promoearn: Trump's joy ride and days of mixed messages

USA TODAY: Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Sunday, October 4

President Donald Trump leaves the White House for Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after testing positive for COVID-19.

Here's the biggest news you missed this weekend

Trump may soon return to the White House, but he's not yet in the clear. It's the weekend's biggest news.

The president's health is improving, doctors say

Claiming progress in his personal fight against COVID-19, President Donald Trump ventured outside for a joy ride on Sunday to greet supporters who gathered outside Walter Reed National Military Medical Center . Trump, wearing a suit and a mask, waved to supporters from the back seat of an SUV before returning to the facility. "It's been a very interesting journey. I learned a lot about COVID," the president said in a video. "I learned it by really going to school. This is the real school."

Sunday marked Trump's second full day at the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. While there have been conflicting reports on the president's health, his doctors say Trump could return to the White House as early as Monday. Other COVID-19 physicians say that seems early.

Here's what we know:

Sean Conley, the president's physician, said Sunday that Trump continues to improve in his battle against COVID-19. "There are frequent ups and downs ... particularly when a patient is being so closely watched 24 hours a day," he said. Here's a timeline of Trump's treatment, according to Sunday's medical briefing:

•	On Friday, Trump received supplemental oxygen. The president had a "high fever" and his oxygen levels dipped below 94%.
•	On Saturday, Trump was treated with the steroid dexamethasone following a second oxygen drop and he will continue to receive that "for the time being."
•	In addition, the president Saturday completed his second dose of the antiviral drug Remdesivir and will continue a five-day course of treatment.

Saturday's medical briefing, however, was not as straightforward. Conley sidestepped questions as to whether Trump had received supplemental oxygen, clarifying Sunday that he was trying to reflect the "upbeat attitude of the president."

In opposition, an administration official — later identified by the Associated Press and the New York Times as chief of staff Mark Meadows — on Saturday described the president's condition after his diagnosis as "very concerning" and that "the next 48 hours will be critical in terms of his care."

Trump, in a 4-minute video posted Saturday night, said he is "starting to feel good" and is "doing well." He acknowledged that "the real test" would come over the "next period of a few days."

Dr. Sean Conley, physician to President Donald Trump, briefs reporters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2020. Trump was admitted to the hospital after contracting the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Jacquelyn Martin, AP

Pence continues to campaign; more in Trump's circle test positive

Vice President Mike Pence and second lady Karen Pence were again tested for COVID-19 on Sunday and received negative results, the White House said in a statement. He is expected to resume normal campaigning this week with no additional preventative measures meant to keep him from getting infected.

Democratic challenger Joe Biden, who shared a debate stage with Trump on Tuesday, tested negative Friday for COVID-19. Given coronavirus' incubation period of up to 14 days, he is not yet in the clear.

More than a dozen White House staffers, senior Republican Party officials and members of Congress have also tested positive since Trump announced his positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Many were in attendance of the Rose Garden announcement for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, which may have been a "super spreader" event.

•	"The likely outcome": Trump's COVID diagnosis followed waning precautions at the White House.

Judge Amy Coney Barrett walks to the microphone after President Donald Trump, right, announced Barrett as his nominee to the Supreme Court, in the Rose Garden at the White House, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Washington.

Alex Brandon, AP

Real quick

•	California hit an unprecedented milestone: 4 million acres burned this year from wildfires.
•	Sukkot, a week-long Jewish holiday celebrated in huts outside, started Friday evening. And it's almost pandemic-friendly.
•	"Running out of time": Efforts to speed up counting mail ballots stall in battleground states.
•	Regal considers closing all U.S. theaters after new Bond movie "No Time to Die" is delayed to 2021.
•	Supreme Court hearings are moving forward, despite COVID-19 diagnoses for senators.

Another COVID-19 record...

The U.S. on Friday recorded the most daily COVID-19 infections in nearly two months. There were 54,441 positive cases of coronavirus reported on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University data . It's the highest single-day case count since Aug. 14, when the country recorded just over 64,000 cases. Meanwhile, deaths have held relatively steady in recent weeks, as the weekly average is down a bit from a flare-up in late July and early August. Still, 906 Americans were announced dead from COVID-19 on Friday. Meanwhile, the nation is staring down at least several more months until a vaccine is widely available.

... and an outbreak in the NFL

The New England Patriots placed quarterback Cam Newton on the COVID-19 reserve list Saturday after he tested positive for the coronavirus. The league decided to postpone the Patriots' game against the Kansas City Chiefs originally scheduled for Sunday to Monday. Chiefs practice-squad quarterback Jordan Ta'amu was also placed on the COVID-19 reserve list after testing positive. The postponement comes amid the league trying to navigate through a COVID-19 outbreak in the Tennessee Titans organization. The team reported two positives tests on Sunday bringing their total number of cases since Sept. 24 to 20, including 10 players and 10 team personnel.

•	Opinion: With Cam Newton's positive test, COVID-19's wrath on NFL season may be just beginning.

Cam Newton (New England Patriots, 2020)

Brian Fluharty, USA TODAY Sports

Live (and in-person) from New York, it's 'Saturday Night Live'

After finishing its last season virtually, "Saturday Night Live" returned to the studio for its 46th season, and with an audience, too. Between Jim Carrey making a shaky Joe Biden debut and Maya Rudolph's Kamala Harris cracking a "WAP" joke, here's what you missed:

•	Chris Rock addressed Trump's coronavirus diagnosis in his monologue: "My heart goes out to COVID."
•	Megan Thee Stallion sent a powerful message during her solo performance: "Protect Black women."
•	Kate McKinnon donned a lace-collared robe in tribute to the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg: "Rest in power."