SUPREME COURT CORNER … -- ALEX ISENSTADT and MARC CAPUTO: "Trump-world clashes over Barrett vs. Lagoa": "Donald Trump's looming Supreme Court decision is dividing the president's political orbit between the pragmatists and the purists. "One camp is dominated by the GOP operative class overseeing the party's electoral efforts, including the president's own campaign advisers and donors. The imperative is to do anything possible to win the election, and Barbara Lagoa would be an undeniable boon, they say: a Florida-based, Cuban-American jurist from a must-win state, who might also help the president in Hispanic-heavy Arizona and Nevada." "The other, led by White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, consists of religious and movement conservatives. They want a can't-miss pick -- someone who carries the lowest possible risk of becoming the next John Roberts or, worse, David Souter. The obvious choice to them is Amy Coney Barrett, an acolyte of former Justice Antonin Scalia who's been groomed for decades to ascend to the high court and is seen as having the inside track. "The two sides aren't openly warring; instead, disagreements are surfacing in their attempts to bend the president's ear and generate favorable media coverage for their preference. But the discord reflects the GOP's conflicting priorities six weeks out from an election that Trump could well lose." ONE THING WE KEEP HEARING is that LAGOA can't be too good for conservatives, since she was confirmed by the Senate in a bipartisan 80-15 vote in 2019. BARRETT was confirmed 55-43 in 2017 -- a party-line vote. -- BURGESS EVERETT and ANDREW DESIDERIO: "Senate Republicans bet it all on the Supreme Court — again": "With their majority increasingly in peril and Joe Biden demonstrating a durable lead over President Donald Trump, GOP senators are trying to make 2020 a sequel to their surprising win four years ago. In 2016, Republicans credited Mitch McConnell's decision to block Merrick Garland's appointment with delivering Trump the presidency -- as well as saving the Senate GOP majority. … "'A Supreme Court debate right before an election is good for us,' said Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is facing a surprisingly strong challenge from Democrat Jaime Harrison. 'It's a right-of-center nation, certainly in South Carolina it is. It's an event that will matter in these races.'" -- NYT, NEWS ANALYSIS, A19, by PETER BAKER: "With Nothing Else Working, Trump Races to Make a New Supreme Court Justice the Issue": "To a president lagging in the polls, the chance to fill a Supreme Court vacancy has become a political lifeline, a chance to mobilize supporters and talk about something, anything, other than the coronavirus that has killed 200,000 Americans. … "With the future of Roe v. Wade presumably on the line, the confirmation fight will certainly inject abortion into a race that had not focused on it until now. Anti-abortion voters have long been a bedrock of the Republican coalition and often more devoted to casting ballots on that issue than their counterparts. But polls show the broader electorate supports retaining Roe v. Wade, and Democrats hope that if the ruling appears to be threatened it will activate voters who support abortion rights." -- CNN'S MANU RAJU: "Democrats weigh how to handle Trump's potential Supreme Court pick after past flap over Barrett's faith" -- HEATHER CAYGLE, MEL ZANONA and SARAH FERRIS: "Pelosi wrestles with House factions ahead of Supreme Court confirmation fight": "The California Democrat is under pressure to placate an animated liberal base eager to battle Republicans over filling the seat of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the waning weeks before the election. "Pelosi also must attempt to appease a coalition of vulnerable moderate Democrats, desperate for a coronavirus relief deal they see as key to their reelection. These centrist Democrats are worried the Supreme Court fight could overshadow any negotiations, not to mention make the party seem extreme. "Both factions see their priorities as key to delivering Democrats sweeping power in the House, Senate and White House next year. Whether Pelosi can keep her sprawling caucus from splintering in the month before the election will be critical." -- JOHN HARRIS column: "McConnell Is On The Losing Side of History -- And He Knows It" FASCINATING READ … NYT'S MAGGIE HABERMAN, DANNY HAKIM and NICK CORASANITI: "The Green Party's Biggest Fan? In Some States, It's the G.O.P.": "In Wisconsin, a G.O.P. elections commissioner and lawyers with ties to Republicans tried to aid attempts by Howie Hawkins, the current Green Party presidential candidate, to get on the ballot there, which were ultimately unsuccessful. In Montana, state regulators found that the Republican Party violated campaign finance laws as part of an effort to boost the Greens in five down-ballot races, including for senator and governor. "And in Western Pennsylvania, petitioners from Florida and California were brought in to gather signatures for Mr. Hawkins by an outside firm whose actions Mr. Hawkins and the party said they could not account for. Mr. Hawkins also did not make the ballot there. … "Republican efforts to aid the Green Party are not new. I n 2016, a billionaire backer of President Trump, Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, provided support to Jill Stein, the Green candidate, according to people with knowledge of the strategy, who said the effort was done with the knowledge of some officials at the Trump campaign and its chairman at the time, Paul Manafort. (Mr. Manafort was subsequently convicted of eight counts in an unrelated financial fraud trial.)" THE NEW HANGING CHAD … HOLLY OTTERBEIN in Philadelphia: "Pennsylvania election officials warn of 2000 Florida redux": "'Naked ballots' are fast shaping up as 2020's equivalent of hanging chads. After the state Supreme Court ruled Thursday that mail-in ballots sent without a proper envelope — known as naked ballots — cannot be counted, Pennsylvania election officials are sounding the alarm that upwards of 100,000 votes could be tossed out in November in this key battleground state. "In 2016, Pennsylvania saw one of the closest finishes in the nation: Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton here by only 44,000 votes. Now, the prospect that more than twice that number of ballots might be disqualified is sending shudders through the Democratic establishment in a state where recent polls show Joe Biden's lead is within single digits." POLITICO ESSENTIAL DAVE WEIGEL READING … WAPO: "The 50 political states of America" WSJ: "Cindy McCain Formally Endorses Biden," by Tarini Parti: "Cindy McCain, the wife of the late GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona who was a frequent critic of President Trump, officially endorsed Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden Tuesday night. "'My husband John lived by a code: country first,' Mrs. McCain said in a statement and in a series of tweets. 'We are Republicans, yes, but Americans foremost. There's only one candidate in this race who stands up for our values as a nation, and that is Joe Biden.' Mrs. McCain added that although she and Mr. Biden didn't always agree on issues, 'he is a good and honest man. He will lead us with dignity.'" NYT'S JONATHAN MARTIN interviewed MCCAIN: "Asked whether she had considered Mr. Trump's reaction to her endorsement of Mr. Biden, Ms. McCain said she would just 'laugh it off' if the president attacked her in one of his '5 in the morning' tweets. … Ms. McCain, asked whether she would support Ms. McSally, who has consistently trailed in the polls behind Mark Kelly, the Democratic challenger, flatly said no. 'I have no interest in it,' she said." -- @jmartNYT: "The lineup of prominent Ariz Repubs poised to stand w @JoeBiden in the state: @cindymccain, @JeffFlake, Jim Kolbe, @GrantWoods. No other state has such big-name current and former Rs for Biden." AP'S WILL WEISSERT in Wilmington, Del.: "'Bidin' his time': Joe Biden battles being chronically late": "Joe Biden was running late. Again. "On a recent Friday, he'd already apologized for the delayed start to a speech, then taken more questions than expected at a subsequent press conference. When it was finally over, Biden's motorcade sped away quickly enough to leave behind one of the journalists traveling with it. "But as the line of armored, black SUVs reached Biden's home in suburban Wilmington, it suddenly reversed course and headed back out — this time to a nearby M&T bank branch. Biden's next event was already supposed to be underway, a virtual fundraiser with National Democratic Finance Chair Chris Korge. Instead, he lingered at an ATM. The former vice president later told the donors gathered online that he was sorry to have been waylaid by a 'significant press conference.' He omitted the stop to withdraw pocket money." | 
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