7. As the death toll with Hurricane Florence continues to rise, media are still fixated on President Donald Trump’s insistence that the numbers in Puerto Rico were inflated for politics
— As with any severe weather event that hits, the death toll from Hurricane Florence will continue to go up as the event and recovery play out. It sits at 17 right now.
— President Trump’s insistence that the numbers were inflated for political reasons continues to be an issue with FEMA director Brock Long, who stated the estimates on deaths were “all over the place.”
6. Republicans voters believe the “blue wave” is fake and that a “red wave” is coming, but the numbers say otherwise
— With Trump’s approval ratings dipping into the 30s and Democrats leading on generic ballots by as much as 14 points, Republican politicians, pollsters and prognosticators believe this midterm election will be troubling.
— America First Action, a Trump aligned group, conducted a study that found “conservative-leaning” voters are complacent with the economy humming and believed the “blue wave” was “fake news,” and the president is pushing that message on Twitter and at rallies.
5. Democrats apparently think meeting with foreign leaders and carrying out shadow diplomacy is completely OK now
— Former Secretary of State John Kerry appears to be in violation of the Logan Act as he continues meeting with Iranians about the Iran-U.S. nuclear deal.
— Other Obama administration officials are helping Iran evade sanctions, according to a report at Breitbart. Republican operative Richard Goldberg says he has been told that “former senior Obama officials worked with European officials to design sanctions evasion schemes” before the sanctions go into place.
4. The latest book that shows chaos in the White House also has an author that says he saw nothing having to do with collusion with Russia
— “Fear” author Bob Woodward told talk show host Hugh Hewitt that after two years of looking, he found no collusion, telling Hewitt, “I did not, and of course, I looked for it, looked for it hard.”
— Hewitt asked Woodward the question multiple times, each time receiving the same answer that there was no evidence he could find of collusion. This revelation received very little acknowledgment from a media obsessed with both this book and this narrative.
3. Alabama Democrats disingenuously try to tie Gov. Kay Ivey to former Governor Robert Bentley
— The ploy here is that Ivey signed off on legal fees for the former governor, misusing state resources. The media will dutifully report this silliness without skepticism.
— The reality, as is with most things Walt Maddox is saying, is far different from the implication. the state is self-insured on these matters. this was set up in 1984, and it pays for the defense if someone is sued for actions taken in their official capacity.
2. The Kavanaugh confirmation circus gets really stupid. Democrats have a playbook
— Now we have a name and allegation for the previously unnamed and unspecified allegation that is being released days before the Judiciary Committee is to vote on Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
— Democrats, who sat on this allegation during public and private hearings with the nominee, now demand that the nominee be withdrawn or the process be paused while they investigate something Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) has had since mid-summer.
1. Alabama Senator Doug Jones uses the claims of sexual assault to say the confirmation process should stop after saying otherwise
— Senator Jones tweeted Sunday morning, “This was a very brave step to come forward. It is more important than ever to hit the pause button on Kavanaugh’s confirmation vote until we can fully investigate these serious and disturbing allegations. We cannot rush to move forward under this cloud.”
— Jones joins many Democrats and two Republican senators asking the confirmation to be withdrawn or process to be paused until they can investigate/speak to Kavanaugh and his accuser on this matter.
