“The Trump administration scrambled on Thursday to halt a number of imminent deportations after an appeals court blocked authorities from expelling people to third countries without a chance to contest their cases,” the New York Times reports.
U.S. Mortgage Rates Breach 7%
“Interest rates on U.S. 30-year mortgages topped 7 percent for the first time in almost two years, as surging yields across the bond market escalate concerns over housing affordability just weeks before nationwide elections,” the Financial Times reports.
Reporters Allowed Back in the White House
“Reporters for CNN and MS NOW were allowed to re-enter the White House grounds around noon on Thursday, the latest development in an ongoing standoff between President Trump and the press corps that covers him,” the New York Times reports.
“It was not initially clear if the administration had changed its stance on the judge’s order, or if the journalists were blocked because of confusion among security personnel.”
NSA Paying Billions to Test AI Models
“The National Security Agency told lawmakers that it is spending billions of dollars in taxpayer funds this year evaluating and testing advanced artificial intelligence models,” the Washington Sun reports.
“The price tag — which is significantly greater than previously known — has led lawmakers to believe that a more comprehensive AI regulatory system could cost the government tens of billions of dollars per year.”
Trump’s Retribution Campaign to Face Supreme Court Test
“Three federal appeals courts have rejected President Trump’s go-to move in trying to install allies as United States attorneys, the officials who lead the prosecutors’ offices in the nation’s 94 judicial districts. In each case, the courts said Trump had violated a law that limits who can run the offices when there are vacancies,” the New York Times reports.
“Those decisions have complicated Trump’s efforts to investigate and prosecute his political foes.”
“The administration this month asked the Supreme Court to review two of the decisions, warning that they ‘risk chaos’ and threaten ‘to inject mass confusion’ into thousands of ordinary cases.”
A Blue Wave Mostly in Red States?
Nate Silver: “So if you take the polls at face value, we’re seeing a blue wave that’s… overwhelmingly concentrated in red states. As I wrote, there’s a coherent story behind it. And the evidence for it has been consistent enough that it probably has to count as the ‘base case.'”
“But there’s also some risk here for Democrats. Precisely those groups with whom they’re making the largest gains are those where polls have most overestimated Democrats in recent years.”
“There are also potentially huge, lopsided rewards. If the map is reverting more to something pre-Trump-like, that was a map where Barack Obama won Iowa and Ohio twice. Meanwhile, in the House, Republican gerrymanders in states like Florida and Texas were implicitly premised on the GOP having made permanent gains among Hispanics.”
News Outlets Request Emergency Hearing
“CNN, MS NOW and Politico requested an emergency hearing after they were again blocked from accessing the White House on Thursday despite a federal judge’s early-morning ruling ordering the government to restore their credentials,” the Washington Post reports.
Axios: White House defies court order, doesn’t reinstate access for banned reporters.
Trump’s Claims of Illegal Voting in Nevada Fizzle
New York Times: “When the Department of Homeland Security sent Nevada a list of 185 names last month that it claimed identified noncitizens who had been improperly allowed to register to vote, state election officials got to work.”
“On Tuesday, the state sent a strongly worded rebuke to the federal government: Every single person on the list was a lawful citizen.”
Jackson Tops Collins in Maine Senate Race
A new UMass Lowell/YouGov poll in Maine finds Troy Jackson (D) leading Susan Collins (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 48% to 43%.
Maine Senate Race
Troy Jackson (D) 48%
Susan Collins (R) 43%
The same poll in Maine finds Hannah Pingree (D) leading Bobby Charles (R) in the governor’s race, 49% to 38%.
Maine Governor’s Race
Hannah Pingree (D) 49%
Bobby Charles (R) 38%
Texas Has Huge Backlog in Voter Registration Applications
“County election offices throughout Texas are scrambling to process a massive backlog of voter registration applications stemming from an error at the state level, a headache that is hitting just as they are preparing for voting to begin in the midterm elections,” the Associated Press reports.
“The problem, which officials in the Republican-controlled state have not publicly defined, also could have disenfranchised people who wanted to vote in the state’s March primary but whose registration applications were never processed.”
Washington Post: Texas voter-registration backlog could affect midterms.
Another Bonus Quote of the Day
“The conversations we have are not just those of a mayor and a president, but those of two New Yorkers — New Yorkers with many differences of opinion, but who love this city.”
— New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, quoted by Mother Jones, on why President Trump seems to like him so much.
Polling Shows Republicans Turning On Trump
“In late 2008, at the height of the Great Recession and amid two wars in the Middle East, President George W. Bush posted a historic-low approval rating of just 22 percent. Donald Trump may be coming for that crown — and with some voters, he’s more unpopular than ever,” Rolling Stone reports.
“A series of recent polls shows that while Trump’s overall approval rating is still hovering a little above 30 percent, some of the details behind the numbers are particularly devastating for an incumbent president seeking to guide his party through a contentious set of midterm elections.”
“A poll from CNN released this week, for instance, shows that Trump’s approval among independents is an anemic 25 percent. The network highlighted that his net approval among independents has shifted 86 points in the wrong direction since before the 2024 election. Trump’s popularity is also cratering within his own party. A recent UMass/Amherst poll found that his approval among Republicans has dropped 14 points since March, and that one in six people who voted for him would not vote for him again. Unfortunately for Republicans, Trump insisted “I’m on the ballot!” while speaking at the party’s midterm convention earlier this month.”
Senate GOP Eyes Data Center Vote Next Week
Election Day Is Already Underway
New York Magazine: “The timeline for early voting varies by state and, in some places, by locality. Six states (Idaho, Minnesota, Mississippi, South Dakota, Vermont, and Virginia) have already entered the window where in-person early voting is authorized. The length of these windows varies, as the Center for Election Research and Innovation explains: Early in-person voting locations are open in 2 states until October 27; until the day before Election Day in 14 states; and up to and including Election Day in as many as 8 states.”
Angie Nixon Avoids Trial in Florida
“Angie Nixon, the Democratic nominee for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida, has resolved a trespassing case over her sit-in this year outside the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R),” the Washington Post reports.
“After Nixon remained outside the office for several hours, she was arrested and charged with trespassing and resisting an officer without violence. She was set for trial in Tallahassee this week and faced up to two years in prison.”
“But Nixon said Wednesday that she had resolved the case and will pay $250 and complete 15 hours of community service, all of which will be conducted outside her campaign. She did not plead guilty and maintains that she did nothing wrong.”
Cooper Holds Comfortable Lead in North Carolina
A new High Point University poll in North Carolina finds Roy Cooper (D) leading Michael Whatley (R) in the U.S. Senate race, 50% to 42%.
North Carolina Senate Race
Roy Cooper (D) 50%
Michael Whatley (R) 42%
Xi Begins First Full Day of U.S. Visit
“President Xi Jinping has a loaded itinerary for the first full day of his trip to the U.S. – a journey made nearly a decade after the Chinese leader’s previous visit – including formal talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, who travelled to Beijing in May,” the South China Morning Post reports.
“According to a schedule released by the Trump administration, the day will begin with an arrival ceremony at the White House. As the two leaders hold an official dialogue, U.S. first lady Melania Trump will accompany her Chinese counterpart, Peng Liyuan, to the National Museum of Asian Art. The couples will reunite for a state dinner in the evening.”
Washington Post: Trump courts Xi with pomp as China seeks greater global influence.
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“The blunt tool of banning diesel exports definitely doesn’t work. That same refinery that produces diesel also produces gasoline and jet fuel, so if you can’t export the diesel that comes out of our refineries, you run out of places to store it, and you have to reduce U.S. refining, which would put upward pressure on gasoline prices and jet-fuel prices.”
— Energy Secretary Chris Wright, quoted by The Economist, as the White House is reportedly mulling a ban on diesel exports.
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