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Republicans and President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE are scrounging for a strategy, surrogates and messaging as the impeachment inquiry picks up speed and evidence of potential abuse of power tied to Ukraine could continue piling up into November.

Heading into next week, Republicans are anxious that the narrative is spinning away from them as polls show an increasing percentage of Americans supportive of either the House inquiry or removal of Trump from office.

With another week of interviews taking place behind closed doors with House investigators, Senate Republicans are airing concerns about the White House’s messaging machine — or lack thereof. As Alexander Bolton reports, GOP senators believe the messaging operation is uncoordinated and suffering from a lack of a war room, which makes it tougher for GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill to respond.

Largely, the rapid response operation is emanating from the president’s Twitter account, creating a scattershot approach that has created problems for the GOP, and Senate Republicans are not the only ones who pine for a more cohesive response.

Steve Bannon Stephen (Steve) Kevin BannonDemocrats' cowardice must end: It's time to teach the GOP a lesson Juan Williams: Swamp creature at the White House Engineers say privately funded border wall is poorly constructed and set to fail: report MORE, the former White House chief strategist, is back in Washington kicking off a new media venture and broadcasting live, seven days a week, from now until the Senate votes on impeachment amid concerns that the White House response is not robust enough. The former Breitbart CEO believes Democrats are running circles around the GOP in the battle over messaging.

“It’s a master class in disinformation warfare,” Bannon said (The Hill).

Reuters: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham Lindsey Olin GrahamLincoln Project mocks Lindsey Graham's fundraising lag with Sarah McLachlan-themed video The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error MORE (R-S.C.): White House working on messaging on impeachment.

The Associated Press: Trump confronts the limits of impeachment defense strategy.

Senate Republicans tried to do their part in the messaging wars on Thursday as Graham announced a resolution condemning the House’s inquiry and calling on the lower chamber to "vote to open a formal impeachment inquiry and provide President Trump with fundamental constitutional protections" before going further into the impeachment inquiry.

The resolution calls on the House to hold a formal vote to start the impeachment inquiry, give Trump "due process" including "the ability to confront his accusers," adding that the House should give Republicans the ability to issue their own subpoenas.

CNN: In 1998, Graham thought House impeachment depositions were a good idea.

The New York Times: Read the administration’s warning letter to Pentagon witness Laura Cooper, who testified this week to House investigators both voluntarily and under subpoena.

The Washington Post: Democrats say whistleblower’s testimony is unnecessary as other witnesses come forward.

As of Thursday night, Graham’s office has all but seven Senate Republicans on board with the resolutions. The remaining holdouts are: Sens. Mitt Romney Willard (Mitt) Mitt RomneyCrenshaw looms large as Democrats look to flip Texas House seat The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error MORE (Utah), Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Poll: 57 percent of Americans think next president, Senate should fill Ginsburg vacancy On The Trail: Making sense of this week's polling tsunami MORE (Maine), Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann MurkowskiDemocratic senator to party: 'A little message discipline wouldn't kill us' Overnight Energy: Trump officials finalize plan to open up protected areas of Tongass to logging | Feds say offshore testing for oil can proceed despite drilling moratorium | Dems question EPA's postponement of inequality training Poll: 57 percent of Americans think next president, Senate should fill Ginsburg vacancy MORE (Alaska), Cory Gardner Cory Scott GardnerBreaking the Chinese space addiction Trump dumbfounds GOP with latest unforced error Billionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden MORE (Colo.), Lamar Alexander Andrew (Lamar) Lamar AlexanderPelosi urges early voting to counter GOP's high court gambit: 'There has to be a price to pay' Graham: GOP has votes to confirm Trump's Supreme Court nominee before the election The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Washington on edge amid SCOTUS vacancy MORE (Tenn.), Mike Enzi Michael (Mike) Bradley EnziChamber of Commerce endorses McSally for reelection Cynthia Lummis wins GOP Senate primary in Wyoming The Hill's Convention Report: Democrats gear up for Day Two of convention MORE (Wyo.), and Johnny Isakson Johnny IsaksonDemocrats ramp up pressure on Lieberman to drop out of Georgia Senate race Obama endorses Warnock in crowded Georgia Senate race Lobbying world MORE (Ga.) (The Hill). Collins and Gardner are up for reelection and Alexander, Enzi and Isakson are retiring.

The Hill: Saturday and schedule next week for additional witness depositions revealed.

Politico: Impeachment timeline in flux as evidence against Trump piles up.

The New York Times: Guide to House impeachment inquiry witnesses, subpoenas and requests for information.

Additionally, senators are worried that the impeachment battle has effectively shot down any chance to pass anything legislatively heading into an election year.

Roughly a month into the House's inquiry, lawmakers are trading blame about who is responsible for the fallout. But arguing that both parties could use political wins heading into next year, they're urging Trump and Democrats to find common ground (The Hill).

The Hill: GOP lawmakers express concerns about Rudy Giuliani Rudy GiulianiThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting CIA found Putin 'probably directing' campaign against Biden: report Democrats fear Russia interference could spoil bid to retake Senate MORE's work in Ukraine.

McClatchy: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Michael (Mike) Richard PompeoWatchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump Trump's push for win with Sudan amps up pressure on Congress Putin nominated for Nobel Peace Prize MORE: State Dept. will “comply” with law on release of Giuliani communications.

The New York Times: Where is the Justice Department’s investigation headed about the origins of the 2016 Russia election interference probe? Unclear, but it’s now a criminal investigation and the department is investigating itself.





LEADING THE DAY





POLITICS: Former Vice President Joe Biden Joe BidenFormer Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick Bloomberg rolls out M ad buy to boost Biden in Florida MORE’s presidential campaign is doing an about-face and opened the door to supporters to start a super PAC to boost his candidacy as he struggles mightily in fundraising, raising concerns in some Democratic circles.

“In this time of crisis in our politics, it is not surprising that those who are dedicated to defeating Donald Trump are organizing in every way permitted by current law to bring an end to his disastrous presidency. Nothing changes unless we defeat Donald Trump,” said deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield in a statement.

Biden’s team added in a statement to The Hill that the former vice president would continue advocating to end super PACs should he win the general election.

The campaign’s shift attracted attacks from 2020 rivals. Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersSirota reacts to report of harassment, doxing by Harris supporters Republicans not immune to the malady that hobbled Democrats The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election MORE (I-Vt.) castigated Biden for what he called an “effort to buy the primary.”

The news comes more than a week after third-quarter fundraising reports emerged showing Biden with $9 million in cash on hand, a figure far behind Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth WarrenOvernight Defense: Appeals court revives House lawsuit against military funding for border wall | Dems push for limits on transferring military gear to police | Lawmakers ask for IG probe into Pentagon's use of COVID-19 funds On The Money: Half of states deplete funds for Trump's 0 unemployment expansion | EU appealing ruling in Apple tax case | House Democrats include more aid for airlines in coronavirus package Warren, Khanna request IG investigation into Pentagon's use of coronavirus funds MORE (D-Mass.) and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg Pete ButtigiegBillionaire who donated to Trump in 2016 donates to Biden The Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - GOP closes ranks to fill SCOTUS vacancy by November Buttigieg stands in as Pence for Harris's debate practice MORE, who is making a play for the same moderate voters Biden seeks to win over.

The Hill: Sanders campaign hits Biden over “reversal” on super PACs.

Reuters: Sanders promises to use executive order to legalize marijuana.

Politico: Warren and Sanders race to out-left each other — and moderates are terrified.

Meanwhile, “60 Minutes” is set to air on Sunday its recent interview with Biden, during which he tells CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell that none of his children will occupy office space in the White House if he wins (CBS News).

The Trump campaign responded with a statement defending Jared Kushner Jared Corey KushnerAbraham Accords: New hope for peace in Middle East Tenants in Kushner building file lawsuit alleging dangerous living conditions Trump hosts Israel, UAE, Bahrain for historic signing MORE and Ivanka Trump Ivana (Ivanka) Marie TrumpThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump stokes fears over November election outcome Special counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report Trump, Biden vie for Minnesota MORE for their work in the administration since 2017.

> Debate: Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE (D-Minn.) qualified for the fifth Democratic debate on Nov. 20 after pulling 3 percent support in a new Quinnipiac poll released on Thursday, making her the ninth candidate to qualify in polling.

The following candidates have qualified in both polling and fundraising: Biden, Warren, Sanders, Buttigieg, Sen. Kamala Harris Kamala HarrisTexas Democratic official urges Biden to visit state: 'I thought he had his own plane' The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden on Trump: 'He'll leave' l GOP laywers brush off Trump's election remarks l Obama's endorsements A game theorist's advice to President Trump on filling the Supreme Court seat MORE (D-Calif.), Sen. Cory Booker Cory Anthony BookerThe movement to reform animal agriculture has reached a tipping point Watchdog confirms State Dept. canceled award for journalist who criticized Trump 3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing MORE (D-N.J.), Tom Steyer Tom SteyerTV ads favored Biden 2-1 in past month Inslee calls Biden climate plan 'perfect for the moment' OVERNIGHT ENERGY: Trump administration finalizes plan to open up Alaska wildlife refuge to drilling | California finalizes fuel efficiency deal with five automakers, undercutting Trump | Democrats use vulnerable GOP senators to get rare win on environment MORE, entrepreneur Andrew Yang Andrew YangBiden's latest small business outreach is just ... awful Doctor who allegedly assaulted Evelyn Yang arrested on federal charges The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden weighs in on police shootings | Who's moderating the debates | Trump trails in post-convention polls MORE and Klobuchar (The Hill).

> Field shrinks: Rep. Tim Ryan Timothy (Tim) RyanNow's the time to make 'Social Emotional Learning' a national priority Mourners gather outside Supreme Court after passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lincoln Project hits Trump for criticizing Goodyear, 'an American company' MORE (D-Ohio) announced Thursday that he is ending his 2020 bid for the Democratic nomination, bringing the field to 18 candidates after Ryan was unable to make much headway with voters or garner support needed to further his campaign.

Ryan has been absent for the past two Democratic debates and was extremely unlikely to make the cut for the fifth debate on Nov. 20. He was also unable to keep up financially, having raised only $425,000 in the third quarter — less than half of his total during the second quarter.

The Associated Press: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard Tulsi GabbardRepublicans call on DOJ to investigate Netflix over 'Cuties' film Hispanic Caucus campaign arm endorses slate of non-Hispanic candidates Gabbard says she 'was not invited to participate in any way' in Democratic convention MORE (D-Hawaii) drops her congressional race to focus on her presidential bid.

The Associated Press: Riyadh, Seoul ... Wichita? Pompeo seeks refuge in his home state (and is in Kansas today).

In other political news … C-SPAN hosts a conversation at 8 p.m . with former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld William (Bill) WeldRalph Gants, chief justice of Massachusetts supreme court, dies at 65 The Hill's Campaign Report: Biden visits Kenosha | Trump's double-voting suggestion draws fire | Facebook clamps down on election ads Biden picks up endorsements from nearly 100 Republicans MORE and former Rep. Mark Sanford Mark SanfordOn The Money: Business world braces for blue sweep | Federal Reserve chief to outline plans for inflation, economy | Meadows 'not optimistic' about stalemate on coronavirus deal Trump critic Sanford forms anti-debt advocacy group Republicans officially renominate Trump for president MORE (R-S.C), who are challenging Trump for the GOP nod in 2020. … White House counselor Kellyanne Conway Kellyanne Elizabeth ConwaySpecial counsel investigating DeVos for potential Hatch Act violation: report George and Kellyanne Conway honor Ginsburg Trump carries on with rally, unaware of Ginsburg's death MORE was steamed at a Washington Examiner reporter in a phone conversation about an article she didn’t like.





IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES





INTERNATIONAL: Brexit: More than three years after Britons voted 52 percent to 48 percent to be the first sovereign country to leave the European Union, the future of Brexit remains unclear. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who conceded he will not meet an Oct. 31 deadline, called on Thursday for a general election on Dec. 12 to try to break the impasse. The EU may decide today to grant another extension for the U.K. Parliament to decide how to proceed. Johnson’s call for another election is his third attempt as prime minister to try to force a snap vote (Reuters).

> China: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Steven Terner MnuchinThe Hill's Morning Report - Sponsored by Facebook - Republicans lawmakers rebuke Trump on election On The Money: Anxious Democrats push for vote on COVID-19 aid | Pelosi, Mnuchin ready to restart talks | Weekly jobless claims increase | Senate treads close to shutdown deadline Vulnerable Democrats tell Pelosi COVID-19 compromise 'essential' MORE and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Robert (Bob) Emmet LighthizerWhiskey, workers and friends caught in the trade dispute crossfire GOP senator warns quick vote on new NAFTA would be 'huge mistake' Pelosi casts doubt on USMCA deal in 2019 MORE are set to resume working-level negotiations today with China by phone aimed at completing a “phase 1” deal on trade, which Trump already painted as a success. The president and top advisers have expressed optimism that a subset of differences will be ironed out in advance of the president’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Santiago, Chile, next month at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit (APEC). Trump promised Xi in June that the United States would remain quiet about protests in Hong Kong while trade talks continued, two sources told CNN earlier this month. But on Thursday, Vice President Pence used a speech at a Washington think tank to back pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong while slamming China. “Hong Kong is a living example of what can happen when China embraces liberty,” he said (Reuters). Beijing today had a few choice words to describe Pence’s speech: “Arrogant and hypocrisy.”

> Turkey-Syria: Syrian Kurds and Russian forces disagreed on Thursday about the status of a negotiated truce in territory along Turkey’s border with Syria. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) accused Turkey, which is backed by Moscow, of launching a land offensive targeting three villages in northeast Syria, but Russia said a peace plan was holding. Russia said it will send more military police and heavy equipment to help implement the deal, which prompted Trump this week to lift sanctions against Turkey (Reuters).

> Chile: Stone-throwing protesters on Thursday did battle with police firing tear gas and water cannons in the capital, Santiago, and the port of Valparaiso, as hundreds of demonstrators gathered in city squares around the country. At least 18 people have died since protests began over a 4-cent increase in subway fares and mushroomed into a larger movement over growing inequality in one of Latin America’s wealthiest countries (The Associated Press).





The Morning Report is created by journalists Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver. We want to hear from you! Email: asimendinger@thehill.com and aweaver@thehill.com. We invite you to share The Hill’s reporting and newsletters, and encourage others to SUBSCRIBE!

OPINION





The Senate can hold a fair impeachment trial. We did it in 1999, by former Sens. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and Trent Lott (R-Miss.), contributors, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/2W9kfOz

Withdrawal of troops must not end US involvement with Syria, by Dana Stroul and Michael Singh, opinion contributors, The Hill. https://bit.ly/2obHGKm





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WHERE AND WHEN





Hill.TV’s “Rising” program features filmmaker Michael Moore, who discusses his support for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.); Republican Newt Gingrich Newton (Newt) Leroy GingrichMORE, who has a new book about China; and Josh Orton, national policy director and senior adviser to Sanders, who talks about marijuana legalization. Watch at 9 a.m. ET at http://thehill.com/hilltv, or on YouTube at 10 a.m. at Rising on YouTube.

The House will reconvene Monday at noon. Many lawmakers will be in Baltimore today for the late Rep. Elijah Cummings Elijah Eugene CummingsBlack GOP candidate accuses Behar of wearing black face in heated interview Overnight Health Care: US won't join global coronavirus vaccine initiative | Federal panel lays out initial priorities for COVID-19 vaccine distribution | NIH panel: 'Insufficient data' to show treatment touted by Trump works House Oversight Democrats to subpoena AbbVie in drug pricing probe MORE’s (D-Md.) funeral. Former President Obama will deliver remarks at the service.

The Senate meets at 3 p.m. on Monday and resumes consideration of the fiscal year 2020 appropriations measure that includes Commerce, Justice, Science, Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, Interior, Environment, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.

The president speaks about criminal justice reform at 2 p.m. at the 2019 Second Step Presidential Justice Forum in Columbia, S.C., and returns to Washington this evening.

Pence at 11 a.m. participates in the ceremonial swearing-in of Stephen Akard, the recently confirmed director of the Office of Foreign Missions.

Politicon takes place in Nashville this weekend, creating a packed convention devoted to current political issues and players. The Hill is a media sponsor. Check out the schedule HERE.





ELSEWHERE





➔ State Watch: As many as 50,000 people in California are under evacuation orders that continue today as wind-driven fires rage near Los Angeles, burning six homes (The Associated Press). Ferocious gusts, which are expected to continue this weekend, prompted Pacific Gas & Electric Co., the state’s largest utility, to announce a planned power shutdown Saturday night through Monday, which could impact 2 million people (The Associated Press). Wildfires also burned through 10,000 acres in Sonoma County while hundreds of residents evacuated Wednesday into Thursday. PG&E reported to the state that a jumper on one of its transmission lines broke near the origin of the Sonoma County fire, a potential cause (The Washington Post). The evolving challenge for many California communities: Learning to live with uncontrolled fire (The New York Times).

➔ ⚾ Baseball: The Houston Astros fired Brandon Taubman, their assistant general manager, in the wake of reports that he purposefully directed “inappropriate comments” about closer Roberto Osuna at a group of female reporters. In the process, the Astros admitted “we were wrong” after initially releasing a statement backing Taubman soon after Sports Illustrated reported that he yelled at reporters (ESPN). … Trump announced he plans to attend the World Series if there’s a Game 5 on Sunday night at Nationals Park (The Washington Post).

➔ Science: Tens of millions of voracious sea urchins that have already chomped their way through towering underwater kelp forests in California are spreading north to Oregon, upending the marine ecosystem off the shore to the point that critical species are starving to death. A recent count found 350 million purple sea urchins on one Oregon reef alone — more than a 10,000 percent increase since 2014 (The Associated Press).







THE CLOSER





And finally … A big shout-out to the trivia ninjas who polished off this week’s Morning Report Quiz!

Here’s who knew or guessed the correct answers about the career of Bruce Springsteen: Patrick Kavanagh, Rich Davis, Ann Taliaferro, Jerry Lentz, Allyson Foster, Sharon Flowers, Luther Berg, Sandy Sycafoose, John Ellis, Dan Lybrook and Matt Gorman.

The Boss wrote “Because the Night” and gave the song to Patti Smith to record. The song has been a staple of his live shows for years.

“Born To Run” is the most performed live song in the extensive Springsteen catalog, played north of 1,700 times.

Steven Van Zandt, an E Street Band guitarist, portrayed Silvio Dante on HBO’s “The Sopranos.”

Springsteen’s first wife was Julianne Phillips.

And lastly, Roy Bittan, the longtime E Street Band pianist, was the only holdover in the 1992 tour.