Sen. Roger Marshall’s (R-KS) chief of staff, Brent Robertson, has taken at least 26 trips to Washington from his home in central Virginia — all at taxpayer expense, Politico reports.
Can Trump Undo Biden’s Pardons?
Zachary Wolf: “To find a historical precedent for the voiding of a pardon, you have to go back to a post-Revolution case in Virginia that featured three men convicted of treason for joining the British. Their pardons, issued by the Virginia House of Delegates, were ultimately voided because the Virginia Senate had not concurred, as required by the state’s constitution at the time.”
“Granted, all of this occurred before the US Constitution — much less a president’s pardon power, which was inspired by the British kings — had even been established.”
Shutdown Pain Intensifies
“The pain of a U.S. government shutdown is poised to intensify this week as the funding lapse nears a full month with no resolution in sight,” NBC News reports.
“A series of deadlines in the coming days could have negative consequences for ordinary Americans, cutting off food assistance for low-income Americans, raising health insurance premiums for millions on Obamacare and depriving air-traffic controllers, TSA agents and other federal workers of paychecks.”
NewsNation: Shutdown pain spikes this weekend, upping pressure on Congress to strike deal.
Is the Fed Flying Blind?
Punchbowl News: “All month long, the Federal Reserve has been forced to contend with an incomplete data picture. The last U.S. employment report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics covered August. September’s report has been delayed indefinitely, and October’s may never exist. Economists have been sifting through private sector job reports since, which have shown a muddier picture.”
“The angle. Democrats have wasted no time this month attacking the Trump administration for this state of affairs.”
South Korea Gives Trump a Crown
“President Trump has sometimes likened himself to a king. Now he has been given a crown,” the New York Times reports.
“Or at least a replica of one that researchers believe was worn by an ancient Korean ruler. Mr. Trump received the crown from President Lee Jae Myung of South Korea when they met on Wednesday in the city of Gyeongju.”
Obamacare Premiums Soar
“Premiums for Affordable Care Act coverage will skyrocket 26%, on average, next year, according to a KFF analysis released Tuesday evening, just days before open enrollment starts on November 1,” CNN reports.
“The price hike is one of the largest jumps since Obamacare plans debuted more than a decade ago — and it doesn’t factor in the expiration of the enhanced premium subsidies.”
Trump Defends Israel Strikes on Hamas
President Trump defended Israel’s strikes against members of Hamas and said he thinks that the peace deal he brokered earlier this month will hold despite rogue elements of the group attacking Israeli soldiers, Bloomberg reports.
Said Trump: “The Israelis hit back, and they should hit back. When that happens, they should hit back.”
Democrats Very Happy With Their Members In Congress
“Hundreds of thousands of federal workers are going without pay; millions of Americans who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for food are set to miss payments starting this weekend; and air-traffic staffing shortages are causing groundstops across the country,” NOTUS reports.
“Congressional Democrats are under real pressure to cave — and they aren’t. And that’s genuinely surprising the progressives that pushed Democrats to leverage the government funding fight over expiring health care subsidies in the first place.”
Republicans Slam Democrats Over Political Violence
A House GOP group is launching a $5 million ad campaign accusing Democrats in 15 competitive races of fanning the flames of political violence, Axios reports.
Bonus Quote of the Day
“Virginia doesn’t predict the future, but it does take its temperature.”
— A longtime Democratic operative, quoted by the Washington Post.
Republicans Hope Justices Will Rescue Them on Tariffs
“The Senate will try again this week to rein in President Donald Trump’s tariff regime — even as some of its Republicans quietly hope for the justices across the street to squash it.,” Semafor reports.
Said one GOP senator: “This should be Congress’ call if you’re increasing taxes on the American people through tariff policy. We are the ones who dictate tax policy. This is a form of taxation.”
“The high court will hear arguments next week in a case that challenges Trump’s ability to use national emergencies to impose tariffs.”
Schumer Open to Votes to Make Shutdown Hurt Less
“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has seized on the plan that Republicans floated – and then discarded – to soften the government shutdown’s sting for some federal workers and aid beneficiaries,” Axios reports.
Tens of Thousands of White-Collar Jobs Are Disappearing
Wall Street Journal: “Behind the wave of white-collar layoffs, in part, is the embrace by companies of artificial intelligence, which executives hope can handle more of the work that well-compensated white-collar workers have been doing. Investors have pushed the C-suite to work more efficiently with fewer employees. Factors driving slower hiring include political uncertainty and higher costs.”
“Altogether, these factors are remaking what office work looks like in the U.S., leaving the managers that remain with more workers to supervise and less time to meet with them, while saddling the employees fortunate enough to have jobs with heavier workloads.”
Axios: How an AI job apocalypse unfolds.
De Blasio Impersonator Tricks British Newspaper
“Former Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York has been an enthusiastic supporter of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee and front-runner in the mayor’s race. So it seemed odd on Tuesday when an article appeared in The Times of London in which he was quoted saying he had concerns about Mr. Mamdani’s policy proposals,” the New York Times reports.
“Mr. de Blasio told The New York Times on Tuesday evening that the comments attributed to him were invented and that he had not spoken with the British newspaper.”
Said De Blasio: “I’m astounded. It’s a complete fabrication.”
Trump Uses Misleading Videos to Portray Chaos
Washington Post: “Officials in President Donald Trump’s administration have used similarly misleading footage in at least six videos promoting its immigration agenda shared in the last three months, a Washington Post analysis found, muddying the reality of events in viral clips that have been viewed millions of times.”
“Some videos that purported to show the fiery chaos of Trump-targeted cities included footage from completely different states. One that claimed to show dramatic examples of past administrations’ failures instead featured border crossings and smuggling boats recorded during Trump’s first term.”
Quote of the Day
“I don’t even want to talk about that, because the sad thing is I have the highest numbers I ever had… If you read it, it’s pretty clear: I’m not allowed to run. It’s too bad. But we have a lot of great people.”
— President Trump, talking to reporters about running for a third term.
GOP Shifts Spending to Virginia Attorney General
NBC News: “Republicans have spent more on TV ads in recent weeks on the race for attorney general — where past violent text messages by the Democratic nominee have roiled the race — than the higher-profile contest for governor, where the GOP candidate is the underdog.”
“Campaign finance rules in Virginia allow outside groups to donate directly to candidates, so the bulk of Republicans’ ad spending in these two races have come from Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the gubernatorial nominee, and Attorney General Jason Miyares.”
Aides Worry What Trump Will Say About Taiwan
“Some of President Donald Trump’s aides have advised him against shifting the U.S. position on independence for Taiwan to favor China,“ NBC News reports.
“The aides have privately expressed concern that Trump, who is pushing to reach a sweeping trade deal with China, may choose to ignore their advice, the people with knowledge of the discussions said. They said they worry that Trump could walk away from long-standing U.S. policy on Taiwan or more subtly shift the U.S. position by framing it with new language.”
Axios: Trump-Xi meeting is high stakes for Taiwan.
