- US President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden will compete for TV audiences in duelling town halls tonight instead of meeting face-to-face for their second debate as originally planned.
- Today is the fourth day of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett.
- Amy Coney Barrett’s US Supreme Court confirmation vote has been set for October 22.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s continuing coverage of the United States elections. This is Jihan Abdalla.
Thursday, October 15:
12:25 ET – Twitter restricts Trump’s campaign account from tweeting
Twitter Inc on Thursday temporarily restricted Trump’s election campaign account from tweeting, saying a video from the account about Biden’s son violated its rules.
The video posted by the @TeamTrump account referred to a New York Post story from Wednesday that contained alleged details of Hunter Biden’s business dealings with a Ukrainian energy company and said the former vice president had met with an adviser of the company.
“Joe Biden is a liar who has been ripping off our country for years,” the video was captioned.
12:15 ET – Biden and Democrats raised record $383 million in September
Biden and his party raised a record-shattering $383 million in September for his presidential bid, likely bolstering his financial advantage Trump.
The campaign had $432 million in cash at month’s end for the final five weeks of the race, campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said on Twitter.
The haul outstripped the $365 million that Democrats raised in August, which was itself a monthly record for any US presidential campaign.
“To every person who chipped in a few dollars last month – thank you,” Biden wrote on Twitter in announcing the sum. “I’m incredibly humbled.”
12:00 ET – ‘A long way to go’
With early voting underway in many states, 16 million Americans have already cast their votes according to the latest statistics.
11:05 ET – Trump would go higher than $1.8 trillion on coronavirus stimulus deal
US President Donald Trump said he would agree to go higher than the $1.8 trillion that the White House has offered in coronavirus stimulus funding to strike a deal with House Democrats, who are seeking $2.2 trillion.
In an interview with Fox Business Network, Trump said there was a chance of getting a COVID-19 stimulus package passed before the November 3 presidential elections, though hopes for a deal have dimmed.
10:50 ET – Poll: Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of COVID-19
The majority of Americans are highly critical of President Trump’s handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and his own illness, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The survey indicates few Americans trust information the White House has released about Trump’s bout with COVID-19.
Initial accounts of the president’s condition were murky and contradictory, and the White House is still refusing to say when the president last tested negative for COVID-19 before his infection became public.
The poll suggests many Americans agree that Trump has mishandled the pandemic, with 65 percent saying the president has not taken the coronavirus outbreak seriously enough.
09:55 ET – Harris pauses in-person campaigning after staffer diagnosed with COVID-19
US Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris will cancel her travel plans through Sunday after one of her staff members tested positive for COVID-19, the campaign said in a statement.
The campaign said that Harris was last tested on Wednesday and was negative.
Her communications director, Liz Allen, had tested positive along with a non-staff flight crew member associated with the campaign.
Read more here.
09:40 ET – Vote for contentious Supreme Court nominee set for October 22
The Republican-led Senate Judiciary Committee has set a vote on confirmation of President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett for October 22 at 1pm.
Barrett’s hearings turned contentious as Democrats contend Barrett has not been candid in her responses to questions, withheld information about speeches she has given in the past, and failed to affirm basic elements of law and public discourse that would put her at odds with Trump.
“I thought she was incredibly forthcoming,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, the chairman of the committee. Democrats disagreed.
“We’ve reached the point now where gifted, experienced jurists, legal scholars take that seat behind the table and then deny everything, refuse to answer anything,” said Senator Richard Durbin, a Democrat.
09:30 ET – Duelling town halls
Trump and Biden will compete for TV audiences in duelling town halls instead of meeting face-to-face for their second debate as originally planned.
The two will take questions in different cities on different networks: Trump on NBC from Miami, Florida and Biden on ABC from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – both US battleground states.
Trump backed out of plans for the presidential face-off originally scheduled for October 15 after debate organisers shifted the format to a virtual event following Trump’s coronavirus diagnosis.
09:00 ET – Mail reversal
The US Postal Service is resuming full operations after changes that slowed mail service nationwide.
The Postal Service agreed to reverse all changes, which included reduced retail hours, removal of collection boxes and mail sorting machines, closure or consolidation of mail processing facilities, restriction of late or extra trips for timely mail delivery, and banning or restricting overtime.
The agreement also requires the service to prioritise election mail.
Read yesterday’s updates here.
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