thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-14--Do rallies still matter? COVID-19 election tests value of traditional campaigning

With a rousing rally in the battleground state of Florida , President Trump Monday made a triumphant return to the campaign trail this week , raising new questions about how much this kind of traditional politicking matters during a pandemic .
“ I feel so powerful , ” Trump said .
“ I ’ ll kiss everyone in that audience .
I ’ ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women .
Just give you a big , fat kiss.
” “ These rallies give POTUS the juice he needs in the final weeks , ” said a veteran Republican @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dancing to the Village People ’ s “ YMCA ” as he took the stage .
For months , Republicans have predicted that at some point , Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden ’ s approach of campaigning largely from his basement was a mistake and that eventually , Trump ’ s embrace of barnstorming and the bully pulpit would pay off .
Instead , Biden has built a formidable lead in the polls , 10 points in the RealClearPolitics national average and almost 5 in the top battlegrounds , with only a limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yet the discrepancy in public events feeds one doubt that gnaws at Democrats and encourages Republicans after Trump ’ s poll-defying upset victory in 2016 .
The Biden campaign has downplayed door-knocking and other get-out-the-vote efforts .
And with a few exceptions , such as the former vice president ’ s appearance in Pennsylvania the day after the first presidential debate , when Biden does hold public events , the crowds are sparse .
“ Conventional political wisdom says the candidates should be out there meeting people in person , and going door @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” said Democratic strategist Spencer Critchley , author of the new book Patriots of Two Nations : Why Trump Was Inevitable and What Happens Next .
“ Just having a candidate meet people and ask for their vote is incredibly effective.
” '' While you might hear our opponent spend a lot of time talking about the millions of door knocks or attempts that they 're making week to week , those metrics actually do n't have any impact on reaching voters , '' Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of success , the numbers we look at and use , are conversations . ''
Critchley thinks Dillon could be right .
“ There are enough voters who will appreciate that he 's taking the pandemic seriously , ” he said , noting the possibilities offered by platforms like Zoom .
“ I think they 've compensated really well.
” But combined with an enthusiasm gap in some polls , it gives Republicans hope that the big picture showing a likely Trump defeat and setbacks in the Senate could be wrong .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a place Hillary Clinton won with 66 percent of the vote , he was clearly struggling to excite core Democrat voters who remain hugely unenthusiastic about his campaign , ” said Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh in a statement following the Democratic nominee ’ s visit to Florida .
Trump on Monday called campaign event turnout numbers “ the real polls.
” Meanwhile , political prognosticators with little exposure to the campaign trail themselves due to the coronavirus and no experience polling in a pandemic are fearful of seeing their Trump election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is afraid it is going to be a repeat of 2016 , ” Critchley said , adding that Democrats have “ PTSD ” about Clinton ’ s improbable defeat .
“ It 's like thinking last time I walked down that block , a bird pooped on me , therefore , I must not walk down that block , ” he added .
But just as people have had to adjust to the virus in so many other ways , what has worked in the past for political campaigns , including Trump ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year .
“ This is the first virtual presidential campaign and probably not the last , ” said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon .
“ Even before the pandemic , the U.S. was becoming an electronic society .
The COVID outbreak hastened the trend.
” Some Republicans speculate that Trump voters will be more willing than Biden supporters to turn out on Election Day , in part because they are more willing to go out in public during the pandemic .
Still , the Democratic primaries largely played out according to the polls , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet to move the national numbers , with the election less than a month away .
“ People are still scared to death of COVID-19 , and few voters want to go out to a rally with a bunch of other people or see a stranger show up at their doorstep , ” said Bannon .

With a rousing rally in the battleground state of Florida, President Trump Monday made a triumphant return to the campaign trail this week, raising new questions about how much this kind of traditional politicking matters during a pandemic.
“I feel so powerful,” Trump said. “I’ll kiss everyone in that audience. I’ll kiss the guys and the beautiful women. Just give you a big, fat kiss.”
“These rallies give POTUS the juice he needs in the final weeks,” said a veteran Republican strategist, noting videos circulating of Trump dancing to the Village People’s “YMCA” as he took the stage.
For months, Republicans have predicted that at some point, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s approach of campaigning largely from his basement was a mistake and that eventually, Trump’s embrace of barnstorming and the bully pulpit would pay off. Instead, Biden has built a formidable lead in the polls, 10 points in the RealClearPolitics national average and almost 5 in the top battlegrounds, with only a limited resumption of normal public campaign activities.
Yet the discrepancy in public events feeds one doubt that gnaws at Democrats and encourages Republicans after Trump’s poll-defying upset victory in 2016. The Biden campaign has downplayed door-knocking and other get-out-the-vote efforts. And with a few exceptions, such as the former vice president’s appearance in Pennsylvania the day after the first presidential debate, when Biden does hold public events, the crowds are sparse.
“Conventional political wisdom says the candidates should be out there meeting people in person, and going door to door and talking to people,” said Democratic strategist Spencer Critchley, author of the new book Patriots of Two Nations: Why Trump Was Inevitable and What Happens Next. “Just having a candidate meet people and ask for their vote is incredibly effective.”
"While you might hear our opponent spend a lot of time talking about the millions of door knocks or attempts that they're making week to week, those metrics actually don't have any impact on reaching voters," Biden campaign manager Jen O'Malley Dillon told reporters in a conference call. "Our metric of success, the numbers we look at and use, are conversations."
Critchley thinks Dillon could be right. “There are enough voters who will appreciate that he's taking the pandemic seriously,” he said, noting the possibilities offered by platforms like Zoom. “I think they've compensated really well.”
But combined with an enthusiasm gap in some polls, it gives Republicans hope that the big picture showing a likely Trump defeat and setbacks in the Senate could be wrong. “As Joe Biden visited Broward County, a place Hillary Clinton won with 66 percent of the vote, he was clearly struggling to excite core Democrat voters who remain hugely unenthusiastic about his campaign,” said Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh in a statement following the Democratic nominee’s visit to Florida. Trump on Monday called campaign event turnout numbers “the real polls.”
Meanwhile, political prognosticators with little exposure to the campaign trail themselves due to the coronavirus and no experience polling in a pandemic are fearful of seeing their Trump election predictions proven wrong again. “Everybody is afraid it is going to be a repeat of 2016,” Critchley said, adding that Democrats have “PTSD” about Clinton’s improbable defeat.
“It's like thinking last time I walked down that block, a bird pooped on me, therefore, I must not walk down that block,” he added.
But just as people have had to adjust to the virus in so many other ways, what has worked in the past for political campaigns, including Trump’s, may have to change this year.
“This is the first virtual presidential campaign and probably not the last,” said Democratic strategist Brad Bannon. “Even before the pandemic, the U.S. was becoming an electronic society. The COVID outbreak hastened the trend.”
Some Republicans speculate that Trump voters will be more willing than Biden supporters to turn out on Election Day, in part because they are more willing to go out in public during the pandemic. Still, the Democratic primaries largely played out according to the polls, and Trump’s public displays have yet to move the national numbers, with the election less than a month away.
“People are still scared to death of COVID-19, and few voters want to go out to a rally with a bunch of other people or see a stranger show up at their doorstep,” said Bannon.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-14--GOP congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn says vandals struck North Carolina home

Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn said that his home was recently vandalized and that it came as “ no surprise.
” The 25-year-old Republican nominee for North Carolina ’ s 11th District said that the vandals struck in the early hours of Friday morning .
“ I was waking up to go take engagement photos with my fiance , which I was very excited about , and then I wake up to these vandals , these little punks on my driveway , you know , they were gluing some of my signs to the driveway , they were spray-painting pretty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they were cutting the head and neck out of out my signs all over the district , ” Cawthorn told Fox News .
“ But also they went after our billboards that were supporting our agriculture , our farmers , the people who kept us afloat throughout COVID-19 , ” he added in reference to a vandalized billboard that was placed by the local branch of the Republican Party .
Photos from Cawthorn ’ s home showed vandalized signs laid out near his property that bore phrases like “ wannabe corporate shill ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have no soul.
” Cawthorn told the Washington Examiner over the phone that he reported the vandalism to the sheriff 's office , which came to his house to investigate in the hours after the discovery .
He said that the vandalism was likely done by a group of perpetrators and not just one person and said he spotted one near his home the night of the vandalism .
`` At the very end , we saw one running down the hill , '' Cawthorn said .
Cawthorn said earlier on Fox News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprise ” and made reference to a tweet from 2019 by his Democratic opponent in the race , former Air Force Col. Moe Davis .
“ Screw they go low , we go high bullsh*t. When @ NCGOP extremists go low , we stomp their scrawny pasty necks with our heels and once you hear the sound of a crisp snap you grind your heel hard and twist it slowly side to side for good measure .
He needs to know who whupped his ass , ” the tweet read .
Davis said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no reason to believe ” that the alleged vandalism has anything to do with his campaign or his supporters .
“ Mr .
Cawthorn has incessantly hyped a tweet of mine from over a year ago to stoke anger within his supporters and create a false narrative of lawlessness in Western North Carolina , ” Davis said .
“ His ads aren ’ t directed at my supporters.
” “ They ’ re directed at inciting his .
Apply some common sense : Vandalizing signs does nothing to aid my campaign .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the victim and lash out at me for attacking him without a shred of evidence that I had anything at all to do with what was reported .
Indeed , he should await an investigation by law enforcement before making accusations , ” he continued .
Cawthorn , who would be the youngest sitting member of Congress if elected in November , shot to national prominence after defeating Lynda Bennett in the Republican primary .
Bennett had been endorsed by President Trump and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows .
Meadows had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ red district that Cawthorn is hoping to win .

Republican congressional candidate Madison Cawthorn said that his home was recently vandalized and that it came as “no surprise.”
The 25-year-old Republican nominee for North Carolina’s 11th District said that the vandals struck in the early hours of Friday morning.
“I was waking up to go take engagement photos with my fiance, which I was very excited about, and then I wake up to these vandals, these little punks on my driveway, you know, they were gluing some of my signs to the driveway, they were spray-painting pretty not-so-subtle threats onto them, and then they were cutting the head and neck out of out my signs all over the district,” Cawthorn told Fox News.
“But also they went after our billboards that were supporting our agriculture, our farmers, the people who kept us afloat throughout COVID-19,” he added in reference to a vandalized billboard that was placed by the local branch of the Republican Party.
Photos from Cawthorn’s home showed vandalized signs laid out near his property that bore phrases like “wannabe corporate shill” and “liar” and “you have no soul.”
Cawthorn told the Washington Examiner over the phone that he reported the vandalism to the sheriff's office, which came to his house to investigate in the hours after the discovery.
He said that the vandalism was likely done by a group of perpetrators and not just one person and said he spotted one near his home the night of the vandalism.
"At the very end, we saw one running down the hill," Cawthorn said.
Cawthorn said earlier on Fox News that the incident came as “no surprise” and made reference to a tweet from 2019 by his Democratic opponent in the race, former Air Force Col. Moe Davis.
“Screw they go low, we go high bullsh*t. When @NCGOP extremists go low, we stomp their scrawny pasty necks with our heels and once you hear the sound of a crisp snap you grind your heel hard and twist it slowly side to side for good measure. He needs to know who whupped his ass,” the tweet read.
Davis said in a statement that he has “no reason to believe” that the alleged vandalism has anything to do with his campaign or his supporters.
“Mr. Cawthorn has incessantly hyped a tweet of mine from over a year ago to stoke anger within his supporters and create a false narrative of lawlessness in Western North Carolina,” Davis said. “His ads aren’t directed at my supporters.”
“They’re directed at inciting his. Apply some common sense: Vandalizing signs does nothing to aid my campaign. But it does allow Mr. Cawthorn to play the victim and lash out at me for attacking him without a shred of evidence that I had anything at all to do with what was reported. Indeed, he should await an investigation by law enforcement before making accusations,” he continued.
Cawthorn, who would be the youngest sitting member of Congress if elected in November, shot to national prominence after defeating Lynda Bennett in the Republican primary. Bennett had been endorsed by President Trump and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Meadows had previously served in Congress in the solidly red district that Cawthorn is hoping to win.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-14--Lincoln Project raises nearly $40M to topple Trump and GOP Senate

The renegade Republican group The Lincoln Project raised nearly $ 40 million in the third quarter for its hard-hitting campaign to oust President Trump and the Republican Senate majority .
The Lincoln Project was founded by `` Never Trump '' Republicans with decades of experience as GOP consultants .
The super PAC is spending millions of dollars to air advertising and videos that attack the president and Senate Republicans up for reelection , sometimes in sharply personal terms .
The group raised $ 39.4 million in July , August , and September and entered October with $ 13.2 million in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , The Lincoln Project claimed , “ Donald Trump has recovered from COVID-19 , but more than 200,000 Americans will never recover from Donald Trump.
” The spot refers to the more than 200,000 people in the United States who got the coronavirus .
In another video , released Wednesday , The Lincoln Project attacks Republican Sen. Joni Ernst , who is in a toss-up race for reelection in Iowa and is running against Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield .
“ When times are this tough for Iowa families and farmers , you ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , speak up , and fight for us , ” the ad ’ s voice-over says .
“ On trade , she sticks with the Trump plan that ’ s driving too many Iowa farms to bankruptcy.
” Some critics of The Lincoln Project accuse the group of mimicking Trump ’ s caustic behavior .
Others say attempting to bring down the GOP Senate majority endangers the kind of conservative Republicans who Never Trump Republicans claim to prefer over the president ’ s nationalist populism .
The group is unapologetic .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ News 's 60 Minutes , the Republican strategists behind The Lincoln Project said negative advertising is effective and claimed the group is uniquely positioned to craft spots that appeal to GOP voters turned off by Trump and looking for a reason to justify voting for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden .
“ We all had a conviction that there are millions of Republicans who look at this debacle and reject it , '' said Steve Schmidt , co-founder of The Lincoln Project and campaign manager for the late Republican Sen. John McCain 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thought we could do it talk to those voters in the language and the iconography that they understand . ''

The renegade Republican group The Lincoln Project raised nearly $40 million in the third quarter for its hard-hitting campaign to oust President Trump and the Republican Senate majority.
The Lincoln Project was founded by "Never Trump" Republicans with decades of experience as GOP consultants. The super PAC is spending millions of dollars to air advertising and videos that attack the president and Senate Republicans up for reelection, sometimes in sharply personal terms.
The group raised $39.4 million in July, August, and September and entered October with $13.2 million in the bank.
In one recent video, The Lincoln Project claimed, “Donald Trump has recovered from COVID-19, but more than 200,000 Americans will never recover from Donald Trump.” The spot refers to the more than 200,000 people in the United States who got the coronavirus. In another video, released Wednesday, The Lincoln Project attacks Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, who is in a toss-up race for reelection in Iowa and is running against Democratic challenger Theresa Greenfield.
“When times are this tough for Iowa families and farmers, you’d think Joni Ernst would stand up, speak up, and fight for us,” the ad’s voice-over says. “On trade, she sticks with the Trump plan that’s driving too many Iowa farms to bankruptcy.”
Some critics of The Lincoln Project accuse the group of mimicking Trump’s caustic behavior. Others say attempting to bring down the GOP Senate majority endangers the kind of conservative Republicans who Never Trump Republicans claim to prefer over the president’s nationalist populism.
The group is unapologetic. In a major feature about its activities on CBS News's 60 Minutes, the Republican strategists behind The Lincoln Project said negative advertising is effective and claimed the group is uniquely positioned to craft spots that appeal to GOP voters turned off by Trump and looking for a reason to justify voting for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.
“We all had a conviction that there are millions of Republicans who look at this debacle and reject it," said Steve Schmidt, co-founder of The Lincoln Project and campaign manager for the late Republican Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign. "What we thought we could do it talk to those voters in the language and the iconography that they understand."


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-14--Hunter Biden set up meeting between Joe Biden, then VP, to Ukrainian businessman: Report

Hunter Biden set up a meeting between a senior official at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma and Joe Biden while he was still vice president , according to a new report , potentially contradicting claims from the 2020 Democratic nominee that he never discussed overseas business with his son .
The previously undisclosed possible introduction between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharskyi , an adviser to the board of Burisma , which is the company Hunter Biden also served on , came to light through an email from Pozharskyi to the younger Biden obtained by the New York Post .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discovered on a computer purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden that was left at a repair shop in Delaware .
“ Dear Hunter , thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [ sic ] some time together .
It ’ s realty [ sic ] an honor and pleasure , ” the email dated April 17 , 2015 , reads , but there are no additional details about what the `` meet '' entailed .
It was unclear from the email whether it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened or after .
“ I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings , ” the former vice president said last September .
“ Here ’ s what I know — Trump should be investigated.
” Hunter 's role with Burisma has long been scrutinized by Republicans , and it ultimately led to President Trump urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate claims of corruption , which spurred his impeachment in the House of Representatives and his subsequent acquittal in the Senate .
The shop owner told the New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the computer ’ s hard drive and provided it to a lawyer for Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani .
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon alerted the outlet about the hard drive ’ s existence in September , and Giuliani handed over a copy of it on Sunday .
The Biden campaign , in a statement to Politico , denied that such a meeting with Pozharskyi ever took place , and hit the New York Post over Giuliani 's involvement in the story .
“ The New York Post never asked the Biden campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates told Politico .
`` They certainly never raised that Rudy Giuliani — whose discredited conspiracy theories and alliance with figures connected to Russian intelligence have been widely reported — claimed to have such materials .
Moreover , we have reviewed Joe Biden ’ s official schedules from the time and no meeting , as alleged by the New York Post , ever took place.
” Giuliani was a staunch defender of Trump throughout the impeachment process and worked with Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach and others to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his power in Ukraine .
Bill Evanina , who leads the National Counterintelligence and Security Center , released an intelligence assessment in early August warning that Russia is “ using a range of measures to primarily denigrate ” Biden , and that Derkach `` is spreading claims about corruption — including through publicizing leaked phone calls — to undermine '' Biden .
The same statement also said China “ prefers ” that Trump not win reelection and is `` expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020.
” The counterintelligence official also said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's presidency .
The Treasury Department announced sanctions against Derkach this summer .
There is no evidence that the leaked emails from Hunter Biden and Burisma were connected to Derkach or Russia .
During a phone call last summer , Zelensky expressed interest in purchasing anti-tank weaponry , and Trump asked Zelensky `` to do us a favor though '' by looking into the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory and possible Ukrainian meddling in 2016 .
Trump also urged Zelensky to investigate “ the other thing , ” referring to allegations of corruption involving Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican allies have questioned why Burisma gave Hunter a high-paying position despite him having little experience in the energy sector and a well-documented problem with drug use .
Trump , Giuliani , and other allies claim Biden improperly used his position as vice president to pressure Ukraine to fire Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin to protect his son from an investigation into Burisma .
Democrats deny there was any wrongdoing , arguing that the claims of corruption are political smears .
Biden threatened to withhold $ 1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees if Ukraine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ criticized by many in the West for not doing enough to crack down on corruption .
A September report by Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson and Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley warned that Hunter Biden ’ s lucrative position on the board of Burisma created concerns during the Obama administration .
The report says George Kent , former acting deputy chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine , “ raised concerns to officials in Vice President Joe Biden ’ s office about the perception of a conflict of interest with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Burisma ’ s board ” in early 2015 .
The report alleges that “ Kent ’ s concerns went unaddressed ” and that he wrote an email to his colleagues stating that “ the presence of Hunter Biden on the Burisma board was very awkward for all U.S. officials pushing an anticorruption agenda in Ukraine ” in September 2016 .
The report also contends that senior State Department official Amos Hochstein “ raised concerns with Vice President Biden , as well as with Hunter Biden , that Hunter Biden ’ s position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disinformation efforts and risked undermining U.S. policy in Ukraine ” in October 2015 .
Bates also noted that the investigation did not come up with conclusive information of a conspiracy .
“ Investigations by the press , during impeachment , and even by two Republican-led Senate committees whose work was decried as ‘ not legitimate ’ and political by a GOP colleague have all reached the same conclusion : that Joe Biden carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing , '' he said .
`` Trump administration officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

Hunter Biden set up a meeting between a senior official at the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma and Joe Biden while he was still vice president, according to a new report, potentially contradicting claims from the 2020 Democratic nominee that he never discussed overseas business with his son.
The previously undisclosed possible introduction between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharskyi, an adviser to the board of Burisma, which is the company Hunter Biden also served on, came to light through an email from Pozharskyi to the younger Biden obtained by the New York Post. The email, and other information, was discovered on a computer purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden that was left at a repair shop in Delaware.
“Dear Hunter, thank you for inviting me to DC and giving an opportunity to meet your father and spent [sic] some time together. It’s realty [sic] an honor and pleasure,” the email dated April 17, 2015, reads, but there are no additional details about what the "meet" entailed. It was unclear from the email whether it was sent before such a meeting may have happened or after.
“I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings,” the former vice president said last September. “Here’s what I know — Trump should be investigated.”
Hunter's role with Burisma has long been scrutinized by Republicans, and it ultimately led to President Trump urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate claims of corruption, which spurred his impeachment in the House of Representatives and his subsequent acquittal in the Senate.
The shop owner told the New York Post that he made a copy of the computer’s hard drive and provided it to a lawyer for Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon alerted the outlet about the hard drive’s existence in September, and Giuliani handed over a copy of it on Sunday.
The Biden campaign, in a statement to Politico, denied that such a meeting with Pozharskyi ever took place, and hit the New York Post over Giuliani's involvement in the story.
“The New York Post never asked the Biden campaign about the critical elements of this story," Biden campaign spokesperson Andrew Bates told Politico. "They certainly never raised that Rudy Giuliani — whose discredited conspiracy theories and alliance with figures connected to Russian intelligence have been widely reported — claimed to have such materials. Moreover, we have reviewed Joe Biden’s official schedules from the time and no meeting, as alleged by the New York Post, ever took place.”
Giuliani was a staunch defender of Trump throughout the impeachment process and worked with Ukrainian lawmaker Andriy Derkach and others to push allegations that Joe Biden had abused his power in Ukraine.
Bill Evanina, who leads the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, released an intelligence assessment in early August warning that Russia is “using a range of measures to primarily denigrate” Biden, and that Derkach "is spreading claims about corruption — including through publicizing leaked phone calls — to undermine" Biden. The same statement also said China “prefers” that Trump not win reelection and is "expanding its influence efforts ahead of November 2020.” The counterintelligence official also said Iran “seeks to undermine" Trump's presidency.
The Treasury Department announced sanctions against Derkach this summer. There is no evidence that the leaked emails from Hunter Biden and Burisma were connected to Derkach or Russia.
During a phone call last summer, Zelensky expressed interest in purchasing anti-tank weaponry, and Trump asked Zelensky "to do us a favor though" by looking into the CrowdStrike conspiracy theory and possible Ukrainian meddling in 2016. Trump also urged Zelensky to investigate “the other thing,” referring to allegations of corruption involving Joe and Hunter Biden.
Trump and his Republican allies have questioned why Burisma gave Hunter a high-paying position despite him having little experience in the energy sector and a well-documented problem with drug use. Trump, Giuliani, and other allies claim Biden improperly used his position as vice president to pressure Ukraine to fire Ukrainian prosecutor Viktor Shokin to protect his son from an investigation into Burisma. Democrats deny there was any wrongdoing, arguing that the claims of corruption are political smears. Biden threatened to withhold $1 billion in U.S. loan guarantees if Ukraine did not fire Shokin, who was criticized by many in the West for not doing enough to crack down on corruption.
A September report by Senate Homeland Security Chairman Ron Johnson and Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley warned that Hunter Biden’s lucrative position on the board of Burisma created concerns during the Obama administration. The report says George Kent, former acting deputy chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, “raised concerns to officials in Vice President Joe Biden’s office about the perception of a conflict of interest with respect to Hunter Biden’s role on Burisma’s board” in early 2015.
The report alleges that “Kent’s concerns went unaddressed” and that he wrote an email to his colleagues stating that “the presence of Hunter Biden on the Burisma board was very awkward for all U.S. officials pushing an anticorruption agenda in Ukraine” in September 2016. The report also contends that senior State Department official Amos Hochstein “raised concerns with Vice President Biden, as well as with Hunter Biden, that Hunter Biden’s position on Burisma’s board enabled Russian disinformation efforts and risked undermining U.S. policy in Ukraine” in October 2015.
Bates also noted that the investigation did not come up with conclusive information of a conspiracy.
“Investigations by the press, during impeachment, and even by two Republican-led Senate committees whose work was decried as ‘not legitimate’ and political by a GOP colleague have all reached the same conclusion: that Joe Biden carried out official U.S. policy toward Ukraine and engaged in no wrongdoing," he said. "Trump administration officials have attested to these facts under oath."


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-14--Conservative group spends big in small Pennsylvania market to hit Biden on China

The Club for Growth is dropping $ 1 million in the tiny Wilkes-Barre , Pennsylvania , media market to air a television advertisement claiming that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is soft on China .
The free market advocacy group is attempting to boost support for President Trump in the key battleground state .
Trump won Pennsylvania narrowly four years ago but trails Biden there this time around with just three weeks to go until Election Day .
With Trump atop the Republican Party , Luzerne County , where Wilkes-Barre is located , has leaned GOP .
But the Club for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grow his numbers there to counteract anticipated heavy losses in Democratic-trending suburbs .
Wilkes-Barre is the 60th largest media market in the country .
The Hill was first to report on the Club for Growth 's ad .
`` Under Biden 's leadership , northeast Pennsylvania lost nearly 20,000 jobs , sold us out to China where Biden 's family made billion-dollar deals , sold out to [ House Speaker Nancy ] Pelosi , too , '' the spot 's voice-over says , referring to the Democratic nominee 's tenure as vice president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 4,500 per year on average — trillions to finance [ Pelosi 's ] wishlist . ''
Biden leads Trump in Pennsylvania by an average of 7 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average .
The president and his allies are planning to blitz the state as the Nov. 3 elections approach in a bid to turn things around .
On Tuesday , Trump held one of his first rallies since recovering from a bout of the coronavirus in Cambria County , Pennsylvania — deep-red territory where he won with 66 % of the vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ targeting Pennsylvania with a strategy that seeks to reduce Trump 's margin of victory in red counties .

The Club for Growth is dropping $1 million in the tiny Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, media market to air a television advertisement claiming that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is soft on China.
The free market advocacy group is attempting to boost support for President Trump in the key battleground state. Trump won Pennsylvania narrowly four years ago but trails Biden there this time around with just three weeks to go until Election Day. With Trump atop the Republican Party, Luzerne County, where Wilkes-Barre is located, has leaned GOP. But the Club for Growth is moving to help the president grow his numbers there to counteract anticipated heavy losses in Democratic-trending suburbs.
Wilkes-Barre is the 60th largest media market in the country. The Hill was first to report on the Club for Growth's ad.
"Under Biden's leadership, northeast Pennsylvania lost nearly 20,000 jobs, sold us out to China where Biden's family made billion-dollar deals, sold out to [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, too," the spot's voice-over says, referring to the Democratic nominee's tenure as vice president. "His plan costs families $4,500 per year on average — trillions to finance [Pelosi's] wishlist."
Biden leads Trump in Pennsylvania by an average of 7 percentage points in the RealClearPolitics average. The president and his allies are planning to blitz the state as the Nov. 3 elections approach in a bid to turn things around. On Tuesday, Trump held one of his first rallies since recovering from a bout of the coronavirus in Cambria County, Pennsylvania — deep-red territory where he won with 66% of the vote in 2016.
Biden also is aggressively targeting Pennsylvania with a strategy that seeks to reduce Trump's margin of victory in red counties.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-14--Investigation launched after several bags of mail found outside carrier's home waiting to be picked

Investigation launched after several bags of mail found outside carrier's home waiting to be picked up for landfill

Several bags of undelivered mail were found outside of a mail carrier ’ s home waiting to be picked up for trash collection , prompting an investigation and the postal worker being placed on unpaid leave .
`` USPS OIG Special Agents recovered several different classes of mail , including business mail , flats , and small amount of first-class mail , '' USPS Office of Inspector General Special Agent Scott Balfour said in a statement .
`` We expect to perform a piece count of the mail today and make arrangements to have to mail delivered to customers as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unclear if ballots were in the several bags of mail found outside of the unidentified postal worker ’ s home .
The home is located in Baldwin , Pennsylvania , which is outside of Pittsburgh .
The situation comes as mail-in ballots are cast across the country , accompanied by instances of ballots being found in the trash .
In California last week , a Santa Monica man found dozens of mail-in ballots in two trash cans , as well as other mail , such as bank statements and bills .
In Los @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near an ATM .
“ You know , is this intentional ?
” Kandace Rushiddin , the woman who found the discarded ballots , said .
“ Is this meant to suppress the vote ?
I don ’ t know.
” “ You know , I know lies are being told , ” she said .
“ People are talking about they found them in creeks , and that turned out to be a lie .
So , I ’ m thinking , ‘ OK , this isn ’ t happening , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up on ?
You know , it ’ s just very disheartening.
” Additionally , errors on ballots have also caused issues , most notably in New York .
It was discovered in September that nearly 100,000 absentee ballots sent to voters in Brooklyn contained incorrect names and addresses on return envelopes .
“ Wow !
100,000 Mail In Ballots in New York City a total MESS .
Mayor and Governor have no idea what to do .
Big Fraud , Unfixable !
Cancel Ballots and go out and VOTE , just like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no problems !
” President Trump tweeted of the incident .
Trump has been critical of mail-in ballots , citing their vulnerability to fraud and for potentially slowing a final tally for the general election .
Democrats , however , say the method is safe and will also prevent the spread of the coronavirus .
“ It is essential from a health reason because we want to keep people at home to vote without having them all collect on Election Day , but if they do want to vote in person , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rest so it 's not a risk to their health , ” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this summer .
“ People should not have to choose between their health and their vote , and that 's very important , ” she said .

Several bags of undelivered mail were found outside of a mail carrier’s home waiting to be picked up for trash collection, prompting an investigation and the postal worker being placed on unpaid leave.
"USPS OIG Special Agents recovered several different classes of mail, including business mail, flats, and small amount of first-class mail," USPS Office of Inspector General Special Agent Scott Balfour said in a statement. "We expect to perform a piece count of the mail today and make arrangements to have to mail delivered to customers as soon as feasible."
It is unclear if ballots were in the several bags of mail found outside of the unidentified postal worker’s home. The home is located in Baldwin, Pennsylvania, which is outside of Pittsburgh.
The situation comes as mail-in ballots are cast across the country, accompanied by instances of ballots being found in the trash.
In California last week, a Santa Monica man found dozens of mail-in ballots in two trash cans, as well as other mail, such as bank statements and bills.
In Los Angeles, another person found discarded ballots near an ATM.
“You know, is this intentional?” Kandace Rushiddin, the woman who found the discarded ballots, said. “Is this meant to suppress the vote? I don’t know.”
“You know, I know lies are being told,” she said. “People are talking about they found them in creeks, and that turned out to be a lie. So, I’m thinking, ‘OK, this isn’t happening,’ and then, what do I drive up on? You know, it’s just very disheartening.”
Additionally, errors on ballots have also caused issues, most notably in New York.
It was discovered in September that nearly 100,000 absentee ballots sent to voters in Brooklyn contained incorrect names and addresses on return envelopes.
“Wow! 100,000 Mail In Ballots in New York City a total MESS. Mayor and Governor have no idea what to do. Big Fraud, Unfixable! Cancel Ballots and go out and VOTE, just like in past decades, when there were no problems!” President Trump tweeted of the incident.
Trump has been critical of mail-in ballots, citing their vulnerability to fraud and for potentially slowing a final tally for the general election. Democrats, however, say the method is safe and will also prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
“It is essential from a health reason because we want to keep people at home to vote without having them all collect on Election Day, but if they do want to vote in person, that we have sufficient spacing and all the rest so it's not a risk to their health,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said this summer.
“People should not have to choose between their health and their vote, and that's very important,” she said.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-15--Twitter suspends Team Trump account for posting video related to New York Post Hunter Biden story

The social media director for President Trump 's reelection campaign tweeted Thursday morning that the official Twitter account for the Trump campaign was suspended .
`` Twitter has suspended  @ TeamTrump for posting a video calling Joe Biden a liar who has been ripping off our country for years , as it relates to the  @ nypost article , '' Mike Hahn tweeted .
Hahn said the video was related to a Wednesday New York Post story about emails that were allegedly discovered on a laptop that belonged to the Democratic presidential nominee 's son Hunter Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ that he set up a meeting between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a senior official from the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma .
After the story began circulating across social media , Twitter and Facebook took steps to decelerate its spread .
Twitter blocked posts that linked to the story and briefly locked the New York Post out of its account .
Facebook reduced the distribution of the story and said that the story would be fact-checked by a third party .
Twitter 's decision to block the Team Trump account comes less than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ campaign account is far from the first account connected to the Trump administration or campaign to be suspended — nor is it the first time Team Trump was suspended .
Last night , press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was locked out of her personal account after she shared the New York Post story .
Last week , Twitter announced that it had temporarily blocked Trump 's account after it violated a policy by sharing the email address of a New York Post columnist .
In August , Twitter blocked the Team Trump account for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In July , Twitter temporarily blocked Donald Trump Jr. after he posted a video claiming that masks were unnecessary .

The social media director for President Trump's reelection campaign tweeted Thursday morning that the official Twitter account for the Trump campaign was suspended.
"Twitter has suspended @TeamTrump for posting a video calling Joe Biden a liar who has been ripping off our country for years, as it relates to the @nypost article," Mike Hahn tweeted.
Twitter has suspended @TeamTrump for posting a video calling Joe Biden a liar who has been ripping off our country for years, as it relates to the @nypost article.
19 days out from the election. pic.twitter.com/Z9FFzridyr — Mike Hahn (@mikehahn_) October 15, 2020
Hahn said the video was related to a Wednesday New York Post story about emails that were allegedly discovered on a laptop that belonged to the Democratic presidential nominee's son Hunter Biden. Among other things, the report alleges that he set up a meeting between then-Vice President Joe Biden and a senior official from the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma.
After the story began circulating across social media, Twitter and Facebook took steps to decelerate its spread. Twitter blocked posts that linked to the story and briefly locked the New York Post out of its account. Facebook reduced the distribution of the story and said that the story would be fact-checked by a third party.
Twitter's decision to block the Team Trump account comes less than three weeks before Election Day.
The campaign account is far from the first account connected to the Trump administration or campaign to be suspended — nor is it the first time Team Trump was suspended. Last night, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany was locked out of her personal account after she shared the New York Post story.
BREAKING: Twitter has locked the personal account of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany for sharing news Democrats don’t like. pic.twitter.com/eR8HhkgqVY — Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) October 14, 2020
Last week, Twitter announced that it had temporarily blocked Trump's account after it violated a policy by sharing the email address of a New York Post columnist. In August, Twitter blocked the Team Trump account for tweeting what it said was COVID-19 misinformation. In July, Twitter temporarily blocked Donald Trump Jr. after he posted a video claiming that masks were unnecessary.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-15--South Africa 'arrest' wasn't the only thing Biden got wrong about 1976 trip

Joe Biden 's recollection that he was once `` arrested '' in apartheid South Africa , along with black congressional colleagues , was one of many statements he had to walk back during the Democratic primaries .
But the eventual acknowledgment by Biden , now the Democratic presidential nominee , that the 1976 incident did n't happen as described contained a new set of errors .
Details of the 1976 trip reviewed by the Washington Examiner show that the then-34-year-old Delaware senator was never in the South African city of Johannesburg , where the fictional arrest episode was said to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South Africa was for years a high-profile issue for Biden , the former two-term vice president and 36-year Delaware senator .
In 1986 , as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee preparing for what would be the first of three presidential bids , Biden grilled Reagan administration officials over U.S. relations with South Africa 's apartheid regime .
Details of Biden 's decade-earlier personal interactions became fodder for debate during the heat of the Democratic primary season this year .
In February , he claimed to have been arrested in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the imprisoned African National Congress leader who had long fought the white minority government in South Africa for equal rights for blacks , who made up the bulk of the country 's population .
In February , Biden repeatedly claimed he was arrested by South African officials with then-Rep. Andrew Young , a black Georgia Democrat and leader of the American civil rights movement , `` on the streets of Soweto . ''
The township , in the city of Johannesburg , came to the world 's attention on June 16 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when mass protests erupted over the government 's policy to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than their native language .
Subsequent reporting debunked Biden 's story , and the former vice president was forced to admit the incident never happened .
Instead , Biden said , he was `` detained '' by officials in Johannesburg and `` separated '' from his congressional delegation at the airport .
Biden 's own campaign website maintains that in 1976 , `` when he arrived in Johannesburg he refused to be separated from his Congressional Black Caucus @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the itinerary from the trip , collected from declassified State Department cables and news reports from the time , shows no record of the congressional delegation Biden was a part of ever stopping in Johannesburg .
According to these cables , the congressional delegation departed from Andrews Air Force Base on Nov. 26 , 1976 , and first landed in Dakar , Senegal .
Next , the group made a stop in Nairobi , Kenya , before landing in Bloemfontein , South Africa .
From there , the group took a bus to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ encircled completely by South Africa .
After the Lesotho visit , the congressional delegation headed back to Bloemfontein and then Cape Town , South Africa .
The group left South Africa when it flew to Freetown , Sierra Leone , for the flight back to the Washington , D.C. , area .
The trip was organized , according to State Department cables , by the African American Institute , a U.S.-based organization meant to foster ties with African nations and its citizens .
On the top of the 1976 trip 's itinerary was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the AAI .
At the time , a nonstop flight to Lesotho was unavailable in the United States in part because of technological limitations of airplanes , the lack of a suitable airport in Maseru , and ongoing fighting in Namibia and Angola that made it unsafe to fly a Western flight over those countries .
That meant the State Department needed to facilitate visas for the delegation 's entry into South Africa , a difficult task in 1976 as U.S. pressure on the country to end its apartheid practices was intensifying under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` THERE IS GREAT ANXIETY IN ... AAI OVER TRAVEL OF AMERICANS ( AS WELL AS AFRICANS ) TO AAI CONFERENCE .
CONCERNS CENTER AROUND UNCERTAINTY OVER ISSUANCE OF TRANSIT VISAS FOR SOUTH AFRICA , '' a cable from Nov. 26 , 1976 , reads .
`` AAI REP JACQZ BELIEVES SAG , HAVING ISSUED VISAS FOR CONGRESSIONAL CONTINGENT , MAY HAVE DECIDED NOT RPT NOT TO ISSUE TRANSIT VISAS TO REMAINDER OF AMERICAN PARTICIPANTS . ''
Anticipation of visa issues in South Africa led to a minor panic within the State Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of the congressional delegation , which included activist Percy Sutton , then Manhattan borough president .
Sutton , a black man , later found that his visa was denied after landing in Bloemfontein .
South African officials then stopped Sutton , along with a number of his associates , all of whom were black , from leaving the terminal .
`` MANHATTAN BOROUGH ( REF B ) , WHO 'HAS WRITTEN SECRETARY KISSINGER ' AND IS HOPPING MAD AND MICHAEL PEAY WHO GOT LETTER FROM SA CONGEN BUT NO VISA AND WILL @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CHARTER FLIGHT FOR MASERU . ''
At no point in any of the State Department cables detailing the trip was there any indication that Biden faced resistance from South African authorities .
On the contrary , Biden is explicitly noted by State Department officials as receiving permission to pass through the country .
Nor is there any mention of a meeting with Nelson Mandela , who at the time was imprisoned on Robben Island , about four hours from Cape Town and 20 hours from Johannesburg , and was scarcely allowed visitors , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a summary of the trip by the AAI 's then-President William Cotter in the group 's 1976 annual report , the trip was meant for `` furthering African development , primarily through manpower training programs '' and highlight the importance of international aid to the region .
Anti-apartheid and anti-colonial activists also spoke during multiple sessions .
The Biden campaign declined to comment on this story .
Any interaction with South African officials would have surely been noted in State Department communications as well , which detail minor incidents such as members of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or members of the delegation deciding to go swimming .
One individual on the trip , Randall Robinson , then a staff member for Rep. Charles Diggs , a black Michigan Democrat , recounted an interaction with State Department officials , but not South African police , as Biden claimed , at Bloemfontein airport .
`` We were received on the tarmac by a small retinue of jittery white American consular officials whose body language conveyed unmistakably that we had arrived in a very tense place at a very bad time , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in his memoir .
Forty-four years later , details of the long-ago congressional delegation trip became political fodder in the heated Democratic primary fight that Biden ended up winning .
A senior Biden campaign official , Kate Bedingfield , in February , tried to clarify Biden 's claim of having been arrested in South Africa .
Rather , it was a `` separation , '' she said .
`` They , he was not allowed to go through the same door that the — the rest of the party he was with , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was apartheid South Africa .
There was a white door , there was a black door .
He did not want to go through the white door and have the rest of the party go through the black door .
He was separated .
This was during a trip while they were there in Johannesburg.
” As there is no record of Biden ever being in Johannesburg , any incident would have taken place in Cape Town or Bloemfontein .
At the time , nonwhites were barred from sharing airport facilities with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate `` whites only door '' for Biden to travel to .
Until Biden repeated the story in February , his trip to Africa largely escaped scrutiny since his 1978 reelection campaign .
That year , his Republican opponent James Baxter Jr. attacked the trip as self-dealing , noting that Biden brought both of his younger brothers along .
`` When my senator makes at least five trips abroad at taxpayer 's expense , when he claims one stop was a plane refueling stop , and I find out he went on a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his position to take a relative along on a foreign junket without reimbursing the person 's airplane expenses — that 's an issue , '' Baxter Jr. said .
Biden later denied any improper arrangement and noted that the trip was arranged by Diggs , the Michigan congressman .
Diggs was later indicted on 29 corruption counts , resigned from the House in 1980 , and served 14 months of a three-year sentence for mail fraud .

Joe Biden's recollection that he was once "arrested" in apartheid South Africa, along with black congressional colleagues, was one of many statements he had to walk back during the Democratic primaries.
But the eventual acknowledgment by Biden, now the Democratic presidential nominee, that the 1976 incident didn't happen as described contained a new set of errors.
Details of the 1976 trip reviewed by the Washington Examiner show that the then-34-year-old Delaware senator was never in the South African city of Johannesburg, where the fictional arrest episode was said to take place.
U.S. foreign policy toward South Africa was for years a high-profile issue for Biden, the former two-term vice president and 36-year Delaware senator. In 1986, as a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee preparing for what would be the first of three presidential bids, Biden grilled Reagan administration officials over U.S. relations with South Africa's apartheid regime.
Details of Biden's decade-earlier personal interactions became fodder for debate during the heat of the Democratic primary season this year. In February, he claimed to have been arrested in Johannesburg after attempting to meet Nelson Mandela, the imprisoned African National Congress leader who had long fought the white minority government in South Africa for equal rights for blacks, who made up the bulk of the country's population.
In February, Biden repeatedly claimed he was arrested by South African officials with then-Rep. Andrew Young, a black Georgia Democrat and leader of the American civil rights movement, "on the streets of Soweto." The township, in the city of Johannesburg, came to the world's attention on June 16, 1976, with the Soweto uprising, when mass protests erupted over the government's policy to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than their native language.
Subsequent reporting debunked Biden's story, and the former vice president was forced to admit the incident never happened. Instead, Biden said, he was "detained" by officials in Johannesburg and "separated" from his congressional delegation at the airport.
Biden's own campaign website maintains that in 1976, "when he arrived in Johannesburg he refused to be separated from his Congressional Black Caucus colleagues."
But a review of the itinerary from the trip, collected from declassified State Department cables and news reports from the time, shows no record of the congressional delegation Biden was a part of ever stopping in Johannesburg. According to these cables, the congressional delegation departed from Andrews Air Force Base on Nov. 26, 1976, and first landed in Dakar, Senegal. Next, the group made a stop in Nairobi, Kenya, before landing in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
From there, the group took a bus to Maseru, Lesotho, the 11,583-square-mile country encircled completely by South Africa. After the Lesotho visit, the congressional delegation headed back to Bloemfontein and then Cape Town, South Africa. The group left South Africa when it flew to Freetown, Sierra Leone, for the flight back to the Washington, D.C., area.
The trip was organized, according to State Department cables, by the African American Institute, a U.S.-based organization meant to foster ties with African nations and its citizens. On the top of the 1976 trip's itinerary was a trip to a conference organized by the AAI. At the time, a nonstop flight to Lesotho was unavailable in the United States in part because of technological limitations of airplanes, the lack of a suitable airport in Maseru, and ongoing fighting in Namibia and Angola that made it unsafe to fly a Western flight over those countries.
That meant the State Department needed to facilitate visas for the delegation's entry into South Africa, a difficult task in 1976 as U.S. pressure on the country to end its apartheid practices was intensifying under Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
One diplomatic cable said:
"THERE IS GREAT ANXIETY IN ... AAI OVER TRAVEL OF AMERICANS (AS WELL AS AFRICANS) TO AAI CONFERENCE. CONCERNS CENTER AROUND UNCERTAINTY OVER ISSUANCE OF TRANSIT VISAS FOR SOUTH AFRICA," a cable from Nov. 26, 1976, reads. "AAI REP JACQZ BELIEVES SAG, HAVING ISSUED VISAS FOR CONGRESSIONAL CONTINGENT, MAY HAVE DECIDED NOT RPT NOT TO ISSUE TRANSIT VISAS TO REMAINDER OF AMERICAN PARTICIPANTS."
Anticipation of visa issues in South Africa led to a minor panic within the State Department and multiple efforts to clear entry for members of the congressional delegation, which included activist Percy Sutton, then Manhattan borough president. Sutton, a black man, later found that his visa was denied after landing in Bloemfontein. South African officials then stopped Sutton, along with a number of his associates, all of whom were black, from leaving the terminal.
Another cable said:
"MANHATTAN BOROUGH (REF B), WHO 'HAS WRITTEN SECRETARY KISSINGER' AND IS HOPPING MAD AND MICHAEL PEAY WHO GOT LETTER FROM SA CONGEN BUT NO VISA AND WILL HAVE TO REMAIN IN INTERNATIONAL LOUNGE AWAITING CHARTER FLIGHT FOR MASERU."
At no point in any of the State Department cables detailing the trip was there any indication that Biden faced resistance from South African authorities. On the contrary, Biden is explicitly noted by State Department officials as receiving permission to pass through the country. Nor is there any mention of a meeting with Nelson Mandela, who at the time was imprisoned on Robben Island, about four hours from Cape Town and 20 hours from Johannesburg, and was scarcely allowed visitors, particularly from anti-apartheid activists.
According to a summary of the trip by the AAI's then-President William Cotter in the group's 1976 annual report, the trip was meant for "furthering African development, primarily through manpower training programs" and highlight the importance of international aid to the region. Anti-apartheid and anti-colonial activists also spoke during multiple sessions.
The Biden campaign declined to comment on this story.
Any interaction with South African officials would have surely been noted in State Department communications as well, which detail minor incidents such as members of Congress forgetting their credit cards at restaurants or members of the delegation deciding to go swimming.
One individual on the trip, Randall Robinson, then a staff member for Rep. Charles Diggs, a black Michigan Democrat, recounted an interaction with State Department officials, but not South African police, as Biden claimed, at Bloemfontein airport.
"We were received on the tarmac by a small retinue of jittery white American consular officials whose body language conveyed unmistakably that we had arrived in a very tense place at a very bad time," Robinson, who is black, wrote in his memoir.
Forty-four years later, details of the long-ago congressional delegation trip became political fodder in the heated Democratic primary fight that Biden ended up winning.
A senior Biden campaign official, Kate Bedingfield, in February, tried to clarify Biden's claim of having been arrested in South Africa. Rather, it was a "separation," she said.
"They, he was not allowed to go through the same door that the — the rest of the party he was with," Bedingfield said. "Obviously, it was apartheid South Africa. There was a white door, there was a black door. He did not want to go through the white door and have the rest of the party go through the black door. He was separated. This was during a trip while they were there in Johannesburg.”
As there is no record of Biden ever being in Johannesburg, any incident would have taken place in Cape Town or Bloemfontein. At the time, nonwhites were barred from sharing airport facilities with white travelers, meaning there was no separate "whites only door" for Biden to travel to.
Until Biden repeated the story in February, his trip to Africa largely escaped scrutiny since his 1978 reelection campaign. That year, his Republican opponent James Baxter Jr. attacked the trip as self-dealing, noting that Biden brought both of his younger brothers along.
"When my senator makes at least five trips abroad at taxpayer's expense, when he claims one stop was a plane refueling stop, and I find out he went on a wildlife photo safari, when he uses his position to take a relative along on a foreign junket without reimbursing the person's airplane expenses — that's an issue," Baxter Jr. said.
Biden later denied any improper arrangement and noted that the trip was arranged by Diggs, the Michigan congressman. Diggs was later indicted on 29 corruption counts, resigned from the House in 1980, and served 14 months of a three-year sentence for mail fraud.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-15--House GOP desperate to prevent bloodletting from becoming a bloodbath

With prospects for recapturing the House majority dwindling , Republicans are scrambling to prevent the Democrats from running up the score Nov. 3 and putting the speaker ’ s gavel further out of reach .
House Republicans entered the 2020 cycle hopeful .
Needing 17 seats to win back the majority after a two-year hiatus , they charted a path back to power through several districts that Democrats flipped in midterm elections but that supported President Trump in 2016 .
But as Election Day approaches , House Republicans are hamstrung by challenges similar to those afflicting their Senate colleagues .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ challengers , many of whom are struggling against political headwinds fanned by Trump .
Those difficulties , exacerbated by Trump ’ s struggles against Democratic nominee Joe Biden since their first televised debate in late September , have led nonpartisan political prognosticators to conclude that Democrats are likely to expand their majority .
“ Democrats are going to maintain their majority in the House in almost every imaginable scenario , ” said Nathan Gonzales , publisher of the handicapper Inside Elections .
“ The bigger questions are whether Democrats will expand their majority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gonzales projects Democrats could stand pat or flip up to 11 Republican-held seats .
The Cook Political Report projects Democratic pickups could reach 15 seats .
Republican strategists involved in House races say the best-case scenario for the GOP is to hold House losses to zero or the low single digits .
They are bracing for the worst , although it will not come close to the 40-seat wipeout from two years ago that cost them the majority .
“ The past two weeks have been an unmitigated disaster for Republican House and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s COVID test and hospitalization compounding a disastrous debate performance , ” a GOP strategist said .
Democrats are bullish on holding the majority but are circumspect about making major gains .
Democratic strategists expect the party might lose a few House seats but expect to win more than they shed , saying a “ great ” election night would entail growing their caucus by five seats .
Similar to the 2018 campaign , House Democrats are running on healthcare .
They are convinced that Trump ’ s vow to repeal Obamacare in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the issue that is most damaging to Republican challengers and the GOP incumbents on their target list .
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running television advertising on the topic in such diverse districts as the at-large seat in Montana , where Trump is expected to beat Biden , and Nebraska ’ s 2nd Congressional District , a suburban Omaha seat .
There , Biden is favored over Trump , and incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon is in trouble against Democrat Kara Eastman .
Nebraska awards Electoral College votes per congressional district .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ moderate image for improving existing opportunities to pick up seats and bolstering their defensive position in districts won in 2018 .
The party is targeting GOP-held suburban districts in Dallas , Houston , Indianapolis , and St. Louis and is encouraged by the strength of Democratic incumbents in districts in Charleston , South Carolina , Oklahoma City , and southern New Mexico .
“ We ’ d be content keeping the majority , ” a Democratic operative said .
“ We ’ re not expecting [ gains of ] double-digits.
” House Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ optimistic that they will win some Democratic seats to stem their losses elsewhere .
They are on offense in the inland , central California 21st District ; the coastal , southwest Oregon 4th District , and the western Wisconsin 3rd District .
All three have for years tended to vote Democrat for Congress , but the incumbents there are on their heels against quality Republican challengers .
However , signs of trouble for the GOP are unmistakable .
The party is pouring money into Alaska and Montana .
Republicans are on the ropes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 : Arkansas ’ s 2nd District just north of Little Rock ; veteran Republican Rep. Fred Upton is defending his seat in Michigan 's 6th District ; the open western Michigan 3rd District is being vacated by Republican-turned-Independent Rep. Justin Amash ; and Virginia ’ s rural 5th District is another open-seat contest .
Congressional Leadership Fund , the super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy , raised $ 77.4 million in the third quarter .
The haul was a record for the group and is helping House Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundraising advantage over the National Republican Congressional Committee .
“ The environment has gotten tougher , so we ’ re playing defense on an expanded defensive map , ” said a GOP operative involved in House races .
“ But we still feel very optimistic in races where we are on offense .
There are some surprising opportunities .
”

With prospects for recapturing the House majority dwindling, Republicans are scrambling to prevent the Democrats from running up the score Nov. 3 and putting the speaker’s gavel further out of reach.
House Republicans entered the 2020 cycle hopeful. Needing 17 seats to win back the majority after a two-year hiatus, they charted a path back to power through several districts that Democrats flipped in midterm elections but that supported President Trump in 2016. But as Election Day approaches, House Republicans are hamstrung by challenges similar to those afflicting their Senate colleagues.
Incumbent House Democrats are significantly outraising Republican challengers, many of whom are struggling against political headwinds fanned by Trump. Those difficulties, exacerbated by Trump’s struggles against Democratic nominee Joe Biden since their first televised debate in late September, have led nonpartisan political prognosticators to conclude that Democrats are likely to expand their majority.
“Democrats are going to maintain their majority in the House in almost every imaginable scenario,” said Nathan Gonzales, publisher of the handicapper Inside Elections. “The bigger questions are whether Democrats will expand their majority, and by how much?”
Gonzales projects Democrats could stand pat or flip up to 11 Republican-held seats. The Cook Political Report projects Democratic pickups could reach 15 seats. Republican strategists involved in House races say the best-case scenario for the GOP is to hold House losses to zero or the low single digits. They are bracing for the worst, although it will not come close to the 40-seat wipeout from two years ago that cost them the majority.
“The past two weeks have been an unmitigated disaster for Republican House and Senate campaigns, with the president’s COVID test and hospitalization compounding a disastrous debate performance,” a GOP strategist said.
Democrats are bullish on holding the majority but are circumspect about making major gains.
Democratic strategists expect the party might lose a few House seats but expect to win more than they shed, saying a “great” election night would entail growing their caucus by five seats. Similar to the 2018 campaign, House Democrats are running on healthcare. They are convinced that Trump’s vow to repeal Obamacare in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic is the issue that is most damaging to Republican challengers and the GOP incumbents on their target list.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is running television advertising on the topic in such diverse districts as the at-large seat in Montana, where Trump is expected to beat Biden, and Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a suburban Omaha seat. There, Biden is favored over Trump, and incumbent Republican Rep. Don Bacon is in trouble against Democrat Kara Eastman. Nebraska awards Electoral College votes per congressional district.
Democrats also are crediting Biden’s moderate image for improving existing opportunities to pick up seats and bolstering their defensive position in districts won in 2018. The party is targeting GOP-held suburban districts in Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, and St. Louis and is encouraged by the strength of Democratic incumbents in districts in Charleston, South Carolina, Oklahoma City, and southern New Mexico.
“We’d be content keeping the majority,” a Democratic operative said. “We’re not expecting [gains of] double-digits.”
House Republicans, fighting for a draw, are optimistic that they will win some Democratic seats to stem their losses elsewhere.
They are on offense in the inland, central California 21st District; the coastal, southwest Oregon 4th District, and the western Wisconsin 3rd District. All three have for years tended to vote Democrat for Congress, but the incumbents there are on their heels against quality Republican challengers. However, signs of trouble for the GOP are unmistakable.
The party is pouring money into Alaska and Montana. Republicans are on the ropes in additional seats in districts Trump won in 2016: Arkansas’s 2nd District just north of Little Rock; veteran Republican Rep. Fred Upton is defending his seat in Michigan's 6th District; the open western Michigan 3rd District is being vacated by Republican-turned-Independent Rep. Justin Amash; and Virginia’s rural 5th District is another open-seat contest.
Congressional Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, raised $77.4 million in the third quarter. The haul was a record for the group and is helping House Republicans compensate for the DCCC’s large fundraising advantage over the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“The environment has gotten tougher, so we’re playing defense on an expanded defensive map,” said a GOP operative involved in House races. “But we still feel very optimistic in races where we are on offense. There are some surprising opportunities.”


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-16--Bret Baier: Report on Hunter Biden emails is 'sketchy'

Fox News 's Bret Baier poured cold water on the report that during his time as vice president , Joe Biden was introduced to a Ukrainian businessman through his son , Hunter .
In a discussion about the New York Post 's bombshell report that was based on information found on a computer that allegedly belonged to the younger Biden , he said that the `` whole thing is sketchy '' and highlighted the Biden campaign 's denial of the story .
The computer , which was supposedly left at a computer repair store in Delaware and handed over to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that discussed a previously undisclosed possible introduction between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharskyi , an adviser to the board of Burisma .
This email , if verified , would appear to show the former vice president contradicting claims that he never discussed overseas business with his son .
“ The Biden campaign says the meeting never happened .
It wasn ’ t on the schedules , they say , ” Baier said .
“ And the email itself says ‘ set up ’ for a meeting.
” He played a clip from an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's lawyer , who obtained a copy of the hard drive and subsequently provided it to the New York Post .
The former New York City mayor appeared to contradict aspects of the story .
Particularly , Giuliani said that Hunter Biden was in a `` heavily inebriated state '' when he dropped off the computer , but the New York Post reported that the store owner could not confirm who dropped off the device .
Giuliani has long sought to obtain dirt on the Bidens , even traveling to Ukraine in 2019 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the situation that ultimately resulted in the president 's impeachment in the House and his acquittal in the Senate for urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate claims of corruption regarding the Bidens .
” Let ’ s say , not sugarcoat it .
The whole thing is sketchy , ” Baier said .
“ You couldn ’ t write this script , 19 days from an election , but we are digging into where this computer is and the emails and the authenticity of it . ''

Fox News's Bret Baier poured cold water on the report that during his time as vice president, Joe Biden was introduced to a Ukrainian businessman through his son, Hunter.
In a discussion about the New York Post's bombshell report that was based on information found on a computer that allegedly belonged to the younger Biden, he said that the "whole thing is sketchy" and highlighted the Biden campaign's denial of the story.
The computer, which was supposedly left at a computer repair store in Delaware and handed over to the FBI, reportedly included an email that discussed a previously undisclosed possible introduction between Joe Biden and Vadym Pozharskyi, an adviser to the board of Burisma. This email, if verified, would appear to show the former vice president contradicting claims that he never discussed overseas business with his son.
“The Biden campaign says the meeting never happened. It wasn’t on the schedules, they say,” Baier said. “And the email itself says ‘set up’ for a meeting.”
He played a clip from an interview with Rudy Giuliani, President Trump's lawyer, who obtained a copy of the hard drive and subsequently provided it to the New York Post.
The former New York City mayor appeared to contradict aspects of the story. Particularly, Giuliani said that Hunter Biden was in a "heavily inebriated state" when he dropped off the computer, but the New York Post reported that the store owner could not confirm who dropped off the device.
Giuliani has long sought to obtain dirt on the Bidens, even traveling to Ukraine in 2019, and played a key role in the situation that ultimately resulted in the president's impeachment in the House and his acquittal in the Senate for urging Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate claims of corruption regarding the Bidens.
”Let’s say, not sugarcoat it. The whole thing is sketchy,” Baier said. “You couldn’t write this script, 19 days from an election, but we are digging into where this computer is and the emails and the authenticity of it."


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-16--If Trump loses, it's because of his mask idiocy

If President Trump loses re-election , it wo n't be because of the breathless and conspiratorial crusade of Russiagate conspiracy theorists .
It wo n't be because of the fake news media or the crazy communists claiming he 's killing the planet .
It will be because when faced with a fairly fatal and highly contagious airborne respiratory disease threatening both his people and his re-election , he decided to wage war against face masks , the single most effective tool in practice to subvert cataclysmic government shutdowns before a vaccine most people wo n't even want to take gets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a terrible two weeks .
Yes , he recovered from COVID , and his high spirits enabled him to deftly debate the relentless interruptions by Matt Lauer 's rather tired-seeming friend Savannah Guthrie .
But Trump 's former employers at NBC had him trapped from the start .
Guthrie questioned Trump on his resistance to coronavirus mitigation measures , and he still has no better excuse than `` China gave us the virus , '' nearly a year after the Chinese Communist Party 's malevolent incompetence allowed the infection to reach American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China is to blame .
That 's not an excuse for Trump 's conduct .
Imagine Trump had embraced the idea of masks as an alternative to locking down young and healthy folks with near-zero risk of dying of the coronavirus .
Imagine that the national strategy had revolved around protecting the elderly and unhealthy by practicing social distancing and strict mask-wearing .
We already had the science for that , even though the experts were saying otherwise .
Back when I , absolutely not a scientist , suggested everyone wear masks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resounding science that other medical doctors I consulted confirmed that it indicated masks would significantly prevent the transmission of the coronavirus : Back at the beginning of the shutdowns , the Congressional Budget Office estimated that our unemployment rate would persist in the double digits for the overall average of 2021 .
Yet our unemployment rate has plummeted back to the level that earned Barack Obama re-election in 2012 .
Despite all of the foreign policy factors and domestic Democrats leading economically destructive policies , the economy has managed to come close to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part thanks to Trump 's multi-trillion dollar stimulus .
Yet it still might not be enough .
If Trump ca n't even keep himself and his own staff safe from the virus , why will those `` security moms '' and politically untethered swing staters feel like Trump cares whether they live or die when they have the kind-hearted senility of Joe Biden to back instead ?
Trump is on pace to restore a gangbusters economy with low unemployment and disproportionate real wage gains for women and minorities .
If he loses anyway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ half a year sparring against and mocking the very tool that could have accelerated the recovery .
Trump 's visceral irritation from the early fracas of the night is evidence of that .

If President Trump loses reelection, it won't be because of the breathless and conspiratorial crusade of Russiagate conspiracy theorists. It won't be because of the fake news media or the crazy communists claiming he's killing the planet.
It will be because when faced with a fairly fatal and highly contagious airborne respiratory disease threatening both his people and his reelection, he decided to wage war against face masks — the single most effective tool in practice to subvert cataclysmic government shutdowns before a vaccine most people won't even want to take gets finalized for the public.
Trump has had a terrible two weeks. Yes, he recovered from COVID-19, and his high spirits enabled him to debate the relentless interruptions by Matt Lauer's rather tired-seeming friend, Savannah Guthrie, with deftness. But Trump's former employers at NBC had him trapped from the start. Guthrie questioned Trump on his resistance to coronavirus mitigation measures, and he still has no better excuse than "China gave us the virus," nearly a year after the Chinese Communist Party's malevolent incompetence allowed the infection to reach U.S. soil.
People already get it that China is to blame. That's not an excuse for Trump's conduct.
Imagine if Trump had embraced the idea of masks as an alternative to locking down young and healthy folks with near-zero risk of dying from the coronavirus. Imagine if the national strategy had revolved around protecting the elderly and unhealthy by practicing social distancing and strict mask-wearing.
We already had the science for that, even though the experts were saying otherwise. Back when I, absolutely not a scientist, suggested that everyone should wear masks, I only did so because we had resounding science that other medical doctors I consulted confirmed that it indicated masks would significantly prevent the transmission of the coronavirus:
"Improvised homemade face masks may be used to help protect those who could potentially, for example, be at occupational risk from close or frequent contact with symptomatic patients," the researchers concluded. Cambridge University studied the efficacy of various materials against Bacillus atrophaeus, which is about 10 times the size of the coronavirus, and bacteriophage MS2, which is around one-fifth of its size. Even against the latter, surgical masks were 90% effective, tea towels were 72% effective, and cotton T-shirts were 50% effective."Improvised homemade face masks may be used to help protect those who could potentially, for example, be at occupational risk from close or frequent contact with symptomatic patients," the researchers concluded.
Back at the beginning of the shutdowns, the Congressional Budget Office estimated that our unemployment rate would persist in the double digits for the overall average of 2021. Yet, our unemployment rate has plummeted back to the level that earned Barack Obama reelection in 2012. Despite all of the foreign policy factors and domestic Democrats leading economically destructive policies, the economy has managed to come close to something considered nearly acceptable — in large part thanks to Trump's multitrillion-dollar stimulus.
Yet, it still might not be enough. If Trump can't even keep himself and his own staff safe from the virus, why will those "security moms" and politically untethered swing staters feel like Trump cares whether they live or die when they have the kind-hearted senility of Biden to back instead?
Trump is on pace to restore a gangbusters economy with low unemployment and disproportionate real wage gains for women and minorities. If he loses anyway, it will be because he spent half a year sparring against and mocking the very tool that could have accelerated the recovery. Trump's visceral irritation from the early fracas of the night is evidence of that.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-16--Biden pledges to reveal clear court-packing position before Election Day

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pledged to reveal his position on court-packing before the election and expressed a reluctant openness to the possibility of expanding the Supreme Court .
`` I have not been a fan of court-packing because I think it just generates what will happen with whoever wins .
It just keeps moving in a way that is inconsistent with what is going to be manageable , '' the former vice president said in an ABC town hall on Thursday .
Republican moves to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg ’ s seat with President Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ despite early voting for the Nov. 3 election being underway have prompted calls from those in the left wing of the Democratic Party to pack the court with liberal-leaning justices they favor .
Biden , his running mate California Sen. Kamala Harris , and others on his campaign have gone to great lengths to avoid answering whether Biden would support adding justices , arguing that the issue is nothing more than a fearmongering tactic by President Trump .
But on Thursday , Biden said that his support for the idea `` depends on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ referring to the Barrett confirmation process .
If Republicans confirm Barrett to the court , Biden said , `` I 'm open to considering what happens from that point on . ''
Asked whether voters have a right to know his position , Biden said that they do .
That was the opposite of his answer last week , when Biden said that `` they do n't '' deserve to know his position on court-packing .
`` They 'll have a right to know where I stand before they vote , '' Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come out with a clear position before Election Day ? ''
asked ABC 's George Stephanopoulos .
`` Yes , depending on how they handle this , '' Biden said .
Earlier this week , Biden said he was `` not a fan '' of court-packing , echoing his longtime opposition to court expansion .

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden pledged to reveal his position on court-packing before the election and expressed a reluctant openness to the possibility of expanding the Supreme Court.
"I have not been a fan of court-packing because I think it just generates what will happen with whoever wins. It just keeps moving in a way that is inconsistent with what is going to be manageable," the former vice president said in an ABC town hall on Thursday.
Republican moves to fill the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat with President Trump's nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, despite early voting for the Nov. 3 election being underway have prompted calls from those in the left wing of the Democratic Party to pack the court with liberal-leaning justices they favor.
Biden, his running mate California Sen. Kamala Harris, and others on his campaign have gone to great lengths to avoid answering whether Biden would support adding justices, arguing that the issue is nothing more than a fearmongering tactic by President Trump.
But on Thursday, Biden said that his support for the idea "depends on how much they rush this," referring to the Barrett confirmation process.
If Republicans confirm Barrett to the court, Biden said, "I'm open to considering what happens from that point on."
Asked whether voters have a right to know his position, Biden said that they do. That was the opposite of his answer last week, when Biden said that "they don't" deserve to know his position on court-packing.
"They'll have a right to know where I stand before they vote," Biden said.
"So, you'll come out with a clear position before Election Day?" asked ABC's George Stephanopoulos.
"Yes, depending on how they handle this," Biden said.
Earlier this week, Biden said he was "not a fan" of court-packing, echoing his longtime opposition to court expansion.


thewashingtonexaminer--2020-10-16--Biden says voters have poor memories over being better off today than four years ago

Biden campaign : More press access does n't work out the way his team would hope Joe Biden is set to glide to Election Day with minimal confrontation from the press .
From Aug. 31 to Oct. 13 , Biden answered 365 questions from the press , according to the Trump campaign — less than half as many questions as President Trump , who answered 753 .
Biden ’ s campaign has not disputed those numbers .
While the coronavirus pandemic prompted Biden ’ s campaign to limit in-person activities as a safety measure , it also gave it a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic presidential nominee .
On the rare occasion Biden holds a press conference , he calls on reporters from a list created by his staff .
He ’ s succeeded in refusing to give a straight answer about what he thinks of court-packing .
From the perspective of the Biden campaign , there is little incentive to put Biden in the spotlight when he leads Trump in the polls , especially since when Biden does get a challenging question , he often flubs .
A local news reporter who interviewed Biden on Monday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 56 % of people think that they are better off today than they were four years ago .
Why then , he asked , should voters vote for Biden ?
“ Well , if they think that , they probably shouldn ’ t , ” Biden responded .
He also quipped , `` Their memory is not very good , quite frankly . ''
It ’ s a longtime campaign line by Biden , who , since the '70s , has asked voters during various runs to “ look me over , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what they see , “ vote for the other guy.
” But with just three weeks until Election Day , that attitude flies in the face of other campaign aides saying to not take anything for granted .
- by Emily Larsen House : Race tests how deeply blue Democratic Virginia has gone An open House district in Virginia stretching 250 miles up from the North Carolina state line to the outer Washington , D.C. , exurbs will help test just how blue the commonwealth has become .
The 5th District is open @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Riggleman , lost his fight for renomination at a party convention in early summer .
Conservatives said Riggleman , a strong supporter of President Trump , had strayed ideologically after performing a same-sex wedding for a pair of staff members .
Riggleman lost the nomination to Bob Good , a former Liberty University official and staunch social conservative .
Good now faces Cameron Webb , a doctor and lawyer whose campaign says it raised $ 2.7 million in the most recent fundraising quarter .
The district has been Republican for most of 20 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House term when Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello held it after riding the Barack Obama-led blue wave in 2008 .
The district has a plus-6 Republican lean , according to the Cook Political Report .
But like much of Virginia , it 's been slowly moving left .
Democrats in Virginia have romped to victory in the Trump era , having from 2017 on won the governorship and all statewide offices , both chambers of the Legislature , and ousted three Republican House incumbents .
Good , the Republican nominee , is banking on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Webb , meanwhile , is focusing on expanded healthcare and economic development .
And his double University of Virginia degrees , in law and medicine , do n't hurt either in a district that includes the liberal college town of Charlottesville .
There 's also an open question of how disaffected Riggleman supporters are going to vote .
The outgoing congressman and Good have hardly patched up relations since the party convention , which was conducted as a drive-in event during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic .
- by David @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republicans will come from Alabama In a cycle of seemingly endless bad news for Republicans , there is one piece of good fortune they can count on .
On Nov. 3 , Republican Tommy Tuberville is going to win back the Alabama Senate seat they lost to Democrat Doug Jones in a special election in late 2017 .
Jones appears to see the writing on the wall .
During his nearly three years in the Senate , Jones has not bothered to forge a centrist path .
The Democrat has scrambled for pictures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominees to the federal judiciary .
Instead , Jones has voted on the Senate floor like your average , competent , principled liberal Democrat .
But though admirable , it 's not what you do if you want to have a fighting chance to win reelection statewide as a Democrat in Alabama , perhaps the most pro-Trump red state in the nation , in a presidential election year .
Then again , there was no way this accidental senator was going to hold off Tuberville .
The former Auburn University football coach could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ University jersey or a University of Tennessee jersey , and he would still win with ease , as long as the name on the back of that jersey was `` Trump . ''
Indeed , the only drama in the Alabama Senate race this year was whether former senator , and Trump 's first attorney general , Jeff Sessions , could overcome Tuberville to win his old seat back .
Trump , who still blames Sessions for the special counsel investigation into possible collusion with Russia in the 2016 elections , endorsed Tuberville @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear to Alabama Republicans that he loathed Sessions .
Turn out the lights , the party 's over .
See you soon , Sen. Ball Coach .
- by David M. Drucker

Biden campaign: More press access doesn't work out the way his team would hope
Joe Biden is set to glide to Election Day with minimal confrontation from the press.
From Aug. 31 to Oct. 13, Biden answered 365 questions from the press, according to the Trump campaign — less than half as many questions as President Trump, who answered 753. Biden’s campaign has not disputed those numbers.
While the coronavirus pandemic prompted Biden’s campaign to limit in-person activities as a safety measure, it also gave it a convenient excuse to limit access to the Democratic presidential nominee.
On the rare occasion Biden holds a press conference, he calls on reporters from a list created by his staff. He’s succeeded in refusing to give a straight answer about what he thinks of court-packing.
From the perspective of the Biden campaign, there is little incentive to put Biden in the spotlight when he leads Trump in the polls, especially since when Biden does get a challenging question, he often flubs.
A local news reporter who interviewed Biden on Monday noted that a Gallup poll found that 56% of people think that they are better off today than they were four years ago. Why then, he asked, should voters vote for Biden?
“Well, if they think that, they probably shouldn’t,” Biden responded. He also quipped, "Their memory is not very good, quite frankly."
It’s a longtime campaign line by Biden, who, since the '70s, has asked voters during various runs to “look me over,” and if they don’t like what they see, “vote for the other guy.”
But with just three weeks until Election Day, that attitude flies in the face of other campaign aides saying to not take anything for granted. - by Emily Larsen
House: Race tests how deeply blue Democratic Virginia has gone
An open House district in Virginia stretching 250 miles up from the North Carolina state line to the outer Washington, D.C., exurbs will help test just how blue the commonwealth has become.
The 5th District is open because the sitting Republican congressman, Denver Riggleman, lost his fight for renomination at a party convention in early summer. Conservatives said Riggleman, a strong supporter of President Trump, had strayed ideologically after performing a same-sex wedding for a pair of staff members.
Riggleman lost the nomination to Bob Good, a former Liberty University official and staunch social conservative.
Good now faces Cameron Webb, a doctor and lawyer whose campaign says it raised $2.7 million in the most recent fundraising quarter.
The district has been Republican for most of 20 years, other than the single 2009-11 House term when Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello held it after riding the Barack Obama-led blue wave in 2008.
The district has a plus-6 Republican lean, according to the Cook Political Report. But like much of Virginia, it's been slowly moving left. Democrats in Virginia have romped to victory in the Trump era, having from 2017 on won the governorship and all statewide offices, both chambers of the Legislature, and ousted three Republican House incumbents.
Good, the Republican nominee, is banking on the district's traditionally conservative social lean. Webb, meanwhile, is focusing on expanded healthcare and economic development. And his double University of Virginia degrees, in law and medicine, don't hurt either in a district that includes the liberal college town of Charlottesville.
There's also an open question of how disaffected Riggleman supporters are going to vote. The outgoing congressman and Good have hardly patched up relations since the party convention, which was conducted as a drive-in event during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. - by David Mark
Senate: One likely pickup for Republicans will come from Alabama
In a cycle of seemingly endless bad news for Republicans, there is one piece of good fortune they can count on. On Nov. 3, Republican Tommy Tuberville is going to win back the Alabama Senate seat they lost to Democrat Doug Jones in a special election in late 2017. Jones appears to see the writing on the wall. During his nearly three years in the Senate, Jones has not bothered to forge a centrist path. The Democrat has scrambled for pictures with President Trump or supported his high-profile nominees to the federal judiciary.
Instead, Jones has voted on the Senate floor like your average, competent, principled liberal Democrat. But though admirable, it's not what you do if you want to have a fighting chance to win reelection statewide as a Democrat in Alabama, perhaps the most pro-Trump red state in the nation, in a presidential election year.
Then again, there was no way this accidental senator was going to hold off Tuberville. The former Auburn University football coach could parade around Alabama in a Louisiana State University jersey or a University of Tennessee jersey, and he would still win with ease, as long as the name on the back of that jersey was "Trump." Indeed, the only drama in the Alabama Senate race this year was whether former senator, and Trump's first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, could overcome Tuberville to win his old seat back.
Trump, who still blames Sessions for the special counsel investigation into possible collusion with Russia in the 2016 elections, endorsed Tuberville. And very pointedly, he made clear to Alabama Republicans that he loathed Sessions. Turn out the lights, the party's over. See you soon, Sen. Ball Coach. - by David M. Drucker