memeorandum: Arizona Attorney General's Office asks FBI, IRS to investigate group behind ‘2000 Mules’ (Ray Stern/Arizona Republic)

2:10 PM ET, October 16, 2022

Top Items:

Iran plans to send missiles, drones to Russia for Ukraine war, officials say — Increased flow of weapons from Iran could help offset steep Russian weapons losses, rebuild supply of precision-guided munitions — Iran is strengthening its commitment to supply arms for Russia's assault on Ukraine …

Discussion: Fox News, The Times of Israel, Agence France-Presse and Radio Free Europe/Radio …

Washington Post:

Russia is grabbing men off the street to fight in Ukraine — Police and military officers swooped down on a Moscow business center this week unannounced. They were looking for men to fight in Ukraine — and they seized nearly every one they saw. Some musicians, rehearsing. A courier there to deliver a parcel.

Discussion: Wall Street Journal and The Western Journal

Liz Sly / Washington Post: Russia's escalation won't turn tide of the war, experts say

Plain Dealer:

Tim Ryan for U.S. Senate — This election season's battle for control of the U.S. Senate that has been raging across the 35 states where Senate seats are up for grabs portends significant, long-range consequences for how this country is governed, as each party tries to break the current 50-50 partisan deadlock.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA

CBS News:

GOP keeps lead for House control, Democrats' momentum stalls amid economy worries — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll — For two months the Democrats chipped away at the Republicans' lead in the battle for House control, helped by motivated abortion-rights voters and what turned …

Discussion: The Hill

Jim Tankersley / New York Times:

Democrats Spent $2 Trillion to Save the Economy. They Don't Want to Talk About It. — Polls show voters liked direct payments from President Biden's 2021 economic rescue bill. But they have become fodder for Republican inflation attacks. — In the midst of a critical runoff campaign …

Discussion: Althouse, The National Interest and Bloomberg

Wall Street Journal: Money Pours Into Senate Races as Midterm Campaign Enters Home Stretch

Ruby Cramer / Washington Post:

On Kari Lake's campaign for Arizona governor, the mic is always hot — The former Phoenix TV news anchor has emerged as a Republican phenom by amplifying Donald Trump's lie that the 2020 election was stolen and embracing the hard-right politics of abortion and immigration

Discussion: CNN, No More Mister Nice Blog, Washington Times, Breitbart, Blue Virginia and Global Community Weekly

Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:

Dana Bash, Kari Lake clash over 2020 election fraud claims — Arizona Republican gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake sparred with CNN's Dana Bash over unfounded claims of mass election fraud in 2020 during an interview on Sunday. — “You called the 2020 election corrupt, stolen, rotten and rigged …

Discussion: CNN, USA Today, The Daily Beast, Washington Examiner, Vanity Fair, RedState, Axios, Mediaite, Raw Story and The Post Millennial

The Philadelphia Inquirer:

John Fetterman is the best choice to represent Pennsylvania's priorities in the U.S. Senate | Endorsement — By many measures, the first two years of the Biden administration have been fruitful for Pennsylvania.The president's plan to slash prescription-drug costs for older Americans …

Discussion: New Jersey Online

Elaine Godfrey / The Atlantic: Do Voters Care About John Fetterman's Stroke?

Ray Stern / Arizona Republic:

Arizona Attorney General's Office asks FBI, IRS to investigate group behind ‘2000 Mules’ — Republican candidates for top statewide offices in Arizona have said they believe what they saw in the election-conspiracy movie “2000 Mules.” — Now, the state Attorney General's Office is asking …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Election Explorer and Politico

Des Moines Register:

Iowa Poll: Chuck Grassley narrowly leads Mike Franken in US Senate race — Stephen Gruber-Miller Brianne PfannenstielDes Moines Register — Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley's lead over Democrat Mike Franken has narrowed to 3 percentage points with less than a month until Election Day …

Discussion: The Hill, Breitbart, Admiral Mike Franken for Iowa, Raw Story and Political Wire

Associated Press:

Biden turning to Trump-era rule to expel Venezuelan migrants — Two years ago, candidate Joe Biden loudly denounced President Donald Trump for immigration policies that inflicted “cruelty and exclusion at every turn,” including toward those fleeing the “brutal” government of socialist Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

Discussion: Media Matters for America, Insider, New York Post, Fox News and Associated Press

KC Defender / Kansas City Defender:

KCPD Said Missing Black Women Reports In KC Were “Completely Unfounded.” Less Than A Month Later, One Escaped After Being Kidnapped From Prospect & Tortured in a Basement For Over A Month — The bombshell revelations and horrifically tragic events explicitly disprove KCPD's earlier statement …

ABC News:

‘This Week’ Transcript 10-16-22: Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Rep. Adam Kinzinger, and Dr. Anthony Fauci — A rush transcript of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” airing on Sunday, October 16, 2022 on ABC News is below. This copy may not be in its final form, may be updated and may contain minor transcription errors.

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Insider, The Guardian and The Hill

Bill Allison / Bloomberg:

Trump Spent 91 Cents to Raise Each Dollar as Troubles Mounted — Former President Donald Trump raised $24 million in the third quarter, a 41% increase over the previous quarter, but he spent $22 million to do it. — Trump spent 91 cents to raise every dollar, according to the latest filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Discussion: Raw Story

Samya Kullab / Associated Press:

Blaze, shots heard from prison in Iran capital amid protests — A huge fire blazed Saturday at a notorious prison where political prisoners and anti-government activists are kept in the Iranian capital. Online videos and local media reported gunshots, as nationwide protests entered a fifth week.