memeorandum: Democrats predict an ‘extremely busy’ lame duck. Here's what's on the agenda (CNN)

10:25 AM ET, October 23, 2022

Top Items:

Michael Scherer / Washington Post:

Democrats fear the midterm map is slipping away — Polls in both the House and Senate show improvements for Republicans amid economic and crime concerns — The liberal Navigator public tracking poll flashed a major warning sign for Democrats in mid-October, reporting a 20 percentage point …

Mark Murray / NBC News:

‘Anger on their minds’: NBC News poll finds sky-high interest and polarization ahead of midterms — Less than three weeks before Election Day, voter interest has now reached an all-time high for a midterm election, with a majority of registered voters saying that this election is “more important” to them than past midterms.

Discussion: Financial Times

CNN:

Democrats predict an ‘extremely busy’ lame duck. Here's what's on the agenda — A packed legislative to-do list awaits Congress when it returns to session after the midterms - and Democrats, who currently control both chambers, will face a ticking clock to enact key priorities if Republicans win …

Hannah Knowles / Washington Post:
Oz-Shapiro. Warnock-Kemp. Split-ticket voters loom large in midterms.

Discussion: Daily Kos

Bloomberg:

The Seven Men Who Will Lead China Into Xi's Third Term — For the third time in little over a decade, Chinese President Xi Jinping led a procession of Communist Party officials onto the red carpet at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, revealing who will lead the world's most populous country for the next five years.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Al Jazeera, Kyiv Post, ARY NEWS, NPR, Reuters, WHYY, New York Post, Associated Press and Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Christian Shepherd / Washington Post:
As China's Xi extends his rule, his predecessor makes an unusual exit

Discussion: Associated Press, The Guardian, The Daily Wire, CNN, Reuters, BBC and New York Times

James Palmer / Foreign Policy:
What the Hell Just Happened to Hu Jintao?

Josh Gerstein / Politico:

Court clears way for Jan. 6 probe to get Ward's phone records — A federal appeals court has turned down former Arizona GOP senate candidate Kelli Ward's attempt to block a House committee subpoena for her phone records in connection with an investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 …

Discussion: Washington Examiner, Reason, Raw Story, Insider, New York Post and HuffPost

Natasha Singer / New York Times:

Why Am I Seeing That Political Ad? Check Your ‘Trump Resistance’ Score. — To help campaigns target ads, voter-profiling firms score millions of Americans on issues like guns, vaccines and QAnon. — In the lead-up to the 2020 presidential election, a voter analytics firm called PredictWise came …

Laura Reiley / Washington Post:

It's not a trick: Your Halloween treats are getting smaller — Chocolate and candy packs are getting smaller due to ‘shrinkflation’ and candy companies reducing calorie counts — Standing in the center aisle of the drugstore, with its seasonal display of spooky bat decorations …

Edward McKinley / Houston Chronicle:

Trump's 2019 El Paso rally cost the city nearly $500,000. He still hasn't paid the bill. — As former President Donald Trump prepares to host a MAGA-palooza near Corpus Christi this weekend, he still hasn't paid back the city of El Paso the more than $500,000 he owes for hosting his 2019 rally there, a city spokeswoman confirmed.

Discussion: PoliticusUSA and Raw Story

New York Times:

For Trump's Backers in Congress, ‘Devil Terms’ Help Rally Voters — In vilifying tweets and speeches, G.O.P. lawmakers who contested the election have far outpaced other Republicans and Democrats in fueling polarization. — As Representative Mary Miller embarked on her first congressional campaign …

Discussion: Raw Story

Scott Wong / NBC News:

Young Democrats ready their plans for a post-Pelosi shake-up — House Democrats have unified as they fight to retain their fragile majority in next month's midterms. But if they lose, as many election prognosticators predict they will, that unity will likely be short-lived.

Carlisa N. Johnson / The Guardian:

Early voters in Georgia face obstacles under state's new election law — Unlimited challenges to eligibility and poorly trained poll workers cause frustration in key gubernatorial and US Senate contests — Jennifer Jones, a Morehouse School of Medicine PhD student, showed up to her precinct …

Discussion: Common Dreams and New York Times

Nate Hochman / National Review:
Where Do Georgia Republicans Go to Get Their Apology?

Discussion: Politico and Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Raja Abdulrahim / New York Times:

Resisting Israeli Efforts to Displace Them, Palestinians Move Into Caves — Israel's Supreme Court has ordered the removal of about 1,200 Palestinians from their villages in the occupied West Bank. The United Nations says that could amount to a war crime.

Shayna Jacobs / Washington Post:

Fraud-related criminal trial against Trump Organization to start Monday — NEW YORK — Trump Organization, former president Donald Trump's namesake company, is set to go on trial Monday for alleged tax crimes — the result of a lengthy investigation into the company and its executives related …

Discussion: Insider, MyNorthwest.com, HuffPost, The Guardian, Washington Examiner, Raw Story, USA Today and Bloomberg

David Wickert / Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Editor: Walker using false statements about AJC to raise money — U.S. Senate candidate Herschel Walker's campaign used false statements about The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to raise money from supporters, the newspaper's editor said Saturday. — The statements stem from a campaign event Tuesday …

Mary Jordan / Washington Post:

As Elon Musk expands his reach, Washington worries — Many lawmakers see the billionaire as too powerful and increasingly reckless — Between launching four astronauts and 54 satellites into orbit, unveiling an electric freight truck and closing in on taking over Twitter this month …

Discussion: Must Read Alaska and Insider

Sam Metz / Associated Press:

Utah Senate race: Referendum on direction Trump has led GOP — Just weeks before the Nov. 8 vote, Utah's senior senator, Republican Mike Lee, is now acknowledging a real reelection threat from Evan McMullin, an anti-Donald Trump independent and former Republican challenging him in the state's most competitive Senate race in decades.

Discussion: The Hill, Raw Story, Salt Lake Tribune, CNN and The Daily Caller