Trump doesn't think he's 'ever even heard of a Category 5' hurricane.

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump said Sunday that he's "not sure that (he's) ever even heard of a Category 5" hurricane, despite four such storms having threatened the US since he took office.

"We don't even know what's coming at us. All we know is it's possibly the biggest. I have -- I'm not sure that I've ever even heard of a Category 5. I knew it existed. And I've seen some Category 4's -- you don't even see them that much," Trump said at a briefing with officials at FEMA's headquarters in Washington, DC.

"But a Category 5 is something that -- I don't know that I've ever even heard the term other than I know it's there. That's the ultimate, and that's what we have unfortunately," he added, in reference to Hurricane Dorian.

The comments from the President came just before Dorian, a dangerous Category 5 storm, made landfall on the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas. The storm is the most recent of four Category 5 hurricanes to hit parts of the US since Trump assumed the Oval Office.




https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/01/politics/donald-trump-category-5-hurricane-dorian/index.html?utm_term=image&utm_medium=social&utm_content=2019-09-01T20%3A03%3A07&utm_source=twCNNp

Seth Ator identified as Texas shooter.

More later.

The Senate suddenly looks like it's up for grabs in 2020

WASHINGTON — This week the 2020 Senate landscape grew a bit more interesting as Georgia’s Johnny Isakson announced he was resigning at the end of the year. That put another Republican-held seat on the battleground list — the second one in Georgia — and added more evidence that control for the upper chamber of Congress is very much in play.

The Senate campaign map that is coming into view is looking more and more like a "good news," but not "great news" situation for Democrats. The party needs to net only four seats to get to a 51-49 majority in the Senate and the list of seats that Republicans need to defend is growing — but there are not a lot of easy marks.

In essence, the Democrats' path to recapturing the Senate seems to be growing clearer, but it’s not necessarily growing easier.


https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/senate-suddenly-looks-it-s-grabs-2020-n1048706?cid=public-rss_20190901

Democrats' focus on the White House may be crowding out the statehouse -- and it might cost them big

But the focus on state capitals is difficult to maintain in an era when Washington is demanding so much attention.

"Most Americans don't get push news alerts on their phone when something outrageous happens in their state legislature," said Ben Wikler, a former top MoveOn.org official who was recently elected chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Now, Democrats say their infrastructure for state races is better than it has been in years. But they worry the party's energy and money is already getting sucked into the 2020 presidential race.

"The presidential is the brightest, shiniest prize out there. It's hard to compete with that," said Lala Wu, who in the wake of Trump's election left her job at a major law firm to co-found Sister District, which focuses on state races.

"We're definitely seeing the fruits of many peoples' efforts to raise the profile of states and how important they are. But now that the presidential is coming, there are some donors who tell us that their No. 1 priority is 2020 and that's the only thing that matters to them," Wu said. "We think that's a bit shortsighted. A president is elected for four years; redistricting is in place for 10."



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/democrats-focus-white-house-may-be-crowding-out-state-house-n1038936
0

Democrats' focus on the White House may be crowding out the statehouse -- and it might cost them big

But the focus on state capitals is difficult to maintain in an era when Washington is demanding so much attention.

"Most Americans don't get push news alerts on their phone when something outrageous happens in their state legislature," said Ben Wikler, a former top MoveOn.org official who was recently elected chairman of the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Now, Democrats say their infrastructure for state races is better than it has been in years. But they worry the party's energy and money is already getting sucked into the 2020 presidential race.

"The presidential is the brightest, shiniest prize out there. It's hard to compete with that," said Lala Wu, who in the wake of Trump's election left her job at a major law firm to co-found Sister District, which focuses on state races.

"We're definitely seeing the fruits of many peoples' efforts to raise the profile of states and how important they are. But now that the presidential is coming, there are some donors who tell us that their No. 1 priority is 2020 and that's the only thing that matters to them," Wu said. "We think that's a bit shortsighted. A president is elected for four years; redistricting is in place for 10."



https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/democrats-focus-white-house-may-be-crowding-out-state-house-n1038936

Election 2019: Democrats look to flip Virginia state legislature narrowly controlled by Republicans

WASHINGTON — There's a big election just two months away in Virginia, where Democrats are hoping to flip both state legislative chambers that are currently controlled by Republicans with razor-thin margins.

Democrats need to win only two seats each in the state House and Senate on November 5 to win complete control of the former Capital of the Confederacy after making better-than-expected gains in the commonwealth's last odd-year election in 2017.

Democrats now control every statewide office, but the GOP-run legislature has stymied the party's agenda, as has a string of scandals by its leaders. So Democrats say they're now making a bigger investment earlier than they have in the past.

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, the party's official campaign arm for state races, has now completed sending $1 million in early money intended to help hire staff, recruit candidates, and build the party's infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the Michael Bloomberg-backed gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety has pledged to spend another $2.5 million after the Republican-controlled legislature abruptly canceled a special session on guns called by Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam after a mass shooting. Democratic groups Priorities USA and EMILY’s List also plan to spend $600,000 on a digital campaign.

“We made huge gains in 2017 and this November, we’re going to do whatever it takes to win both chambers in Richmond," DLCC President Jessica Post said in a statement, referring to Virginia's statewide elections two years ago and the 2018 midterms.

Democrats also noted that the top five or so donors in the state so far this year are mainly supporting Democrats, a change from years past.




https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/meet-the-press/live-blog/meet-press-blog-latest-news-analysis-data-driving-political-discussion-n988541/ncrd1047961#liveBlogHeader

Pink Floyd - Mother

By the way, there was a mass shooting last night in Alabama.

Seventeen-month old child among Midland/Odessa casualties.