Since 2001, up to 28% of the annual defense budget has been hived off from the base budget into the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) account to pay for wartime operations. But a new study by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) found that since 2006 at least $50 billion of annual OCO funds actually went to enduring activities — that is, those associated with running the military during peacetime.
Why it matters: Take this year’s budget: CBO estimates $47 billion for enduring costs out of the total $69 billion OCO budget. That means almost 70% of the OCO budget is not being used for its stated purpose — to sustain operations and the troops currently deployed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. This indicates a substantial misuse or misallocation of funds.
The Department of Defense is expected to send 800 additional troops to the United States-Mexico border as a caravan of Central American migrants travels through Mexico to reach the U.S., CNN reports.
The big picture: Though the caravan is still more than 1,000 miles away from the border, the additional troops are expected to be in place next week to add fencing and walls in an attempt to secure potential crossing points. The news comes after President Trump tweeted Thursday morning that he'd be "bringing out the military for this National Emergency."
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley on Thursday referred Julie Swetnick and her attorney Michael Avenatti to the Justice Department for criminal investigation.
The big picture: In a sworn declaration last month, Swetnick accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of targeting girls at parties with spiked alcohol so that they could later be "gang raped" by groups of boys, and claimed that she was a victim of such an attack. Grassley alleges that Avenatti and Swetnick engaged in "potential conspiracy to provide materially false statements to Congress and obstruct a congressional committee investigation" during the course of Kavanaugh's confirmation process.
President Trump will hold at least 10 midterms rallies between Oct. 31 and Election Day, with the possibility of bumping it up to two rallies each day in two different states, per three sources familiar with the planning. The White House and Secret Service are still working out the logistics.
A source familiar with the rallies said the first will be held in Florida next Wednesday and Vice President Mike Pence will join on a couple of the stops.
Why it matters: This is a heavy load of campaigning for a sitting president, but it's clear that Trump wants to overcome the historical pattern of presidents losing congressional seats in their first midterm election. And he's viewed as the GOP's best motivator to energize their base ahead of a tough election.
President Donald Trump continued his criticism of Democrats and the news media at a campaign rally in Wisconsin Wednesday night, as law enforcement officials across the country grapple with a slew of potentially explosive devices sent to a number of prominent Democratic Party figures as well as CNN.
"The media also has a responsibility to set a civil tone and to stop the endless hostility and constant negative and oftentimes false attacks and stories. Have to do it. They’ve got to stop. Bring people together."
During her trip to Turkey this week, CIA Director Gina Haspel listened to audio that details the interrogation and killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, The Washington Post reports.
Why it matters: Haspel now has insight that could help President Trump make a decision between the two conflicting stories from Turkey and Saudi Arabia on Khashoggi's death. On Tuesday, Trump said the Saudi Arabia cover-up is "one of the worst" and is a "bad situation."
Current and former American intelligence officials are warning that Chinese spies are listening in on President Trump's iPhone calls to see how to gain insight on the president’s thought process and sway administration policy, The New York Times reports.
Why it matters: President Trump has two official iPhones that have limited abilities, and a third, regular iPhone. Officials are frustrated by the president's casual disregard toward electronic security as China is collecting valuable information on how the president thinks, and which arguments captivate him to keep a trade war with the United States from escalating further, per the NYT.
Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," is ramping up his midterm coverage ahead of the Nov. 6 elections with special live episodes that will be filmed in Florida next week. He told Axios Wednesday, "Republicans have a pretty easy job" in 2018 because they're "setting themselves up as the party of the white man."
Between the lines: President Trump's message, he said, is that "white men are struggling in 2018," whether it's with immigrants coming into the country or watching Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation. Because of that, Noah says ahead of the midterms, the GOP has "done a fantastic job of galvanizing their base, of playing the victim card. ... To have the House, Senate and presidency and still have your voters feel like they’re under siege is the most powerful thing they’ve managed to do."
In a visit to Moscow on Tuesday, national security adviser John Bolton delivered President Trump’s message that the U.S. will withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, a Reagan-era nuclear deal that has been credited with helping end the Cold War. If the INF Treaty collapses, which seems likely, there will exist only one remaining treaty — the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) — regulating U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles.
Why it matters: In addition to the INF Treaty, the U.S. and its allies now risk losing another, more vital arms control agreement that provides predictability and transparency regarding Russia’s nuclear arsenal. If Trump and Putin fail to extend New START, an even more dangerous phase in U.S.-Russia relations will be on the horizon.
With more women running than ever, the 2018 midterms have the largest voting gender gap on record, with Democrats overwhelmingly winning women's support.
The big picture: There have been powerful moments and signs of progress for women this year, but wide gaps persist in pay, positions of power and politics. Men are notably less concerned about these issues than women, pointing to renewed gender wars in President Trump's 2020 re-election race.
New York Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin’s re-election campaign acknowledged that it mailed information to voters that included the wrong deadline to return absentee ballots, prompting his Democratic opponent to seek a federal probe, Newsday reports.
The details: The mailers inaccurately said voters should submit their ballots by November 6 (Election Day,) but the actual deadline is November 5. Under state law, ballots that missed the deadline are disqualified. Based on the complaints he received, Democratic candidate Perry Gershon alleged that college-age and minority voters were targeted. Zeldin’s campaign reportedly said it was an error caused by the printer. Newsday reports that the campaign had also listed the wrong date in 2016.
