‘They knew and they covered it up’: Harris lands punches over Trump’s record in only VP debate

Latest updates and essential advice from The Independent [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing October 08, 2020 Today’s essential news from the source you trust This morning’s headlines Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris repeatedly [attacked incumbent Mike Pence over the Trump administration’s record]( during their one and only televised debate on Wednesday evening, regularly rebuking him for interrupting her. “Mr Vice President, I’m speaking. I’m speaking,” the California senator said, forcing Mr Pence to quieten down. Overall, Ms Harris appeared to narrowly win the night, especially when she called the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic the biggest failure ever by an American administration. But she declined to answer a question on whether she and Mr Biden intend to expand the Supreme Court by adding liberal justices should they win and Democrats take over the Senate. As the encounter drew to a close, Mr Pence faltered badly when he would not say clearly that Mr Trump would accept the outcome of the election if he loses. Mr Trump himself has meanwhile claimed in a new video released last night to have [found a “cure” for coronavirus]( even though he was talking about a drug only intended to tackle his symptoms and that left him short of breath and with lower-than-normal blood oxygen levels while hospitalised. After spending parts of four days in a military hospital, the president essentially said his single experience of taking the drug proves it is effective. He went so far as to call his contracting the disease “a blessing from God.” The drug, which he was given during his weekend stay at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, is called Regeneron and is considered a therapeutic medication - not a vaccine. “I view these… to me, it wasn’t therapeutic,” Mr Trump said standing near the Oval Office, to which he returned on Wednesday. “I call that a cure.” In the UK, the chief executive of NHS England has warned of the [strain facing the health service]( after a “disturbing” increase in coronavirus infection rates and hospital admissions. The number of UK cases rose by 14,162 on Wednesday, with a further 70 deaths recorded, while the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital in England has risen by nearly 1,000 in a single week. Health secretary Matt Hancock warned that the virus was spreading “quite sharply” among the over-60s, an age group more prone to serious illness or death from the disease. Amanda Pritchard, the chief operating officer of NHS England, has spoken of the toll taken on “traumatised” frontline staff, many of whom have lost family, friends or colleagues to the virus. For a daily briefing on the race for the White House, [sign up here for our Inside Washington newsletter](. . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [Leaked memo says more infected in White House Covid outbreak]( [EU demands Johnson ‘puts UK cards on table’ in Brexit talks]( [Missing Covid tests blunder caused by software ‘13 years out of date’]( . Polarized: Voices from across America Join us on 21 October at 6.30pm BST as we speak to voters from across America to discuss the burning issues of the day, just days out from election day. [Book your free ticket]( . More news - [Climate denial ads viewed 8 million times on Facebook, study finds]( - [Fox News host warns that under Biden, US will become like Wales]( - [England Euro 2020 squad: Who’s on the plane and who could miss out?]( If you can spare two minutes we’d love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.