Politics

The Hill reports: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said Thursday that he believes the odds are “two out of three” that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will become Speaker following November’s midterm elections, despite some opposition from within her own party. “I would say, first of all ,Nancy Pelosi is a very smart, very tough person who has …

The New York Daily News reports: Kirsten Gillibrand says 2020 is not on her horizon. The junior New York senator vowed Thursday that she will not mount a challenge against President Trump in the next general election if she wins her midterm race next month. “I will serve my six-year term,” Gillibrand, 51, said when asked about her presidential prospects …

NBC News reports: Special counsel Robert Mueller’s office has obtained communications suggesting that a right-wing conspiracy theorist might have had advance knowledge that the emails of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman had been stolen and handed to WikiLeaks, a source familiar with the investigation told NBC News. Mueller’s team has spent months investigating whether the conspiracy theorist, Jerome Corsi, learned before …

The Washington Examiner reports: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said Thursday that some “nut job” sent suspicious packages with potential bombs to high-profile Democrats, brushing off complaints that President Trump’s pointed rhetoric is to blame. “About the nut-job sending bombs in the mail –- Simply put, this is NOT the way we do business in America,” Graham tweeted. “I didn’t blame …

The Journal News reports: Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, said she wouldn’t rule out a run for office herself, and said her mother has not spoken with her about a potential presidential run in 2020. “I think if someone were to step down or retire and I thought I …

Politico reports: Former CIA Director John Brennan delivered a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump to clean up his act and “try to act presidential” after Trump lashed out again at media outlets on Thursday, only a day after authorities discovered a spate of suspicious packages delivered to prominent political figures. “Stop blaming others. Look in the mirror. Your inflammatory …

The New York Times reports: Saudi Arabia’s public prosecutor said on Thursday that new evidence indicated that the killing of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi had been “premeditated,” suggesting yet another shift in the kingdom’s official story of how he was killed. For weeks after Mr. Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2, Saudi officials insisted that he had left the Saudi …

The Hill reports: Democrats hold a 7-point lead over Republicans with less than two weeks until the midterms in the generic congressional ballot, according to a new poll released Wednesday. The Ipsos poll conducted for Reuters found among likely voters, 49 percent said they would support the Democratic candidate in their district compared to 42 percent who said they will …

Blavity reports: In a Blavity Politics exclusive interview on Wednesday, Waters sounded off on finding out she was one of the intended victims. In her response, Waters spoke to how President Trump’s hateful rhetoric has only helped to incite various hateful attacks that have unfolded since his time in office. “I don’t know whether the bombs are real or not, …

The Washington Examiner reports: White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Thursday it was “disgraceful” for CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker to blame President Trump for the series of bomb scares that threatened Trump’s political opponents this week. “I think it is absolutely disgraceful that one of the first public statements we heard from CNN yesterday was to put the …

The Guardian reports: As Donald Trump held midterm rallies this week in front of thousands, his one-time chief strategist Steve Bannon made his own, rather more low-key return to the campaign trail. Bannon appeared in front of 200 people at a firehouse outside Buffalo, New York, ostensibly to campaign for Republicans based in the area. But in a visceral demonstration …

Axios reports: Speaking at an Axios event in Washington Thursday, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said that Trump’s attacks on the media as “the enemy of the people” don’t help improve the American political divide, but that he thinks “they’ve earned it.” Gingrich claimed the toxicity of the current political climate is “everyone’s fault,” pointing to social media …

“My grandmother used to say, ‘A hit dog will holler,’ and it hollered through this room. First of all, he’s got neo-Nazis helping him out in this state. Now, I’m not calling Mr. DeSantis a racist, I’m simply saying the racists believe he’s a racist.” – Andrew Gillum at last night’s debate with Ron DeSantis. The Independent reports: The pair …

Raw Story reports: During an interview on his campaign bus with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) suggested that Democrats encouraged the political environment that led to multiple of their leaders being sent bombs in the mail on Wednesday. Todd asked Cruz if President Donald Trump could have been stronger in his condemnation of the potential explosives that were …

Talking Points Memo reports: Utah Senate candidate Mitt Romney said Wednesday that a series of suspicious packages sent to prominent Democratic officials were “sadly unsurprising” given the country’s “rabid” political rhetoric. Romney has periodically criticized Trump’s rhetoric as he campaigns to replace retiring Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah). The former Massachusetts governor was once an ardent critic of Trump during the …

CNBC reports: President Donald Trump is expected to address a series of suspicious packages addressed to Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others Wednesday, during at a bill signing event for legislation intended to combat the opioid crisis. The Secret Service said that “potential explosive devices” addressed to former President Obama and former Secretary of State Clinton had been intercepted. Hours …

The Miami Herald reports: A suspicious package has been found at U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’ office in Sunrise, police said. “Yes, I can confirm there’s a suspicious package and we’re handling it right now.” Broward Sheriff Scott Israel said. CNN reported that whoever sent the package to Soros’ home used Wasserman Schultz’s office as a return address and did …

CBS Miami reports: The building that houses Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s office in Sunrise was evacuated after a suspicious package arrived in the mail, according to Sunrise police. A Broward Sheriff’s Office bomb squad was called in to determine what exactly was delivered to the congresswoman’s office at 777 Sawgrass Corporate Parkway. The evacuation came as authorities intercepted suspicious devices …

The Washington Post reports: Suspicious letters and packages have been sent to the president’s children, including Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, and Eric Trump. On Wednesday, Trump Jr. tweeted: “As someone whose family has directly been the victim of these mail threats I condemn whoever did this regardless of party or ideology. This crap has to stop and …

The Associated Press reports: White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the Trump administration condemns “the attempted violent attacks recently made against President Obama, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton and other public figures.” “These terrorizing acts are despicable, and anyone responsible will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she said in a statement. “The United States Secret …