| | | | | President Trump is brought on stage by Sen.Ted Cruz Monday night at a rally at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Credit: Loren Elliott/Getty Images | | | Melania's Spox Invites "Ellen" Producer to White House: FLOTUS spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham tweeted the invite
Obama Still Wants Supporters to Stop Booing, Start Voting: He called "indifference" the biggest threat to democracy
Kanye Donates to Chicago Mayoral Candidate: Ye gave $73,540 to longshot candidate | | | What the White House is Talking About:
President Trump today begins his official public schedule at 2 p.m. with remarks at the State Leadership Conference for Alaska, Hawaii and California. Then he signs a water infrastructure act. This evening he receives a military briefing and then hosts a White House dinner for senior military leaders.
What the White House Press Corps is Talking About:
Get ready to travel. Trump plans at least 10 more rallies before Election Day, according to his campaign. He has already held 20 since July. The campaign also will launch a $6 million national tv and digital ad campaign on Monday.
Also, time check: there has not been a White House press briefing since October 3rd.
Trump Frustrated with Saudis:
The continuing story about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is nagging at the President, who CNN reports is increasingly frustrated. Trump is feeling betrayed by the Saudis, complaining about the blanket coverage of Khashoggi's death and the effect it's having on his attempts to turn the national conversation back toward the midterm elections.
Nationalism, Good:
Last night at his Houston rally, the President said he was a nationalist, and that people should "use that word" to describe him. So, he's not a globalist: "A globalist is a person that wants the globe to do well, frankly, not caring about the country so much. You know, we can't have that," said Trump.
Socialism, Bad:
The White House this morning issued a statement from the press secretary citing a report from the Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) decrying the harmfulness of socialism. It says, "socialism is making a comeback," among other things, but it's really difficult to see this somewhat bizarre content from the White House as anything more than political. Between the caravan, the threat of "mob" Democrats, and now socialism's alleged resurgence, it's sort of a 2016 deja vu fear tactics thing all over again.
White House Fight Turned Physical:
In February, a shouting match between chief of staff John Kelly and former Trump staffer Corey Lewandowski turned into a shoving altercation -- Kelly grabbed Lewandowski by the collar and tried to have him removed from the West Wing. The New York Times, which broke the story, said the fight was so intense it required the Secret Service to get involved. Kelly's temper has become something of a headline grabber lately; last week a story about a loud fight outside the Oval Office with national security adviser John Bolton was reported. Former communications director Anthony Scaramucci referred to Kelly's outbursts on a Sunday talk show this weekend as "hissy fits."
Our Daily Melania:
Melania Trump is hosting a group of sixth graders at the White House movie theater today for a screening of the movie "Wonder," part of National Bullying Prevention Month activities. (I'll be over there for it, so catch me on Twitter for insights.) The first lady's office says they chose "Wonder" because it "highlight[s] the importance of choosing kindness – a core belief of Mrs. Trump's Be Best campaign."
Meanwhile, Melania's spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham, had a message today for the executive producer of "Ellen," who has a habit of tweeting negative stuff about FLOTUS. Andy Lassner wrote, "I'm way more afraid of another Melania getting in to this country than I am of any caravan of human beings seeking asylum." To which, Grisham tweeted: | | Credit: @stephgrisham45/Twitter
And then Lassner responded about an hour or so later this morning with this. And around and around we go, #2018: | | Credit: @andylassner/Twitter
Happy DC Halloween!:
Or, well, Arlington Halloween, which is where a Facebook pal noted this house and sent the picture my way. I dig this display (fun Halloween graveyard pun intended - hi, I'm Kate!) and I love that people put this sort of time and energy into being creative about a holiday. I've always admired the Halloween decor crowd because I can barely muster a pumpkin or two, but lots of slow claps for this guy. Read the tombstone headings because they're super 😂 . | | What America is Talking About: - It's 14 days until the midterm election.
- 2020 hopefuls are stumping for candidates across the country, like Sen. Kamala Harris, in Iowa. Today she'll be in Cedar Falls, Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids.
- Republicans have more cash on hand than Democrats, including $51.3 million in the bank for the RNC, compared to $10.3 million for the DNC.
- House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's California office was vandalized Monday night, and an explosive device targeting George Soros was found near his home.
- Pro wrestler Roman Reigns announced that he'll give up WWE's Universal Championship because he's battling leukemia.
- Netflix is taking on $2 billion in debt to produce more shows.
Poll of the Day:
Support for legalizing marijuana continues to climb. The latest Gallup poll on the topic found now two-thirds of Americans support legalization, including 75% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 53% of Republicans. | | Credit: Gallup
That puts support for legalized marijuana at about the same level of support for same-sex marriage.
Abrams Campaign Explains Her College Protest Over Georgia Flag:
Georgia's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams attended a protest in 1992 (when she was a college freshman) at which the Georgia flag was burned, according to the New York Times. In a statement to CNN, her campaign defended her presence at the protest, saying it was a "permitted, peaceful protest against the Confederate emblem in the flag."
"During Stacey Abrams' college years, Georgia was at a crossroads, struggling with how to overcome racially divisive issues, including symbols of the Confederacy, the sharpest of which was the inclusion of the Confederate emblem in the Georgia state flag," the statement read. Abrams debates her Republican opponent Brian Kemp tonight.
Obama Still Wants Supporters to Stop Booing, Start Voting:
That was his message last night in Las Vegas when the crowd booed. "The threat to our democracy does not come from one person in the White House or Republicans in Congress or big money lobbyists," he said. "The biggest threat to our democracy is indifference."
Also at Obama's rally in support of Nevada Democrats was Salt-N-Pepa. | | Credit: Denise Truscello/WireImage
Avenatti Hit With $4.8 Million Judgment:
A California judge on Monday ordered attorney Michael Avenatti to pay a $4.8 million debt owed to his former law partner.
Kanye Donates to Chicago Mayoral Candidate:
Kanye West has given $73,540 to Amara Enyia, a long shot candidate for mayor in Chicago, according to the Chicago Sun Times. Enyia's campaign used the money to pay off debts for filing fees and penalties to the Illinois State Board of Elections. She was endorsed by Chance the Rapper about a week ago, and told the Sun Times they will be co-campaigning. Enyia and Chance are holding a campaign event today.
Alice Johnson Credit's Kanye's Trump Support for her Release:
Alice Johnson, the woman whose sentence was commuted by Trump after he met with Kim Kardashian West, credits Kanye West's support of Trump with getting her out of prison. "Alice always says if it wasn't for Kanye speaking up in support of Trump, then she would still be in jail," Kardashian said on Alec Baldwin's new ABC talk show.
"The bigger goal is to get these bills passed that really change the laws," Kardashian West said, including making a distinction between drugs such as crack and cocaine. And, she said, she likes to keep politics separate from her business, unlike her husband. | | Credit: ABC
Street Art Sighting:
Sabo put up Rep. Maxine Waters' face and the words "#Uncivil Democrats" on a billboard for the movie "Halloween" on Pico Blvd. in West Hollywood. | | Credit: @unsavoryagents/Instagram
If you spot political street art, tweet me @hunterschwarz, tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com with your sighting so I can feature it in COVER/LINE.
P.S.:
HBD "...Baby One More Time." The song turned 20 years old today. Here's a rare interview with songwriter Max Martin talking alongside Britney Spears about recording. The song was the first No. 1 hit for both of them. | | | | | | |
