The Hill’s 12:30 Report — Biden’s last-ditch try to keep the Senate

by Cate Martel - 11/02/22 12:30 PM ET

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–> A midday take on what’s happening in politics and how to have a sense of humor about it.*

*Ha. Haha. Hahah. Sniff. Haha. Sniff. Ha–breaks down crying hysterically.

HAPPENING TONIGHT

Is this thing on?

President Biden is giving a prime-time speech at Union Station tonight to warn about threats to democracy ahead of the midterm elections.

The theme, per the Democratic National Committee: “The threat of election deniers and those who seek to undermine faith in voting and democracy.”

Most timely: The violent attack on Paul Pelosi, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) husband, at their home in San Francisco.

Who is hosting the event: The DNC

The Hill’s Alex Gangitano jumps in with the useful information: “this speech starts at 7pm and World Series game 4 is on at 8:03pm, just for everyone’s awareness. (And, Biden is a Phillies fan.)”

Watch Biden’s 7 p.m. EDT speech live

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT’S LATEST SENATE FORECAST — YIKES, THAT’S CLOSE:

“It’s a dead heat for the Senate,” FiveThirtyEight writes. The graphic of their predictions

AND HAPPENING THIS AFTERNOON:

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is expected to raise interest rates again at a press conference this afternoon.

The gist: “Economists expect a move of three-quarters of a point, and will be looking for signals about when the central bank may ease up on its campaign.”

More on what to expect, from The New York Times

Watch the announcement: It is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT. Livestream

It’s Wednesday. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.

🏥 In San Francisco

Oooof:

The Washington Post’s Aaron C. Davis, Carol D. Leonnig, Marianna Sotomayor and Paul Kane report that U.S. Capitol Police surveillance cameras caught the break-in of Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) San Francisco home, but no one was watching.

Why this is important: “The incident has also put a spotlight on the immensity — and perhaps the impossibility — of law enforcement’s task to protect the 535 members of Congress at a time of unprecedented numbers of threats against them.”

You’re probably wondering if there was security monitoring Pelosi’s home — here’s what we know: “The Capitol Police first installed cameras around Pelosi’s home more than eight years ago; she has an around-the-clock security detail; and for many months after the attacks of Jan. 6, 2021, a San Francisco police cruiser sat outside her home day and night. But hours after Pelosi left San Francisco last week and returned to D.C., much of the security left with her, and officers in Washington stopped continuously monitoring video feeds outside her house.”

What is changing — and still needs to be changed — to protect lawmakers

🗳 On the campaign trail

John Fetterman could still win this thing:

Despite a rocky debate performance last week that raised questions about Democratic candidate John Fetterman’s health, independent strategists and experts say there’s still a path for him to win the Senate race against Republican Mehmet Oz.

What to watch on Wednesday: A new Muhlenberg College poll on the race

Where the race stands after last week’s debate, via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton

ANOTHER FORMER PRESIDENT ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL:

Former President Clinton is campaigning for Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday in Windsor, N.Y.

Look around, that’s me! See that? Me!:

“Former President Trump is setting himself up to take credit for Republican midterm victories next week as he eyes the announcement of a possible 2024 reelection bid before the end of the year.”

Where Trump will be in the next week: Holding rallies in Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania

The risk: “There is risk to the approach, as many of Trump’s favorites are not guaranteed success. Losses in various races could put a blemish on the Trump record, and if Republicans fail to win the Senate, many will blame Trump.”

The reward: “It also sets the former president to take credit for big GOP victories, which he and his supporters hope he can use to build momentum toward a 2024 run.”

Which races Trump has been the most involved, via The Hill’s Brett Samuels

📱 Elon Musk’s Twitter

What’s changing at Twitter?

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has been in charge of Twitter since Friday and already has a slew of changes planned for the social media platform.

Twitter may charge users for a blue verified checkmark: The Verge’s Alex Heath reports that Musk gave employees a week to come up with a plan for a paid Twitter verification feature or they will be fired. What paying for the blue checkmark could look like

Vine may return: Axios’s Sara Fischer and Dan Primack report that Twitter engineers are looking to reboot the retired video platform Vine, potentially by the end of the year. What we know

‘FIVE THINGS ELON MUSK WANTS TO CHANGE ABOUT TWITTER RIGHT AWAY’:

Including changes to content moderation.

The list of changes, via Bloomberg’s Kurt Wagner, Edward Ludlow, and Sarah Frier

‘ARE THE LIBS REALLY LEAVING?’:

“Twitter would have to become functionally worse, and something else would have to be obviously better,” predicts The Atlantic’s Kaitlyn Tiffany. The full read

🩺 In health news

‘RSV is surging. Here’s what to watch for and answers about treatment options’:

CDC via AP

“Temperatures are dropping and the risk of COVID-19 and influenza are up. And for the last few months, patients with a different malady — respiratory syncytial virus, known as RSV — have been overwhelming hospitals. Public health officials warn that come winter there could be a ‘tripledemic.’”

The full story from NPR’s Vanessa Romo

➤ THE COVID-19 NUMBERS

Cases to date: 97.3 million

Death toll: 1,066,351

Current hospitalizations: 19,826

Shots administered: 636 million

Fully vaccinated: 68.4 percent of Americans

CDC data here.

🐥Notable tweets

Mariah, queen of the holidays, is ready for the season!:

Charles Sykes/Invision/AP

Singer Mariah Carey kicked off the official transition from Halloween to the holiday season. Watch her 35-second video

Want to see Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and his family dressed as Mario characters?:

Ask and you shall receive! Photo

⏱On tap

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Washington, D.C. Vice President Harris is in Boston.

9 a.m.: Biden received his daily briefing.
2 p.m.: Harris leaves for Boston.
2:15 p.m.: Biden views workforce training demonstrations by labor unions and leading companies.
6 p.m.: Harris speaks at a campaign event for Massachusetts Democrats.
7:05 p.m.: Harris leaves Boston and returns to Washington, D.C.
Today: First lady Jill Biden is in Pennsylvania campaigning for Democrats.

All times Eastern.

📺 What to watch

1:15 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a press briefing. Livestream
2:30 p.m.: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell holds a news conference where he expected to raise interest rates. Livestream
2:40 p.m.: Biden delivers remarks on infrastructure and training the talent pool for projects related to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act, and Inflation Reduction Act. Livestream
4:30 p.m.: Harris delivers speaks at an Inflation Reduction Act event in Boston. Livestream
7 p.m.: Biden speaks at a Democratic National Committee event at Union Station. Livestream