| The Presidential Daily Brief |
IMPORTANT
November 5, 2018
President Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a campaign rally Sunday in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Source: Getty
Trump Marks Final Midterm Campaign Stretch With Fury

In the lead-up to Tuesday’s nationwide vote that Democrats hope will turn the tide in their favor, President Donald Trump is firing up his Republican base over immigration and casting his political opponents as dangerous. So impassioned has the president been that some Republicans fear his fiery rhetoric could backfire in key districts: “Trump has hijacked the election,” said one House aide. Meanwhile, strategists are preparing for a possible split in which Democrats retake the House while Republicans retain control over the Senate.

Sources: WSJ (sub), Washington Post, Politico
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Iran Defiant as US Reimposes Sanctions

President Hassan Rouhani pledged his country would “proudly break” the measures against Iran’s oil, shipping and financial sectors after they officially resumed today, following President Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement earlier this year. To keep global oil prices stable, eight countries — which reportedly include top exporters China, Turkey and Japan — have been granted temporary exemptions from the sanctions. Meanwhile, thousands of Iranians chanted “Death to America” at a Tehran rally yesterday that marked the anniversary of the seizure of the U.S. Embassy during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Sources: Reuters, BBC, Al Jazeera
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Migrant Caravan Pushes Toward Mexico City

How far will they go? The first several hundred people of the Central American migrant caravan heading toward the U.S. border reached Mexico’s capital yesterday, where they sought shelter at a stadium and received donations from local residents. “I have nothing,” said one 21-year-old traveler. Reports have emerged about divisions within the group over how far to trek each day, while frustrations mounted over the weekend after the governor of Veracruz reneged on a promise to provide 160 buses to transport the migrants to Mexico City.

Sources: USA Today, BBC
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Drug Kingpin 'El Chapo' Faces US Trial

Joaquín Guzmán stands accused of dozens of murders as well as smuggling 200 tons of cocaine into the U.S. during his 20-year career. After escaping prison twice in Mexico, the notorious cartel boss was extradited in 2017 and will be tried by a federal court in New York City, where jury selection begins today. Prosecutors claim two of his sons retain control over his drug empire, and have expressed concerns about witness safety. Meanwhile, Guzmán’s lawyer told OZY he’s prepared to cast his client as more legitimate than the witnesses against him.

Sources: OZY, NY Post, AP
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Briefly

Know This: Georgia secretary of state and Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Kemp has accused local Democrats of attempting to hack the state’s voter registration system. A Ukrainian activist has died in the hospital after being severely injured in an acid attack this summer. And the U.S. and South Korea have resumed military drills days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to hold another round of talks with North Korea.

Read This: Despite increasingly prevalent claims that celery juice works wonders for the body, nutrition experts appear to be more measured about its positive effects.

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INTRIGUING
Adventurer Swims Around Mainland UK in World First

That’s going with the flow. Ross Edgley swam into history books yesterday after completing a 157-day journey around the entire 1,780-mile British coast. The 33-year-old adventurer, who had previously rope-climbed the height of Mount Everest, began his epic swim on June 1. Each day, Edgley swam for 12 hours, averaging around 11 miles while consuming the caloric equivalent of five Christmas dinners. He battled jellyfish stings and strong currents, while his tongue partially disintegrated from exposure to seawater — but Edgley said, “I’m still not bored of swimming.”

Sources: The Independent, Euronews
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Taiwan the Latest Flash Point in US-China Tensions

“Taiwan is China’s core interest.” So said Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe last month, highlighting the new level of diplomatic risk the U.S. faces by backing the independence of the Beijing-claimed island. While Taiwan has long been a thorn in relations between the two countries, recent months have seen a series of confrontations between Beijing and Washington in the Asia-Pacific region. Experts say it’s part of a new reality in which the two global powers no longer conceal the fact that they’re major adversaries.

Sources: OZY
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Fluorescent Marker Could Help Surgeons Remove Brain Cancer

They’re lighting the way. A recent British trial involving 99 patients with suspected glioma, the most common form of brain cancer, found that a chemical compound called 5-aminolevulinic acid accumulates in fast-growing, high-grade cancer cells — and glows pink when exposed to light. The glowing marker allows surgeons to more accurately identify and remove as many cancer cells as possible while avoiding healthy brain tissue. Researchers hope the development will extend glioma patient survival, which is currently “often measured in months rather than years.”

Sources: The Telegraph, Science Daily
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Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh to Join Missouri Trump Rally

The conservative media stalwarts will join President Trump at a campaign stop tonight in Cape Girardeau, Missouri — his last before Tuesday’s midterm elections. Hannity’s employer, Fox News, only said the anchor will interview Trump while hosting his show from the rally. Limbaugh, meanwhile, is a Cape Girardeau native. In its announcement yesterday, the Trump campaign called both men “longtime friends” and “strong advocates for the President’s America First agenda.” In Missouri’s high-profile Senate race, Republican Attorney General Josh Hawley is challenging Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill.

Sources: Variety, The Hill
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Mary Keitany Wins 4th NYC Marathon

The 36-year-old Kenyan regained her title — after placing second behind Shalane Flanagan last year — winning yesterday’s race with a time of 2 hours, 22 minutes, 48 seconds. Only Norwegian Grete Waitz, a nine-time champion, has won more New York women’s titles. Keitany ran the last 13.1 miles in a remarkable 1:06:58 and also clocked the second-fastest women’s time in event history, 17 seconds short of the record. Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa won the men’s race and mirrored Keitany’s second-place speed record for the event.

Sources: USA Today, Runner's World
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