A million, POTUS, FLOTUS

A week or so ago there were a million recorded deaths from Covid-19. Yesterday, president of the United States, Donald Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, announced they had positive tests. Donald Trump is 74 and mildly obese making him at risk for Covid complications. He tweeted the announcement. Iti s being reported as a mild case. A few days ago he had the first leaders debate with Joe Biden, I didn't watch it, but apparently a total debarcle, and I sense a feeling from everyone, somehow irrelevant. That the most powerful role in the world is being fought over by old white men. The leaders stood apart and did not shake hands but they were in the same room. Biden has tested negative but it may be too early to tell. The presidential elections for the US are on November 3rd. At the debate Trump did not condemn white supremacist groups, telling the Proud Boys to stand by. He's tried to claim he did not know who they were since. 

Trump is in quarantine and he won't be able to organise and attend his mass style rallies. He's cancelled all his outings. Just now an announcement that he's just flown by helicopter to a military hospital, Walter Reid Medical Centre. He's taking experimental medication. Joe Biden's campaign has taken down all disparaging comments about Trump. He's been snarky about Biden wearing masks and has had many many rallies and meetings where rejecting masks is part of the culture of his followers, oppressive nonsense. 

There's a few theories floating around about what could happen:

• Trump has a mild dose of Covid-19 (as his team says), recovers easily and uses this to support his claims that the virus is not as bad as people make out.
• Trump uses it as an excuse to withdraw from the election, as increasingly other Republicans withdraw support, his style too much for even die hard right wingers. 
• Trump uses it to justify nasty international action.
• Trump uses it to claim the election is invalid (Biden is ahead in polls).
• Trump's lack of concern means the whole of Republican team is infected and goes down. If Trump can't lead, leadership goes to the Vice President Mike Pence. But if Mike Pence can't lead it goes to the Speaker for the House of Representatives, a Democrat, Nancy Pelosi. 

At the same time, the death of US Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsberg means there's a spot on the Supreme Court. Trump has nominated an anti-abortionist, Amy Coney Barrett to take the place. A power-grab in that if it goes ahead, will happen weeks before the election, and a way to stack the Court with pro-Republicans. People are worried that it set the scene for overturning Roe vs Wade, which said women could choose an abortion.