Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

THE LATEST

We did the math: Donald Trump really is talking more about butts and bodies.

• The president has referenced physical appearance almost three times as much in the past year as he did during the same period in the 2016 campaign, The Washington Sun’s Andrew Van Dam and Manuela Silva report.

A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from creating and airing ads using taxpayer dollars — just weeks after a separate ruling from another court froze federal funds from being used for the estimated $20 million advertising campaign.

Dolores Huerta, who co-founded the United Farm Workers union to improve working conditions in the nation’s fruit and vegetable fields, has died at 96.

THE ADMINISTRATION

The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady in the central bank’s last move before the midterm elections, which have been dominated by affordability concerns.

Mike Waltz, Trump’s ambassador to the U.N., confirmed a Cuban diplomat is being expelled from the U.S. after a shouting match on the floor of the General Assembly yesterday.

The Iran war has cost American taxpayers $47.1 billion, the Pentagon estimates.

THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

Democrats insisted they weren’t involved in recruiting an Alaska Senate candidate who shares the same name as their Republican opponent, Sen. Dan Sullivan. According to a new report from The New York Times, that claim might not be true.

• Trump called for legal consequences for Mary Peltola on Truth Social this afternoon, adding that “Dan Sullivan should be allowed to run without either Mary Peltola or FAKE Dan Sullivan on the Ballot.”

Soon after Minnesota’s Democratic primary, one pollster noticed that statewide candidates, including Senate nominee Peggy Flanagan, were barely polling ahead of their Republican opponents in the blue state.

Democratic presidential hopefuls are swinging through New Mexico, now an early primary state. Could Sen. Ben Ray Luján become a party kingmaker?

THE COURTS

A federal judge ruled that Republican Bill Essayli is not legally serving as the top U.S. prosecutor in Los Angeles.

A federal judge scolded prosecutors for their unorthodox handling of a criminal case against two former FBI officials involving a laptop the DOJ says belonged to Hunter Biden.

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kelly Poe and Erik Schutz. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.

Sign up for our Congress newsletter launching Nov. 9: The Stakeout.