2020 Election

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden argues that taking a stance now on whether, as president, he would seek to increase the number of Supreme Court justices would play right into the hands of President Trump.

"[Trump] always wants [you to] take the eye off the ball, change the subject. I'm not going to play his game," Biden told a local Las Vegas news station over the weekend.

Updated 6:57 p.m. ET

Despite reports of the Trump campaign canceling TV advertising in Ohio and Iowa, it turns out the campaign has $11 million still reserved for ads in the states, according to the latest spending data provided to NPR by the ad-tracking firm Advertising Analytics.

A second ballot drop-off location will be available for Cuyahoga County voters as of Tuesday morning.

Cuyahoga County Board of Elections staff will be available to accept completed ballots starting at 8 a.m. at the Campus International High School on Chester Avenue. The parking lot for the school is directly across E. 30^th Street from the back of the board of election main building and the main drop box.

Soon after being discharged from the hospital for treatment for COVID-19, President Trump tweeted the slur "Chinese virus" to refer to the coronavirus, something he's often repeated during the pandemic.

It's the latest example of Trump's alarming language that critics charge is xenophobic, discriminatory and even white supremacist. While Trump denies those labels, he has increasingly returned to the issue of race in the runup to the November election.

Voter rights groups have a message to people who are new to filling out mail-in absentee ballots: read through the instructions on the ballots carefully. Advocates say there are several ways a voter can get tripped up which is why it's important to send the ballot in early.

Cleveland and Akron-based members of historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha held a virtual watch party Wednesday to see their sorority sister Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) debate Vice President Mike Pence in Utah. 

Harris’ ascension in the Democratic Party is due in part to the staunch support of African American women, who are considered a key constituency. And both national and local Democratic Party leaders are counting on Black women to help get voters to the polls this year.

Updated at 8:31 p.m. ET

President Trump's campaign is calling for next week's presidential debate to be held in person in Miami, despite the organizing commission's decision to hold it virtually.

Campaign manager Bill Stepien said Thursday night there is "no medical reason" why the debate should be shifted virtually. He cited a memo from White House physician Sean Conley, who said Trump would be safe for public events by Saturday.

Updated at 12:57 p.m. ET

After a raucous debate between President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden last week that was marked by constant interruptions, name-calling and a moderator unable to control the discussion, Wednesday night's vice presidential debate marked a return to a more traditional affair.