TAPPER: Welcome to THE LEAD. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin this hour with the health LEAD, the coronavirus death toll in the United States stands at more than 177,000 dead with an average of almost 1,000 Americans continuing to die every day from this virus. Multiple moves by the Trump administration are now raising serious questions about whether the President is pressuring the medical community to deliver news that he can sell to voters to help him even if such moves violate scientific protocol. The President pushing the Food and Drug Administration, for example, to authorize a potential coronavirus treatment. And the President accusing members of the fabled "deep state" within the FDA of slowing down the search for a vaccine until after election day, a charge for which of course there is zero evidence. In fact, the evidence of politicizing the science is on the other side with two sources telling CNN that Trump advisers have raised the possibility of approving a vaccine before Phase III trials are completed, and also before the November election. President Trump this afternoon in a surprise appearance at the Republican National Convention even bragged that there will be a vaccine sooner than what might have happened.
Serious Questions Over Trump Possibly Rushing Vaccine Approval for Election Gain.