The Atlantic Politics & Policy Daily: Game of Sanctions

Written by Olivia Paschal (@oliviacpaschal) and Madeleine Carlisle (@maddiecarlisle2)

Today in 5 Lines

• The Trump administration announced that the United States will reinstate sanctions on Iran that had previously been lifted under the Obama administration. Eight countries will receive temporary waivers allowing them to keep importing some oil from Iran. Following the announcement, Trump tweeted an image of himself overlaid with text saying, “Sanctions are Coming.”

• A federal judge denied a Justice Department request to halt proceedings in a case accusing Trump of violating the emoluments clause of the Constitution.

• In a reversal from his comments Thursday, Trump said that U.S. troops will not shoot at migrants heading to the southern border if they throw rocks.

• The FBI confirmed that another suspicious package was sent to major Democratic donor Tom Steyer.

• The U.S. economy added 250,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate remained at 3.7 percent, a near 50-year low.

Today on The Atlantic

• Mothers for Medicaid: In Georgia, where the mortality rate for black mothers and babies is one of the highest in the country, gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams is promising to expand Medicaid. Her embrace of the issue could make the difference in the governor's race. (Vann R. Newkirk II)

• What Voters Want: Health care is the single most important issue in the midterm elections, writes Annie Lowrey.

• How the Midterms Could Change North Carolina: The state’s Republican-controlled legislature is trying to change the constitution. Their amendments could block Democrats from power for years. (David A. Graham)

• A Ripple Effect: After the Pittsburgh shooting, Jewish communities in small towns across America are thinking about how to counteract anti-Semitism with few resources—and few people. (Gabby Deutch)

Snapshot

What We’re Reading

Dereliction of Duty: The Little Rock Police Department hired an officer who told them he’d once attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting. Then he fatally shot a black teenager. It’s part of “cascading institutional failure” within the department, reports Radley Balko. (The Washington Post)

Stamp, Out: You don’t need a stamp to mail in your absentee ballot. Why does everyone seem to think you do? (Susie Armitage, ProPublica)

An Endless War: Earlier this week, the Trump administration called for a ceasefire in Yemen’s civil war. It’s too little and much too late, argues Jonah Shepp. (New York)

The ‘Culture Wars’ Go Wide: Serious policy decisions are being dictated by “petty” partisan arguments, writes Michael Grunwald. Here's why that's a problem. (Politico)

A Voter’s Guide: Unsure of what you actually need when you show up to vote in your state? Emma Sarappo has you covered. (Pacific Standard)

Visualized

Cheers to the Governor: This election cycle has a number of high-profile gubernatorial races. See which are likely to go Republican and which are likely to go Democratic. (FiveThirtyEight)