Mastriano Turns To Fasting And Jesus To Rescue Drowning Campaign

A lot of things happened. Here are some of the things. This is TPM’s Morning Memo.

Thoughts And Prayers

Today is the start of GOP Pennsylvania gubernatorial nominee Doug Mastriano’s “40 days of fasting and prayer” campaign that’s set to end on Election Day, as you can see here:

• But you can’t really blame Mastriano for turning to divine intervention at this point: His (non-fasting) campaign isn’t doing so hot polling-wise and money-wise to the point where, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, he’s going on podcasts and asking Americans living abroad to send him cash.

Jan. 6 Panel To Meet With Ginni Thomas This Week

House Jan. 6 Committee chair Bennie Thompson (D-MS) told CNN yesterday that the panel is set to meet with far-right activist Ginni Thomas, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife, for her voluntary interview sometime this week (he didn’t give an exact date).

• Thompson also said that the committee hasn’t figured out a new date for its next hearing, which got postponed due to Hurricane Ian. He did say he doubted it’ll happen next week, though.
• Thomas’ lawyer announced that his client had agreed to a voluntary interview last week, several months after the attorney told the committee that it needed a “better justification” to get Thomas’ testimony.

Damage Assessment Begins After Hurricane Ian

We’re just now getting the first post-storm reports from Southwest Florida, where Category 4 Hurricane Ian swept ashore.

• In a sobering but unconfirmed early report, the Lee County sheriff said on national TV that while he doesn’t have confirmed numbers, “fatalities are in the hundreds” and thousands of people are awaiting rescue.

• Sanibel is cut off from the mainland after a section of the causeway was wiped out.
• About 2.5 million Floridians are currently without power.
• Ian brought record levels of storm surge and inland flooding.

• Here, warm your heart with some hurricane animal rescue content:

Trump Uses Hurricane To Dodge Deposition

The ex-president, facing a class-action lawsuit accusing him and the Trump Organization (and his adult children) of a fraudulent marketing scheme, insisted on doing his Friday deposition at Mar-a-Lago, and oh no, look at that, there’s a major hurricane keeping the plaintiffs’ lawyers from flying down to hold the deposition! Now the deposition deadline is Oct. 31! Darn!

Alito Can’t Believe Anyone Would Question SCOTUS’ Legitimacy

After gleefully dismantling Roe, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Tuesday harrumphed at fellow Justice Elena Kagan’s warning that the high court is at risk of losing its legitimacy when justices make their decisions based on their personal beliefs.

• “Saying or implying that the court is becoming an illegitimate institution or questioning our integrity crosses an important line,” Alito complained to the Wall Street Journal.
• Also, Alito, a devout Catholic, held a Q&A at ​​the Catholic University of America on Tuesday in which the justice said his faith made him aware of how SCOTUS’ decisions have a “real impact on the world.”

Must Read

“‘Putin Is a Fool’: Intercepted Calls Reveal Russian Army in Disarray” – The New York Times

New Mind-Boggling Trump Tales Brought To You By Maggie Haberman

Here are some of the fever dream moments in New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman’s upcoming book about Trump (per outlets that have received the book in advance, including CNN, the Washington Post, the Daily Beast, and Rolling Stone):

• He told then-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) in 2016 that he didn’t want to disavow white supremacist supporters (i.e. David Duke) too quickly because he was worried about losing their support. “A lot of these people vote,” Trump said.
• Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) suspected in 2019 that Trump had called her while pretending to be a Washington Post reporter. The call came soon after Trump had publicly attacked Dingell’s recently deceased husband, and the purported journalist–whose voice sounded like Trump’s–asked the congresswoman if she wanted an apology from the then-president.
• He proposed bombing drug labs in Mexico as a way to crack down on drug smuggling at the border. He proposed it several times, in fact.
• He declared in 2019 that he would “just sue” Congress if it impeached him over his Ukraine aid pressure campaign.
• He almost fired his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, Jared Kushner, as White House advisers via Twitter at one point. ​​Then-White House chief of staff John Kelly convinced Trump to hold off on canning his own family over social media, and he urged the then-president to speak to Ivanka and Kushner directly (he never did).

Katie Couric Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Reporter Katie Couric revealed on Wednesday that she was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer in July and had the tumor removed several weeks afterward. She said she finished her last round of radiation on Tuesday.

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