It’s Tuesday. There’s a partial lunar eclipse and a “supermoon” happening tonight! This could be a cool night to look up. Here’s what’s happening today: -
Mike Johnson is eyeing a Wednesday vote on his partisan funding plan.
- Senate Republicans are losing their patience with Johnson. They may sidestep him and work with Senate Democrats.
- Trump recounted Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt during a livestream.
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Will the Taylor Swift vs. Trump saga impact the election?
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@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
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Close your eyes and charge forward:
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is planning to force a vote Wednesday on his partisan plan to fund the government. The bill is tied to a Trump-backed proposal to require proof of citizenship to vote. OK, but didn’t he yank this vote because it had too much opposition?: Yes, last week. What changed?: It’s unclear whether those critics changed their minds. |
➤ WHAT’S THE PLAN, MIKE?: |
Time is ticking closer with no solidified plan from Johnson to keep the government funded by the end of the month.
There aren’t that many workdays left: The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Republican senators are worried that Congress may stumble into a shutdown if they can’t pass a short-term funding bill by the end of the week.
Because the politics of a shutdown are so bad this close to an election: GOP senators are ready to work with Democratic senators to find a solution. If there’s no breakthrough in the next two days, the Senate is expected to pass a funding extension through mid-December with no controversial policy additions. Read more on how this could shake out: ‘Senate Republicans losing patience with Johnson as shutdown nears’ |
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Will ‘Sparks Fly’ or is there ‘Bad Blood’?: |
Taylor Swift threw herself into the chaos of the 2024 presidential election with her recent endorsement of Vice President Harris. Former President Trump swung back, posting that he “HATES” the pop star.
The escalating feud between Swift and Trump could impact the election, but its effects could go in multiple directions. The Hill’s Julia Manchester and Alex Gangitano looked into the data and found that Swift’s potential impact is mixed. On one hand: More than 400,000 people visited vote.gov in the 24 hours following Swift’s endorsement. Political online engagement has also skyrocketed, according to data from the ad tech firm Nexxen.
On the other hand: An ABC News/Ipsos poll released Monday found that only 6 percent of voters said Swift’s endorsement would make them more likely to support Harris. 81 percent said it makes no difference.
The biggest question is whether Swift will bring more young voters — a category that is less likely to participate in elections — to the polls.
Let’s not forget: Swift is a Pennsylvania native. That’s one of the biggest battleground states this year(!)
Read more: ‘Trump-Taylor Swift feud may pose risks in tight election’ |
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➤ NEW HARRIS-TRUMP POLLING: |
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Two scary incidents in two months. Where do we go from here?: |
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The second apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump in roughly two months is raising questions about safety and rhetoric in the presidential election. Experts warn against drawing a link between campaign rhetoric and violence, but there’s still a lingering question of whether politicians need to take steps to cool tensions, reports The Hill’s Brett Samuels. “[Some] saw the latest threat to Trump as the fallout of close to a decade of near-constant verbal and social media attacks on the former president, a deeply polarizing figure who inspires intense feelings among both his supporters and his critics.”
Some Trump allies have blamed Harris: “Why hasn’t Kamala told her supporters yet that Trump is not a threat to democracy, is not a dictator, and condemned her party’s relentless demonization of Republicans as ‘Nazis’ who ‘must be stopped,’” senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller posted on the social platform X, referencing Vice President Harris. “When will she take accountability for her & her party’s rhetoric of incitement?”
Read more: ‘Anti-Trump rhetoric comes under scrutiny after golf course threat’ |
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➤ NEW DEVELOPMENTS ON SUNDAY’S INCIDENT: |
- The suspect was camped out for 12 hours but never fired his weapon. (The Hill)
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The Secret Service admitted it didn’t search the perimeter of the golf course before Trump played. (The New York Times)
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Trump recounted Sunday’s assassination attempt during an X Spaces conversation. “I was playing golf with some of my friends, it was on a Sunday morning and very peaceful, very beautiful weather, everything was beautiful, it’s a nice place to be. And all of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air,” Trump said. (CNN)
- Trump’s golfing has made the Secret Service nervous for a while, reports The Washington Post.
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➤ HOW THIS COULD TIE INTO THE GOVERNMENT FUNDING SAGA: |
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Monday that his caucus is prepared to give more money to the Secret Service to keep Trump safe. |
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➤ WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR NOVEMBER?: |
Sunday’s incident is likely to rev up Trump’s base and could help him with undecided voters. But The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports that it’s hard to know how this will affect the race because the July incident happened in an entirely different political atmosphere.
How so?: “Back then, Trump was running against President Biden. The shooting that grazed Trump’s ear, at an open-air rally in Butler, Pa., came right in the middle of the crisis that enveloped the incumbent president following his catastrophic debate performance in Atlanta. The debate had taken place on June 27, Trump was shot on July 13 and Biden ultimately abandoned his reelection bid on July 21. The confluence of events makes it almost impossible to disentangle any political ramifications of the shooting from those of the Biden crisis.”
Read Stanage’s full reporting: ‘Attempt on Trump’s life reverberates in White House race’
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🥪 Celebrate: Today is National Monte Cristo Day!
🐘 🫏 Do you have a Republican or Democratic name?: You can look up whether people with your first or last name tend to vote more Republican or Democratic, via The Washington Post.
📺 FX had a great showing at the Emmy’s: “The network has been a darling among critics for years. But it hit a new high on Sunday, with ‘Shogun’ winning best drama and ‘The Bear’ picking up several awards as well.” (The New York Times) |
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The House and Senate are in. President Biden is in Washington, and Vice President Harris is in Pennsylvania. (all times Eastern) |
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This morning: Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch spoke about navigating the legal system. 💻 Watch
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1:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
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1:30 p.m.: Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) campaigns in Sparta, Mich. 💻 Livestream
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2:15 p.m.: Biden meets with the president of the World Bank, Ajay Banga, to discuss world poverty and climate change.
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2:30 p.m.: Harris campaigns in Philadelphia. She will participate in a conversation with Black journalists. 💻 Livestream
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3:30 p.m.: A Senate cloture vote on IVF. A judicial confirmation vote is also expected later today. 📆 Today’s agenda
- 5:10 p.m.: Harris returns to D.C.
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5:30 p.m.: Vance campaigns in Eau Claire, Wis. 💻 Livestream
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This evening: Lester Holt interviews the four Polaris Dawn astronauts on “NBC Nightly News.”
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7 p.m.: Former President Trump participates in a town hall in Flint, Mich. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) will moderate. 💻 Livestream
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