Your Daily Roundup for October 8th

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Good morning. As the COVID-19 pandemic takes a toll on life in America, our team at Future Majority is tracking the latest updates: 

COVID-19 took center stage at last night’s Vice Presidential Debate:

Vice President Mike Pence -- the head of the White House coronavirus task force -- and Senator Kamala Harris faced off in the first and only vice presidential debate last night, with COVID-19 dominating the discussion as the two were separated by plexiglass dividers. The Vice President and Senator also touched on several key issues, including the economy, climate change, and democracy itself.

The Commission on Presidential Debates announced this morning that the second presidential debate scheduled for October 15th would be held virtually, and quickly President Trump made clear his plans to skip out on the debate entirely in an interview on Fox Business. 

840,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week:

In the last week alone, over 840,000 Americans newly filed for state unemployment benefits, an uptick from the previous week. 464,000 additional individuals applied for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program issued by the federal government. The new claims are still well above pre-pandemic levels and a sign that the economic recovery is not moving forward, as Washington will likely fall short of reaching a deal on additional economic relief.

Three new polls show a double-digit margin in the race for president:

On Wednesday, the release of three new national polls indicated a trend -- that former Vice PResident Joe Biden is leading President Trump by at least 10 points. Polling is of course a snapshot in time, and these polls largely reflect how voters felt about their choice after the first presidential debate and Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis.

FOX News:

  • Biden: 53%
  • Trump: 43%

Rasmussen Reports:

  • Biden: 52%
  • Trump: 40%

Reuters/Ipsos:

  • Biden: 52%
  • Trump: 40%