Trump publicly rebukes his CDC Director for testifying that masks are effective and a vaccine might take awhile, he faces tough questions from undecided voters in a live town hall, and the results of our new Pollercoaster survey with Change Research show that infrequent and undecided voters are most persuaded by Joe Biden’s plans on the economy, health care, racial justice, climate, and education. Then communications guru Anat Shenker-Osorio talks to Dan about the most effective ways to talk to voters in the homestretch.

Show notes 

Trump Trashes Redfield 

• Reuters: Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccines: ‘he was confused’
• CNN: CDC head says masks are better than vaccine at preventing Covid spread as Trump sends mixed messages 
• NBC: Trump takes victory lap on the return of Big Ten football. College president says it has nothing to do with him 
• CNN: Trump’s call for ‘higher numbers’ in stimulus fight undercuts republican strategy 
• The Hill: Biden says to trust scientists on COVID-19 vaccine, not Trump
• AP: US unveils broad vaccine plan– but no quick rollout 
• CNN: Here’s why a vaccine will not stop the COVID-19 pandemic right away

Trump’s Town Hall

• ABC News: Trump ABC News town hall: Full transcript
• CNN: ‘He was lying through his teeth.’ ABC town hall participants weigh in on Trump’s performance
• Esquire: The President’s Town Hall Was a Train Wreck Atop a Dumpster Fire 
• The Hill: Woman says she’s voting for Biden because Trump dodged her question in town hall
• ABC News: Trump’s ABC News town hall: Fact-checking the president’s answers
• WaPo: Trump’s ABC News town hall: Four Pinocchios, over and over again
• NYT: Fact Check: President Trump repeats inaccurate claims about the coronavirus, protests and his own record in a town hall
• ABC News: 5 key takeaways from President Donald Trump’s ABC town hall in Pennsylvania 
• Axios: McEnany says herd immunity has never been COVID strategy, despite Trump comments
• HuffPo: Trump’s Bonkers Coronavirus ‘Herd Mentality’ Claim Lights Up Twitter 
• Vox: Trump’s ABC town hall revealed a president disconnected from reality
• NYT: Trump, in Philadelphia, Says He ‘Up-Played’ the Virus, Then Downplays It 
• NYT: When asked to address systemic racism in America, Trump rejects the idea 
• WaPo: ‘I don’t feel that at all’: Trump scoffs at White privilege in Woodward book 
• CNN: Trump doesn’t address systemic racism during visit to Kenosha
• CNN: Trump fumbles during tough encounter with undecided voters
• WaPo Opinion: ABC town hall shows Trump faces great peril outside Fox News bubble
• WaPo Opinion: Trump’s latest health-care lies reveal what a second term would look like 
• WaPo Opinion: Trump’s disastrous town hall shows he should never have made mental acuity an issue 
• The Atlantic: The Media Learned Nothing from 2016 
• AP: Takeaways: Trump’s town hall offered preview of debates
• Daily Beast: Fox News Accuses ABC of Ambushing Trump With Voter Questions 
• Politico: Trump team plots how to bust Biden in the debates
• ABC: The Latest: Pre-debate, Biden studying Trump’s pasta comments 
• NBC: Biden says he’s eager to debate Trump: ‘I know how to handle bullies’ 
• NBC: Trump spurns traditional debate prep with first faceoff less than 3 weeks away 
• Vanity Fair: Trump’s Debate Strategy: Make Biden Look Like the Crypt Keeper 
• Forbes: Biden Proposees Instant Fact-Checking ‘Crawler’ For Debate With Trump 
• Real Clear Politics: Stephanopoulos to Trump: Why Do You Keep Talking About Democrat States? They’re American States. 
• WaPo Opinion: The debate moderators have their work cut out for them 
• CNN: How to make the Trump-Biden debates fair 
• NYT: Networks’ Challenge: Covering a Live Convention When Falsehoods Fly 
• ABC: The Note: Soft spots in GOP base highlight Trump credibility gap
• WaPo Opinion: What Trump says doesn’t matter if voters don’t trust him 
• Forbes: 68% of Americans Do Not Trust What Trump Says About Coronavirus Pandemic, Survey Says
• WaPo: Fact-checking Trump’s lies is essential. It’s also increasingly fruitless. 
• Axios: Axios Ipsos poll: The Biden-Trump trust gulf 

Pollercoaster

• Crooked Media: PollerCoaster 2020: What’s Happening With Marginal Voters
• The New Yorker: Broadcasting Joe Biden’s Economic Program 
• CBS News: Trump alma mater says Biden plan would lead to more economic growth
• US News and World Report: Analysis: Top Income Brackets to Shoulder Bulk of Tax Hikes Under Biden Economic Plan
• WaPo: Trump’s lead over Biden on the economy appears vulnerable, a potential turning point
• WSJ: Biden Pushes Higher Taxes on U.S. Companies’ Foreign Profits in Pitch to Midwest Voters
• WaPo: Trump has one last remaining lifeline. Biden is moving to sever it.
• NY Mag: Biden’s New Climate Plan Is Also His Stimulus Plan
• Foreign Policy: Are the Democrats Downplaying Biden’s Record?
• Pew Research: Americans have heard more about clashes between police and protesters than other recent news stories 
• Politico: Trump shares doctored video of Biden with ‘manipulated media’ Twitter tag 
• WaPo: Trump and allies ratchet up disinformation efforts in late stage of campaign 
• USA Today: Rep. Steve Scalise defends use of altered video that claimed Biden wants to ‘defund the police’ 
• Politico: ‘This is f—ing crazy’: Florida Latinos swamped by wild conspiracy theories 
• Time: How Conspiracy Theories Are Shaping the 2020 Election—and Shaking the Foundation of American Democracy