memeorandum: Former Pennsylvania mayor to be sentenced for corrupt fundraising (David DeKok/Reuters)

6:50 AM ET, October 23, 2018

Top Items:

Explosive Device Found Near George Soros's Home in Westchester County — An explosive device was found on Monday near the Westchester County home of George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who is a favorite target of right-wing groups, according to a law enforcement official.

Discussion: Politico, NPR, Reuters, Raw Story, The Week, CNBC, HuffPost, Washington Times and The Daily Caller

New York Times:

Trump and G.O.P. Candidates Brandish Race and Immigration to Sway Close Election — President Trump on Monday sharply intensified a Republican campaign to frame the midterm elections as a battle over immigration and race, issuing a dark and factually baseless warning that “unknown Middle Easterners” …

Discussion: Washington Post and The Week

Washington Post:

Trump and Republicans settle on fear — and falsehoods — as a midterm strategy — President Trump has settled on a strategy of fear — laced with falsehoods and racially-tinged rhetoric — to help lift his party to victory in the coming midterms, part of a broader effort to energize Republican voters …

Discussion: CNN

Politico:
How Trump settled on the caravan as a midterm wedge issue

Discussion: Breitbart, The Texas Tribune and Washington Post

Margaret Sullivan / Washington Post:
The caravan is coming! And it's high time to calm the rising media frenzy.

Discussion: The Week, Mediaite and CNN, more at Mediagazer »

Linda Qiu / New York Times:
Trump's Evidence-Free Claims About the Migrant Caravan

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, Chicago Sun-Times and The Gateway Pundit

Daniel Dale / Toronto Star:
Donald Trump's strategy as midterms approach: lies and fear-mongering

Discussion: Politifact.com Truth …, Boing Boing, Talking Points Memo and LifeZette

Brett Samuels / The Hill:
Trump: US to ‘begin cutting off’ aid to countries associated with migrant caravan

Discussion: The Atlantic, Roll Call, Zero Hedge, Breitbart, Sputnik International and RedState

Jason Lemon / Newsweek:
Donald Trump Is the ‘Antichrist’ and Is ‘Going To Hell,’ Immigrant From Caravan Says

Discussion: en, Common Dreams, American Greatness and Washington Times

Karla Zabludovsky / BuzzFeed News:
The Caravan's Members Have No Idea What Trump Meant When He Tweeted About “Middle Easterners”

Discussion: Esquire, Mediaite, The Guardian, Instapundit, Washington Post, Middle East Eye, Raw Story and Talking Points Memo

Washington Post:

CIA director flies to Turkey amid growing controversy over Jamal Khashoggi killing — CIA Director Gina Haspel departed for Turkey on Monday amid a growing international uproar over Saudi Arabia's explanation of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, according to people familiar with the matter.

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, The Week, Axios, CNN and NPR

Reuters:

How the man behind Khashoggi murder ran the killing via Skype — (Reuters) - He ran social media for Saudi Arabia's crown prince. He masterminded the arrest of hundreds of his country's elite. He detained a Lebanese prime minister. And, according to two intelligence sources …

Discussion: Business Insider and The Week

Josh Lederman / NBC News:

Khashoggi met with crown prince's brother amid efforts to return him to Saudi Arabia — Prince Khalid had been contacting Khashoggi for at least a year to try to persuade him to return, three individuals told NBC News. — WASHINGTON — Months before he was killed in Istanbul …

Discussion: The Week

Richard Pérez-Peña / New York Times:

Erdogan Says Saudis Planned Khashoggi's Killing, and Demands Answers — President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey laid out on Tuesday the Saudi planning of what he called the “premeditated murder” of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the country's consulate in Istanbul, and demanded that the Saudi suspects face justice in Turkey.

Discussion: Power Line, more at Mediagazer »

Washington Post:
Istanbul has felt like home for Arab exiles. Khashoggi's killing has them scared.

Discussion: Shakesville

Carlotta Gall / New York Times: Security Images Show Khashoggi and Fiancée in His Final Hours

Martin Chulov / The Guardian: Khashoggi case has put Saudi prince right where Erdoğan wants him

Josh Rogin / Washington Post:
Here's how the Saudi crown prince could face international justice

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA and Townhall

USA Today:
Exclusive: President Trump calls Jamal Khashoggi's death ‘a plot gone awry’

Discussion: Washington Post

New York Times:

The Day John Kelly and Corey Lewandowski Squared Off Outside the Oval Office — An argument last February between the White House chief of staff, John F. Kelly, and Corey Lewandowski, an informal adviser to President Trump, turned into a physical altercation that required Secret Service intervention …

Discussion: The Hill, The Week, New Republic, Raw Story, CNN, Axios and Mediaite

Adam Edelman / NBC News:

Republicans outpacing Democrats in early voting in key states, NBC News finds — The data suggests enthusiasm among early GOP voters that could put a dent in Democratic hopes for a “blue wave” in the midterms. — Is the “blue wave” turning purple? — Republican-affiliated voters …

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, National Review, Front Page Magazine, The Last Refuge, Raw Story, Townhall, twitchy.com and Political Wire

Zach Despart / Houston Chronicle: Harris County smashes early voting record

David Catanese / US News:
The Early Voting Explosion

Discussion: Fox News, The Guardian and HuffPost

Washington Post:

Supreme Court shields Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from answering questions on census — The Supreme Court Monday night shielded Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross from answering lawyers' questions in a lawsuit challenging his decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census form.

Discussion: Politico and Axios

Alexi McCammond / Axios:

Republicans don't act like they're going to keep the House — Despite seeing some positive signs in polling and enthusiasm after Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation, Republicans' behavior in the last few weeks shows how nervous they are about keeping control of the House.

Discussion: Raw Story, Washington Post and Breitbart

Ben Smith / BuzzFeed News:
Barack Obama Is Back On The Campaign Trail. Here's What He's Doing.

Discussion: Daily Wire and The Gateway Pundit

Matthew Fuhrman / ABC News:
Obama goes up against Trump in fight for Nevada Senate seat

Discussion: Louder With Crowder, The Week, Politico and Mother Jones

Reuters:

Trump lawyer: Manafort said nothing damaging in Mueller interviews — (Reuters) - Under an unusual arrangement, Paul Manafort's attorney has kept Donald Trump informed about the former campaign chairman's meetings with prosecutors investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and …

Discussion: The Daily Caller and Talking Points Memo

Abigail Tracy / Vanity Fair:
Roger Stone Is Running Out of Options

Discussion: CNN, The Daily Caller, Observer and Spectator USA

Richard Fausset / New York Times:

Stacey Abrams Flag Burning Incident Surfaces on Eve of Georgia Debate — ATLANTA — At a protest on the steps of the Georgia Capitol in 1992, Stacey Abrams, now the Democratic candidate for governor, joined in the burning of the state flag, which at the time incorporated the Confederate battle flag design …

Discussion: Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Wire and Washington Times

Associated Press:

Florida man accused of groping airline passenger tells authorities president 'says it's OK' — The Southwest flight was headed from Houston to Albuquerque. (David Bro / TNS file) — Privacy Policy — A Florida man is accused of groping a female passenger while on a flight Sunday …

Dominique Jackson / Raw Story:

'I'm a nationalist!': Trump makes stunning confession he noted his aides warned him against — During President Donald Trump's rally in Houston, Texas, he claimed that he was a “nationalist.” — “A globalist is a person who wants that globe to do well, but frankly not caring about our country so much,” Trump said.

Reno Gazette-Journal:

12 Laxalt family members oppose Laxalt for Nevada governor. Here's why, in their own words — The decision to write this column has not been an easy one for us. We are writing as members of the Laxalt family who have spent our lives in Nevada, and feel compelled to protect our family name …

Discussion: Raw Story, HuffPost and The Nevada Independent

Rick Rickman / WBCB News:

Wallace Snaps, Curses In Synagogue During Debate With Fitzpatrick — As the political climate continues to heat up, challenger Scott Wallace lost his cool during a debate with Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick. Sunday night at the Congregation Tifereth Israel in Bensalem, Wallace used an expletive and …

Discussion: Betsy's Page, Political Wire, The Forward, Breitbart, Front Page Magazine and Washington Free Beacon

Tina Moore / New York Post:

NYPD boss accused of stuffing her panties in co-worker's mouth — A ball-busting female boss at a Brooklyn precinct is under investigation for allegedly stuffing a pair of her panties into a male colleague's mouth, police sources told The Post on Monday. — Sgt. Ann Marie Guerra …

Discussion: New York Daily News, Breitbart, RT, Law & Crime and The Daily Caller

Julian E. Barnes / New York Times:

U.S. Begins First Cyberoperation Against Russia Aimed at Protecting Elections — WASHINGTON — The United States Cyber Command is targeting individual Russian operatives to try to deter them from spreading disinformation to interfere in elections, telling them that American operatives …

Josh Hafner / USA Today:

‘Simply irresponsible’: Air Force spent $326,000 on coffee cups it kept breaking … An Air Force official admitted the branch's multiple purchases of coffee cups that break easily and cost $1,280 each “is simply irresponsible,” vowing to pursue ways to fix the mugs instead of continually buying new ones.

Amber Athey / The Daily Caller:

Vandals Throw Giant Boulder Through Rep. McCarthy's Office Window — House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's office in California was vandalized on Monday, according to an Instagram post by the Congressman. — McCarthy, whose local office is in Bakersfield, CA, posted photos of the suspects and some of the damage.

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Jasper Scherer / Houston Chronicle:

Trump knocks O'Rourke, gives light attention to Houston congressional races — President Donald Trump on Monday called Rep. Beto O'Rourke “a stone-cold phony” and took a few sharp jabs at Sen. Ted Cruz's Democratic opponent, but otherwise focused on national issues while praising Cruz and a laundry list of Texas Republicans.

Discussion: HuffPost

Hallie Mellendorf / WTOP:

Man shot by security guard during FOX 5 break-in charged with burglary — This is a developing story. Stay with WTOP.com for more updates. — WASHINGTON — Police have charged a 38-year-old man with second-degree burglary after he broke into the Fox 5 news station Monday afternoon and was shot by a security officer.

Discussion: WTTG-TV and Deadline