Axios

President Trump will address the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday. A source briefed on his remarks shared one word on his theme: "Sovereignty."

The big picture: "Mutual respect and sovereignty" will be his frame for cooperation with other countries, another source with direct knowledge of his remarks told me. He'll talk about reforming international trade, that source added.

52% of registered voters would like to see the Democrats control Congress after the November elections, while 40% prefer Republicans, according to a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Why it matters: This is the biggest lead Democrats have held yet in midterm polling from NBC/WSJ, and it's bolstered by figures that show more Democrats turned out in House primaries than Republicans for the first time since 2008. The poll also indicates, however, that Republican enthusiasm for the midterms has increased.

Republicans at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue are edgy about the agreement for Christine Blasey Ford, Judge Brett Kavanaugh's accuser, to testify publicly before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday.

The big picture: The arrangement isn't really a gamble because Republicans have no choice. They have to let Ford testify if they're going to confirm Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, as top GOP sources still (nervously) predict.

Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school, has accepted the Senate Judiciary Committee's offer to testify this week, Ford's lawyer said in an emailed statement Saturday, but added that there are still details that need to be worked out.

"Dr. Ford  accepts the Committee's request to provide her first-hand knowledge of Brett Kavanaugh's sexual misconduct next week. Although many aspects of the proposal you provided via email, on September 21, 2018, at 2:33 pm, are fundamentally inconsistent with the Committee’s promise of a fair, impartial investigation into her allegations, and we are disappointed with the leaks and the bullying that have tainted the process, we are hopeful that we can reach agreement on details.  Can we set up a time for later this afternoon to continue our negotiations?"

Garrett Ventry, a press adviser for the Senate Judiciary Committee, resigned Saturday after NBC News confronted him with questions about a previous allegation of sexual harassment.

The big picture: Ventry, who denied any past "allegations of misconduct" to NBC News, was a communications aide to Committee Chair Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and had been a coordinator for the committee's messaging involving Christine Blasey Ford's allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her at a high school party in 1982.

With midterms on the horizon and Republicans struggling to make gains with voters despite a robust economy, the GOP is now trying to turn voters against their opposition by painting them as dangerous, reports the LA Times.

Why it matters: Republicans are spending millions of dollars on this effort, but Democrats remain optimistic ahead of the midterms.

We’re starting to see the worst collateral damage of President Trump's war with his own Justice Department. The rift has dominated (even defined) his presidency. And it looks like it’s getting worse.

A former administration official told Axios: “It’s a 'Deep State' he created. Whether it existed before or not, it does now.”

In a late Friday night tweet, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley extended the deadline originally given to Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who has accused Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in high school, to testify before the committee.

"Judge Kavanaugh I just granted another extension to Dr Ford to decide if she wants to proceed w the statement she made last week to testify to the senate She shld decide so we can move on I want to hear her. I hope u understand. It’s not my normal approach to b indecisive."