| | | | | President Trump closes his eyes Wednesday during a prayer before a meeting of his Cabinet in the Cabinet Room of the White House. Credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images | | | Talk Is No Longer Cheap: Political book tours are heading to arenas, and they come with arena prices
Barack Obama Films His Own GOTV Video: Obama gets in on voter turnout with ATTN video
Khashoggi's Last Column: Washington Post publishes Jamal Khashoggi column on free speech | | | What America is Talking About: - It's 19 days until the midterm elections.
- Today is the last day to register online to vote in Nevada.
- There are debates tonight between candidates in Connecticut's gubernatorial and Pennsylvania's 10th District races; US Rep. Beto O'Rourke will appear in a CNN town hall (his opponent, Sen. Ted Cruz, declined to participate); and President Trump is campaigning for Senate candidate Matt Rosendale in Montana.
- Democratic congressional candidates have raised a record $1 billion through the end of September, and Republicans have raised $709 million.
- Sen. Dianne Feinstein had her first general election debate in nearly two decades last night against fellow Democrat Kevin de León.
- Billionaire and "Need To Impeach" campaign founder Tom Steyer donated $2 million to Florida's Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.
- The puppeteer behind Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch, Caroll Spinney, announced he's stepping down from the role after nearly 50 years.
- The top Google searches for Halloween costumes this year are: 1. Fortnite, 2. Spider-Man, and 3. Unicorn.
- Today is a rare "sports equinox," where each of the four big pro sports leagues have a game. Between 1971 and 2017, that's happened just 17 times, per FiveThirtyEight.
Poll of the Day:
Both Democrats and Republicans are feeling good about the future of their parties heading into the midterms. A Pew poll this week found 75% of Republicans and 77% of Democrats say they are optimistic about the future of their party, after optimism slipped after Trump took office for Republicans and after the 2016 election for Democrats. | | Credit: Pew
Talk is no Longer Cheap:
Political book tours used to take place at retailers like Barnes & Noble or Costco, but this fall, they're headed to concert venues, and you don't even necessarily need a book. Live Nation is producing Michelle Obama's "Becoming" tour in support of her book, as well as Bill and Hillary Clinton's "An Evening With" tour. While Obama is playing arenas (opening night is at Chicago's United Center, the largest arena in the NBA) and has added two more dates to her schedule, the Clintons' stops tend to be at smaller venues (opening night is at Las Vegas' Park Theater, home of residencies for artists like Cher and Lady Gaga). | | Credit: Live Nation
"The live music business is really robust right now," Donna Westmoreland, COO of IMP, a company that runs Washington venues like 9:30 Club and The Anthem told me, and they're seeing interest in live podcasts and conversations with authors, too. The Anthem hosted the DC stop of Joe Biden's "American Promise" tour in February in support of his book "Promise Me, Dad," as well as Pod Save America.
Westmoreland called Obama's two nights at Capital One Arena "mind-blowing." Could we see her husband filling arenas as well when his book comes out? Live Nation did not respond to a request for comment, but judging by how quickly tickets to the "Becoming" tour have sold, I wouldn't be surprised.
Here are the cities Obama and the Clintons will be visiting. You can read my full story here. | | Credit: CNN
Another Trump-Branded Building is Dropping the Trump:
Trump Place in New York City is removing "Trump" from its facade after 69.3% of residents voted to remove the signage, according to an email obtained by The Washington Post. The 46-story building will still technically be named "200 Riverside Boulevard at Trump Place," but the President's name will not appear on the outside of the building.
Barack Obama Films His Own GOTV Video
Barack Obama filmed a video for the new media company ATTN about excuses for why people don't vote. It's full of the kind of dad humor about pop culture Obama is known for (sample: "You wouldn't let your grandparents pick your playlist. Why would you let them pick your representative? Who's going to determine your future?"). You can watch the full video here. | | Credit: @attndotcom/Instagram
"I Really Don't Care Do U?" -- but for Republicans:
Usually when we see jackets inspired by Melania Trump's Zara "I Really Don't Care Do U?" jacket at political events, they're worn in protest of the administration. But our DJ Judd spotted this one yesterday at a rally for Republican Michigan Senate candidate John James. Also at the rally were Donald Trump Jr., Kimberly Guilfoyle, Ted Nugent (who performed the National Anthem) and Kid Rock (who performed "Born Free" and "All Summer Long"). | | Credit: DJ Judd
Khashoggi's Last Column:
The Washington Post published missing columnist Jamal Khashoggi's final column, "What the Arab world needs most: Free expression," in today's edition. Khashoggi's editor, Karen Attiah, prefaced the piece with a note that read in part, "This is the last piece of his I will edit for The Post. This column perfectly captures his commitment and passion for freedom in the Arab world. A freedom he apparently gave his life for."
In the column, Khashoggi wrote about the lack of freedom those in the Arab world have. "They are unable to adequately address, much less publicly discuss, matters that affect the region and their day-to-day lives. A state-run narrative dominates the public psyche, and while many do not believe it, a large majority of the population falls victim to this false narrative." The antidote, he wrote, was access to independent thought and journalism, and a platform for Arab voices. | | Credit: Hunter Schwarz
The illustration of Khashoggi was done by Baltimore illustrator Alex Fine, who wrote on Instagram that it was an honor.
Street Art Sighting:
A group of artists turned Trump's likeness into the inflatable exhibit "Jump Trump" in Getxo, Spain. The piece was made by Thomas Mailaender, a French multimedia artist and photographer, and Erik Kessels, a Dutch artist, curator, and ad agency co-founder. | | Credit: Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images
If you spot political street art, tweet me @hunterschwarz, tag me on Instagram @hunterschwarz, or email me at coverlinehunter@cnn.com with your sighting so I can feature it in COVER/LINE.
P.S.:
Britney Spears is scheduled to make an announcement tonight in Las Vegas, and it's expected to be about a new residency, per the Review-Journal. Fun fact: "... Baby One More Time," the song, turns 20 on Tuesday. 👴
Kate Bennett is off. | | | | | | |
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