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In Trump country, Republican candidates this year fall flat

October 15, 2018

by Michael Scherer, Robert Costa | The Washington Post

Midway through another raucous arena rally last week, President Trump offered a revealing aside about Rep. Lou Barletta, the Republican he recruited to jump into Pennsylvania’s Senate race.

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Trump Weighs Action Against Saudis as Khashoggi Denials Continue

October 15, 2018

by Jennifer Jacobs, Jennifer Epstein, Nick Wadhams, Zainab Fattah | Bloomberg News

Saudi Arabia is running out of time to explain to the Trump administration what happened to journalist Jamal Khashoggi within its consulate in Turkey.

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Trump, Calling Mattis a Democrat, Opens the Door to His Departure

October 15, 2018

by Nancy Youssef | The Wall Street Journal

President Trump said that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis could be considering whether to step down from his post and that he sees the Pentagon chief as “sort of a Democrat,” a veiled critique of one of his most popular cabinet secretaries.

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Trump vows ‘severe punishment’ if U.S. determines Saudi Arabia killed Khashoggi

October 13, 2018

by Philip Rucker | The Washington Post

President Trump vowed “severe punishment” for Saudi Arabia if the United States determines that Saudi agents killed Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, calling the journalist’s suspected murder “really terrible and disgusting.”

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White House considers two female ambassadors to replace Haley at U.N.

October 13, 2018

by Eliana Johnson, Daniel Lippman, Gabby Orr | POLITICO

The White House is adding two high-profile women, both confirmed ambassadors, to the list of candidates to succeed Nikki Haley at the United Nations, according to two senior administration officials: Jamie McCourt and Kelly Knight Craft.

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Missing Journalist Was an Insider Willing to Cross Saudi Red Lines

October 13, 2018

by Nancy Youssef, Margherita Stancati | The Wall Street Journal

The mystery surrounding Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2, has drawn scrutiny to the Saudi government’s efforts to silence critics at home and abroad.

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‘Who doesn’t want to be a celebrity?’: Democrats ponder the stars in challenging Trump in 2020

October 12, 2018

by Ashley Parker, Robert Costa | The Washington Post

On Sunday, Taylor Swift endorsed two Tennessee Democratic candidates for Congress — one for the Senate, the other for the House — and urged her millions of followers to register to vote. On Thursday, Kanye West joined President Trump for a lunch visit at the White House, capped by a choice expletive in the Oval Office. And this weekend, Alec Baldwin, known for spoofing Trump on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” is headed to New Hampshire to speak at a fundraising dinner for Democrats.

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Turkish court orders release of U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson

October 12, 2018

by Erin Cunningham | The Washington Post

A Turkish court convicted American pastor Andrew Brunson of aiding terrorism on Friday but sentenced him to just time served and ordered his immediate release.

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Senators warn Congress may block Trump's Saudi arms deals

October 12, 2018

by Manu Raju, Ted Barrett, Jeremy Herb | CNN

President Donald Trump said Thursday he wants to move forward with major arms deals with Saudi Arabia, but senators from both parties are warning that Congress may block these accords from going forward.