in the records that relate to the allegation."
The Trump administration has blocked Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, from testifying on the coronavirus pandemic.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) wants to pay essential workers an up to $12 an hour extra for the next three months as a form of hazard pay for working during the coronavirus pandemic, the senator told The Washington Post Friday.
The big picture: Labor groups have called for hazard pay recently amid concerns that people working during the crisis are putting themselves at risk for the well-being of others. Romney's plan could see some workers make up to $1,920 a month extra, per the Post.
There's already an expectation among some Democrats that today was just the beginning for Joe Biden in addressing sexual assault allegations from a former Senate staffer.
Driving the news: AfterBiden addressed Tara Reade's allegations for the first time today — both in a written statement and an interview with MSNBC's "Morning Joe" — several Democratic operatives and women's rights activists said they want Biden to keep the conversation going around all the issues and gender inequities that the #MeToo movement exposed.
Driving the news: McEnany announced that she plans to continue holding on-camera press briefings moving forward, a regular practice that ended during Sarah Sanders' tenure. Stephanie Grisham, McEnany's predecessor, did not hold a single briefing.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Friday that the government would immediately ban the use and trade of roughly 1,500 different kinds of assault-style weapons, including the AR-15 variant that has been used in many U.S. mass shootings, reports The Globe and Mail.
Why it matters: 22 people died during a rampage in Nova Scotia last month — and 13 were killed by gunfire, per CNN, making it one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. While authorities have not revealed the weapons used during that incident, the ban does include them as well.
The Justice Department is probing the communications of Vladimir Zelenko, a New York doctor who has promoted hydroxychloroquine as a coronavirus treatment and has been touted by Fox News host Sean Hannity, the Washington Post reports.
How it happened: Jerome Corsi, a Roger Stone associate and former Infowars employee who had been under scrutiny in the Mueller investigation, accidentally emailed federal prosecutor Aaron Zelinsky instead of Zelenko about the drug.
Joe Biden addressed allegations of sexual assault by former Senate staffer Tara Reade for the first time Friday, saying in a statement: "They aren’t true. This never happened." Biden also said he’s requesting a search for Reade’s alleged written complaint from 1993 to make available to the public if it exists.
Why it matters: The presumptive Democratic nominee faced mounting pressure to personally address Reade's allegation — and release decades-old Senate personnel records — even as key women and women's groups have vouched for his character, endorsed his candidacy and lined up to be considered as his running mate.
If it seems odd to stage a town hall with no in-person audience at the Lincoln Memorial, a site for huge rallies and events in more normal times, you're missing the point: President Trump's plan for Sunday night is packed with strategic signaling.
Driving the news: Fox News said this week that the president will sit for a two-hour event on emerging from the coronavirus pandemic, called "America Together: Returning to Work," to be co-hosted by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.
New survey research by one of President Trump's campaign pollsters shows broad support for more absentee voting and elections spending amid the pandemic — and an openness to other vote-by-mail efforts that Trump has criticized.
Why it matters: The polling, portions of which were shared with Axios, comes as coronavirus-related election reform efforts have become a political lightning rod, with President Trump dismissing mail-in voting as “corrupt” and “RIPE for FRAUD.”
The Capitol's attending physician told senior Republican staff in a conference call Thursday that he doesn't have the equipment to do either rapid or widespread testing of the 100 senators who return to work Monday, per two sources familiar with the call.
Driving the news: Congressional doctor, Brian Monahan, told the staff he didn't have access to the 15-minute tests the White House has been using. And he said he didn't have enough supply to test asymptomatic senators — he would only be testing people who are ill or show symptoms of the coronavirus.
