U.S. deaths top 159,000, death rate up 15 states

Key model forecasts nearly 300,000 deaths by December, but says consistent mask-wearing could save 70,000 lives, Trump claims optimism about vaccine by election day, says it "wouldn't hurt" his chances of winning, Texas coronavirus positivity rate up for fifth day in a row To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices