Happy Friday and happy November! 🍂 Can you believe it’s only four days until Election Day? Try to do something relaxing this weekend to ease the tension. Go for a walk, maybe bake something. Here’s what’s happening:
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here. |
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The final jobs report before the election was … well, not great: |
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Job growth came to a big halt in October with just 12,000 jobs added last month, according to new data from the Labor Department, ending a string of strong economic data. Is this what economists expected?: Economists were bracing for a sharp drop in job gains due to the impacts of the recent hurricanes and several large strikes, but Friday's jobs figures were even worse than they expected.
The hurricanes did have a big effect: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said this morning the steep drop was partially caused by “severe damage” from the storms and their timing.
Read Sylvan Lane’s explainer on the job numbers |
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➤ HOW VARIOUS NEWS OUTLETS ARE FRAMING THE NEWS: |
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The New York Times: “U.S. Job Growth Stalls in Days Before Vote.”
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CNN: “Messy October jobs report muddied by strikes and storms ahead of Election Day”
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The Washington Post: “Hiring slowed sharply in final month before election amid hurricanes, strikes.”
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The Wall Street Journal: “U.S. Added 12,000 Jobs in October as Storms Sidelined Workers.”
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MarketWatch: “Dow futures higher after October jobs report.”
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Fox Business: “US economy added 12K jobs in October, well below economists' expectations.”
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Days since the last controversy — 0: |
Former President Trump is facing backlash over his comments toward former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). While criticizing her foreign policy during a fireside chat with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump described her as having guns “trained on her face.”
Trump’s full quote: “She’s a radical war hawk. Let’s put her with a rifle standing there with nine barrels shooting at her, OK. Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face. You know, they’re all war hawks when they’re sitting in Washington in a nice building saying, oh, gee, we’ll, let’s send — let’s send 10,000 troops right into the mouth of the enemy.” 📹 Watch the clip
Reaction from Cheney: “This is how dictators destroy free nations. They threaten those who speak against them with death,” Cheney posted on X. “We cannot entrust our country and our freedom to a petty, vindictive, cruel, unstable man who wants to be a tyrant.”
Reaction from Harris’s senior adviser Ian Sams: “You have Donald Trump, who’s talking about sending a prominent Republican to the firing squad. And you have Vice President Harris talking about sending one to her Cabinet,” Sams said on MSNBC this morning, calling the remark “dangerous” and “violent rhetoric.”
Reaction from MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ host Joe Scarborough: Scarborough said Trump was “calling for Cheney being shot in the face by nine guns — nine rifles — the closing weekend of the campaign.”
Related read: ‘Liz Cheney wants to be deciding factor against Trump on Election Day,’ via The Hill’s Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell
💡Why this matters: This has been a perceived threatening comment toward one of his political foes. Politically, Trump’s series of controversial statements could help Democrats at the ballot box — or at least, that’s what they’re hoping, reports The Hill’s Brett Samuels.
Meanwhile: Prominent Harris surrogate Mark Cuban took to social media platform X to clarify comments that sparked uproar on the right this week when he said "strong, intelligent" women don't surround Trump.
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➤ WHERE IS EVERYONE TODAY?:
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Harris is spending her day in Wisconsin, holding campaign events in Janesville, Little Chute and West Allis. Trump is holding events in Warren, Mich., and Milwaukee. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) is in Michigan, and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) is campaigning in Michigan and North Carolina today.
Keep scrolling for start times and links to watch the rallies live. |
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➤ LATEST POLLING AND FORECASTING:
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🎤 So, apparently the comedian was warned about the Puerto Rico joke … : Famous podcaster Joe Rogan says he advised comedian Tony Hinchcliffe against using the Puerto Rico joke at Trump’s rally last weekend. 📸 Downtown D.C. is getting boarded up for Election Day
☕ The dramatic tea this morning: Conservative radio host and political pundit Hugh Hewitt stormed out of a Washington Post event this morning after an argument over Trump’s rhetoric regarding election integrity. 📹 Watch the clip
🚛 Walz trolled Trump getting into the garbage truck: "This dude is nearly 80 years old,” Walz said, referring to Trump’s press stunt of getting into a campaign-themed garbage truck. “He damn near killed himself getting in a garbage truck." 📹 Watch the clip
🎃 A lighter tidbit — love the subtle festivity: The Washington Post’s Ashley Parker wore an outfit on MSNBC similar to a Wednesday Addams Halloween costume. 📸 Screenshot |
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➤ MORE READS FROM THE TRAIL:
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- ‘As Trump’s ‘Access Hollywood’ clip circulates on TikTok, Gen Z users are expressing their shock’: The Washington Post
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‘Xenophobia and Hate Speech Are Spiking Heading Into the Election’: The New York Times
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‘Johnson, facing uncertain future, seeks to save House GOP’: The Hill
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‘Punish Democrats or Stop Trump? Arab Americans are agonizing over their votes’: Vox
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‘How the Antiabortion Movement Became a Cause Without a Candidate’: The Wall Street Journal
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‘Obama and Trump square off over masculinity’: Axios
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Democrats are actively seeking out Trader Joe’s when they move around the U.S.: |
A New York Times analysis shows that Americans are moving to regions that share their political affiliations.
Basically: Of the roughly 3.5 million Americans who moved since the last presidential election, Republicans are choosing red regions to live. And when Democrats relocate, they’re seeking out liberal regions.
Are people intentionally moving to like-minded areas?: Yes and no. People say the political views in a region play a factor, but it’s also cultural differences. Republicans tend to favor rural regions while Democrats prefer cities. What the NYT analysis shows: 🔴 Republicans want regions with lower property taxes, an average temperature of 70 degrees and to live near a forest.
🔵 Democrats seek out areas with high racial diversity, proximity to a college and my favorite factor — “within 5 miles of a Trader Joes.” 🛒 📝 The full list of factors Could this impact the election?: It’s certainly something to watch. It’s hard to know the direct effect these moves will have on Election Day, but it’s such a close race that a factor like this could be decisive.
💡Why this matters for the U.S.: It could impact partisanship going forward. The deeper red or blue that a region becomes, the less that politicians need to court the other side. That’s how you end up with fewer moderate politicians representing constituents. And it’s also how you end up with politically homogenous areas where Americans don’t interact with people who differ in political beliefs.
Check out the data shown in graphics. It’s fascinating.: ‘Millions of Movers Reveal American Polarization in Action’ |
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🍕 Celebrate: Today is National Calzone Day!
🎬 Imagine dropping "Obama" from your name: Former President Obama said his daughter Malia has dropped her last name in a professional setting. Instead, she goes by Malia Ann because she wants people to watch her short film without association with her family. (The Hill)
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🍪 Wanna cook like you’re Kamala Harris or Tim Walz?: Washingtonian’s Sylvie McNamara writes that she “made dinner ising Kamala Harris and Tim Walz recipes.” Specifically: “We cooked Kamala’s famous roast chicken with her cornbread dressing on the side. Then we assembled the award-winning Coach Walz tater tot hotdish, plus a mysterious Walz family dessert called a ‘cookie salad.’” (Washingtonian)
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Washington and Philadelphia today, and Vice President Harris is in Wisconsin. (all times Eastern) |
- 12:45 p.m.: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) campaigns in Detroit. 💻 Livestream
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1 p.m.: Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) campaigns in Portage, Mich. 💻 Livestream
- 2 p.m.: Biden leaves the White House and flies to Philadelphia.
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3:30 p.m.: Walz campaigns in Flint, Mich. 💻 Livestream
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3:40 p.m.: Harris campaigns in Janesville, Wis. 💻 Livestream
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4:30 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks in Philadelphia on his support for unions. 💻 Livestream
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4:30 p.m.: Former President Trump campaigns in Warren, Mich. 💻 Livestream
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5 p.m.: Vance campaigns in Selma, N.C. 💻 Livestream
- 6 p.m.: Biden arrives in Delaware for the weekend.
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7:05 p.m.: Harris campaigns in Little Chute, Wis. 💻 Livestream
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7:25 p.m.: Walz campaigns in Traverse City, Mich. 💻 Livestream
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9 p.m.: Trump campaigns in Milwaukee. 💻 Livestream
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10:20 p.m.: Harris campaigns in West Allis, Wis. 💻 Livestream
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