memeorandum: First on CNN: US accuses North Korea of trying to hide shipments of ammunition to Russia (CNN)

1:40 PM ET, November 2, 2022

Top Items:

Trump lawyers saw Justice Thomas as ‘only chance’ to stop 2020 election certification — Donald Trump's attorneys saw a direct appeal to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as their best hope of derailing Joe Biden's win in the 2020 presidential election, according to emails newly disclosed to congressional investigators.

Discussion: Insider, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, CNN and The Guardian

Washington Post:

Trump lawyers saw Clarence Thomas as key to stop Biden electoral count, emails show — Lawyers for President Donald Trump saw Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as the key to overturning the results of the 2020 election, according to a set of emails provided to congressional investigators.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Richard L. Hasen / The Atlantic:
The Courts Are the Only Thing Holding Back Total Election Subversion

Discussion: Governing, Raw Story, The American Independent, ABC News, New Statesman, CNN, Al Jazeera, Bloomberg and The Bulwark

NBC News:
Nevada GOP chair says he was interviewed by the Jan. 6 committee

Discussion: Mother Jones and Raw Story

Alexandra Hutzler / Associated Press:
Jan. 6 committee ‘in discussions’ with Trump's legal team about testifying, Cheney says

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, CNN, TheBlaze, New Republic, HuffPost, Raw Story, PBS NewsHour, NDTV, The Guardian, UPI, Fox 8 Cleveland WJW, USA Today, Bloomberg, Law & Crime, New York Times and Wall Street Journal

CNN:

CNN Poll: Republicans, backed by enthusiasm and economic concerns, hold a narrow edge ahead of next week's congressional election — An enthusiastic Republican base and persistent concerns about the state of the economy place the GOP in a strong position with about a week to go in the race …

Catherine Lucey / Wall Street Journal:

White Suburban Women Swing Toward Backing Republicans for Congress — New WSJ poll shows key group of midterm voters favors the GOP by 15 percentage points — WASHINGTON—White suburban women, a key group of midterm voters, have significantly shifted their support from Democrats to Republicans …

Discussion: The Hill, Fox News, HotAir, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, The Signorile Report, National Review, RedState, Power Line, The Post Millennial, Insider, Erick Erickson Show Notes, The Gateway Pundit, TheBlaze, The Daily Wire and Ace of Spades HQ

Victoria Prodeline / Monmouth University …:

Senate Debate Shows Little Impact — Voters divided on Dem's ability to serve, but few reconsider support after debate — West Long Branch, NJ - John Fetterman's edge over Mehmet Oz on key issues in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate contest has narrowed, although the Democrat continues to be seen …

Discussion: Fox News, The Hill and Political Wire

Quinnipiac University Poll:

Concerns About Inflation Rise Heading Into The Midterms, Quinnipiac University National Poll Finds; Republicans Have Edge In Enthusiasm To Vote — mail_outline — One week before Election Day, an increasing number of Americans say inflation (36 percent) is the most urgent issue facing …

Discussion: Washington Times, The Bulwark, PBS NewsHour, NewsNation and The Hill

David Weigel / Semafor:
Democrats had a simple message on abortion in Arizona. Then things got complicated.

Discussion: CNN, Washington Examiner, New York Times, Breitbart, National Review, Emerson Polling, The Hill, New York Times, HotAir, Fox News, Morning Call, Common Sense, Emerson Polling and Saint Anselm College

CNN:
The Fed and White House combine for a day that cuts to the heart of Biden's political problem

Discussion: HotAir, Insider, The Hill, Mediaite, Politico and Power Line

Washington Post:

Capitol Police cameras caught break-in at Pelosi home, but no one was watching — The attack on Paul Pelosi has sparked an urgent conversation about lawmaker security amid increased threats — Inside the command center for the U.S. Capitol Police, a handful of officers were going through …

Jonathan Chait / New York Magazine:
Denying the Attack on Pelosi Is a Bridge to Supporting It

Discussion: Raw Story, The Liberty Loft and New York Times

Reuters:
Capitol Police had cameras outside Pelosi home that weren't monitored at break-in: Sources

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit, CNN, CBS News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Examiner, HuffPost and Breitbart

Holly Bailey / Washington Post:
Pelosi's attacker told police he was on a ‘suicide mission,’ court filings allege

New York Times:

Russian Military Leaders Discussed Use of Nuclear Weapons, US Officials Say — The conversations alarmed the Biden administration because they showed how frustrated Moscow had become over its battlefield setbacks in Ukraine. — WASHINGTON — Senior Russian military leaders recently …

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, CBS News, The Times of Israel, Insider and The Daily Wire

CNN:

US officials divided over new intelligence suggesting Russian military discussed scenarios for using nuclear weapons — Russian military officials have discussed how and under what conditions Russia would use a tactical nuclear weapon on the battlefield in Ukraine, according …

Discussion: NDTV

Meduza.io: Russia Ministry of Foreign affairs issues statement on ‘prevention of nuclear war’

George F. Will / Washington Post:

For the good of the country, Biden and Harris should bow out of the 2024 election — During this autumn's avalanche of political news, an enormous boulder bounced by, barely noticed. It demonstrated why Joe Biden should not seek another term. Democrats should promptly face that fact …

Discussion: Mediaite, Associated Press, National Review, The Liberty Loft, RedState, Union-News and Washington Examiner

Shannon Augustus / lwv.org:

Federal Court Issues Order Barring Defendants From Confronting, Photographing, Doxing Voters, and Carrying Guns and Wearing Body Armor Near Drop Boxes — Phoenix, Arizona—Today, following a hearing in a suit brought by the League of Women Voters of Arizona (LWVAZ), a federal court issued …

Discussion: Washington Post, NBC News, New Republic, FOX8 WGHP, American Greatness, Courthouse News Service, Politico, Associated Press and CNN

Ken Bensinger / New York Times:
Judge Curbs Actions of Election-Monitoring Group in Arizona

Discussion: The Hill, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Arizona Republic, Talking Points Memo, CNN, Axios, Arizona Mirror, Civil Discourse …, The Hill, DNyuz, USA Today, Talking Points Memo, Vanity Fair, Election Law Blog, Raw Story and Washington Post

Pluribus News:
Pluribus AM: CVS agrees to opioid settlement; Miss. holds special session; another flood of new polls

Discussion: Emerson Polling and NewsNation

Mike Ozanian / Forbes:

Dan Snyder Hires Bank Of America To Sell Washington Commanders — Dan Snyder has retained BofA Securities to sell the Washington Commanders, sources tell Forbes. — According to a person familiar with the process, Snyder already has at least four calls from groups interested in buying the team.

Discussion: CNBC, Chicago Sun-Times, Associated Press, Union-News, The Hill, New Jersey Online, New York Post, ProFootballTalk, Sports Illustrated, Fox News and Blue Virginia

Jim Tankersley / New York Times:

Republicans, Eyeing Majority, Float Changes to Social Security and Medicare — Democrats have seized on Republican proposals to limit retirement benefits to galvanize voters ahead of the midterm elections. — WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans, eyeing a midterm election victory …

Discussion: Sun-Sentinel, DNyuz, Against the Grain, Washington Times, PoliticusUSA, Fox News, Wall Street Journal, Media Matters for America, Washington Examiner, PolitiFact, Vox and The Hill

Josh Barro / Very Serious:

The Problem With ‘Pro-Democracy’ Rhetoric — You can't extol the importance of democracy while also pursuing no-choice politics. — Dear readers, — I have a rant. — Six days before the midterm elections, Joe Biden will give yet another speech about “democracy.” I don't care for this.

Discussion: The Daily Beast and Raw Story

CNN:
Biden to give speech on protecting democracy Wednesday night in DC

Discussion: Fox News, Washington Examiner, Politico, CBS News, The Hill, Bloomberg, USA Today, Algemeiner.com, Raw Story, New York Times, Twitchy, Washington Times and IJR

Washington Post:

Elon Musk's Twitter is working on paid-video feature with ‘high’ risk — The tool would let video creators charge users for access. The team working on it flagged big potential pitfalls. — Elon Musk's Twitter is pushing ahead with plans to charge for content, including videos, on the social media site.

Discussion: Politico, Fortune, Rolling Stone, The Post Millennial, Mashable, The Verge, Gizmodo and The Information, more at Mediagazer »

Jim Rutenberg / New York Times:

The Untold Story of ‘Russiagate’ and the Road to War in Ukraine — Russia's meddling in Trump-era politics was more directly connected to the current war than previously understood. — To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Discussion: Vicky Ward Investigates and The Mahablog

Debra Kamin / New York Times:

Widespread Racial Bias Found in Home Appraisals — Researchers found evidence of a persistent practice that gives higher values to homes when the occupants are white, and devalue them if the owners are people of color. — White homeowners can expect their homes' values to increase at twice …

Discussion: New York Post

Samantha Cole / VICE:

Members of Twitter's Trust and Safety Council Not Sure Elon Musk Knows They Exist — As hate speech surges and the future of the platform seems to be in the balance, the people who helped advise Twitter on user safety say they don't know what lies ahead. — Samantha Cole

Discussion: TechCrunch, Bloomberg, The Gateway Pundit, Union-News, Adweek, Fortune and RedState, more at Mediagazer »

Michael Wines / New York Times:

As Stakes Rise, State Supreme Courts Become Crucial Election Battlegrounds — Pivotal issues like abortion, gerrymandering and voting have been tossed into state justices' laps. Politicians, ideological PACs and big money are following. — WASHINGTON — State supreme court races …

Discussion: Mother Jones, CNBC and Brennan Center for Justice

Washington Post:
Democrats spend heavily on abortion ads in key gubernatorial races

Discussion: The Hill and National Review

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:

The Dark Heart of the Republican Party — This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. — January 6 was not an outlier.