New York Times: “Voters in New Hampshire and Mississippi face the highest personal cost in the country in terms of the time and effort required to cast a ballot, according to a new academic study. Voters in Oregon and Washington have it the easiest.”
Trump Plans to Respond to Charges on Hannity
A person close to Donald Trump told CBS News that he’s planning to be on Hannity on Fox News tonight to respond to the lawsuit filed by New York’s attorney general.
Democrats Favored to Retain Control of the Senate
The Economist‘s forecast model shows Democrats with an 82% chance of retaining control of the U.S. Senate and a 35% chance of retaining control of the U.S. House.
Trump Sued for Fraud by New York Attorney General
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) announced a lawsuit against Donald Trump, his company and three of his adult children over widespread fraud claims involving false financial statements related to the company.
New York Times: “The 220-page lawsuit, filed in New York State Supreme Court, lays out in new and startling detail how, according to Ms. James, Mr. Trump’s annual financial statements were a compendium of lies. The statements, yearly records that include the company’s estimated value of his holdings and debts, wildly inflated the worth of nearly every one of his marquee properties — from Mar-a-Lago in Florida to Trump Tower and 40 Wall Street in Manhattan, according to the lawsuit.”
CNN: “James is seeking $250 million in allegedly ill-gotten funds and to permanently bar Trump and the children named in the lawsuit from serving as the director of a business registered in New York state. She is also seeking to cancel the Trump Organization’s corporate certificate, which, if granted by a judge, could effectively force the company to cease operations in New York state.”
Another Sign Georgia’s Senate Race Will Be Close
A new Monmouth poll in Georgia finds that less than half of voters will either definitely (32%) or probably (13%) vote for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D) in the U.S. Senate race and a slightly smaller number will either definitely (26%) or probably (15%) vote for challenger Herschel Walker (R).
At the other end of the spectrum, 42% say they will definitely not vote for Warnock and 43% say the same for Walker.
The Races That Will Decide Control of the House
David Wasserman: “Republicans need to pick up at least five seats to take back the House in the midterm elections, and three structural advantages have made them favorites all along: redistricting, Democratic retirements and candidate recruitment.”
“But as the abortion issue and a renewed focus on former President Donald Trump have awakened and energized Democratic voters, the fight for the House has become increasingly competitive.”
“Those structural factors once looked like a small component of potential big gains for the GOP in a “red wave” scenario. Now, they look like a valuable insurance policy for Republicans in a fluid political environment, without which House control might be a toss-up.”
More Than Half of Car Sales Will Be Electric by 2030
“Just over half of passenger cars sold in the US will be electric vehicles by 2030, thanks in part to consumer incentives included in the $374 billion in new climate spending enacted by President Joe Biden,” Bloomberg reports.
Doug Ducey Warns Against ‘Bullies’ in His Party
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) offered an implicit rebuke of the direction that former President Donald Trump has taken the GOP during a Tuesday speech at the Reagan Library, warning against leaders in his party who have morphed into “bullies” as well as candidates who are “more defined by their attitudes than the policies they propose,” CNN reports.
McCarthy Puts Forth Agenda to Unify Republicans
“Kevin McCarthy will announce it in a red Pittsburgh suburb, not on the Capitol steps. In most other ways, though, his Friday GOP agenda rollout will mirror Newt Gingrich’s 28-year-old Contract With America,” Politico reports.
“The blueprint that the California Republican plans to unveil is designed to serve as a voter messaging guide for party incumbents and candidates. Just as Gingrich’s ‘contract’ aimed to do, this year’s Commitment to America is expected to set out the GOP’s plans for addressing pressing national problems before a midterm election that’s likely to hand it the House majority.”
Tish James Pushes Back ‘Major Announcement’
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has pushed back her “major announcement” this morning to 11:30 a.m. ET, presumably so it would not conflict with President Biden’s address to the United Nations.
The announcement will be live streamed.
Russians Rush for Flights Out of Country
“Large numbers of Russians rushed to book one-way tickets out of the country while they still could Wednesday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of military reservists for the war in Ukraine,” the AP reports.
“Flights filled up quickly and the prices of tickets for remaining connections sky-rocketed, apparently driven by fears that Russia’s borders could soon close or of a broader call-up that might send many Russian men of fighting age to the war’s front lines.”
Ohio Senate Race Remains Very Close
A new Marist poll in Ohio finds J.D. Vance (R) barely ahead of Tim Ryan (D) in the U.S. Senate race, 46% to 45% with 9% still undecided.
For comparison, the FiveThirtyEight polling average shows the race tied.
Trump Endorsed QAnon Because He’s Stuck
Juliette Kayyem: “For a man who believes in nothing, has no coherent ideology or value system except his own continuing relevance, obsesses over conspiracies, and subsists on grievance and anger, Donald Trump took a long time to fully embrace QAnon. For some time, the former president has been flirting with the cult—which believes, among other preposterous things, that Democrats are part of a global child-sex-trafficking ring that Trump will ultimately defeat. But lately, that courtship has turned into a consummated marriage, as Trump incorporated QAnon tropes into an Ohio rally and started spreading them on his social-media service.”
“This has understandably provoked a lot of hand-wringing from Democrats and disillusioned former Republicans, who rightly fear that Trump will incite QAnon supporters to violence. But the outrage from respectable quarters matters far less to the former president than his own political plight. Trump, who had previously maintained at least a little distance from QAnon, is only signing on now because he’s flailing.”
Biden’s Gaffes Make His Staff All the More Important
Jonathan Bernstein: “President Joe Biden reminded everyone in Sunday’s 60 Minutes interview that, whatever his other strengths and weaknesses, he remains the same guy whose 1988 presidential campaign crashed and burned because of his tendency to blurt stuff out. This time, he did it twice: Committing the US to defending Taiwan against a hypothetical invasion, contrary to longstanding policy, and claiming that the pandemic is over.”
“Biden isn’t the first president with the habit of shooting from the hip — Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump did, too. It’s a dangerous trait for a president because his words, whether intended or not, really count. The 1993 movie Dave is particularly good about this: In the film, a presidential lookalike actually substitutes for the president and realizes that, while he is utterly powerless in private meetings, anything he says in public has the power of a presidential statement.”
GOP Attorneys General Back Trump in Document Fight
“Texas’s Ken Paxton and 10 other GOP state attorneys general came to the defense of former president Donald Trump on Tuesday in his legal fight over documents the FBI seized last month, filing an amicus brief in a federal appellate court that argued the Biden administration could not be trusted,” the Washington Post reports.
“In a 21-page document that repeated numerous right-wing talking points but that experts said broke little new legal ground, the officials accused the Biden administration of ‘ransacking’ Mar-a-Lago.”
Lula Holds Big Lead In Brazil
The Economist’s polling average finds Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro trailing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by 11 percentage points in the presidential race.
Lula would also be the overwhelming favorite in a runoff if neither candidate reaches 50% of the vote in the first round.
Three House Races Move Towards the Democrats
Cook Political Report: “This week, we’re moving three ratings in the southwest: Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) moves from Lean Republican to Toss Up and Rep. Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ) moves from Likely to Lean Republican. Additionally, Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) moves from Toss Up to Lean Democrat.”
“Still, Republicans would need to win just six of the 31 seats in our Toss Up column to win the majority.”
House to Vote on Bill to Prevent Another January 6
“The House on Wednesday is set to consider legislation introduced by GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren of California to make it harder to overturn a certified presidential election in the future by proposing changes to the Electoral Count Act,” CNN reports.
