| | | | Laugh it off: Clinton, Trump set for Al Smith dinner | | Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump wouldn't even shake hands on the debate stage Wednesday night. But tonight, the two are expected to poke fun at themselves -- and gently chide each other -- at a fundraiser for Catholic charities that's been a mainstay in presidential politics.
Clinton and Trump will sit one seat away from each other at the Al Smith dinner, separated only by Cardinal Timothy Dolan. The event begins just before 9 p.m. ET in Manhattan, with Trump speaking first. Historically, the dinner has been a good-natured roast -- one with plenty of jokes, to be sure, but none that break with the white-tie gala's sense of decorum. The night could be different, for one simple reason: Clinton and Trump loathe each other. Trump has also never been much for jokes at his expense.
Some of the best Al Smith lines from years past...
George W. Bush in 2000: "This is an impressive crowd. The haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elite. I call you my base."
John McCain in 2008: "Maverick I can do, but messiah is above my pay grade."
Barack Obama in 2012: "Early today, I went shopping at some stores in Midtown. I understand Gov. Romney went shopping for some stores in Midtown."
And from the first dinner attended by both nominees, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960...
Kennedy: "I had announced earlier this year that, if successful, I would not consider campaign contributions as a substitute for experience in appointing ambassadors. Ever since I made that statement, I have not received one single cent from my father." | | Trump: I will accept the election's results 'if I win' | | Donald Trump today built on his extraordinary debate stage declaration that he plans to "keep you in suspense" over whether he'll accept the election results -- declaring in Ohio: "I would like to promise and pledge to all of my voters and supporters and to all of the people of the United States that I will totally accept the results of this great and historic presidential election, if I win."
The backlash has been intense from within Trump's own party. "I didn't like the outcome of the 2008 election. But I had a duty to concede, and I did so without reluctance," Arizona Sen. John McCain said. Sen. Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, in a tough re-election battle, said: "The voters are going to decide this election, and Donald Trump needs to accept the outcome." And the No. 3 Senate Republican, John Thune of South Dakota, said: "The American electoral process is the cornerstone of our democracy. Suggesting otherwise undermines an electoral system that is a model for nations around the world."
President Barack Obama's take: "I want everybody to pay attention here. This is dangerous," Obama said at a Hillary for America event in Miami Gardens, Florida. "Because when you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's mind about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy. Then you are doing the work of our adversaries for them."
A love letter to elections past: CNN's Maeve Reston begins her look at the soul-crushing 2016 campaign: "Not long ago, there was a degree of grace and civility to politics. In this toxic presidential campaign those elements have vanished."
About last night: Trump always, always takes the bait. And calling Hillary Clinton a "nasty woman" is no way to win the voters he needs. That and more of my takeaways from the third and final Trump-Clinton bout. | | "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world -- China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way." | | | Ryan under fire over tepid Trump support | | The conservative Republican congressman who led the charge to oust former Speaker John Boehner is now agitating for the removal of his replacement. Rep. Mark Meadows said the effort to remove House Speaker Paul Ryan is "picking up some steam" because many GOP lawmakers and a stream of callers to the North Carolinian's congressional offices are incensed the Wisconsin Republican hasn't fully embraced Donald Trump's candidacy for president.
Here's what Meadows said: "A lot of people who believe so desperately that we need to put Donald Trump in the White House -- they question the loyalty of the speaker," he told radio host Tyler Cralle of WAAV radio in Wilmington, North Carolina. More from CNN's Ted Barrett, Manu Raju and Deirdre Walsh. | | | Riffing on Donald Trump's answers in last night's debate, Twitter users are imagining Trump's take on some of the classics -- and skewering Trump -- with the hashtag #TrumpBookReport. | | Did Clinton reveal classified intel at the debate? | | CNN's Jamie Crawford looks at whether Hillary Clinton was too specific in her description of nuclear launch times and had perhaps revealed something she learned in a classified setting. "There's about four minutes between the order being given and the people responsible for launching nuclear weapons to do so," Clinton said, explaining the quick decision-making required of a commander in chief and questioning Donald Trump's fitness for the job.
The Clinton campaign would not say if the information came from a classified briefing, instead pointing to multiple instances when similar information has been disclosed in public or through open source material. US Strategic Command, which oversees the US nuclear arsenal, declined to weigh in on the specifics. | | Fundraising deadline: Clinton super PAC has best month | | From CNN's Dan Merica: Hillary Clinton's top-dollar super PAC enjoyed its best month of the campaign in September, a spokesman said. In total, Priorities USA raised more than $24 million, Justin Barasky said, meaning the group started October with $22 million in the bank.
More notes on the last fundraising deadline before the election, mined by CNN's Theodore Schleifer:
-- Evan McMullin has $4,316 cash on hand. (Not a typo.)
-- Florida Democratic Senate candidate Patrick Murphy's father gave another $1 million to Democatic group Senate Majority PAC
-- Two donors to Republican group Senate Leadership Fund: Former Obama administration economic adviser Jeff Immelt and former Bush Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson. | | With the presidency looking like a lost cause for Republicans, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake says the Senate should take up Merrick Garland's nomination for the U.S. Supreme Court. ... Donald Trump national political director Jim Murphy has taken "a step back from the campaign," citing "personal reasons." ... A personal email from then-President-elect Barack Obama was among those in John Podesta's hacked emails released by WikiLeaks today.
Correction: Last night, we said Trump and Clinton would be sitting during their debate. They were, of course, standing. | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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