Edward-Isaac Dovere: “Trump aides have been telling people that the big surprise in store for tonight’s debate is he’s bringing Tony Bobulinski, the former Hunter Biden business associate, as a guest tonight.”
“They’re hoping to spring this on Biden, the way he brought Bill Clinton accusers in 2016.”
New York Times: “While senior Trump administration officials said this week that Iran has been actively interfering in the presidential election, many intelligence officials said they remained far more concerned about Russia, which has in recent days hacked into state and local computer networks in breaches that could allow Moscow broader access to American voting infrastructure.”
“The discovery of the hacks came as American intelligence agencies, infiltrating Russian networks themselves, have pieced together details of what they believe are Russia’s plans to interfere in the presidential race in its final days or immediately after the election on Nov. 3.”
“President Trump and his intelligence chief have pushed for quick declassification of a document disputing the 2017 intelligence community finding that Russia acted to help Trump get elected in 2016,” Reuters reports.
“But their effort faces strong objections from inside the intelligence agencies… One reason for their opposition is the proximity of the Nov. 3 election.”
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Nate Silver: “Based on an update we’ll be releasing later today, we’re now projecting total turnout in the presidential race to be 154 million, with an 80th percentile range between 144 million and 165 million. In 2016, turnout was 137 million, by comparison.”
New York Times: “President Trump’s campaign has far less money than advisers had once anticipated for the final stretch of the presidential election, as rosy revenue projections failed to materialize, leaving aides scrambling to address a severe financial disadvantage against Joe Biden at the race’s most crucial juncture.”
“To close the budgetary shortfall, Mr. Trump has slashed millions of dollars in previously reserved television ads and detoured from the battleground states that will decide the election for a stop in California last weekend to refill his campaign coffers. He has also tried to jump-start his online fund-raising with increasingly aggressive tactics, sending out as many as 14 email solicitations in a day.”
Ryan Lizza says President Trump’s password for his Twitter account — which was hacked last week — is the same one used for WiFi at Trump rallies.
President Trump posted the “60 Minutes” interview with Vice President Mike Pence.
Leslie Stahl told Pence that she felt he and President Trump had “insulted 60 Minutes” by giving “set campaign speeches” instead of answering her questions.
Said Stahl: “Mr. Vice President, this was not a rally. This was not just a campaign speech to the public. This was supposed to be an interview. And the same with the president. And I feel that you both have insulted 60 Minutes by not answering our questions and by giving set campaign speeches that we’ve heard both of you give at rallies without answering our questions.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R) met with Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett this week but remains opposed to an election year confirmation to the high court, Politico reports.
With Sen. Susan Collins (R) also opposed to a pre-election vote, that suggests the final Senate vote to confirm Barrett will be 51 to 49.
A new NBC Montana/Strategies 360 poll finds Sen. Steve Daines (R) leads challenger Gov. Steve Bullock (D) by 1 point, 48% to 47%, with 5% undecided.
In the presidential race, Donald Trump leads Joe Biden, 51% to 43%.
CBS News issued a statement on President Trump’s release of an interview he had done with 60 Minutes earlier this week:
“The White House’s unprecedented decision to disregard their agreement with CBS News and release their footage will not deter 60 Minutes from providing its full, fair and contextual reporting which presidents have participated in for decades.”
A new Quinnipiac poll finds Joe Biden leading Donald Trump nationally, 51% to 41%.
This is the third national survey among likely voters since September that shows Biden with a 10-point lead.
Said pollster Tim Malloy: “Three straight polls in the double-digit zone… For Biden-Harris, flush with cash and propelled by consistent support, it remains steady as she goes through the turbulent waters of a bitter, personal, and unsettling campaign.”
“I hope that they end it. It will be so good if they end it because we will come up with a plan.”
— President Trump, telling 60 Minutes that he hopes the Supreme Court will strike down the Affordable Care Act.
“Senate Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as he makes what they see as unacceptable compromises in his quest for a stimulus deal with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,” the Washington Post reports.
“Mnuchin has already committed to a top-line figure of around $1.9 trillion, much too high for many Senate Republicans to swallow. This includes at least $300 billion for state and local aid, also a non-starter for many in the GOP.”
Another excerpt from President Trump’s interview with Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes:
STAHL: What about the… people with pre-existing conditions?
TRUMP: I’ll protect it. Will be totally protected.
STAHL: How?!
TRUMP: They’ll be protected, Lesley. I mean, the people with pre-existing conditions are going to be protected.
STAHL: How?!
President Trump posted his interview with “60 Minutes” ahead of its scheduled air time in an attempt to undercut the program after he cut short his interview with Lesley Stahl short earlier this week.
Here’s how it begins:
STAHL: You ready for tough questions?
TRUMP: Just be fair.
STAHL: Last time you were like bring it on.
TRUMP: No, I’m not looking for that.
STAHL: But you’re OK with some tough questions?
TRUMP: No, I’m not.
And this is how it ends:
TRUMP: Your first question was “There are going to be tough questions.” I don’t mind that. When you set up the interview you didn’t say that. You said, “Oh let’s have a lovely interview.”
President Trump’s Twitter account was hacked last week, after a Dutch researcher correctly guessed the president’s password: “maga2020!”, according to de Volkskrant.
“Victor Gevers, a security expert, had access to Trump’s direct messages, could post tweets in his name and change his profile. Gevers took screenshots when he had access to Trump’s account.”
The Lincoln Project is out with a powerful ad aimed at men.
“The latest list of Georgia voters makes it easy to see why the state is in play this election,” the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports.
“Nearly two-thirds of the new voters since the last presidential election are people of color… Georgia’s changing demographics have long been anticipated, but they happened more quickly than many people expected.”
Taegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.
Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.
Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.
Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.
Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.
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