memeorandum: Chris Christie tests positive for coronavirus (Orion Rummler/Axios)

1:15 PM ET, October 3, 2020

Top Items:

Alex Isenstadt / Politico:

Trump campaign manager tests positive for Covid-19 — Donald Trump's campaign manager has tested positive for Covid-19, dealing another blow to his reelection effort on a day that saw the president and the head of the Republican National Committee report contracting the disease as well.

Discussion: Forbes, NPR, CANNONFIRE, Raw Story, The Hill, One America News Network, Breitbart, Axios, Slate, Mediaite, New York Post, Twitchy, CNN, ABC News, Fox News and New York Times

CNN:

Senate GOP's third positive Covid-19 case threatens quick Barrett confirmation — (CNN)Republican Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has tested positive for coronavirus after being exposed to someone with the virus earlier this week, according to his spokesman, making him the third GOP senator …

Discussion: Axios, Politico, NPR, Political Wire, The Daily Caller, Law & Crime, Slate, KXAN-TV, CNBC, Daily Kos, Vox and Bloomberg

Washington Post:

Invincibility punctured by infection: How the coronavirus spread in Trump's White House — The ceremony in the White House Rose Garden last Saturday was a triumphal flashback to the Before Times — before public health guidelines restricted mass gatherings, before people were urged to wear masks and socially distance.

Discussion: Mother Jones, Vox, Daily Kos, The Daily Beast, CNN, Raw Story, Politico, Bloomberg, Bangor Daily News, Washington Times, Twin Cities, National Review, Political Wire, Eschaton and NBC Boston

Apoorva Mandavilli / New York Times:

The White House relied on a rapid test, but used it in a way it was not intended. — For months, the White House's strategy for keeping President Trump and his inner circle safe has been to screen all White House visitors with a rapid test. — But one product they use, Abbott's ID Now …

Discussion: CNBC, Slate, Forbes and The Week

Orion Rummler / Axios:

Chris Christie tests positive for coronavirus — Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, he tweeted. — The big picture: Christie attended an indoor briefing by President Trump in the White House on Sept. 27, and helped the president prepare for Tuesday's presidential debate.

Discussion: Bloomberg, CNN and The Hill

Jonathan H. Adler / Reason:

Will the Senate Have a Quorum to Confirm Judge Barrett? (Updated) … This means that the Senate needs 51 Senators to conduct business on the floor. This might present a problem for Senate Republican plans to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court. — There are 53 Republican Senators.

Jennifer Rubin / Washington Post:

Looking for a single responsible Republican in the Senate — The Post reported Friday night that a second Republican senator and member of the Judiciary Committee, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, has tested positive for the coronavirus. Like his colleague Mike Lee of Utah, Tillis vowed to self-isolate for 10 days.

Discussion: Politico

CNN:

Attorney General Barr chooses not to quarantine despite possible exposure to Covid-19 — (CNN)Attorney General William Barr is choosing not to quarantine after recently coming in close contact with members of President Donald Trump's inner circle who have tested positive for Covid-19 …

Discussion: Political Wire, PinkNews, ABC7, Washington Post and BuzzFeed News

New York Times:
Covid-19 Live Updates: Trump Is Hospitalized as More Aides Test Positive

Discussion: Axios, BuzzFeed News, The Dispatch, NPR, Gothamist, Florida Politics, Al Jazeera, The Guardian, Twin Cities and ABC7

Jake Sherman / Politico:
The virus slams into a broken Washington

Discussion: Raw Story and Axios

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker: “There Is Zero Reason to Panic”: On Trump's Coronavirus Case and the Shredded Credibility of His White House

Bloomberg:
The Day Covid-19 Came to Donald Trump's White House

Discussion: Raw Story, Florida Politics, Wired and Daily Kos

Paul Farhi / Washington Post:
Three White House journalists test positive for coronavirus after closely covering Trump

Discussion: The Daily Beast, CNN, The Hill and Axios, more at Mediagazer »

Jonathan Lemire / Associated Press:
Cavalier White House approach to COVID catches up to Trump

Discussion: Twin Cities, New York Times and Political Wire

New York Times:
Trump's Diagnosis Imperils Quick Supreme Court Confirmation Timeline

Discussion: Axios, Breitbart, Vox and The Rush Limbaugh Show

Axios:

The GOP's great depression — It's the storyline of a Republican nightmare: A mask-disdaining President Trump gets the coronavirus on the eve of the election, against a political backdrop that looks dire for Republicans. — Driving the news: Some top GOP operatives, privy to data from swing states …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Hill and The Slot

Maureen Dowd / New York Times:

Reality Bursts the Trumpworld Bubble — In a moment that feels biblical, the implacable virus has come to the president's door. — WASHINGTON — Fate leads the willing, Seneca said, while the unwilling get dragged. — For his entire life, Donald Trump has stayed one step ahead of disaster …

Discussion: The Sun, Reuters, One America News Network and The Hill

The Daily Beast:

'It's Just F*ck-Up After F*ck-up'—Trump's COVID Advisers at Their Breaking Point — With the president infected, the group responsible for combating the virus remains a mess. At the center of the drama is one man: Dr. Scott Atlas. — The announcement that President Donald Trump …

Discussion: Forbes, Raw Story, ABC7, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, Bangor Daily News, Twin Cities and The Week

New York Times:
Trump's Symptoms Are Said to Be ‘Very Concerning’ as Virus Infects More G.O.P. Allies

Discussion: Axios, Bloomberg, NBC News and Duluth News Tribune

Associated Press:
Eric Trump set to speak with N.Y. investigators Monday about family business

Discussion: Political Wire, The American Spectator, The Guardian, Common Dreams and RochesterFirst

CNN:
READ: White House physician says Trump is taking Remdesivir and ‘doing very well’

Discussion: UPI, Fox News, The Daily Beast and Vox

CNBC:
Trump ‘doing very well,’ has started Remdesivir therapy, White House physician says

Discussion: Conservative News Today, Mediaite, abc7NY and Vox

Nate Cohn / New York Times:

Poll Finds Voters in Two Crucial States Repelled by Trump's Debate Behavior — NEW YORK TIMES/ — SIENA COLLEGE POLL — Joe Biden leads Donald Trump in Florida and Pennsylvania. Both states are crucial to Mr. Trump's re-election chances. — 2016 Election Result NYT/Siena — Pennsylvania

Discussion: Politico, The American Independent and Slate

Washington Post:

Trump's debate guests refused to wear masks, flouting rules — A little more than two days before she reported testing positive for the coronavirus, first lady Melania Trump — as well as the president's sons, daughters and several guests — violated safety protocols at the first presidential debate …

Discussion: Fox News

David K. Li / NBC News:
11 positive coronavirus tests traced to presidential debate, Cleveland officials say

Discussion: Slate, Lawyers, Guns & Money, Outside the Beltway, Politico, New York Post, Straight from City Hall, OpsLens, The Hill, The Daily Caller and WKYC-TV

Washington Post:
Coronavirus and Fox News collide, and Chris Wallace is at the center of it

Discussion: New York Times, IJR, New York Post and The Atlantic

Politico:
Debate commission accedes to Biden campaign's ‘health and safety’ objections for VP debate

Discussion: Sputnik News, New York Post, CNN, Breitbart, The Nevada Independent, New York Times, Forbes, Political Wire, Washington Post and The Daily Beast

Politico:

Sexts and coronavirus: Must-win Senate race upended down the stretch — It was a crazy 24 hours in North Carolina's Senate race: Just a few hours after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis reported a positive coronavirus diagnosis on Friday evening, his Democratic opponent Cal Cunningham admitted …

Discussion: Townhall, CNN, Vox, Talking Points Memo, National Review, NBC News, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and Big League Politics

Gary D. Robertson / Associated Press:
Cunningham admits sending sexually suggestive texts

Discussion: Raleigh News & Observer and The Gateway Pundit

Associated Press:

VP Pence ordered borders closed after CDC experts refused — NEW YORK (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence in March directed the nation's top disease control agency to use its emergency powers to effectively seal the U.S. borders, overruling the agency's scientists who said there was no evidence …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and Political Wire

Jerry Holt / Star Tribune:

Minnesota Republicans fly Delta home from D.C. after COVID-19 exposure — U.S. Reps. Stauber, Emmer and Hagedorn appear to have violated the airline's policy, although they tested negative for the virus. — Video (00:29) : Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka …

Discussion: Balloon Juice

McKay Coppins / The Atlantic:

Pence in the Wings — Above the fireplace in the vice-presidential residence hangs a plaque with a verse from the Bible: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Discussion: Politico, IJR and The Daily Beast

Peter Nicholas / The Atlantic:
What I Saw at the White House

Discussion: CNBC, Daily Kos, Lawyers, Guns & Money, No More Mister Nice Blog, Vox, Politico, Yahoo News and Vanity Fair, more at Mediagazer »

Orion Rummler / Axios:

Sen. Ron Johnson tests positive for coronavirus — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) tested positive for the coronavirus on Friday after returning to Washington, D.C., on Sept. 29 and coming into contact with someone who had contracted the virus, spokesperson Ben Voelkel said in a statement on Saturday.

Discussion: Reuters

James Griffiths / CNN:

Trump has repeatedly blamed China for a virus that now threatens his health. This will make Beijing nervous — See Trump's busy week before his Covid-19 diagnosis — Hong Kong (CNN)In his first presidential debate against Joe Biden, Donald Trump made clear who he blames for the coronavirus pandemic.

Discussion: NPR and The Daily Beast