1/ Trump dismissed a report that Chinese and Russian spies were eavesdropping on his cellphone conversations, calling the report “boring� and “soooo wrong!� Trump’s aides have repeatedly warned him that his calls from his personal iPhone are not secure and that Chinese and Russian spies are listening, but Trump refuses to give up his iPhone. U.S. officials said they have been concerned for months that Trump discusses sensitive information on an unsecured cellphone with informal advisers, including Sean Hannity of Fox News. “I only use Government Phones,� Trump tweeted in response to the reports, “and have only one seldom used government cell phone.� (New York Times / NBC News)

A very big part of the Anger we see today in our society is caused by the purposely false and inaccurate reporting of the Mainstream Media that I refer to as Fake News. It has gotten so bad and hateful that it is beyond description. Mainstream Media must clean up its act, FAST!

The New York Times has a new Fake Story that now the Russians and Chinese (glad they finally added China) are listening to all of my calls on cellphones. Except that I rarely use a cellphone, & when I do it’s government authorized. I like Hard Lines. Just more made up Fake News!

📌 Chinese and Russian spies are routinely eavesdropping on Trump’s cellphone calls, despite aides repeatedly warning him that his personal iPhone is not secure. (Day 643)

China suggested that Trump exchange his iPhone for a cellphone made by Chinese manufacturer Huawei, “if they are really concerned about security issues.� (Talking Points Memo)

Trump’s tweet claiming that he only uses his government phones was sent from an iPhone. Trump has two iPhones: one for Twitter and other basic web apps, and one for making phone calls. (Yahoo News)

2/ At least 10 pipe bombs have been sent to high-profile Democrats and critics of Trump: George Soros, Obama, Biden, Hillary Clinton, Eric Holder, John Brennan, Maxine Waters, and Robert De Niro. All of the 10 packages that have been discovered had the return address for Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democratic congresswoman from Florida. None of the packages exploded. (Reuters / Washington Post / New...

1/ The Secret Service intercepted packages containing “potential explosive devices� addressed to Obama and Hillary Clinton, similar to the one found at the home of George Soros on Monday. All three devices are of similar pipe-bomb-style construction. The Secret Service said “the packages were immediately identified during routine mail screening procedures as potential explosive devices and were appropriately handled as such.� Contrary to reports, a suspicious package was not sent to the White House. (New York Times / Washington Post / ABC News / NBC News / CNBC / Associated Press)

2/ A similar device was sent to CNN’s headquarter in New York, addressed to former CIA Director John Brennan. The package contained a white powder. Brennan doesn’t work for CNN, but is a national security and intelligence analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. CNN’s New York bureau in the Time Warner Center was evacuated. (NBC News / CNN / Washington Post)

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the live explosive package sent to the Time Warner Center in New York City an “act of terror.� (CNBC)

A package addressed to Rep. Maxine Waters was intercepted at a Congressional mail facility. (New York Times)

Suspicious packages were found outside the San Diego Union-Tribune. The building and nearby businesses were briefly evacuated. The boxes were filled with everyday items that included children’s books and a football. (San Diego Union-Tribune)

3/ The return address on the packages addressed to Soros, CNN, Obama, and the Clintons listed Rep Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who currently serves as a representative for Florida’s 23rd congressional district and is the former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Wasserman Schultz’s office was also evacuated after a suspicious package was discovered. It was misaddressed to Eric Holder and returned to Wasserman Schultz’s office, because that was ...

1/ Trump called the Saudi operation to kill Jamal Khashoggi one of “worst cover-ups in the history of cover-ups,� saying “they had a very bad original concept.� He added that “somebody really messed up,� but he would “leave it up to Congress� to punish Saudi Arabia. (New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / Reuters / The Hill)

2/ The Saudi cover story fell apart because the Khashoggi “body double� wore the wrong shoes. Video footage shows a man exiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul Oct. 2 wearing a fake beard and glasses, as well as the pants, shirt and jacket that Khashoggi was seen wearing when he entered the building earlier in the day. “It was a flawed body double, so it never became an official part of the Saudi government’s narrative,� a diplomat said. (CNBC / Washington Post)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: The killing of Khashoggi was a “planned� and “brutal� murder. Erdogan called on Saudi Arabia to extradite 18 suspects to Turkey to face justice for the crime. (Washington Post / New York Times)

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince received a standing ovation after making an unannounced appearance at a global investment conference. Mohammed bin Salman is suspected of playing a role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. (New York Times)

3/ Khashoggi’s cut-up and disfigured remains were found in the garden of the Saudi consul general’s home in Istanbul. The account contradicts Saudi officials, who said the body was rolled up in a carpet and handed over to a local operative to dispose of the evidence. (Sky News /

1/ Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister denied that Mohammed bin Salman ordered Jamal Khashoggi’s killing, calling it a “rogue operation� by individuals who “made a mistake.� Adel al-Jubeir denied that the crown prince had any prior knowledge of the operation and said that the agents involved “weren’t people closely tied� to him. (Washington Post)

2/ Surveillance video: A Saudi agent walked out of the Saudi consulate in Istanbul wearing Khashoggi’s clothes, a fake beard, and glasses in order to create a misleading trail of evidence. The man in the video, identified as Mustafa al-Madani, was part of the 15-man team that flew to Istanbul to confront Khashoggi. He was seen leaving the consulate through the back door and later at the Blue Mosque. Several members of the team have ties to the crown prince. (CNN / New York Times / Washington Post)

3/ Jared Kushner said the White House is still “fact-finding� about the circumstances of Khashoggi’s death, declining to say whether he believes Saudi Arabia’s explanation that Khashoggi accidentally died during a fistfight inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. “Once we have all the facts, we’ll make an assessment.� (New York Times / Washington Post)

Steven Mnuchin met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman despite announcing that he was withdrawing from a conference in Saudi Arabia this week. (Washington Post)

German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed to halt all German arms exports to Saudi Arabia, calling what happened to Khashoggi a “monstrosity.� (Reuters)

4/ The Trump administration plans to redefine the legal definition of gender as strictly biological, unchangeable, and determined by the genitals that a person is born with. The effort by the Department of Health and Human Services would establish a legal definition of sex under Title IX, effectively narrowing the definition of gender and deny federal recognition and civil rights protections to transgender Americans. (New York Times)

5/ Robert Mueller’s team continues to pursue conflicting accounts about Roger Stone’s communication with...

1/ The Justice Department charged a Russian national with conspiracy for her role in an “information warfare� campaign designed to interfere with the midterm elections. Elena Khusyaynova managed the finances of an operation the Justice Department identified as “Project Lakhta,� which was designed “to sow discord in the U.S. political system� and interfere in the 2016 and 2018 elections. The operation was “a Russian umbrella effort funded by Russian oligarch Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin and two companies he controls, Concord Management and Consulting LLC, and Concord Catering,� the Justice Department said, which pushed arguments and misinformation online about immigration, the Confederate flag, gun control, the NFL national anthem protests, among other things. Prigozhin, known as “Putin’s chef,� and 12 other Russians were indicted by Robert Mueller in February on charges of interfering in the 2016 presidential election. (Washington Post / Bloomberg / New York Times / Wall Street Journal) / NBC News)

2/ Top U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies warned that they’re concerned about “ongoing campaigns� by Russia, China and Iran to interfere with the midterm elections and 2020 race. The joint statement by the Justice Department, FBI, Homeland Security Department and Office of the Director of National Intelligence said there is no “evidence of a compromise or disruption of infrastructure that would enable adversaries to prevent voting, change vote counts or disrupt our ability to tally votes in the midterm elections.� (Bloomberg / Washington Post)

Georgia is using amateur handwriting analysis to reject would-be voters if their signatures looks different from the signature on their voter-registration card. (Slate)

In July 2017, Georgia purged 107,000 people from the voter rolls for not voting in prior elections. In total, the Georgia removed more than half a million people — 8% of Georgia’s registered voters — from the voter rolls. (American Public Media)

A radio ad in support of an Arkansas Republican claims that white Democrats want to go back to “lynching black folk again.� Rep. French Hill disavowed of the ad, which was paid for by the Black Americans for the President’s Agenda political action committee. (NBC News)

3/ Saudi Arabia acknowledge that Jamal Khashogg is dead, claiming it was “a fistfight that led to his death� at the consulate in Istanbul. Saudi Arabia detained 18 people in connection with Kha...

1/ Trump: It “certainly looks� as if Jamal Khashoggi is dead. Trump said there would be “very severe� consequences if the Saudis killed him, but that it was still “a little bit early� to draw conclusions about who ordered the killing. (Associated Press / New York Times / Washington Post)

Republican lawmakers are threatening to sanction and end arms sales to the Saudis, despite Trump’s objection to canceling a $110 billion arms deal. He claims the deal would create 500,000 U.S. jobs. Additionally, a bipartisan group of senators have invoked the 2016 Magnitsky Act, giving the administration 120 days to respond to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about potential sanctions against officials responsible for human rights violations. (Bloomberg)

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will not attend next week’s investment conference in Saudi Arabia after talking with Trump and Pompeo. (CNBC / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Washington Post / New York Times)

2/ U.S. intelligence agencies are confident that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved in the disappearance and murder of Khashoggi. While spy agencies haven’t been able to collect direct evidence about whether Mohammed ordered the killing of Khashoggi or if his intention was to have Khashoggi captured and taken back to Saudi Arabia, circumstantial evidence points to the prince’s involvement. (New York Times)

3/ Mike Pompeo said the U.S. will give Saudi Arabia “a few more days� to investigate the death of Khashoggi while the Saudi royal family looks for an explanation that doesn’t implicate Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Pompeo said the Saudis could be trusted to “conduct a complete, thorough investigation,� because they “made a personal commitment to me, and the Crown Prince also made a personal commitment to the president.� Asked if his administration was trying to give the Saudis room to come up with an explanation absolving Mohammed, Trump said: “I’m not giving cover at all. They are an ally.� (NBC News / Washington Post / Politico /

1/ Robert Mueller is expected to issue findings after the midterm elections on whether Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia and if Trump obstructed justice during the probe. Rod Rosenstein has indicated that he wants Mueller’s probe to conclude as soon as possible. The findings may not be made public since Mueller can only present the findings to Rosenstein, who can then decide what is shared with Congress and what is publicly released. Trump, meanwhile, has signaled that he may replace Jeff Sessions and there are rumors that Rosenstein could resign or also be fired by Trump after the election. (Bloomberg)

2/ Rosenstein defended Mueller’s investigation as “appropriate and independent,� contrasting Trump’s description of the probe as a “witch hunt� and “rigged.� Rosenstein added that the investigation has revealed a widespread effort by Russians to interfere in the 2016 presidential election. (Wall Street Journal)

3/ A senior Treasury Department employee was charged with leaking confidential government reports about suspicious financial transactions related to Paul Manafort, Rick Gates, the Russian embassy and accused Russian agent Maria Butina. Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards disclosed suspicious activity reports related to Mueller’s investigation of possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 election campaign and Russia. SARs are submitted by banks to alert law enforcement to potentially illegal transactions. (Reuters /

1/ Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman will support a “thorough, transparent, and timely investigation� into the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump, meanwhile, tweeted that Bin Salman “totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate.� Trump sent Pompeo to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom was preparing to acknowledge that Khashoggi died at the consulate as a result of an interrogation that went wrong. (Politico / Reuters / New York Times)

Just spoke with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate. He was with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo...

...during the call, and told me that he has already started, and will rapidly expand, a full and complete investigation into this matter. Answers will be forthcoming shortly.

2/ Trump said that Saudi Arabia being blamed for the disappearance Khashoggi is “another case of “guilty until proven innocent.� Trump has vowed “severe punishment� if the Saudis killed Khashoggi, but he’s also speculated that “rogue killers� could be responsible. Trump added: “We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I’m concerned.� (Associated Press / Wall Street Journal)

3/ The body of Jamal Khashoggi was cut into pieces after he was killed two weeks ago at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according to a Turkish official. Saudi Arabia has insisted that Khashoggi left the building alive, but police searching the Saudi Consulate found evidence that Khashoggi was killed there. An autopsy specialist carrying a bone saw was among 15 Saudi operatives who flew in and out of Istanbul the day Khashoggi disappeared. (CNN / New York Times / Associated Press)

1/ Trump suggested that “rogue killers� may be responsible for the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi because King Salman “firmly denied any knowledge� of what happened. “It sounded to me like maybe these could have been rogue killers,� Trump said. “Who knows?� During an interview with “60 Minutes,� Trump said that even though the Saudis denied involvement in Khashoggi’s disappearance, it was still possible that they were responsible. “We’re going to get to the bottom of it, and there will be severe punishment.� (New York Times / Politico / CBS News)

2/ The Saudis are preparing to admit that Khashoggi’s death was the result of an interrogation gone wrong. Previously, Saudi authorities had maintained Khashoggi left the consulate the same afternoon of his visit, but provided no evidence to support the claim. Multiple sources said the Saudis are discussing a plan to admit that Khashoggi was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, but that the operation was carried out without clearance in an effort to absolve Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of responsibility by giving him plausible deniability to say he didn’t order the killing and didn’t know about it.(CNN) / NBC News)

3/ Jared Kushner appears to have paid almost no federal income taxes from 2009 to 2016. Kushner used a tax-minimizing loophole that kept his tax bill low by reporting real estate losses based on “significant depreciation,� according confidential financial documents. Nothing in the documents indicate that Kushner broke the law. Despite Kushner Companies being profitable, Kushner has been losing money for years as far as the IRS is concerned, because the losses were driven by depreciation. Real estate investors deduct a portion of the cost of their buildings from their taxable income every year. (New York Times)

1/ The Trump administration is considering new rules to separate parents and children at the U.S.-Mexico border. One option is for the government to detain asylum-seeking families together for up to 20 days, then give parents a choice to stay in family detention together or allow children to be taken to a government shelter so relatives or guardians can seek custody. Some inside the White House and Department of Homeland Security are concerned about the “optics� of the so-called “binary choice� option. (Washington Post)

2/ Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross discussed adding a citizenship question to the U.S. census with Steve Bannon and Kris Kobach despite previously saying he hadn’t spoken with anyone at the White House about the addition. Ross original claimed that a citizenship question would allow the government to better enforce the Voting Rights Act, which is meant to protect voters from discriminatory policies. However, emails reveal that Ross was instead concerned that not adding a citizenship question “leads to the problem that aliens who do not actually ‘reside’ in the United States are still counted for congressional apportionment purposes.� (Washington Post)

3/ Wilbur Ross shifted his explanation for adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census, saying he now recalls discussing it with Steve Bannon. Ross faces a court order to provide a deposition to the plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to remove the question from the census. (New York Times / NPR / Politico)

4/ Trump could fire Jeff Sessions and then replace him with a temporary attorney general who would then reduce Robert Mueller’s budget “so low that his investigation grinds to almost a halt.� Matthew Whitaker made the comments in July 2017. Trump is considering as many as five candidates to replace Sessions if he leaves as attorney general, including Whitaker. Trump declined to deny that he is considering replacing Sessions with Whitaker, but he has talked with Whitaker about replacing Sessions in the past. (Washington Post)

5/ Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington filed a Hatch Act complaint against Sarah Huckabee Sanders for using her official government Twitter account to tweet a photo of herself with Kanye West, who was wearing a “Make America Great Again� hat in the Oval Office. The Hatch Act prohibits any executive branch employee from “us[ing] his official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with or affecting the result of an election.� (The Hill / CREW)

poll/ 51% of Americans disapprove of Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supre...