Harris Delivers 'Closing Arguments' As Biden Gaffe Energizes GOP
Plus, what Trump and Harris have in common: Economic agendas with massive price tags
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Good morning,
It’s the eve of Halloween and National Candy Corn Day! But, it’s the chocolate and peanut candies that are all the rage this season!
Based on Instacart data, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups are the top-selling candy in 40 states.
Classic M&M and their peanut-filled cousin are also popular.
But, candy corn scored the top searched candy in 34 states between Sept. 3 and Oct. 3, according to Google Trends.
As for purchases, Maine and New Hampshire spend big on the Halloween classic candy.
And if you are debating getting candy to pass out, check out THIS map that breaks down counties’ share of 5 to 14 year-olds (the prime age for trick-or-treaters).
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 HARRIS FRAMES FINAL PITCH AGAINST TRUMP AS “CHAOS” VS. “COMMON SENSE SOLUTIONS”; BIDEN BACKTRACKS AFTER INSULTING TRUMP VOTERS
Vice President Kamala Harris delivered the closing argument of her historic presidential campaign on Tuesday evening at the Ellipse— the same spot near the White House where then-president Donald Trump rallied his supporters before some of them stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
She tried to fulfill multiple goals: lay out the stakes of this election and her concerns about Trump, cast herself as a uniter, and emphasize her policy plans for her first term.
HER PITCH
Harris framed a Trump White House as “more chaos and more division” compared to her plan to “seek common ground and common sense solutions to make your life better.”
“Enemies list” vs. the “to-do list”: Trump “has an enemies list of people he intends to prosecute. He says that one of his highest priorities is to set free the violent extremists who insulted those law enforcement officers on January 6th,” she argued, pledging that “Unlike Donald Trump, I don't believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I'll give them a seat at the table.”
CHARACTER ATTACKS
Harris went as far as calling Trump a “petty tyrant,” but it comes as there are questions about whether focusing on fears of a second Trump term—and attacking him as a fascist— is the most effective strategy in attracting voters who remain on the fence about who to vote for.
The speech came exactly 100 days after President Biden dropped out of the race, and shows the reality of her campaign’s sprint.
Speaking of Biden, a gaffe in a virtual campaign event he held with Latinos Tuesday is giving Republicans renewed energy in the campaign’s closing days.
In a video call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden responded to a comic at Trump’s Sunday rally who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage.”
Biden replied: “Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage….the only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
Biden then took to social media to try to clarify what he meant.
“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage — which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” he posted on X. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
Expect Republicans to use that in ads and remarks in the closing days of the campaign.
TRUMP’S REFRAME
Just as Trump has called Jan. 6 a “day of love,” he is also framing his rally over the weekend at Madison Square Garden as an “absolute love fest” despite criticism— including by some prominent Trump supporters— that some speakers went too far with sexist comments and racist jokes.
Instead, on Tuesday from Mar-a-Lago Trump accused Democrats of waging a “campaign of hate” and “perhaps even trying to destroy our country.”
Trump told Fox News late Tuesday that he doesn’t know who booked the comic who made the insulting joke about Puerto Rico and other topics, and “he shouldn’t have been there.”
💰 ECONOMIC PROPOSALS FROM BOTH TRUMP & HARRIS EXPECTED TO INCREASE US DEBT BY TRILLIONS
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget— a nonpartisan group— is out with a new analysis of former President Trump and Vice President Harris’s economic plans. The short of it: Both are going to increase the national debt by TRILLIONS of dollars.
According to the group, Harris' plan would likely increase the debt by $3.95 trillion through 2035. And Trump's plan would increase the debt by $7.75 trillion in that same time frame. The estimates vary depending on how much Congress allows them to pass.
The budget group looked at the candidates’ agendas released earlier this month.
Via: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
WHY SO MUCH $?
The national debt currently stands at more than $35 trillion. Both candidates would add to that.
Trump: A second Trump term could see the full extension of his 2017 tax cuts and more tax breaks (on tips, social security, and overtime wages), amounting to $5.3 trillion in new government debt over 10 years. Trump’s plan to exempt overtime hours from taxes alone would cost $2 trillion over 10 years.
Harris: The most costly measures for Harris’s plan would be extending the Trump-era tax cuts strictly for Americans making under $400K annually would cost $3 trillion over 10 years. She plans to raise taxes on those making more than $400K. Her plan to expand the child and earned income tax credits would come out to about $1.4 trillion over 10 years.
At the same time, polls show that US voters do not really care about the soaring deficit. Of 14 issues CNBC asked voters to rank, the national debt came in 10th.
Issues removed to make room. Ranked #10. Via: CNBC.
CHICKEN OR THE EGG?
The question is whether voters don’t care because politicians have not made it an issue on the campaign trail or if politicians do not talk about it because voters show little interest. What is clear: It actually is an issue.
Unchecked borrowing— what causes the deficit— can spook private investors needed to boost growth, lead to major spending on interest payments, and lenders could demand higher interest rates in the future.
How government debt works: To cover its budgetary shortfalls, the US government issues debt in the form of Treasury securities, which are purchased by investors. As government borrowing increases, and interest payments increase, the overall budget goes up, and less funds can be devoted to the needs of the American people.
Nearly 20 percent of the federal budget now strictly goes to paying off interest in government debt. (more than $1 trillion!)
The time to pay off debt: Good times, like now, when the economy is growing. During war or a pandemic, that’s when the economy needs support.
Note that Bush and Obama were in office 8 years compared to Trump & Biden (4 years each).
✔︎ Mo News Reality Check: The Constitution gives the power of the purse— the nation's checkbook— to Congress. Right now, it looks like the Senate is flipping Red and the House is a toss-up.
Unless forced to, politicians on both sides infrequently cut spending. Why? Because once given $$, it is tough to take away.
The way out: Massive economic growth.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Trump ally Steve Bannon is released after serving 4 months in prison for contempt of Congress (AP)
📌 Man who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband gets life without parole in state trial (AXIOS)
📌 Supreme Court rejects push to remove Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from ballot in two swing states (MSNBC)
📌 Joe Rogan says he rejected Harris campaign’s interview conditions (FOX NEWS) JD Vance to appear on podcast (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 After reports of nearly 100 dead in north Gaza strike, IDF says incident under investigation (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
📌 Orbán congratulates Georgia on not ‘becoming a second Ukraine’ (POLITICO)
📌 Hezbollah picks cleric Naim Kassem to lead the Lebanese terror group (NPR)
📌 North Korean soldiers learning Russian commands (CNN) They are Pyongyang’s elite troops (WASHINGTON POST)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Elon Musk’s secret compound for his family: Three mansions, three mothers, 11 children and a multibillionaire father obsesses about declining birthrates (NY TIMES)
📌 Looking for a job on LinkedIn? AI could be reading your profile — and recommending it to recruiters (MARKET WATCH)
📌 CNN bans conservative writer after ‘beeper’ comment to Muslim commentator (AP)
📌 Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are everywhere and could have many health impacts, researchers say (CNN)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 50 Cent turned down Donald Trump’s $3 million offer to perform at Madison Square Garden rally (VARIETY)
📌 Shawn Mendes says he's 'figuring out' his sexuality (USA TODAY)
📌 Ken Jennings calls out 'problematic' answer on 'Jeopardy!' and apologizes to female contestant (NBC)
📌 Pregnant Gisele Bündchen debuts her baby bump after news she's expecting baby no. 3 (PEOPLE)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: OCTOBER 30
1918: The Ottoman Empire signed an armistice treaty, ending its involvement in World War I and leading to the establishment of the modern Republic of Turkey in 1923. It also leads to the creation of other new states in the Middle East.
1938: Orson Welles' 'The War of the Worlds' aired on CBS Radio Network, causing panic among thousands of listeners thinking there was a Martian invasion.
1995: Oasis released ‘Wonderwall’— the band is set to have reunion shows across the US and Europe this summer.
2005: Civil rights activist Rosa Parks became the first woman to lie in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.