memeorandum: A chaotic presidential transition could embolden U.S. adversaries (Washington Post)

5:50 PM ET, November 2, 2024

Top Items:

Donald Trump Weirdly Simulates Sex Act on Microphone Stand — NUT JOB — The former president had a meltdown at a rally in Milwaukee Friday night over a faulty mic, which culminated in him simulating fellatio. — Donald Trump had a full meltdown during his rally in Milwaukee on Friday night …

Discussion: New Jersey Online, Mother Jones, The Hill, The Wrap, Alternet.org and Daily Mail

Tom Nichols / The Atlantic:

Trump Needs Help — Last night he simulated oral sex in public. — I do not know how to put this gently or tastefully, so I will factually describe what happened last night in Milwaukee: A former president of the United States held a rally, during which he used a microphone holder …

Discussion: Mediaite, basketnews.com and HuffPost

Michael Gold / New York Times:

Trump's Microphone Trouble in Milwaukee Leaves Him ‘Seething’ — After rally goers complained that they could not hear him, the former president asked, “Do you want to see me knock the hell out of people backstage?” — The signs in the crowd said “Trump will fix it,” …

Discussion: HuffPost, The Independent, Daily Mail, Teen Vogue, DNyuz, Washington Examiner, Politico, NewsNation, Breitbart, New York Post, WisPolitics, FOX6 News Milwaukee and The Hill

Emell Derra Adolphus / The Daily Beast:

Trump Losing Sleep Over Polling Numbers Days Before Election — SLEEPLESS IN MAR-A-LAGO — The GOP nominee is growing obsessive in the last mad dash to Election Day. — Donald Trump is reportedly losing sleep, battling anxiety, and obsessing over his polling numbers as the GOP nominee hopes …

Discussion: Axios, WTTG-TV, The Independent and ABC News

Associated Press:

Trump will spend every day until the election in North Carolina, a swing state he won twice — Donald Trump will rally supporters in North Carolina every day until Tuesday's election, a flurry of late activity in the only swing state that he won in both his 2016 and 2020 campaigns.

Discussion: New York Times, NPR, The Independent, DNyuz, CBS News, USA Today, New York Post, Reuters and Fox News

Jill Colvin / Associated Press:

Trump is using election lies to lay the groundwork for challenging 2024 results if he loses — Donald Trump has spent months laying the groundwork to challenge the results of the 2024 election if he loses — just as he did four years ago. At rally after rally, he urges his supporters to deliver a victory …

Discussion: PolitiFact and Teen Vogue

Heather Cox Richardson / Letters from an American:
November 1, 2024 — Trump's comments to right-wing media figure Tucker Carlson last night …

Discussion: Politico, Michigan Advance, The Bulwark and Alternet.org

New York Times:
Trump, Preparing to Challenge the Results, Puts His 2020 Playbook Into Action

Discussion: NBC News, Althouse and Media Matters for America

David Weigel / Semafor: The view from the swing states: As campaigns spin and scramble, here's what turnout looks like on the ground

Versha Sharma / Teen Vogue:
Kamala Harris Is Not Our Savior. But a Donald Trump Win Would Be Catastrophic.

Discussion: Exposing the role …

Elizabeth Elkind / Fox News:
Georgia's nearly 4 million early votes bode well for Trump, top state Republican says

Discussion: ABC7, Staten Island Advance, Associated Press, Carolina Journal, Washington Examiner and DNyuz

NBC News:
The final undecided voters could sway the election. They're not wild about the choice.

Discussion: The Joe Cunningham Show, Staten Island Advance, Raw Story, Deseret News, Washington Post, The Intercept and Vox

Zachary Schermele / USA Today:
Getting out the college vote: It's more crucial - and complicated - than ever

Discussion: WisPolitics

Andrew Solender / Axios:

Mike Johnson adds to Democrats' 11th hour arsenal … - “This is really deadly for them in the Midwest. … - The lawmaker added that there is “chatter among colleagues already” about incorporating the episode into their closing message and using it to argue “how little they care about ... older industrial cities.”

Discussion: NBC News, Rolling Stone, The Hill, HuffPost, Bloomberg, Alternet.org, Washington Examiner and Democrats, more at Techmeme »

Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing / Politico:

Harris pushes economy as Trump's advantage shrinks — Kamala Harris continues to shrink Donald Trump's polling advantage on the economy — a priority concern for voters nationwide in the lead-up to Election Day. Asked at a Saturday morning press gaggle in Milwaukee about voters' concerns about the economy …

Discussion: HuffPost, CNBC, Bloomberg, Alternet.org, Journal Sentinel, The Hill, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times and Raw Story

Irie Sentner / Politico:
Trump reiterates his remarks on protecting women, ramps up attacks on Harris

Discussion: Washington Examiner, The Gateway Pundit, Breitbart, PoliticusUSA and CBS News

Tim Alberta / The Atlantic:

Inside the Ruthless, Restless Final Days of Trump's Campaign — To support The Atlantic's journalism, please consider subscribing today. — At the end of June, in the afterglow of a debate performance that would ultimately prompt President Joe Biden to end his campaign for reelection …

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story, Digby's Hullabaloo, New Jersey Online and Florida Politics

Russell Payne / Salon:

“Democrats are in a stronger position”: Election forecasters give Dems an edge in swing House races — Democrats are running strong challengers in a handful of districts that could swing control of the House — With much of the attention on the House gravitating towards the battleground states …

Discussion: The Liberal Patriot and USA Today

Ally Mutnick / Politico:
The POLITICO Race to Watch: Montana Senate

Discussion: Axios, Raw Story, CBS News, Montana Free Press and The Hill

Carl Hulse / New York Times:
A Tight Senate Battle Comes Down to a Few Key Races

Discussion: Spotlight PA, VTDigger, South Dakota Searchlight, DNyuz, Breitbart, Semafor and Washington Post

Myah Ward / Politico:

Harris campaign launches closing ad — The Harris campaign released its closing ad on Saturday — “Brighter Future” — which will air nationally across NFL games on CBS and Fox this weekend, including during the Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers game — a matchup of swing-state teams …

more at Mediagazer »

Erin Doherty / Axios:
Harris' final campaign ad focuses on unity: “Neighbors, not enemies”

Discussion: The Hill, HuffPost, Washington Times and Deadline

Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:

Raffensperger urges voters to ignore X ad purporting fraud: 'Don't fall for it' — Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensbegrer addresses a video falsely depicting a Haitian immigrant voting numerous times during a Friday CNN appearance. — “As we checked it out, came to a conclusion real quick.

Max Reinhart / The Detroit News:

Tlaib declines to endorse Harris at UAW rally in Detroit — Detroit — U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit declined to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris' bid for the presidency Friday at a United Auto Workers union rally as Democrats made a late appeal to get union voters to the polls.

Discussion: The Guardian, New York Post, HotAir, Breitbart, BizPac Review, Michigan Advance and Washington Examiner

Eric Hananoki / Media Matters for America:

Close RFK Jr. friend whose account promoted “Jew World Order” conspiracy theory says she's “working with” Trump's transition team — Charlene and Ty Bollinger have also promoted QAnon and conspiracy theories about vaccines, cancer prevention, 9/11, and the 2020 presidential election

Washington Post:

A chaotic presidential transition could embolden U.S. adversaries — National security officials say they are hyper-focused on any attempts to exploit the months between Election Day the next president's inauguration. — The Biden administration is on heightened alert for foreign attempts …

Andrew Gumbel / The Guardian:

Elon Musk's canvassing operation sued in California for alleged labor law violations — Plaintiffs accuse America Pac of several violations during its operation to support Orange county's Michelle Steel — Elon Musk's troubled canvassing operation on behalf of Donald Trump and the Republican party …

Discussion: New York Times, Raw Story and Wired

Wall Street Journal:

Watch These Counties for Early Clues to Election Night — Seven counties offer hints on how the presidential vote is shaping up among crucial voter groups for both candidates

Juliann Ventura / The Hill:

Maher delivers final message to undecided voters: It may get worse under Trump — Bill Maher warned viewers that things may get worse if former President Trump gets a second term in The White House. — “So, dear Christmas Eve voter, I say to you: things aren't that bad …

Discussion: RedState, The Wrap, Mediaite, Breitbart, Daily Mail, New York Post and The Hollywood Reporter

Franklin Foer / The Atlantic:

The Unique Danger of a Trumpist Oligarchy — On December 14, 2016, President-elect Donald Trump crammed a handful of America's most recognizable moguls into a conference room on the 25th floor of his Manhattan headquarters. The group included Amazon's Jeff Bezos, Tesla's Elon Musk, and Apple's Tim Cook.