memeorandum: I want your vote to become your next president — here's what I will do for you and our nation (Joe Biden/Fox News)

2:40 PM ET, October 30, 2020

Top Items:

In Texas, More Have Voted Early Than the State's Entire 2016 Turnout — More than 9 million people have voted early in Texas. Polls show a near dead-heat in the state, with a slight edge for President Trump. — Mr. Trump canceled plans to appear at Trump International Hotel for an election night party.

Discussion: Axios, The Hill, The Week, Reuters, Business Insider, HillReporter.com, The Daily Caller, Talking Points Memo, Balloon Juice, Mediaite and TMZ.com

Ursula Perano / Axios:

Texas early voting surpasses 2016's total turnout — Texas' early and mail-in voting totals for the 2020 election have surpassed the state's total voter turnout in 2016, with 9,009,850 ballots already cast compared to 8,969,226 in the last presidential cycle.

Discussion: New York Times, Reuters, Vanity Fair, The Hill, The Daily Caller and The Week

Associated Press:

Texas early voting exceeds total of all 2016 ballots — AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texans have already cast more ballots in the presidential election than they did during all of 2016, an unprecedented surge of early voting in a state that was once the country's most reliably Republican, but may now be drifting toward battleground status.

Discussion: Vox, National Review, CBS Dallas / Fort Worth and NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

Quint Forgey / Politico:
Trump floats moving his election night party to the White House

Discussion: POLITICUSUSA, IJR, Washingtonian and HillReporter.com

Greg Sargent / Washington Post:

Donald Trump Jr.'s ugly rant on Fox makes a strong case against his father — Nearly 90,000 cases of coronavirus were reported in the United States on Thursday, a record. That's the third time we have topped 80,000 cases in one day, all three in the past week. Cases are now surging in states all over the country.

Discussion: Raw Story

Timothy Bella / Washington Post:

Donald Trump Jr. said covid-19 deaths are at ‘almost nothing.’ The virus killed more than 1,000 Americans the same day. — Donald Trump Jr. declared on Thursday night that coronavirus deaths had dropped to “almost nothing,” questioning the seriousness of the pandemic on a record-breaking …

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, The American Independent, The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair, Daily Kos, CNN, The Daily Caller, Raw Story, Business Insider and Mediaite

Quint Forgey / Politico:
Don Jr. dismisses coronavirus deaths: ‘The number is almost nothing’

Discussion: The Hill, CNN, USA Today, Washington Post, CNBC and National Review

Sahil Kapur / NBC News:

Trump adviser Stephen Miller reveals aggressive second-term immigration agenda — WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump's senior adviser Stephen Miller has fleshed out plans to rev up Trump's restrictive immigration agenda if he wins re-election next week, offering a stark contrast to the platform of Democratic nominee Joe Biden.

Discussion: Bloomberg, Axios, Washington Post, Daily Kos, Vanity Fair, Houston Public Media, Mother Jones and The American Independent

Politico:
POLITICO Playbook: It's the pandemic, stupid

Discussion: Raw Story and The Week, more at Mediagazer »

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:

At Least Never Trumpers Stood and Fought — Shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union, the author John le Carré's most famous creation, the fictional British spy George Smiley, reflected on a career spent fighting a now-vanquished enemy. — “There are some people,” …

Discussion: Twitchy and Althouse

Joe Biden / Fox News:

I want your vote to become your next president — here's what I will do for you and our nation — On Day One, I'll mount an aggressive approach to control this virus and get us back to our lives — Biden addresses supporters at Florida drive-in campaign event

Discussion: The Hill and Mediaite

Donald Trump / Fox News:
Reelect me and I will continue to deliver safety, prosperity and opportunity for all Americans

Discussion: American Greatness, New York Times, Breitbart and Washington Times

Donald J. Trump / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
President Trump: Wisconsin, help me preserve our great economic comeback

Discussion: Instapundit

Ron Suskind / New York Times:

The Day After Election Day — Current and former Trump administration officials are worried about what might happen on Nov. 4. — Mr. Suskind is an investigative journalist who has written about the presidency and national affairs for more than three decades.

Discussion: Washington Post and Raw Story

Ronald Brownstein / The Atlantic:
Why the 2020s Could Be as Dangerous as the 1850s

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Vox, Raw Story, Washington Post, Reuters, CNN, The Sun and Instapundit

Darryl Fears / Washington Post:

A top Interior official has controversial views on race. He used a white supremacist website to support them. — Jeremy Carl called Black Lives Matter a racist organization in articles written before his appointment this month. He also cited an opinion by Jared Taylor, who said Black people destroy any civilization they control.

Politico:

'We've got to stop the bleeding': Democrats sound alarm in Miami — MIAMI — Democrats are sounding the alarm about weak voter turnout rates in Florida's biggest county, Miami-Dade, where a strong Republican showing is endangering Joe Biden's chances in the nation's biggest swing state.

Discussion: Associated Press, Fox News, Breitbart, Florida Politics, The Last Refuge, Townhall, Washington Times, Althouse and Axios

Marshall Cohen / CNN:

How to spot a red or blue ‘mirage’ in early election night results — Road to 270: Trump running against Biden and his own record — Washington (CNN)Election night will be an unusual experience this year. Early results that pop up shortly after the polls close might look very different …

Discussion: Palm Beach Post, Real Clear Politics and Denver Post

Audrey Conklin / Fox News:
Court ruling leaves Minnesota mail-in ballots in limbo after Nov. 3

Discussion: Associated Press and Breitbart

Katie Shepherd / Washington Post:

Police took a Black toddler from his family's SUV. Then, the union used his photo as ‘propaganda,’ attorneys say. — On Thursday, the nation's largest police union posted a photo to social media taken during the unrest in Philadelphia this week, where hundreds of protesters clashed …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily Kos, The Week, The Hill, Slate, Raw Story, Fox News, New York Post and The Root

Clay Travis / OutKick:

Clay: Why I'm Voting For Donald Trump — On Tuesday, I will vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. — As a preliminary, I don't believe in endorsements. I think all of you are smart enough to make your own decisions without needing to see what a newspaper, union …

Josh Venable / Detroit News:

As a Republican, I'm tired of Trump's division, discord, vitriol and hate — I am a lifelong Republican. And I am exhausted. — Nearly all my career, I have worked for Republican candidates and conservative causes, managing campaigns, organizing coalitions and raising money.

Discussion: Raw Story and HillReporter.com

Dhrumil Mehta / FiveThirtyEight:

Americans Say They're Fired Up To Vote — Especially Democrats — Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup. — Poll(s) of the week — American voters are fired up to cast their ballots. And many already have, in record numbers. — According to the latest Gallup poll …

Discussion: Althouse

Gallup:
U.S. Voters Enthusiastic, Anxious as 2020 Campaign Ends

Discussion: Al Jazeera

April Siese / CBS News:

Louisville police officer sues Kenneth Walker, boyfriend of Breonna Taylor, for emotional distress, assault and battery — An officer involved in the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor has filed a civil suit against the 26-year-old's boyfriend for emotional distress, assault and battery on the night she was killed.

Discussion: Baller Alert, TheBlaze, The Daily Caller, New York Post, Louder With Crowder, The Root, Law & Crime, TMZ.com, REVOLT and The Hill

Washington Post:

Swing-state voters face major mail delays in returning ballots on time, USPS data shows — The delays loom large over 28 states that require ballots to reach election officials by Election Day to be counted — Absentee ballots are taking longer to reach election offices in key swing states …

Discussion: Political Wire

Joe Walsh / The Bulwark:

Hannity, Tucker, and Me — Mirrors don't lie. — Donald Trump will lose in four days. Or in five days. Or in six days. But he will lose. And when he loses, everyone in the conservative media world will have a decision to make. If past is prologue, the vast majority of these folks …

Lauren Leatherby / New York Times:

United States Records Its Worst Week Yet for Virus Cases — The outlook for the pandemic continues to worsen, and many areas of the United States are experiencing their worst weeks yet. The country reported a record of more than 500,000 new coronavirus cases in the past week.

Discussion: The Guardian

Washington Post:

The unseen machine pushing Trump's social media megaphone into overdrive — Researchers say the online feedback loop between Trump, high-profile influencers and rank-and-file followers is more dangerous than Russian disinformation. — President Trump launched into a tweetstorm in April …

Tom Nichols / USA Today:

Why this conservative voted for Biden and you should too: Trump is a morally defective man — I'm a conservative and former Republican who did not vote based on policy. Neither should you. The 2020 election is about the moral future of America. — At the end of every campaign …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, HillReporter.com and DemCast

Carrie Dann / NBC News:

Poll: Biden leads Trump by six in North Carolina — WASHINGTON — Joe Biden holds a modest six-point lead with likely voters over President Donald Trump in the hard-fought swing state of North Carolina, a new NBC/Marist poll shows. — Among likely voters, Biden's support stands at 52 percent …

Discussion: The Hill and Bloomberg

David Fahrenthold / Washington Post:

The State Department wouldn't reveal its payments to Mar-a-Lago. Here's how we found them. — In April 2018, President Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club charged taxpayers $3 so that Trump could drink water. — That charge was one of many bills that Mar-a-Lago sent to the State Department …

Discussion: Raw Story

Kyle Mantyla / Right Wing Watch:

Glenn Beck Says the 2020 Election Is a Spiritual Battle Against ‘Satan Himself’ — Thursday night's episode of the “America Stands: Flashpoint” program airing on televangelist Kenneth Copeland's Victory Channel network featured an interview with Glenn Beck in which Beck revealed …

Discussion: HillReporter.com

Celine Castronuovo / The Hill:

Trump changes election night plans, cancels party at Trump International: report — President Trump has reportedly called off plans to host an election night event at Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., a person familiar with the plans told T he New York Times.

Aaron Harris / PREVAIL by Greg Olear:

The Ukraine Thing: A Timeline of GOP Betrayal — How the Republicans caved to Putin. The whole party, not just Trump. — 6 hr — Guest Post by Aaron Harris — AS THE MOST RECENT attempt to interfere with our elections circulates in the media—in the form of a Giuliani “hard drive” …

Kerry Picket / Washington Examiner:

Pennsylvania House GOP candidate refers Democrat's social media posts to US attorney — A Pennsylvania Republican House candidate contacted federal law enforcement about social media posts by an intern for the campaign of his opponent, Democratic Rep. Conor Lamb.

Discussion: Washington Free Beacon and Breitbart

Alexandra DeSanctis / National Review:

Republicans Face a Dogfight in Georgia — Late Campaign Stops Don't Seem to Do Much — Brett Kavanaugh Is Right about Wisconsin's Ballot Deadline — FBI Investigating Hunter Biden for Money Laundering: Report — President Trump is locked in a dead heat with Joe Biden in the long-red state.

Discussion: Reuters, Los Angeles Times and Politico

Susan B. Glasser / New Yorker:

Denialism, Dishonesty, Deflection: The Final Days of the Trump Campaign Have It All — The President is ending his reëlection bid with scandals that call into question the legitimacy of next week's vote. — No one wants to admit it, but in Washington, D.C., the election might as well be over …

Discussion: Washington Times, Al Jazeera, FactCheck.org and Raw Story

Kathleen Gray / New York Times:

In Michigan, a Suburban County That Flipped Blue Isn't Looking Back — Oakland County, Mich., a Republican stronghold 12 years ago that is now solidly Democratic, is a prime example of the political evolution taking place in many of the nation's suburbs. — WATERFORD, Mich. …

Adam Nagourney / New York Times:

Neither Trump Nor Biden Drink Alcohol — Spirits may be low around the country, but don't expect them to be raised in the White House after the election; neither President Trump nor Joseph R. Biden Jr. partakes in alcohol. — A presidential election that has driven a nation to drink …

Reuters:

Exclusive: Russian hackers targeted California, Indiana Democratic parties — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The group of Russian hackers accused of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election earlier this year targeted the email accounts of Democratic state parties in California and Indiana …

Discussion: The Daily Beast and The Verge

Steven Shepard / Politico:

Trump's chances hinge on a polling screw-up way worse than 2016 — President Donald Trump still has a path to a second term. But it would take a polling debacle that would make 2016 look like a banner year. — According to a series of battleground state polls conducted and released …

Discussion: Business Insider, Florida Politics, Fortune, Marist Poll, The Daily Caller and FiveThirtyEight

Caitlin Oprysko / Politico:

White House aide says Trump's vaccine-by-Election Day promise was ‘arbitrary’ — A top White House adviser on Friday called President Donald Trump's longshot pledge to have a coronavirus vaccine by Nov. 3 “kind of an arbitrary deadline,” as Election Day prepares to come and go with no shot having even applied for approval yet.

Discussion: Fox News and POLITICUSUSA

Anne Applebaum / The Atlantic:

The Answer to Extremism Isn't More Extremism — As one of the ugliest and most divisive American presidential campaigns in our history coasts to its finish, President Donald Trump's defenders are making their closing arguments. Some of them assert that they like Trump's policies …