“Bernie Sanders slipped into a bit of a Larry David moment on the campaign trail Tuesday, grumbling at a squealing baby to pipe down,” the New York Daily News reports.

Said Sanders, in a moment caught on video: “If we could keep that down a little bit.”

Kansas Treasurer Jake LaTurner (R) has dropped his Senate bid and will instead run against freshman Rep. Steve Watkins (R-KS), the Wichita Eagle reports.

“In recent weeks, Watkins has faced a whisper campaign seeking to discredit him. Unsubstantiated rumors involving his personal life have circulated within Republican circles — including that he would soon resign. Watkins has batted away the allegations.”

Tom LoBianco: “On the surface, Trump and Pence insist they have a great relationship and are working closer than ever to win reelection in 2020. (They’ve consistently beaten back rumors that former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley is in the running to replace Pence on the 2020 ticket.)”

“But behind the scenes, tensions have been mounting among Trump, Pence and their top advisers ever since the GOP’s resounding losses in the 2018 midterms. In the weeks afterward, Trump asked aides about replacing Pence on the ticket, and he asked again for their thoughts on Pence during his August vacation at his golf course in Bedminster, N.J., according to Trump advisers who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about private discussions with the president.”

LoBiano is author of the forthcoming biography of Pence, Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House.

“I need killers, I want somebody to fight. Chris Christie calls me nonstop about this job. He calls me every ten seconds; he’d do anything for this job. He is dying to be vice president. And you, it’s like you don’t care. I need killers! Do you want this thing or not?’”

— Donald Trump, quoted in Piety & Power, offering Mike Pence the chance to be his running mate in 2016.

Piety & Power: Mike Pence and the Taking of the White House

• Amazon Kindle Edition
• LoBianco, Tom (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 378 Pages - 12/15/2023 (Publication Date) - Dey Street Books (Publisher)

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“President Trump heads into the closing months of the year before he faces re-election without a clear policy agenda and with an uphill path to achieving any major new accomplishments before he faces voters,” the New York Times reports.

“Over a summer dominated by his personal attacks on Democratic lawmakers, the news media and his trade showdown with China, Mr. Trump spent little time clarifying his positions on several important agenda items that could bolster his record.”

“And as official Washington returns to work, it is unclear whether Mr. Trump intends to focus his time and attention on his policy goals, or whether he will step into a full-bore campaign mode, escalating attacks on his political rivals and spurning traditional governance.”

Joe Biden downplayed his recent verbal slip-ups in an interview with Stephen Colbert, saying they were not regarding the “substance” of his arguments for the presidency.

Said Biden: “I think it’s fair to go after a political figure for anything. Any gaffe that I have made — and I’ve made gaffes like every politician I know has — have been not about the substance of issue but about other — I’m trying to talk about what other people have done.”

Asked if he was “going nuts,” Biden joked he wanted to go “on the Jimmy Kimmel show” to talk about his gaffes, referring to Colbert’s late night competitor.