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Joe Biden and Kamala Harris both warned Americans this holiday weekend to be skeptical of anything Trump says about a potential coronavirus vaccine, saying they’ll take their cues from scientists and not the president. 

Why it matters: The Democratic ticket is trying to strike the right balance — they want to warn that Trump may be making premature claims for political gain, but they don’t want t0 dissuade  Americans from actually using a vaccine once one is safe and available.

At an AFL-CIO virtual town hall, Biden said he would take a vaccine only if Trump had been “completely transparent and other experts in the country could look at it.”

Driving the news: Trump is attacking Biden and Harris for expressing concern that the president might accelerate the introduction of a vaccine for political reason.

On Monday, Trump called on his opponents  to “immediately apologize for the reckless anti-vaccine rhetoric that they’re talking right now.”

Between the lines. Trump continues to hint that there could be a vaccine before the November election. At a press conference in New Jersey he teased that there could be a “very big surprise coming up.”

Both Biden and Harris want to project optimism about the prospects for a vaccine, without creating an echo chamber for Trump's enthusiasm.

“If I could get a vaccine tomorrow I’d do it,” Biden said earlier today . “If it cost me the election I’d do it. We need a vaccine and we need it now.”

 On Sunday, Harris told CNN: “I would not trust Donald Trump and it would have to be a credible source of information that talks about the efficacy and the reliability of whatever he’s talking about.”  

Biden on coronavirus vaccine: Don't trust Trump

“I would not trust Donald Trump," said his running mate Kamala Harris.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden meets with veterans and union leaders in the backyard of a supporter. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Politics

2020 elections

Coronavirus

2020 election

Joe Biden

2024 will be an election year like no other, as President Biden seeks re-election amid economic uncertainty, two wars and questions about his age. His likely foe, former President Trump, faces felony charges and vows revenge on his political enemies. Meanwhile, Americans generally are dissatisfied with those choices and are divided over immigration, race, education and more.

Politics & Policy

The U.S. health system faces critical questions about cost, access and equity. Technological advances and new discoveries about diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s are transforming patient care and reshaping public health.

Health

China is set to announce its own global data security initiative on Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing people briefed on the issue. 

Why it matters: China's effort is aimed at countering U.S. attempts to bar Chinese technology from other countries, most recently through the Clean Network program announced last month, WSJ reports.

Driving the news: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the Clean Network program as a guard for the U.S. and 30 other countries against "aggressive intrusions by malign actors, such as the Chinese Communist Party." 

The program would "exclude Chinese telecommunications firms, apps, cloud providers and undersea cables from internet infrastructure" used by the U.S. and participating countries, per WSJ.

China's draft for its security initiative reportedly does not mention the Clean Network program or the U.S.

Of note: A federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment against two Chinese hackers in July for a "sweeping global computer intrusion campaign" that began over 10 years ago and targeted companies developing coronavirus vaccines and treatments.

China launching data security initiative to counter U.S. tech blockade

The effort is reportedly aimed at countering U.S. attempts to bar Chinese tech from other countries.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi stands in front of a microphone

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is reportedly scheduled to announce the country's new data security initiatvie, in Berlin, Germany on Sept. 1. Photo: Peng Dawei/Xinhua via Getty Images

World

China

Conflicts, policies and powers are intersecting and shaping the world. Breaking news and analysis of national security, foreign policy and global crises.

President Trump told reporters at a Labor Day briefing on Monday that he is "taking the high road" by not meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats to negotiate the next coronavirus stimulus package. 

Why it matters: Unemployment benefits have expired for millions of Americans, but House Democrats and the White House are no closer to a deal — while nearly one in eight households are struggling to get enough to eat.

What he's saying: "I don't need to meet with them to be turned down," Trump told reporters. "They don't want to make a deal because they think if the country does as badly as possible ... that's good for the Democrats." 

"I am taking the high road. I'm taking the high road by not seeing them," he added.

Of note: Trump said that the damaging article from The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, which reported that the president "has repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members," was a "totally made-up story" and that "only an animal would say a thing like that." 

He characterized a recent statement from former White House deputy chief of staff Zach Fuentes as a denial of The Atlantic's story, although what Fuentes said is that he "did not hear POTUS call anyone losers when I told him about the weather" and that sources in the article were "conflating stories."

Trump says he's "taking the high road" by not meeting with Democrats

House Democrats and the White House haven't been able to reach a stimulus deal.

President Trump at the White House, Sept. 7. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Donald Trump

Sen. Kamala Harris spoke with Jacob Blake by phone during a private meeting with his family and legal team in Milwaukee, per a campaign official, four days after Joe Biden met with them in the wake of Blake’s shooting by Kenosha police. 

Driving the news: This is Harris’ first visit to a battleground state since being named Biden’s running mate. She's also meeting with local labor leaders and business owners to discuss workers’ rights, the economy and systemic racism. 

What she's saying: Harris told reporters that her message to the family was "to express concern for their well-being and of course, for their brother and their son's well being and to let them know that they have support."

"And they just do it with such dignity and grace. And you know, they're carrying the weight of a lot of voices on their shoulders," she said.

Details: Harris is meeting with four members of Blake’s family and three members of his legal team. Blake’s father and two sisters met with Harris in person, and his mother joined by phone. 

Julia Jackson, Blake’s mother (by phone)

Ben Crump, Blake’s attorney (by phone) 

Patrick Salvi, Jr., on Blake’s legal team 

B’Ivory LaMarr, on Blake’s legal team

Blake, who is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the back seven times by a Kenosha police officer, answered questions from his hospital bed during a court hearing on Friday. 

In a video shared by his attorney Ben Crump on Saturday, Blake gave his first comments on his injuries, saying, "24 hours — every 24 hours, it's pain. ... It hurts to breathe, it hurts to sleep, it hurts to move from side to side, it hurts to eat." 

"Please, I'm telling you: Change y'all lives out there. We can stick together, make some money, make everything easier for our people out here, man, because there’s so much time that has been wasted," he said in the video.

Flashback: President Trump visited Wisconsin on Tuesday, where he met with business leaders and local law enforcement, but he didn't mention Blake in his remarks.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to include what Harris said about the meeting.

Harris speaks with Jacob Blake, meets with his family

Harris is meeting with the family during her first campaign visit to a battleground state.

Sen. Kamala Harris. Photo: Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images

Jacob Blake

Kamala Harris

Money concerns are very real for President Trump's campaign — an unusual predicament for a sitting president, and one that worries veteran Republican operatives, with Trump so far behind in swing states as the race climaxes.

Why it matters: The campaign's view is that Trump will get his message out, and he depends less on paid media than normal politicians. But the number of states Trump has to worry about has actually grown, and Joe Biden's massive August fundraising haul has given his campaign a lift as early voting begins.

The New York Times leads today's paper with a big Labor Day scene-setter with several intriguing references to money problems for Trump: 

"The light television spending and advertising blackouts in some key states have mystified allies," The Times reports. 

Trump "is expected to increase television spending next week, but several Republicans said that Bill Stepien, Mr. Trump’s campaign manager since July, was taking a cautious approach after the former leadership spent huge sums on television and digital ads earlier this year, to no discernible effect."

Update ... Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh said in a statement: "President Trump’s fundraising is breaking records and we are paying close attention to the budget, allowing us to invest twice as much from now until Election Day than we did in 2016."

"President Trump's reelection strategy reflects the unique 2020 campaign calendar and we're confident that his success in rebuilding our economy ... will prove the pivotal contrast this fall."

Last Monday, AP's Brian Slodysko reported that the Trump campaign had pulled most TV ads over the previous week, ceding the airwaves to Biden, who was outspending Trump by more than 10 to 1.

Biden and DNC raised a stunning $365 million in August, breaking the record for one month of presidential fundraising.

At the end of July, before the announcement of Sen. Kamala Harris swelled Biden's fundraising, Trump reported slightly more cash on hand.

Trump faces surprising cash crunch

The number of states Trump has to worry about has actually grown.

President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pa., on Thursday evening

President Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Latrobe, Pa., on Thursday evening. Photo: Jeff Swensen/Getty Images

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This story first appeared in Axios AM

Enjoying a boom with so many gyms closed, Peloton "is preparing to launch a cheaper treadmill and a new high-end bike," Bloomberg reports. 

The state of play: The new treadmill will be called 'Tread" and will cost less than $3,000, compared to $4,295 for the current model. It will be smaller and have a cheaper belt design. Peloton is also releasing Bike+, a premium stationary bike that will cost more than the current $2,245 version, which will have a price drop to $1,900.

Yes, but: The pandemic has impacted the company's ability to manufacture its new products and forced it to pause deliveries across most of the U.S. 

Peloton CEO John Foley said the coronavirus has forced the company to rethink how it launches products and releasing a cheaper treadmill is a priority.

Peloton plans on cheaper new options as coronavirus keeps gyms closed

The new treadmill will be called 'Tread" and will cost less than $3,000.

A trainer on a Peloton screen during a workout

Business

Peloton Technology

Top stories & latest news on the Federal Reserve, real-time data, plus the biggest shifts happening in the U.S. and global economy.

Economy

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

A Saudi court has sentenced eight nationals for the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi on Monday, AP reports. 

Why it matters: The trial has been widely criticized, including by an independent UN investigator. No senior official or anyone suspected of ordering the killing was found guilty. The Saudi government has long maintained that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had no knowledge or involvement in the assassination, despite the CIA concluding last year that he gave the order.

The state of play: The names of those convicted have not been made public, per AP.

Five of the individuals were ordered to serve a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, one will serve 10 years, and two were ordered to serve seven years.

Background: Khashoggi was murdered and dismembered at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, 2018.

The official Saudi story changed several times in the aftermath of the murder, and the government has never offered a full accounting of how and why the crime was carried out, or who gave the order.

Go deeper: A year after Jamal Khashoggi's murder, Saudi trial veiled in secrecy

Saudi court sentences 8 for the killing of Jamal Khashoggi

No senior official or anyone suspected of ordering the killing was found guilty.

Axios

Monday's top stories