Both parties have made early and mail-in voting a major part of their campaign strategies this year. Democrats beat the drum for Americans to get to the polls or get their absentee ballots in as soon as possible. Republicans, including President Donald Trump, repeatedly warned of possible fraud and election delays from millions of mailed ballots.

WASHINGTON—The Labor Department’s Thursday report revealed multiple signs of a slowdown in hiring to coincide with increasing numbers of coronavirus cases. The number of initial unemployment claims rose by 53,000 last week to 898,000, which is the largest increase since August. The economy remains more than 10 million jobs short of returning to pre-pandemic levels.

With mail-in, absentee, and early voting at an all-time high, Americans are getting used to the idea of not immediately knowing the winner of the Nov. 3 presidential election. But what if, once each county and state have finished their final counts, the election ends in a tie?

With 538 Electoral College votes up for grabs, President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden could, in theory, each get 269.

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s running mate will suspend in-person campaigning until at least Monday. Sen. Kamala Harris’ communications director and a nonstaff flight crew member she traveled with tested positive for the coronavirus. Campaign manager Jennifer O’Malley Dillon said Harris and presidential nominee Joe Biden tested negative after their recent travels, and Harris said she is not required to quarantine under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.

In place of Thursday’s canceled debate, President Donald Trump and his Democratic opponent Joe Biden will speak at simultaneous town hall events. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie will host Trump’s event outdoors in Miami, while ABC’s George Stephanopoulos will emcee Biden’s in Philadelphia. Both events will begin at 8 p.m. Eastern, but Biden’s will run 30 minutes longer. The Commission on Presidential Debates originally planned a virtual, live debate after Trump tested positive for COVID-19, but the president refused to participate and Biden planned his town hall forum the same night.

People from four or five states attended a June meeting in Ohio to consider ways to overthrow state governments, FBI agent Richard Trask told a Michigan court on Tuesday. He said the alleged conspirators, including at least two of the men arrested last week for a purported plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, also discussed targeting Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. The suspects were frustrated with coronavirus lockdowns.

WASHINGTON—Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee pressed the Supreme Court nominee on abortion, healthcare, gun control, and other issues during Tuesday’s confirmation hearing. “I don’t have any agenda,” Judge Amy Coney Barrett said, answering a question about her opinion on abortion cases. “I have an agenda to stick to the rule of law and decide cases as they come.” She said she would rely on the original meaning and text of the U.S. Constitution and other laws, telling Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., “If there are policy differences, those are for this body.”