US President Joe Biden may have gotten himself in hot water during a well-meaning teleconference with Jewish religious leaders in advance of the High Holidays on Thursday.

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The teleconference was facilitated by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Rabbinical Council of America and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.

During the roughly 16-minute-long teleconference, Biden lamented the rise in antisemitism in the United States.

"The point I'm trying to make here is that I used to think coming out of the civil-rights movement and being involved in the Jewish community as a kid, and the civil rights movement in Delaware, I used to think that hate could be defeated; it could be wiped out. But I learned a long time ago, it can't. It only hides. It hides. It hides under the rocks. And given any oxygen at all, it comes out. It's a minority view, but it comes out, and it comes out raging," said Biden.

"And it's been given too much oxygen in the last four, five, seven, 10 years, and it has seen itself, whether it was – I remember spending time at the – you know, going to the – you know, the Tree of Life Synagogue, speaking with the – just – it just is amazing these things are happening – happening in America," he said.

"And I guess the point I want to make is that it just shows that if we walk away from 'never again,' it's going to happen again. It can't happen again. And so, I guess the point I'm making is that the attack in Pittsburgh, those attacks – all antisemitic attacks – aren't just a strike against the Jewish community; they're a strike against the soul of our nation and the values which we say we stand for. No matter its source or stated rationale, we have to and will condemn this prejudice at every turn, alongside other forms of hate."

But Barb Feige, executive director of the Pittsburgh synagogue where 11 worshippers were murdered by a gunman in 2018, told the New York Post that Biden has not visited the synagogue in the nearly three years since the shooting.

In a statement, the White House said Biden was referring to a phone call he made after the shooting to Jeffrey Myers, the rabbi of the Conservative congregation, one of three in the Tree of Life complex.

In a statement to CNN on Friday, Myers said: "President Biden kindly called me on my cell phone as I was sitting in Dulles Airport awaiting a return flight to Pittsburgh after I testified before Congress in July 2019. In a heartfelt way, he extended his condolences and asked how we were doing. We spoke about the challenges of antisemitism, and he made clear he would confront it with us as president. The conversation meant a great deal to me, and I will always be grateful for his kind words and continued support of our community."

Then-President Donald Trump visited Tree of Life in October 2018, the month of the massacre.

In the teleconference, Biden first recalled his time as vice president under former President Barack Obama – hosting High Holiday events at the Naval Observatory, the residence of the vice president – and apologized for not being able to host the religious leaders this year at the White House because of COVID-19.

He made several mentions that he's a practicing Catholic but said that the ideals of the Jewish High Holidays are universal.

"Renewal. Renewal. When I was running for president, I placed the idea of renewal at the center of my campaign. I said my mission was to restore America's soul. I got criticized for that, but I meant it in a literal sense," said Biden. "We seem to have lost our way. We lost the – a sense of comradery. We treated each other so harshly, the way we spoke of one another and the way in which we dealt with politics."

Biden spoke about his interactions with former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in Israel during the time of the 1967 Six-Day War, taking his children and grandchildren to visit concentration camps in Europe, in addition to his daughter's wedding to Howard Krein, a Jewish plastic surgeon from Philadelphia, in 2012.

The families wanted to do a joint Catholic and Jewish wedding, and Biden contacted a friend of his in Delaware who could find a rabbi to officiate a wedding in a Catholic church.

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"And we had a chuppah on the altar, and we had a co- … it was co-officiated. Now, some of you aren't going to like this, but it was co-officiated by a Catholic priest, as well as a Jewish rabbi," he said.

He only had one request – that the Catholic hymn "On Eagle's Wings" be played during the ceremony. Instead, he joked, they played a Jewish wedding song of a name he couldn't remember.

"There's so much we can do. People are looking over the edge, and they're all of a sudden realizing we got to change. We've got to change," he concluded after quoting an Irish poet. "And I – I'm not being solicitous, but I – I think the Jewish community is sort of the backbone of staying with what's right. And so, I'm looking forward to continuing to work with you. And again, happy holidays."

Featured on JNS.org.

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The Biden administration announced sanctions and visa bans on Friday targeting Saudi Arabian citizens over the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but stopped short of imposing sanctions on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman himself.

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US President Joe Biden's actions in the first weeks of his administration appear aimed at fulfilling campaign promises to realign Saudi ties after critics accused his predecessor, Donald Trump, of giving the Arab ally and major oil producer a pass on gross human rights violations.

The partially-redacted four-page report released on Friday confirmed the long-suspected view that the 35-year-old future king had a personal hand in the elimination of one of his most prominent critics, a columnist and former Saudi insider who was living in exile in the US and used his platform to decry the prince's crackdown on dissent.

The assessment's release was accompanied by further actions from the Biden administration, including the unveiling of a new "Khashoggi policy" which is set to impose visa sanctions on individuals who, acting on behalf of a foreign government, engage in "counter-dissident" activities, including harassment, surveillance, and threats against journalists, activists, and dissidents.

A senior Biden administration official said the approach aims to create a new launching-off point for ties with the kingdom without breaking a core relationship in the Middle East. Relations have been severely strained for years by the war in Yemen and the killing inside a Saudi consulate of Khashoggi, a US resident who wrote columns for the Washington Post critical of the crown prince's policies.

Importantly, the decisions appear designed to preserve a working relationship with the crown prince, the kingdom's de facto leader, even though US intelligence concluded that he approved the operation to capture or kill Khashoggi.

"The aim is a recalibration [in ties], not a rupture. That's because of the important interests that we do share," the senior Biden administration official said.

The US Treasury Department placed sanctions on the former deputy Saudi intelligence chief, Ahmed al-Asiri, and announced a sanctions designation on the Saudi Royal Guard's rapid intervention force, or RIF.

The move freezes any US assets that the Saudi individuals held and generally bars Americans from dealing with them.

"Those involved in the abhorrent killing of Jamal Khashoggi must be held accountable," Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement.

The United States also announced visa restrictions against 76 Saudi citizens as part of a new policy aimed at nations that carry out activities against journalists and dissidents beyond their borders. Such activities include efforts to suppress, harass, surveil, threaten or harm them.

The visa ban will also be selectively applied to family members, officials said.

"As a matter of safety for all within our borders, perpetrators targeting perceived dissidents on behalf of any foreign government should not be permitted to reach American soil," Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said in a statement.

A second US official noted that, although Saudi citizens were named in the first use of what the State Department called the "Khashoggi Ban" on visas, "it's really a new global tool."

Gulf states rally around Riyadh, reject US report

Saudi Arabia said it completely "rejects the negative, false and unacceptable" report.

In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the kingdom's government "categorically rejects what is stated in the report provided to Congress and the assessments pertaining to the Kingdom's leadership, and notes that the report contained inaccurate information and conclusions.

"The crime was committed by a group of individuals that have transgressed all pertinent regulations... and the kingdom's leadership took the necessary steps to ensure that such a tragedy never takes place again. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that the partnership between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States of America is a robust and enduring partnership."

The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Bahrain rallied around the Gulf power, echoing Riyadh's rejection of the American findings.

The Emirati Foreign Ministry expressed confidence in the Saudi judiciary rulings, which affirm the "Kingdom's commitment to implementing the law in a transparent and impartial manner, and holding all those involved in the case accountable.

"The UAE fully supports Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to establish stability and security in the region," the UAE said in its statement, stressing Abu Dhabi's rejection of "any attempts to exploit Khashoggi's case or interfere in the Kingdom's internal affairs."

Kuwait also supported the Saudi government, saying that "Saudi Arabia, under the leadership of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, is playing an important role regionally and internationally in its rejection of violence and extremism," the country's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Bahrain expressed "its rejection of anything that would undermine the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia," the state-run Bahrain News Agency said, citing a government statement.

"Bahrain emphasises the importance of the fundamental role of Saudi Arabia under the leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, and his Crown Prince, its policy of moderation regionally, in the Arab region, and internationally, its efforts to enhance regional security and stability, and promote global economic development."

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A US government advisory panel endorsed widespread use of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine, Thursday, putting the country just one step away from launching an epic vaccination campaign against the outbreak that has killed close to 300,000 Americans.

Shots could begin within days, depending on how quickly the Food and Drug Administration signs off, as expected, on the expert committee's recommendation.

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"This is a light at the end of the long tunnel of this pandemic," declared Dr. Sally Goza, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In a 17-4 vote with one abstention, the government advisers concluded that the vaccine from Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech appears safe and effective for emergency use in adults and teenagers 16 and over.

That endorsement came despite questions about allergic reactions in two people who received the vaccine earlier this week when Britain became the first country to begin dispensing the Pfizer-BioNTech shot.

While there are a number of remaining unknowns about the vaccine, in an emergency, "the question is whether you know enough" to press ahead, said panel member Dr. Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. He concluded that the potential benefits outweigh the risks.

The decision came as COVID-19 cases surge to ever-higher levels across the U.S., with deaths setting an all-time, one-day record of more than 3,100 on Wednesday.

Next week, the FDA will review a second vaccine, from Moderna and the National Institutes of Health, that appears about as protective as Pfizer-BioNTech's shot. A third candidate, from Johnson & Johnson, which would require just one dose, is working its way through the pipeline. Behind that is a candidate from AstraZeneca and Oxford University.

All eyes now turn to the FDA staff scientists who will make the final decision of whether to press ahead with large-scale immunizations with Pfizer-BioNTech's vaccine. The FDA's vaccine director, Dr. Peter Marks, said a decision would come within "days to a week."

The Pfizer-BioNTech shot remains experimental because that final-stage study isn't complete. As a result, the expert panel wrestled with a list of questions that have yet to be answered.

For example, while the vaccine is more than 90% effective in blocking the symptoms of COVID-19, the FDA's advisers stressed it is not yet clear whether it can stop the silent, symptomless spread that accounts for roughly half of all cases.

Several of the dissenting panel members objected to authorizing the shot for 16- and 17-year-olds, given their small numbers in the study and the low risk they face from COVID-19.

Pfizer must still show whether the vaccine works in children younger than 16 and in pregnant women.

Israel received its first shipment of 3,000-4,000 Pfizer coronavirus vaccines on Wednesday and is set to begin inoculating citizens on Dec. 27.

Speaking in front of the DHL cargo jet that delivered the batch on the tarmac at Ben Gurion Airport, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "today was a day of celebration" as the end of the pandemic was "now in sight."

According to Health Ministry data published Friday morning, 1,866 of the 70,960 people who tested for the coronavirus on Thursday were found to be carrying the virus, for an infection rate of 2.7%. Israel currently has 16,298 active cases, 323 of which are serious. Of those in serious condition, 101 people are on ventilators. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Israel has logged 352,968 cases of the virus. So far, 2,969 people have died.

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The United States and Israel worked together to track and kill a senior al-Qaida operative in Iran earlier this year, a bold intelligence operation by the two allied nations that came as the Trump administration was ramping up pressure on Tehran.

Four current and former US officials said Abu Mohammed al-Masri, al-Qaida's No. 2, was killed by assassins in the Iranian capital in August. The US provided intelligence to the Israelis on where they could find al-Masri and the alias he was using at the time, while Israeli agents carried out the killing, according to two of the officials. The two other officials confirmed al-Masri's killing but could not provide specific details.

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Al-Masri was gunned down in a Tehran alley on Aug. 7, the anniversary of the 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Al-Masri was widely believed to have participated in the planning of those attacks and was wanted on terrorism charges by the FBI.

Al-Masri's death is a blow to al-Qaida, the terror network that orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the US, and comes amid rumors in the Middle East about the fate of the group's leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri. The officials could not confirm those reports but said the US intelligence community was trying to determine their credibility.

Two of the officials – one within the intelligence community and with direct knowledge of the operation and another former CIA officer briefed on the matter – said al-Masri was killed by Kidon, a unit within the secretive Israeli spy organization Mossad allegedly responsible for the assassination of high-value targets. In Hebrew, Kidon means bayonet or "tip of the spear."

The official in the intelligence community said al-Masri's daughter, Maryam, was also a target of the operation. The US believed she was being groomed for a leadership role in al-Qaida and intelligence suggested she was involved in operational planning, according to the official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Al-Masri's daughter was the widow of Hamza bin Laden, the son of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden. He was killed last year in a US counterterrorism operation in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.

The news of al-Masri's death was first reported by The New York Times.

Both the CIA and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, which oversees the Mossad intelligence agency, declined to comment.

Israel and Iran are bitter enemies, with the Iranian nuclear program being Israel's top security concern. Israel, along with moderate Arab countries in the region, has welcomed the Trump administration's withdrawal from the 2015 Iranian nuclear accord and the US pressure campaign on Tehran.

At the time of the killings, the Trump administration was in the advanced stages of trying to push through the UN Security Council the reinstatement of all international sanctions on Iran that were lifted under the nuclear agreement. None of the other Security Council members went along with the US, which has vowed to punish countries that do not enforce the sanctions as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran.

Israeli officials are concerned the US, under a possible Joe Biden administration, could return to the nuclear accord. It is likely that if Biden does engage with the Iranians, Israel will press for the accord to be modified to address Iran's long-range missile program and its military activity across the region, specifically in Syria and its support for terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The revelations that Iran was harboring an al-Qaida leader could help Israel bolster its case with the new US administration.

Al-Masri had been on a kill or capture list for years, but his presence in Iran, which has a long history of hostility toward al-Qaida, presented significant obstacles to either apprehending or killing him.

Iran denied the reports, saying the government is not harboring any al-Qaida leaders and blaming the US and Israel for trying to foment anti-Iranian sentiment. US officials have long believed a number of al-Qaida leaders have been living quietly in Iran for years and publicly released intelligence assessments have made that case.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a statement that the United States and Israel sometimes "try to tie Iran to such groups by lying and leaking false information to the media in order to avoid responsibility for the criminal activities of this group and other terrorist groups in the region."

The Trump administration's "scare-mongering tactic against Iran has become routine," Khatibzadeh said.

Al-Masri's death, albeit under an assumed name, was reported in Iranian media on Aug. 8. Reports identified him as a Lebanese history professor potentially affiliated with Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah and said he had been killed by motorcycle gunmen along with his daughter.

Lebanese media, citing Iranian reports, said that those killed were Lebanese citizen Habib Daoud and his daughter Maryam.

The deaths of al-Masri and his daughter occurred three days after the catastrophic Aug. 4 explosion at the port of Beirut and did not get much attention. Hezbollah never commented on the reports and Lebanese security officials did not report that any citizens were killed in Tehran.

A Hezbollah official on Saturday would not comment on al-Masri's death, saying Iran's foreign ministry had already denied it.

The alleged killings seem to fit a pattern of terrorist assassinations attributed to Israel in the past.

In 1995, the founder of the Palestinian terrorist group Islamic Jihad was killed by a gunman on a motorcycle in Malta, in an assassination widely attributed to the Mossad. The Mossad also reportedly carried out a string of similar killings of Iranian nuclear scientists in Iran early last decade. Iran has accused Israel of being behind those killings.

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Yoel Guzansky, a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies and former analyst on Iranian affairs in the prime minister's office, said it has been known for some time that Iran is hiding top al-Qaida figures. While he had no direct knowledge of al-Masri's death, he said a joint operation between the US and Israel would reflect the two nations' close intelligence cooperation, with the US typically stronger in the technical aspects of intelligence gathering and Israel adept at operating agents behind enemy lines.

Israel has said in the past that its intelligence services have penetrated Iran in recent years, including an operation in 2018 to smuggle Iran's nuclear archives out of the country.

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Even though President Trump has yet to concede defeat to Democrat President-elect Joe Biden in the 2020 election, and despite the fact that he has launched suits challenging vote counts in several states, there are signs that he is at least willing to consider the option of moving on.

According to a report from the Axios news website, Trump told his advisers that he is considering running for president again in the 2024 election.

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The US Constitution allows one person to be president twice, although the two terms do not have to be consecutive. This means Trump can become president again. The only president in history to serve two non-consecutive terms was President Grover Cleveland, who served as the 22nd and 24th president.

Naturally, many in the Republican Party are vary of another Trump election, as it could stop fundraising and ambitions for other Republican presidential contenders, and it denies the party the ability to move on, all the while Trump himself will have to deal with a host of legal issues.

If the president does indeed make another run for the White House in 2024, he could remain a formidable candidate in a Republican primary even four years after leaving the party, as despite losing five states to Biden that he won in 2016, he has managed to pile up more total votes than he won in 2016, which has given him some clout within the GOP despite the loss.

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It still isn't clear who will be declared the winner of the US presidential election, but even Wednesday night we could say that once again, the polls had misled the Americans. On the eve of the election, it looked like Democratic candidate Joe Biden had a big, solid lead, and was on his way to a large victory. But the moment it turned out that Florida was going for Trump, it was clear that the polls had been far from reality and, like in 2016, had not correctly assessed the Republican president's strength.

If we look at all the votes counted thus far, it seems as if the polls from four years ago were more accurate for today.

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On the eve of the 2016 election, most pollsters were pointing to a small lead for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, who was ahead by an average of 3.2%. In the end, Clinton lost in electoral votes, but won the popular vote by a margin similar to what the polls showed of 2.1%. This time, Biden's projected lead in the polls stood at 7-8%. Last night, there were millions of votes that were still uncounted, but Biden's lead nationwide was much smaller, at some 2%.

The apparently lack of accuracy applies not only the national average but also in the very close races in a number of key states. In Florida, for example, most averages gave Biden a lead of 1-2%. With 96% of the votes counted on Wednesday, Trump won the state by 3.5%, 5% off the average in the polls. In Ohio, another state where the president won, the poll averages gave him a lead of 1%. With 96% of votes counted, he won with more than an 8% margin.

The errors of the polls were just as big for the Rust Belt. In Wisconsin, the former vice president was polling ahead by some 7%. As of Wednesday night, it looked like the Democratic candidate has won, but by a tiny 0.6% only, far from the lead the polls had promised. In Michigan, Biden's lead in the polls averaged 4.2%, but on Wednesday night, with 96% of the votes counter, he barely had a 0.9% lead. The situation in Pennsylvania, the third Rust Belt state, was still unclear on Wednesday, but polls gave Biden a lead of only 1.2% there.

Despite the problems, pollster Nate Silver, editor of the well-regarded site 538, rejected claims made against him and his colleagues, tweeting: "If a forecast says that Biden is favored because he could survive a 2016-style (~3 point) polling error when Clinton couldn't, and you get that polling error and he indeed (probably) survives, it was fairly informative?"

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The 2020 presidential election season now nearing its end has certainly been one of the most dramatic in the history of the United States. One can hardly recall an election that felt so fateful, with such an abundance of historically momentous events. These included the demonstrations and riots following the murder of George Floyd, the death of liberal Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and her replacement with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett – a development that completely changed the ideological balance on the US Supreme Court – and the historical voter turnout even before Election Day.

Although the actual voting process began weeks ago, with a record number of early ballots cast, both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival former Vice President Joe Biden know that Tuesday will be one of the most important days in American history. Trump could not have received better news on the day before the election than the soaring stock markets, which will allow the president to continue presenting himself as "Mr. Economy."

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The Democratic Party, by contrast, is conducting a legal battle against what they define as "voter suppression." In Texas, a federal court discussed whether 127,000 ballots in Houston, Texas, a Democratic stronghold, should be counted – votes the Republicans claim were cast illegally.

But above all else, the current election is about the pandemic that has spread throughout the US and the entire world and has repeatedly taken center stage. This year will enter the history books as the year of COVID-19, and the 2020 US election will be remembered as the COVID campaign.

The first patient in the US was diagnosed on January 20th, less than two weeks before the first vote in the Democratic primaries. For a few weeks, it seemed this was perhaps a transient episode, a crisis that would not endure.

Trump launched his campaign enjoying the advantage of being the incumbent president and with the aura of a candidate unbeatable by the Democrats; in this position, he at first did all that was in his power to downplay the seriousness of the pandemic. Two weeks later, with the virus spreading like wildfire, even the White House could no longer deny the country was in the midst of a raging pandemic, and the president was forced to declare a national state of emergency.

While the entire country entered combat mode, former Vice President Biden took the lead on the internal Democratic front and was safely on his way to win the primaries. Biden saw COVID as an opportunity to gain momentum over Trump, yet was also forced to completely change his campaign to comply with the new regulations. Finding himself at age 77 deep in a high-risk group, the former vice president was obliged to cancel nearly all of his public events. When he did venture outside to meet the public, he wore a mask that covered his face, which became a regular target of Trump's mockery. The Democratic candidate vigorously attacked the government's conduct while attempting to remain cool, calm, and collected during a crisis. "Trump keeps saying that he's a wartime president. Well, start to act like one," demanded Biden, adding: "I, along with every American, hope he steps up."

While the candidates and the American public, in general, were still trying to understand how to deal with the pandemic, another traumatic event cast its shadow over the American scene – the killing of Minneapolis resident George Floyd by police. The video in which a police officer could be seen kneeling on Floyd's neck while he was begging for his life until he was finally rendered unconscious went viral, with online rage spilling over into the streets.

Demonstrations broke out in dozens of cities throughout the country, in some cases becoming violent and including incidents of looting. At the height of the protests, demonstrations were held in at least 75 cities, with nighttime curfews imposed in 25. Faced with another major outbreak of racial tensions in American society, Trump hoped to turn the crisis in his favor, declaring himself the "president of law and order" while threatening to deploy the US Army to quell the riots.

However, the president's attacks only caused further mayhem and outrage, especially when police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protesters outside the White House with the sole aim of allowing Trump to walk over to the nearby church for a photo-op holding a bible in his hand.

Biden voiced his support for the protesters while rejecting the call made by some to defund the police. "We're in the battle for the soul of this nation," he declared. "I won't traffic in fear and division. I won't fan the flames of hate. I will seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country – not use them for political gain."

The coronavirus pandemic and the widespread protests could fill at least five eventful campaigns. However, 2020 has not been a typical election year, with an array of dramatic issues demanding the public's attention: the death of iconic Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her replacement with conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett – a step that may have changed the character of the US Supreme Court for generations; the signing of peace accords between Israel and the Gulf states; historical forest fires in the Western US, and much more.

Between one stormy event and another, the election year has also included more "routine" milestones. A flood of polls again inundated the American media, both right- and left-wing, repeatedly handing a significant and stable lead to Biden. Trump and his staff attempted to cast doubt on the credibility of the polls and the media, while the Democrats wanted to believe the pollsters but recalled how they had misled everyone in 2016. The contest also included the traditional presidential debates, yet, in the best 2020 style, they were anything but traditional.

The first televised debate will hardly be remembered as a constructive discussion; it was more like a battlefield, with the two candidates repeatedly attacking each other and neither able to complete a single sentence.
The second debate was supposed to take place two weeks later. Then, a few days after the first one, the president was diagnosed with COVID. Trump was hospitalized and, after receiving a series of experimental treatments and aggressive medication, recovered within ten days. At least that was what his doctors said.

The president returned to the campaign trail but refused to meet Biden for the second debate since the Democrats insisted on a virtual encounter in light of Trump's medical condition. The debate was eventually held in late October and this time was more civilized. However, a definite winner could not be called – a fact that ostensibly played in Biden's favor, with his lead in the polls remaining unharmed.

With the election season reaching the final stretch, it became clear that the voting process would also be anything but typical. Despite repeated – and unsubstantiated – warnings on Trump's part that mail-in voting was rife with fraud, millions of Americans chose to send in their votes, rather than arriving physically at polling stations.

Millions of others came to voting stations that opened for early voting. As of the beginning of this week, more than 90 million Americans had already cast their votes – 58 million by mail and 33 million at early voting stations. These numbers are equal to about 65% of the entire vote in the 2016 elections – a historical record. Election experts estimate that the total number of voters may reach 150 million, which would be an all-time record, representing the highest turnout since 1908.

The general estimate is that the Democrats are leading significantly in the early vote, whether by mail or at the polling stations and that Republicans are expected to try to close the gap on Election Day. The question that remains is which side will more successfully exploit the sense of urgency among the voter public, translating it to victory in the fight for the White House.

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Trump offered his own assessment Saturday evening in a video from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, saying he was beginning to feel better and hoped to "be back soon."

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Hours earlier, chief of staff Mark Meadows told reporters outside the hospital, "We're still not on a clear path yet to a full recovery." In an update on the president Saturday night, his chief doctor expressed cautious optimism but added that the president was "not yet out of the woods."

The changing, and at times contradictory, accounts created a credibility crisis for the White House at a crucial moment, with the president's health and the nation's leadership on the line. With Trump expected to remain hospitalized several more days and the presidential election looming, his condition is being anxiously watched by Americans.

pic.twitter.com/gvIPuYtTZG

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2020

Moreover, the president's health represents a national security issue of paramount importance not only to the functions of the US government but to countries around the world, friendly and otherwise.

Saturday's briefing by Navy Commander Dr. Sean Conley and other doctors raised more questions than it answered. Conley repeatedly refused to say whether the president ever needed supplemental oxygen and declined to share key details including how high a fever Trump had been running before it came back down to a normal range.

Conley also revealed that Trump had begun exhibiting "clinical indications" of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon, earlier than previously known.

Conley spent much of the briefing dodging reporters' questions, as he was pressed for details.

"Thursday no oxygen. None at this moment. And yesterday with the team, while we were all here, he was not on oxygen," Conley said.

But according to a person familiar with Trump's condition, Trump was administered oxygen at the White House on Friday morning, well before he was transported to the military hospital by helicopter that evening. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke to The Associated Press only on condition of anonymity,

Conley said that Trump's symptoms, including a mild cough, nasal congestion and fatigue "are now resolving and improving," and said the president had been fever-free for 24 hours. But Trump also is taking aspirin, which lowers body temperature and could mask or mitigate that symptom.

"He's in exceptionally good spirits," said another doctor, Sean Dooley, who said Trump's heart, kidney, and liver functions were normal and that he was not having trouble breathing or walking around.

In an evening health update, Conley said Trump had been up and moving around his medical suite without difficulty and conducting business. "While not yet out of the woods, the team remains cautiously optimistic," he said.

In the hospital video, Trump defended his decision to continue campaigning and holding large events in the midst of a pandemic.

"I had no choice," said Trump, who refused to abide by basic public health recommendations, including mask-wearing. "I had to be out front ... I can't be locked up in a room upstairs and totally safe. ... As a leader, you have to confront problems."

Trump also thanked his medical team and hailed the state-of-the-art treatments he was receiving, comparing them to "miracles coming down from God."

First lady Melania Trump remained at the White House to recover from her own bout with the virus. She was "really handling it very nicely," Trump said in the video, noting with a touch of humor that she was "just a little tiny bit younger" – in fact, 24 years younger.

Trump's medical care is far superior to the average American's, with around-the-clock attention and experimental treatments.

Trump is 74 years old and clinically obese, putting him at higher risk of serious complications from a virus that has infected more than 7 million people nationwide and killed more than 200,000 people in the US.

The experimental antibody drug given to Trump has been called one of the most promising approaches to preventing serious illness from a COVID-19 infection.

Its maker, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, said the company agreed to supply a single dose, given through an IV, for Trump at the request of his physician under "compassionate use" provisions, when an experimental medicine is provided on a case-by-case emergency basis, while studies of it continue.

The new drug is in late-stage testing and its safety and effectiveness are not yet known. No treatment has yet proved able to prevent serious illness after a coronavirus infection.

World leaders hope for speedy recovery

World leaders sent their best wishes to Trump and his family in wake of the diagnosis.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent wishes for Trump's recovery, tweeting, Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery."

Like millions of Israelis, Sara and I are thinking of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump and wish our friends a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/UcxQpsxBLE

— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) October 2, 2020

World Health Organization Head Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tweeted his wish that Trump and his wife have "a full and speedy recovery."

India's prime minister and close Trump ally Narendra Modi was one of the first heads of state to send a message of support: Wishing my friend @POTUS @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS a quick recovery and good health," PM Narendra Modi tweeted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin wished Trump well, saying: "I am sure that your inherent vitality, good spirits and optimism will help you cope with the dangerous virus."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued a statement through a spokesman Friday, saying: "I send Donald and Melania Trump all my best wishes. I hope they will recover well from their coronavirus infection and will soon be completely recovered."

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who himself contracted the virus in late March, also sent well wishes.

My best wishes to President Trump and the First Lady. Hope they both have a speedy recovery from coronavirus.

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) October 2, 2020

Other European leaders to tweet best wishes included Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and European Council President Charles Michel.

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who, like Trump, has been averse to wearing a mask in public, wished Trump a speedy recovery in a televised meeting with journalists.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also sent his best wishes, as did Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani.

On the African continent, where the viral burden has been relatively low compared with the rest of the world, few leaders commented on the Trumps' diagnoses.

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, whose nation has seen 7,850 cases and just under 230 deaths, offered his wishes for Trump's full recovery.

North Korea's reclusive leader, Kim Jong-Un, sent a message of sympathy to Trump and his wife, state media reported.

"He sincerely hoped that they would recover as soon as possible. He hoped they will surely overcome it," the Korean Central News Agency reported. Global health officials have no viral data on North Korea, and the government has yet to report a single case of the highly contagious virus, which originated in neighboring China.

My best wishes to President @realDonaldTrump and @FLOTUS for a full and speedy recovery. https://t.co/6OUZT20huK

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) October 2, 2020

Other leaders have yet to issue statements, including Chinese President Xi Jinping who did not immediately react to the news on any known public platform.

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Addressing the UNGA, US President Donald Trump reiterated his administration's plans to broker future peace agreements between Israel and other countries in the Middle East.

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Trump called the treaties inked between Israel, the UAE and Bahrain "landmark breakthrough with two peace deals in the Middle East after decades of no progress," adding that other nations will soon follow suit.

"They are coming fast, and they know it's great for them and great for the world," he said in a recorded message. "We intend to deliver more peace agreements shortly, and I have never been more optimistic for the future of the region. There is no blood in the sand. Those days are hopefully over.

"These groundbreaking peace deals are the dawn of a new Middle East. By taking a different approach, we have achieved different outcomes – far superior outcomes."

He added that the deals represent "peace through strength."

Turning his attention to Iran, Trump said the US "withdrew from the terrible Iran nuclear deal and imposed crippling sanctions on the world's leading state sponsor of terror," he says, underlining the US killing of Iran's Quds Force commander Gen. Qassem Soleimani in January.

The US president, in his speech, also criticized world powers for lambasting the US's environmental record saying, "They only want to punish America and I will not stand for it. If the United Nations wants to be an effective organization, it must focus on the real problems of the world. This includes terrorism, oppression of women, and human and sex trafficking."

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan lauded Trump following his address, saying that the US and Israel "are forging a new path for peace in the Middle East. Thank you to President Trump for helping lead this new effort, proving that 'peace through strength' is the right formula, and that partnership with a strong Israel is good for the region."

Later on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron addressed the UNGA and called for a two-state solution to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

"I am delighted that Israel has obtained recognition [from the UAE and Bahrain]. It is a pledge of hope for the future. However, a just peace requires above all to find the ways and means of a decisive negotiation which will allow the Palestinians to finally have their rights," he said.

"I do not believe in a peace which will be built on hegemony or humiliation, even if this would be compensated by money because we do not compensate for the humiliation of a people by money," he added, referring to the Trump administration's peace plan.

Regarding the Iranian nuclear program, Macron assured the UNGA that France and its European allies – Germany and the United Kingdom – would "not compromise" on their refusal to support the restoration of sanctions against Iran demanded by Washington.

"France, with its German and British partners, will maintain its demand for full implementation of the 2015 Vienna agreement" on Iranian nuclear power "and will not accept the violations committed by Iran," he said.

In a separate address, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lambasted Israel for its alleged violations of international law against the Palestinian people, adding that the Trump administration has been "a willing collaborator" with the Jewish state.

"The occupation of Palestine is a bleeding wound" for the international community, Erdogan said, accusing Israel of "constantly increasing its audacity" regarding holy sites in Jerusalem.

"The Palestinian conflict can only be resolved with an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine based on '67 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital. Seeking solutions other than this are in vain, one-sided and unjust," he stated.

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Erdogan also hailed the Palestinian people who "stood up to Israeli policies of violence and intimidation for a century," and urged tighter controls over the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, as to not allow visitors to trample the grounds with their "filthy feet."

The Turkish leader also took shots at the White House, specifically its vision for Middle East peace, adding US President Donald Trump is a "collaborator" with Israel in oppressing the Palestinian people and denying them an independent state.

"Turkey will not support any plan the Palestinian people don't give consent to," Erdogan said. "[The plan] does not mean anything but [support for] Israel's efforts to erode basic international parameters."

Erdan, who was present at the UN for the annual gathering, walked out of the General Assembly's hall in protest of Erdogan's speech.

"Erdogan continues his lies and anti-Semitic statements against Israel, and it is important that the world know the double standards by which he has been living for many years," Erdan stated.

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"If we win, we will have a deal with Iran within four weeks," Trump said during a fundraiser in New Jersey, according to a video published by the Jewish publication Belaaz and Jacob Kornbluh from the Jewish Insider.

Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018 and reimposed harsh US sanctions on Tehran after saying that the pact, negotiated under the Obama administration along with the world powers, was disastrous. Trump faulted the agreement for paving the path toward a bomb and letting Iran continue its aggression in the region.

The international community has tried to salvage the deal, but unless a new administration in 2021 rejoins it, it is likely to collapse entirely and UN sanctions could be reimposed.

On Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the United Nations to extend the arms embargo on the Islamic republic, which is set to expire in several months.

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