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Trump: 'Very disloyal' if Pence, other Cabinet members run in 2024

Former President Trump said he would find it “very disloyal” if former Vice President Mike Pence or other members of his former Cabinet sought the GOP presidential nomination in 2024, seeking to send a warning to a number of figures weighing potential White House bids.

“Many of them have said they would never run if I run, so we’ll see if that turns out to be true,” Trump said Friday during a brief phone interview with conservative radio host and Fox News personality Brian Kilmeade. “I think it would be very disloyal if they did, but that’s OK, too.”

Trump boasted that “the polls have me leading by 40, 50 points” and said he would decide on whether to pursue another presidential bid “in the not-too-distant future.”

The former president has not said whether he intends to run, but has openly flirted with seeking a return to the White House.

Most polls show Trump as the clear favorite to reclaim the Republican nomination if he were to run, but several other high-profile Republicans like Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, among others, are also reportedly considering a bid for the White House.

Earlier this week, Pence took several swipes at Trump, warning conservatives against veering too far toward “unprincipled populism” during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

Trump has been sharply critical of his former vice president for not going along with his plan to stop the certification of President Biden’s electoral college victory on Jan. 6, 2021.

A former assistant to Trump told the House panel investigating the Jan. 6 riot earlier this year that Trump called Pence a “wimp” during a call between the men shortly before the riot.

Source: TEST FEED1

Jan. 6 panel formally issues subpoena to Trump

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol released its full subpoena to former President Trump, detailing 19 areas of inquiry it wishes to discuss with the former president and asking him to appear for a deposition on Nov. 14.

“As demonstrated in our hearings, we have assembled overwhelming evidence, including from dozens of your former appointees and staff, that you personally orchestrated and oversaw a multi-part effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election and to obstruct the peaceful transition of power,” Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and Vice Chair Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) wrote in the letter accompanying the subpoena.

In taking the remarkable step of issuing a subpoena to a former president, the committee departed from past practice and offered additional transparency by releasing the full, unredacted subpoena including all documents it is seeking.

The move comes after the committee took a public vote at its hearing last week to approve serving the subpoena.

In some ways, the 19-point schedule reads as a recap of many topics already touched on by the committee.

It makes a sweeping request for any documents or communications related to efforts to evaluate Vice President’s Mike Pence’s role in certifying the 2020 vote or “any actions he might take” on Jan. 6. It also asks for anything detailing his discussions, including hand-written notes, about other plots, including efforts to reach out to state lawmakers and election officials.

But it also highlights areas where the committee may still have significant gaps, including whether Trump had any contact with far-right groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, whose leaders are now facing trial on seditious conspiracy charges.

It also asks about any witness intimidation efforts involved with the committee’s investigation, asking about efforts to contact those who appeared or were expected to appear before panel staff.

This story was updated at 2:10 p.m.

Source: TEST FEED1

READ: Jan. 6 committee's subpoena to Trump

The House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol on Friday officially issued its subpoena to former President Trump.

The panel is asking Trump to provide certain documents by Nov. 4 and to participate in a deposition on Nov. 14.

Read the committee’s subpoena here.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden touts federal deficit: 'Largest one-year drop in American history'

President Biden on Friday touted recent figures showing the federal budget deficit fell by $1.4 trillion in fiscal year 2022 from the prior year’s levels, as Democrats work to fend off Republican attacks on the economy and inflation ahead of midterm elections.

Biden boasted the decline as “the largest one-year drop in American history” in remarks to reporters on Friday.

“Let me repeat that. The largest ever decline to the federal deficit,” he said. “Let me be clear. This record deficit reduction includes the cost of my student loan plan and everything else we’re paying for.” 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also marked the numbers as “further evidence of our historic economic recovery” on Friday, shortly after her office released data showing the deficit reached $1.375 trillion in fiscal year 2022, which ended last month.

The Biden administration said the figure was $40 billion less than forecasted in Biden’s 2023 budget and half of fiscal 2021 deficit, which reached $2.8 trillion, the second largest in history. The new reporting also found that, as a percentage of GDP, the fiscal 2022 deficit “was 6.8 percentage points lower than in the previous year.”

“The President’s economic plan is focused on growing our economy from the bottom up and the middle out,” Shalanda Young, Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said in a statement. “Under his leadership, more Americans are working today than at any point in our country’s history, our economy has added more than 10 million jobs, manufacturing is booming, and we cut last year’s deficit in half.”

However, budget hawks and conservatives have seized on the news, sounding a different note by taking aim at Democratic, pandemic-related relief like the American Rescue Plan and the Biden administration’s recent student loan forgiveness plan that they’ve panned as costly amid rising inflation. 

“We borrowed $1.4 TRILLION last year. That is not an accomplishment – it’s a reminder of how precarious our fiscal situation remains,” Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB), said in a statement.

“The entirety of the decline in the deficit between 2021 and 2022 can be attributed to the expiration of temporary COVID relief, not due to a renewed era of fiscal responsibility,” she said, while estimating the “deficit would have been almost $400 billion lower had the Biden Administration not decided to enact an inflationary, costly, and regressive student debt cancellation plan in August.”

The news on Friday follows weeks after Biden signed a sprawling climate, health care and tax bill, dubbed the Inflation Reduction Act, into law.

Democrats have touted the plan, a key piece of the president’s agenda, as a tool to fight inflation by putting billions toward deficit reduction. And while some experts agree the plan could be a step in the right direction to getting the country’s finances on track, many have downplayed the impact the plan would have on rising costs.

The press conference comes as Republicans have been hammering Democrats on the economy to win over voters upset about rising prices weeks before the 2022 midterm elections.

At the same time, Democratic leadership has acknowledged the party has room to improve in its messaging on inflation, as recent polling shows Republicans gaining the upper hand in key races.

During the press conference on Friday, Biden noted that “the polls have been all over the place,” but expressed optimism that Democrats will see “one more shift back to our side [in] the closing days.”

“We’re starting to see some of the good news on the economy. Gas prices are down sharply in 46 of the 50 states because of what I’ve been doing. We’re moving in the right direction,” Biden said, before going after Republicans for so-called “mega MAGA trickle down” policies.

“If Republicans get their way the difference is going to soar, the tax burden is going to fall on the middle class, and Republicans are working really hard,” the president said, while taking aim at GOP-backed proposals in areas like taxes and Social Security.

Source: TEST FEED1

The single-family housing shortage is worst in these cities

Story at a glance

• A recent data set tracking single-family housing availability through basic supply and demand shows the U.S. cities and metros where this aspect of the housing shortage is the worst.

• The data compares supply and demand by the number of permits issued for every new job. One single family permit is issued for every two new jobs in a balanced market. 

• The New York City metro area was hit hardest by the single-family housing shortage last year, according to data from the National Association of Realtors.

The U.S. is short millions of homes after decades of underdevelopment and a 2 1/2-year housing market boom that was driven by low mortgage rates and remote work options.

One piece of the broader shortage puzzle is the underproduction of single-family homes often stemming from land restriction policies.

But a recent data set tracking single-family housing availability through basic supply and demand shows the U.S. cities and metros where this aspect of the housing shortage is the worst.

The New York City metro area was hit hardest by the single-family housing shortage last year, according to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

In the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, one single-family permit was issued for nearly every 38 job openings over a 12-month period ending in July. During that time period, there were close to 497,000 new jobs compared to 13,229 single-family permits issued.

NAR’s housing shortage tracker compares supply and demand by the number of permits issued for every new job. One single family permit is issued for every two new jobs in a balanced market.

But what sets NAR’s tracker apart from other data measuring the shortage?

“NAR’s housing shortage tracker is unique as job growth — instead of household formation — is used as a proxy to measure housing demand,” Nadia Evangelou, NAR’s senior economist and director of real estate research, told The Hill.

“Keep in mind that as more people enter back into the workplace, demand for housing is expected to remain strong as they set their sights on homeownership,” Evangelou said.

After the New York City metropolitan area, the town hit hardest by the single-family housing shortage is Rockford, Illinois, near suburban Chicago. There were 236 single-family permits issued over 12 months ending in July compared with 7,600 new jobs – equaling 32.2 jobs for every housing permit issued.

The Illinois capitol of Springfield held the third spot on the shortage tracker. Here there were 4,200 jobs over the data period while 133 single-family permits were issued.

The San Francisco and Boston metro areas finish out the top five in NAR’s housing shortage tracker. In the San Francisco metro region, there were 30 new jobs for every single-family permit issued. And in Boston, there were more than 28 new jobs per permit.

Cities experiencing major shortages of single-family homes feature similar characteristics, Evangelou explained, saying they are “severely constrained by land-use restrictions” that increase the cost of homebuilding.

Still, the housing shortage, which NAR estimates at 5 million homes, is not a recent phenomenon.

“The housing shortfall was created over decades. After the mid-2000s boom, we continued to underbuild compared to the historical average,” Evangelou continued. “In the meantime, lower mortgage rates during the pandemic aggravated the shortage. Even though demand has slowed down, there are still not enough homes.”

Sky-high mortgage rates stemming from the Federal Reserve’s persistent interest rate hikes continue to put pressure on Americans looking to secure affordable housing. Although home prices and rents are falling in markets across the U.S., they remain higher than last year.

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.94 percent in the second week of October, up from 6.81 percent a week earlier, marking the highest 30-year rate since 2002.

High mortgage rates are also impacting the supply side as both inventory and home builder sentiment continue to fall.

Data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows that builder sentiment fell for the 10th straight month in September while prospective homebuyer traffic dropped to its lowest point since 2012 — the exception being the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Meanwhile, new housing construction fell in September as sky-high mortgage rates weakened demand.

Housing starts decreased 8.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.44 million units last month, while single-family starts declined by 4.7 percent, according to Commerce Department data released on Wednesday.

Despite slowly rising inventory after a two-year housing boom, economists say it remains at historic lows and they expect further declines.

NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz said in a statement earlier this week that housing starts, which reached their lowest point since 2011, will continue to fall as the market retracts.

“And given expectations for ongoing elevated interest rates due to actions by the Federal Reserve, 2023 is forecasted to see additional single-family building declines as the housing contraction continues,” Dietz said.

“While some analysts have suggested that the housing market is now more ‘balanced,’ the truth is that the homeownership rate will decline in the quarters ahead as higher interest rates and ongoing elevated construction costs continue to price out a large number of prospective buyers,” he concluded.

Source: TEST FEED1

Federal judge sentences Steve Bannon to four-months in prison

Steve Bannon was sentenced to four months in prison Friday for his defiance of a subpoena from the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

The one-time White House strategist was subpoenaed by the panel in September of last year after he failed to provide either the required documents or testimony as he railed against the committee.

Bannon claimed that he was unable to comply with the committee’s subpoena due to executive privilege. However, the panel sought to speak to Bannon about events that occurred well after his short stint in the White House. 

Federal district court Judge Carl Nichols ruled that Bannon would also pay a fine of $6,500 alongside his four month sentence, allowing Bannon to serve jailtime for each contempt of Congress charge concurrently. 

At the outset of the hearing Nichols said Bannon had shown “no remorse for his actions” and “has yet to demonstrate he has any intention of complying with the subpoena.”

But the judge also agreed to stay his ruling while Bannon appeals his guilty verdict.

A Justice Department prosecutor argued that Bannon deserved a severe penalty for his wholesale resistance to the committee’s subpoena, noting that “he never lifted a finger to find a responsive document” or appear in person to assert any potential privileges.

“The importance of this case has everything to do with defendant’s obligations as a citizen of the United States,” assistant U.S. attorney Joseph Cooney told the court.

“No one, regardless of their means, their station, the influence of their friends or their patrons, is above the law.”

Bannon’s attorneys – David Schoen, one of President Trump’s impeachment attorneys, and Evan Corcoran, who is currently representing the former president in the Mar-a-Lago case – argued Bannon had little choice but inaction when faced with the committee subpoena.

His hands were tied by Trump’s claim of executive privilege, they argued, with Schoen saying it was the “only lawful course he could take consistent with the Constitution and his obligation.”

A jury largely rejected that argument when it found Bannon guilty on both counts of contempt of Congress.

Source: TEST FEED1

Sotomayor on Clarence Thomas: 'I believe not everyone can reach their bootstraps'

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Thursday said that fellow Justice Clarence Thomas “cares about legal issues differently than me,” adding that she thinks “not everyone” can pull themselves up by their bootstraps.

Sotomayor, speaking at Chicago’s Roosevelt University, praised her colleague and said that he “cares about people.”

“He cares about legal issues differently than me,” the liberal Sotomayor said of her conservative colleague, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

“Clarence, who grew up very poor, believes that everyone is capable of pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. I believe not everyone can reach their bootstraps.”

Sotomayor, an Obama nominee, said she tries to “find the good in everybody.”

“I look for the things that they do that are good,” Sotomayor said discussing the range of views represented by the Supreme Court justices.

Sotomayor, who was awarded the Eleanor Roosevelt Social Justice Award at Thursday’s event, answered students’ questions as she conversed with retired Judge Ann Claire Williams from the Northern District of Illinois.

The event was organized by Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Organization, which attempts to provide a “pathway” for people of color into the legal profession.

Sotomayor also discussed the future of law and her judicial philosophy, saying that current laws “can make it hard for us to see the legal system as fair.”

“What’s fair is really a judgment of how we as a society are going to help each other. And how to share resources that are limited in as fair a way as we can,” she said.

“Those choices aren’t mine to make as a judge, but those are made in the laws that are passed.”

The former trial and appellate judge, who was nominated to the highest court in 2009, emphasized the importance of bringing up children with a view toward justice.

“I ask people, ‘What choice do we have but to keep trying to change things?’ Because if you feel disenfranchised and let other people fight for what they think is right and you’re not willing to get up and fight, then you are just giving it to them,” she said, addressing the next generation.

“We have civil rights because men and women died for them. How can we even think about giving up when others have spilled blood for justice?”

Sotomayor said that she tells children that “we adults have failed you,” acknowledging that her generation is leaving behind a “really messed-up world.”

“You are the future because you are going to do better than we did,” she said of children.

Source: TEST FEED1

The Hill's Morning Report — Biden stumps for Fetterman; Truss resigns

The watchword this morning, from the U.S. midterms to the U.K.’s Conservative Party, is turmoil.

Who’s up? For how long? What (or who) has the answers? Pollsters and forecasters on both sides of the pond are trying to make sense of tight races and uncertain futures with three weeks until Election Day in the States and a new prime minister on the horizon in Great Britain.

President Biden on Thursday made a campaign stop in Pennsylvania, appearing with Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) in Pittsburgh and stumping for him at a fundraiser in Philadelphia. “He’s got to win,” Biden told donors. 

Fetterman, who is running against Republican TV doctor Mehmet Oz, has an average 2.4 percentage point advantage in the polls according to Real Clear Politics (ABC News).

The president warned Democratic supporters that if Democrats don’t maintain control of the House and Senate next year, “a lot’s going to change.”

“We’re at a point where there’s not a lot of real Republicans left,” Biden said. “The folks running this party are the MAGA Republicans. They have a very different view about the government role. They have a different view of the world and it’s really consequential.”

Biden said the election is not a referendum on his leadership. “It’s a choice: What direction do you want to see this country going?” 

Fetterman, who suffered a stroke in May and has resumed campaigning, told the donor audience gathered Thursday night that he wants to be the “51st vote” in the Senate. The 6’9” lieutenant governor, who prefers shorts and hoodies as his professional wardrobe, was dressed in a baggy suit and tie and joked to appreciative laughter that it’s the only suit he owns. 

“It’s gonna be close,” Fetterman said of his race against Oz, before pointing to his opponent’s mansion in the Garden State. “Please send Dr. Oz back to New Jersey and send me to D.C. to be that 51st vote.”

Across the country, Democrats worry that Republicans are gaining in deep blue strongholds, including New York and Oregon, writes The Hill’s Caroline Vakil. Republicans are making competitive bids to take back governorships in both states, which have reliably gone for Democrats in presidential elections. The GOP gains could also extend to the House, where Republicans are making inroads in New York, California and Rhode Island, according to surveys.  

In New York, a Quinnipiac University survey of likely voters released Tuesday found Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) with a 4-point lead over Rep. Lee Zeldin (R) — the tightest any nonpartisan poll has found the race to date. A Siena College Research Institute poll released on Tuesday found that Hochul had an 11-point lead, significantly lower than the 17-point lead the governor had in September.

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter rates the New York race as “solid Democratic” (Forbes).

▪ Politico: Democrats are putting money and resources into … Rhode Island.

▪ The Washington Post: What voters in swing states are saying three weeks before midterms.

The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports from the campaign trail in North Carolina that  National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott (Fla.) predicts Republicans will likely control 52 Senate seats next year and have a pathway to a 55-seat majority, given recent polling that shows momentum among GOP candidates.

“It starts right here, we’re going to get 52 Republican senators, we have to win here,” Scott said at a get-out-to-vote event with Senate candidate Rep. Ted Budd (N.C.) at the Republican Black Community Center. “I think we can get 53, 54, 55.”

Presidential hopefuls, meanwhile, are traveling to New Hampshire with early frequency, The Hill’s Hanna Trudo reports. Lawmakers are campaigning for midterm candidates while introducing themselves to voters in the first-in-the-nation primary. It’s a sign that just weeks before Election Day, the 2024 election is already on the horizon. And the roster of Democrats making the rounds includes some of the same names who ran for president in 2020, restarting the conversation about what the next few years could look like if Biden doesn’t seek reelection — or possibly if he does.  

The Hill’s Emily Brooks breaks down five investigations to watch as the House GOP plots an oversight landslide if they win in November: Hunter Biden. The alleged politicization in the Department of Justice. The controversial withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. The origins of COVID-19. Big Tech censorship. 

▪ The Hill: Biden says he’s worried about more congressional assistance for Ukraine if Republicans gain House control.

▪ NBC News: Will Congress give the Department of Justice another $34 million in December to continue prosecuting the Capitol rioters? That’s what the department says it needs to continue its probe and prosecutions tied to Jan. 6, 2021.

Related Articles

▪ The Washington Post: Former Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday said he might prefer someone other than former President Trump in the next election. Asked whether he’d back the former president in 2024, Pence paused and with a wry smile told an audience at Georgetown University, “Well, there might be somebody else I’d prefer more.” 

▪ The New York Times: Sentencing of former Trump adviser Stephen Bannon for willfully disobeying a congressional subpoena is scheduled today. The Justice Department recommended six months in prison and a fine.

▪ The Hill: Potential 2024 GOP presidential candidates who are also authors find their books atop bestseller lists.

▪ The Washington Post: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) must testify in 2020 election investigation, Georgia court rules.

▪ The New York Times: How disinformation splintered and became more intractable.

LEADING THE DAY

➤ INTERNATIONAL

British Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned on Thursday and will be replaced next week by the Conservative Party, ending a damaging and chaotic 44-day tenure as the United Kingdom’s leader, the shortest in its history.

The thumbs-down from the bond market for her mini-budget, including proposed tax cuts during a period of high inflation, then her policy about-face, sent the British pound and her party’s approval ratings plunging this week.

In a brief statement, Truss said that “given the situation” she could not continue to deliver on her party’s “mandate.” Her critics quickly pounced to note that Truss could claim a fiscal ideology but never had a governing mandate.

The Conservative Party pledged to put to a vote two replacement candidates by Oct. 28. There was no immediate consensus about the economic and political skills needed to weather prolonged expectations for soaring prices, energy challenges, war in Ukraine and the frustrations of an impatient and distrustful populace.

Truss last month succeeded Boris Johnson, who announced his resignation in July after three tumultuous years in office. Johnson is rumored to be an eager contender for a comeback, which would be a dramatic reversal of fortune requiring nominations from at least 100 Conservative members of parliament.

The Washington Post and The New York Times: Here are possible contenders.

In Ukraine, the military wants to launch an offensive in coming days to retake the city of Kherson from Russian control while also trying to resist a furious Russian assault on the key eastern city of Bakhmut (The Hill). 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that his country had information that Russia had mined a dam near Kherson in what he said could be a “false flag” plan to blow up a hydroelectric plant in order to flood 80 Ukrainian towns, villages and cities, including Kherson, while falsely blaming the Ukrainian military for resulting devastation (The New York Times). 

Russian-backed officials have said they intend to move as many as 60,000 civilians from Kherson to the eastern side of the Dnieper River, ostensibly to shield them from a Ukrainian counteroffensive. Kherson is a key target because the region is one of four Ukrainian provinces that connect Russia by land to the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow has held since 2014 (The New York Times).

Russia’s use of Iranian manufactured drones to try to gain an advantage over Ukraine’s military forces, civilians and the country’s infrastructure, including power, heat and water, has galvanized U.S. and allied governments to try to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses. Iranian trainers allied with Russia and working to stave off Russian errors while using Tehran’s weaponry are on the ground in Crimea to support Russian drone strikes against Ukraine, the White House said (The Hill and The New York Times). Iran denies involvement.

White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters that the Pentagon is exploring “potential air defense solutions for the Ukrainians,” including movement of additional capabilities to Ukraine. “DOD is well aware of the threat and is working hard to see what they can do to help the Ukrainians deal with the threat,” he said.

The Hill: Saudi Arabia is unfazed by U.S. backlash tied to oil production cuts as Russia reaps the benefits.

IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES

➤ ADMINISTRATION  

A federal appeals court ruled that the funding structure of the nation’s most powerful financial watchdog agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, is unconstitutional. In a case brought by a payday lending group, a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday threw out a CFPB regulation governing those high-interest-rate lenders and ruled that the way the bureau is funded “violates the Constitution’s structural separation of powers.” The bureau draws its resources from the Federal Reserve, not from congressional appropriations (NPR and Bloomberg Law).

Senate Banking Committee member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) — who as an academic urged the government to create the independent consumer financial watchdog and as a senator helped enact it —  called the court’s decision “lawless” and “reckless” on Twitter.

The bureau, created by Congress amid the wreckage of the financial crisis in 2010 to safeguard consumer financial interests, has not indicated whether it will appeal the decision. A spokesperson for the agency said in a statement that there’s “nothing novel or unusual about Congress’s decision to fund the CFPB outside of annual spending bills.”

“Other federal financial regulators and the entire Federal Reserve System are funded that way, and programs such as Medicare and Social Security are funded outside of the annual appropriations process,” the spokesperson said (Business Insider).

Meanwhile, the president’s controversial student debt forgiveness policy continues, at least for now. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett on Thursday without explanation denied an emergency bid to block the administration’s program in response to a challenge filed by Wisconsin plaintiffs (The Hill). 

OPINION

■ Truss’s resignation in the U.K. is a warning for Republicans, by Henry Olsen, columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/3VWRi75 

■ A depressing return to a well-worn election playbook — because it works, by Mary C. Curtis, staff writer, Roll Call. https://bit.ly/3ShIOnF

WHERE AND WHEN

The House meets at 11 a.m. for a pro forma session. Members are scheduled to return to the Capitol on Nov. 14. ​​

The Senate convenes Monday at 1:45 p.m. for a pro forma session. Senators make their way back to Washington on Nov. 14. 

The president will travel to Delaware State University in Dover, Del., for a speech about student debt relief. Biden then heads to his home in Rehoboth, Del., where he will remain over the weekend. An interview with the president by MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart will broadcast at 7 p.m. ET.

Vice President Harris has no public events today.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will join Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) in Herndon, Va., at 10:30 a.m. at the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation to champion administration investments in technology, innovation, clean energy and R&D. Yellen and Kaine will participate in a roundtable with local entrepreneurs and representatives from Virginia colleges and universities. They’ll be joined by Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.).

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will host a working lunch with French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna at the Department of State at noon. He will hold a joint press availability with Colonna at 1:20 p.m.

ELSEWHERE

➤ PANDEMIC & HEALTH 

Cutthroat work conditions and long hours are harmful to workers’ mental and physical health, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned in a Thursday report. It’s the first time the surgeon general’s office has weighed in on the effects a toxic workplace can have on wellbeing, and comes as workers across the country reconsider their place in the workforce and the toll their jobs are taking on them (Forbes).

A flurry of new COVID-19 variants appears to be gaining traction globally, raising the possibility of a winter surge as people spend more time indoors amid dropping temperatures. Unlike in past years, where variants have popped up one by one, this year’s surge could be linked to a combination of sub-variants spreading across the globe (CNN).

▪ The Mercury News: How the end of federal COVID-19 funding early next year will shift costs to consumers.

▪ The New York Times: In anonymous focus groups, these doctors admit they don’t want patients with disabilities.

▪ The Washington Post: The Adderall shortage is so bad some patients can’t fill their prescriptions.

Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported as of this morning, according to Johns Hopkins University (trackers all vary slightly): 1,067,190. Current U.S. COVID-19 deaths are 2,566 for the week, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (The CDC today changed its tally of available data from daily to weekly.)

➤ SOCIAL MEDIA’S BILLIONAIRES

Rapper Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — is buying the right-wing social media app Parler, but it may do little to reignite the already floundering platform. But Ye, who has come under fire in recent weeks for racist and antisemitic comments that have resulted in bans from mainstream social media sites, is just the latest billionaire looking to invest in social media (The Washington Post). 

Taken as a piece in a larger puzzle of the rich buying, creating and investing in social media apps, writes The Hill’s Rebecca Klar, the purchase sets the stage for an online ecosystem shaped by the ideological views of ultra-wealthy men with outsized, consolidated power. The market of social media apps catering to a right-wing audience is crowded, as they offer spaces for the racism, antisemitism, misogyny and conspiracy theories that mainstream platforms prohibit. 

Although none of the alternative platforms boast user numbers on par with the mainstream sites, as billionaires open their deep pockets, they’re allowing the alternative companies to expand further into the tech market and operate without abiding by mainstream tech’s rules.  

▪ The Hill’s In the Know: Trump, West comments “shatter” the feelings of safety for Jewish people in the United States. 

▪ Politico: Parler was jubilant about West’s purchase. Then the problems started.

▪ The New Yorker: West’s Parler games.

Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is in talks to buy Twitter, plans to gut 75 percent of its workforce once he takes over, The Washington Post reports. The change would likely have a major impact on the site’s ability to control harmful content and prevent data security crises.

Bloomberg News: Twitter tells staff there aren’t plans for company-wide layoffs.

THE CLOSER

And finally … Congratulations to Morning Report Quiz winners! They Googled and guessed some Halloween headlines and one flashback to the White House in 1958.

🪓 But, apologies to puzzlers who encountered a software demon that balked at a decimal point, which meant a multiple-choice answer about inflation’s impact on candy prices went from “13.1 percent” (correct) to “1 percent” in readers’ inboxes. Puzzlers who were stumped, accused us of a ploy, rounded to 15 percent or submitted the correct answer, bravo! They suffered no penalty.  

Navigating our trick-or-treat trivia to victory: Amanda Fisher, Randall Patrick, Ki Harvey, Joan Domingues, David Letostak, Candi Cee, Paul Harris, Pam Manges, Stan Wasser, Lou Tisler, Patrick Kavanagh, Richard Baznik, Robert Bradley, Sharon Banitt, Steve James and Kathleen Kovalik.

They all knew that the Top 10 most popular Halloween costumes in 2022, according to Google Trends “most searched” list, as reported this week by news outlets, included cheerleader, witch and Spider-Man, so the best answer was “all of the above.”

Actress Jamie Lee Curtis recently spoke to The New York Times about her final film in a long-running horror franchise, “Halloween Ends.”

Mamie Eisenhower is the former first lady who set the trend of decorating the White House for Halloween. 🎃

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GOP wave threatens blue-state strongholds

Democrats are increasingly worried that Republicans will make gains in deep-blue strongholds such as New York and Oregon as the winds appear to shift in the GOP’s favor ahead of next month’s midterm elections. 

The GOP is making competitive bids to take back governorships in both states, which reliably go for Democrats in presidential elections. The Republican gains could also extend to the House, where the GOP is making inroads in the aforementioned states, along with Rhode Island and others. 

“I would say Oregon Democrats are worried. We have a history of competitive gubernatorial elections, but usually we’re up by at least two points at this point in October, not down by two like the current public polls show,” said Oregon-based Democratic strategist Jake Foster. 

“And you know, frankly, we’re not used to hearing our state mentioned in the same breath as Arizona or Nevada,” Foster added, noting two other closely watched gubernatorial races.

Oregon has not elected a Republican governor since 1982, nor has it gone for the GOP presidential nominee since 1984. In 2020 alone, President Biden won the state by 16 points. 

But Republican Christine Drazan could be poised this year to win the Oregon gubernatorial race over Democrat Tina Kotek given a confluence of factors. Current Gov. Kate Brown (D) is the most unpopular governor in the country per data from Morning Consult. Adding to that are issues like crime and homelessness, which are seen as top of mind for residents. Finally, but just as significantly, third-party candidate Betsy Johnson, a Democrat-turned-Independent, could complicate things further by siphoning off votes from her former party.

An Emerson College Polling survey released earlier this month showed Drazan leading Kotek 36 percent to 34 percent, within the margin of error and effectively tying the two. Kotek’s campaign blamed Johnson for being a disruptor in the race and taking away crucial votes.

“One of the main reasons Tina decided to run for Governor is because Kate Brown was absent on two of Oregon’s biggest problems: homelessness and addiction. Tina has an urgent plan of action to make real change in all of these areas: reducing homelessness, making housing more affordable, and fixing our broken mental health and addiction treatment systems,” Kotek spokesperson Katie Wertheimer said in a statement.

“She will lead where Kate Brown couldn’t or wouldn’t. Christine Drazan has a failing record on these issues, and we don’t need to take our state to the far right-wing to fix these problems.”

Over in New York, recent polling has also shown Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D) lead shrinking as she tries to fend off a challenge from Republican Lee Zeldin. A Siena College survey released on Tuesday showed 52 percent of respondents saying they would vote for Hochul compared to 41 percent for Zeldin, a narrower margin than the 17-percentage point margin the governor held in a poll three weeks ago. The latest Siena College survey poll also showed Zeldin leading Hochul among independents, 49 percent to 40 percent. 

Meanwhile, a separate Quinnipiac University poll also released on Tuesday showed Hochul only leading Zeldin 50 percent to 46 percent. Among independents, Zeldin led Hochul 57 percent to 37 percent. Still, Hochul’s approval rating shows her above water for now. 

Hochul campaign spokesman Jerrel Harvey, who took issue with the Quinnipiac poll, said the governor was not taking the race for granted.

“Despite $8 million in outside spending from right-wing groups pushing baseless lies, Governor Hochul maintains a double-digit lead against her opponent,” he said. “Even in today’s Quinnipiac poll, which substantially undercounted Democrats, Governor Hochul continues to receive support from fifty percent of New Yorkers and we are confident in our ability to turn out voters in every community.”

Still, some Democrats see the numbers as unsettling.

“It’s concerning,” said Basil Smikle, former executive director for the New York State Democratic Party. “It means that … Hochul needs to make a strong closing argument to the voter in these last couple of weeks.”

Smikle noted that the issue of crime was a salient one in the state, including in New York City. He said that Zeldin had “tapped into this nerve” on an issue that both parties care about. He also believed that the party is suffering from the historic national headwinds a president’s party typically faces in midterms, adding that they could have implications for more than just Hochul.

“I will say that these national winds are not just about the … gubernatorial race. There are two congressional races that should concern Democrats … the 17th and the 19th,” Smikle said, referring to Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney’s (D-N.Y.) race and a newly drawn open seat, later adding that “those two races should not be as close as they are forecast to be.” 

Still, Democrats are brushing off those concerns, saying they understood the political environment they were walking into this cycle. 

“From day one, the DCCC has been clear eyed about the electoral challenges we face this cycle. Across the map, we are more competitive because House Democrats, like Chairman Maloney, took action to end the pandemic, get people back to work, and invest in America. Voters are going to reject extremist Republicans like MAGA Mike Lawler in November — Every special election in New York this summer makes that clear,” said Chris Taylor, spokesperson for the House Democrats’ campaign arm. 

Cody Eiss, campaign manager for Democrat Josh Riley, who’s running in the 19th district, echoed that sentiment, saying “We’re not focused on what the forecasters and pundits in D.C. say or the chattering class in Albany and D.C., we’re focused on running our campaign and delivering a winning message.”

Yet elsewhere too there are House districts of various shades of blue where this trend is emerging. Take, for example, Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District: The seat has long been considered a safely Democratic one, having been represented by outgoing Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) for two decades. 

But recent polling has shown Republican Allan Fung leading Democrat Seth Magaziner, including a Suffolk University-Boston Globe poll released last week that had Fung at 45 percent compared to Magaziner at 37 percent. And the race has been rated a “toss up” by the nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report.

In Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, which has similarly been seen as favoring Democrats and which went for Biden by double digits in 2020, the race has also been rated a “toss up” by the Cook Report. Though the district is not quite as blue as other House seats, the competitive environment has required Democrats to move around their resources. 

AdImpact, which tracks ad spending among campaigns, noted that a super PAC aligned with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), had moved their broadcast flight from Oregon’s 5th Congressional District to the 6th Congressional District.

Miles Coleman, associate editor for Sabato’s Crystal Ball, said it’s possible the Democrats in Oregon running for Congress could ride on the coattails of Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who is up for reelection this year and whom Coleman described as an “electoral overperformer.” 

Still, Republicans believe the environment and type of candidates this cycle has fielded has given them a shot at making serious inroads. 

“Gains in the northeast are poised to be the story of the night,” predicted Matt Gorman, a former spokesperson for the House GOP campaign arm. “Whether [it’s] Allan Fung in Rhode Island, George Logan in Connecticut. Even governorships, possibly, Paul LePage. How well we could do in New York in the House seats and maybe even getting close to the governor’s race.”

Source: TEST FEED1