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Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Trump survives media firestorm and rough debate, but Ryan undercuts him

Fox News Guest Breaks Down Discussing Trump’s ‘Sexual Assault’ Language: ‘It’s Just Not OK’

After 48 hours of sheer media h**l, Donald Trump lived to fight another day.

And all of the pundits and news organizations that filled the airwaves and websites with speculative chatter about whether he might drop out are looking a little silly today. That was never going to happen.

Nor, as it turned out, was Mike Pence leaving the ticket or Kellyanne Conway quitting the campaign.

Conway, in fact, tweeted this in response to CNN reported that Pence never considered bowing out: So, this actually ISN"T #BreakingNews unless you"d convinced yourself rumor, innuendo, conspiracy & the telephone game are news.

Sitting there in St. Louis about 20 minutes into the ugly opening of the debate, I didnt think things looked good for Trump. Having endured virtually nonstop covering of the decade-old Access Hollywood tape in which he boasted of being a celebrity who could grope womens genitals at will, the Republican nominee staged a bizarre, dimly lit news conference with Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey and Juanita Broaddrick, and then brought Broaddrick to the debate. The message to Hillary Clintonyour husbands sexual misconduct is worse than my sexual embarrassmentsseemed to accomplish little more than dragging the evening into the gutter.

Sure, Trumps supporters must have cheered at seeing him try to pivot from apologizing for what he called locker room talk to an attack on the Clintons characterbut its not clear how that approach would attract new voters to Trumps cause.

Still, he battled his way to a strong performance in the rest of the debate, and Clinton spent much time on the defensive as the focus shifted to her record. Plus, she had used most of her ammunition in the first debate, so her attacks sounded a bit more rehearsed.

Even an over-the-top verbal assaultTrump not only vowing to name a special prosecutor to pursue Clinton but snapping that if he won she would be in jaildid little to derail him, except among critics in the media.

But Trumps off-the-mat performance failed to stem the tide of criticism from big-name Republicans who had been abandoning him in droves over the weekend. Word quickly leaked when Paul Ryan held a GOP conference call that he would no longer defend Trump but would concentrate on saving the partys House majority. The P-word tape had finally pushed the speaker, with his tepid backing of Trump, to cancel a weekend appearance and bail on the standard-bearer.

Trump fired back on Twitter: Paul Ryan should spend more time on balancing the budget, jobs and illegal immigration and not waste his time on fighting Republican nominee.

Such intramural sniping took the gloss off what should have been a good morning-after for Trump. Some Republicans are furious at Ryan for making the story about him and undercutting the only nominee the party has. Others say the party is smart to try to contain the down-ballot damage and wonder how many lawmakers will follow Ryan. A Wall Street Journal/NBC poll taken after the Access Hollywood flapbut before Sundays debategives Clinton a 46-35 lead over Trump.

Trump, of course, is here because he ran against the entire Republican establishment and beat 16 contenders. Now he may finish the race the way he started it, on his own.

Howard Kurtz is a Fox News analyst and the host of "MediaBuzz" (Sundays 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET). He is the author of five books and is based in Washington. Follow him at @HowardKurtz. Click here for more information on Howard Kurtz.

Source: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/10/11/trump-survives-media-firestorm-and-rough-debate-but-ryan-undercuts-him.html

Dancing with the Stars" Jana Kramer: Why I Thought I Was Going Home

Jana Kramer - I Hope It Rains (Official Music Video)

Country singer Jana Kramer is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars, and shes blogging about season 23 exclusively for PEOPLE. Follow Kramer and her partner Gleb Savchenko, both 32, on Twitter!

Last week was a big week for me.

It was probably the first week I went out on that dance floor, really let go and enjoyed being out there. I was really happy with how our dance went. That said, I still have to concentrate. The judges are starting to get more nit-picky in their critiques and they arent judging us with kids gloves on anymore. They are looking at me as a dancer, not just a celebrity trying to dance. Thats nice, but also nerve-wracking.

Making it even more nerve-wracking was how well everyone else scored last week. Laurie Hernandez totally deserved her perfect score, but I remember looking at Gleb and saying, We have to step up our game! And Terra Jol is a really good friend, but when she got the seasons first 9, I looked at her and said, Girl, I am so proud of you! But, man, I have to get my stuff together! Im definitely a very competitive person and want to step it up and join them at the top.

Ray Tamarra/GC Images

The elimination show on Tuesday was a crazy night. We werent really sure how they were going to reveal the two couples going home. So when Babyface was eliminated, we all were trying to listen carefully to hear what Maureens fate was. Then when she was safe, we all started doing the math as people joined her in safety. I was backstage with Cheryl Burke counting the couples on our hands to see who was left. We started getting really nervous because none of us were ready to go home.

Being in the bottom two, I was really scared. I know Vanilla Ice has a really large fan base and brings something different to the show and I really thought I was going home. But I was so grateful to be saved.

It was particularly important to me to make it to Most Memorable Year week, which is the theme for tonight. Its always been my favorite night on the show because the viewers get to learn so much more about the celebrities and dive into the layers beneath the surface.

I chose to honor the birth of my daughter with my contemporary dance tonight.

I love contemporary because I feel like I can really feel the emotion in every move. I know I have to concentrate on the moves and keeping my shoulders down and all the other technical aspects (like the lifts, which have me bruised all over my body) but at the end of the day, tonight is about celebrating my daughter and how much she means to me which is the world!

Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Source: http://people.com/tv/dancing-with-the-stars-jana-kramer-why-she-thought-she-was-going-home/

As Election Day looms, Republican Party faces crisis conditions

Death Cab For Cutie - "Million Dollar Loan" [Official Video]
So everything is on course, and I want you to understand that, Priebus assured RNC members.

The party chairmans pep talk may have helped some Republican officials feel a little better, but the fact remains that everything is clearly not on course.

Priebus call came on the heels of House Speaker Paul Ryans (R-Wis.) latest efforts to distance himself from his partys controversial presidential nominee, which came on the heels of a weekend in which dozens of Republican officials, including several sitting senators and governors, withdrew their support for Trump, called for his removal from the ticket, or both.

By midday yesterday, Trump had turned to Twitter to take a shot at Ryan, while Foxs Sean Hannity, one of Trumps closest allies, was telling his audience that the House Speaker and his allies are done though they dont know it yet.

It was around this time that Trumps Republican backers protested outside RNC headquarters one carried a sign that read, Better to grab a p***y than to be one at a gathering that was reportedly organized by Trumps state director in Virginia, who was later removed from his post.

At Trump campaign headquarters, meanwhile, the candidates chief spokesperson is threatening the party with an alarming warning: Trump voters will reject down-ballot Republicans. That followed the presidential hopefuls campaign manager defending Trumps 2005 remarks on sexual assault by arguing that members of Congress are themselves guilty of sexual assault.CNNs Corey Lewandowski, Trumps former campaign manager, has decided to lash out at Priebus, calling him a weak and failed party leader.

Away from Washington, Rep. Joe Heck (R), the Republican U.S. Senate candidate in a very competitive Nevada race, has pulled his support for Trump, which late yesterday prompted Nevadas RNC committeewoman to renounce Hecks candidacy.

Theres no great mystery here: If Republican officials stick with Trump, they risk being dragged down with him. If they run the other way, the rabid Republican base will turn on them. The result is strife and chaos in a party lacking any semblance of leadership.

The Washington Post reported that Republican politics tumbled toward anarchy yesterday, and quoted a former GOP senator saying, Its every person for himself or herself right now.

Two years ago, Republicans took control of Congress, a majority of state legislatures, and a majority of governors offices. Party leaders believed, by the fall of 2016, theyd be poised for complete national dominance.

Instead, a GOP civil war is slowly unfolding, instigated in part by a ridiculous presidential nominee with no loyalty to his party, putting Republicans gains at risk up and down the ballot.

When Trump secured the partys nomination several months ago, many Republicans assumed the worst that could happen would be his defeat. They badly underestimated the scope of the damage his candidacy could do.

Source: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/election-day-looms-republican-party-faces-crisis-conditions

Brown: Election day voter registration limits gone, but why wait

Ne-Yo -- On Election Day ... Drake Is My Plan B

In case you missed it, a federal appeals court last week restored Election Day in-precinct voter registration in Illinois most populous counties, slamming the door on a Republican effort aimed at holding down the Democratic vote in Cook County.

Having sounded the alarm on this issue previously when U.S. District Judge Samuel Der-Yeghiayan called a halt to Election Day registration at the polling place, I feel some responsibility to make sure everyone has the final outcome.

The U.S. Court of Appeals Seventh Circuit stayed Der-Yeghiayans ruling last week and announced it would wait until after the election to consider arguments in the underlying case.

Lawyers from the conservative Liberty Justice Center, which filed suit on behalf of Downstate Republican officials challenging the states Election Day registration law, said Monday they will not appeal the briefing schedule set by the court.

The effective result is that voters will be allowed to register to vote and cast their ballots on Nov. 8 in 2,092 precincts in Chicago and 1,599 precincts in suburban Cook, as originally planned.

OPINION

The same requirement also extends to Illinois next 19 most populous counties, including all of the collar counties. Election Day registration, is allowed, but not required, in the states other 82 counties.

The courts decision to proceed with Election Day registration removes a major headache for local election officials here and potential cost to taxpayers that would have resulted from trying to create alternative centrally located registration sites at the last minute.

The Illinois law is one of many measures enacted around the country in recent years to increase voter turnout by removing impediments to voting.

More than 110,000 voters across the state used Election Day registration in the March primary, about half of them here in Cook County. The consensus was that the system worked well.

Having said that, if you know youre not registered to vote, do yourself and everybody else a favor and dont wait until Election Day to take care of that. You dont want to be that guy in line slowing down everybody else.

Tuesday is the deadline for traditional voter registration, oryou can still register online until Oct. 23 if you have a drivers license or state ID card.

But if you do wait until Election Day to register, make sure you bring two pieces of identification, including something that shows your current address. Thats a requirement.

After writing about this previously, I know there is a belief in some corners that those who register on Election Day are either procrastinators or cheaters.

Election officials will tell you that many, if not most, of the people who benefit from Election Day registration believe they are properly registered but for some reason are not.

Maybe they moved and forgot to change their registration or assumed, incorrectly, that it followed them to their new address. Maybe they were incorrectly bumped from the voting rolls.

Either way, they deserve to vote.

As far as cheating, Id never tell you it couldnt happen, but its a very rare form of voter fraud to impersonate a registered voter.

None of those arguments were at stake in the court case, which challenged the Illinois law on the basis that requiring Election Day registration in only the 20 largest counties favored Democratic candidates.

Smaller counties objected to Election Day registration because it would require an added expense in equipment and staffing. Only one of the smaller counties is expected to offer the program voluntarily in November.

To the extent that may create an inequity, the federal court believes thats a problem that can wait until after the election to resolve. Thats one less excuse not to vote.

Source: http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/brown-election-day-voter-registration-limits-gone-but-why-wait/

Ryan Lochte Engaged to "Playboy" Model Kayla Rae Reid

Lochte Is Engaged To Model Kayla Rae Reid!

7:43 PM PDT 10/9/2016 by THR Staff

Ryan Lochte is engaged.

The Olympic swimmer and current Dancing With the Stars competitor announced his engagement to Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid on Sunday night.

He posted a photo of the two kissing, with a view of the ocean as a backdrop, on both Instagram and Twitter. The photo was shot at an angle that showed Reid"s engagement ring.

Lochte was embroiled in a scandal this summer after it was revealed that he lied about being robbed at gunpoint along with three other swimmers while they were in Brazil for the Olympics.

During the premiere of ABC"s DWTS in September, two protesters rushed the stage in a protest against Lochte. Last week, prosecutors charged the two men with interfering with a performance and leaving a spectator area and entering a stage, both misdemeanors.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ryan-lochte-engaged-playboy-model-936755

Florida State moves up nine spots in latest AP Poll

ESPN FIRST TAKE (9/19/2016) AP POLL: MSU UP TO NO. 8, UM KEEPS NO. 4 SPOT

Wayne and Corey breakdown Florida State"s big win over Miami. Wayne McGahee III

Oct 8, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Brad Kaaya (15) is sacked by Florida State Seminoles linebacker Jacob Pugh (16) during the first half against at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports(Photo: Steve Mitchell, Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)

Florida State"s come from behind victory against No. 10 Miami made a big impact with the voters who moved the Seminoles from No. 23 to No. 14 in this weeks AP Poll. They defeated then No. 10 Miami 20-19 on the road.

The Seminoles are the biggest mover in the poll moving up nine spots. Virginia Tech moved up eight spots after their win over North Carolina. Miami dropped from No. 10 to No. 16 with the loss.

The Top-5 of the poll remained the same.

1. Alabama

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Michigan

5. Washington

Florida State still has two Top-25 opponents remaining on the schedule with No. 3 Clemsonand No. 18 Florida. The Seminoleshave played three teams currently ranked inside the Top-25.

The Seminoles are now the highest ranked team in the state of Florida ahead of Miami and Florida.

To view the rest of the poll click here.

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Source: http://www.tallahassee.com/story/nolesports/fsu/2016/10/10/florida-state-moves-up-nine-spots-latest-ap-poll/91853678/

Paul Ryan Needs Trump More Than Trump Needs Ryan

FiveThirtyEight: Assuming Trump wins Iowa

House Speaker Paul Ryan is not a big fan of Donald Trump that much is clear. He refused to back Trump during the Republican primaries and then held out on endorsing him even after Trump became the presumptive nominee. But eventually, Ryan did get behind Trump. And now, even after video of Trump bragging about being able to commit sexual assault has come to light, Ryan said he wont defend Trump, but he has refused to unendorse the GOP nominee. Trump responded by attacking Ryan on Twitter.

A reasonable person might ask why, if Ryan was reluctant to support Trump to begin with, the speaker of the House isnt washing his hands of the whole Trump campaign.

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But the answer is simple: Republican voters like Trump; Ryan risks losing the support of rank-and-file GOPers if he hits Trump too hard.

Trump is more popular among Republicans right now than Ryan is. In the most recent YouGov poll, for example, Trumps net favorability rating (the percentage of respondents who rate him favorably minus the share who have an unfavorable opinion) among Republican primary voters was +36 percentage points. Ryans was just +16 points. Perhaps more telling is that Trumps very favorable rating among this group is 34 percent, while Ryans is only 13 percent.

This means two things. First, Ryan really doesnt have as much credibility among Republicans as Trump does. Second, if forced to choose, Republicans would almost certainly choose Trump over Ryan.

Indeed, weve already seen Ryan struggle when he and Trump tussle. Take a look at Ryans net favorability among Republican primary voters since the Iowa caucuses in early February. Ive taken a five-poll rolling average of YouGov polls since that time.

Although the data is somewhat noisy (as we would expect when looking at a subpopulation), the pattern is fairly clear. Ryan is about as popular now as he was at the beginning of the primaries, but his favorability dipped to its lowest point right around the time he was refusing to endorse Trump after Trump wrapped up the nomination. Indeed, more Republican primary voters had a negative view of Ryan than a positive view in the YouGov poll conducted immediately after Trump became the presumptive nominee. It was only after endorsing Trump that Ryan regained some of his likability among Republican primary voters.

Should Ryan care about his popularity among Republicans nationwide given that he is only on the ballot in Wisconsin? The most immediate concern for Ryan is that, in a broad sense, he represents congressional Republicans. If Trump fans feel that Republicans in Washington arent backing Trump, it could cause them to withhold support from Republican candidates for the House and Senate. And if they get elected, these candidates could feel pressure from Trump-fan constituents not to back Ryan for re-election as House speaker.

Ryan might also want to run for president one day. Whether Republican officials in Washington like it or not, Trump voters are a large portion of the Republican base (thats why Trump won). Ryan may need their support to win the nomination and the general election. Otherwise, he might end up well, exactly where Trump is right now: As a GOP nominee bleeding Republican support.

Source: http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/paul-ryan-needs-trump-more-than-trump-needs-ryan/