13:00 ET -Trump doing “extremely well,” no COVID-19 symptoms: White House physician says
Trump is doing “extremely well” and reporting no symptoms of COVID-19, a day after returning to the White House after being hospitalized with the highly contagious disease, his doctor said in a statement on Tuesday.
Sean Conley, a Navy commander, said a team of physicians met with the president on Tuesday morning.
“He had a restful first night at home, and today he reports no symptoms. Vital signs and physical exam remain stable, with an ambulatory oxygen saturation level of 95-97 percent,” he said in a statement released by the White House. “Overall he continues to do extremely well.”
12:45 ET – Florida governor extends voter registration after site crash
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis extended the state’s voter registration deadline Tuesday after unexpected and unexplained heavy traffic crashed the state’s online system and potentially prevented thousands of enrolling to cast ballots in next month’s presidential election.
DeSantis will extend the deadline that expired Monday until 7 PM ET Tuesday.
Florida Secretary of State Laurel Lee, who oversees the voting system, said in a statement Tuesday that the state “will work with our state and federal law-enforcement partners to ensure this was not a deliberate act against the voting process”.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.415.1_en.html#goog_2003529270
12:30 ET – US Postal Service warns ruling could undermine mail before election
The US Postal Service asked a federal judge to clarify a ruling on election mail, warning the decision could hinder the agency’s ability to make prompt mail deliveries before the presidential election.
Four US judges have issued preliminary injunctions barring the Postal Service from making service reductions ahead of the November presidential election.
The Postal Service asked Judge Emmet Sullivan to clarify his September 27 ruling warning it “would undermine the Postal Service’s ability to timely deliver the mail before the upcoming election”.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.415.1_en.html#goog_1178748635
12:00 ET – White House officials block strict FDA vaccine guidelines: Report
White House officials are blocking strict new federal guidelines for the emergency release of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the New York Times.
The officials are objecting ot provision in guidelines that all-but assure that no vaccine would authorised before the election on November 3, people familiar with the approval process told the Newspaper.
Trump has repeatedly accused “deep state” actors in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of trying to slow the approval of a vaccine until after the election. He has repeatedly said, despite the most ambitious estimates from experts, that a vaccine could be ready by the election, prompting fears the administration would try to force through a vaccine before it has met safety standards.
The FDA is seeking other ways to make sure vaccines meet the guidelines, according the newspaper, including sharing the guidelines with an outside advisory committee of experts that is supposed to meet publicly before any vaccine is authorised.