It’s Sunday, November 1. Election Day is under 48 hours away. There’s a lot moving, so here’s what we’re tracking:
Haley Stevens sits in Mike Rogers’ pew at church, endorses him, and her staff resigns
Treasury Secretary Bessent bails on Face the Nation with zero explanation
Early vote numbers in North Carolina and Florida have Republicans panicking
Republicans are already floating not seating Mary Peltola in Alaska
A federal judge throws out the Trump regime’s lawsuit seeking to delay certification of Alaska’s Senate race
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Halloween party: rich friends, Iran threats, and a “military” arch
Early reports of casualties after a vessel is struck in the Strait of Hormuz, as US-Israel war planning ramps up
A federal judge tosses Trump’s Epstein letter lawsuit against the WSJ with prejudice
Sen. Chris Murphy is recovering after a stroke
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Haley Stevens Goes Mask Off
This morning, Sam Robinson posted video of Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens at Perfecting Church on Detroit’s east side, sitting alongside Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers, her fiancé Jason Turkish next to Rogers’ wife Kristi. Fox 2 Detroit reports Rogers introduced Stevens as his “special guest.” Robinson reports she told the congregation that investing in Black-owned businesses is a policy “Mike’s going to take on.”
About an hour later, Stevens posted a video from her car formally endorsing Rogers, while still calling herself a proud Democrat. She claims Abdul El-Sayed told her she wasn’t welcome in his campaign. That isn’t what Rep. Debbie Dingell described. Per Dingell, Stevens was asked to skip one church event with El-Sayed after the controversy over a Rebellion PAC ad became a distraction. Dingell went to El-Sayed’s service instead.
The fallout was immediate. Melissa Nann Burke of the Detroit News reports Stevens’ official staff, including her longtime chief of staff, are resigning from her office this morning, per her spokesperson. The Michigan Democratic Party, in a statement shared by Scott MacFarlane, said that by campaigning with a man who wants a national abortion ban and has pledged to be a loyal vote for Trump’s agenda, Stevens has abandoned everything she claims to care about.
Our Editor-in-Chief Ron Filipkowski put it perfectly. The loud Stevens backers spent the primary telling everyone she was the reasonable, normal one and El-Sayed couldn’t be trusted, and few should listen to them ever again. He also noted that Michigan’s Democratic primary voters turned out to be smarter than the people outside the state telling them what to do, and that win or lose Tuesday, El-Sayed was the right choice because he isn’t a fraud pretending to be something he’s not.
Quick background: El-Sayed beat Stevens in the August primary, after AIPAC’s super PAC spent more than $31 million backing her, according to AdImpact. Turkish has previously backed Rogers too. Democrats really dodged a bullet not putting another Fetterman on the ticket.
And it’s not just Stevens. Our team at MeidasPlus caught Fox News presenting Rogers campaign backers as a “bipartisan voter panel” on Lara Trump’s show last night. Four of the five had appeared at Rogers campaign events, and one runs a multimillion-dollar pro-Rogers super PAC. That’s what Citizens United money buys you. I did a deep dive investigative report on this last night. Check it out here:
El-Sayed, meanwhile, closed strong in Pontiac. He told voters his name and his faith aren’t what’s driving up their gas, groceries, or doctor bills, and pinned it on Republican policies and the war in Iran. That’s the message.
The Administration Won’t Defend Its Own Economy
The Department of Treasury told CBS this morning that Scott Bessent was canceling his Face the Nation appearance, and gave no reason. That means nobody from the top of this regime is on the Sunday shows making the case for Trump’s economy two days before the midterms.
What we got instead was a pre-taped Fox interview where the New York Post’s Miranda Devine asked Trump for his final message to voters. His answer was to brag about the poverty numbers being “the best.”
The Early Vote Is Brutal for MAGA
You can see why they’re hiding. Zachary Donnini of VoteHub reports that at the close of early in-person voting in North Carolina, Republicans led by about 41,457 in 2024. This year, Democrats lead by more than 343,000. Republicans didn’t win a single day of early voting, and even when high-propensity voters leaned red, it was swamped by huge turnout from less frequent voters.
In Florida, Axios reports Byron Donalds’ early vote numbers rattled Republicans in Tallahassee. Turnout for Democrat David Jolly is strong enough that Donalds may need to win the Election Day vote by roughly 2 to 1.
In Alaska, Republicans Are Prepping to Reject a Loss
On Fox, Larry Kudlow asked James Comer whether Mary Peltola might not be seated if she wins. Comer called it “a big possibility.” Over on Meet the Press, Sen. Tim Scott repeatedly refused to commit to accepting the result if Dan Sullivan loses. Two networks, two senior Republicans, laying the groundwork to reject an election before a single vote is counted.
Then just this morning, the courts slammed the door on part of that plan. Afederal judge in Alaska threw out the Trump administration’s lawsuit seeking to delay certification of the Senate race if Sullivan loses. The judge found the government never explained how the relief it wanted could fix its supposed injury while still protecting the secrecy of the ballot, and ruled it lacked standing to bring the case at all. They tried to rig the rules before the votes were even counted, and they got laughed out of court.
Quick Hits From the Trail
Kansas: Roger Marshall’s closing ad just calls Adam Hamilton a liar as Marshall defends suing his own patients when they couldn’t afford care. Hamilton told Fox that Trump visiting twice in two weeks shows Republicans are terrified, and they should be. This may be the worst closing message ad I’ve ever seen. What do you think?
Maine: Asked by Fox whether Susan Collins is worried, Troy Jackson said with her record, he would be.
Texas: James Talarico closed in Houston, urging voters to chase a bigger vision for the state, saying a giant state deserves giant dreams.
JD Vance spent Halloween dressed as Dumbledore…I think? This is the self-styled MAGA tough guy who’s spent the campaign taking shots at Talarico.
Mike Johnson told a South Carolina crowd he pitched Trump on running for the House after his presidency, like John Quincy Adams. Trump loved it, apparently. This is a cult.
Sen. Chris Murphy suffered a stroke at his son’s hockey game yesterday. His chief of staff says he’s awake, alert, and expected to make a full recovery. We’re wishing him the best.
My brother Ben’s full interview with Dropkick Murphys frontman Ken Casey drops today. Ken talks about working people being conned into believing the billionaire Epstein class had their backs. Don’t miss it.
Trump’s Gatsby Party at Mar-a-Lago
While you’re worried about rent and groceries, Trump spent Saturday night at a black-tie Halloween party, showing off “all my rich members,” the “biggest guys on Wall Street.”
He called a New York Times reporter’s question about returning to war with Iran “stupid,” then said the remaining Iranian sites could be handled in “10 minutes,” name-checking Pickaxe Mountain. He claimed the country has never done better and floated $22 trillion in investment, numbers that don’t survive contact with a $40 trillion debt. He said the Ukraine war will end in the “not-too-distant future,” which he’s been saying since he promised to end it in 24 hours. He told El Salvador’s president to do what he has to do in Haiti, said Flávio Bolsonaro can stay in the US as long as he wants, and called his DC arch “very important militarily.” He also said the arch was blocked by the Civil War “150 years ago.” It was 165. Then he posted an AI image of Greenland turned into a US airbase.
Iran: The Drumbeat Gets Louder
This is developing fast. There are early indications of casualties and fatalities after a vessel was struck by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, following a distress call picked up on the radio. Details are still coming in. Separately, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry condemned an attack on its LNG tanker Al Mayeda in the Gulf, though its statement didn’t name who did it.
The Wall Street Journal’s Annie Linskey reports Trump spoke with Netanyahu this morning after CENTCOM’s Adm. Brad Cooper briefed him on new attack plans. Israel’s Channel 24 says Israel is ready to move within 96 hours of a green light, and The Hormuz Letter reports 13 KC-135 refueling tankers lined up at Israel’s Ramon Airport, though that’s single-sourced.
Iran’s Mohsen Rezaei said, per IRIB News, that he’s read JD Vance’s letter and hasn’t answered it yet. On X, he repeated that Iran’s seven conditions must be met, and warned of devastating retaliation if Iran is attacked.
And in Israel, CBC’s Evan Dyer reports opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot will form a government backed by the Arab Joint List, which would end Netanyahu’s tenure. A cornered Netanyahu plus a cornered Trump is a dangerous combination.
Trump Loses the Epstein Letter Lawsuit
A federal judge in the Southern District of Florida dismissed Trump’s $10 billion defamation suit against the Wall Street Journal over the Epstein birthday letter, this time with prejudice. The judge rejected the idea that Trump’s denials should have stopped publication, called the Journal’s work a thoughtful and detailed investigation, and left the door open to Trump paying the paper’s legal fees. He can appeal, but this is a big loss.
That’s it for now. Thank you to everyone who picked up WTF America?!, which my brothers and I wrote. It hit #2 on the New York Times bestseller list because of you. Now let’s keep it going! Grab the hardcover, ebook, or audio, and tell me what you think.
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