memeorandum: October surprise: Trump just blew a huge lead, and the Madison Square Garden rally started the drop, says top data scientist (Shawn Tully/Fortune)

7:40 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

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

Brianne Pfannenstiel / Des Moines Register:

Iowa Poll: Kamala Harris leapfrogs Donald Trump to take lead near Election Day. Here's how — The nationally recognized Iowa Poll shows Kamala Harris picking up support from women to surpass Donald Trump in a ruby-red state he has won twice … Kamala Harris now leads Donald Trump in Iowa …

Discussion: HuffPost, Emerson Polling, Staten Island Advance, Telegraph, Fox News, al.com, Washington Examiner, Virginia Mercury and New Jersey Online

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: basketnews.com, Mediaite 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, Daily Mail, The Independent, Teen Vogue, DNyuz, Washington Examiner, Politico, NewsNation, Breitbart, New York Post, WisPolitics, FOX6 News Milwaukee and The Hill

Shawn Tully / Fortune:

October surprise: Trump just blew a huge lead, and the Madison Square Garden rally started the drop, says top data scientist — Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Oct. 27. — Donald Trump is suffering an historic descent in the campaign's final days …

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

Jill Colvin / Associated Press:
Trump is using election lies to lay the groundwork for challenging 2024 results if he loses

Discussion: PolitiFact and Teen Vogue

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

Discussion: USA Today

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

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

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

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, Alternet.org, Washington Examiner and Democrats, more at Techmeme »

Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing / Politico:
Harris pushes economy as Trump's advantage shrinks

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

ProPublica:

Trump Media Outsourced Jobs to Mexico Even as Trump Pushes “America First” — On the campaign trail, Donald Trump threatened businesses that send jobs south of the border, while his own company that runs the Truth Social platform outsourced coding jobs to workers in Mexico, outraging some staff members.

Ally Mutnick / Politico:

The POLITICO Race to Watch: Montana Senate — Candidates: Sen. Jon Tester (D) vs. aerospace executive Tim Sheehy (R) Ad spending since Labor Day: $84.5 million for Democrats; $72.9 million for Republicans Past results: Tester won reelection for a third time in 2018, beating now-Rep. Matt Rosendale …

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

Russell Payne / Salon:
“Democrats are in a stronger position”: Election forecasters give Dems an edge in swing House races

Discussion: The Liberal Patriot and USA Today

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

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

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

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: Blue Virginia, The Hill, HuffPost, Washington Times and Deadline

Ashleigh Fields / The Hill:

New York Times editorial board urges voters to choose Harris — The New York Times editorial board published an opinion piece on Saturday urging people not to vote for former President Trump. — “You already know Donald Trump. He is unfit to lead. Watch him.

Discussion: Atlantic Council

New York Times:
The Editorial Board — You already know Donald Trump. — He is unfit to lead. Watch him.

Discussion: Futurism and Wall Street Journal

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

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

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.

Jeremy W. Peters / New York Times:

In Shift From 2020, Identity Politics Loses Its Grip on the Country — There are signs that society is moving away from the progressive left's often strict expectations about how to discuss culture and politics. — The last time Kamala Harris ran for president, during the 2020 primaries …

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