| | | | Trump turns on the Republican Party | | Donald Trump is launching a kamikaze mission, fracturing his own party four weeks before Election Day. The GOP nominee is lashing out in a stream of tweets boiling with rage and resentment, slamming House Speaker Paul Ryan for effectively cutting him loose, blasting Arizona Sen. John McCain for revoking his endorsement and accusing the party leadership of dooming his campaign. It's a meltdown unprecedented by a presidential nominee this late in the year.
Trump's attacks began in an all-day Twitter rant: | | Here's what Republicans are worried about: Even if the presidential race may be lost, the GOP is trying to keep the House and the Senate. Trump's behavior risks alienating moderate and swing voters. But repudiating Trump entirely would risk a backlash by the record-breaking millions of voters who flocked to the Republican nominee in the primary process. The GOP is assessing the damage, CNN's Maeve Reston writes.
Measuring the fallout: The newly targeted McCain says he might write in South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Conservative Glenn Beck says the "moral, ethical" choice is to oppose Trump -- even if it means Hillary Clinton wins. On the other side, Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, says the GOP establishment could be "amputated out" of the party over its refusal to back Trump.
Being there: The New York Times' Trip Gabriel writes from Pennsylvania that "in the campaign's last weeks, at such rallies, Mr. Trump is sealed in a hermetic bubble with his most fervent supporters."
Did this cost Trump a close ally? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie didn't accompany him to Sunday night's debate -- and doesn't appear to approve of Trump's tactics, including using women who have accused Bill Clinton of sexual misconduct to attack Hillary Clinton. "I think that he should have been much more direct and much more focused on saying -- just saying 'I'm sorry' and only 'I'm sorry,' and that's what I would have done," Christie told WFAN in New York. | | | A new television ad from Donald Trump's campaign raises questions about Hillary Clinton's health, once again elevating fringe conspiracy theories to the forefront of the presidential race, writes CNN's Tom Kludt. "Hillary Clinton doesn't have the fortitude, strength or stamina to lead in our world," the narrator says in the ad, as foreboding music plays in the background. | | Leaked Podesta emails trigger collusion accusations | | From CNN's Tom LoBianco: Donald Trump's campaign is blasting Hillary Clinton after WikiLeaks posted a hacked email that purports to show Clinton spokesman Brian Fallon discussing communication with the Justice Department regarding an FOIA lawsuit in 2015.
In an email on May 19, 2015, Fallon advised of upcoming action in a civil lawsuit by Vice News reporter Jason Leopold that resulted in the State Department releasing tens of thousands of Clinton's emails.
"DOJ folks inform me there is a status hearing in this case this morning, so we could have a window into the judge's thinking about this proposed production schedule as quickly as today," Fallon, a former Justice Department spokesman, wrote.
Another email must-read: Chelsea Clinton raised concerns about conflict-of-interest appearances between the Clinton Foundation and the State Department, Politico's Ken Vogel reports. | | | SHOT: Here's a Donald Trump campaign press release from today, touting Pat Buchanan's praise for his debate performance: | | | CHASER: Trump to NBC's Tim Russert on "Meet the Press" in 1999, about Buchanan: "He's a Hitler lover. I guess he's an anti-Semite. He doesn't like the blacks. He doesn't like the gays. It's just incredible that anybody could embrace this guy. | | Trump backers struggle to define 2005 tape comments | | Some of Donald Trump's supporters have tripped over whether the actions Trump described in the 2005 "Access Hollywood" video -- that his star status allowed him to walk up to women and "grab them by the p---y" -- amounts to sexual assault. The Weekly Standard's John McCormack asked several Trump backers. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Alabama, said he thinks "that's a stretch." The RNC's Sean Spicer said, "I don't know. I'm not a lawyer."
Spicer made matters worse when he told The Washington Post, "I never said it," asserting McCormack misquoted him. McCormack responded by sending The Post audio of Spicer saying exactly those words. Asked to explain, Spicer said: "While I was asked question about a matter of law, it is never appropriate to touch anyone in an unwelcome manner." | | | President Barack Obama laid out a plan to send humans to Mars by the 2030s. ... Donald Trump supporter Ben Carson suggested that gay marriage would lead to tyranny and mass killings. ... Maine Gov. Paul LePage wondered if the Constitution might be "broken" and Trump might need to use "authoritarian power." | | | Get the Nightcap, a comprehensive summary of the most important political news, delivered to your inbox daily. | | | | | |
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