Defense Secretary James Mattis is expected to sign deployment orders that could send 800 or more troops to the border with Mexico to help border patrol authorities stop a caravan of migrants from Central America moving through Mexico to enter the US, CNN reports.
Dallas Morning News Endorses O’Rourke
The Dallas Morning News endorsed Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) for U.S. Senate:
We have been at divisive political moments before, and we know those often end when leaders emerge who find ways to get along personally even when they are engaged in grand, tectonic political debates. That is one of the underappreciated stories of the 1980s, when President Ronald Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neill worked together. Even when they fought it out on tough issues, they fostered an enduring friendship.
For this reason more than any other, we favor U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke for U.S. Senate. The pivotal issue before our country is public leadership, and here we believe O’Rourke’s tone aligns with what is required now. This inclusive and hopeful tone, along with O’Rourke’s approach of starting with shared principles and working toward solutions, offset any policy differences we have with him. Leadership is more than policy, and whether we are addressing the very real challenges before us now turns on our ability to find points of agreement.
Grassley Warns Democrat Could Replace Him
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), who turned 85 years old in September, acknowledged the possibility his health could fail in the next few years and a Democratic Iowa governor would appoint a Democrat to succeed him in the Senate, the Des Moines Register reports.
Democrats Hold Big Lead In Most Competitive Districts
A new Cook Political Report/LSU poll finds Democrats hold a nine point lead over Republicans in the 72 most competitive House races, as rated by the Cook Political Report.
“Among voters who say President Trump will be a factor in their choice, more plan to use their vote so to show opposition to the President than to show support for the President, especially in competitive districts.”
Also interesting: “More people agree that Democrats should be elected to put a check on the President than agree that Republicans should be elected to keep the economy strong.”
Crossing the Aisle
Out next month: Crossing the Aisle: How Bipartisanship Brought Tennessee to the Twenty-First Century and Could Save America by Keel Hunt.
“The Tennessee story offers striking examples of bipartisan cooperation on many policy fronts—and a mode of governing that provides lessons for America in this frustrating era of partisan stalemate.”
Roger Stone Sought Pardon for Julian Asange
Mother Jones: “In early January, Roger Stone, the longtime Republican operative and adviser to Donald Trump, sent a text message to an associate stating that he was actively seeking a presidential pardon for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange—and felt optimistic about his chances.“
“The recipient of the messages was Randy Credico, a New York-based comedian and left-leaning political activist who Stone has identified as his backchannel to WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign—a claim Credico strongly denies.”
Hatch Says New Tax Cut ‘Highly Unlikely’
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) told Roll Call the Senate is “highly unlikely” to pass a 10 percent tax cut for the middle class even after the midterm elections.
Said Hatch: “I’ve seen miracles happen before.”
But he added that it would take “a real monumental effort” to get anything like Trump has proposed to rally Republicans to the polls for the Nov. 6 midterms through the Senate.
Gingrich Singles Out CNN for Toxic Environment
At an Axios event, Newt Gingrich claimed the toxicity of the current political climate is “everyone’s fault,” pointing to social media and the “tribalization” of cable news — specifically CNN — as some of the main factors.
When asked why there was such a quick move on the right to call yesterday’s mail bombs a conspiracy, Gingrich answered, “Because it’s October.”
Who’s to Blame for America’s Divide?
Here’s a word cloud of the top answers from Democrats — “Donald Trump,” “The Media,” “The Republican Party,” “Racism.”
And here’s a word cloud of the top answers from Republicans — “Democratic Party,” “Barack Obama,” “Liberals,” “The Media,” “Godless.”
Trump Has Made the Election About Him
A new USA Today/Suffolk University Poll finds President Trump “driving the decisions of a majority of voters who say they are determined to send a message of either support or opposition to him. That dynamic is giving Democrats an edge as the crucial campaign heads into the final stretch.”
“A majority of those surveyed say Trump will have ‘a lot’ of impact on their congressional vote on Nov. 6 – 35% who are casting their ballot to show their opposition to him, 23% to show their support. Only one in four say the president doesn’t have at least some effect on their vote.”
Democrats now lead the generic congressional ballot by eight points, 51% to 43%.
Trump Denies Using Unsecure Phones
President Trump denied a “long and boring” report that he often calls friends to gripe or solicit advice on his unsecure iPhones, allowing Chinese spies to listen in and gain valuable insights into how to deal with the U.S. administration, the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump: “The so-called experts on Trump over at the New York Times wrote a long and boring article on my cellphone usage that is so incorrect I do not have time here to correct it. I only use Government Phones, and have only one seldom used government cell phone. Story is soooo wrong!”
Fanning the Flames
Mike Allen: “Pipe bombs sent to prominent Democrats were a wired manifestation of the toxic trajectory of the country’s politics, with President Trump and the media blaming each other for the worst terror-by-mail campaign of the post-9/11 era.”
With President Trump fanning fear ahead of the midterms a dozen days from now, the nation’s political discourse is on track to be even hotter and more volatile during the 2020 campaign than it was when he ran the first time. We are playing with fire — and there are piles of dry kindling stacked throughout America and American politics right now.”
For members: Is this the October Surprise?
Trump Will Campaign Non-Stop Until Election Day
Jonathan Swan: “President Trump will hold at least 10 midterms rallies between Oct. 31 and Election Day, with the possibility of bumping it up to two rallies each day in two different states, per three sources familiar with the planning. The White House and Secret Service are still working out the logistics.”
“This is a heavy load of campaigning for a sitting president, but it’s clear that Trump wants to overcome the historical pattern of presidents losing congressional seats in their first midterm election. And he’s viewed as the GOP’s best motivator to energize their base ahead of a tough election.”
Explosive Device Sent to Robert De Niro
A suspicious package and device similar to others sent to top Democrats and others this week was sent to a building that houses offices for Tribeca Films and Tribeca Grill that Robert De Niro owns, law enforcement and sources tell NBC News New York.
Bannon Holds Rally But No Candidates Show Up
“As Donald Trump held midterm rallies this week in front of thousands, his one-time chief strategist Steve Bannon made his own, rather more low-key return to the campaign trail,” the Guardian reports.
“Bannon appeared in front of 200 people at a firehouse outside Buffalo, New York, ostensibly to campaign for Republicans based in the area. But in a visceral demonstration of just how far Bannon’s stock has fallen since leaving the White House 14 months ago, none of those Republicans running for office turned up.”
Stone Associate Knew of Leaked Emails
Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s office “has obtained communications suggesting that a right-wing conspiracy theorist might have had advance knowledge that the emails of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman had been stolen and handed to WikiLeaks,” NBC News reports.
“Mueller’s team has spent months investigating whether the conspiracy theorist, Jerome Corsi, learned before the public did that WikiLeaks had obtained emails hacked by Russian intelligence officers — and whether he passed information about the stolen emails to Donald Trump associate Roger Stone.”
“Mueller’s investigators have reviewed messages to members of the Trump team in which Stone and Corsi seem to take credit for the release of Democratic emails.”
Meanwhile, Politico reports that Mueller “appears to be locked in a dispute with a mystery grand jury witness resisting giving up information sought in the ongoing probe into alleged Trump campaign collusion with Russia..”
Saudi Arabia Now Admits Killing was Premeditated
Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said that Jamal Khashoggi was killed in a planned operation, based on information it received from Turkish investigators in Istanbul, reversing earlier statement that the journalist had died in fistfight, the Washington Post reports.
McCarthy Suggests Caravan Is Politically Motivated
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) told WZFG that the migrant caravan traveling to the southern border “could be” politically motivated.
Said McCarty: “I’m not sure, but it could be. Cause one thing, you can’t put a caravan like this together without resources and others. And there’s questions about the timing, but why is it being encouraged and what is happening here?
