Former President Barack Obama steps onto the campaign trail Wednesday with a drive-in rally in Philadelphia as Joe Biden and President Donald Trump battle for key swing state Pennsylvania. Obama will speak at 6 p.m. EDT.
Trump, who rallied in Erie on Tuesday and narrowly won the Keystone State in 2016, finds himself trailing there just 13 days before Election Day. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk poll released Wednesday found the former vice president leading Trump by 7 points.
Trump and Biden will meet for the final time before the election on Thursday during a debate in Nashville. It appears it will be another bruising contest, even though organizers will cut microphones at certain portions to prevent interruptions, which were prevalent at the September debate.
☕ The latest:
19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Here's what their stories have in common.
President Donald Trump's campaign said Joe Biden's town hall last week felt like an episode of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood." But Biden leaned into the comparison.
The Marine Corps fired a two-star general for allegedly making a racist remark about Black troops. The Marines announced Tuesday that Maj. Gen. Stephen Neary had been relieved as commander of Marine Corps Forces, Europe and Africa on Oct. 19. The reason: loss of trust and confidence.
There may be continuing delays with U.S. mail two weeks before an election where mail-in ballots are being used at unprecedented levels. Of 64 letters and packages sent short distances within battleground states since mid-September, 14 took longer than the U.S. Postal Service’s own three-day service standard for first-class local mail, a USA TODAY and University of Maryland tracking effort found.
📆 13 days until Election Day, one day until the final presidential debate, 91 days until Inauguration Day, 73 days left in 2020.
🗳️ Voting: See USA TODAY's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote, when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues.
We will update this article throughout the day. You can follow all of USA TODAY's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter.
COVID stimulus update: Senate to take up $500 billion plan
The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday will take up a $500 billion COVID-19 stimulus package, a bill unlikely to make it out of the Senate as relief negotiations drag on less than two weeks before Election Day.
The bill would give a federal boost to weekly unemployment benefits, send over $100 billion to schools, and allocate funding for testing and vaccine development. Democrats are expected to block the legislation, arguing more money is needed to combat the virus and help Americans.
The bill's $500 billion price tag is far less than the roughly $1.8 trillion package the White House has offered and the $2.2 trillion package Democrats have backed. The two parties have spent months attempting to find a bipartisan agreement for one last batch of coronavirus stimulus relief before the election.
– Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu
Stimulus update: Senate to take up $500 billion COVID-19 stimulus package as relief talks continue
Trump leaves '60 Minute' interview with Lesley Stahl
President Donald Trump cut short an interview with "60 Minutes" on Tuesday, and threatened to protest by posting a tape of the session before the program's scheduled broadcast on Sunday.
"This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about," Trump said in a series of tweets that also attacked "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl.
Trump, who has often criticized coverage of "60 Minutes," did not provide any examples of bias.
Trump abruptly ended the session – he didn't do the traditional "walk-and-talk" with Stahl, and said the "60 Minutes" crew had been given enough time – nor did he return for a joint interview with Vice President Mike Pence, said two people familiar with the incident.
– David Jackson
Trump's "60 Minutes" interview: Trump leaves contentious '60 Minutes' interview with Lesley Stahl, goes on Twitter attack
COVID stimulus update: McConnell urges White House against large stimulus deal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a closed-door lunch Tuesday, told fellow Republicans he urged the White House not to strike a deal with Democrats on a COVID-19 relief package, according to a Senate source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door discussions.
The Kentucky Republican, who has blasted Democrats in negotiations, voiced concerns there would not be enough GOP votes to back a package and worries that voting on such legislation could negatively affect the timing on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation vote to the Supreme Court, the source said.
Republicans disagree about the size and details of an aid bill. Some Republicans rejected Democratic offers they said are too costly and will add to the federal deficit, though President Donald Trump has pushed for Republicans to offer even more than Democrats.
– Nicholas Wu and Christal Hayes
Stimulus talks: McConnell urges White House against large stimulus deal as Pelosi and Mnuchin continue talks
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election 2020 updates: Obama in Philadelphia; Biden over Trump in PA