VIRGINIA'S OCTOBER SURPRISE: Republicans are ramping up pressure on Virginia Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones to drop out of the race following the revelation of texts he made in 2022 in which he openly discussed hoping for violence against a Republican state lawmaker.
Top Republicans including Trump, Vice President Vance and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin have called for Jones to exit the race. The controversy has also sparked an ad from Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the GOP nominee for governor, tying her Democratic opponent, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, to Jones.
Jones has apologized for the texts but has not given an indication that he might end his bid against incumbent Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
The National Review first reported on the messages that Jones sent to House Delegate Carrie Coyner (R) about then-state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R).
"Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot," Jones said. "Gilbert gets two bullets to the head."
"Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time," Jones told Coyner.
The National Review also reported that Jones told Coyner in another conversation that he wished for Gilbert's wife to see her children die to potentially get her husband to reconsider his views about gun violence.
Jones said he wished he hadn't made the remarks and would take them back if he could, but that hasn't calmed down the backlash calling for him to end his campaign, The Hill's Julia Manchester reports.
"They have got to call on this guy to resign, step down, get out of this race in disgrace because this is beyond disqualifying. I mean, they're asking people to vote for this guy to be the attorney general of the commonwealth of Virginia?" Youngkin said during an interview with Fox News.
While the report could shake up the attorney general race, which already appeared to be potentially the closest contest in Virginia this year, it could also have implications for the marquee gubernatorial battle next month.
Spanberger has said she reached out to Jones to express "disgust" with the comments and called on him to "take responsibility" for his words but didn't expressly call for him to drop out. The GOP has amped up the pressure, with the Republican National Committee calling Spanberger a "coward" in a post on X for continuing to support Jones.
The revelation doesn't come at an ideal time for Jones or Democrats in the state as they're hitting the home stretch before November's elections. It also comes after another report that Jones was convicted of reckless driving years ago after he was caught speeding at 116 miles per hour.
Polls have shown Spanberger, Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi and Jones leading their respective races. But one Republican strategist told Manchester that Jones's texts could cause some voters to rethink their decisions and increase turnout among those who don't regularly vote.
"This is going to motivate a whole lot of infrequent voters," GOP strategist Zack Roday said. "And it absolutely will persuade people to second-guess, like actual people, their priors. They very well may consider split ticket or changing where they're going to vote."
▪ Axios: Miyares launching seven-figure ad campaign on Jones texts.
SHUTDOWN WALKBACK: Trump briefly floated working with Democrats to end the government shutdown Monday for the first time since it began before walking it back later in the day.
Trump hinted at a possible deal with Democrats on health care at the Oval Office, saying a negotiation is happening that could "lead to very good things."
"If we made the right deal, I'd make a deal. Sure," Trump said. "You have subsidies, that's the problem with ObamaCare. The subsidies are so much, it's billions and billions of dollars is being wasted. And we could have a much better health care than we have right now. And we're talking to them. I'm not saying that's going to happen."
Trump declined to say if he was meeting with Democratic leaders.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in response that Democrats would meet with Trump if he's serious.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters he doesn't know of any Democrat who has spoken with Trump or a member of the administration about reopening the government and reaching a deal on health care.
Trump later said in a Truth Social post that he would work with Democrats on health care but only after they vote to reopen the government — reaffirming the position Republicans have held for weeks.
Republicans in a series of votes have pushed Democrats to back a "clean" stopgap measure to fund the government at current levels through Nov. 21 before considering issues like health care.
The shutdown is entering day 7 after another round of voting Monday failed to reopen the government, with the GOP's funding bill and a competing measure from Democrats both being rejected.
The Hill's Al Weaver reports how senators from both sides are getting frustrated with the lack of progress as the Senate repeatedly engages in votes on the stopgap that seem certain to fail.
Meanwhile, the effects of the shutdown are set to amplify with each passing day without a deal. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett warned the shutdown could cost the U.S. economy $15 billion per week.
Hassett told CNN's "State of the Union" that federal layoffs, as the administration had promised, would take place if Trump feels talks aren't going anywhere.
Furloughed federal workers may also not be entitled to back pay for their time they're forced not to work, unlike in past shutdowns, Axios reported Tuesday, citing a White House draft memo described by multiple sources.
Transportation Security Administration employees are still working as they are considered essential, but lines at airports are expected to grow as the shutdown continues. The Federal Aviation Administration signaled that it's already experiencing staffing issues at airports and air traffic control facilities, NBC News reported.
The Smithsonian Institution indicated it could stay open through the end of the week, but it will have to close for the shutdown's duration if it lasts beyond that.
COMEY SUBPOENA WITHDRAWN: A congressional subpoena that would have had former FBI Director James Comey testify before a committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein has been withdrawn.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) withdrew the subpoena after Comey sent the committee a letter saying he has no "knowledge" or "information relevant to the Committee's investigation." The letter is subject to federal law that prohibits making false statements to agents of the government.
The subpoena's withdrawal comes as Comey is set to be arraigned on Thursday in the criminal case filed against him on charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding.
The case was filed after significant scrutiny within the Justice Department and outside it as to whether enough evidence exists to pursue it. Comey has affirmed his innocence and argued the charges are politically motivated as he's been a top opponent of the president.
FIRE INVESTIGATION: Officials say they've found no immediate evidence that a fire that consumed a South Carolina judge's home was intentional, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The video of the blaze caught much attention online as it shows the house surrounded by fire and smoke. It burned the home of Circuit Court Judge Diane Goodstein and Arnold Samuel Goodstein, a Democratic former state lawmaker.
The judge recently ruled against the Trump administration on a case over the release of voter files to the Department of Justice before the state Supreme Court overturned her ruling.
An official said they're conducting an investigation into the cause of the fire but haven't found anything so far to suggest it was deliberately set.
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