Oct 8: The New England Journal of Medicine calls the Trump administration’s response to the virus “incompetent” and calls for voting political leaders out of office, breaking the top-ranked journal’s 208 year nonpartisan history.  39 states report seeing a rise in COVID-19 cases. Nine states set 7-day records for infections, and Wisconsin and Hawaii report a record number for deaths in a 7-day period. A poll released today by Gallup-West Health, but taken before Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, finds that more Americans trust Biden to lead the US health care system through the pandemic. the cluster of people infected by the COVID-19 outbreak connected to the Rose Garden ceremony for Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett has grown to 34, including several White House staff members, according to The Washington Post. the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation announces the arrests of 13 men suspected of orchestrating a domestic terror plot to kidnap American politician Gretchen Whitmer, the Governor of Michigan, and otherwise using violence to overthrow the state government.

Oct 9: The U.S. tallies more than 99,000 new COVID cases in a 24-hour period. The Trump administration signs a $486 million agreement with AstraZeneca to develop an antibody treatment for COVID-19

Oct 10: Louisiana is drowning under Hurricane Delta, which dumps over 15 inches of rain on Lake Charles. In his first public appearance since getting sick (other than the balcony scene in his remake of Evita), Trump says he believes the coronavirus “is going to disappear” largely to thanks “science, medicine,” and “the American spirit.”

Oct 11: California Secretary of State Alex Padilla’s office says that they have received complaints about what appear to be unauthorized ballot drop boxes in Los Angeles, Orange, and Fresno counties. Biden’s lead in the polls expands. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett begins her confirmation hearing, amidst protests from Democrats in the Senate. The coronavirus relief bill fails to pass Congress, again. Protests against police violence continue. 

Oct 12: The California Republican Party confirms that it owned unofficial ballot drop boxes that have been reported in three counties.President Trump holds a campaign rally in Sanford, Florida in his first public appearance after being hospitalized. He declares that he is “immune” to the virus and that he feels “so powerful.” Senators clash during Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing. 13 states set records for new coronavirus cases. Georgia voters wait hours to cast ballots on 1st day of early voting. Facebook announces that it will ban posts denying the Holocaust.

Oct 13: The Supreme Court permits the Trump administration’s plea to end the US Census count early, even though the count was already hampered by lockdowns and sick staff. Activists argue that ending the count early will mean minority groups will be undercounted and subsequently receive less political representation and federal funding than they would with a more accurate count. This, of course, was precisely the point: the effort to cut short the count was meant to accommodate President Trump’s July order to exclude undocumented immigrants and other marginalized voters from the count. The Supreme Court rejects Democratic lawmakers’ ’emoluments’ case against Trump