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Amy Coney Barrett officially joins supreme court after taking oath – live Trump lashes out after Obama mocks him for being 'jealous of Covid's media coverage' – live
(32 minutes later)
Chief Justice John Roberts administers oath to new Trump-nominated justice in private ceremony Ex-president says Trump ‘turned the White House into a hot zone’ as Amy Coney Barrett joins supreme court – follow all the latest
Here’s where the day stands so far:
Amy Coney Barrett officially joined the supreme court, after Chief Justice John Roberts delivered her judicial oath in a private ceremony this morning.
Trump lashed out against Barack Obama as the former president delivered a blistering speech in Orlando, Florida. Obama once again criticized his successor’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, noting Trump has complained about the news coverage the pandemic has received as the US death toll continues to climb. “He’s jealous of Covid’s media coverage,” Obama said.
A federal judge denied the justice department’s bid to take over Trump’s defense in E Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit. The judge ruled that the president was not acting in his official capacity when he denied Carroll’s rape allegation, as the justice department had argued.
The blog will have more coming up, so stay tuned.
Barack Obama just concluded his speech at a drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, with one week to go until Election Day.
Reflecting the bizarre nature of campaigning during a global pandemic, Obama concluded his speech by encouraging attendees, “Honk if you’re fired up. Honk if you’re ready to go.”
The former president’s words were met with a flurry of car honks and cheers. “Let’s go do this thing,” Obama concluded. “Let’s bring it home.”
Barack Obama criticized Trump for cozying up to dictators, saying he was unsurprised that leaders like Vladimir Putin wanted to see the president win reelection.
Obama compared Trump’s outreach to dictators to his behavior during his “60 Minutes” interview, which the president cut short after Lesley Stahl pressed him on his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our current president, he whines that ‘60 Minutes’ is too tough,” Obama said. “You think he’s gonna stand up to dictators? He thinks Lesley Stahl is a bully.”
Fox News is carrying Barack Obama’s speech in Orlando live, and one of its viewers, the president, is not happy about it.Fox News is carrying Barack Obama’s speech in Orlando live, and one of its viewers, the president, is not happy about it.
“Now @FoxNews is playing Obama’s no crowd, fake speech for Biden, a man he could barely endorse because he couldn’t believe he won,” Trump said in a tweet.“Now @FoxNews is playing Obama’s no crowd, fake speech for Biden, a man he could barely endorse because he couldn’t believe he won,” Trump said in a tweet.
Repeating an odd claim he made during the final presidential debate, Trump added, “Also, I PREPAID many Millions of Dollars in Taxes.”Repeating an odd claim he made during the final presidential debate, Trump added, “Also, I PREPAID many Millions of Dollars in Taxes.”
The New York Times found that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the presidency.The New York Times found that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016, the year he won the presidency.
And Obama is addressing a small crowd at the Orlando drive-in rally because the Biden campaign has sharply restricted attendance at its events to limit the risk of coronavirus spread.And Obama is addressing a small crowd at the Orlando drive-in rally because the Biden campaign has sharply restricted attendance at its events to limit the risk of coronavirus spread.
In the final weeks before the election, Trump has held a number of large outdoor rallies with no social distancing and infrequent mask usage, even as coronavirus cases surge across the country.In the final weeks before the election, Trump has held a number of large outdoor rallies with no social distancing and infrequent mask usage, even as coronavirus cases surge across the country.
Speaking in Orlando, Barack Obama also mocked Jared Kushner’s comments about Trump’s outreach to African American voters.Speaking in Orlando, Barack Obama also mocked Jared Kushner’s comments about Trump’s outreach to African American voters.
Kushner told Fox News yesterday, “The thing we’ve seen in the Black community, which is mostly Democrat, is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”Kushner told Fox News yesterday, “The thing we’ve seen in the Black community, which is mostly Democrat, is that President Trump’s policies are the policies that can help people break out of the problems that they’re complaining about, but he can’t want them to be successful more than they want to be successful.”
Obama said of Kushner’s comments, “Now his advisers are out there saying — including his son-in-law — his son-in-law says Black folks have to want to be successful. That’s the problem.Obama said of Kushner’s comments, “Now his advisers are out there saying — including his son-in-law — his son-in-law says Black folks have to want to be successful. That’s the problem.
“Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?”“Who are these folks? What history books do they read? Who do they talk to?”
Barack Obama once again accused Trump of exacerbating the suffering caused by the coronavirus pandemic.Barack Obama once again accused Trump of exacerbating the suffering caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
“A pandemic would’ve been challenging for any president,” Obama said. “But this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this thing up is nonsense.”“A pandemic would’ve been challenging for any president,” Obama said. “But this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this thing up is nonsense.”
Obama also made a character-based pitch for Biden, describing his former running mate as a “man of principle” who would empathize with the pain of the American people.Obama also made a character-based pitch for Biden, describing his former running mate as a “man of principle” who would empathize with the pain of the American people.
Repeating a line he has delivered before, Obama said, “I can tell you the presidency doesn’t change who you are — it reveals who you are.”Repeating a line he has delivered before, Obama said, “I can tell you the presidency doesn’t change who you are — it reveals who you are.”
Barack Obama has taken the stage for his drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, where he is addressing hundreds of Biden supporters as they stand alongside their cars.Barack Obama has taken the stage for his drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, where he is addressing hundreds of Biden supporters as they stand alongside their cars.
“One week Orlando, we’ve got one week -- si se puede -- one week until the most important election of our lifetimes,” Obama told the crowd.“One week Orlando, we’ve got one week -- si se puede -- one week until the most important election of our lifetimes,” Obama told the crowd.
The former president once again sharply criticized his successor over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Obama noted Trump has complained about how much coverage the pandemic has received, as the death toll continues to climb.The former president once again sharply criticized his successor over his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Obama noted Trump has complained about how much coverage the pandemic has received, as the death toll continues to climb.
“He’s jealous of COVID’s media coverage,” Obama said. He accused Trump of having “turned the White House into a hot zone” after two coronavirus outbreaks among the president and his senior staff.“He’s jealous of COVID’s media coverage,” Obama said. He accused Trump of having “turned the White House into a hot zone” after two coronavirus outbreaks among the president and his senior staff.
“Florida, we can’t afford four more years of this,” Obama said. “We cannot afford this kind of incompetence and disinterest.”“Florida, we can’t afford four more years of this,” Obama said. “We cannot afford this kind of incompetence and disinterest.”
Barack Obama will soon speak at a drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, as polls show Biden and Trump running neck and neck in the swing state.Barack Obama will soon speak at a drive-in rally in Orlando, Florida, as polls show Biden and Trump running neck and neck in the swing state.
The Biden campaign said more than 270 cars had been brought in to the area outside the Camping World Stadium in Orlando to hear Obama speak.The Biden campaign said more than 270 cars had been brought in to the area outside the Camping World Stadium in Orlando to hear Obama speak.
The event come three days after Obama held another drive-in rally in North Miami. The former president carried Florida in 2008 and 2012.The event come three days after Obama held another drive-in rally in North Miami. The former president carried Florida in 2008 and 2012.
The NBC News team shifted two states in its Electoral College forecast, one in favor of Democrats and one in favor of Republicans.The NBC News team shifted two states in its Electoral College forecast, one in favor of Democrats and one in favor of Republicans.
Arizona has moved from Lean Democratic to Toss Up, and Texas has moved from Lean Republican to Toss Up.Arizona has moved from Lean Democratic to Toss Up, and Texas has moved from Lean Republican to Toss Up.
The NBC political team explains its rationale for the changes:The NBC political team explains its rationale for the changes:
Biden is still in an enviable position in the NBC forecast, as the Democratic nominee remains above 270 votes with the states likely to go his way.Biden is still in an enviable position in the NBC forecast, as the Democratic nominee remains above 270 votes with the states likely to go his way.
Trump is once again attacking Barack Obama, who has been hitting the campaign trail for Biden in recent days.Trump is once again attacking Barack Obama, who has been hitting the campaign trail for Biden in recent days.
“Obama is drawing VERY small (tiny) numbers of people. Biden is drawing almost no one. We are drawing tens of thousands of people. You’ll see that again today. The Great Red Wave is coming!!!” Trump said in a new tweet.“Obama is drawing VERY small (tiny) numbers of people. Biden is drawing almost no one. We are drawing tens of thousands of people. You’ll see that again today. The Great Red Wave is coming!!!” Trump said in a new tweet.
At the risk of stating the obvious, the Biden campaign has been sharply restricting attendance at its events due to the ongoing global pandemic.At the risk of stating the obvious, the Biden campaign has been sharply restricting attendance at its events due to the ongoing global pandemic.
The Trump campaign has taken far fewer precautions, holding large outdoor rallies with no social distancing and inconsistent mask usage.The Trump campaign has taken far fewer precautions, holding large outdoor rallies with no social distancing and inconsistent mask usage.
Obama will be in Orlando, Florida, today, to campaign at a drive-in rally for Biden.Obama will be in Orlando, Florida, today, to campaign at a drive-in rally for Biden.
Amy Coney Barrett has officially joined the supreme court, after Chief Justice John Roberts administered her second judicial oath in a private ceremony this morning.Amy Coney Barrett has officially joined the supreme court, after Chief Justice John Roberts administered her second judicial oath in a private ceremony this morning.
Barrett can now begin her work as a supreme court justice, still in time to potentially help determine crucial election-related cases and (of course) the case involving the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.Barrett can now begin her work as a supreme court justice, still in time to potentially help determine crucial election-related cases and (of course) the case involving the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.
Oral arguments in the ACA case, which Democrats have warned could threaten millions of Americans’ healthcare coverage, will be heard a week after the presidential election.Oral arguments in the ACA case, which Democrats have warned could threaten millions of Americans’ healthcare coverage, will be heard a week after the presidential election.
Barrett joins the court a little over a month after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Barrett joins the court a little over a month after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
An important note: a federal judge’s ruling that the justice department cannot intervene on Trump’s behalf in E Jean Carroll’s defamation lawsuit effectively keeps her complaint alive.
As Pete Williams of NBC News explained, if the judge had ruled that the justice department was allowed to take over Trump’s defense, Carroll’s lawsuit would be moot because it is not possible to sue the government for defamation.
Given that the judge ruled Trump was not acting in his official capacity as president when he denied Carroll’s rape allegation, as the justice department tried to argue, the defamation lawsuit can move forward.
Senator Ted Cruz said he did not believe Trump’s attacks on Hunter Biden were motivating “a single voter” in the final days before the presidential election.
Sitting down for an interview with Axios’ Jonathan Swan, Cruz reflected on Trump and Biden’s performances in the final presidential debate.
The Republican senator said he believed Biden’s best moment during the debate was when he said, “It’s not about his family and my family. It’s about your family, and your family is hurting badly.”
When Swan pressed Cruz on whether he thought the attacks on Biden’s family were effective, the senator replied, “I don’t think it moves a single voter.”
Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer wrote a piece for the Atlantic about the thwarted plot to kidnap her.
The Democratic governor writes:
Earlier this month, the FBI announced charges against 14 people, several of them with ties to a rightwing militia group, in connection to the plot to kidnap Whitmer.
A lawyer representing E Jean Carroll applauded a federal judge’s ruling denying the justice department’s bid to take over Trump’s defense in the defamation lawsuit.
“We are very pleased that the federal court interpreted the plain text of Federal Tort Claims Act as not covering President Trump’s false statements about our client, E. Jean Carroll,” lawyer Roberta Kaplan said in a statement.
“The simple truth is that President Trump defamed our client because she was brave enough to reveal that he had sexually assaulted her, and that brutal, personal attack cannot be attributed to the Office of the President.”
Kaplan added, “We look forward to moving forward with E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against Donald Trump in his personal capacity in federal court.”
The Trump team is delivering its own closing message, tweeting an edited video of the president throwing hats to his supporters that makes it look like he is hitting Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden with them.
The video includes multiple clips of Clinton tripping, and it is edited to make it appear as though she falls after being hit by a “Make America Great Again” hat.
Biden appears in the video only once, seeming to get hit in the head with a MAGA hat.
As a reminder, it is seven days until Election Day; Hillary Clinton is not the Democratic nominee; Trump is 9 points down against Biden in national polls; more than 225,000 Americans have died of coronavirus.
A federal judge has ruled the justice department cannot intervene on Trump’s behalf in a defamation lawsuit brought by E Jean Carroll.
“The President of the United States is not an ‘employee of the Government within the meaning of the relevant statutes,” wrote Judge Lewis A Kaplan in his ruling.
“Even if he were such an ‘employee,’ President Trump’s allegedly defamatory statements concerning Ms. Carroll would not have been within the scope of his employment.”
Carroll has accused Trump of rape, an allegation that the president denied, prompting her defamation lawsuit.
The justice department, under the leadership of attorney general William Barr, moved last month to take over Trump’s defense in the lawsuit.
Biden has released his closing message ads, which will air nationwide in the final week before the presidential election.
The two ads feature the nominee and his wife, Jill Biden, speaking directly to the camera about the stakes of this election.
In Biden’s ad, he delivers much the same message that he used to launch his campaign, arguing the US is “in a battle for the soul of the nation.”
“I believe that even more deeply today,” Biden says in the ad. “Who we are, what we stand for, and maybe most importantly who we’re going to be, it’s all at stake.”
Biden adds, “Character is on the ballot, the character of the country, and this is our opportunity to leave the dark, angry politics of the past four years behind us.”
We’ll find out in seven days how much Biden’s message has resonated with American voters.
This is Joan Greve in Washington, taking over for Martin Belam.
Today on the campaign trail: Trump will hold three rallies today in Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska, while Biden is delivering a speech in Georgia.
It is rather remarkable that a Democratic presidential nominee is in Georgia a week before Election Day, considering the traditionally conservative state has not voted for a Democrat in a presidential race since 1992.
But polls show Biden and Trump running neck and neck in Georgia, which the president won by 5 points in 2016. A poll released yesterday by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed the two nominees virtually tied in the state. If Trump loses Georgia, his hopes of winning a second term will dwindle to almost nothing.
And the president’s trip to Omaha, Nebraska, is also noteworthy. The state’s 2nd congressional district awards one electoral vote, and Barack Obama was the last Democrat to win it in 2008. According to FiveThirtyEight, Biden is favored to win Nebraska-2 this year.
Donald Trump Jr has just retweeted Derek Hunter saying that “Leftists really seem to want dead police officers” in connection to the shooting of Walter Wallace Jr in Philadelphia.
Authorities in Philadelphia have said they will investigate the circumstances of the shooting.
Witnesses say that Wallace’s mother was there attempting to shield her son from the officers, while the dead man’s father has subsequently told reporters “Why didn’t they use a taser? His mother was trying to defuse the situation. He has mental issues. Why you have to gun him down?”
Read more here: Philadelphia protesters take to streets after police killing of black man
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany once praised Joe Biden as “a man of the people” capable of “coming off as human” and “resonating with middle class voters”.
In an interview with a New York radio station in 2015, she also said that though she thought Donald Trump would be more likely to beat Biden, then considering a run for president, than Hillary Clinton, “I think the juxtaposition of kind of the man of the people and kind of this tycoon, is a problem.”
A week before Trump faces Biden for re-election, the comments from five years ago were reported by Andrew Kaczynski of CNN, a reporter who specialises in burrowing through the strata of internet time, looking for forgotten comments by public figures which now seem unfortunate or embarrassment.
“I think the Republicans run into a problem if it is Joe Biden and if it is maybe a Trump on the other side,” McEnany told AM970 in 2015. “Because Joe Biden, one of the things he is remarkable at is really kind of being a man of the people and resonating with middle class voters. Feeling like – coming off as human. His gaffes – as much as we make fun of them – to a certain extent they make him look human. So not, since he’s likable.”
McEnany also said, presciently, that though “the juxtaposition of kind of the man of the people and kind of this tycoon, is a problem” in any Biden-Trump match-up, “Donald Trump’s remarkably coming off as a man of the people despite being this wealthy business tycoon.”
The same week, McEnany spoke to Fox Business Network.
“When you have Joe Biden here who’s funny and likeable and can resonate with the middle class,’ she said, “he really can speak to the average, everyday American, versus Hillary Clinton who’s cold and somber. Remember when she had to – that calculated move of drinking a drink at a bar to seem like a human being. Joe Biden is a human and people will resonate with that. I predict he will be the nominee.”
Biden wasn’t, of course, but he is now and a week out from election day he leads the incumbent president in most national polls and in most battleground states, though some leads are narrowing as Trump campaigns hard.
In a statement to CNN, McEnany parroted Trump administration attack lines when she had now learned of Biden’s “profound personal corruption” and called him “an empty vessel for the liberal elites and far left”.