The President steps up his efforts to blame China for the coronavirus, the Trump campaign is divided over its re-election message, Joe Biden responds to Tara Reade’s allegations, and the Vice Presidential selection process begins. Then Austan Goolsbee, one of Obama’s top economic advisors, talks to Jon F. about how to dig ourselves out of this crisis.

Show notes

Trump Steps Up China Blame

• NYT: Global Backlash Builds Against China Over Coronavirus 
• Axios: Pompeo says there’s “enormous evidence” coronavirus originated in Wuhan lab 
• The Hill: Pompeo: China ‘did all that it could to make sure the world didn’t learn in a timely fashion’ about coronavirus
• Axios: U.S. intelligence community: Coronavirus “was not manmade or genetically modified”
• CNN: Trump contradicts US intel community by claiming he’s seen evidence coronavirus originated in Chinese lab
• NYT: Trump Officials Are Said to Press Spies to Link Virus and Wuhan Labs
• Politico: Top intel agency rules out ‘manmade’ theory of coronavirus origins
• Reuters: Pompeo pushes China to provide access to Wuhan labs over coronavirus outbreak
• Quartz: A Chinese propaganda video mocks America’s response to the coronavirus crisis 
• The Guardian: China and Australia: how a war of words over coronavirus turned to threats of a trade war
• The Guardian: Global markets recoil as Trump threatens US-China trade war
• Bloomberg: Trump Seeks to Pin Virus Blame on China, Yet Reprisal Is Uncertain
• Marketwatch: Trump threatens use of tariffs against China as coronavirus retaliation 
• WaPo: U.S. officials crafting retaliatory actions against China over coronavirus as President Trump fumes
• Foreign Policy: China’s Neighbors Face a Belligerent Post-Pandemic Beijing
• NYT: China’s Aggressive Diplomacy Weakens Xi Jinping’s Global Standing

Trump Campaign 

• WaPo: Trump campaign divided over how to attack Biden amid worries over troubling poll numbers
• WaPo: Trump makes case for reelection with promises of a swift return to normalcy that experts warn is far off
• WaPo: Trump presented with grim internal polling showing him losing to Biden
• WaPo: Trump campaign concludes there is more to be gained by attacking Biden than trying to promote president’s pandemic response
• CNN: Trump erupts at campaign manager as reelection stress overflows
• NYT: Polls Had Trump Stewing, and Lashing Out at His Own Campaign
• Politico: Trump campaign lashes out over ‘Don’t defend Trump’ memo 
• US News and World Report: Joe Biden’s Campaign Strategy: Stay Out of Trump’s Way
• AP: Sidelined by pandemic, Trump campaign turns to digital shows
• Politico: Trump says blame China. His supporters are listening. 
• The Atlantic: It’s Slowly Dawning on Trump That He’s Losing
• CNN: Trump’s 2020 attack strategy against Biden is straight from his 2016 playbook 
• Reuters: Exclusive: Trump brushes off opinion polls showing Joe Biden in lead for president
• NYT: Can the Trump Campaign Rewrite the Story of the Trump Presidency?
• WaPo: Trump campaign divided over how to attack Biden amid worries over troubling poll numbers
• The Hill: RNC chairwoman on recent polls favoring Biden: ‘I don’t rely on polling this far out’
• FiveThirtyEight: We’ve Got Some Early Trump vs. Biden Swing State Polling
• The Hill: Trump predicts US will have coronavirus vaccine by year’s end 
• Daily Beast: Trump Says He is Treated ‘Worse’ Than President Lincoln, Who Was Assassinated
• HuffPo: A Democratic Group Is Crashing Trump’s Coronavirus Town Hall With Attack Ads 

Biden Campaign

• MSNBC: Full Interview: Biden Denies Sexual Assault Allegation From Tara Reade | Morning Joe 
• Medium: Statement by Vice President Joe Biden
• WSJ: Tara Reade Isn’t Ready to Respond to Biden Sexual-Harassment Denial
• Mother Jones: Biden Denied Tara Reade’s Sexual Assault Allegation. Now What?
• NY Mag: Here’s What Women’s Rights Organizations Are Saying About Joe Biden and Tara Reade
• AP: No soft landing for Biden on ‘Morning Joe’ interview
• The Atlantic: What Joe Biden Didn’t Say in His Tara Reade Denial
• Axios: DNC chair on requests for Biden records: “This is like the Hillary emails” 
• AP: Reade: ‘I didn’t use sexual harassment’ in Biden complaint
• CNN: University of Delaware says it still has no plans to release Biden’s Senate papers, as pressure mounts
• WaPo: Biden begs off questions about University of Delaware documents in his first Tara Reade interview
• NYT (editorial board): Investigate Tara Reade’s Allegations
• WaPo (editorial board): Biden himself should address the Tara Reade allegations and release relevant records
• The Hill: Biden: Panel vetting ‘more than a dozen women’ as potential running mate
• CBS News: CBS News poll: Elizabeth Warren tops Democrats’ wish list for Biden’s vice president
• Vox: Elizabeth Warren is the favored VP pick among Democrats, poll shows 
• CBS News: Biden announces running mate vetting committee
• NYT: Why Biden’s Choice of Running Mate Has Momentous Implications
• Vox: The push for Joe Biden to choose a black woman as his running mate, explained
• FiveThirtyEight: It’s Time For Another 2020 Vice Presidential Draft
• CNBC: Big money donors are pressuring Joe Biden against picking Elizabeth Warren for VP: ‘He would lose the election’
• The New Republic: Who Will Be Joe Biden’s Pick for Vice President?
• HuffPo: Poll Finds Elizabeth Warren VP Pick Most Likely To Pull In Bernie Sanders Voters
• Axios: Poll: Warren tops VP appeal for Dem voters in Michigan and Wisconsin
• Morning Consult: What Younger Democrats Want to See in Joe Biden’s Running Mate 
• AP: Leading in pandemic becomes part of audition for Biden’s VP
• The Hill: Biden told to think economy with VP pick
• Politico: Poll: Voters prioritize experienced VP for Biden over gender, race