The Lead with Jake Tapper

Trump repeats attack on Fauci as COVID cases surge in U.S.; Trump calls Fauci a “disaster,” says people are tired of COVID during campaign call; Fauci says people at highest risk of COVID should take vaccine first; CNN: task force frustrated with Trump’s science-denying Dr. Atlas; Biden responds to Trump’s attacks on Fauci, says all Trump has done is “cower and wallow in self-pity”; Trump on campa...

Biden: Americans don’t panic, Donald Trump panicked; Trump refuses to denounce QAnon conspiracy theories; Biden slams Trump’s tolerance of right-wing extremists; Biden hits Trump’s coronavirus response; Trump lies about masks, claims U.S. “rounding the corner” on virus; Trump still won’t say if he got a COVID test on debate day; Biden: Trump knew and lied about COVID; Biden says losing the electio...

Trump falsely says 85% of people wearing masks catch coronavirus; Trump falsely claims Dr. Fauci, who has served under 6 presidents, is a Democrat; Trump: I’m not tested every day “but I’m tested a lot”; Trump: “Not doing any more lockdowns” if cases spike; Sen. Harris off trail after two recent contacts test positive; Sen Harris & husband tested negative for virus today; 35 states report rise in...

NIH directors: the president is “not infectious for anyone else”; Trump to suburban women: “will you please like me?”; Trump to hold rally in Iowa as state reports 100k+ virus cases; Wisconsin opens field hospital as Covid cases surge; W.H.O.: most Covid transmission happening in households; No state trending in the right direction with Covid cases; Poll: African Americans more reluctant to try a...

Trump’s Supreme Court pick faces Senators’ questions; Trump plans aggressive rally schedule to reset campaign; Trump at Florida rally: “I’ll just give you a big fat kiss”; Trump again attacks Fauci as he hosts another rally tonight; WH: Trump “having a blast”, will do multiple rallies a day; Several states seeing spikes in cases, hospitalizations; Doctor says Trump tested negative on consecutive d...

Trump physician won’t say if president has tested negative yet; Trump begins four straight nights of rallies after being infected with coronavirus; President Trump falsely says he’s “immune” and virus will “disappear”; Meadows refuses to wear mask to talk to reporters after having been around president Trump; Fauci: Trump campaign ad took my comments out of context; Fauci asks Trump campaign to ta...

Trump: I might not have recovered “at all” if not for experimental antibody therapy; Trump claims the Regeneron treatment he received is a “cure”; Trump pressures AG Barr to prosecute Obama, Biden; Trump expected to host event on WH South Lawn tomorrow despite having COVID, will address guests from balcony; Trump struggles with coughs during tv interview; Trump on coughing interview: there’s a “li...

Trump wants to restart rallies, claims he’s no longer contagious; Biden campaign rejects Trump’s demand to change debate dates; Fmr vaccine director: “more people are going to die because scientists are being pushed back”; Pelosi says Trump is “in an altered state” due to Covid; Fmr vaccine director calls Trump’s promotion of Covid drugs “shameful” and “reckless”; Rick Bright: “more people will di...

Coronavirus cases trend up in 25 states, steady in 22 states, down in only three states; Trump returns to Oval office despite infection, briefed on stimulus and hurricane; Meadows and Scavino with Trump in Oval Office, wearing protective gear; Two top aides with infected Trump in Oval Office; Tampa International Airport to offer Covid tests to all passengers       To learn more about how CNN prote...

Trump’s physician: Trump reports no symptoms, doing “extremely well”; No signs Trump’s battle with coronavirus has changed his views of virus; Officials: Trump to record video message today, no plans for live address; Trump again falsely claims COVID-19 is less deadly than the flu; Critics attack Trump for maskless, balcony photo-op; Infected GOP Sen: I’ll vote in a “moon suit” to confirm Barrett;...

Trump tweets that he’s leaving hospital tonight; Trump’s doctor: president to leave hospital even though he “may not be entirely out of the woods yet”; New CNN poll: 63% say Trump irresponsibly handled the risk of virus infection to others around him; Only 30% of Americans trust most of what they hear from White House about Trump’s health; 60% disapprove of Trump’s handling of pandemic; 51% of Ame...

Trump campaigned despite top aide being symptomatic; WH Press Secy: President Trump being treated with Regeneron antibody cocktail; Concern over COVID exposure inside White House; WH: Trump has “mild symptoms” after positive COVID-19 test; Pelosi spokesperson: Speaker tests negative for COVID-19; WH Press Secy: President is “fatigued but in good spirits”; Source: President Trump has had a fever si...

Source: “It may eventually sink in” Trump didn’t do well in debate; Trump fails again to denounce white supremacy; WH won’t directly denounce white supremacy, says Trump didn’t misspeak; Top Senate Republican urges Trump to condemn white supremacy; WH won’t commit that Trump will agree to new debate rules; Trump claims debate victory, asks “why would I allow” rules to change; Barrett signed a righ...

Trump claims he doesn’t know who Proud Boys are, now says “stand down” after telling far-right group to “stand by”; CNN goes inside a Proud Boys rally in Portland; Far-right group celebrates Trump debate shout-out; Biden calls Trump’s debate performance a “national embarrassment”; Biden: hope debate commission can control Trump’s behavior; Biden: Trump “looks down on us”; Trump refuses to dissuade...

Sources: Debate could get personal with attacks over candidates’ children; Trump & Biden to debate amid deadly pandemic, suffering economy, reckoning on racism & Supreme Court battle; Trump yet to dispute figures in NYT report that show he paid little to no taxes in last decade; Sources: Biden, Trump practicing ways to get under each other’s skin; NYC reopens elementary schools today for in-person...

NYT: Trump squandered millions, faces crippling debt, Trump & his company wrote off $70k for hairstyling, $750k to Ivanka Trump for consulting fees; NYT: Trump has reduced tax bill with “questionable” measures, including a $72.9 million tax refund, Trump owes 300 million in loans, due within four years; Trump denies NYT investigation, says he was “entitled, like everyone else, too depreciation & t...

Meadows attacks FBI Dir for saying there’s no massive voter fraud; Barr briefed Trump on probe of discarded ballots; Surge of ballot requests already setting records; NC Republicans accuse Dems of trying to make fraud easier; New York creates panel to review every FDA approved vaccine; Key model projects 371,000 deaths in U.S. by January 1 with 3,000 deaths daily; Virginia governor and wife test p...

Trump says he doesn’t know if election can be “honest” after refusing to commit to peaceful transfer of power; Trump, GOP claim his comments no worse than Hillary Clinton saying Biden shouldn’t concede; Pennsylvania AG battling Trump, GOP in court over mail-in voting; FBI state attorneys investigating after nine ballots cast for Trump were found discarded in Pennsylvania; Trump claims he could ove...

No officers charged directly with Breonna Taylor’s death; New Covid cases trending up in 22 states; Fauci and Sen. Paul spar over herd immunity; CDC: thousands of flights may have been exposed to Covid; Redfield grilled over controversial CDC testing guidance; Surgeon General: “the virus doesn’t care about your politics”     To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/priv...

Fauci: Reaching 200,000 deaths is “stunning” & “very sobering”; NFL fines 3 coaches $100,000 for not wearing masks; World’s largest vaccine maker: Vaccinating entire world against COVID-19 won’t happen until 2024; U.S. averaging more than 800 virus deaths per day; New virus cases rising in 24 states, steady in 20, declining in 6; Fauci: Reasonable to assume virus spread by aerosol; Source: Confida...

Biden: Trump “froze, he failed to act, he panicked” about COVID-19; Biden slams Trump o pandemic as U.S. approaches 200,000 deaths; Trump: will announce pick for court Friday or Saturday; choices narrowed down to five people; McConnell: Trump’s nominee “will receive a vote”; Supreme court vacancy could upend presidential, senate races; Trump claims U.S. is rounding the corner on pandemic despite 4...

At crowded rally, Trump mocks social distancing, says staying at home is like being in prison; Sources: Controversial CDC testing guidance not written by scientists, came from HHS without normal scientific review; WaPo: White House nixed plan to distribute 650 million face masks to U.S. households; Biden campaigning in key battleground state of Minnesota; Trump says he’s “looking at a lot of diffe...

Ex-WH official: Trump said “maybe this COVID thing is a good thing” because I don’t like shaking hands with “disgusting” people; Former top Pence staffer calls Trump presidency “terrifying”, says she will be voting for Biden ; WH Sr. official denies Trump would say COVID-19 might be a good thing so he doesn’t have to shake hands ; WH Sr. official on former aide rebuking Trump: Troye never expresse...

Biden: we can’t allow politics to interfere with a vaccine; Biden: if I have authority, I’ll sign executive order for mask mandate; President Trump again claims virus will “go away”; Pelosi defends negotiations as some Dems raise concerns; New study: minorities face higher deaths due to racism, discrimination; Sally batters Gulf Coast with record rain, extensive damage         To learn more about...

Trump continues optimistic tone as U.S. nears 200k virus deaths; Most people at WH event not tested for coronavirus; Trump retweets baseless smear against Joe Biden; Hundreds of guests at packed WH event, masks optional; Politico: Some Dems break with Biden, resume door-knocking; Dem Senate candidate under attack for saying he would be “hesitant” to receive coronavirus vaccine; Trump: Diplomatic a...