Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey), Madeleine Carlisle (@maddiecarlisle2), and Olivia Paschal (@oliviacpaschal)
Today in 5 Lines
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In a speech from the White House, President Trump announced that he will issue an executive order next week on immigration, and accused asylum seekers of making a “mockery” of immigration laws.
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In a last-minute effort to turn out his base ahead of the midterms, Trump released a race-baiting ad about immigrants and crime.
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Robert Bowers, the suspect in Saturday’s mass shooting at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue, pleaded not guilty to all 44 counts against him and requested a jury trial.
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Billionaire Oprah Winfrey campaigned in support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams in Marietta, Georgia, but swatted down rumors of a 2020 presidential run.
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In an interview, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman said he has Stage 1 cancer.
Today on The Atlantic
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The President’s Closing Argument: In the final week before the midterm elections, Trump has warned of an immigrant “invasion” and released a racist ad. To understand this thinking, you have to understand the mind of a close adviser, Stephen Miller. (McKay Coppins)
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Tolkien Knew About Power: What can The Lord of the Rings teach us about the Trump moment? “The height of wisdom is to fear [one’s] own drive for power,” writes Eliot A. Cohen.
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A History of Voter Suppression: At one historically black public university in Waller County, Texas, black students fought tooth and nail for the right to vote throughout the 1970s. Now, students there allege they’re facing voter suppression again. (Vann R. Newkirk II and Adam Harris)
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An Endangered Species: Ideologically moderate candidates are increasingly rare. However, these middle-of-the-road candidates still think they have a place in Congress. (Elaina Plott)
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The Rise of Cyberterrorism: Experts have warned about the threat of a major cyberattack for years. Why hasn’t there been one yet? (Kathy Gilsinan)
Snapshot
What We’re Reading
Why So Confident?: Democratic party leaders seem sure that they’ll win the House, even though polls are tightening. Jessica Taylor explains why. (NPR)
A Real Let Down: President Trump has identified himself as a nationalist, but his first term in office has been disappointing for those who adhere to one specific meaning of the label, writes Michael Brendan Dougherty. (National Review)
The Upsetter, Upset: Tea Party conservative Dave Brat shocked the country when he upset House Majority Leader Eric Cantor four years ago in Virginia’s Seventh Congressional District. This year, he’s in the fight of his political life. (Tara Golshan, Vox)
Helping Himself Out: Some voters are calling Kansas’s new voter-ID law “a modern-day poll tax”—one that could help the man who created it, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, become governor. (Ari Berman, Mother Jones)
Visualized
From Abortion to Marijuana: Voters in 37 states will face 155 ballot questions on November 6. Here are some of them. (Kate Rabinowitz, The Washington Post)
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