| | | | | |  | | By Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman | Presented by |  | | | |  | DRIVING THE DAY | | HAPPY HALLOWEEN! THREE DAYS until Election Day. SIREN … NRSC'S KEVIN MCLAUGHLIN on TRUMP: "Trump drags down GOP senators, giving Democrats more paths to the majority," by WaPo's Paul Kane and Seung Min Kim: "'Well, the president's losing Arizona. And, you know, we think that he and Martha are very intrinsically tied together,' Kevin McLaughlin, the executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, explained during a 90-minute presentation on the state of the races Thursday. Trump won Arizona by 3.5 percentage points in 2016 and is now trailing Democrat Joe Biden, according to both public and private polling, which Republicans feel is why Sen. Martha McSally (R) is also trailing in her key race. "At one point, NRSC strategists believed Biden hit 50 percent in Georgia — a figure they found 'terrifying' as they try to defend two seats in the state, which Trump won by five percentage points in 2016. … 'You should've seen those [polls] three weeks ago when we had the president down,' McLaughlin said, explaining Trump was actually losing in Alaska this month and how the Senate incumbent's race sunk with the president. 'I mean, it's not because of Dan Sullivan. I'm just telling you.'" BOTH TEAM TRUMP and TEAM BIDEN are readying for a frenzied final push here in the final days before Tuesday. PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP today will be in Reading, Butler, Bucks County and Montoursville, Pa. On Sunday, he'll be in Washington, Mich., Dubuque, Iowa, Hickory, N.C., Rome, Ga., and Miami. On Monday, the president heads to Fayetteville, N.C., Scranton, Pa., Traverse City, Mich., Kenosha, Wis., and back to Michigan to close it all out in Grand Rapids. WSJ's Alex Leary and Catherine Lucey on Trump's frenetic rally pace VP MIKE PENCE will be in Elm City and Elizabeth City, N.C., today. JOE BIDEN will be in Michigan today. He'll speak at a drive-in event with former President BARACK OBAMA in Flint and Detroit. STEVIE WONDER will join the two in Detroit to perform at a drive-in event. Sen. KAMALA HARRIS (D-Calif.) will be in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida today. On Sunday, Biden will be in Philadelphia. On Monday, Biden, JILL BIDEN, Harris and DOUG EMHOFF will all be campaigning in Pennsylvania. The campaign is expected to announce more events. NYT'S THOMAS KAPLAN in Des Moines and ANNIE KARNI: "Time Running Short, Trump and Biden Return to Northern Battlegrounds": "President Trump stunned the political universe in 2016 with a sweep of critical Northern swing states, winning Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin by less than one percentage point and forcing Democrats into four years of soul-searching about what went wrong in their historic geographic base. "Four years later, the chilly Midwest looms again as the principal battleground of the election, and on Friday Mr. Trump and former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. crisscrossed the region campaigning in states that are not only must-win for the president but also central to the identities of both parties. "For Democrats, their blue wall in the Midwest was for years their only defense against the Republican Party's stronghold in the South, a demonstration that they were still the party of labor, working-class families and predominantly Black urban centers. For Republicans, these states are a key part of their rural base, and Mr. Trump has made his pitch to farmers and white working-class voters here." HERE'S A QUESTION WORTH PONDERING: If BIDEN wins, will he let CHRIS WRAY serve out his 10-year term at the FBI? | | A message from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future: When it comes to health care, lowering costs is voters' highest priority – but the public option could force the average worker to pay $2,500 more a year in payroll taxes in addition to the cost of their current coverage. Get the facts. | | | THE NEXT BATTLEFIELD -- "Republicans shift from challenging rules to preparing to challenge individual ballots," by WaPo's Rosalind Helderman, Emma Brown and Beth Reinhard: "For months, Republicans have pushed largely unsuccessfully to limit new avenues for voting in the midst of the pandemic. But with next week's election rapidly approaching, they have shifted their legal strategy in recent days to focus on tactics aimed at challenging ballots one by one, in some cases seeking to discard votes already cast during a swell of early voting. "'It's not just the rules anymore,' said Myrna Pérez, director of the Voting Rights and Elections Program at the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice. 'It's individual voters.' Republicans said they are just trying to make sure the process runs smoothly and the rules are applied fairly, arguing that Democrats have loosened election rules in ways that could confuse voters and invite fraud. "'We have volunteers, attorneys and staff in place to ensure that election officials are following the law and counting every lawful ballot,' Justin Riemer, chief counsel for the Republican National Committee, said Friday. 'If election officials aren't providing transparency that the law demands or we are unable to resolve disputes over certain ballots or procedures, then we will litigate as necessary.' "But Democrats said there is no evidence that expanded mail balloting and other pandemic-related changes lead to fraud. They accused Republicans of targeting valid votes in Democratic strongholds in a blatant bid to gain an electoral advantage." MEANWHILE … "Americans Surge to Polls: 'I'm Going to Vote Like My Life Depends on It,'" by NYT's Nick Corasaniti in Philadelphia and Stephanie Saul in Atlanta: "An unnerved yet energized America is voting with an urgency never seen before in the approach to a presidential election, as a record 85 million people have cast ballots despite an array of challenges: a pandemic, postal delays, long lines and court rulings that have tested faith in the country's electoral system." THE CORONAVIRUS IS RAGING … More than 9 MILLION Americans have tested positive for the coronavirus. … 229,710 Americans have died. The U.S. reported more than 99,000 coronavirus cases Friday, the most since the start of the pandemic. -- "Covid-19 Is Worse in the Dakotas Now Than It Was in the Spring's Hot Spots," by WSJ's Elizabeth Findell: "The percentage of tests for Covid-19 coming back positive in South Dakota has soared to 46%. That's more than eight times the World Health Organization's recommended 5% threshold for businesses to be open. "As Covid cases surge across the U.S. and in Europe, South Dakota and North Dakota hold a distinct position: Each has more new virus cases per capita than any other states have seen since the pandemic began. South Dakota has the most and North Dakota the second-most. 'Those who don't want to wear a mask shouldn't be shamed into wearing one,' wrote South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, in an opinion piece published in the Rapid City Journal last week. Hospital visits and caring for symptomatic people are times when masks are appropriate, she wrote. "Maggie Seidel, a senior adviser to Ms. Noem, said in an interview that the governor has no opinion on whether people should wear masks while in close proximity to others in public locations. Ms. Seidel said the governor's response is a measured one to a virus that she said will spread with or without governmental restrictions." -- FARGO FORUM: "Another grim milestone leaves North Dakota 'stunned and hurting' with over 500 COVID-19 deaths," by Michelle Griffith in Bismarck: "North Dakota has lost a total of 512 residents to COVID-19 since the pandemic hit the state in March, and one of the least-populated states continues to have the nation's highest death rate per capita. Almost half of North Dakota's COVID-19 victims — 241 — have died in October alone." IN THE BATTLEGROUND STATES … -- PENNSYLVANIA: HOLLY OTTERBEIN in Philadelphia: "A guide to Pennsylvania's political hot spots" -- GEORGIA: CNN'S MANU RAJU, ALEX ROGERS and ALI ZASLAV: "Republicans on the run in Georgia with two Senate seats within Democratic reach" -- FLORIDA: SABRINA RODRÍGUEZ in North Miami: "The push to get Haitians to 'Hexit' from Democrats" | | | | A message from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future:   The public option could raise the average worker's taxes by $2,500/year in addition to the cost of their current coverage. Get the facts. | | | ALL EYES ON THE MEDIA -- "Networks Pledge Caution for an Election Night Like No Other," by NYT's Michael Grynbaum: "Batches of ballots that will be counted at different times, depending on the swing state. Twitter gadflies and foreign agents intent on sowing confusion. A president who has telegraphed for months that he may not accept results he deems unfavorable. Television executives overseeing this year's election night broadcasts are facing big challenges. And the world will be watching. "'Frankly, the well-being of the country depends on us being cautious, disciplined and unassailably correct,' said Noah Oppenheim, the NBC News president. 'We are committed to getting this right.' In interviews, the men and women in charge of network news coverage — the platform that tens of millions of Americans will turn to on Tuesday to make sense of a confusing vote count and learn the future of their country — made similar pledges." NYT -- "Show your work: AP plans to explain vote calling to public," by AP's David Bauder: "The Associated Press, one of several news organizations whose declarations of winners drive election coverage, is pulling back the curtain this year to explain how it is reaching those conclusions. "The AP plans to write stories explaining how its experts make decisions or why, in tight contests, they are holding back. If necessary, top news executives will speak publicly in interviews about the process, said Sally Buzbee, senior vice president and executive editor. Given high interest in the presidential race, the complicating factor of strong early voting and President Donald Trump's warnings about potential fraud, television executives are making similar promises of transparency. "'The general public has a more intense desire to understand it at a nitty-gritty level,' Buzbee said. 'We don't want to be a dark, mysterious black box of "We're going to declare a winner, and we're not going to tell you how we do it." I don't think that benefits us, and I don't think it benefits democracy.' The AP's decision desk expects to call some 7,000 races next week, from the presidency to state ballot initiatives and legislative races." | | | | NEW EPISODES OF POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded in 2020. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe for Season Two, available now. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOK READS | | | 
PHOTO DU JOUR: Stores in New York City board up Friday in anticipation of potential election-related unrest next week. | David Dee Delgado/Getty Images | WAPO'S DAN LAMOTHE: "As a divisive election arrives, the National Guard prepares for unrest and wrestles with how to respond": "The National Guard Bureau has established a new unit made up mostly of military policemen that could be dispatched to help quell unrest in coming days, after a turbulent summer in which National Guard members were deployed to several cities. "The unit, which also could be used to respond to natural disasters and other missions, was formed in September and initially described as a rapid-reaction force. But as one of the most divisive elections in American history closes in, National Guard officials have softened how they characterize the service members, instead referring to them as 'regional response units.' "A National Guard official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said the new name more accurately details their mission. But the shift away from language used in war also hints at the complicated situation the National Guard could face, as President Trump signals that he might not accept the results of the election if he loses." A BIDEN ADMINISTRATION -- JOSH GERSTEIN: "Biden's Justice dilemma: Unwinding the lock-em-up presidency": "If Joe Biden wins the White House, he and his choice for attorney general will quickly face thorny questions about how they plan to address alleged wrongdoing by President Donald Trump and other members of his administration. "But the more immediate and urgent question facing newly appointed Justice Department officials will be what to do with a slew of prosecutions and lawsuits already underway that many current and former DOJ officials regard as ill-advised or unfair. For starters, there are nearly 300 federal criminal cases stemming from the 'law and order' policy Trump and Attorney General William Barr extolled to quell rioting and looting that emerged from some of the widespread protests over the killing of George Floyd in an encounter with Minneapolis police in May. "Lawyers and appointees of various political leanings seem likely to back some of the prosecutions — those aimed at the most egregious acts of violence. But others — like federal felony charges for throwing a police helmet at an officer, for breaking the window of an unoccupied city police car and for kicking at a courthouse window — veer into territory not usually mined by federal prosecutors. And many of the cases raise questions about the role of the federal government in policing street violence usually left to local authorities. "Any dramatic shift is likely to meet with resistance from career officials at the Justice Department, who tend to be loath to drop pending cases simply due to changes in policy priorities from one administration to the next." POLITICO -- NAHAL TOOSI: "Biden plans a beefed-up National Security Council" GEORGE SHULTZ SPEAKS -- "George Shultz, elder statesman, laments distrust of U.S. abroad under Trump administration," by WaPo's Carol Morello: "'After nearly four years of an administration that seems to have assumed that American relations with the rest of the world is a zero-sum game and that the game is based largely on the personal relations between national leaders, distrust abounds internationally,' Shultz wrote. "Shultz does not criticize anyone in the Trump administration by name, and insists he does not mean 'to impute malign intent to the leaders of the current administration' But his critique of U.S. foreign policy is often withering, saying the last four years have been marked by a lack of strategic thinking and rapid-fire policy changes announced by presidential tweets." WaPo | | | | A message from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future:   American families can't afford the public option. Learn why. | | | CLICKER -- "The nation's cartoonists on the week in politics," edited by Matt Wuerker -- 16 funnies MEDIAWATCH -- NBC's Natalie Morales is joining "Dateline" as a correspondent. Announcement GREAT WEEKEND READS, curated by Margy Slattery and the staff of POLITICO Magazine: -- "The Nepalese Man Who Came Back From the Dead," by the Los Angeles Times' Molly O'Toole: "They believed that setting the body aflame would free the soul. Instead, it now haunts two families, forever connected by the macabre events that began unfolding in a desert 4,000 miles away." L.A. Times -- "Arrested, Tortured, Imprisoned: The U.S. Contractors Abandoned in Kuwait," by Doug Bock Clark in the NYT Magazine: "Dozens of military contractors, most of them Black, have been jailed in the emirate — some on trumped-up drug charges. Why has the American government failed to help them?" NYT Magazine -- "Are Asian Americans the Last Undecided Voters?" by The New Yorker's Hua Hsu: "The political interests of such a diverse population can be hard to target, but several groups think they've found a way." New Yorker -- "How Syria's Disinformation Wars Destroyed the Co-Founder of the White Helmets," by Martin Chulov in The Guardian: "In November 2019, James Le Mesurier, the British co-founder of the Syrian rescue group, fell to his death in Istanbul. What led an internationally celebrated humanitarian to take his own life?" Guardian -- "Russia's Lost War," by Izabella Tabarovsky in Wilson Quarterly's fall issue: "The official narrative of Soviet victory in World War II erases uncomfortable truths. Can Russians reclaim the forgotten human stories of those who defeated Nazi Germany?" Wilson Quarterly -- "No One Fights QAnon Like the Global Army of K-Pop Superfans," by Olivia Carville in Bloomberg Businessweek: "BTS stans built the trolling blueprint for 4chan types, and they've proven they can disrupt it." Businessweek -- "An Ocean Separated Them. A Surfboard Connected Them. See: 2020 Has a Happy Story After All," by Greg Bishop in Sports Illustrated: "An unlikely tale about an Ohio mechanic who lost his cherished board on one side of the Pacific and a teacher from the Philippines who found it on the other." SI | | | | EXCLUSIVE: "THE CIRCUS" & POLITICO TEAM UP TO PULL BACK THE CURTAIN ON THE MOST UNPRECEDENTED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN HISTORY: It's been the most unconventional and contentious election season of our lifetime. The approach taken by each candidate couldn't be more different, yet the stakes couldn't be higher as we cross the finish line. Join POLITICO's John Harris, Laura Barrón-López, Gabby Orr and Eugene Daniels in a conversation with John Heilemann, Alex Wagner, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri of Showtime's "The Circus" on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. EST for an insiders' look at the Trump and Biden campaigns, behind-the-scenes details and nuggets from the trail, and the latest on where things stand and where they are heading. DON'T MISS THIS! REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | PLAYBOOKERS | | Send tips to Eli Okun and Garrett Ross at politicoplaybook@politico.com. IN MEMORIAM -- "Peter Secchia, Confidant of Ford and Bush, Dies at 83," by NYT's Sam Roberts: "As a prominent Republican contributor and fund-raiser, Mr. Secchia … also became a confidant of two presidents. Under Gerald R. Ford, he delivered homespun Midwestern advice as a self-described 'chubby, chunky lumber salesman from Grand Rapids wearing jeans and a flannel shirt at the White House.' Under George H.W. Bush, he served as ambassador to Italy and San Marino from 1989 to 1993. … "He had been dealing with several health issues and was receiving nursing care at home when he contracted Covid-19. He died on Oct. 21 at his home in Grand Rapids." WEDDINGS -- Jaime Oliva and Edward Williams, via NYT: "Mr. Oliva, 30, [is] a senior adviser for strategic management at the Department of Health and Human Services … Williams [is] a senior associate at the law firm WilmerHale, and an adjunct professor and co-director of the Howard University Civil Rights Clinic. … [T]hey chose the United States National Arboretum, returning to the place that has been central in their relationship since the beginning, and married there on Oct. 4." -- Shampa Panda and Christopher Bryant, via NYT: "[She is] a trial lawyer in the environment and natural resources division of the Justice Department. … He is now a litigation associate in the political law group in Washington of Perkins Coie … On Oct. 17, the couple married in the garden outside the Charleston federal courthouse." BIRTHDAY OF THE DAY: Kenny Thompson Jr., head of external affairs for North America at PepsiCo, is 4-0. A trend he thinks doesn't get enough attention: "We keep hearing 'stay at home and wash your hands,' but that's not always possible. Today, more than 2 million Americans lack access to running water, indoor plumbing or wastewater services." Playbook Q&A BIRTHDAYS: Jane Pauley is 7-0 … Dan Rather is 89 … Lt. Gen. Ricky Waddell, assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff chair … Frank Bruni is 56 … Olivia Alair Dalton, founder of Dalton Strategies ... Justin Bis … Archana Mehta (h/t husband Manu Raju) … POLITICO's Betsy Woodruff Swan, Michael Kruse and Jack Shafer … ProPublica's Marilyn Thompson … Susan Orlean … Brad Spahn … former Puerto Rico Gov. Luis Fortuño, now a partner at Steptoe and Johnson … Jason Abel (h/ts Kathy King) … Peter Pasi, VP of political sales at Zeta Global … Clay Heil of Ice Miller Strategies … Alana Goodman … Cathy Cavender … Ryan Morgan, founder of Veracity Media … Cibele Reschke … Luke Mullins, senior writer at Washingtonian … Lee Fang … Marilyn Rosenthal, national director for progressive engagement at AIPAC … Piper Perabo … … Mike Ambrosini, Michigan GOP executive director (h/t wife Vanessa) … Adam Braun is 37 … Laura Oatman … Daryn Demeritt … Linh Tat … Mark Jacobson, assistant dean for the Maxwell School's programs in D.C. … Paula White (h/t Adam Davis) … Sam Tanenhaus is 65 … Sarah Brown … former Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) is 48 ... FTI Consulting's Joe Kon ... Lindsay Gellman … Lauren Vrazilek ... Lisa Hagen, national political reporter for U.S. News and World Report … Howard Friedman … Cynthia Meyer … George Bogden is 32 (h/t Andrew Barnhill) … Chris Stelmarski ... California Assemblymember Marc Berman is 4-0 … Jon Seaton is 45 … Rachel Bauer Taylor … Bobby Batts ... Kay Ryon Daly … Barbara Laker … John Rowley … John McCaslin … Ellen Warren … Regena Thomas … Brian Kettenring (h/ts Teresa Vilmain) … Caroline Pratt is 3-0 THE SHOWS (Full Sunday show listings here): | CNN | "State of the Union": Anita Dunn … Pete Buttigieg … Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) … Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer … Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf … Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers … Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine … David Chalian. Panel: David Axelrod, Rick Santorum, Karen Finney and Amanda Carpenter. | NBC | "Meet the Press" (from Studio 1A in Rockefeller Plaza): Bill McInturff and Jeff Horwitt … Pennsylvania Secretary of State Kathy Boockvar … Nate Persily … Ellison Barber, Blayne Alexander, Morgan Radford and Maura Barrett. Panel: Kasie Hunt, Rich Lowry, Claire McCaskill and Kristen Welker. | ABC | "This Week": White House chief of staff Mark Meadows … Anita Dunn. Panel: Mary Bruce, Jonathan Karl, Tom Llamas and Nate Silver. Election security panel: Pierre Thomas, Dan Abrams and Kate Shaw. Panel: Chris Christie, Rahm Emanuel, Sara Fagen and Donna Brazile. | CBS | "Face the Nation": RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel … Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.) … Jeh Johnson … Scott Gottlieb … Mark Strassmann … Anthony Salvanto with a CBS battleground tracker. | FOX | "Fox News Sunday": Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) … Corey Lewandowski. Panel: Karl Rove, Kristen Soltis Anderson and Juan Williams. Power Player: Arnon Mishkin. | Sinclair | "America This Week with Eric Bolling": Larry Kudlow … Bill O'Reilly … Rudy Giuliani … Carrie Severino … Michael Knowles … Amber Phillips. | Gray TV | "Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren": Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) … Kevin Cirilli and Annie Linskey. | | | | A message from the Partnership for America's Health Care Future: During this critical time, access to affordable, high-quality health care is more important than ever, but creating the public option could result in higher taxes or premiums for American families. In fact, a recent study finds the public option would become the third most expensive government program behind Medicare and Social Security, both of which are already at risk for those who rely on them.
Let's build on and improve what's working where private coverage, Medicare and Medicaid work together, not start over with a one-size-fits-all government health insurance system like the public option. Learn more. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our political and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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