memeorandum: Swing state election officials were ready for anything. Not this. (Politico)

3:20 PM ET, October 7, 2024

Top Items:

Lindsay Whitehurst / Associated Press:

Supreme Court lets stand a decision barring emergency abortions that violate Texas ban — The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a decision barring emergency abortions that violate the law in Texas, which has one of the country's strictest abortion bans. Without detailing their reasoning …

Matt Dixon / NBC News:

Ron DeSantis is refusing to take Harris' call on Hurricane Helene — An aide to the Florida governor said that Harris' call “seemed political” and that she “was trying to reach out, and we didn't answer.” — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is not taking calls from Vice President Kamala Harris …

Discussion: Politico, Washington Examiner, Breitbart, Raw Story, Alternet.org, acecomments.mu.nu, Orlando Sentinel, Florida Politics and USA Today

Matt Shuham / HuffPost:

Trump: Immigrants Have Brought ‘Bad Genes’ Into The Country — The Republican presidential candidate has long been obsessed with the racist talking point that immigrants are “poisoning the blood” of America. — During an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Washington Post, New Republic, Raw Story, Crooks and Liars and Alternet.org

Philip Bump / Washington Post:
Saying immigrants bring ‘bad genes’ echoes Trump's history — and the world's

Discussion: Politico and NBC News

Sidney Blumenthal / The Guardian: Donald Trump's Hitlerian logic is no mistake

Hugh Hewitt / The Hugh Hewitt Show:
Former President Trump On The Anniversary Of The 10/7 Massacre In Israel

Discussion: New York Post and BizPac Review

New York Times:

Trump's Plans Could Increase U.S. Debt While Raising Costs for Most Americans — A new analysis estimates that the former president's proposals could grow deficits by as much as $15 trillion over a decade. — Former President Donald J. Trump's economic proposals could inflame …

Discussion: Wall Street Journal, Fox News and Associated Press

Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget:

The Fiscal Impact of the Harris and Trump Campaign Plans — The next President will face significant fiscal challenges upon taking office, including record debt levels, large structural deficits, surging interest payments, and the looming insolvency of critical trust fund programs.

Discussion: CBS News, Washington Examiner, The Hill, New York Post, Roll Call, The Daily Beast, Axios and NPR

HuffPost: Donald Trump Tax Plans Would Increase Taxes On 95% Of Americans, Analysis Finds

Politico:

Swing state election officials were ready for anything. Not this. — Hurricane Helene's devastation has disrupted voting preparation in several states, including the battlegrounds of North Carolina and Georgia. — The Category 4 hurricane that ripped through the eastern seaboard …

Discussion: WFAA-TV

Hansi Lo Wang / NPR:
This year's Electoral College map may show another ‘blue shift.’ Here's why

Discussion: PoliticusUSA, The Daily Signal, Election Law Blog, Nebraska Examiner and USA Today

ABC News:
‘Fight for your life’: Georgia election workers prepare for election under cloud of threats

Discussion: Media Matters for America

Brian Beutler / Off Message:

MAGA's Hurricane Helene Lies Are A Trial Run For The Election — The through-line is sowing chaos and hurting people for personal gain. — ∙ Paid — When Donald Trump started telling conspicuous lies about the federal response to Hurricane Helene, all of MAGA understood the assignment.

Discussion: Salon, New Jersey Online and Digby's Hullabaloo

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American: October 6, 2024 — This morning began with a CNN headline story by fact checker Daniel Dale …

Jay Kuo / The Status Kuo:
A Disinformation Trial Run

Discussion: Rolling Stone, Media Matters for America, Washington Post, Wisconsin Examiner, Raw Story, Poynter, Associated Press, Meidas+, Business Insider, The Daily Caller, CNBC, Townhall, CNN and Axios

Philip Bump / Washington Post:

Why asking about the 2020 election isn't a ‘gotcha’ question — The question is less about 2020 than about the willingness of Trump supporters to reject his efforts to subvert the 2024 results. — House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is not interested in talking about the 2020 election.

Discussion: The Hill, HuffPost, New Republic, Mother Jones, Washington Examiner, New York Post, Washington Times, Reuters, ABC News, USA Today and Election Law Blog

Travis Gettys / Raw Story:
‘Increasingly deranged’ Trump is inciting ‘civil war’ as election loss looms: Morning Joe

Discussion: Newsbusters, RedState, The Hill, The Daily Beast, New Jersey Online, Reagan, Bush …, Mediaite and Twitchy

Zachary Basu / Axios:
Potential Trump loss threatens destruction of modern GOP

Discussion: Twitchy

Tinsae Aregay / Torque News:

GEICO is Terminating Insurance Coverage of Tesla Cybertrucks, Says “This Type of Vehicle Doesn't Meet Our Underwriting Guidelines” — GEICO, the second-largest vehicle insurance underwriter in the US, has decided it will no longer cover Tesla Cybertrucks. The company is terminating current …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, The Verge and Fortune

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:

Trump transition team co-chair warns prospective appointees must prove ‘loyalty’ — Howard Lutnick, former President Trump's transition team co-chair, said prospective appointees will only be tapped for future roles in a hypothetical Trump administration if they prove “loyalty” to the former president and his policies.

Discussion: Financial Times and The Guardian

Dan Mangan / CNBC:

‘Easy money’: Trump backer Elon Musk claims PAC will pay $47 for swing state voter information … Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is backing Donald Trump in the presidential election, on Sunday touted a $47 referral bonus that the billionaire's political action committee is offering to people …

Discussion: New York Times, Forbes, BizPac Review, ZeroHedge News, The Post Millennial and Washington Examiner

Sarah Fortinsky / The Hill:
Musk-founded PAC says it will give $47 for every swing-state voter referral who signs petition

Discussion: The Gateway Pundit

Peter Jamison / Washington Post:

Trump allies threaten Deloitte contracts after employee shares Vance chats — Republicans target $3 billion in federal contracts after a consultant discloses messages unconnected to his work. — Republicans backing Donald Trump are threatening Deloitte, a consulting firm …

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, New Republic and The Guardian

David Gardner / The Daily Beast:

‘Call Her Daddy’ Faces Backlash Over ‘Propaganda’ Harris Interview — HOODIE'S NICE THOUGH! — Some fans of the hugely popular podcast are angry that the vice president did not address the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. — Alex Cooper, host of the Call Her Daddy podcast …

Jonathan Weisman / New York Times:

Porn Industry Jumps Into the Presidential Campaign, Targeting Project 2025 — In seven swing states, the industry's websites will feature ads decrying the conservative policy blueprint's proposed ban on pornography. — Just when you thought everyone had already jumped into the 2024 campaign, here come the porn stars.

Discussion: Business Insider, The Daily Caller, Mock Paper Scissors and Althouse

Lisa Needham / Public Notice:

Tina Peters is the symptom of a deeper rot — 🎉 It's PN's third anniversary! If you're not yet a paid subscriber, please support us by taking advantage of a special anniversary offer. Click below to sign up. 🎈 — 🍾 3rd anniversary special offer 🍾

Discussion: The Colorado Sun

Camilo Montoya-Galvez / CBS News:

Illegal crossings at U.S. southern border reach lowest point of Biden presidency — The number of migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally at the southern border reached the lowest point of President Biden's administration in September, three months into his crackdown on asylum claims …

Discussion: USA Today, Digby's Hullabaloo, Breitbart and Axios

Zach Schonfeld / The Hill:

Supreme Court won't take up challenge to Jack Smith's Trump Twitter data access — The Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up a challenge by social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to court rulings that forced the platform to turn over data on former President Trump's account to special counsel Jack Smith.

Discussion: CNN, CBS News, NBC News, One America News Network, UPI, Deadline, Raw Story, USA Today, Forbes, The Gateway Pundit, Daily Caller News Foundation and Bloomberg, more at Techmeme »

New York Post:

Scandal-plagued Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, close Adams friend, resigns — Scandal-plagued Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Phil Banks has resigned, succumbing to weeks of pressure amid federal probes that ensnared both him and his longtime friend Mayor Eric Adams, sources told The Post.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, Politico, BizPac Review, abc7NY, New York Daily News, The City and 77 WABC

Brett Samuels / The Hill:

Trump: Israel has to ‘get smart’ about supporting him — Former President Trump said Monday Israel has to “get smart” about supporting him and suggested Jewish people have not adequately backed him after he took several pro-Israel actions while in office. — Trump phoned into conservative …

Discussion: Jewish Insider

Hugo Lowell / The Guardian:

Trump aide Corey Lewandowski said to have lost campaign power struggle — Trump's ‘comfort blanket’ told to focus on surrogate work in New Hampshire after losing to campaign chiefs — Two months after he swept into the 2024 campaign as a senior adviser and suggested he would be taking it over …

Discussion: The Daily Beast, Breitbart, Raw Story and Alternet.org

Judd Legum / Popular Information:

Trump held a contest to join him on stage at his rally in Butler. Was it a scam? — In a series of fundraising appeals, Trump offered his supporters a chance to appear with him on stage during an October 5 rally when he returned to the site of his attempted assassination, Butler, Pennsylvania.