Tipsheet: O’Rourke faces critical moment after record haul

View in your browser     O’Rourke faces critical moment after record haul BY LISA HAGEN    Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas) is facing a pivotal moment in his upstart fight to defeat GOP Sen. Ted Cruz. O'Rourke shattered fundraising records with a stunning $38.1 million haul between July and September — the largest quarterly haul in U.S. Senate history and more than tripling Cruz’s $12 million. Read the full story here     Trump administration proposes tough rules on protests BY TIMOTHY CAMA   The Trump administration is proposing to overhaul rules for protests in front of the White House and at other iconic locations in Washington, D.C., in an effort that opponents say is aimed at shutting down free speech. Read the full story here     McCarthy introduces bill to fully fund Trump's border wall BY MELANIE ZANONA House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) introduced a bill on Friday to fully fund President Trump’s proposed border wall, a chief campaign promise that Congress has struggled to deliver. Read the full story here     Florida politics play into disaster relief debate BY Alexander Bolton Hurricane Michael, and the federal and state response to the disaster, could determine the outcome of Florida’s hotly contested Senate race as Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), one of the chamber’s most vulnerable Democrats, and Gov. Rick Scott battle to take political credit for the relief effort. Read the full story here       Trump to call Saudi king about missing journalist BY JORDAN FABIAN President Trump said Friday he plans to discuss the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi with King Salman of Saudi Arabia. "I will be calling, I will be calling at some point King Salman. I’ll be speaking to him yes," Trump told reporters in Ohio, where he is attending campaign events. Read the full story here     Senators warn Trump that Saudi relationship is on the line BY REBECCA KHEEL Senators are making clear that key aspects of the U.S.-Saudi relationship are on the line as they ramp up pressure on the Saudi Arabian royal family and President Trump over the disappearance of U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Read the full story here     Hurricane Michael barrels into Florida races BY MAX GREENWOOD Hurricane Michael spiraled this week into Florida’s closely watched gubernatorial and Senate races, bringing with it a chance for the candidates to make — or break — their hard-fought campaigns. Read the full story here     How America’s urban-rural divide is changing the Democratic Party BY REID WILSON As Minnesota’s largest cities surge and rural communities lose both population and economic staying power, that coalition is fraying, fractured by tensions between urban and small-town residents worried about their futures. Read the full story here     Kavanaugh tensions linger after bitter fight BY JORDAIN CARNEY Republican and Democratic senators say they’re ready to move on from the fight over Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation, but lingering tensions from one of the bitterest fights in recent Senate history are proving difficult to soothe. Read the full story here     Trump to host American pastor freed by Turkey BY JORDAN FABIAN President Trump on Friday hailed the release of Andrew Brunson, an American pastor who was being held by the Turkish government, saying Brunson would visit the Oval Office on Saturday. Read the full story here     Rod Rosenstein must recuse himself By JONATHAN TURLEY OPINION | One of the most glaring irregularities in the special counsel investigation has been the conflicted ethical position of top officials at the Justice Department. Read the full story here     Working people need answers on latest North American trade deal By RICHARD TRUMKA OPINION | It seems every talking head in Washington has been in a frenzy recently, rushing to either glorify or condemn the new North American Free Trade Agreement, known as the United States Mexico Canada Agreement. But the truth is that it is still too early to pass any final judgment. Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Native American voting rights activists fight ID restrictions with Senate seat at stake By Gabriel Pogrund and Felicia Sonmez Native American voting rights activists in North Dakota have launched an audacious plan aimed at pushing back against a Supreme Court ruling that threatens the reelection of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) — and that could decide the fate of the Senate in the process. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Trump takes center stage in dispute over Khashoggi By David D. Kirkpatrick Turkey and Saudi Arabia are increasingly focused on Washington as the decisive factor in their escalating standoff over the disappearance of a Saudi dissident, according to people representing both sides of the dispute. Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: US edging closer to new cold war with China By Michael C. Bender, Gordon Lubold, Kate O’Keeffe and Jeremy Pager   The Trump administration is moving deliberately to counter what the White House views as years of unbridled Chinese aggression, taking aim at military, political and economic targets in Beijing and signaling a new and potentially much colder era in U.S.-China relations. Read the full story here     Bloomberg: Prosecutors oppose NYT bid to unseal Michael Cohen warrants By Bob van Voris   Prosecutors in New York are opposing a request from the New York Times to unseal search warrants and related materials having to do with Michael Cohen, saying releasing the documents would affect an ongoing grand jury investigation. Read the full story here     Reuters: Trump administration kills contract for plutonium-to-fuel plant By Timothy Gardner The Trump administration this week killed a contract for a project to convert plutonium from Cold War-era bombs into power, which it has said would cost tens of billions of dollars, after its supporters lost a legal battle. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         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 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.