Axios

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — National polls opened for early voting on Saturday for what Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has called the "Covid election."

Driving the news: NZ quashed the virus after one of the world's toughest lockdowns and went 102 days with no detected cases before COVID-19 re-emerged. There are now seven active domestic cases.

Former President Obama on Friday wished President Trump and Melania Trump a "speedy recovery," per pool reports, after the president and first lady tested positive for the coronavirus.

What he's saying: "Although we’re in the midst of a big political fight, and we take that very seriously, we also want to extend our best wishes" to the Trumps, Obama said.

Cliff Sims, a former Trump aide who wrote a bestselling memoir of his time in the White House which resulted in a legal dispute with the president, has returned to the Trump administration in a senior role.

Driving the news: Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe has brought Sims in to serve as his senior adviser, per two sources with direct knowledge of the decision.

President Trump will work from Walter Reed military hospital in the Washington, D.C. suburbs "for the next few days" after testing positive for the coronavirus, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Friday.

What they're saying: The move is "out of an abundance of caution," McEnany said. The president reportedly experienced mild coronavirus symptoms on Friday. Doctors have given him an experimental antibody cocktail.

President Trump's aides aren't answering basic questions about "who knew what when" about his coronavirus diagnosis — and a lot of those questions are coming from inside the house.

Why it matters: Some current and former White House officials have been privately complaining about the reckless attitude internally toward social distancing and mask wearing, feeling they are being put at risk unnecessarily every day when they show up to work.

The House of Representatives passed a bipartisan resolution on Friday that condemns QAnon, the far-right, online conspiracy movement that promotes baseless theories about the U.S. government.

Why it matters: QAnon has slowly seeped into mainstream American politics this year, and its growing influence is sowing fear and confusion around some of today's most important issues, such as the upcoming presidential election and the coronavirus pandemic, Axios' Stef W. Kight and Sara Fischer report.

Joe Biden said he received two COVID-19 tests on Friday after news that President Trump and the First Lady have tested positive for the virus, and the former vice president's team cancelled one of its previously planned events for safety concerns.

Driving the news: "We wanted to make sure that we're doing everything by the numbers," Biden said during remarks on the economy in Grand Rapids, Mich. "And so I got to two COVID tests this morning. One in Delaware and one by the former White House doc who came up. Everything is clear, we wanted to make sure everything was cleared before I came."

Chris Wallace, the Fox News anchor who moderated Tuesday's presidential debate, urged the network's viewers on Friday to "wear the damn mask."

Why it matters: Fox News, particularly the network's opinions hosts, has been accused of spreading coronavirus misinformation, which one study suggested may have kept millions of Americans from taking the pandemic seriously.

White House physician Sean Conley issued a statement Friday detailing the type of coronavirus test that President Trump took before receiving a positive result, as well as his current COVID-19 treatment.

Why it matters: Trump, who is reportedly experiencing "mild" symptoms, is at higher risk for a severe COVID-19 infection due to his age and body mass index.

New details have emerged on the police killing of Breonna Taylor, an unarmed Black woman in Louisville, Ky., after audio from 15 hours of grand jury proceedings surrounding the case was released on Friday.

Why it matters: While grand jury proceedings are secret and their recordings rarely disclosed, a Kentucky judge ordered the state's Attorney General Daniel Cameron to publicly shared the tapes following nationwide protests in response to the case.

President Trump has tested positive for COVID-19, raising questions about his condition, the health of others in his orbit, and what this means for the campaign, the markets, public health policy and more.

Axios Re:Cap digs in with reporters Jonathan Swan, Mike Allen, Sam Baker, Dion Rabouin and Sara Fischer.

President Trump's previously scheduled campaign events will all be virtual or delayed as Election Day nears, after he and the first lady tested positive for the coronavirus, the campaign announced Friday.

Driving the news: A flurry of positive COVID-19 test results were released by the White House and surrounding politicians on Friday, after Trump and Melania Trump said they tested positive.

Sen. Bernie Sanders is heading to New Hampshire on Saturday and Michigan on Monday to campaign for Joe Biden, his team confirmed to Axios.

Why it matters: This is the first time Sanders will campaign in person since the coronavirus pandemic started, and sources tell Axios to expect more Democratic surrogates and former 2020 presidential candidates to hit the campaign trail for Biden in the coming weeks.

The Trump administration has no plans to mandate that staff and visitors wear face masks on the grounds of the White House, even after President Trump, the First Lady and senior adviser Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Friday.

Why it matters: Trump and his aides have been heavily criticized for refusing to wear masks and social distance, both publicly at large-scale events and in private. Many officials in Trump’s orbit have mocked others for adhering to these guidelines.

Joe Biden and running mate Kamala Harris both tested negative for COVID-19 Friday. Harris is moving forward with her previously planned campaign stop in Las Vegas today, as well.

Driving the news: "Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden underwent PCR testing for COVID-19 today and COVID-19 was not detected. I am reporting this out in my capacity as both Vice President Biden and Dr. Biden's primary care physician," read a statement from the Biden campaign.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) plans to self-quarantine for ten days after he tested positive for the coronavirus on Thursday, he announced Friday.

Why it matters: Lee, 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 his Supreme Court nominee. He also met with Barrett at the Capitol on Sept. 29.

The Supreme Court agreed Friday to hear a major voting rights case, setting up a clash over states’ handling of absentee ballots.

Why it matters: The court has already invalidated a key section of the Voting Rights Act, even before President Trump solidified and expanded its conservative majority, and is now poised to limit voting-rights enforcement again.

President Trump is experiencing "mild" coronavirus symptoms after testing positive, a maskless White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters on Friday.

Why it matters: The president is at high risk for a severe COVID-19 infection, due to his age at 74 and his body mass index, which puts him just over the line into obesity, as recorded in his last two annual physicals.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, the physician to the president confirmed early Friday.

Why it matters: Trump is 74 years old, which generally puts him at higher risk for severe illness from the virus, per CDC guidelines. The president was experiencing "mild symptoms" on Friday, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters.

The Constitution establishes a chain for who becomes "acting president" if the president is incapacitated — but even if President Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both fell ill from the coronavirus, many responsibilities could be delegated to White House staff before they'd turn to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Why it matters: It's highly unlikely, but given Trump's positive COVID-19 test, there's a protocol under Section 3 of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution for Trump to temporarily cede authorities to Pence.

The Senate confirmation process for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will continue as scheduled, despite President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump testing positive for coronavirus, three Senate GOP aides tell Axios and Senate Judiciary Chair Lindsey Graham later confirmed.

Between the lines: Barrett has been in close contact with several top White House aides, including Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, who may have been exposed to the virus.

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday and has been isolated at home in Michigan since last Saturday after a family member's positive test, the RNC said in a statement.

Why it matters: President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive on Thursday shortly after Hope Hicks, one of the president's closest White House aides, tested positive. McDaniel was last with Trump a week ago, per the New York Times' Maggie Haberman.

President Trump's COVID-19 diagnosis could bring both presidential campaigns and national politics to a screeching halt with a month left in the election.

The big question: Is this a temporary disruption, or will it effectively ground the president, Vice President Mike Pence, and the Democratic ticket of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris?

Joe Biden tweeted Friday that he hopes President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have "a swift recovery" after news broke that the pair tested positive for coronavirus.

What's next: It remains to be seen if Biden will suspend his own campaigning, as he was within feet of Trump at Tuesday night's debate. Hope Hicks, one of the president's closest confidants and West Wing aides, also tested positive after traveling to attend the debate — where she and the president's family did not wear masks.

The American Petroleum Institute is launching a digital ad barrage in the closing weeks of the election that promotes natural gas and industry access to drilling in areas Joe Biden would place off-limits.

Why it matters: API is the industry's most powerful lobbying group. The seven-figure buy shows how the industry sees the threat from Democratic climate proposals — including a ban on new oil-and-gas leases on federal lands.

President Trump is at a high risk for a severe coronavirus infection.

The big picture: The White House physician said that both President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are "well at this time," but Trump carries multiple risk factors that could lead to serious symptoms over the next few days.

Vice President Mike Pence and Second Lady Karen Pence tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday — less than 24 hours after President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and White House aide Hope Hicks tested positive.

The state of play: Trump and other positive staff will be in isolation while recovering from the virus. It is unclear when or where they contracted it, including whether Trump had the virus while debating former Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday. Top White House staff is tested for COVID-19 daily.

The coronavirus' threat to America is no longer confined by geography or demographics.

Why it matters: With the positive test for President Trump, the risks are real and immediate.

Over the last 29 days, President Trump has stared down a month of hell — a relentless barrage of reporting and developments that have seriously damaged his re-election hopes.

Why it matters: Polls already showed that Trump faced a difficult path to re-election before his middle-of-the-night revelation that he has coronavirus. And with just over a month until Election Day, there's no telling what the next 32 days could have in store for the president.

President Trump, who had talked and acted like he was medically invincible, tweeted just before 1am that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive for coronavirus.

Why it matters: The shocking announcement has personal, political, medical, financial and national security ramifications. Election Day is 32 days away. Markets hate uncertainty, and we now have the biggest X factor in the world.

More than 70% of LGBTQ youth say they have little to no trust in police, especially among Black LGBTQ and trans and/or non-binary, according to a Morning Consult/Trevor Project poll out Friday.

The big picture: Several "Black Trans Lives Matter" rallies emerged in cities across the U.S. this summer acknowledging racism within the LGBTQ+ community and injustices among law enforcement.

President Trump's tweet on Friday announcing that he and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus quickly become his most retweeted and liked tweet ever.

Why it matters: The tweet — sent at 12:54 a.m. ET — set records while most of the nation was asleep, so it's bound to get even bigger.

President Trump's refusal to take Chris Wallace's prompt to condemn white supremacy during Tuesday's debate and his "stand back and stand by" comment about the Proud Boys became the No. 1 storyline from the debate online, according to exclusive data from NewsWhip.

Why it matters: The post-debate response put Trump — not Joe Biden — on the defensive, and allowed the former vice president to dodge blowback from his own shortcomings in the debate.

The Judicial Crisis Network is enlisting John F. Kennedy's voice in a new ad defending Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett against concerns that her Catholic faith will guide her judicial decisions.

The final glimpse of the labor market before election day comes this morning, and it’s expected to show job growth continuing at a slower pace.

Why it matters: President Trump, who is using his record on the economy as a key message on the campaign trail, heads into election with a labor market that has been ravaged by the pandemic and is still millions of jobs in the hole.

President Trump condemned the far-right Proud Boys on "Hannity" Thursday night after saying at this week's presidential debate the group should "stand back and stand by."

Why it matters: After the debate, Trump's advisers felt the president needed to outright condemn far-right extremists and white supremacy, per Axios' Alayna Treene. Congressional Republicans also pressed Trump to clarify his comment, including Tim Scott, the Senate's lone Black Republican.

President Trump tweeted Thursday that he and First Lady Melania Trump "will begin our quarantine process" after adviser Hope Hicks tested positive for coronavirus.

Driving the news: Trump confirmed to Fox News host Sean Hannity Thursday night that Hicks tested positive for the virus, and said both he and First Lady Melania Trump have since been tested and are awaiting their results.

The House passed Democrats' revised $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief bill 214-207 on Thursday as 11th-hour negotiations between leaders for a bipartisan deal continue.

Why it matters: The legislation, a slimmed down version of the House's initial $3.4 trillion HEROES Act, is Democrats' last ditch effort to strike a stimulus deal with the White House and Senate Republicans before Election Day, though many lawmakers admit they think the legislation has little chance of becoming law.

Former Deputy National Security Advisor Antony Blinken said Thursday that a Joe Biden administration would reassert American leadership through diplomacy.

Why it matters: Blinken warned that the U.S. faces multiple rising powers and new actors on the world stage that are "super-empowered by technology and information," adding that America must figure out how to bring them along "if we're going to make progress."