The Hill's Morning Report — Sponsored by Better Medicare Alliance — McConnell: Senate majority is up for grabs on Nov. 6 | GOP leaders fret over Cruz’s electoral prospects in Texas | The Hill ranks the Senate seats most likely to flip | Hurricane Florence complicates final days of legislative business in Congress before midterms | Trump says Congress poised to support emergency funding post-hurricane | House Republicans unveil tax cuts 2.0 | White House warns Iran in statement | Google investigated for tracking consumers

Sponsored by Better Medicare Alliance     © Getty Images     Welcome to The Hill's Morning Report, and happy Wednesday! Our daily email gets you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch, co-created by Jonathan Easley and Alexis Simendinger. (CLICK HERE to subscribe!) On Twitter, find us at @joneasley and @asimendinger.   **** 📺 Hill.TV’s “Rising” program, starting at 8 a.m., features a discussion about Hurricane Florence with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Centers for Environmental Prediction Director William M. Lapenta; and Erik Prince, a former Navy SEAL and private contractor, talks about his efforts to persuade the administration to privatize U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. http://thehill.com/hilltv   *** Hurricane UPDATES: Find the latest all day HERE (The Associated Press) ***   Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is warning Republicans that their majority in the upper chamber is at risk with eight weeks to go before the election.   Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, McConnell described the electoral landscape as “very challenging” and warned of the “storm” Republicans face in the first midterm election since President Trump took office.              "Almost every election two years into any new administration the party of the presidency loses seats. They don't always lose the body, but almost always loses seats. And so we know that this is going to be a very challenging election on the Senate side.” - McConnell   The Hill: McConnell linked group targets Democrats in five red states.   Election handicappers are forecasting a Democratic takeover of the House. But until recently, the Senate seemed out of reach, with so many Democrats up for reelection in states Trump carried in 2016.   Polling in those states, however, shows candidates in toss-up races that could go either way, providing a clear path for Democrats to overcome the GOP’s 51-49 majority.   McConnell pointed to “dead even” races in Arizona, Nevada, Tennessee, Montana, North Dakota, Missouri, Indiana, West Virginia and Florida. Democrats are defending six of those seats compared to one for Republicans. There are open Senate seats in Arizona and Tennessee, where GOP Sens. Jeff Flake (Ariz.) and Bob Corker (Tenn.) will retire.   "All of them too close to call and every one of them like a knife fight in an alley, just a brawl, in every one of those places … I hope when the smoke clears we'll still have a majority in the Senate.” – McConnell   Democrats will need a lot of things to break their way in the final weeks if they’re going to take the Senate. They’re defending 26 seats in total, with many of those playing out on GOP turf. Indeed, seven of The Hill’s 10 Senate seats identified as most likely to flip belong to Democrats at the moment.   The Hill: Senate rankings.   But the idea that the Senate might be up for grabs wasn’t even being debated a few weeks ago. It appears that the data points indicating broad Democratic gains in the House – Trump’s approval rating; a Democratic advantage in enthusiasm; a double-digit lead for Democrats in the generic ballot; and historical trends – suddenly have GOP leaders on edge in the Senate.   The Hill: Trump slump fuels GOP fears. The Hill: Women wield sizable power in “Me Too” midterms. The Washington Post: Republicans divert resources to Texas to assist Cruz.   In addition, Republicans never expected to be dealing with competitive races in Tennessee or Texas. National Republicans find Sen. Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) inability to pull away from Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) particularly troubling.   "I think Ted's got a competitive race by all indications. We certainly expect to win Texas, but I think he does have a competitive race." – McConnell   The Hill: GOP warns crime, immigration will spike if Democrats win. The Hill: GOP uses Sanders’s Medicare plan in attacks on Democrats.   More from the campaign trail … In New Hampshire on Tuesday, Democratic primary voters chose Molly Kelly, a former state senator, over Steve Marchand, a former mayor of Portsmouth, to face off against Republican Gov. Chris Sununu in November. And in the state’s toss-up 1st Congressional District, openly gay Democrat Chris Pappas will compete this fall against African-American Republican Eddie Edwards, a Navy veteran backed by the Trump administration (The New York Times; CNN and The Associated Press).   And more politics … Voters favor Democratic House candidates over Republicans 52-38 percent, according to a new Quinnipiac University national survey released on Wednesday ... The Hill’s Judy Kurtz talked with comedian Kathy Griffin, who says she wants to be an asset to Democrats in 2020 (The Hill)     LEADING THE DAY CONGRESS: Hurricane Florence poses a serious weather risk to mid-Atlantic coastal states and a hazard of another kind when it comes to House Republicans’ carefully crafted September schedule. The desire among lawmakers to be home in their districts if they represent constituents affected by a natural disaster complicates efforts to finalize a series of spending measures required to prevent a partial government shutdown when funding runs out on Sept. 30.   The House was already scheduled to be out next week for Yom Kippur, and there are just seven legislative days remaining on the House calendar this month (The Hill). Will the House remain in session for roll call votes this week? Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said that was the plan as of Tuesday.   To prepare for Florence, Trump conferred with state and local officials, federal responders including the team at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and lawmakers on Monday and Tuesday and expressed confidence that emergency assets had been deployed and necessary supplies staged at key locations along the Atlantic coast.   “We are absolutely and totally prepared,” the president said.   Asked about emergency appropriations likely to be requested after Hurricane Florence’s impact is assessed, Trump told reporters, “Congress will be generous because we have no choice.”   The president praised the federal response in 2017 following Hurricane Maria, which crippled Puerto Rico, saying electrical utility problems pre-existed the storm’s ravages, complicating the task of restoring power.   “The job that FEMA and law enforcement and everybody did, working along with the governor in Puerto Rico, I think was tremendous. I think that Puerto Rico was an incredible, unsung success.” – Trump   The death toll on the island as a result of Maria and her aftermath one year ago was officially revised in late August from 64 fatalities to nearly 3,000 (The Hill).   The Associated Press: Federal simulation of a Category 4 hurricane projected massive East Coast devastation in an exercise imagining a fictional, but Florence-like scenario this spring.   > House - tax cuts: House Republicans on Tuesday unveiled a promised pre-November push for legislation to make permanent some provisions of last year’s tax reductions that would otherwise expire. The bill would also include provisions aimed at boosting retirement savings and small business innovation (The Hill). Here is a list of the House Republicans who voted against the first tax cuts bill (CNN).   The measure may buoy conservatives campaigning to keep their seats this fall, but hurdles remain. First, the Senate won’t take up the measure, and the price tag is estimated at $2 trillion over 10 years. Among fiscal hawks who wring their hands about rising deficits and debt, another round of tax cuts at a time of robust economic growth is a tough sell.   The Hill: Federal deficit soars 32 percent to $895 billion.   > Freedom sought: A bipartisan group of 11 senators urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the administration this week to “use all tools at your disposal,” including imposing more economic sanctions, to ensure “the immediate, unconditional” release of two U.S. journalists with Reuters who are imprisoned in Myanmar. Vice President Pence has urged their release (Reuters).   IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES ➔ WHITE HOUSE & ADMINISTRATION: The Hill’s Jordan Fabian has an exclusive — big business groups warn the Trump administration against making reforms to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) that would inflame tensions with online retailers, especially Amazon (The Hill).   > Trump is preparing to sign an executive order that will place sanctions on people or entities determined by U.S. intelligence agencies to have interfered in U.S. elections. The executive order could be signed as early as Wednesday (Reuters).   > The White House is blaming Iran for recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic facilities in Iraq. Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders sent a warning shot at Iran on Tuesday, saying the U.S. would “hold the regime in Tehran accountable for any attack that results in injury to our personnel or damage to United States government facilities.” (The Hill)   "America will respond swiftly and decisively in defense of American lives." – Sanders.   > White House allies are stepping up their attacks on Bob Woodward, whose book “Fear: Trump in the White House,” detailing chaos and incompetence in the administration, is a big seller after hitting stores on Tuesday (The Hill). Woodward will be interviewed today on Fox News with Dana Perino and on CNN with Anderson Cooper. He spoke with The Daily podcast on Tuesday (The New York Times).   > Trump’s planned first trip to Ireland as president is off the schedule, at least for now (The Hill). Trump had been expected to visit Dublin and a golf course he owns in Doonberg, on Ireland's west coast, in November. The White House did not give a reason for the cancellation and left open the possibility the trip could still take place. Trump was expected to face protests on his swing through the country. He is still scheduled to visit Paris over Veterans Day weekend.   ****   ➔ TECH & CYBER: Apple Inc. is expected to unveil its newest iPhones today. Here’s what to expect, and how to save some bucks on a new phone (The New York Times).   Google is under investigation in Arizona. Android device owners allege the company records location data even when they believe they have opted out of such tracking. GOP Attorney General Mark Brnovich could potentially levy a hefty fine against the search giant (The Washington Post).   Guccifer to be extradited: A Romanian court ruled this week that the notorious hacker known as Guccifer will be extradited to the United States to serve a four-year and four-month jail sentence after he finishes his seven-year sentence in his home country. Guccifer, whose real name is Marcel Lazar Lehel, broke into the email accounts of former Secretary of State Colin Powell and of at least one member of the Bush family, among others. He pleaded guilty in 2016 (Newsweek).   Amazon: Vermont independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is using the massive and ubiquitous online retailer as a political foil to discuss economic inequality ahead of a possible second run for the White House in 2020 (The Hill).   OPINION A hard look at America after 9/11, by Jane Harman, president of the Wilson Center. http://bit.ly/2x7DCv1   Opposition to the president is not treason, by Andrew C. McCarthy, former federal prosecutor. http://bit.ly/2QkveRQ   WHERE AND WHEN The House convenes at noon.   The Senate begins work at 3 p.m. and resumes debate on the nomination of Charles Rettig to be commissioner of the IRS.   The president is scheduled to have lunch with Secretary of State Pompeo. In the evening, Trump will speak at a White House reception for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Later, the president headlines a political roundtable and speaks to supporters at a Republican National Committee dinner in Washington.   The vice president is scheduled to travel to Grand Rapids, Mich., to tour Mill Steel Company and tout the effects of GOP tax policies.   The U.S. Census Bureau this morning releases the government’s initial estimate of median U.S. household income for 2017, expected to show growth for a third straight year.  Median household income is a window into the conditions in which most Americans live.   Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discusses "diversity in the legal profession,” sponsored by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and George Washington University Law School at 5 p.m. The association will livestream Ginsburg’s remarks via Facebook, and the event will be covered by C-SPAN.   The Global Climate Action Summit convenes today in San Francisco (through Friday), with hosts Jerry Brown, governor of California, and Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor. The gathering will include governors, mayors, business executives and community leaders who are responding to a United Nations request to renew efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions.   The Hill event at 8:30 a.m.: “A Healthy Start: Infant and Early Childhood Nutrition” featuring Reps. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.) and Bobby Scott (D-Va.), and Food and Nutrition Service Administrator Brandon Lipps from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Hill’s Editor-in-Chief Bob Cusack kicks off a conversation about maternal, infant and early childhood nutrition, and progress toward the goal of healthier eating.   ELSEWHERE > Iran: Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran’s nuclear chief, says during an interview that he hopes the Iran nuclear deal survives Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States. Salehi dismissed the idea of caving to American demands to renegotiate the accord (The Associated Press).   > Sexual abuse: Pope Francis will meet Thursday with the head of the U.S. bishops conference and other top U.S. church officials over the sex abuse and cover-up scandal roiling the Catholic Church, according to the Vatican (The Associated Press).   > California: On the campaign trail with the Latino-Arab-American challenger trying to oust Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter. Meet Ammar Campa-Najjar, by Robin Abcarian (The Los Angeles Times).   > Cities: Struggling Dayton, Ohio, points up the economic and social differences among cities – gaps now as dramatic as those found between urban and rural areas. “A select group of hyper-prosperous cities put ever-greater distance between themselves and their counterparts,” by Alec MacGillis (ProPublica/Frontline documentary).   > Rescue to royal: Meghan Markle’s dog, Guy the Beagle, has a book out in November with Simon & Schuster. Reviewers and rescue-dog enthusiasts are a-wag.   © Twitter     THE CLOSER And finally … As the Washington metropolitan region braces for water and wind ahead of Hurricane Florence, the nation’s capital on Tuesday declared a state of emergency, following the lead of Maryland and Virginia (The Washington Post).   If you’re anywhere along the mid-Atlantic coast, don’t wait too long to prepare for the worst or to relocate out of the storm’s path. Think smart and safe. Useful tips and reminders are HERE.   © Twitter     © Twitter     © Twitter     The Morning Report is created by journalists Jonathan Easley jeasley@thehill.com & Alexis Simendinger asimendinger@thehill.com. Suggestions? Tips? We want to hear from you! Share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!   To view past editions of The Hill's Morning Report CLICK HERE To receive The Hill's Morning Report in your inbox SIGN UP HERE Morning Report Sign Up FORWARD Morning Report Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2018 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.

DAILY DOSE: Hit the Road

Getting to where you need to be is an important step. But nothing is as important as getting out of where you're at right now.

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Daily Dose

Please partner with Chabad.org and donate today! Hit the Road By Tzvi Freeman Getting to where you need to be is an important step. But nothing is as important as getting out of where you're at right now. By Tzvi Freeman From the wisdom of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory; words and condensation by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman. Subscribe and get your dose daily. Or order Rabbi Freeman's book, Bringing Heaven Down to Earth, click here. Print Page   ·   Read Online   ·   Discuss   ·   Share on Facebook You may also be interested in... The High Holidays – Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Yom Kippur The Day of Atonement Teshuvah—Repentance Teshuvah: The Art of Return This email was sent to: tweatsho.email004@blogger.com Change email address · Manage Subscriptions · Unsubscribe © Copyright Chabad.org · Contact Us · Ask the Rabbi · Privacy Policy · Donate

On The Money: House, Senate to huddle on spending bills | Canada sounds optimistic note on NAFTA talks | Federal deficit soars to $895B | Job openings hit record high

View in your browser     Welcome back to On The Money, where we're keeping the victims and heroes of the September 11, 2001 attacks in our thoughts tonight. I'm Sylvan Lane, and here's your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line. See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here: http://bit.ly/1NxxW2N. Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, vneedham@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @SylvanLane, @VickofTheHill, @NJagoda and @NivElis.   THE BIG DEAL--House and Senate to huddle on spending bills: The House and Senate have scheduled conference meetings for Thursday on two spending bill packages to limit a shutdown come October 1. The first of the so-called "minibus" packages covers defense spending as well as the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education bill, which combined make up a large share of Congress's annual spending. The second package, which lawmakers hope to pass before the new fiscal year begins, includes Interior and Environment, Financial Services and General Government, Agriculture, and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations. The meeting mark progress toward the goal of resolving the differences between the chambers' spending bills. The Hill's Niv Elis tells us where things stand as we edge closer to the government funding deadline.   Refresher: Congress must pass funding bills to cover 12 areas of spending each year, or pass a continuing resolution (CR) for those areas to keep current levels in place when the new fiscal year begins. Failure to do so results in a government shutdown. Congress hopes to pass the 9 bills in three minibus packages alongside a CR for the three remaining bills. The latter include controversial items such as President Donald Trump's proposed border wall. Trump has threatened to veto spending bills if they do not fund the wall to his satisfaction, but also said that he does not favor a shutdown, which would take place just a month before November's midterm elections.   ON TAP FOR TOMORROW Senate Banking Committee: Hearing entitled "Countering Russia: Assessing New Tools," 2:30 p.m.   LEADING THE DAY Canada sounds optimistic tone on NAFTA talks: U.S. and Canadian trade negotiators on Tuesday resumed talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) seeking breakthroughs on key issues. Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said even though they didn't meet, she talked to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer over the weekend and that that talks continue to be productive between the two major trading partners. Acknowledging the 17th anniversary of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, Freeland called it a "really significant day," and said "above all it is important to pause today, to remember all of the people who died and all of their families in this horrific brutal attack." She said remembering this day helps to put into perspective the NAFTA negotiations, and the importance of the relationship between the U.S. and Canada.   Job openings hit record high 6.94 million: U.S. job openings in July surged to a record high while the number of people who quit their jobs rose to the highest level in 17 years, the Labor Department reported Tuesday. The number of jobs to be filled increased by 117,000 to 6.94 million, from 6.82 million, in June, according to Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey reports. The quits rate rose to a 17-year high of 2.4 percent as 3.58 million Americans quit their jobs, a sign that workers are comfortable in their ability to find a new job.  "Workers are feeling more and more confident in this labor market," said Nick Bunker, an economist at the Indeed Hiring Lab. The Hill's Vicki Needham breaks down the numbers here.    Federal deficit soars 32 percent to $895B: The federal deficit hit $895 billion in the first 11 months of fiscal 2018, an increase of $222 billion, or 32 percent, over the same period the previous year, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The nonpartisan CBO reported that the central drivers of the increasing deficit were the Republican tax law and the bipartisan agreement to increase spending. As a result, revenue only rose 1 percent, failing to keep up with a 7 percent surge in spending, it added. Revenue from individual and payroll taxes was up some $105 billion, or 4 percent, while corporate taxes fell $71 billion, or 30 percent. The August statistics were somewhat inflated, however, due to a timing shift for certain payments, putting the deficit measure through August slightly out of sync with the previous year, the CBO noted. Had it not been for the timing shift, the deficit would have increased $154 billion instead of $222 billion.   GOOD TO KNOW House GOP legislation that would delay or repeal certain parts of ObamaCare will cost $51.6 billion over the next decade, according to a new government analysis. China is planning to request permission to impose sanctions against the U.S. amid an escalating trade war between the two countries. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has found the perfect new target for his message about inequality ahead of a possible second run for the White House in 2020: Amazon, the nearly $1 trillion online retailer. Speaking of Amazon, Business Insider has a harrowing report on the 'missing wages, grueling shifts, and bottles of urine' that mar delivering packages for the retail titan. Leaders of the United Steelworkers union are demanding higher wages from two of the biggest U.S. steelmakers as President Trump's tariffs propel industry profits. Advocacy groups worried about the deficit excoriated the Republican new plan to extend tax cuts, saying it would require the government to borrow trillions of dollars. Federal regulators have rejected Wells Fargo;s plan to repay customers who were pushed into unnecessary auto insurance, according to Reuters.   ODDS AND ENDS A federal judge ruled Tuesday that cryptocurrency offerings could be considered securities under U.S law, giving a boost to federal regulators who've pledged to crackdown on fraud in the virtual coin market. More on the crypto front: Three of the largest cryptocurrency firms in the nation are forming their own lobbying group, according to Politico. Fuel prices and shortages are rising as Hurricane Florence speeds to the U.S. coast, according to Reuters.           Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for Finance Newsletters     Forward Finance Newsletters       Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2018 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.