Welcome to the late 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, the Trump advisors have raised the possibility of approving a vaccine before phase

three 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 under a traditional administration,

perhaps a reference to an administration where politics does not drive the science. Critics in the medical community contend that that's exactly

what's happening and it could lead to dangerous consequences as

CNN's Caitlin Collins now reports.

On the eve of the Republican Convention, President Trump announced the FDA will grant emergency

approval to use blood plasma as a coronavirus treatment. I want to thank the FDA.

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