1. Democrats are very optimistic about taking control of the U.S. House of Representatives in today’s election, with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi saying she’s 100 percent sure of a Democratic victory, although it looks like Republicans might hold on to the U.S. Senate, the Washington Post$ reports. Democrats are buoyed by two major polls released on Monday: CNN showed a 13-point lead for Democrats and a George Washington University showed an 8-point advantage.
2. However, if control of the House comes down to Congressional races in California, it could take a while before we’ll know for sure if Democrats have done won, because of the state’s slow process of tabulating mail-in ballots, reports Andrew Sheeler of the Sacramento Bee$. The state’s mail-in ballot system, designed to maximize turnout, results in numerous people turning in their ballots on Election Day, which then don’t get counted for a week or more.
3. Charter school, health care, and landlord groups backing ex-Obama aide Buffy Wicks have outspent committees supporting Richmond Councilmember Jovanka Beckles by more than a 3-1 margin in the East Bay’s Assembly District 15 race, Richmond Confidential reports. “Political committees have spent $1,380,600 to promote Wicks, according to the campaign finance reports. That’s far more than the $434,364 spent by political committees behind Beckles’ candidacy.”
4. Fox News hosts gave up any pretense and campaigned publicly last night with President Trump, BuzzFeed News reports. Fox News’ Sean Hannity took the stage with Trump in front of a cheering crowd in Missouri on Monday night.
5. And the American Academy of Pediatrics is calling for a ban on spanking children, saying it does more harm than good, reports Jill Tucker of the San Francisco Chronicle$. The physicians’ group also recommends against “hitting, slapping, threatening, insulting, or shaming” kids.
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