Top Items:

Senate Democrats Poised to Pick Up 5-7 Seats — Senate Republicans had been doing a pretty solid job of maintaining their distance from GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump by running their own campaign that focused largely on more local issues or those issues that motivate their base.
Discussion:
Politico, RedState, Politicus USA, Washington Post and Talking Points Memo
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Clarence Thomas's Twenty-Five Years Without Footprints — This month marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of Clarence Thomas's confirmation to the Supreme Court. Conservatives like Thomas have dominated the Court throughout his tenure, and he has been in the majority in all of their victories.
Discussion:
Althouse

Reid: ‘I have set the Senate’ for nuclear option
Discussion:
neo-neocon, Constitution Daily, Instapundit, New York Magazine and Daily Kos


What Drives Donald Trump? Fear of Losing Status, Tapes Show — By any measure, Arsenio Hall was a Hollywood success: He had starred in popular films, packed houses as a stand-up comic and hosted a hit late-night television show bearing his name. — Donald J. Trump saw it differently by the mid-2000s.
Discussion:
Vox, Talking Points Memo, Media Matters for America, Guardian and Mediaite

Florida spirals away from Trump — From polling to early voting trends to TV ad spending to ground game, Donald Trump's Florida fortunes are beginning to look so bleak that some Republicans are steeling themselves for what could be the equivalent of a “landslide” loss in the nation's biggest battleground state.
Discussion:
McClatchy Washington Bureau, No More Mister Nice Blog, New York Magazine, Hullabaloo and The Week
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Florida Democrats poised to overtake Republicans in early votes — MIAMI — Fueled by a strong first day of in-person early voting, more than 1.6 million Floridians have cast pre-Election Day ballots as Democrats threaten to overtake Republicans in the number of votes banked before Nov. 8.
Discussion:
USA Today, steveschale.squarespace.com, Hot Air and BuzzFeed


Poll: Republican Party Fractured As Hillary Clinton Maintains Solid Lead — Hillary Clinton's 5-point lead over Donald Trump remains virtually unchanged since last week—but after prolonged in-fighting among GOP party leaders, a majority of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters (57 percent) …
Discussion:
Rasmussen Reports, Hot Air, The Daily Caller, Towleroad, Political Wire, AOL and CNBC
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Stressed About the Election? If So, You've Got Company
Discussion:
Balloon Juice and New York Magazine

WATCH LIVE: Thousands expected at Donald Trump rally in Sanford
Discussion:
The Gateway Pundit

Poll: GOP voters trust Trump more than Ryan to lead party
Discussion:
The Right Scoop and The Gateway Pundit


Donald Trump has no idea what Obamacare does — Trump spouts the classiest, most luxurious word salad you've ever heard. — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's employees are having a “tremendous problem” with health plans they don't actually have.
Discussion:
Wall Street Journal, NPR, Washington Post, The Huffington Post and Fox News
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To work as intended, Obamacare needs a bigger, more unpopular mandate
Discussion:
Washington Post


A CITY CLERK OPPOSED AN EARLY-VOTING SITE AT UW-GREEN BAY BECAUSE ‘STUDENTS LEAN MORE TOWARD THE DEMOCRATS’ — New e-mails released to The Nation reveal ongoing GOP attempts to suppress the vote. — By , — Students wait in long lines to register and vote at UW-Eau Claire Davies Center on Tuesday, April 5, 2016.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo, alan.com, New York Times, Occupy Democrats, The New Civil Rights Movement and Law News
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Police: Homes Near Sen. Pat Toomey's Vandalized With Anti-GOP Messages — UPPER MILFORD Twp., Pa. — A pair of homes were vandalized, with anti-GOP messages in Zionsville, Pa. near the residence of Senator Pat Toomey in Lehigh County, who is currently battling challenger Katie McGinty for his seat.
Discussion:
Philly.com, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, Hot Air, Washington Free Beacon and Talking Points Memo
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Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey Still Won't Answer Trump Question
Discussion:
CNBC


Donald Trump: ‘I have no interest in Trump TV’ — Donald Trump says he has no interest in setting up “Trump TV” when the election ends. — “No, I have no interest in Trump TV,” Trump said on Cincinnati radio station 700WLW on Tuesday. “I hear it all over the place.
Discussion:
ABC News, Politico, Mediaite, alan.com, Talking Points Memo, Hot Air, Independent Journal Review, Bloomberg.com, twitchy.com and Wired, more at Mediagazer »

Trump: I've Been Endorsed By The Military ‘Conceptually, At Least’ (VIDEO) — Donald Trump's habit of claiming endorsements that do not exist kicked into gear again Tuesday morning, when the Republican nominee claimed to have been endorsed “largely, at least conceptually, by the military.”
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Trump quieter, but makes similar points in one-on-one interview
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, NBC News, Guardian, Daily Kos and Business Insider


The Right Is Giving Up on Democracy — It's not just Donald Trump and his fans who think the system is rigged. — The single most ominous thing that Donald Trump said in all three presidential debates was a misguided attempt at a quip: “I'll keep you in suspense, okay?”
Discussion:
Forbes


Gov. Phil Bryant joined the Gallo Show to discuss Trump vs. Hillary — Rebel Report - Georgia On Our Minds — Ole Miss has a great opportunity to beat a highly ranked opponent on Saturday. Georgia is undefeated but has look suspect on both sides of the ball all season long.
Discussion:
Talking Points Memo and Right Wing Watch


AT&T Is Spying on Americans for Profit — On Nov. 11, 2013, Victorville, California, sheriff's deputies and a coroner responded to a motorcyclist's report of human remains outside of town. — They identified the partially bleached skull of a child, and later discovered the remains …
Discussion:
Hit & Run, Consumerist and Gizmodo, more at Mediagazer »


Bernie defended Clinton on her leaked emails — but he couldn't resist taking one shot — About one year ago, Bernie Sanders memorably told Hillary Clinton during a primary debate that the American people were “sick and tired of hearing about your damn emails.” — It appears he still thinks they are.
Discussion:
Politico, AOL and New York Times

Trump Spent $300K Of Donor Money On Books From ‘Art Of The Deal’ Publisher — It looks like Donald Trump's book sales got a boost from his own presidential campaign. — The Republican nominee directed $300,000 of small donors' money to the publisher of his bestselling business book …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post, Daily Kos and Politicus USA


Oversampling is used to study small groups, not bias poll results — Every election year, questions arise about how polling techniques and practices might skew poll results one way or the other. In the final weeks before this year's election, the practice of “oversampling” …
Discussion:
The Huffington Post


Giuliani: When I see Clinton, ‘I see her in an orange jumpsuit’ — (CNN)Former New York mayor and top Trump adviser Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that when he looks at Hillary Clinton, he sees her “in an orange jumpsuit.” — Giuliani was asked by host Dom Giordano on 1210 WPHT Philadelphia radio …
Discussion:
AOL and Washington Times


Syrian refugee with FOUR WIVES and 23 CHILDREN ‘claims £320,000 a year in benefits’ — A SYRIAN refugee with four wives and 23 children has sparked outrage after it was claimed he was receiving a staggering £320,000 a year in benefits. — GETTY — Around one million migrants arrived in Germany last year
Discussion:
The Daily Caller and Jihad Watch


Obama Was Right About Republican Extremism All Along — They should've listened to his warnings about the dangers of right-wing rhetoric. Now they're going to pay for it. — It has been a long time since a popular, term-limited president has campaigned vigorously on behalf of his presumptive heir.
Discussion:
Business Insider

The Failure Of American Institutions, Not Of Conservatism, Made Donald Trump Possible — The Washington Free Beacon's Matthew Continetti argues at length in an essay published Friday that populism has displaced conservatism in the Republican Party, creating a crisis for the conservative intellectual class …
Discussion:
Washington Post


Attempting To Woo Latino Voters, Marco Rubio Gets Booed At Orlando Festival — Florida Sen. Marco Rubio got booed off a stage in Orlando on Sunday, by a crowd that was overwhelmingly Latino. — It happened at Calle Orange, a street festival in downtown Orlando geared toward the city's large Puerto Rican community.
Discussion:
Daily Kos

Breitbart coordinated with liberal activist and organizer who disrupted GOP primary campaign events — A liberal activist and organizer coordinated with reporters from the conservative news site Breitbart during the primaries to cover his disruptions of events for candidates such as Sen. Marco Rubio.

Priebus to hold nationwide ‘members-only’ RNC call — Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus has scheduled a conference call with RNC members for Wednesday afternoon, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO. — Priebus is asking party officials to dial in to a 1 pm ET conference call.
Discussion:
Politicus USA

The Political Environment on Social Media — In a political environment defined by widespread polarization and partisan animosity, even simple conversations can go awry when the subject turns to politics. In their in-person interactions, Americans can (and often do) attempt to steer clear of those with whom they strongly disagree.
Discussion:
Washington Post, NPR and Mashable


Glenn Beck: Trump is a ‘sociopath’ — Conservative radio host Glenn Beck on Monday called GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump — a “sociopath” who can't connect with others “on a human level.” — “Have you seen him during the last year and a half truly feel for someone that couldn't help him?
Discussion:
RedState

How angry does Donald Trump make me? Angry enough to steal 40 Trump signs. — How a middle-aged mom became a political vandal. … Donald Trump campaigns in Bangor, Maine, on Oct. 15. (Photo by Sarah Rice/Getty Images) — FALMOUTH, Maine — I committed a crime this month, along with two of my friends.
Discussion:
Althouse and Central Maine