Oct 1, 2018

Obama's second wave of 2018 midterm election endorsements

Barack Obama after a rally in Pennsylvania. Photo: Mark Makela/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama announced another round of endorsements Monday ahead of next month's midterm elections, lending his support to an additional 260 candidates.

Between the lines: This round "focused on close races ... state legislative and/or statewide races that are redistricting priorities; ... and building a pipeline of diverse talent and elevating the next generation of leaders within the Democratic Party."

  • Four of our Axios 8 for 2018 races were on the list, including Gina Ortiz Jones in Texas' 23rd Congressional District, Debbie Mucarsel-Powell in Florida's 26th Congressional District, Joe Radinovich in Minnesota's 8th Congressional District and Cindy Axne in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District.
  • Two other Axios 8 races were featured on his initial list: Richard Cordray, running for Ohio governor, and Katie Porter in California's 45th Congressional District.
  • One more thing: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (New York's 14th Congressional District) made the list, but Keith Ellison, running for Minnesota attorney general and facing allegations of domestic abuse, did not.

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Axios
Updated 19 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Coronavirus dashboard

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. ET: 12,813,864 — Total deaths: 566,790 — Total recoveries — 7,046,535 — Map.
  2. U.S.: Total confirmed cases as of 4 p.m. ET: 3,286,025 — Total deaths: 135,089 — Total recoveries: 995,576 — Total tested: 39,553,395 — Map.
  3. States: Florida smashes single-day record for new coronavirus cases with over 15,000 — Miami-Dade mayor says "it won't be long" until county's hospitals reach capacity.
  4. Public health: Ex-FDA chief projects "apex" of South's coronavirus curve in 2-3 weeks — Coronavirus testing czar: Lockdowns in hotspots "should be on the table"
  5. Education: Betsy DeVos says schools that don't reopen shouldn't get federal funds — Pelosi accuses Trump of "messing with the health of our children."
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11 GOP congressional nominees support QAnon conspiracy

Lauren Boebert posing in her restaurant in Rifle, Colorado, on April 24. Photo: Emily Kask/AFP

At least 11 Republican congressional nominees have publicly supported or defended the QAnon conspiracy theory movement or some of its tenets — and more aligned with the movement may still find a way onto ballots this year.

Why it matters: Their progress shows how a fringe online forum built on unsubstantiated claims and flagged as a threat by the FBI is seeking a foothold in the U.S. political mainstream.

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Lindsey Graham says he will ask Mueller to testify before Senate

Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) tweeted Sunday that he will grant Democrats' request to call former special counsel Robert Mueller to testify before his committee.

The big picture: The announcement comes on the heels of Mueller publishing an op-ed in the Washington Post that defended the Russia investigation and conviction of Roger Stone, whose sentence was commuted by President Trump on Friday.

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