Today in one sentence: Another 787,000 workers filed new unemployment claims last week; Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in a 12-0 vote; Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe accused Iran of sending fake, but menacing emails to voters; U.S. intelligence officials are reportedly more concerned with Russian cyberattacks than Iran's fake emails; Trump has repeatedly discussed firing FBI Director Christopher Wray after the election with his advisers; and Trump posted an unedited 38-minute video of his "60 Minutes" interview that he abruptly walked out of.

1/ Another 787,000 workers filed new unemployment claims last week – the lowest levels since March but still above above pre-pandemic levels. (Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / New York Times)

2/ Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court in a 12-0 vote. Democrats boycotted the proceeding in protest of what they viewed as an illegitimate confirmation process. A full Senate vote is expected Monday – a month to the day after Trump announced her nomination to succeed Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / ABC News / Wall Street Journal / The Guardian)

  • Biden promised to name a bipartisan commission to propose an overhaul of the Supreme Court and federal judiciary, saying the current system is “getting out of whack.” (Washington Post)

3/ Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe accused Iran of sending fake, but menacing emails to voters, and warned that both Iran and Russia had obtained American voter data. While most of that voter registration was already public, Ratcliffe said government officials “have already seen Iran sending spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters, incite social unrest and damage President Trump.” Ratcliffe was referring to emails sent to Democratic voters, purportedly from pro-Trump far-right groups, including the Proud Boys. (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Reuters)

4/ U.S. intelligence officials are reportedly more concerned with Russian cyberattacks than the fake, threatening emails Iran sent to U.S. voters. Russia’s hackers have targeted a wide swath of American government networks, including those involved with the election, and appear to be preparing to sow chaos amid any uncertainty around election results. While intelligence officials didn’t say what Russia planned to do, they did say Russian groups could use their knowledge of the systems to deface websites, release nonpublic information, sow chaos and exacerbate disputes around the results. (New York Times / NPR)

5/ Trump has repeatedly discussed firing FBI Director Christopher Wray after the election with his advisers, frustrated that Wray won’t announce an investigation into Joe and Hunter Biden. Trump wants a similar announcement to the one made by then-FBI Director James Comey 11 days before the 2016 presidential election. (Washington Post)

6/ Trump posted an unedited 38-minute video of his “60 Minutes” interview that he abruptly walked out of, claiming the video revealed “bias, hatred and rudeness” on correspondent Lesley Stahl part. The footage, however, showed Stahl asking firm questions and repeatedly challenging Trump’s assertions that the coronavirus pandemic is nearing its end, why he doesn’t encourage people to wear masks, and how he would protect people with preexisting conditions if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Care Act. In a second video posted of Stahl’s sit-down with Pence, she asks what just happened. “Trump is a man who speaks his mind,” Pence replied. In the interview, Stahl challenges Pence for offering campaign talking points in response to her questions. “This was not a rally. This was not just a campaign speech to the public. This was supposed to be an interview, and the same with the president,” she told Pence. “And I feel that you both have insulted ‘60 Minutes’ and me by not answering any of our questions and by giving set campaign speeches that we’ve heard both of you give at rallies and not answering our questions.” CBS News, meanwhile, accused the White House of violating an agreement it had with the network ahead of its Sunday air date. (NBC News / Politico / CNN / Axios / CBS News)

7/ Seattle, Portland, and New York City are suing the Trump administration over Trump’s threats to withhold federal funds from so-called “anarchist jurisdictions.” The cities argue that the administration’s actions violates Congress’ power to dictate how federal funds are spent, and states and localities’ authority to police and provide public safety as they see fit. (Seattle Times / Politico / CNN)

8/ Trump issued an executive order making it easier to hire and fire civil servants who work on policy. The order would shift employees from “competitive service” — which covers most of the 2.1 million executive branch employees — into the “excepted service,” which generally applies to political appointees. (Washington Post)

poll/ 56% of voters believe Trump does not deserve to be reelected, while 43% say he does. (Gallup)

Last year today: Day 1006: Direct line.
Two years ago today: Day 641: A great mind.