House Speaker Nancy Pelosi commented publicly on-camera Friday for the first time since her husband, Paul, was attacked a week ago at their San Francisco home.
Driving the news: "It’s going to be a long haul, but he will be well," the speaker said in a video. "And, it’s just so tragic how it happened, but nonetheless, we have to be optimistic. "
Driving the news: Barrett did not refer the case to the full court and instead issued a one-line order rejecting the emergency application from the Pacific Legal Foundation.
Tom Barrack, a longtime ally of former President Trump, has been found not guilty of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government, AP reports.
Former President Trump's inner circle is discussing announcing the launch of a 2024 presidential campaign on Nov. 14 — with the official announcement possibly followed by a multi-day series of political events, according to three sources familiar with the sensitive discussions.
Why it matters: Trump and his top advisers have been signaling for weeks that a 2024 announcement is imminent. But those discussions have reached the point that allies are blocking off days in their calendars for the week after the midterms — and preparing to travel.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) — long thought of as a top contender to replace House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — may have already clinched the job, Jonathan Martin of Politico reports.
Driving the news: The chair of the House Democratic Caucus, nervous about chatter around Rep. Adam Schiff's private campaigning, asked House Majority Whip James Clyburn for a private meeting to warn about the risk of splitting votes if he also wanted to run.
Joel Benenson, the renowned pollster for President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns, gave a first look at the results of a question he'd never asked before:"We wanted to test QAnon's language that the world is controlled by a secret cabal."
What he found: 44% of registered voters said they believe it.
Late on the night of Jan. 6, 2021, as the world reeled from the shocking images of a pro-Trump mob ransacking the U.S. Capitol, conservative activist and Trump legal adviser Cleta Mitchell focused her attention elsewhere — on a crumbling voter fraud lawsuit in Georgia that could open the door to criminal exposure.
The big picture: Axios has obtained dozens of previously undisclosed emails from the time period covering Dec. 30, 2020, to Jan. 8, 2021. They shed new light on the internal machinations, pressures and disagreements at the heart of the unprecedented legal battle to keep a defeated president in power.
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has spent the last few years investing in a nonprofit site that publicizes government data in hopes of rooting political discussions in fact. Though that doesn't seem to be the current direction of U.S. political discourse, Ballmer isn't ready to give up.
"I don’t think the baby goes out with the bathwater," Ballmer told Axios. "This notion that we need an informed electorate, I stand by that."
It's nearly impossible for incarcerated people in many states to vote.
Why it matters: Many of the 11 million or so Americans booked into county jails are too poor to post bail or just serving misdemeanor sentences. Those without felony convictions are still eligible to vote — but can't exercise that right.
The FBI issued an alert Thursday warning of a "broad threat" to synagogues in New Jersey.
The big picture: The notice comes amid a rise in antisemitism and continued threats of violence against Jewish people. Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached an all-time high in 2021, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Oprah Winfrey has thrown her support behind Democrat John Fetterman, who's running against Republican Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania's U.S. Senate race, per multiple reports.
Why it matters: Winfrey's support comes days out from the crucial election that may tip the balance of power in Congress. Fetterman's Trump-endorsed rival made many appearances on Winfrey's long-running daytime talk show as Dr. Oz.
Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee will release a 1,000-page document on Friday detailing allegations of politicization of the FBI and Justice Department under the Biden administration, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: The report, obtained exclusively by Axios, will serve as the basis for one of House Republicans' top oversight investigations if they take back control of the majority in next week's midterm.
Relentless media coverage, polling and election forecasts have solidified the narrative heading into Tuesday's midterms: Republicans are on pace for a "red wave" in the House, with fresh momentum giving them a serious shot to take the Senate as well.
Yes, but: Conventional wisdom isn't always correct. Every election carries surprises — it was just two years ago that Republicans defied expectations to gain seats in the House — and there are at least a few bright spots to consider before Democrats commit themselves to the political wilderness.
