The FBI’s investigation into Anthony Weiner’s misdoings yielded more Hillary Clinton emails, reminding us that “politics” comes from the Greek, “polis” which means “guys misbehaving with their penises.” Donald Trump tried to speak Hindi in a new campaign video, though it must’ve been a challenge for the campaign to find out how to say “taco bowl” in that language. And Mark Kirk apologized for falsely and inappropriately quipping that Tammy Duckworth’s ancestors “came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington.” We can’t wait for Trump to praise those brave Thai heroes for not being captured. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Friday, October 28th, 2016:
EMAIL!!!1! - Whatever Hillary Clinton was trying to hide by setting up a private server, it couldn’t have been worse than what happened as a result. New York Times: “Emails from Hillary Clinton’s private server were found after the F.B.I. seized electronic devices once shared by Anthony D. Weiner and his estranged wife, Huma Abedin, a top aide to Mrs. Clinton, federal law enforcement officials said Friday. The F.B.I. is investigating illicit text messages that Mr. Weiner, a former Democratic congressman from New York, sent to a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. The bureau told Congress on Friday that it had uncovered new emails related to the Clinton case — one federal official said they numbered in the thousands — potentially reigniting an issue that has weighed on the presidential campaign and offering a lifeline to Donald J. Trump less than two weeks before the election.” [NYT]
Of course it’s Anthony Weiner. Of course it is.
CLINTON CAMP PRETTY PISSED AT JIM COMEY - The FBI chief’s vague letter to Congress about Clinton’s email stuff was the ship that launched a thousand bad takes. Michael McAuliff: “Hillary Clinton’s campaign fired back at the director of the FBI Friday for once again digging into the investigation of her private email server, demanding explanations and calling the announcement 11 days before the election ‘extraordinary.’ … Clinton campaign Chairman John Podesta fired off a statement questioning the timing and downplaying the news. He also demanded that the bureau release full details of the information it has uncovered.” [HuffPost]
TRUMP’S INTO IT - Reigniting this email business is just what Trump needed to win over Clinton voters who hate orange racist authoritarian misogynists but hate private email servers even more. Arthur Delaney: “Clinton’s email use has been a major Trump talking point since he announced his candidacy last year, and he has blasted the FBI for not recommending prosecution of his Democratic opponent. ‘I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the Department of Justice are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made,’ Trump continued. ‘This was a grave miscarriage of justice that the American people fully understood. It is everybody’s hope that it is about to be corrected.’” [HuffPost]
And yes, Trump’s crowd did chant “Lock her up.”
BAN MEN - Elise Foley and Arthur Delaney: “The first U.S. presidential election to feature a woman nominee from a major party is being dominated by news of men behaving badly….. It’s only the most recent news this month related to the sexual impropriety of a high-profile man…. Hillary Clinton has not been accused of sexually assaulting or harassing anyone. Other than Trump’s offhand remark that he doesn’t ‘think she’s loyal to Bill,’ she hasn’t been accused of sexual impropriety, either.” [HuffPost]
TRUMP IS STILL GROSS - Ryan Grim: Revenge has been a fixture of Donald Trump’s corporate speeches for years. It almost always comes up as he offers advice to his audience on how to succeed in business, and usually includes a Rosie O’Donnell anecdote. But at one speech in Sydney in October 2011, he decided to give the audience a live example of what revenge looks like by calling a woman he felt had slighted him onstage and sexually humiliating her in front of thousands of onlookers.” [HuffPost]
ICYMI, a former Miss Finland says Trump grabbed her perse (thanks Google Translate!) without her consent.
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TRUMP MAKING SERIOUS BANK OFF HIS OWN CAMPAIGN - It’s almost as though he’s a con man and has always been a con man! S.V. Date: “Donald Trump’s campaign may not be winning the presidential race, but it did a fine job this month of providing business to his hotels. Trump’s new hotel in Washington received $13,432, according to new Federal Election Commission filings late Thursday. His hotel in New York City received $18,014. And his hotel in Las Vegas was paid $79,044. The FEC filings cover the first 19 days of October and do not specify precisely what services were provided.” [HuffPost]
TIM KAINE SAYS SENATE DEMS READY TO LAY THE SMACK DOWN - It’s either this, or just not having a judiciary. Sam Stein and Amanda Terkel: “Vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine warned on Thursday that his party would move to eliminate rules allowing a minority of Senate Republicans to block Supreme Court nominees should they refuse to consider those nominated by a future president Hillary Clinton…. ‘I was in the Senate when the Republicans’ stonewalling around appointments caused Senate Democratic majority to switch the vote threshold on appointments from 60 to 51. And we did it on everything but a Supreme Court justice,’ Kaine said. ‘If these guys think they’re going to stonewall the filling of that vacancy or other vacancies, then a Democratic Senate majority will say, “We’re not going to let you thwart the law.”’ Democrats, Kaine ultimately predicted, ‘will change the Senate rules to uphold the law.’” [HuffPost]
SCOTUS IS ACTUALLY TAKING UP A BIG CASE - Eight is enough? Robert Barnes and Moriah Balingit: “The Supreme Court on Friday said it will decide whether the Obama administration may require public school systems to let transgender students use bathrooms that align with their gender identity, putting the court once again at the center of a divisive social issue. School districts across the country are split on how to accommodate transgender students in the face of conflicting guidance from courts, the federal government and, in some cases, state legislatures that have passed laws requiring people to use public restrooms that coincide with the sex on their birth certificates.” [WashPost]
BOO HOO POOR PAUL RYAN - The Speaker is sleeping the bed he made, but his conference might take it away from him. Kelsey Snell and Mike DeBonis: “Conservatives have no plans to compromise next year with Hillary Clinton if she wins the White House and Democrats capture the Senate. They are pushing Ryan to hold the line on spending and other matters, even if it means continued partisan gridlock on Capitol Hill. Some members of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus have crafted a list of demands — including deep spending cuts, changes to House rules and a promise to vote only on bills that have majority Republican backing — in exchange for their support. ‘If the speaker can’t answer yes to those on paper, I’m going to someone who can,’ said Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.). ‘From now on it needs to be on paper, in writing, with a blood oath of some sort pledging your house and mortgage on the line, too.’” [WashPost]
SAD RICH PEOPLE FORCED TO BUY LESSER ELECTIONS - Nicholas Confessore and Rachel Shorey: “With Donald J. Trump facing a potential rout at the hands of Hillary Clinton, a river of cash from some of the Republican Party’s biggest donors has begun to flow down to Senate and House races in the final days of the 2016 campaign. Disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday revealed tens of millions of dollars in late donations and transfers to Republican ‘super PACs’ focused on down-ballot races, suggesting a significant last-ditch effort to protect Senate and House candidates against Mrs. Clinton’s surge. Relatively little new money has come into outside groups supporting Mr. Trump.” [NYT]
MARK KIRK APOLOGIZES FOR BEING TERRIBLE - What chapter of “Game Change” went over the strategy of making a racist comment about your opponent, the disabled veteran, and her military family? Tessa Berenson: “Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk has apologized for mocking his rival Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s Asian heritage during a debate. ‘Sincere apologies to an American hero, Tammy Duckworth, and gratitude for her family’s service,’ GOP Sen. Kirk tweeted Friday.
During Thursday night’s debate, Duckworth, who was born in Thailand and is a veteran who lost both of her legs in the Iraq War, touted her family’s long history of U.S. military service. ‘I had forgotten that your parents came all the way from Thailand to serve George Washington,’ Kirk replied.” [Time]
BIDEN’S DAYS OF COMMUTING FROM DELAWARE ARE OVER - When his term is up next year, he’ll have all the time in the world to finally restore that ‘70 Chevelle in his garage. Elise Viebeck and Paul Kane: “Vice President Biden said Friday he has no intention of joining Hillary Clinton’s administration in a formal capacity if she wins the White House, quashing rumors he was a candidate to become Clinton’s secretary of state. In an interview with a CNN affiliate in Duluth, Minn., Biden said he would help Clinton in any way he can but is not interested in remaining in the administration. Biden’s comments to the news outlet were confirmed by a spokeswoman.” [WashPost]
THE PRECISE MEASUREMENT OF THE DRAPES WAS PROVIDED - Trump, no doubt, is eager to redecorate the White House in leopard skin, gold lamé and statues of himself. Elise Viebeck: “If you want evidence Donald Trump’s presidential transition has not abandoned its efforts, here it is. The leaders of the GOP nominee’s transition team attended a meeting at the White House Friday with the heads of Clinton’s transition effort and 15 heavy-hitters from the Obama administration. Yes, the two transition teams were in the same room, working toward a common goal just a week before Election Day.The group met at the invitation of White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to hammer out the details of the coming exchange of power, including a review of transition preparations in federal agencies.” [WashPost]
BECAUSE YOU’VE READ THIS FAR - Here’s a dog who is suddenly a big fan of Halloween.
CHECK OUT THIS WEIRD TRUMP VIDEO - Ed Mazza: “Donald Trump has released an ad aimed at winning over Indian-American voters, and it’s... well... just watch…. The ad opened with a greeting for Diwali ― the Hindu festival of lights, which starts this weekend ― yet also included an image of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. Trump then vowed to defeat ‘radical Islamic terrorism’ and even attempted a few words in Hindi. ‘Ab ki baar Trump sarkaar,’ he said in the clip, which appeared to have a jump cut toward the end of the phrase. The Washington Post noted that the phrase was similar to the one used by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his campaign: ‘ab ki baar Modi sarkaar,’ which means ‘this time, a Modi government.’” [HuffPost]
COMFORT FOOD
- The world’s most infamous crow (that’s not Jon Snow).
- RIP Vine, here’s a look back at some of the best Vines.
- Just a raccoon enjoying some grapes, man.
TWITTERAMA
@elisefoley: Sometimes I report tweets as abusive just as a joke to myself, as if Twitter would care whether someone refers to me/others as a c***
@sam_baker: The brag-about-sexual-assault man didn’t get very far by bringing up the old, cheating man. Can fallout from the sexting man save him?
@brianbeutler: Trump’s just mad this happened now, when it’s too late to invite a picture of Anthony Weiner’s erection to attend a debate.
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