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The Lead with Jake Tapper

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October 30, 2020
• Biden Campaigns in Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin; Trump Continues Downplaying COVID-19 Pandemic. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Red and Blue Mirages to Appear in Early Election Night Results; Coronavirus Cases Surge in Every Battleground State; Trump holds Wisconsin Rally as Governor Urges People to Stay Home; Georgia Senator Backs Out of Debate to Campaign with Trump; U.S. Coronavirus Cases Surpass 9 Million. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• What Will Election Night Results Look Like?; As COVID-19 Crisis Grows, Trump Complains About Pandemic Media Coverage. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 29, 2020
• CNN Investigates COVID Spread Linked to Trump Rallies; Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) is Interviewed on Documents About Trump Admin Wanting $250M COVID Ad Campaign to Help Trump's Re-Election; U.S. Economy Shows Record Growth After Previous Record Drop. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Do Trump Rallies Leads to COVID-19 Spikes?; Pandemic Worsening; Biden, Trump Campaign in Florida. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• 79 Million Plus Votes Cast So Far, Over A Third of Registered Voters; Texas Pre-Election Votes Close to State's Entire 2016 Vote; Dr. Birx Would Rather Travel, Keep Distance from The White House and Dr. Scott Atlas; Interview with Dave Mathews, Life as a Musician During COVID. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Pandemic Worsening; Are Republicans Attempting to Suppress Voting?; Biden, Trump Campaign in Florida. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 28, 2020
• Big Biden Lead in New National Polls; Comparing Biden and Trump's Pandemic Plans Aired 4:30-5p ET
• White House Claims Victory Over COVID-19 Pandemic; Big Biden Lead in New National Polls. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Anonymous Op-Ed Writer Revealed Who Detailed Resistance Inside the White House; New Jersey's Largest City Imposes Shutdown Measures Amid Surge; Interview with Gov. Phil Murphy (D) New Jersey on COVID Playbook; Dow Drops Sharply as Virus Surges and Election Nears. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Battleground Arizona; White House Claims Victory Over COVID-19 Pandemic?. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 27, 2020
• Interview With Mary Trump; Philadelphia Police Shooting; Supreme Court Issues Controversial Ruling On Counting Wisconsin Ballots; Biden's Closing: We Can Unite And Heal The Country. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Record COVID-19 Cases in More Than Half of U.S. States; Biden in Georgia, Trump in Michigan. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Supreme Court Will Not Extend Wisconsin Ballot Deadline; Pennsylvania GOP Asks Supreme Court to Reconsider Mail-In Voting Decision; More Than Half of All States Report Record Cases of COVID This Month; Trump Touts U.S. Brokered Deal with Israel and 3 Arab Nations. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Interview with Secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Kathy Boockvar; Trump Holds Rally in Michigan; Trump on Defense in Campaign. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 26, 2020
• Key States; Early Voting Setting Records' The Seven Key States That Could Decide the Election; Former FDA Chief: It's Time for a National Mask Mandate. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Dow Plunges; Has Trump Given Up on Controlling COVID-19?; White House Faces Another Coronavirus Outbreak; Joe Biden Campaigns in Pennsylvania. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Campaign Is Confident President Is Expanding His Base and Will Win Battleground States; Trump Holding Three Rallies in Pennsylvania Today; Pence Still Campaigning Despite COVID Outbreak Amongst Staff; Trump Fails to Reveal Healthcare Plan Details. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Trump Administration Admitting Defeat on Controlling COVID-19?; White House Faces Another Coronavirus Outbreak. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 23, 2020
• The Keys to Victory for the GOP, Dems in Tight Senate Races; Trump Announces Israel & Sudan Agree to Normalize Relations; COVID-19 Infections Hit New Peaks Across Europe. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Finding Migrant Parents; Joe Biden Lays Out COVID-19 Response Plan; Candidates Hit Campaign Trail Following Final Debate. Aired 4- 4:30p ET
• Trump Holding Rally at Florida Retirement Community; GOP Adviser Says Trump Debate Performance Could Be Too Late; Trump Campaign Raised Biggest Online Funding on Debate Night; Trump Claims to Be Least Racist Person in the Room; Biden Falsely Claims He Never Opposed Fracking; Universal Mask Usage Could Save 100,000+ Lives in U.S. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Joe Biden Lays Out COVID-19 Response Plan. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 22, 2020
• Republicans Advance Supreme Court Nominee Amy Coney Barrett Despite Boycott From Democrats; Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) is Interviewed About Supreme Court Nomination and Stimulus Deal; Feds: Iran & Russia Interfered in 2020 Election; New Debate Details: Candidates Will Be 12+ Feet Apart, Trump Will Get First Question. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump, Biden Set For Final Debate; U.S. Tops 1,000 Daily COVID- 19 Deaths. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Tests Negative for COVID Ahead of Final Debate; Trump Says He May Change Strategy from Last Debate; Republicans Advance Supreme Court Nominee Despite Boycott by Democrats; Potential Paths to Victory for Trump and Biden. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• U.S. Tops 1,000 Daily COVID-19 Deaths; Biden, Trump Set For Final Debate. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 21, 2020
• Campaign Ad Blitz; Pandemic Escalating. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Obama Hits Trail For Biden; New Presidential Polls; President Trump Expresses No Regrets Over Pandemic Response. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• New Filings Show Trump Campaign Had $63 Million Going into October Compared to Biden's $177 Million; Rep. Ocasio-Cortez's Get Out The Vote Stream on Twitch Racked Up More Than 4.7 Million Views; White House Gets Pushback on Size of Stimulus Plan from GOP Senators; Virginia School District Forced to Cancel Classes Due to Internet Outage. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Campaign Strategies?; Voter Intimidation Concerns Growing; President Trump Expresses No Regrets Over Pandemic Response. Aired 3- 3:30p ET


October 20, 2020
• Early Voting Surges; Road to Victory?; Interview With Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL). Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Can Hospitals Handle COVID-19 Surge?; Interview With Former U.S. Special Operations Commander Admiral William McRaven; Former FDA Commissioner: U.S. is One Week Away from a "Rapid Acceleration" in COVID Cases; Dozens of Volunteers to Be Deliberately Infected with Coronavirus as Part of New U.K. Study. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Study Shows Anti-Inflammatory Drug Can Reduce Risk of Death in Critically ill COVID Patients; Government Officials Alarmed Over White House Push for Pentagon Deal Worth Billions; Former Twitter Executive Says It's Time for Social Media Platforms to Mute Trump; Biden Looks to Rust Belt to Rebuild Blue Wall. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Stopping COVID in Schools; Stimulus Negotiations Continue; Melania Trump Still Recovering From COVID-19. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 19, 2020
• Joni Ernst in Tough Reelection Battle; President Trump's Path to Victory?; COVID-19 Pandemic Escalating. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• COVID-19 Pandemic Escalating; Trump Continues Attacks on Dr. Fauci; Biden to Trump: Americans are "Tired Of Your Lies About This Virus". Aired 4-4:30p ET
• FDA Won't Release Critical Details on J&J Vaccine Trail Pause; Stimulus Deadline Is Tomorrow And Still No Bipartisan Agreement; Fox Host And Senator Float Disgusting Claim About Hunter Biden; Interview With Rep. Francis Rooney (R-FL) About QAnon Involvement Leveled at the Bidens; More Than 28 Million Votes Cast in Presidential Election. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Reason For Pause in Some Vaccine Trials?; COVID-19 Pandemic Escalating; Trump Continues Attacking Dr. Fauci. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 16, 2020
• Trump Claims He Will Be "Ending" Pandemic "Soon" As U.S. Surpasses 8 Million Confirmed Cases. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Joe Biden Delivers Campaign Address in Michigan. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Defends His Retweet of Conspiracy About Biden Responsible for Death of Navy Seals; W.H.O. Says Remdesivir Has Little or No Effect on COVID Patients; Michigan Senate Race Tightens, Democrats Defend Seat Key to Taking Control of Senate. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• U.S. Surpasses 8 Million Coronavirus Cases; Trump in Florida, Biden in Michigan. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 15, 2020
• Number of Company That Charters Biden's Plane Tests Positive, Campaign Says Biden Wasn't in Close Contact; Trump Losing Support Among Florida Seniors Over Administration's Botched Pandemic Response. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Two Kamala Harris Campaign Officials Test Positive For COVID- 19; Coronavirus Cases Spiking Across Country. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• CDC Warns Indoor Sports Could Be Super-Spreader Events; Fauci Says Safe and Effective Vaccine May Be Widely Available in April; Long Lines Across North Carolina As Early Voting Begins; California GOP Defying State Orders to Remove Unofficial Ballot Drop Boxes; Trump Claims U.S. Is Doing Fine with Coronavirus. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Two Kamala Harris Campaign Officials Test Positive For COVID- 19; Trump Continues Holding Large Rallies; Coronavirus Cases Spiking Across Country. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 14, 2020
• Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Continue; Interview With Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA); Justice Department Investigation Into Obama Administration Comes Up Empty. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Continues Large Rallies; First Lady Reveals That Barron Trump Tested Positive For COVID-19. Aired 4-4:30 p ET
• New Film "Totally Under Control" Explores Botched White House COVID Response; Florida Latinos Swamped with Disinformation and Conspiracy Theories; Barrett Won't Say If She Thinks Trump Could Pardon Himself; Trump to Hold Rally in Iowa As State Reports 100,000 Plus Virus Cases. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Trump Continues Large Rallies; COVID-19 Cases Surging Across United States. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 13, 2020
• Voter Suppression Occurring Already?; Biden Campaign in Florida; Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Continue. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Another Vaccine Trial Halted; Coronavirus Pandemic Escalating. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Barrett Won't Say If Roe V. Wade Was Wrongly Decided; Barrett Says You Wouldn't Be Getting Scalia, You Would Be Getting Me; Trail for Antibody Cocktail Praised by Trump Paused Over Safety Concerns; 8 Hour Wait Times Reported at Georgia Early Voting Site; More Than 10 Million Votes Cast So Far in 41 States. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Trump's Supreme Court Pick Faces Senators' Questions; Supreme Court Confirmation Hearings Continue. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 12, 2020
• Will Trump Supreme Court Nominee End Obamacare?; Trump Campaigns in Florida as Coronavirus Pandemic; Investigation Launched Into Unofficial Drop Boxes for Mail-In Ballots in California. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci; Trump Campaigns in Florida as Coronavirus Pandemic Escalates. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Study Says Estimated Cost of Pandemic in U.S. Will Be Over $16 Trillion; New COVID Cases in America Up 41 Percent from Last Month; Roberta McCain Mother of Senator McCain Dies At 108; Texas Church Helps Feed 3000 People A Week Since Crisis Hit. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Interview With Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Will Trump Supreme Court Nominee End Obamacare?; Biden Heads To Texas And Ohio; Trump Campaigns In Florida As Coronavirus Pandemic Escalates. Aired 3- 3:30p ET


October 09, 2020
• 13 Charged in Domestic Terror Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor; COVID Cases Rising Across All Regions in the Country. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Flip-Flopping on Stimulus Negotiations; Trump Eager to Resume Campaigning. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Expected to Host Event At White House Tomorrow Despite Having COVID; Without Evidence Trump Claims Election Will Be A Scandal; Judge Blocks Ohio Election Officials Who Limit Ballot Drop Boxes; Biden Makes Campaign Push in Key Swing State; Notre Dame President Faces Calls to Resign After Not Wearing A Mask; Hurricane Delta Nears Landfall As Category 2 Storm. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Trump Flip-Flops Again on Stimulus Negotiations; Trump Eager to Resume Campaigning. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 08, 2020
• Interview With Former BARDA Director Dr. Rick Bright; Whitmer: Hate Groups Heard the President's Words as a "Rallying Cry". Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview with Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield; Trump Withdraws From Next Presidential Debate; Interview With Former BARDA Director Dr. Rick Bright. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Wants to Restart Rallies, Claims He Is No Longer Contagious; Pelosi Says Trump Is in An Altered State Right Now; Coronavirus Cases Rising in 25 States; Trump Claims Regeneron's Experimental Antibody Cocktail Cured Him, Promises Emergency Authorization. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• President Trump's Condition?; Trump Withdraws From Next Presidential Debate; Michigan Governor Speaks Out on Alleged Kidnapping Plot. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 07, 2020
• Airline Crisis; Trump Returns to Oval Office; Interview With Former Acting CDC Director Dr. Richard Besser. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Vice Presidential Debate Set For Tonight; Plexiglass Barriers & 12 Feet Separate Pence, Harris on Debate Stage; Daily Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Average Above 44,000 For First Time Since August; Trump Returns to Oval Office. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump in Oval Office Right Now Despite Infection, Being Briefed on Stimulus Bill; Trump Reverses Course on Stimulus Talks 8 Hours After Stopping Negotiations; Trump Continues to Sow Doubt on Election Security; Post Office Says Number One Priority Is Ensuring Secure, Timely Election Mail; Today Marks 19 Years Since Start of America's Longest War. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Vice Presidential Debate Set For Tonight; Trump Returns to Oval Office. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 06, 2020
• Pence Objects to Plexiglas Barrier at Debate; Early Voting Continues; Joe Biden Delivers Message on Unity. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Calls Off Coronavirus Relief Negotiations; White House COVID-19 Outbreak Grows; Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) is Interviewed About Trump's Balcony Photo-Op and Republicans Pushing Ahead to Confirm Amy Coney Barrett; Pence Team Objects to Plexiglass Barrier at Tomorrow's VP Debate. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump Downplays Virus as U.S. Cases Near 7.5 Million with 210,000+ Deaths; Coronavirus Cases Rising Across the Nation After Months of Decline; Poll Shows 21 Percent of Americans More Likely to Wear Masks After Trump Diagnosis; White House Declines CDC Offer to Help With Contact Tracing; White House Most Likely Using Email for Contact Tracing Instead of Calls; Top Pentagon Leadership Is Quarantining After COVID Exposure. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Trump Calls Off Coronavirus Relief Negotiations; Top Pentagon Leadership Quarantining After COVID-19 Exposure; White House COVID-19 Outbreak Grows. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 05, 2020
• Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) Moving Ahead With Supreme Court Hearings; Interview With Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ); President Trump Set To Return To White House. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• President Trump Set to Return to White House; Brand New CNN Polls On Trump's Handling of Coronavirus. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Trump's Doctor Says President to Leave Hospital Even Though He May Not Be Entirely Out of The Woods Yet; Trump Says He Is Leaving Hospital Tonight as He Downplays COVID. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• President Trump's Doctors Hold Press Conference; President Trump Set Return to White House. Aired 3-3:30p ET


October 02, 2020
• Biden Speaks as President Trump is Treated for COVID, Has Fever. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• President Trump Being Treated With COVID-19 Antibodies; Biden Tests Negative Following Debate With Trump. Aired 4-4:30p ET


October 01, 2020
• Biden Tries to Toe the Line Between Moderate & Far-Left Dems. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); Trump Under Fire; This Week: Disney, Goldman Sachs, & Airlines Cut 60,000+ Total Jobs; Trump to Hold Rally in Wisconsin Amid Massive COVID Surge. Aired 4- 4:30p ET


September 30, 2020
• Trump Continues Casting Doubt on U.S. Election Systems; COVID- 19 Outbreak Hits NFL Team; Biden Campaigns in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Trump Campaign Communications Director Tim Murtaugh; Trump Refuses to Condemn Right-Wing Extremist Group During Debate. Aired 4-4:30p ET


September 29, 2020
• Breonna Taylor Grand Jury Audio Tapes Set For Release; California Fires; Supreme Court Nominee on Capitol Hill; More Trump Tax Revelations; Biden, Trump Set For First Presidential Debate. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Biden Campaign Senior Adviser Symone Sanders; Biden, Trump Set For First Presidential Debate; NYC Reopens Elementary Schools Today for In-Person Learning; Former Pence Adviser: White House Pressured CDC to Put Out Data Backing Trump's Push to Reopen Schools. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• NYC Reopens Elementary Schools Today for In-Person Learning; Former Pence Adviser Says White House Pressured CDC to Put Out Data Backing Trump's Push to Reopen Schools; Trump Campaign Denies Reporting from UK Channel 4 News Calling It Fake News; Sources Say Trump And Biden Finding Ways to Get Under Each Other's Skin. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• More Trump Tax Revelations; Biden, Trump Set For First Presidential Debate. Aired 3-3:30p ET


September 28, 2020
• Democrats Prepare For Trump To Disrupt The Election; New Ransomware Attacks Raise More Concerns About Safety Of Local State Election Systems; Some Senate Democrats Won't Meet With Trump's Nominee; Russia's Top State News Anchor Gives Window Into How Kremlin Views U.S. Election. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Announces Plan to Deploy 150 Million Rapid Tests to States; Trump Ducks Questions As NYT Reports He Avoided Paying Taxes for Years. Aired 4-4:30p ET
• Report Says Trump has $421 Million in Loans Due the Next Few Years; "The New York Times" Said Trump Paid Just $750 in Federal Taxes in 2016 and 2107; Senator Durbin Says, We Can Slow Supreme Court Nominee Hearing But Can't Stop It; Barrett Once Criticized Supreme Court Decision on Obamacare; Democrats Prepare for Trump to Disrupt the Election. Aired 3:30-4p ET
• Do Trump's Debts Threaten National Security?; COVID Rates Rising; Interview With Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD); Report: Trump Paid Just $750 in Federal Taxes in 2016 and 2017. Aired 3-3:30p ET


September 25, 2020
• White House Chief of Staff Attacks FBI Director for Stating U.S. Has Never Seen "Coordinated National Voter Fraud Effort"; Interview with Former FBI Director Jim Comey and Actor Jeff Daniels. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Trump Laying Groundwork to Challenge Election Results; Sources: Trump Intends to Nominate Amy Coney Barrett to Supreme Court; Coronavirus Cases in U.S. Reach 7 Million, Most in the World. Aired 4- 4:30p ET


September 24, 2020
• Trump Claims He Could Override FDA on Stricter Vaccine Standards; Kentucky Governor Calls on State AG to Share Grand Jury Transcript in Breonna Taylor Case. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• Interview With Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro; Interview With Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI); President Trump Refuses to Commit to Peaceful Transfer of Power. Aired 4-4:30p ET


September 23, 2020
• Majority of Americans Against Republican Rush to Fill Supreme Court Seat; Dr. Fauci Pushes Back; Interview With Cindy McCain; No Officers Charged Directly With Breonna Taylor's Death. Aired 4:30-5p ET
• No Officers Charged Directly With Breonna Taylor's Death; Interview with Cindy McCain. Aired 4-4:30p ET


September 22, 2020
• Republican Operatives Backing Kanye West Presidential Bid; FDA Set to Announce Stricter Vaccine Standards?; Interview With Former U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster; Russia Targets Joe Biden. Aired 4:30-5p ET


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