Biden, Trump hold competing town halls
Former Vice President Joe Biden (D) and President Donald Trump (R) appeared in two competing town halls on Oct. 15 after the second presidential debate in Miami was canceled.
- Biden participated in a town hall on ABC News in Philadelphia moderated by George Stephanopoulos. He discussed the coronavirus pandemic response and vaccine, Trump’s tax cuts, green infrastructure, Black economic mobility, education, the 1994 crime bill, community policing, Supreme Court, healthcare, bipartisanship, fracking, foreign policy, and LGBT issues.
- Biden said that a vaccine mandate would depend on its effectiveness and distribution. He said he wanted to eliminate tax cuts for only the top earners. He called the 1994 crime bill a mistake and advocated more community policing. Biden said his position on court packing depended on the outcome of Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation process.
- Trump participated in a town hall on NBC News in Miami moderated by Savannah Guthrie. He discussed his COVID-19 diagnosis, mask use, white supremacy, QAnon, election fraud, coronavirus response, economy, healthcare, emergency relief, corporate tax rates, personal debt, Supreme Court, abortion, law enforcement, and immigration.
- He denounced white supremacy and Antifa. He said he would always protect people with pre-existing conditions. Trump said his reported personal debt of $421 million was tiny compared to his assets. He said his position on Supreme Court nominations in election years changed after how Brett Kavanaugh was treated during his confirmation hearing.
Senate Judiciary Committee holds hearing on Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee began a series of hearings on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court Monday.
- The hearings began with opening statements from Judge Barrett and members of the committee Monday. Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s hearings afforded senators the opportunity to question Barrett over the course of 20 hours, with each senator allotted about 50 minutes between the two days. The final day of hearings, on Thursday, consisted of statements from witnesses invited as both supporters and opponents of Barrett’s confirmation.
- Judge Barrett is a graduate of Rhodes College and Notre Dame Law School. She clerked for Antonin Scalia in 1998-1999 and taught at Notre Dame Law School for 15 years. President Trump nominated her to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit in 2017.
- President Trump nominated Barrett to the Supreme Court on September 29, 2020, to fill the vacancy opened by the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg earlier that month. Ginsburg was appointed to the Court by President Bill Clinton (D) in 1993, making her one of four members of the nine-member court to be appointed by a Democrat at the time of her death.
- Barrett is President Trump’s third nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court. He nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill the vacancy opened by Antonin Scalia’s death in 2016 and Brett Kavanaugh to fill the vacancy opened by Anthony Kennedy’s retirement in 2018.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee will vote on Barrett’s nomination on Oct. 22, after which it will advance to the full Senate. After a period of debate on the Senate floor, a final vote will be held. If a majority of senators vote in favor of confirming Barrett’s nomination, she will be seated as the 115th justice to sit on the Court.
Biden, Trump to meet in final scheduled presidential debate
The Commission on Presidential Debates will hold the final presidential debate between President Donald Trump (R) and former Vice President Joe Biden (D) on Thursday, October 22.
- The debate will be 90 minutes without commercial breaks. It will be divided into six, 15-minute segments with questions selected by the moderator, NBC News' Kristen Welker.
- To qualify, a candidate must meet certain constitutional, ballot access, and polling requirements. Click here to learn more about them.
SCOTUS rules Trump administration can stop census data collection on Oct. 15
The U.S. Supreme Court blocked an order on Oct. 13 from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that would have required the Trump administration to continue collecting census data through October 31.
- The Trump administration had argued that they must be able to conclude the count before the end of October in order to meet a Dec. 31 deadline to report the results to the president. The Justice Department had told the court that “there is virtually no prospect that the [U.S. Census] Bureau will be able to comply with the statutory deadline,” unless they were allowed to end the count.
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented, saying: “[T]he harms associated with an inaccurate census are avoidable and intolerable,” and that “meeting the deadline at the expense of the accuracy of the census is not a cost worth paying.”
- After the order was issued, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that they would be shutting down on Oct. 15. It has also set that date as the postmark deadline for paper census forms sent by mail, and as the end date for collecting responses through phone calls and door-knocking.
- Every ten years, the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a nationwide census in order to provide a comprehensive count of the population with demographic information. This information is used by the government in many ways, including for the apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and the allocation of federal funds.
95% of U.S. House elections feature candidates from both major parties
Ballotpedia’s annual study of competitiveness in congressional races finds that 95.4% of U.S. House elections this year—415 of 435—feature candidates from both major parties. This is an increase from the four preceding election cycles and the highest rate of contested races since at least 1920.
- Only 20 U.S. House races feature candidates from just one of the two major parties. Democrats are running in 12 races without Republican competition and Republicans are running in eight without Democratic opponents.
- There are 55 congressional races without an incumbent this year:
- 45 open seats—four in the Senate and 41 in the House—where the incumbent did not seek re-election
- Eight incumbents who were defeated in primaries or nominating conventions
- Two U.S. House vacancies.
U.S. Supreme Court hears four hours of oral argument
The U.S. Supreme Court heard four hours of oral arguments from October 13 to October 14. The court heard the arguments via teleconference with live audio. The court announced on October 9 that it would conduct its proceedings via teleconference through the end of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
White House announces President Trump tests negative for COVID-19
- On Oct. 12, White House physician Sean Conley announced that President Donald Trump (R) had tested negative for COVID-19 over several days.
- On Oct. 2, Trump announced on Twitter that he and first lady Melania Trump had tested positive for the virus. He entered Walter Reed Medical Facility, before being discharged three days later.
- On Oct. 12, Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.
- On Oct. 14, Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI) announced he had tested positive for COVID-19.
Congress is not in session
Congress is not in session next week. Click here to see the full calendar for the second session of the 116th Congress.
Where was the president last week?
- On Monday, Trump held a Make America Great Again Rally in Sanford, Florida.
- On Tuesday, Trump held a Make America Great Again Rally in Johnstown, Pennsylvania.
- On Wednesday, Trump delivered remarks to the Economics Clubs of New York; Florida; Washington, D.C.; Chicago; Pittsburgh; and Sheboygan in Washington, D.C. He later held a Make America Great Again Rally in Des Moines, Iowa.
- On Thursday, Trump held a Make America Great Again Rally in Greenville, North Carolina and participated in a live NBC Town Hall in Miami, Florida.
- On Friday, Trump delivered remarks on protecting America’s seniors in Fort Myers, Florida and held Make America Great Again Rallys in Ocala, Florida and Macon, Georgia.
Federal Judiciary
- 64 federal judicial vacancies
- 40 pending nominations
- 4 future federal judicial vacancies
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