Today in one sentence: Trump ordered negotiators to stop talks with Democrats on a new coronavirus relief package until after the election; members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are self-quarantining; the White House hasn't conducted contact tracing for guests and staff members who attended the Rose Garden party where at least eight people, including Trump, are believed to have contracted COVID-19; the White House approved the FDA's new, tougher standards for coronavirus vaccine developers after the agency unilaterally published the guidelines; and Trump left Walter Reed Medical Center and returned to the White House where he stood outside and removed his mask, despite the fact that he is still infected and contagious.

1/ Trump ordered negotiators to stop talks with Democrats on a new coronavirus relief package until after the election, tweeting that he won’t agree to a deal until “after I win.” In a series of tweets, Trump said he rejected the Democrats’ latest proposal because – he claimed – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “is not negotiating in good faith.” The House passed a $2.2 trillion bill last week – down from its earlier $3.5 trillion package. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had proposed a $1.6 trillion deal in response. The two sides remained at odds over how much state and local aid to include in an agreement. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, meanwhile, warned that “too little support would lead to a weak recovery, creating unnecessary hardship for households and businesses.” Powell said a prolonged slowdown could trigger “typical recessionary dynamics, as weakness feeds on weakness,” and that such a slowdown could exacerbate existing economic disparities, which “would be tragic.” Powell added: “The risks of overdoing it seem, for now, to be smaller.” The Dow fell by almost 400 points, and the S&P 500 and Nasdaq were also down by around 1.5% each. (NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / New York Times / CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Axios / Politico)

2/ Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff are self-quarantining after the Coast Guard’s No. 2 officer tested positive for the coronavirus. Adm. Charles Ray, the vice commandant of the Coast Guard, tested positive for the virus on Monday. Ray attended a Sept. 27 event at the White House and recently attended several meetings at the Pentagon in secure areas with members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. (CNN / Wall Street Journal / CNBC / NBC News / Bloomberg / The Guardian / Politico / Washington Post)

  • One of Trump’s valets tested positive. Trump was reportedly “upset.” (Bloomberg / CNN)

  • 13 restaurant staffers are quarantining after catering a private Trump fundraiser in Minneapolis. (CBS News)

3/ The White House hasn’t conducted contact tracing for guests and staff members who attended the Rose Garden party where at least eight people, including Trump, are believed to have contracted COVID-19. Officials with the D.C. Department of Health have also been unable to connect with the White House to assist with contact tracing and other protocols regarding the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. Instead, the White House has only notified people who came in close contact with Trump during the two days before his Thursday diagnosis. “We have reached out to the White House on a couple of different levels, a political level and a public health level,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser. White House spokesman Brian Morgenstern said in a statement that the White House “has a robust contact tracing program in place led by the White House Medical Unit with CDC personnel and guidance.” The White House also declined offers from the CDC to help investigate the outbreak. (New York Times / NBC News / CNN / USA Today)

4/ The White House approved the FDA’s new, tougher standards for coronavirus vaccine developers after the agency unilaterally published the guidelines. The guidelines make it unlikely that a vaccine would be authorized by Election Day. The FDA submitted the guidelines to the Office of Management and Budget for approval more than two weeks ago, but Meadows and the White House blocked them, worried that the new criteria would delay authorization of a vaccine. The new guidelines, which would be used for an emergency authorization of a vaccine, recommend gathering extra data about the safety of vaccines in the final stage of clinical trials, a step that would take more time. (Washington Post / New York Times / Wall Street Journal /New York Times)

5/ Trump left Walter Reed Medical Center and returned to the White House where he stood outside and removed his mask, despite the fact that he is still infected and contagious. He gave a double thumbs up and posed for photos before walking inside 72-hours after being hospitalized with COVID-19. At least 20 people have tested positive for the coronavirus after spending time at the White House recently. Soon after, Trump released a video downplaying the coronavirus and claiming that he “had to” face the coronavirus because he is a leader. “We’re going back. We’re going back to work. We’re gonna be out front. As your leader I had to do that. I knew there’s danger to it but I had to do it,” Trump said. “I stood out front. I led. Nobody that’s a leader would not do what I did. I know there’s a risk there’s a danger.” He added: “And now I’m better, and maybe I’m immune? I don’t know.” Trump again dismissed the pandemic that has killed more than 210,000 people in the United States, encouraging Americans to “get out there” and to not let the virus “dominate your lives.” Administration officials, meanwhile, plan for Trump to isolate in the White House residence, creating a makeshift office in the Map Room and the Diplomatic Reception Room. The White House hasn’t said how long Mr. Trump would remain in the residence and away from the West Wing where many of the senior aides who are considered essential workers are based. (CNN / Washington Post / Bloomberg / Associated Press / Wall Street Journal / Axios / CBS News / NPR / Axios / CNN / New York Times)

  • Trump’s personal doctor provided no substantive details about the president’s health except to say Trump “continues to do extremely well” upon returning to the White House after being hospitalized with COVID-19. (Politico / CNBC)

6/ Pence requested that no plexiglass dividers be placed on his side of the stage for tomorrow’s vice presidential debate after agreeing to the safety measure by the Commission on Presidential Debates to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Marc Short, the vice president’s chief of staff, said Pence does not view plexiglass dividers as medically necessary, but if Harris “wants it, she’s more than welcome to surround herself with plexiglass if that makes her feel more comfortable.” Last week, both campaigns agreed to extend the distance between Pence and Harris from about seven feet to 12 feet. (Washington Post / Politico)

  • Trump tweeted that he is “looking forward to” the second presidential debate even as he continues treatment this week for COVID-19. CDC guidelines, however, say people should isolate for 10 days from the point of showing systems, and in severe cases, 20 days. (NBC News / Wall Street Journal)

  • 📅 The WTF Event Calendar.

7/ Eric Trump was deposed under oath as part of New York’s investigation into the Trump Organization’s financial dealings. The New York attorney general’s office is probing whether Trump’s real-estate company falsely reported property values in order to obtain loans or tax benefits. Eric initially refused to provide testimony until after the November election, but a state judge rejected his argument that he was too busy working on his father’s re-election campaign to submit to questioning. New York AG Letitia James is focusing on a property called Seven Springs that sits on 212 acres outside New York City, as well as transactions involving the Trump-owned 40 Wall Street building in lower Manhattan, a golf club in Los Angeles, and the Trump International Hotel and Tower Chicago. The Trump Organization has denied any wrongdoing. (Bloomberg / Axios)

poll/ 54% registered voters in Pennsylvania support Biden while 42% support Trump. (Quinnipiac)

poll/ 57% of likely voters say they support Biden for president, while 41% support Trump. The poll was conducted entirely after the first debate and mostly after Trump’s coronavirus infection was made public. 52% of Americans say they have a positive impression of Biden, compared with 39% who have a positive view of Trump. (CNN)

Three years ago today: Day 260: Calm before the storm.