10 things you need to know today: September 9, 2020

1. DOJ moves to defend Trump in E. Jean Carroll defamation suit

The Justice Department on Tuesday moved to take over President Trump's defense in a defamation suit filed by author E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of raping her in a Manhattan department store dressing room during the 1990s. Carroll sued Trump last year after he called her a liar and claimed they had never met. In court papers, Justice Department lawyers said that they should be able to replace Trump's private attorneys because he made his comments about Carroll while in office. Carroll's attorney called the motion a "shocking" attempt to use the powers of the presidency in a private legal matter. Last month, a New York judge ruled that Carroll could go forward with her suit, but the motion effectively shields Trump from any potentially harmful disclosures before the November election.

The New York Times

2. Rochester police leaders resign after protests over Daniel Prude's death

Rochester, New York, Police Chief La'Ron Singletary and the top two members of his command staff resigned on Tuesday as the department faced ongoing backlash over the death of an unarmed Black man, Daniel Prude, after he was restrained in a "spit hood" by officers in March. Prude died of asphyxiation and his death was ruled a homicide. Outrage over Prude's death exploded in recent days after body-cam video of the incident was released, and some critics accused the department's leadership of trying to cover up what happened. Singletary, 40, said he was retiring. In his resignation letter he said that "the mischaracterization and the politicization" of his actions after Prude's death do not reflect "what I stand for."

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Democrat and Chronicle NBC News

3. AstraZeneca pauses COVID-19 vaccine trial after volunteer falls ill

AstraZeneca announced Tuesday that it suspended a late-stage trial of its potential coronavirus vaccine to review safety data after a participant in the United Kingdom experienced a suspected serious adverse reaction. The patient is expected to recover. A company spokesperson said the temporary halt was "a routine action which has to happen whenever there is a potentially unexplained illness in one of the trials." The pharmaceutical company said in a statement that during large trials, "illnesses will happen by chance but must be independently reviewed to check this carefully" while trying to "minimize any potential impact on the trial timelines." AstraZeneca is testing the vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford, in the U.K., the United States, Brazil, and South Africa. It is considered a leading vaccine candidate, and is one of three now in Phase 3 trials in the U.S.

STAT News The Associated Press

4. McConnell says vote coming on scaled-down coronavirus relief plan

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he planned to force a vote on a narrowly targeted coronavirus relief package over objections from Democrats, who are seeking a much larger package. McConnell said Republicans were introducing a plan "focused on some of the very most urgent health-care, education, and economic issues." He said a floor vote could come as soon as this week. But Republicans lack the votes to overcome a filibuster by Democrats. The GOP bill is expected to have a price tag of at least $500 billion, down from the $1 trillion proposal Republicans released in July and far below the $3 trillion-plus package House Democrats backed before saying they would be willing to settle for $2.2 trillion. Talks between Democrats and the White House remain stalled.

The Hill

5. Trump says he would spend personal funds on re-election effort

President Trump on Tuesday said he would contribute "whatever it takes" from his personal fortune to finance his re-election campaign. Trump denied that his campaign was facing a financial squeeze after spending more than $800 million of the $1.1 billion it raised in collaboration with the Republican National Committee from 2019 through July. "If I have to, I would," Trump said about possibly contributing to his own campaign. "But we're doing very well." Trump loaned $43.5 million to his campaign during the 2016 primary season. Trump's challenger, Joe Biden, and the Democratic National Committee raised a record $365 million last month, far surpassing Trump's $165 million record July total and the $193 million former President Barack Obama raised in September 2008.

Politico

6. Researchers say Sturgis rally was COVID-19 'superspreader event'

Last month's Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota was a coronavirus "superspreader event" linked to more than 266,000 cases, according to a study released Tuesday by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics. The researchers estimated the public health costs of the infections at $12.2 billion, based on an average of $46,000 spent on every COVID-19 patient. The rally brought more than 460,000 people into the area from Aug. 7 to Aug. 16. Most of them reportedly did not wear masks or practice social distancing to avoid spreading the virus. The researchers used smartphone pings and foot-traffic numbers at local bars, restaurants, clubs, stores, hotels, and campgrounds to track crowds. The rally combined "many of the 'worst-case scenarios' for superspreading" simultaneously: It went on for days, packed people together, brought many visitors from out of town, and had low compliance with safety measures including wearing masks, the researchers said.

The Hill

7. Poll: Trump catches up with Biden in Florida

President Trump has pulled even with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in the crucial swing state of Florida, an NBC News/Marist poll released Tuesday found. Biden previously had a 13-point lead in Florida but it evaporated largely due to a shift of support from Latino voters in Trump's favor. Biden and Trump are tied at 48 percent each among likely Florida voters. The state's Latino voters overwhelmingly backed Hillary Clinton over Trump in 2016, 62-35 percent. A majority of Latino respondents now say they're voting for Trump over Biden, 50-46 percent. A poll from the Miami Herald and Bendixen & Amandi International showed Biden and Trump splitting Hispanic voters 47-46 percent.

NBC News The Miami Herald

8. Tesla's stock sees biggest one-day drop ever

Tesla shares plunged by 21 percent on Tuesday in the biggest one-day loss ever for the stock. Tesla shares soared recently ahead of the electric-car company's recent 5-to-1 share split, with its market value surpassing that of some leading rival automakers, including Toyota and Volkswagen. But Tesla's fortunes reversed after the committee that adds companies to the S&P 500 index passed over Tesla on Friday, picking up e-commerce site Etsy and automatic test equipment maker Teradyne instead. Many investors expected Tesla to make the cut this quarter after reporting its fourth straight profitable quarter in July. The stock dropped by 7 percent in after-hours trading on Friday after the news broke, and U.S. markets were closed Monday for the Labor Day holiday.

CNBC

9. California firefighters hospitalized after wildfire engulfs station

Fourteen firefighters were overrun by flames Tuesday as they tried to protect a fire station in Los Padres National Forest on California's central coast. Three of the fighters were flown to a hospital in Fresno to be treated for smoke inhalation and burns. One was in critical condition. The fire has burned for two weeks but doubled in size overnight as high winds and dry conditions fueled a record wildfire season. Military helicopters had to rescue more than 150 people trapped in a burning forest. About 40 wildfires are burning in California, with others reported in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Montana. A fast-moving wildfire caused "catastrophic damage" in the town of Blue River, east of Eugene, Oregon, and the county's administrator warned that "we should expect loss of life from this fire."

The Associated Press USA Today

10. Australian journalists leave China after diplomatic standoff

Two Australian journalists left China after being questioned by police and seeking refuge in Australian diplomatic missions in Beijing and Shanghai. Chinese officials reportedly told the reporters — Australian Broadcasting Corporation Beijing correspondent Bill Birtles and Australian Financial Review Shanghai correspondent Mike Smith — that they were "persons of interest in an investigation" into Cheng Lei, an Australian anchor for state broadcaster CGTN who was detained by police in China last week. Beijing has not announced charges against Cheng, but Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said she is "suspected of engaging in criminal activities endangering China's national security." Australia now is without journalists in China for the first time in nearly five decades.

CNN