News from the note…
A round up of the day’s news that might be of interest to you.
This is an OPEN THREAD, folks. Chat about any of the stories listed, share links to stories that caught your eye today, and generally have a good time discussing whatever you want.
Trump administration weighs new family-separation effort at border
The White House is actively considering plans that could again separate parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to reverse soaring numbers of families attempting to cross illegally into the United States, according to several administration officials with direct knowledge of the effort.
One option under consideration is for the government to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days, then give parents a choice — stay in family detention with their child for months or years as their immigration case proceeds, or allow children to be taken to a government shelter so other relatives or guardians can seek custody.
That option — called “binary choice” — is one of several under consideration amid the president’s frustration over border security. Trump has been unable to fulfill key promises to build a border wall and end what he calls “catch and release,” a process that began under past administrations in which most detained families are quickly freed to await immigration hearings. The number of migrant family members arrested and charged with illegally crossing the border jumped 38 percent in August and is now at a record level, according to Department of Homeland Security officials.
Washington Post
Beto O’Rourke smashes record, raises $38.1 million in three months
Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke is trailing in the polls in his race to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, but his effort is raising an unprecedented amount of money.
O’Rourke’s Senate campaign announced Friday a record-smashing third quarter fundraising haul of $38.1 million. It’s the most ever raised in a quarter by a US Senate campaign.
O’Rourke’s campaign has obliterated fundraising records throughout the race, even as polls have consistently shown Cruz with a comfortable lead in the high-profile Senate contest. Last quarter, O’Rourke made headlines with what was then a record-breaking haul of $10.4 million.
Cruz’s campaign had an impressive third quarter itself, raising in $12 million between July and the end of September. Neither campaign has yet announced their cash-on-hand total at the end of the third quarter, though O’Rourke led Cruz by over $4 million at the end of the second quarter.
CNN
Exclusive: Jared Kushner’s personal email re-routed to Trump Organization computers amid public scrutiny
President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and daughter Ivanka Trump re-routed their personal email accounts to computers run by the Trump Organization as public scrutiny intensified over their use of private emails to conduct White House business, internet registration records show.
The move, made just days after Kushner’s use of a personal email account first became public, came shortly after special counsel Robert Mueller asked the White House to turn over records related to his investigation of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion with Trump associates. It also more closely intertwines President Trump’s administration with his constellation of private businesses.
Kushner, who is a senior adviser to the president, first faced scrutiny for his private email use on Sept. 24, when his lawyer confirmed that he had occasionally used a personal email account to communicate with other White House officials. Kushner’s contacts with Russians during the presidential campaign have drawn the attention of federal investigators.
USA Today
Avenatti: Trump Jr. will be indicted before the end of year
Michael Avenatti, the lawyer representing adult-film star Stormy Daniels, predicted Thursday that President Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., will be indicted on federal charges before his 41st birthday at the end of the year.
“Donald Trump Jr. will be indicted before his birthday on 12-31-18,” Avenatti said on Twitter.
“If you doubt my prediction, please check my record over the last 7 months,” the lawyer continued, adding the hashtag “#Winning.”
The Hill
Melania Trump says President Trump’s alleged affairs are ‘not concern and focus of mine’
First lady Melania Trump said that she has “much more important things” to focus on than the alleged infidelities of her husband, President Donald Trump.
“It is not concern and focus of mine. I’m a mother and a first lady, and I have much more important things to think about and to do. I know people like to speculate and media like to speculate about our marriage,” the intensely private first lady told ABC News in a taped interview last week during her first solo foreign trip.
Asked if she’s been hurt by the allegations, Trump, after a brief pause, said, “It’s not always pleasant, of course, but I know what is right and what is wrong and what is true or not true.”
CNN
Asked by ABC News if they still have a good marriage and if she loves her husband, the first lady replied, “Yes, we are fine.”
“It’s what media speculate, and it’s gossip. It’s not always correct stuff,” she added in the clip released Friday.
Note: The gif in that tweet, showing the before and after, is amazing and heartbreaking. You should be able to click on it here and just play the gif, if you don’t want to go to Twitter to read the article.
