1/ The House passed its budget blueprint, which maps out the recommended spending and revenue levels for the 2018 fiscal year. No Democrats voted for the budget, which passed 216 to 212. The legislation will also allow Republicans to now pass tax reform and add as much as $1.5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade without any Democratic votes. The deficit for the 2017 fiscal year totaled $666 billion (New York Times / Washington Post)

2/ After months of promises, Trump declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency today – not a national emergency, which would have unlocked federal funding through FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. Under the Public Health Services Act designation, no federal funding will be automatically directed to the crisis. Federal agencies will, however, be directed to devote more grant money to the problem. Jeff Sessions said that people should just “say no� to opioids while Trump suggested that “really great advertising� will keep kids off drugs. (ABC News / CNN)

3/ Premiums for the most popular Affordable Care Act plan have risen 34% due to the marketplace instability caused by the Trump administration’s actions, a report by Avalere Health concluded. Market instability has been driven by Trump’s decision to end subsidy payments to insurers, the continued debate over repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act, and an executive order allowing for lower cost plans outside of the Obama-era law. (Associated Press)

4/ Congress will investigate the $300 million government contract awarded to a Trump donor. Members of the Natural Resources Committee said “the size and unknown details of this contract raise numerous questions� about how a two-person Montana utility company linked to the Trump administration won the contract to repair Puerto Rico’s electrical infrastructure. Whitefish Energy is also located in the hometown of Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. (Associated Press)

5/ The Government Accountability Office will investigate Trump’s voter fraud commission. Three Democratic senators asked the government watchdog to look how the federal funds are being used, what information and methodology the commission is using for its conclusions, how it is protecting any voter information, and how it is following regulations. (CNN)

1/ Senate Republicans repealed a rule that allowed Americans to sue their banks and credit card companies in class-action lawsuits. Senators passed the measure by a vote of 50-50, with Pence breaking the tie. The Obama-era rule banned Wall Street banks and credit card companies from inserting arbitration clauses into contracts that prevented consumers from banding together to bring class-action lawsuits. Democrats and consumer advocates called the effort a gift to financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Equifax. (New York Times / CNN)

Tonight @VP Pence & the @SenateGOP gave a giant wet kiss to Wall Street. No wonder Americans think the system is rigged against them. It is.

By voting to take rights away from customers, the Senate voted tonight to side with @WellsFargo lobbyists over the people we serve. -SB

2/ Business is booming for a private prison company after it contributed to Trump’s campaign and moved its company meetings, dinner receptions, and golf outings to Trump National Doral. GEO Group, through a company subsidiary, gave $225,000 to a pro-Trump super PAC and an additional $250,000 to Trump’s inaugural committee. It also hired two former aides to Jeff Sessions as outside lobbyists. In exchange, Sessions reversed an Obama-era directive to stop using private prisons, which allowed the company to secure a deal with the government in April worth tens of millions a year. GEO’s stock price has tripled since last year. (Washington Post)

3/ Foreign steel imports are up 24% since Trump’s “Buy American� pledge. In particular, a Russian steel company has won several pipeline contracts, including the Keystone XL. The biggest shareholder in Evraz North America is an oligarch and Trump family friend. (Bloomberg)

4/ Rick Perry claimed Obama discriminated against the coal and nuclear industries. Perry has proposed rewarding nuclear and coal fired power plants that store 90 days of fuel on site for contributing to the reliability of the power grid. Natural gas producers, renewable energy generators, and public utilities – who rarely agree on anything – have asked regulators to reject the proposal, arguing that the approach would distort markets, inhibit competition, and raise consumer prices. (

1/ The Clinton campaign and the DNC helped fund research that resulted in the Trump dossier. A lawyer representing the Clinton campaign and the DNC retained Fusion GPS in April 2016 to conduct the research. Prior to that agreement, Fusion GPS’s research into Trump was funded by a still unknown Republican client during the GOP primary. (Washington Post)

2/ The firm behind the Trump dossier asked a judge to block the House Intelligence Committee from obtaining its bank records. Fusion GPS argues that the committee’s subpoena threatens the First Amendment rights of the journalists who compiled the dossier by revealing the identities of clients who sought political research from the firm, and poses an “existential threat� to the company. (Politico)

3/ Two House panels opened a joint investigation into the Justice Department’s actions during the 2016 campaign. The House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman said their investigation will look at FBI decisions regarding Hillary Clinton’s handling of classified information and the FBI’s investigation into Trump campaign associates. (Reuters / Politico)

4/ Rematch: The feud between Trump and Bob Corker was relit ahead of the president’s critical meeting with Senate Republicans on taxes after Corker appeared on both NBC’s “Today� show and ABC’s “Good Morning America.� He said Trump should “step aside� from tax reform, stop “kneecap[ing] your secretary of state,� and “leave it to the professionals for a while and see if we can do something that’s constructive for our country.�

Trump tweeted that Corker was trying to stymie his agenda, called him a “lightweight,� and charged that Corker “couldn’t get elected dog catcher in Tennessee� – whatever that means. Corker replied on Twitter: “Same untruths from an utterly untruthful president. #AlertTheDaycareStaff.�

Then, in an interview with CNN, Corker escalated his criticism, calling Trump a serial liar, saying he regretted supporting him for president, accused him of debasing the country, and refused to say whether he trusted Trump with the nuclear codes. In an interview with ABC News, Corker stopped short of calling Trump a liar. Instead, he characterized Trump as “utterly untruthful.�

Senator Thom Tillis brought a bag of popcorn to the tax luncheon in a nod to the ongoing Corker-Trump spectacle within the party. (The Hill / Washington Post / Politico)

1/ Betsy DeVos rescinded 72 guidelines that protect the rights of disabled students under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The Department of Education called the policies “outdated, unnecessary, or ineffective.� During her confirmation hearing in January, DeVos said she was “confused� about the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act when asked whether she supported it. DeVos said she thought it was best “left to the states,� but “is certainly worth discussion.� (Washington Post / VICE News)

Stunning: Maggie Hassan (who has a disabled son) realizes that DeVos doesn't know the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act exists. pic.twitter.com/ht2dK9iqL8

2/ Congress let funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program expire 23 days ago. The program’s budget lapsed on September 1st, which provides low-cost health insurance to 9 million children. While there is no evidence that any children have lost coverage, there are roughly 4 million CHIP enrollees living in states whose programs are at risk of losing coverage. (Vox / Politico)

3/ Trump rush-shipped condolence letters to military families last week after he falsely claimed he had called or written letters to “virtually all� of the families. Four families of fallen soldiers received next-day UPS letters from Trump two days after Trump told the widow of a fallen soldier “he knew what he signed up for.� (The Atlantic)

4/ Trump “stumbl[ed] on my husband’s name� in his condolence call to the widow of the fallen soldier. Myeshia Johnson told “Good Morning America� she was “very angry at the tone of [Trump’s] voice and couldn’t remember my husband’s name� during the same call where Trump said the solider “knew what he signed up for.� Trump defended himself on Twitter, saying: “I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation!� (ABC News / NPR / Washington Post)

FULL INTERVIEW between <...

1/ The Senate approved its budget by a 51 to 49 vote. The spending blueprint will allow Republicans to use a procedural maneuver to pass tax reform in the Senate with just 50 votes while avoiding a Democratic filibuster. The House and Senate need to pass identical budgets in order for Republicans to sidestep the Senate’s typical 60-vote threshold for passage. Trump tweeted: “We got ZERO Democrat votes with only Rand Paul (he will vote for Tax Cuts) voting against. This now allows for the passage of large scale Tax Cuts (and Reform), which will be the biggest in the history of our country!� (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico)

The Budget passed late last night, 51 to 49. We got ZERO Democrat votes with only Rand Paul (he will vote for Tax Cuts) voting against.....

....This now allows for the passage of large scale Tax Cuts (and Reform), which will be the biggest in the history of our country!

2/ Trump falsely attributed a spike in UK crime to a “spread of Radical Islamic terror,� tweeting that the 13% year-over-year increase in crime was “not good, we must keep America safe!� A report by the UK Office for National Statistics made no link between rising crime and terrorism, but instead showed a double-digit increases in violent crimes, such as gun crime, knife crime, and sexual offenses. (The Guardian)

Just out report: "United Kingdom crime rises 13% annually amid spread of Radical Islamic terror." Not good, we must keep America safe!

3/ Putin called on Americans to respect Trump. “Inside the country, disrespect is shown for him. This is a regrettable negative component of the U.S. political system,� Putin said. He continued, saying that “Trump was elected by the American people. And at least for this reason, it is necessary to show respect for him, even if you do not agree with some of his positions.� Putin’s comments came the same day that U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley accused the Russian government of committing “warfare� against the United States. (The Hill)

4/ A federal judge refused to void Joe Arpaio’s conviction despite Trump’s pardon. U.S. District Judge Susan Ritchie Bolton said Trump’s pardon does not “revise the historical facts� of his case and that she will not vacate her ruling. Arpaio had been found g...

1/ George W. Bush all but called Trump a threat to democracy, saying “bigotry seems emboldened. Our politics seems more vulnerable to conspiracy theories and outright fabrication.� He called bigotry “blasphemy against the American creed� and that the “identity of our nation depends on the passing of civic ideals to the next generation.� He did not mention Trump by name. (Politico / New York Times)

2/ Trump suggested that the Democratic Party, the FBI, or the Kremlin paid for the dossier alleging ties between him and the Russian government. “Workers of firm involved with the discredited and Fake Dossier take the 5th,� Trump tweeted. “Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)?� Two officials from Fusion GPS, the firm behind the dossier, invoked their Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination and refused to answer questions from the House Intelligence Committee yesterday. (Politico)

Workers of firm involved with the discredited and Fake Dossier take the 5th. Who paid for it, Russia, the FBI or the Dems (or all)?

3/ CIA Director Mike Pompeo falsely claimed Russian meddling didn’t affect the election results. A US intelligence report released in January concluded that Moscow’s aims were to undermine the democratic process and help elect Trump. It did not reach a conclusion about whether meddling had altered the outcome, because the question was considered out of the scope of the report. (Washington Post / NBC News)

4/ Trump’s former campaign manager met with the Senate Intelligence Committee for a closed-door interview. Corey Lewandowski said earlier this year that he did not have any contact with Russian officials, but if there was contact, it was made by Manafort or others on the campaign and Trump didn’t know about it. (CNN)

5/ On November 1st, the general counsel for both Facebook and Twitter will testify before the House and Senate intelligence committees on Russia’s use of technology to try to interfere with the 2016 presidential election. Google, which was

1/ Trump denied telling the widow of a fallen soldier “he knew what he signed up for,� contradicting a Florida congresswoman who was with the woman at the time. “Basically, he said, ‘Well, I guess he knew what he signed up for,� Congresswoman Frederica Wilson said, recounting the conversation she heard on speakerphone. “But I guess it still hurt.’ That’s what he said.�

Trump tweeted that the “Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof),� raising questions about whether Trump tapes calls and conversations. Sarah Sanders said there is no recording of the call, adding that Wilson’s conduct is “appalling and disgusting.� The mother of the fallen soldier stood behind Wilson’s account, saying that Trump “did disrespect� the family with his comments during the call. (Washington Post / ABC News / CNN)

Democrat Congresswoman totally fabricated what I said to the wife of a soldier who died in action (and I have proof). Sad!

2/ The White House had drafted a statement of sympathy following the ambush in Niger where four Green Berets were killed. Trump never issued the statement, which was circulated to the National Security Council and Defense Department. On Monday, Trump was asked why he had not spoken publicly about the deaths. He defended himself by saying he’d written letters, and then lied that Obama and other past presidents had never or rarely called the families of troops who died. (Politico)

3/ Trump offered a grieving military father $25,000 and said he would establish an online fundraiser for the family. Neither happened. The father said the White House sent a condolence letter from Trump instead. “I opened it up and read it, and I was hoping to see a check in there, to be honest,� the father said. A White House spokesperson said “the check has been sent,� adding that “It’s disgusting that the media is taking something that should be recognized as a generous and sincere gesture, made privately by the President, and using it to advance the media’s biased agenda.� (Washington Post)

4/ Trump backed off his support for the bipartisan healthcare deal, tweeting he could never support legislation “bailing out� insurance companies “who have made a fortune� from Obamacare. The comment comes a day after Trump embraced the deal as “a short-term solution so that we don’t have this very dangerous little period.� The chairman of the Senate health committee said Trump “completely engineered the plan� to fund subsidies for health insurers, but “wants to reserve his options.� (

1/ John McCain condemned Trump’s “America First� policy as “half-baked, spurious nationalism� and charged that Trump would “rather find scapegoats than solve problems.� McCain’s remarks came as he was honored with the Liberty Medal by the National Constitution Center. While he didn’t refer to Trump or his administration by name, McCain added that it’s unpatriotic to “abandon the ideals we have advanced around the globe� and to “refuse the obligations of international leadership.� (CNN / Washington Post)

2/ Trump warned McCain “to be careful because at some point I fight back,� adding that “I’m being very, very nice but at some point I fight back and it won’t be pretty.� McCain’s response: “I have faced tougher adversaries.� (Associated Press)

3/ Trump falsely claimed that Obama didn’t call the families of troops killed in the line of duty. “If you look at President Obama and other presidents, most of them didn’t make calls,� Trump said in response to a question about why he had not publicly acknowledged the four Green Berets killed in an ambush in Niger two weeks ago. “A lot of them didn’t make calls. I like to call when it’s appropriate.�

Obama’s former aides were quick to respond: Eric Holder tweeted that Trump needs to “Stop the damn lying - you’re the President.� And Benjamin Rhodes, a former deputy national security adviser, called Trump’s claim an “outrageous and disrespectful lie even by Trump standards.� Trump offered no evidence to back up his claim. (New York Times / Reuters)

Stop the damn lying - you’re the President. I went to Dover AFB with 44 and saw him comfort the families of both the fallen military & DEA. pic.twitter.com/HhE4KbTBkJ

This is an outrageous and disrespectful lie even by Trump standards. Also: Obama never attacked a Gold Star family. https://t.co/JgzTUIzWIa

4/ Trump told reporters to ask John Kelly if Obama called him after his son died in Afghanistan. “As far as other presidents,� Trump said, “I don’t know, you could ask Gen. Kelly, did he get a call from Obama? I don’t know what Obama’s policy was.� He added that “I really speak for myself. I am not speaking for other people. I don’t know what (George W.) Bush did. I don’t know what Obama did.� Kelly’s son died after he stepped on a landmine in 2010. (CNN)

1/ Mitch McConnell and Trump met for lunch today after Steve Bannon called for a “season of war� against the Senate majority leader and the rest of the GOP establishment. Bannon compared McConnell to Julius Caesar and vowed to challenge any Senate Republican who doesn’t publicly condemn attacks on Trump. “Yeah, Mitch, the donors are not happy. They’ve all left you. We’ve cut your oxygen off,� Bannon said. (Politico / The Guardian / CNN)

2/ After his meeting with McConnell, Trump said they are “closer than ever before.� Trump also said he would try to talk Bannon out of declaring war on “some� of his primary targets saying, “I’m going to see if we can talk him out of that, because I think they’re great people.� (Axios / CNN)

3/ Rex Tillerson refused to answer whether he called Trump a “moron,� dismissing the question as the “petty stuff� of Washington. Meanwhile, Trump tweeted that Tillerson “is wasting his time� trying to talk with North Korea, and Bob Corker charged that Trump had “publicly castrate[d]� him. “I checked,� Tillerson said, “I’m fully intact.� (Washington Post / NBC News)

.@jaketapper: Did you call Trump a moron?

Rex Tillerson: “I’m not gonna deal with that petty stuff� #CNNSOTU https://t.co/kOTYS3As6c

4/ Robert Mueller’s team interviewed Reince Priebus. The former chief of staff was present for many key moments, including Trump’s efforts to limit questions about Russian meddling in the election and the discussions that led to James Comey’s firing. (Washington Post)

5/ Paul Manafort’s financial ties to a Russian oligarch total around $60 million over the past decade. Previously unreported documents revealed a $26 million loan between a Manafort-linked company and Oleg Deripaska,...

1/ Trump will cut off essential subsidy payments to Affordable Care Act insurers. The subsidies are used to pay out-of-pocket costs for low-income people and represent an estimated $7 billion this year. A White House statement directed Congress to “repeal and replace the disastrous Obamacare law and provide real relief to the American people� because “the government cannot lawfully make the cost-sharing reduction payments.� Trump said the ACA was “imploding� and called it a “broken mess� in a pair of tweets. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi responded, saying Trump had “apparently decided to punish the American people for his inability to improve our health care system.� Nearly 6 million enrollees qualify for the cost-sharing payments this year. (Politico / New York Times / CNN)

The Democrats ObamaCare is imploding. Massive subsidy payments to their pet insurance companies has stopped. Dems should call me to fix!

ObamaCare is a broken mess. Piece by piece we will now begin the process of giving America the great HealthCare it deserves!

2/ Insurers pushed back against Trump’s decision to cut the ACA’s cost-sharing reduction subsidies. “This action will make it harder for patients to access the care they need. Costs will go up and choices will be restricted,� the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and America’s Health Insurance Plans said in a joint statement. “These benefits help real people every day, and if they are ended, there will be real consequences.� (The Hill)

3/ New York and California threatened to sue the Trump administration over health care subsidies the White House said it would cut off. “Again and again, President Trump has threatened to cut off these subsidies to undermine our healthcare system and force Congress to the negotiating table,� New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. He added that Trump is using people as “political pawns in his dangerous, partisan campaign to eviscerate the Affordable Care Act at any cost.� (The Hill)

I am prepared to sue the #Trump Administration to protect #health subsidies, just as when we successfully intervened in #HousevPrice!