US News Roundup: CDC reports 816 coronavirus deaths; Trump says 'real test' lies ahead in his COVID-19 fight and more

In a four-minute video posted on Twitter on Saturday from his hospital suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a tired-looking Trump said he was feeling "much better." Shorthanded U.S. Supreme Court returns with major challenges ahead The U.S. Supreme Court begins its new nine-month term on Monday buffeted by the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Senate confirmation battle over her successor, the coronavirus pandemic and the approaching presidential election whose outcome the justices may be called upon to help decide.

Following is a summary of current US domestic news briefs.

White House acknowledges Trump's condition had been worse than revealed

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows revealed that President Donald Trump's condition on Friday was far worse than officials had made public, saying doctors recommended the president go to the hospital after seeing he had a fever and his blood oxygen level dropped rapidly. Meadows made the comments in an interview with Fox News broadcast Saturday night that capped two days of conflicting and opaque assessments of the 74-year-old president's health.

U.S. Supreme Court nominee's confirmation hearings on track, McConnell says

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Saturday that Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearings will proceed as planned even though two Republicans on the Judiciary Committee had contracted the coronavirus. Senators Thom Tillis and Mike Lee, who sit on the panel that will preside over the hearings, tested positive for COVID-19 in the past day. Both were at the White House on Sept. 26 when President Donald Trump introduced Barrett as his nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died last month.

Trump not yet on clear path to recovery, source says

President Donald Trump is not yet on a clear path to recovery from COVID-19 and some of his vital signs over the last 24 hours were very concerning, a person familiar with the situation told reporters on Saturday. The source, who asked not to be identified, said the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of Trump's care. The assessment seemed at odds with that of Trump's doctor during a brief press conference.

U.S. CDC reports 816 coronavirus deaths

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Saturday reported 7,310,625 cases of the new coronavirus, an increase of 50,160 from its previous count, and said that the number of deaths had risen by 816 to 208,118. The CDC reported its tally of cases of the respiratory illness known as COVID-19, caused by the new coronavirus, as of 4 pm ET on Oct. 2 compared with its previous report a day earlier. (https://bit.ly/3kZDvsN)

North Carolina Democrat seeking Senate seat apologizes over sex-themed texts

The Democratic challenger for a U.S. Senate seat for North Carolina has issued a public apology after sending sexually themed text messages to a woman who is not his wife. "I have hurt my family, disappointed my friends, and am deeply sorry," former state senator Cal Cunningham said in a statement released late on Friday.

Trump says 'real test' lies ahead in his COVID-19 fight

President Donald Trump said from his hospital room that the next few days will be the "real test" of his treatment for COVID-19, after a series of contradictory messages from the White House caused widespread confusion about his condition. In a four-minute video posted on Twitter on Saturday from his hospital suite at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a tired-looking Trump said he was feeling "much better." Shorthanded U.S.

Supreme Court returns with major challenges ahead

The U.S. Supreme Court begins its new nine-month term on Monday buffeted by the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a Senate confirmation battle over her successor, the coronavirus pandemic and the approaching presidential election whose outcome the justices may be called upon to help decide. Amid the maelstrom, the shorthanded court - with eight justices rather than a full complement of nine - also has a series of major cases to tackle, including a Republican bid to invalidate the Obamacare healthcare law set to be argued on Nov. 10, a week after Election Day

. Biden leads by 10 points as majority of Americans say Trump could have avoided coronavirus: Reuters/Ipsos poll

Democrat Joe Biden opened his widest lead in a month in the U.S. presidential race after President Donald Trump tested positive for the coronavirus, and a majority of Americans think Trump could have avoided infection if he had taken the virus more seriously, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday. The Oct. 2-3 national opinion poll gave little indication of an outpouring of support for the president beyond Trump's core group of followers, some of whom have gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, where the president has been hospitalized.

Relying on testing to ward off COVID put Trump White House at risk

Early in the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. President Donald Trump put his faith in a toaster-sized machine that could spit out test results in a matter of minutes. In late March, Trump hailed the launch of Abbott Laboratories' ID NOW test at a Rose Garden event and embraced its widespread use at the White House to keep the deadly virus at bay. The president often skipped his own administration's public health recommendations on mask wearing and social distancing, explaining that "everyone's tested" around him using the Abbott device.

Trump says in tweet he is feeling well with help of doctors, nurses at Walter Reed

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter on Saturday that he was feeling well with the help of the doctors and nurses at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. "Doctors, Nurses and ALL at the GREAT Walter Reed Medical Center, and others from likewise incredible institutions who have joined them, are AMAZING!!!," Trump said.