talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--‘No Such Thing As No Risk,’ Atlas Says While Pushing Policy Experts Say Will Increase Death

A top White House coronavirus adviser pushing to “ reopen ” the country with minimal COVID-19 restrictions explained Tuesday that there was “ no such thing as no risk in life.
” The laissez faire comments about COVID from White House adviser Scott Atlas came during an interview with journalist Freddie Sayers , the executive editor of the website UnHerd .
“ We can not guarantee that we can protect everybody , ” Atlas told Sayers when asked what policies could help protect elderly people living in crowded households if restrictions are largely removed .
“ There is no such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Atlas has long advocated for largely doing away with COVID-19 public health restrictions , and has in the past promoted so-called “ herd immunity , ” or the concept of slowing a virus ’ spread through a population by increasing the number of people who ’ ve been exposed to it , either naturally or through a vaccine .
The idea has gained traction at the White House , even as government experts including , Dr. Anthony Fauci , have said the approach would “ wind up with many more infections of vulnerable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and deaths.
” Several signatories to a recent letter encouraging the development of herd immunity subsequently acknowledged to The New York Times that they didn ’ t know what sort of policies would help stem the risk such an approach would pose to the elderly and immunocompromised in the U.S. Atlas said Tuesday that herd immunity would be “ a secondary gain ” of the approach — the first being the reopening of schools and the resumption of regular medical care for Americans who may have been forced to skimp on things like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aside from promoting social distancing and invoking the Trump administration ’ s testing efforts in nursing homes and senior centers , the White House adviser didn ’ t offer much concrete policy to protect vulnerable people in a “ reopened ” world .
Atlas used the example of his 93-year-old mother-in-law , whom he said told him recently : “ ‘ I ’ m not interested in being confined to my home .
I ’ m not interested in living if that ’ s the life.
’ ” “ This is somebody who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ added .
“ She said , ‘ I ’ m old enough to take a risk .
I understand social distancing .
I ’ m going to function , otherwise there ’ s no reason to live.
’ ” The White House adviser denied that he was pushing “ herd immunity ” as a strategy , calling it a “ distortion ” of White House policy and saying that critics have tried to paint his advice to Trump as “ survival of the fittest.
” He also downplayed his personal influence on Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ reopen ” society and cast aside certain public health protections for months .
But the self-proclaimed “ contrarian ” has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Trump administration after joining the White House as an adviser over the summer .
The White House ’ s Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx reportedly asked Vice President Mike Pence to remove Atlas from the White House COVID-19 task force and said he was not giving the President sound advice , The Washington Post reported .
Atlas has no background in infectious disease — he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the conservative Hoover Institution for years before joining the administration .
He used to work and teach as a neuroradiologist , though he stopped treating patients in 2012 .
He also doesn ’ t have much of a track record to back up his relatively recent influence .
In a March 31 interview , for example , Atlas said that “ all reasonable numbers point to the fact that our number of severe outcomes will be peaking in about three weeks or so.
” In mid-May , when asked about a model @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the disease by Aug. 4 , Atlas criticized “ sensationalistic modulations of a hypothetical projection model.
” Ultimately , according to Johns Hopkins , around 153,000 people had died of COVID-19 by that date .
Today , roughly 220,000 Americans and counting have died of the viral disease .

A top White House coronavirus adviser pushing to “reopen” the country with minimal COVID-19 restrictions explained Tuesday that there was “no such thing as no risk in life.”
The laissez faire comments about COVID from White House adviser Scott Atlas came during an interview with journalist Freddie Sayers, the executive editor of the website UnHerd.
“We cannot guarantee that we can protect everybody,” Atlas told Sayers when asked what policies could help protect elderly people living in crowded households if restrictions are largely removed. “There is no such thing as no risk in life.”
Atlas has long advocated for largely doing away with COVID-19 public health restrictions, and has in the past promoted so-called “herd immunity,” or the concept of slowing a virus’ spread through a population by increasing the number of people who’ve been exposed to it, either naturally or through a vaccine.
The idea has gained traction at the White House, even as government experts including, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have said the approach would “wind up with many more infections of vulnerable people, which will lead to hospitalizations and deaths.”
Several signatories to a recent letter encouraging the development of herd immunity subsequently acknowledged to The New York Times that they didn’t know what sort of policies would help stem the risk such an approach would pose to the elderly and immunocompromised in the U.S.
Atlas said Tuesday that herd immunity would be “a secondary gain” of the approach — the first being the reopening of schools and the resumption of regular medical care for Americans who may have been forced to skimp on things like chemotherapy in recent months.
But, aside from promoting social distancing and invoking the Trump administration’s testing efforts in nursing homes and senior centers, the White House adviser didn’t offer much concrete policy to protect vulnerable people in a “reopened” world.
Atlas used the example of his 93-year-old mother-in-law, whom he said told him recently: “‘I’m not interested in being confined to my home. I’m not interested in living if that’s the life.’”
“This is somebody who’s totally independent,” Atlas added. “She said, ‘I’m old enough to take a risk. I understand social distancing. I’m going to function, otherwise there’s no reason to live.’”
The White House adviser denied that he was pushing “herd immunity” as a strategy, calling it a “distortion” of White House policy and saying that critics have tried to paint his advice to Trump as “survival of the fittest.” He also downplayed his personal influence on Trump, noting the President has called to “reopen” society and cast aside certain public health protections for months.
But the self-proclaimed “contrarian” has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Trump administration after joining the White House as an adviser over the summer. The White House’s Coronavirus Response Coordinator Deborah Birx reportedly asked Vice President Mike Pence to remove Atlas from the White House COVID-19 task force and said he was not giving the President sound advice, The Washington Post reported.
Atlas has no background in infectious disease — he wrote about health care economics and policy at the conservative Hoover Institution for years before joining the administration. He used to work and teach as a neuroradiologist, though he stopped treating patients in 2012.
He also doesn’t have much of a track record to back up his relatively recent influence. In a March 31 interview, for example, Atlas said that “all reasonable numbers point to the fact that our number of severe outcomes will be peaking in around three weeks or so.”
In mid-May, when asked about a model that showed more than 137,000 people dying of the disease by Aug. 4, Atlas criticized “sensationalistic modulations of a hypothetical projection model.” Ultimately, according to Johns Hopkins, around 153,000 people had died of COVID-19 by that date. Today, roughly 220,000 Americans and counting have died of the viral disease.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--Trump Teases Ominous Hit Job Against ’60 Minutes’ Anchor After Ditching Interview Early

President Trump has somehow managed to wage even more attacks against members of the press ahead of his final presidential debate this week .
The President reportedly abruptly walked out on a solo interview with CBS News ’ “ 60 Minutes ” on Tuesday , according to CNN .
Multiple sources familiar with the situation told CNN that the President refused to return for a taped walk and talk session with Vice President Mike Pence , like they did four years ago , during another “ 60 Minutes ” interview .
According to CNN , citing two sources , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ host Lesley Stahl for about 45 minutes before abruptly cutting off the interview .
The President reportedly told CBS that he believed they had enough material to use .
CNN noted that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his VP pick Sen. Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) were also interviewed by “ 60 Minutes ” and taped their interviews separately .
All four candidates on the presidential ticket are scheduled to appear in the same program scheduled for Sunday .
The New York Times reported separately that Trump stormed out of the interview @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s questioning , according to two sources .
Minutes before CNN published its report on Tuesday afternoon , Trump posted an ominous tweet featuring a short video clip of Stahl not wearing a mask while visiting the White House .
Later Tuesday , Trump tweeted that he is weighing posting his “ 60 Minutes ” interview ahead of its scheduled airtime on Sunday .
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller also denied CNN ’ s report on the President ’ s walk-out and slammed Stahl in a tweet .
Trump ’ s reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minutes ” comes amid a week of bashing moderators ahead of his final presidential debate against Biden on Thursday .
It ’ s a familiar line of attack with this administration .
On Tuesday morning , the President told “ Fox and Friends ” that NBC News White House Kristen Welker — who is set to moderate the final presidential debate — “ can not be neutral at all.
” Trump told supporters in Prescott , Arizona the day before that Welker is a “ radical Democrat ” — echoing his attacks against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ son , Donald Trump Jr. , who linked to a New York Post article claiming that the White House correspondent has “ deep Democratic ties.
” Trump also ripped Fox News ’ Chris Wallace , who moderated the disastrous first presidential debate that the President hijacked , on Tuesday by calling him “ terrible ” and suggesting he had only been neutral “ to himself.
” A day after NBC “ Today ” show anchor Savannah Guthrie grilled Trump during an NBC News town hall on Thursday , the President took a swipe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Myers , Florida by telling attendees that he “ had someone going totally crazy last night.
” Additionally , Trump has recently complained about “ 60 Minutes ” giving air time to Dr. Anthony Fauci — who has raised alarms regarding large gatherings amid COVID-19 such as the President ’ s enormous and largely mask-free campaign rallies — by tweeting that Fauci “ seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late , great , Bob Hope .
”

President Trump has somehow managed to wage even more attacks against members of the press ahead of his final presidential debate this week. The President reportedly abruptly walked out on a solo interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Tuesday, according to CNN.
Multiple sources familiar with the situation told CNN that the President refused to return for a taped walk and talk session with Vice President Mike Pence, like they did four years ago, during another “60 Minutes” interview.
According to CNN, citing two sources, Trump sat down with “60 Minutes” host Lesley Stahl for about 45 minutes before abruptly cutting off the interview. The President reportedly told CBS that he believed they had enough material to use.
CNN noted that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his VP pick Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) were also interviewed by “60 Minutes” and taped their interviews separately. All four candidates on the presidential ticket are scheduled to appear in the same program scheduled for Sunday.
The New York Times reported separately that Trump stormed out of the interview because he was unhappy with Stahl’s questioning, according to two sources.
Minutes before CNN published its report on Tuesday afternoon, Trump posted an ominous tweet featuring a short video clip of Stahl not wearing a mask while visiting the White House.
Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes not wearing a mask in the White House after her interview with me. Much more to come. pic.twitter.com/0plZG6a4fH — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2020
Later Tuesday, Trump tweeted that he is weighing posting his “60 Minutes” interview ahead of its scheduled airtime on Sunday.
…Everyone should compare this terrible Electoral Intrusion with the recent interviews of Sleepy Joe Biden! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2020
Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller also denied CNN’s report on the President’s walk-out and slammed Stahl in a tweet.
Very fake news! No drama, interview was not ended abruptly and we have the receipts from the interview – all of them! Maybe we need to put the whole thing out so people can see for themselves? Lesley’s a bad example for mask wearing, Kaitlan – don’t follow her lead!!! https://t.co/tfNn59ljHC — Jason Miller (@JasonMillerinDC) October 20, 2020
Trump’s reported walk-out during his interview on “60 Minutes” comes amid a week of bashing moderators ahead of his final presidential debate against Biden on Thursday. It’s a familiar line of attack with this administration.
On Tuesday morning, the President told “Fox and Friends” that NBC News White House Kristen Welker — who is set to moderate the final presidential debate — “cannot be neutral at all.” Trump told supporters in Prescott, Arizona the day before that Welker is a “radical Democrat” — echoing his attacks against Welker on Saturday when he quote-tweeted his son, Donald Trump Jr., who linked to a New York Post article claiming that the White House correspondent has “deep Democratic ties.”
Trump also ripped Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who moderated the disastrous first presidential debate that the President hijacked, on Tuesday by calling him “terrible” and suggesting he had only been neutral “to himself.”
A day after NBC “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie grilled Trump during an NBC News town hall on Thursday, the President took a swipe at her during an event in Fort Myers, Florida by telling attendees that he “had someone going totally crazy last night.”
Additionally, Trump has recently complained about “60 Minutes” giving air time to Dr. Anthony Fauci — who has raised alarms regarding large gatherings amid COVID-19 such as the President’s enormous and largely mask-free campaign rallies — by tweeting that Fauci “seems to get more airtime than anybody since the late, great, Bob Hope.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--RNC Chair Calls For End Of Debate Commish Because She’s Mad About Mic Muting Rule

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel apparently launched her crusade against the non-partisan Commission on President Debates ahead of the final presidential debate on Thursday because she is offended by its decision to mute the candidates ’ mics during certain portions of the event .
During an interview on Fox News Tuesday afternoon , McDaniel reiterated Trump ’ s commitment to participate in the final presidential debate , before going on a tirade against the CPD by echoing the President ’ s claims of the organization enacting “ pro-Biden antics.
” “ Of course the President is going to debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ front of the American people and debating Joe Biden , but he ’ s right , this commission has been stacked against him from day one , ” McDaniel said .
“ It ’ s part of the corruption that we ’ ve seen in Washington .
They don ’ t like Donald Trump.
” McDaniel griped that Washington , D.C. is “ plugged in ” for Biden and derided the CPD for its decision to mute mics during portions of the debate .
McDaniel also went after the CPD for canceling what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ debate on Oct. 15 , which Trump first pulled out of after the CPD announced that it would be virtual in light of his COVID-19 diagnosis .
“ This is a city that ’ s plugged in for Joe Biden , and to have this supposed non-partisan commission continue to make rule changes without consulting the Trump campaign , break promises that they made to the Trump campaign , to unilaterally make decisions that ended the second debate , it ’ s just really shameful , ” McDaniel said .
McDaniel then accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and said she hopes the nonpartisan organization will “ not exist after this.
” “ I certainly don ’ t consider them non-partisan .
They do not deserve that status and they have not worked on behalf of the Republican Party because you have a bunch of Never Trump-ers on that commission , ” McDaniel said .
McDaniel went on to bolster Trump ’ s recent attacks against NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker ahead of her debate moderation duties during the final presidential debate .
The RNC chair grouped Welker with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affiliations.
” McDaniel pointed to Savannah Guthrie , who grilled Trump while moderating an NBC News town hall last week , for being “ so combative ” compared to ABC News ’ George Stephanopolous , who supposedly “ played patty cake ” with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a separate town hall .
“ The President gets attacked and moderators interrupt , saying : let me tell you the facts of this , ” McDaniel said .
“ It is totally stacked against the president when it comes to the media .
@ @ @ @ @

Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel apparently launched her crusade against the non-partisan Commission on President Debates ahead of the final presidential debate on Thursday because she is offended by its decision to mute the candidates’ mics during certain portions of the event.
During an interview on Fox News Tuesday afternoon, McDaniel reiterated Trump’s commitment to participate in the final presidential debate, before going on a tirade against the CPD by echoing the President’s claims of the organization enacting “pro-Biden antics.”
“Of course the President is going to debate. He looks forward to getting in front of the American people and debating Joe Biden, but he’s right, this commission has been stacked against him from day one,” McDaniel said. “It’s part of the corruption that we’ve seen in Washington. They don’t like Donald Trump.”
McDaniel griped that Washington, D.C. is “plugged in” for Biden and derided the CPD for its decision to mute mics during portions of the debate. McDaniel also went after the CPD for canceling what was supposed to be the second presidential debate on Oct. 15, which Trump first pulled out of after the CPD announced that it would be virtual in light of his COVID-19 diagnosis.
“This is a city that’s plugged in for Joe Biden, and to have this supposed non-partisan commission continue to make rule changes without consulting the Trump campaign, break promises that they made to the Trump campaign, to unilaterally make decisions that ended the second debate, it’s just really shameful,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel then accused the CPD of “election interference” and said she hopes the nonpartisan organization will “not exist after this.”
“I certainly don’t consider them non-partisan. They do not deserve that status and they have not worked on behalf of the Republican Party because you have a bunch of Never Trump-ers on that commission,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel went on to bolster Trump’s recent attacks against NBC News White House correspondent Kristen Welker ahead of her debate moderation duties during the final presidential debate. The RNC chair grouped Welker with “these moderators (having) political affiliations.”
McDaniel pointed to Savannah Guthrie, who grilled Trump while moderating an NBC News town hall last week, for being “so combative” compared to ABC News’ George Stephanopolous, who supposedly “played patty cake” with Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in a separate town hall.
“The President gets attacked and moderators interrupt, saying: let me tell you the facts of this,” McDaniel said. “It is totally stacked against the president when it comes to the media. It is frustrating.”
Watch McDaniel’s remarks below:


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--‘Unacceptable’: Miami Cop Under Fire For Wearing Pro-Trump Mask To Polls

A Miami police officer may face disciplinary consequences after he was photographed wearing a mask promoting President Donald Trump inside an early voting site while in uniform .
The photo appears to show Miami police officer Daniel Ubeda dressed in blue police uniform and donning a blue , white and red face mask that reads “ Trump 2020 ” and what appear to be the words , “ No More Bullshit ” emblazoned under it .
The image was shared on Twitter by a Miami-Dade County Democratic official who called it “ city funded voter intimidation.
” “ Ubeda should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Democratic Chairman Steve Simeonidis said in a caption alongside the photo .
While Simeonidis has said the photo was taken inside a polling place at the county government center , it is not clear whether or not the officer was on duty at the time .
The news comes after voters wearing shirts that featuring the words “ Black Lives Matter ” and “ I Can ’ t Breathe , ” were turned away from polls by a since-fired North Memphis poll worker in Tennessee on Friday .
Both cases appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in an election where President Donald Trump has intensified what some experts have suggested are threats of violence , calling on his supporters to act as “ poll watchers ” against who they see as potentially cheating Democrats .
Without sharing further details about the consequences for Ubeda , Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina issued a statement Tuesday saying , “ This behavior is unacceptable , a violation of departmental policy , and is being addressed immediately .
”

A Miami police officer may face disciplinary consequences after he was photographed wearing a mask promoting President Donald Trump inside an early voting site while in uniform.
The photo appears to show Miami police officer Daniel Ubeda dressed in blue police uniform and donning a blue, white and red face mask that reads “Trump 2020” and what appear to be the words, “No More Bullshit” emblazoned under it.
Here is @CityofMiami Police Officer Daniel Ubeda, in full uniform with badge and gun wearing his Trump mask inside of the polling location in government center. This is city funded voter intimidation. Ubeda should be suspended immediately. pic.twitter.com/TbJxu6mcem — Steve Simeonidis (@stevesimeonidis) October 20, 2020
The image was shared on Twitter by a Miami-Dade County Democratic official who called it “city funded voter intimidation.”
“Ubeda should be suspended immediately,” the county’s Democratic Chairman Steve Simeonidis said in a caption alongside the photo.
While Simeonidis has said the photo was taken inside a polling place at the county government center, it is not clear whether or not the officer was on duty at the time.
The news comes after voters wearing shirts that featuring the words “Black Lives Matter” and “I Can’t Breathe,” were turned away from polls by a since-fired North Memphis poll worker in Tennessee on Friday. Both cases appear to be escalating attempts at voter intimidation in an election where President Donald Trump has intensified what some experts have suggested are threats of violence, calling on his supporters to act as “poll watchers” against who they see as potentially cheating Democrats.
Without sharing further details about the consequences for Ubeda, Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina issued a statement Tuesday saying, “This behavior is unacceptable, a violation of departmental policy, and is being addressed immediately.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--Reporters Push Back On Trump’s Campaign To Smear Kristen Welker

Reporters and colleagues on Wednesday defended the record of White House correspondent Kristen Welker , who is set to moderate Thursday ’ s presidential debate after President Donald Trump spent the past several days on a rampage against the NBC News journalist .
ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl appeared to set off a wave of support and praise for the longtime NBC News journalist in an effort to set the record straight amid an avalanche of false claims attempting to smear the moderator .
“ For the record : Kristen Wekler is an first-rate journalist and an honorable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been deleted — it ’ s right here : @ kwelkernbc , ” Karl tweeted early Tuesday .
The comments come after Trump on Monday suggested that Welker had deleted her Twitter account in an apparent effort to shield evidence of bias — an attack he had already leveraged against previous moderators C-SPAN ’ s Steve Scully for the second presidential debate , which got cancelled , and Fox News ’ Chris Wallace after a chaotic first debate unraveled .
“ She ’ s a radical Democrat .
She deleted her entire account @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a campaign rally in Arizona .
“ She ’ s no good , ” he added .
It ’ s not the first time Trump has taken aim at journalists broadly — and seized on Black women journalists in particular .
Over the course of just three days in November 2018 , Trump attacked three Black women journalists back to back including CNN ’ s Abby Phillip , April Ryan and Yamiche Alcindor just for asking him questions .
“ You ’ ve got to treat the White House and the office of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said of Ryan at the time , in what has become a common narrative from the President with regard to how Black women respond to White men in positions of political power .
( He has made similar comments about Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris for being “ disrespectful.
” ) Trump at the time described Ryan as “ a loser , ” called one of Phillip ’ s questions “ stupid , ” and suggested a question asked by Alcindor was “ racist.
” On Tuesday , the President sang a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next debate ’ s moderator , Welker , who is also Black , calling Welker “ terrible ” and telling Fox & Friends hosts that she “ can not be neutral at all.
” But journalists rang the alarm Wednesday on Trump ’ s smear campaign :

Reporters and colleagues on Wednesday defended the record of White House correspondent Kristen Welker, who is set to moderate Thursday’s presidential debate after President Donald Trump spent the past several days on a rampage against the NBC News journalist.
ABC News White House correspondent Jonathan Karl appeared to set off a wave of support and praise for the longtime NBC News journalist in an effort to set the record straight amid an avalanche of false claims attempting to smear the moderator.
“For the record: Kristen Wekler is an first-rate journalist and an honorable person. And her account has not been deleted — it’s right here: @kwelkernbc,” Karl tweeted early Tuesday.
The comments come after Trump on Monday suggested that Welker had deleted her Twitter account in an apparent effort to shield evidence of bias — an attack he had already leveraged against previous moderators C-SPAN’s Steve Scully for the second presidential debate, which got cancelled, and Fox News’ Chris Wallace after a chaotic first debate unraveled.
“She’s a radical Democrat. She deleted her entire account,” Trump falsely told supporters at a campaign rally in Arizona. “She’s no good,” he added.
It’s not the first time Trump has taken aim at journalists broadly — and seized on Black women journalists in particular. Over the course of just three days in November 2018, Trump attacked three Black women journalists back to back including CNN’s Abby Phillip and April Ryan as well as PBS NewsHour’s Yamiche Alcindor just for asking him questions.
“You’ve got to treat the White House and the office of the presidency with respect,” Trump said of Ryan at the time, in what has become a common narrative from the President with regard to how Black women respond to White men in positions of political power. (He has made similar comments about Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris for being “disrespectful.”)
Trump at the time described Ryan as “a loser,” called one of Phillip’s questions “stupid,” and suggested a question asked by Alcindor was “racist.”
On Tuesday, the President sang a similar tune intensifying his attack against the next debate’s moderator, Welker, who is also Black, calling Welker “terrible” and telling Fox & Friends hosts that she “cannot be neutral at all.”
But journalists rang the alarm Wednesday on Trump’s smear campaign:
What he said. @kwelkernbc is one of the most down the middle, serious, conscientious reporters and humans I know – and no amount of uncalled for bullying will change that. https://t.co/45Di87OwHR — Dana Bash (@DanaBashCNN) October 20, 2020
I’ve worked alongside @kwelkernbc during two admins now. She’s the consummate professional.. tough but fair. Looking forward to watching her moderate Thursday’s debate. — Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 20, 2020
I’ve known @kwelkernbc for over 3 decades, as a classmate at @GFSchool & a consummate professional in Washington. She’s a smart journalist who asks tough, fair questions of people in power, & a kind, generous person. Trump should apologize for calling her “terrible,” but won’t. https://t.co/7r0UzSxNuy — Alex Howard (@digiphile) October 18, 2020
I don't even know why we're tweeting how much we respect @kwelkernbc, but add me to the ranks of the Kristen corps. Privileged to work with her, admired her work when I didn't. https://t.co/Ztrr1kzVqK — Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) October 20, 2020


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--FLOTUS Skips Trump Rally Due To Lingering COVID Symptoms

First lady Melania Trump , who contracted COVID-19 several weeks ago , pulled out of her husband ’ s campaign @ @ @ @ @ in Pennsylvania due to remaining symptoms of the virus .
“ Mrs .
Trump continues @ @ @ @ @ following her recovery from COVID-19 , but with a lingering cough , and out of @ @ @ @ @ she will not be traveling today , ” Stephanie Grisham , the First Lady ’ @ @ @ @ @ News .
Trump and the President were slated to appear together at the rally together @ @ @ @ @

First lady Melania Trump, who contracted COVID-19 several weeks ago, pulled out of her husband’s campaign rally scheduled for Tuesday evening in Pennsylvania due to remaining symptoms of the virus.
“Mrs. Trump continues to feel better every day following her recovery from COVID-19, but with a lingering cough, and out of an abundance of caution, she will not be traveling today,” Stephanie Grisham, the First Lady’s spokesperson, told NBC News.
Trump and the President were slated to appear together at the rally together in Erie, Pennsylvania.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--Firm Sued For Recruiting Former Special Ops To Patrol Minnesota Polling Places

A private security contractor now faces a lawsuit in federal court over its effort to recruit former special operations forces to patrol polling places in Minnesota .
The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota filed the lawsuit Tuesday , they announced in a press release .
The security contractor , Atlas Aegis , put out a job listing earlier this month advertising “ staffing security positions in Minnesota during the November Election and beyond to protect election polls , local businesses and residences from looting and destruction.
” “ Defendants ’ objective @ @ @ @ @ @ @ political beliefs from accessing polling locations through the presence of armed , highly trained , and elite security personnel , ” the lawsuit alleges , arguing that the call for security personnel violates the Voting Rights Act ’ s language against voter intimidation .
The suit names Atlas Aegis , its founder Anthony Caudle , “ John Doe 1 ” — an unidentified local security contractor — and several other John Does that make up the still-unknown clients of the security firm .
Caudle has refused to identify who was paying for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ earlier this month that it was a “ consortium of business owners and concerned citizens.
” He added that the country had been unprepared for Black Lives Matter protests this year and that Atlas Aegis was working to make sure “ that that doesn ’ t happen this time around , ” a likely reference to the demonstrations that rocked Minnesota after the police killing of George Floyd in May .
Minneapolis and other cities experienced widespread property damage and clashes between protesters and law enforcement .
Election officials in Minnesota told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recruitment effort earlier this month , that the extra security wasn ’ t welcome .
The state ’ s attorney general , Keith Ellison , said “ the presence of armed outside contractors at polling places would constitute intimidation and violate the law.
” But Caudle defended the recruitment effort , saying that “ these people are going to be never even seen unless there ’ s an issue .
So it ’ s not like they ’ re going to be standing around and only allowing certain people in.
” Tuesday ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clear “ that Defendants ’ goal is specifically to deter perceived members of certain groups based on political belief and race.
” For one thing , the plaintiffs asserted , he ’ d told the Post that the security forces would be present “ to make sure that the antifas don ’ t try to destroy the election sites.
” Separately , he commented that the country had been “ unprepared ” for Black Lives Matter protests .
Arguing that the presence of of former special forces personnel would intimidate voters , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Soldier of Fortune magazine , which features Atlas Aegis ’ Chief Operating Officer Michael Beltran in full kit : The profile of Beltran doesn ’ t mention Atlas Aegis , which was founded last year .
The suit also cites an article on Atlas Aegis ’ website on church security , which notes , “ Armed uniformed security personnel will always look menacing to those who are seeking a soft target.
” “ The kind of voter intimidation that this group has planned is exactly what the Voting Rights Act was written to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , executive director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota , said in a press release accompanying the lawsuit .
“ Today we affirm our stand against this clear plan of voter intimidation and suppression by armed forces targeting communities of color and new Americans , ” added CAIR-Minnesota Executive Director Jaylani Hussein .

A private security contractor now faces a lawsuit in federal court over its effort to recruit former special operations forces to patrol polling places in Minnesota.
The League of Women Voters of Minnesota and the Council on American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota filed the lawsuit Tuesday, they announced in a press release.
The security contractor, Atlas Aegis, put out a job listing earlier this month advertising “staffing security positions in Minnesota during the November Election and beyond to protect election polls, local businesses and residences from looting and destruction.”
“Defendants’ objective is to further intimidate people with certain political beliefs from accessing polling locations through the presence of armed, highly trained, and elite security personnel,” the lawsuit alleges, arguing that the call for security personnel violates the Voting Rights Act’s language against voter intimidation.
The suit names Atlas Aegis, its founder Anthony Caudle, “John Doe 1” — an unidentified local security contractor — and several other John Does that make up the still-unknown clients of the security firm.
Caudle has refused to identify who was paying for the security presence, telling The Washington Post earlier this month that it was a “consortium of business owners and concerned citizens.”
He added that the country had been unprepared for Black Lives Matter protests this year and that Atlas Aegis was working to make sure “that that doesn’t happen this time around,” a likely reference to the demonstrations that rocked Minnesota after the police killing of George Floyd in May. Minneapolis and other cities experienced widespread property damage and clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
Election officials in Minnesota told the Post, which first reported on the recruitment effort earlier this month, that the extra security wasn’t welcome. The state’s attorney general, Keith Ellison, said “the presence of armed outside contractors at polling places would constitute intimidation and violate the law.”
But Caudle defended the recruitment effort, saying that “these people are going to be never even seen unless there’s an issue. So it’s not like they’re going to be standing around and only allowing certain people in.”
Tuesday’s lawsuit alleged that Caudle had made clear “that Defendants’ goal is specifically to deter perceived members of certain groups based on political belief and race.”
For one thing, the plaintiffs asserted, he’d told the Post that the security forces would be present “to make sure that the antifas don’t try to destroy the election sites.” Separately, he commented that the country had been “unprepared” for Black Lives Matter protests.
Arguing that the presence of of former special forces personnel would intimidate voters, the lawsuit pointed to an old cover of Soldier of Fortune magazine, which features Atlas Aegis’ Chief Operating Officer Michael Beltran in full kit:
The profile of Beltran doesn’t mention Atlas Aegis, which was founded last year.
The suit also cites an article on Atlas Aegis’ website on church security, which notes, “Armed uniformed security personnel will always look menacing to those who are seeking a soft target.”
“The kind of voter intimidation that this group has planned is exactly what the Voting Rights Act was written to protect against,” said Michelle Witte, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, said in a press release accompanying the lawsuit.
“Today we affirm our stand against this clear plan of voter intimidation and suppression by armed forces targeting communities of color and new Americans,” added CAIR-Minnesota Executive Director Jaylani Hussein.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--Your Official TPM Cheat Sheet On The Battle For Control Of The Senate

With just 14 days to go until the election , Democrats have a good shot at retaking the Senate .
FiveThirtyEight currently has Democrats “ favored ” to win the chamber with a 75 percent chance .
The Economist ’ s model similarly calls a Democratic triumph “ likely ” at 76 percent .
Heading into the campaign cycle , Democrats were already well-positioned by only having to defend 12 seats to Republicans ’ 23 .
And while other reasons for Democrats ’ advantages vary by state , two throughlines connect many of the races : the party recruited candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ President Donald Trump ’ s unpopularity threw races into contention in which Democrats normally have no business competing .
Currently , Republicans control the Senate with a 53-to-47-seat edge .
That means Democrats need a net gain of three seats plus the White House , or four seats without , to get a bare majority .
This will likely also entail picking up an extra seat to achieve that net gain , since Sen. Doug Jones ’ ( D-AL ) odds are long this time around .
These four states represent Democrats ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sen. Cory Gardner ( R-CO ) is defending his seat against John Hickenlooper , the state ’ s governor from 2011-2019 who had a brief , unsuccessful presidential run this cycle .
This is one of two states Republicans are defending that Hillary Clinton won in 2016 , and it ’ s trending bluer and bluer .
Gardner is trying to execute the unenviable task of keeping conservative Coloradans in his pocket while breaking with Trump enough to pick up swingier voters .
In a sign of how that tightrope walk is going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ( D-NY ) pulled out of the state this week , confident enough that Hickenlooper will win to spend that money elsewhere .
Gardner is trying desperately to keep the race local , to prevent it from becoming a referendum on Trump .
He ’ s been highlighting his bipartisan appeal , and touting his work on issues like health care .
But the latter earned him a raft of negative local headlines last month , when he ran a campaign ad that had a misleading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conditions in a health care bill he put forward .
Hickenlooper hasn ’ t run the perfect race either .
He made two unforced errors during the primary : being found to have violated state gift laws by taking rides in a private jet and Maserati limo while governor , and having to apologize when comments he made in 2014 were unearthed comparing being a political scheduler to the slave trade .
Still , Hickenlooper has been consistently ahead in the polls for months , and Colorado is a likely Democratic pick-up .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ trying to fend off an aggressive challenge by Mark Kelly , a former astronaut and gun control activist who is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords ( D-AZ ) .
McSally lost to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema ( D-AZ ) in 2018 , but was appointed by Gov .
Doug Ducey ( R ) to fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. John McCain ( R-AZ ) .
The current election will decide who will serve out the last two years of McCain ’ s term .
Kelly has proven to be a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ahead of McSally for months .
New polls , released in recent days , tell the same story : Monmouth University has Kelly up 10 , Reuters/Ipsos has him up 11 and CBS News/YouGov has him up 11 .
McSally has struggled to get out from under negative favorability ratings and , per the new Monmouth poll specifically , continues to do poorly with voters over 65 .
The older voter bloc is a crucial Arizona demographic , and her failure to win it over is a possible repercussion of her full-fledged commitment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thom Tillis ( R-NC ) is taking on Cal Cunningham , an Iraq War veteran and former state senator , in what could become the most expensive race in Senate history .
Democrats have long smelled blood in the water in this swingiest of states , after Tillis eked out his first Senate win in 2014 by only 46,000 votes — less than one percentage point .
With the suburbs ringing Raleigh , Durham and Charlotte becoming increasingly Democratic , Cunningham has ( mostly* ) been running a campaign with disciplined focus on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and improving the Affordable Care Act .
He has been hitting Tillis for his time in state government , where he opposed expanding Medicaid and worked to reduce state employment benefits .
*I say mostly , because this race got a double-whammy October surprise at the same time that Trump ’ s positive COVID-19 diagnosis was exploding into the news .
Tillis , who attended the Rose Garden super spreader event earlier this month , confirmed that he too had contracted the infection .
But hours later , Cunningham confirmed the veracity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman who is not his wife during the campaign .
Still , according to recent polls , the race hasn ’ t changed a whole lot .
Three polls put into the field after the scandals from Monmouth , Morning Consult and WRAL show Cunningham up by four , six and 10 points respectively .
Incumbent Sen. Susan Collins ( R-ME ) , one of the last Republican holdouts in New England , is in the fight of her life against state speaker of the House Sara Gideon .
Maine is the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Clinton in 2016 .
Collins ’ winning brand as an independent-minded moderate has taken serious dings in the Trump era with Democrats still seething over her votes in favor of the 2017 GOP tax bill , to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and to acquit Trump during the impeachment trial .
Logistically , Collins is also likely wary of her first election since the state adopted ranked-choice voting , which took out the last Republican U.S. House member from New England in 2018 .
If no candidate tops 50 % , lowest-ranked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s a winner — making the second-place vote of people voting for third party or independent candidates very important .
A recent poll from Portland-based Pan Atlantic Research showed Gideon up 7 points , while a Bangor Daily News/Digital Research poll released last week showed Gideon up by one .
September polls have Gideon up anywhere from one to 12 , and FiveThirtyEight rates her “ slightly favored ” to win .
These races could go either way , depending on factors like turnout .
But if we see a Democratic wave à @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more likely to drop into the blue bucket .
Freshman incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst ( R-IA ) is trying to fend off real estate developer Theresa Greenfield in what has become a shockingly close race .
Ernst rode into the Senate in 2014 on a wave of expectation , after easily dispatching her weak Democratic opponent .
She has recently seen her fate falter , as Trump ’ s popularity plummets in the state , possibly even putting it into contention for the presidential race .
Ernst , who has embraced Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has run a disciplined campaign targeting Ernst on pocketbook issues like health care and strengthening Social Security .
She has a compelling personal story to help sell that emphasis , as her husband was killed on the job and she raised her young family on Social Security benefits .
Daughter of a crop duster , she has emphasized her farm girl roots , a tried and true strategy in the state that Ernst also deployed successfully in 2014 ( “ I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm ” ) .
Greenfield @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for her .
Ernst didn ’ t help her cause with a debate stumble so bad it rated national headlines , when she flubbed the cost of soybeans last week after Greenfield nailed the cost of corn .
A batch of polls this month showed Greenfield up by three to five points .
In the weirdest race in the cycle , a whole batch of candidates is vying to fill Sen. Johnny Isakson ’ s ( R-GA ) seat , all of whom will be on the ballot on November 3 .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who was appointed to fill the seat on an interim basis , Rep. Doug Collins ( R-GA ) and Democrat Rev .
Raphael Warnock .
If none of them get more than 50 percent , the top two go to a January 5 runoff .
Warnock has been consistently leading the polls , by anywhere from four to 19 points this month , but polling doesn ’ t capture the full picture here .
Republican support is likely being split between Loeffler and Collins — both of whom have hitched themselves securely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are probably suffering accordingly in a suddenly competitive state — in a way that it won ’ t be if Warnock can ’ t surpass 50 percent but ends up in a runoff with one Republican opponent and no Biden atop the ticket to drive turnout .
Democrats have had near misses in the state recently ( think Stacey Abrams in 2018 ) , but did flip the sixth district , won by Rep. Lucy McBath ( D-GA ) , the same year .
Still , Democratic hopes may be stymied again by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voter suppression — we ’ ve already seen enormous early voting lines , mirroring those that snaked across the state ’ s metropolitan areas in the primaries .
Similarly to Colorado , Democrats did well in Montana to recruit former Gov .
Steve Bullock ( D ) to challenge Sen. Steve Daines ( R-MT ) after an unsuccessful presidential bid , turning a safe Republican hold into a competitive race .
Bullock was a popular governor , and has emphasized his cooperation with Montana ’ s Republican legislature .
Daines has been loyal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ radar .
While Daines may have the slight edge in the red state , Montana ’ s independent streak makes it winnable for the Democrats .
It elected Trump by more than 20 points in 2016 , but also reelected Bullock .
Montanans also reelected Sen. Jon Tester ( D-MT ) two years later , despite an all-out attempt by Republicans to unseat him .
The undermining of the postal service has been a hot issue in the rural state , with Bullock suing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Daines pushing for emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ poll , but a recent batch shows the two candidates flipping back and forth with one to two-point leads .
A competitive gubernatorial and U.S. House race here is also attracting eyeballs and money .
Many of these races are closer than expected , though in states Democrats usually don ’ t win .
Still , if this election sees ceiling-shattering turnout and a Biden rout , some of these races could be on the table .
In Georgia ’ s other Senate race , Sen. David Perdue ( R-GA ) is running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competitive and expensive congressional race in 2017 .
Like the other Georgia race , state dynamics are very much in play with an influx of transplants and increasingly purple suburbs making the race close on both the Senate and presidential level .
Perdue has been accusing Ossoff of hiding his “ radical socialist agenda , ” and has run false ads in the state accusing Ossoff of wanting to defund the police and getting support from the Communist party .
Ossoff has marched with Black Lives Matter protesters and is trying to turn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also accused Perdue of complicity with Trump ’ s bungled COVID-19 response .
Perdue stepped into a scandal last week , when he mockingly mispronounced Sen. Kamala Harris ’ ( D-CA ) name ( “ Kamala-mala-mala ?
I don ’ t know .
Whatever.
” ) at a Trump rally .
Later , amid furious blowback to the racist joke , he claimed that he actually didn ’ t know how to pronounce his Senate colleague ’ s name .
The Ossoff campaign raked in a windfall of donations afterwards .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been in hot water over a bigoted tactic this cycle : in July , his campaign had to pull a Facebook ad that featured Ossoff , who is Jewish , with an altered and enlarged nose .
Polls of this race have been all over the place this month , with a recent Quinnipiac University one showing Ossoff up by six , but others giving Perdue a single-digit edge .
A New York Times poll released Tuesday shows a draw .
Longtime Senate feature and , more recently , staunch Trump ally Sen. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a surprisingly close race against former chair of the state Democratic Party Jaime Harrison .
Harrison overcame an early 15-point deficit and proved to be a formidable fundraising force , recently bringing in an eye-popping $ 57 million in one quarter , shattering the record set by Beto O ’ Rourke in 2018 .
Graham , who has previously cruised to reelection , may also be being dragged down by his tight ties to Trump .
Few polls have shown the President recreating his 2016 14-point landslide here .
Harrison , like many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ working from the health care playbook , focusing particularly on Medicaid expansion .
He has also gone after Graham for his personal hypocrisy by cutting ads highlighting the senator ’ s old comments on Trump and whether or not it was acceptable to fill a Supreme Court seat during an election year .
Graham , meanwhile , has been emphasizing his role in shepherding Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett onto the bench .
The only October poll , from the New York Times , shows Graham up six points .
A Quinnipiac @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tied .
Kansas is in play in part because an open seat is easier to win — Sen. Pat Roberts ( R ) is retiring — and in part because Barbara Bollier , a former state senator and moderate Republican who switched parties in 2018 , is the kind of Democrat that stands a chance .
She ’ s up against former U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall ( R-KS ) , who national Republicans bolstered aggressively to beat Kris Kobach in the primary .
The common wisdom was that Kobach , a controversial and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ useless voter fraud task force , would put the seat at risk .
There has not been a ton of polling in the state recently , though the September batch showed everything from a draw , to a slight Bollier lead to a seven-point Marshall lead .
In a sign of Republican unease , a PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ( R-KY ) poured $ 5 million into the race as recently as last month .
A Schumer-aligned PAC jumped into the fray earlier this month with a $ 7.5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ red , the GOP brand has taken some hits recently , with the deep unpopularity of former Gov .
Sam Brownback ’ s ( R ) tax and government program cuts , and Kobach ’ s attempts to make it harder to vote .
The state ’ s dissatisfaction with the far-right has been reflected in Democratic successes , as Democrat Laura Kelly became governor in 2018 and Rep. Sharice Davids ( D-KS ) became the state ’ s first Democratic U.S. House member since 2010 .
Still , it ’ s Kansas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ d be the first Democrat to win a Senate race since 1932 .
Sen. Dan Sullivan ( R-AK ) is fending off a surprisingly competitive challenge from orthopedic surgeon and commercial fisherman Al Gross , a registered independent who ran for and won the Democratic nomination .
Sullivan won the seat narrowly in 2014 , by fewer than 8,000 votes .
The race has attracted attention and money recently , as polling shows it to be closer than expected .
That being said , Alaska is notoriously hard to poll , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up by eight .
While Sullivan is likely favored to win , Alaska has the highest number of independent voters of any state , and they ’ ve proven their willingness to swing before .
Democrats won this seat in 2008 ( granted , the incumbent Republican had been convicted on felony corruption charges ) before losing it in 2014 .
Here Sen. Lisa Murkowski ( R-AK ) was also able to win a write-in campaign , after losing the Republican nomination .
A recent local scandal is also throwing the race into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between actors posing as investors and the heads of the companies behind Pebble Mine .
Pebble Mine , a project that most Alaskans ( including Gross ) disapprove of , would open up Bristol Bay to large-scale mining .
Critics say it will threaten the salmon fishery there , which will hurt the wildlife , industry and tribes that depend on it .
Sullivan , who has taken campaign contributions from mine executives , had remained on the fence about the mine during the race , but the tapes revealed the executives hinting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the project after the election .
Texas , Democrats ’ longtime white whale , has seen both its Senate and presidential race tightening .
Sen. John Cornyn ( R-TX ) is holding off MJ Hegar , an Air Force veteran who ran a buzzy , though ultimately unsuccessful , 2018 House race .
Democrats have come tantalizingly close to Senate victory with O ’ Rourke ’ s 2018 bid , but haven ’ t yet struck gold .
Cornyn is less polarizing than Cruz , but is clearly worried about the drag of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comments comparing their relationship to a bad marriage .
All of the recent polls show Cornyn up , though a Public Policy Polling one from last week gives him only a three-point edge .
Jones , previously mentioned as Republicans ’ best pickup opportunity , is waging an uphill battle .
Trump ’ s net approval rating is higher in Alabama than anywhere else , and Jones hasn ’ t broken with the party on big anti-Trump votes like impeachment and the Kavanaugh confirmation .
Jones was only able to pick off the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ embroiled in accusations of preying on underage girls , was a historically bad candidate .
Republicans expect to right the ship with former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville , no matter that Tuberville had to bat back fraud accusations connected to a hedge fund he ran .
Public polling shows a yawning gap in Tuberville ’ s favor , though the Jones campaign says that its internals reflect a much closer race .
Republicans ’ only other real shot at a pickup is by knocking out unassuming incumbent Sen. Gary Peters ( D-MI @ @ @ @ @ @ @ John James .
James is a Black businessman who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Debbie Stabnow ( D-MI ) in 2018 .
Though Trump narrowly won the state in 2016 , polls show Biden comfortably up this time around .
Peters has been consistently polling ahead , though not always by much : a New York Times poll from earlier this month set Democratic alarm bells ringing when it showed Peters up by only one point .
Former President Barack Obama , who recently put out a series of ads for Democratic challengers , cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
Correction : This post initially referenced the “ late Sen. Johnny Isakson ’ s ( R-GA ) ” who is , in fact , not late at all ; he retired in 2019 .
TPM regrets the error .

With just 14 days to go until the election, Democrats have a good shot at retaking the Senate.
FiveThirtyEight currently has Democrats “favored” to win the chamber with a 75 percent chance. The Economist’s model similarly calls a Democratic triumph “likely” at 76 percent.
Heading into the campaign cycle, Democrats were already well-positioned by only having to defend 12 seats to Republicans’ 23. And while other reasons for Democrats’ advantages vary by state, two throughlines connect many of the races: the party recruited candidates who fit the state well, and President Donald Trump’s unpopularity threw races into contention in which Democrats normally have no business competing.
Currently, Republicans control the Senate with a 53-to-47-seat edge. That means Democrats need a net gain of three seats plus the White House, or four seats without, to get a bare majority. This will likely also entail picking up an extra seat to achieve that net gain, since Sen. Doug Jones’ (D-AL) odds are long this time around.
Just A Blue Splash ?
These four states represent Democrats’ easiest path to Senate control.
Colorado
Incumbent Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) is defending his seat against John Hickenlooper, the state’s governor from 2011-2019 who had a brief, unsuccessful presidential run this cycle. This is one of two states Republicans are defending that Hillary Clinton won in 2016, and it’s trending bluer and bluer.
Gardner is trying to execute the unenviable task of keeping conservative Coloradans in his pocket while breaking with Trump enough to pick up swingier voters. In a sign of how that tightrope walk is going for him, a top Democratic PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) pulled out of the state this week, confident enough that Hickenlooper will win to spend that money elsewhere.
Gardner is trying desperately to keep the race local, to prevent it from becoming a referendum on Trump. He’s been highlighting his bipartisan appeal, and touting his work on issues like health care. But the latter earned him a raft of negative local headlines last month, when he ran a campaign ad that had a misleading claim about protection for those with preexisting conditions in a health care bill he put forward. Hickenlooper hasn’t run the perfect race either. He made two unforced errors during the primary: being found to have violated state gift laws by taking rides in a private jet and Maserati limo while governor, and having to apologize when comments he made in 2014 were unearthed comparing being a political scheduler to the slave trade. Still, Hickenlooper has been consistently ahead in the polls for months, and Colorado is a likely Democratic pick-up.
Arizona
Incumbent Martha McSally (R-AZ) is trying to fend off an aggressive challenge by Mark Kelly, a former astronaut and gun control activist who is married to former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ). McSally lost to Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ) in 2018, but was appointed by Gov. Doug Ducey (R) to fill the seat vacated by the late Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). The current election will decide who will serve out the last two years of McCain’s term.
Kelly has proven to be a fundraising juggernaut, and has been polling ahead of McSally for months. New polls, released in recent days, tell the same story: Monmouth University has Kelly up 10, Reuters/Ipsos has him up 11 and CBS News/YouGov has him up 11. McSally has struggled to get out from under negative favorability ratings and, per the new Monmouth poll specifically, continues to do poorly with voters over 65. The older voter bloc is a crucial Arizona demographic, and her failure to win it over is a possible repercussion of her full-fledged commitment to Trump amid the pandemic.
North Carolina
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) is taking on Cal Cunningham, an Iraq War veteran and former state senator, in what could become the most expensive race in Senate history. Democrats have long smelled blood in the water in this swingiest of states, after Tillis eked out his first Senate win in 2014 by only 46,000 votes — less than one percentage point.
With the suburbs ringing Raleigh, Durham and Charlotte becoming increasingly Democratic, Cunningham has (mostly*) been running a campaign with disciplined focus on health care: namely, expanding Medicaid and improving the Affordable Care Act. He has been hitting Tillis for his time in state government, where he opposed expanding Medicaid and worked to reduce state employment benefits.
*I say mostly, because this race got a double-whammy October surprise at the same time that Trump’s positive COVID-19 diagnosis was exploding into the news. Tillis, who attended the Rose Garden super spreader event earlier this month, confirmed that he too had contracted the infection. But hours later, Cunningham confirmed the veracity of sexual texts sent between him and a woman who is not his wife during the campaign. Still, according to recent polls, the race hasn’t changed a whole lot. Three polls put into the field after the scandals from Monmouth, Morning Consult and WRAL show Cunningham up by four, six and 10 points respectively.
Maine
Incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), one of the last Republican holdouts in New England, is in the fight of her life against state speaker of the House Sara Gideon. Maine is the second state Republicans are defending that went to Clinton in 2016.
Collins’ winning brand as an independent-minded moderate has taken serious dings in the Trump era with Democrats still seething over her votes in favor of the 2017 GOP tax bill, to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and to acquit Trump during the impeachment trial.
Logistically, Collins is also likely wary of her first election since the state adopted ranked-choice voting, which took out the last Republican U.S. House member from New England in 2018. If no candidate tops 50%, lowest-ranked candidates are systematically eliminated until there’s a winner — making the second-place vote of people voting for third party or independent candidates very important.
A recent poll from Portland-based Pan Atlantic Research showed Gideon up 7 points, while a Bangor Daily News/Digital Research poll released last week showed Gideon up by one. September polls have Gideon up anywhere from one to 12, and FiveThirtyEight rates her “slightly favored” to win.
A Blue Wave ??
These races could go either way, depending on factors like turnout. But if we see a Democratic wave à la 2018, these Senate seats are more likely to drop into the blue bucket.
Iowa
Freshman incumbent Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) is trying to fend off real estate developer Theresa Greenfield in what has become a shockingly close race. Ernst rode into the Senate in 2014 on a wave of expectation, after easily dispatching her weak Democratic opponent. She has recently seen her fate falter, as Trump’s popularity plummets in the state, possibly even putting it into contention for the presidential race. Ernst, who has embraced Trump, is suffering from those coattails.
Greenfield has run a disciplined campaign targeting Ernst on pocketbook issues like health care and strengthening Social Security. She has a compelling personal story to help sell that emphasis, as her husband was killed on the job and she raised her young family on Social Security benefits. Daughter of a crop duster, she has emphasized her farm girl roots, a tried and true strategy in the state that Ernst also deployed successfully in 2014 (“I grew up castrating hogs on an Iowa farm”). Greenfield has also aired ads featuring Republicans vouching for her.
Ernst didn’t help her cause with a debate stumble so bad it rated national headlines, when she flubbed the cost of soybeans last week after Greenfield nailed the cost of corn. A batch of polls this month showed Greenfield up by three to five points.
Georgia (Special)
In the weirdest race in the cycle, a whole batch of candidates is vying to fill Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA) seat, all of whom will be on the ballot on November 3. That includes Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), who was appointed to fill the seat on an interim basis, Rep. Doug Collins (R-GA) and Democrat Rev. Raphael Warnock. If none of them get more than 50 percent, the top two go to a January 5 runoff.
Warnock has been consistently leading the polls, by anywhere from four to 19 points this month, but polling doesn’t capture the full picture here. Republican support is likely being split between Loeffler and Collins — both of whom have hitched themselves securely to Trump’s wagon, and are probably suffering accordingly in a suddenly competitive state — in a way that it won’t be if Warnock can’t surpass 50 percent but ends up in a runoff with one Republican opponent and no Biden atop the ticket to drive turnout.
Democrats have had near misses in the state recently (think Stacey Abrams in 2018), but did flip the sixth district, won by Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA), the same year. Still, Democratic hopes may be stymied again by the state’s historic and ongoing voter suppression — we’ve already seen enormous early voting lines, mirroring those that snaked across the state’s metropolitan areas in the primaries.
Montana
Similarly to Colorado, Democrats did well in Montana to recruit Gov. Steve Bullock (D) to challenge Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) after an unsuccessful presidential bid, turning a safe Republican hold into a competitive race. Bullock was a popular governor, and has emphasized his cooperation with Montana’s Republican legislature. Daines has been loyal to Trump and largely stayed under the radar.
While Daines may have the slight edge in the red state, Montana’s independent streak makes it winnable for the Democrats. It elected Trump by more than 20 points in 2016, but also reelected Bullock. Montanans also reelected Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) two years later, despite an all-out attempt by Republicans to unseat him.
The undermining of the postal service has been a hot issue in the rural state, with Bullock suing Postmaster General Louis DeJoy and Daines pushing for emergency aid. Montana is relatively hard to poll, but a recent batch shows the two candidates flipping back and forth with one to two-point leads. A competitive gubernatorial and U.S. House race here is also attracting eyeballs and money.
A Blue Tsunami ???
Many of these races are closer than expected, though in states Democrats usually don’t win. Still, if this election sees ceiling-shattering turnout and a Biden rout, some of these races could be on the table.
Georgia
In Georgia’s other Senate race, Sen. David Perdue (R-GA) is running against Jon Ossoff, who mounted a competitive and expensive congressional race in 2017. Like the other Georgia race, state dynamics are very much in play with an influx of transplants and increasingly purple suburbs making the race close on both the Senate and presidential level.
Perdue has been accusing Ossoff of hiding his “radical socialist agenda,” and has run false ads in the state accusing Ossoff of wanting to defund the police and getting support from the Communist party. Ossoff has marched with Black Lives Matter protesters and is trying to turn out new Black voters. He has also accused Perdue of complicity with Trump’s bungled COVID-19 response.
Perdue stepped into a scandal last week, when he mockingly mispronounced Sen. Kamala Harris’ (D-CA) name (“Kamala-mala-mala? I don’t know. Whatever.”) at a Trump rally. Later, amid furious blowback to the racist joke, he claimed that he actually didn’t know how to pronounce his Senate colleague’s name. The Ossoff campaign raked in a windfall of donations afterwards. It’s not the first time Perdue has been in hot water over a bigoted tactic this cycle: in July, his campaign had to pull a Facebook ad that featured Ossoff, who is Jewish, with an altered and enlarged nose.
Polls of this race have been all over the place this month, with a recent Quinnipiac University one showing Ossoff up by six, but others giving Perdue a single-digit edge. A New York Times poll released Tuesday shows a draw.
South Carolina
Longtime Senate feature and, more recently, staunch Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is in a surprisingly close race against former chair of the state Democratic Party Jaime Harrison. Harrison overcame an early 15-point deficit and proved to be a formidable fundraising force, recently bringing in an eye-popping $57 million in one quarter, shattering the record set by Beto O’Rourke in 2018.
Graham, who has previously cruised to reelection, may also be being dragged down by his tight ties to Trump. Few polls have shown the President recreating his 2016 14-point landslide here.
Harrison, like many of his Democratic challenger peers, is working from the health care playbook, focusing particularly on Medicaid expansion. He has also gone after Graham for his personal hypocrisy by cutting ads highlighting the senator’s old comments on Trump and whether or not it was acceptable to fill a Supreme Court seat during an election year. Graham, meanwhile, has been emphasizing his role in shepherding Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett onto the bench.
The only October poll, from the New York Times, shows Graham up six points. A Quinnipiac one in late September had the race tied.
Kansas
Kansas is in play in part because an open seat is easier to win — Sen. Pat Roberts (R) is retiring — and in part because Barbara Bollier, a former state senator and moderate Republican who switched parties in 2018, is the kind of Democrat that stands a chance. She’s up against former U.S. Rep. Roger Marshall (R-KS), who national Republicans bolstered aggressively to beat Kris Kobach in the primary. The common wisdom was that Kobach, a controversial and inflammatory figure who spearheaded Trump’s useless voter fraud task force, would put the seat at risk.
There has not been a ton of polling in the state recently, though the September batch showed everything from a draw, to a slight Bollier lead to a seven-point Marshall lead. In a sign of Republican unease, a PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) poured $5 million into the race as recently as last month. A Schumer-aligned PAC jumped into the fray earlier this month with a $7.5 million investment.
Though Kansas is deeply red, the GOP brand has taken some hits recently, with the deep unpopularity of former Gov. Sam Brownback’s (R) tax and government program cuts, and Kobach’s attempts to make it harder to vote. The state’s dissatisfaction with the far-right has been reflected in Democratic successes, as Democrat Laura Kelly became governor in 2018 and Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS) became the state’s first Democratic U.S. House member since 2010. Still, it’s Kansas — if Bollier wins, she’d be the first Democrat to win a Senate race since 1932.
Alaska
Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) is fending off a surprisingly competitive challenge from orthopedic surgeon and commercial fisherman Al Gross, a registered independent who ran for and won the Democratic nomination. Sullivan won the seat narrowly in 2014, by fewer than 8,000 votes.
The race has attracted attention and money recently, as polling shows it to be closer than expected. That being said, Alaska is notoriously hard to poll, and a recent New York Times one has Sullivan up by eight.
While Sullivan is likely favored to win, Alaska has the highest number of independent voters of any state, and they’ve proven their willingness to swing before. Democrats won this seat in 2008 (granted, the incumbent Republican had been convicted on felony corruption charges) before losing it in 2014. Here Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) was also able to win a write-in campaign, after losing the Republican nomination.
A recent local scandal is also throwing the race into flux. A watchdog group recorded conversations between actors posing as investors and the heads of the companies behind Pebble Mine. Pebble Mine, a project that most Alaskans (including Gross) disapprove of, would open up Bristol Bay to large-scale mining. Critics say it will threaten the salmon fishery there, which will hurt the wildlife, industry and tribes that depend on it. Sullivan, who has taken campaign contributions from mine executives, had remained on the fence about the mine during the race, but the tapes revealed the executives hinting that his camp would come around to the project after the election.
Texas
Texas, Democrats’ longtime white whale, has seen both its Senate and presidential race tightening. Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) is holding off MJ Hegar, an Air Force veteran who ran a buzzy, though ultimately unsuccessful, 2018 House race.
Democrats have come tantalizingly close to Senate victory with O’Rourke’s 2018 bid, but haven’t yet struck gold. Cornyn is less polarizing than Cruz, but is clearly worried about the drag of his proximity to Trump based on recent comments comparing their relationship to a bad marriage. All of the recent polls show Cornyn up, though a Public Policy Polling one from last week gives him only a three-point edge.
Republican Pickup Chances
Alabama
Jones, previously mentioned as Republicans’ best pickup opportunity, is waging an uphill battle. Trump’s net approval rating is higher in Alabama than anywhere else, and Jones hasn’t broken with the party on big anti-Trump votes like impeachment and the Kavanaugh confirmation. Jones was only able to pick off the seat in 2017 because Roy Moore, embroiled in accusations of preying on underage girls, was a historically bad candidate.
Republicans expect to right the ship with former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville, no matter that Tuberville had to bat back fraud accusations connected to a hedge fund he ran. Public polling shows a yawning gap in Tuberville’s favor, though the Jones campaign says that its internals reflect a much closer race.
Michigan
Republicans’ only other real shot at a pickup is by knocking out unassuming incumbent Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who is running against challenger John James. James is a Black businessman who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Debbie Stabnow (D-MI) in 2018.
Though Trump narrowly won the state in 2016, polls show Biden comfortably up this time around. Peters has been consistently polling ahead, though not always by much: a New York Times poll from earlier this month set Democratic alarm bells ringing when it showed Peters up by only one point. Former President Barack Obama, who recently put out a series of ads for Democratic challengers, cut one endorsing Peters that started airing this week.
Correction: This post initially referenced the “late Sen. Johnny Isakson’s (R-GA)” who is, in fact, not late at all; he retired in 2019. TPM regrets the error.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-20--CPD Won’t Indulge Trump’s Claims Of Bias Ahead Of Debate

The Commission on Presidential Debates refuted President Trump ’ s complaint that the nonpartisan organization is enacting “ pro-Biden antics ” just days before his final presidential debate against Democratic rival Joe Biden .
In a scathing letter issued to the CPD on Monday , Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien griped about the absence of foreign policy as one of the six topics selected for the final presidential debate , which were chosen by moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News .
Welker announced earlier Monday that debate topics include : “ Fighting COVID-19 , ” “ American Families , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Climate Change , ” “ National Security , ” and “ Leadership.
” Stepien ’ s letter to the CPD was issued amid Trump waging attacks against Welker days before she is set to moderate the final presidential debate .
On Tuesday morning , the President told “ Fox and Friends ” that Welker “ can not be neutral at all.
” Trump told supporters in Prescott , Arizona the day before that Welker is a “ radical Democrat ” — echoing his attacks against the NBC White House correspondent on Saturday when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jr. , who linked to a New York Post article claiming that the White House correspondent has “ deep Democratic ties.
” A spokesperson for Welker told TPM on Monday that Welker is not a registered Democrat and has been a “ registered independent in D.C. since 2012 , almost a decade.
” In a statement issued on Tuesday , the CPD appeared to hit back at Stepien ’ s letter that demanded the nonpartisan organization to “ recalibrate the topics and return to subjects which had already been confirmed.
” The CPD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adviser Jason Miller ’ s remarks to Fox News earlier this month .
Prior to Trump pulling out of the second presidential debate that was originally scheduled Oct. 15 , after the CPD announced that it would be virtual in light of the President ’ s COVID-19 diagnosis earlier this month , Miller said that he has a “ very high opinion ” of Welker and that she will “ do an excellent job as the moderator for the third debate.
” Trump ’ s attacks against Welker follow his other recent complaints @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump ripped Fox News ’ Chris Wallace , who moderated the disastrous first presidential debate that the President hijacked , by calling him “ terrible ” and suggesting he had only been neutral “ to himself.
” The President swiped at NBC “ Today ” show anchor Savannah Guthrie on Friday , who grilled the President as she moderated an NBC News town hall the night before , by telling attendees at an event in Fort Myers , Florida that he “ had someone going totally crazy last night .
”

The Commission on Presidential Debates refuted President Trump’s complaint that the nonpartisan organization is enacting “pro-Biden antics” just days before his final presidential debate against Democratic rival Joe Biden.
In a scathing letter issued to the CPD on Monday, Trump campaign manager Bill Stepien griped about the absence of foreign policy as one of the six topics selected for the final presidential debate, which were chosen by moderator Kristen Welker of NBC News. Welker announced earlier Monday that debate topics include: “Fighting COVID-19,” “American Families,” “Race in America,” “Climate Change,” “National Security,” and “Leadership.”
Stepien’s letter to the CPD was issued amid Trump waging attacks against Welker days before she is set to moderate the final presidential debate. On Tuesday morning, the President told “Fox and Friends” that Welker “cannot be neutral at all.” Trump told supporters in Prescott, Arizona the day before that Welker is a “radical Democrat” — echoing his attacks against the NBC White House correspondent on Saturday when he quote-tweeted his son, Donald Trump Jr., who linked to a New York Post article claiming that the White House correspondent has “deep Democratic ties.”
A spokesperson for Welker told TPM on Monday that Welker is not a registered Democrat and has been a “registered independent in D.C. since 2012, almost a decade.”
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the CPD appeared to hit back at Stepien’s letter that demanded the nonpartisan organization to “recalibrate the topics and return to subjects which had already been confirmed.” The CPD defended Welker and cited Trump campaign senior adviser Jason Miller’s remarks to Fox News earlier this month.
Prior to Trump pulling out of the second presidential debate that was originally scheduled Oct. 15, after the CPD announced that it would be virtual in light of the President’s COVID-19 diagnosis earlier this month, Miller said that he has a “very high opinion” of Welker and that she will “do an excellent job as the moderator for the third debate.”
Kristen Welker announced her topics for 10/22 on 10/16. We agree with Jason Miller, who said on Fox that Kristen is "a journalist who's very fair in her approach and I think that she'll be a very good choice for this third debate." — CPD (@debates) October 20, 2020
Trump’s attacks against Welker follow his other recent complaints about previous debate moderators.
On Tuesday, Trump ripped Fox News’ Chris Wallace, who moderated the disastrous first presidential debate that the President hijacked, by calling him “terrible” and suggesting he had only been neutral “to himself.”
The President swiped at NBC “Today” show anchor Savannah Guthrie on Friday, who grilled the President as she moderated an NBC News town hall the night before, by telling attendees at an event in Fort Myers, Florida that he “had someone going totally crazy last night.”


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-21--Voters In At Least Two States Received Threatening Email To ‘Vote For Trump Or Else’

Voters in Florida and Alaska reported receiving threatening emails telling them to “ Vote for Trump or else !
” in what appear to be attempts at voter intimidation and have pushed elections officials in those states to contact law enforcement for further investigation .
TJ Pyche a spokesperson for the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections in Florida , told CNN that a flood of emails and calls on Tuesday from dozens of voters about the messages from an unknown person or group had prompted his office to swiftly alert local , state and federal law enforcement , including the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has received similar reports and has forwarded that information to federal agencies for further review , per CNN .
While the emails appeared to be sent from an address affiliated with a far-right group , an analyst who reviewed one email told CNN it had been sent using foreign internet infrastructure .
While there does not appear to be any immediate indication that the emails are part of larger state-sponsored scheme to interfere with voting , national security officials have warned for months that the 2020 presidential election is a target for foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s also possible , however , that the emails are being routed through foreign infrastructure but are still originating in the United States .
Per CBS , a review of the source code embedded in seven of the emails shows the message originated from IP addresses linked to servers located in Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates and Estonia .
“ It could be that they are simply relaying through this infrastructure , ” Dmitri Alperovitch , the co-founder of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike , told CBS News .
“ In fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , using their web interface , that ’ s most likely the case — that the people behind this found a vulnerable server in Saudi through which they can route lots of emails.
” University of Florida spokesperson Steve Orlando reported similar emails landing in the inboxes of at least 183 people , including students , university staff and alumni .
A spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a that the agency is also aware of the “ threatening ” emails .
“ These emails are meant to intimidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our elections .
Don ’ t fall for sensational and unverified claims , ” the spokesperson said in a statement .
The Lawyers ’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law also said it had received about three dozen reports from voters getting similar email messages on Tuesday in what appears to be a an effort to “ discourage people from casting their ballots , ” Kristen Clarke president and executive director of the organization told CNN .
Roxanne Palmer a Florida Democrat said she found one of the emails in her spam folder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ info @ officialproudboys.com ” and demanded that Palmer vote for Trump “ or we will come after you , ” according to a copy of the email obtained by CNN .
Chairman of the Proud Boys , Enrique Tarrio , said the email “ is definitely not ” from the far-right group .
“ We have spoken to the FBI and are working with them , ” Tarrio told CNN .
“ I hope whoever did this is arrested for voter intimidation and for maliciously impersonating our group.
” “ This is someone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tarrio continued , telling CNN that while Officialproudboys.com is one of the group ’ s websites it is down because they have migrated to another website .

Voters in Florida and Alaska reported receiving threatening emails telling them to “Vote for Trump or else!” in what appear to be attempts at voter intimidation and have pushed elections officials in those states to contact law enforcement for further investigation, according to CNN.
TJ Pyche, a spokesperson for the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections in Florida, told CNN that a flood of emails and calls on Tuesday from dozens of voters about the messages from an unknown person or group had prompted his office to swiftly alert local, state and federal law enforcement, including the FBI.
The Alaska Division of Elections has received similar reports and has forwarded that information to federal agencies for further review, per CNN.
While the emails appeared to be sent from an address affiliated with a far-right group, an analyst who reviewed one email told CNN it had been sent using foreign internet infrastructure.
In a statement to TPM, the FBI said that while it is standard practice to neither confirm nor deny an investigation, “we take all election-related threats seriously, whether it is vote fraud, voter suppression, or threats from cyber or foreign influence actors.”
While there does not appear to be any immediate indication that the emails are part of larger state-sponsored scheme to interfere with voting, national security officials have warned for months that the 2020 presidential election is a target for foreign operatives eager to spread disinformation. It’s also possible , however , that the emails are being routed through foreign infrastructure but are still originating in the United States.
The emails raise a number of questions — not only with regard to who authored them — but also whether they stem from a coordinated intimidation effort or are driven by a one-off effort by individual angling to stir up trouble in the final stretch of the campaign. As authorities investigate the emails, more light will likely be shed on their true origins.
Per CBS, a review of the source code embedded in seven of the emails shows the message originated from IP addresses linked to servers located in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Estonia.
“It could be that they are simply relaying through this infrastructure,” Dmitri Alperovitch, the co-founder of cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told CBS News. “In fact, given how this email was sent, using their web interface, that’s most likely the case — that the people behind this found a vulnerable server in Saudi through which they can route lots of emails.”
University of Florida spokesperson Steve Orlando reported similar emails landing in the inboxes of at least 183 people, including students, university staff and alumni.
A spokesperson for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a that the agency is also aware of the “threatening” emails.
“These emails are meant to intimidate and undermine American voters’ confidence in our elections. Don’t fall for sensational and unverified claims,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law also said it had received about three dozen reports from voters getting similar email messages on Tuesday in what appears to be a an effort to “discourage people from casting their ballots,” Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the organization, told CNN.
Roxanne Palmer, a Florida Democrat, said she found one of the emails in her spam folder that appeared to be sent from “[email protected]” and demanded that Palmer vote for Trump “or we will come after you,” according to a copy of the email obtained by CNN.
Chairman of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, said the email “is definitely not” from the far-right group.
“We have spoken to the FBI and are working with them,” Tarrio told CNN. “I hope whoever did this is arrested for voter intimidation and for maliciously impersonating our group.”
“This is someone spoofing our emails and website,” Tarrio continued, telling CNN that while Officialproudboys.com is one of the group’s websites it is down because they have migrated to another website.
Matt Shuham contributed reporting.


talkingpointsmemo--2020-10-21--‘Bold Strategy’: People Scratch Their Heads Over Trump Telling PA Rallygoers He Didn’t Want To Be Th

‘Bold Strategy’: People Scratch Their Heads Over Trump Telling PA Rallygoers He Didn’t Want To Be There

President Donald Trump got remarkably candid on Tuesday night with his supporters in Pennsylvania , a state he desperately needs to win on Election Day , by telling them that if he had a choice , he wouldn ’ t have bothered to grace them with his presence .
“ Four or five months ago when we started this whole thing….before the plague came in , I had it made , ” Trump said during a rally in Erie , Pennsylvania .
“ I wasn ’ t coming to Erie .
I mean I have to be honest , there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I didn ’ t have to.
” Unfortunately , the President complained to his supporters , the pesky COVID-19 pandemic that ’ s caused his approval ratings to plummet forced him to actually reach out to them .
“ And then we got hit with the plague , and I had to go back to work , ” Trump said .
“ Hello , Erie .
Can I please have your vote ?
” Strangely enough , the comment met with cheers and applause from the crowd .
Everyone else , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ candidate would explicitly tell voters in a crucial swing state ( one in which he ’ s trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden by a little over 6 points in the polls ) that he didn ’ t want to be there :

President Donald Trump got remarkably candid on Tuesday night with his supporters in Pennsylvania, a state he desperately needs to win on Election Day, by telling them that if he had a choice, he wouldn’t have bothered to grace them with his presence.
“Four or five months ago when we started this whole thing….before the plague came in, I had it made,” Trump said during a rally in Erie, Pennsylvania. “I wasn’t coming to Erie. I mean I have to be honest, there’s no way I was coming. I didn’t have to.”
Unfortunately, the President complained to his supporters, the pesky COVID-19 pandemic that’s caused his approval ratings to plummet forced him to actually reach out to them.
“And then we got hit with the plague, and I had to go back to work,” Trump said. “Hello, Erie. Can I please have your vote?”
Strangely enough, the comment met with cheers and applause from the crowd. Everyone else, however, was wondering why an incumbent presidential candidate would explicitly tell voters in a crucial swing state (one in which he’s trailing Democratic rival Joe Biden by a little over 6 points in the polls) that he didn’t want to be there:
President Trump says that if it wasn’t for Covid there’s no way he’d even be campaigning in Erie, Pennsylvania where he’s holding his rally tonight. Bit of a curious message for the crowd. — Lewis Goodall (@lewis_goodall) October 21, 2020
Hey baby, you know I love you. Aren't you lucky my date with the good looking girl fell through so I would come here and let you be with me? It's your lucky night. — The Grumpy Bear (@BearOfGrump) October 21, 2020
He HATES his base. And that loathing is coming to the surface. — Lauren (@sequinpants) October 21, 2020
Hooo, boy. That's not gonna help him in Pennsylvania https://t.co/9tMjwejJHj — Brian Ray (@brianrayguitar) October 21, 2020
I used to be so great and popular I didn't have to cater to you losers, but now that I'm desperate please vote for me. Not sure it's the winning message he thinks it is. https://t.co/5iF8pXCQeS — Khashoggi’s Ghost (@UROCKlive1) October 21, 2020
"I wasn't coming to Erie … I have to be honest, there was no way I was coming" — Trump's pitch to Erie is basically telling people how much he doesn't want to be there. Bold strategy. pic.twitter.com/w20eDebFfz — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 21, 2020
Imagine if Hillary Clinton, or Joe Biden, said: I really don't want to be here, but I had to come because, well, I'm losing. https://t.co/I2dSWxt1ta — Michelangelo Signorile, subscribe to my newsletter (@MSignorile) October 21, 2020
Similar to his "I'm never coming back here if I lose" riff. He has nothing but contempt for these crowds that come to see him. — Bob Anderson (@rwa_) October 21, 2020