With just over a week to go until Election Day, both sides are feeling the heat.
On the left, the biggest concern is complacency—or, more accurately, that was the biggest concern, at least until FBI Director James Comey sent his ill-conceived letter to Congressional Republicans on Friday.
Comey's unprecedented interference in the election has left Democrats feeling deeply troubled—and with good reason.
Meanwhile, on the right, the concerns are—to be blunt—totally fucking crazy.
Donald Trump's supporters have convinced themselves that the polls are all rigged; that dead people will be coming out in droves to vote for Hillary Clinton; that voter fraud is widespread; and, that an international consortium of Jews is somehow responsible for all of this.
Bottom line: Looks like this would be the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
Morning lineup:
Meet the Press: Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence; Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook; Roundtable: Andrea Mitchell (NBC News), Republican Strategist Mike Murphy, Audie Cornish (NPR) & Larry Kudlow (CNBC).
Face The Nation: Vice President Joe Biden (D); Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence; Roundtable: Susan Page (USA Today), Ben Domenech (The Federalist), Patrick Healy (New York Times) & Amy Walter (Cook Political Report).
This Week: Democrtic Vice Presidential Nominee Tim Kaine; Trump Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway; Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA); Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA); Roundtable: E.J. Dionne (Washington Post), Jonathan Karl (ABC News), Republican Strategist Ana Navarro, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (D) & Matt Schlapp (American Conservative Union).
Fox News Sunday: Republican Vice Presidential Nominee Mike Pence; Clinton Campaign Manager Robby Mook; Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA); Roundtable: George Will (Washington Post), Gerald F Seib (Wall Street Journal), Republican Strategist Lisa Boothe & Charles Lane (Washington Post).
State of the Union: Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta; Trump Campaign Manager Kellyanne Conway; Democratic Strategist David Axelrod; Republican Strategist Mark McKinnon Roundtable: Former South Carolina State Rep. Bakari Sellers (D), Rep. Xavier Beccera (D-CA), Republican Strategist Alice Stewart & Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC).
Evening lineup:
60 Minutes will feature: an interview with Abdirizak Warsame, a 21-year-old Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to ISIS (preview); an interview with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D) about legalizing recreational marijuana (preview); and, a report on music created by inmates and their guards at a prison in Malawi, Africa (preview).
Late night shows:
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Monday: Actress Ruth Wilson; Actor JB Smoove; Paranormal Investigators The Ghost Brothers.
Tuesday: Actor/Director Mel Gibson; Actor Luke Bracey; Pop Duo Tegan & Sara.
Wednesday: TV Host Michael Strahan; Actor Nick Kroll; Musician Aaron Lewis.
Thursday: Actor Aaron Eckhart; Comedian Tig Notaro; Journalist Ron Suskind.
Friday: Actor Viggo Mortensen; Comedian Patton Oswalt.
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Monday: Guests TBA; Tuesday: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice; Wednesday: Actor Kal Penn; Thursday: Hip-Hop Artist Common.
Other:
President Obama will be appearing on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on Monday.
And, due to popular demand, Obama will be appearing on Real Time with Bill Maher on Friday.
Elsewhere...
Fox News host Bill Hemmer cheered the news that more whites and fewer blacks were early voting in Ohio than in 2012.
Fox News host Bill Hemmer called it "good news" that more whites were casting votes in Ohio while "the black share of the vote is down."
On Tuesday, Hemmer found a silver lining for Republicans in the midst of national polls showing Donald Trump significantly behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
"I'm looking at early voting," Hemmer told RNC Communications Director Sean Spicer. "You have good news in Ohio, white share of the vote is up 3 points from four years ago, black share of the vote is down 7."
Meanwhile...
Sean Hannity generously offered to pay to send President Obama back to Kenya when his term is over.
Fox News host Sean Hannity doesn't just want President Barack Obama out of the White House come 2017. He wants him out of the country altogether.
The conservative commentator on Tuesday offered to pay for a one-way flight to Kenya for the president and his family, harkening back to the false birther conspiracy that resurfaced on the 2016 presidential campaign trail.
"I have an offer for the president. I will charter a plane for you and your family," Hannity said on his daily radio show. "I will charter it to the country of your choice. You want to go to Canada? I'll pay for you to go to Canada. You want to go to Kenya? I'll pay for you to go to Kenya. Jakarta [in Indonesia], where you went to school back in the day, you can go back there."
Hannity added one condition: Obama "can't come back."
And, finally...
Donald Trump mistook his African-American for a "thug" and had him forcibly removed from a rally.
Nash County resident C.J. Cary arrived at the Kinston Jet Center Wednesday night in eager anticipation of a Donald Trump rally.
Cary says he wanted to deliver a note to Trump urging him to be less offensive and more inclusive to four demographic groups: black people, women, people with disabilities and college students.
Cary, an African-American, says he’s an ex-Marine who also worked in Afghanistan as a civilian for the U.S. Army.
He walked his way toward the front rows, stood about 20-30 feet from the stage and shouted "Donald" while waving his document to try to get Trump's attention.
"He entirely mistook that and thought that I was a protester," Cary said.
Trump's response: "Were you paid $1,500 to be a thug?" Cary was escorted out.
The end is near.
– Trix