BREAKING: Gunmen Target Coptic Christian Pilgrims in Upper Egypt.

CHANGE: Trump slaps ‘tough’ sanctions on Venezuela, targets gold sector.

The White House imposed “tough” new sanctions against Venezuela on Thursday, denouncing Caracas as being part of a “troika of tyranny” that includes Cuba and Nicaragua.

National Security Advisor John Bolton told an audience at Miami Dade College that the sanctions would particularly target Venezuela’s gold sector, which “has been used as a bastion to finance illicit activities, to fill its coffers and to support criminal groups.”

Bolton, a longtime foreign policy hawk, said the elections of far-right Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and conservative Ivan Duque in Colombia were “positive signs for the future of the region” that demonstrate a regional commitment to free markets and “accountable governance.”

“The troika of tyranny in this hemisphere will not endure forever,” Bolton said in prepared remarks, referring to Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

“Like all oppressive regimes and ideologies, it too will meet its demise.”

I’m not convinced of the wisdom of sanctioning a failing regime and creating potential scapegoats, but Bolton isn’t wrong about the “troika of tyranny.”

LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: Tents, Rocks, Rifles and Much, Much More. “What is interesting about this presser is that 2 networks cut away from Trump’s speech or as Politico describes it, Trump’s ‘fiery remarks’.”

HMM: Early vote totals in at least 17 states already surpass 2014 turnout at this point.

In some cases, early and absentee vote totals are on track to double since four years ago. The numbers are so high in some states that early voting may exceed total vote counts — including Election Day tallies — from four years ago.

The heightened participation reflects in part a surge of interest among Democrats, who stayed home in large numbers in 2014, when Republicans took control of the Senate and widened their control of the House.

But data from several battleground states with marquee Senate or governor’s races show Republicans are also very engaged — as much as they were four years ago — suggesting many hard-fought races could be even closer than surveys are predicting.

That’s fine, but if I were king for a day, in no particular order I’d:

• Require photo ID to vote
• Outlaw early voting/voting by mail
• Absentee ballots only in case of travel or medical necessity
• Paper ballots only
• No same-day voter registration
• Purple fingers
• Mandate nationwide purge voter rolls every five years — if renewal is good enough for drivers licenses, it’s good enough for voter registration

Did I miss anything?

OH: Report: Some In New Migrant Caravan Heading To US Have Weapons, Guns, Molotov Cocktails. “Three hundred Salvadorans left the nation’s capital of San Salvador on Sunday, according to a report from Reuters. The report details how law enforcement is struggling to deal with the new group, which is allegedly using violent tactics against Mexican border agents.”

That’s the behavior of an invading horde, not a caravan of migrants.

HMM: In deep-red Kansas, a House race poses a test for Trump and Pelosi.

Here in the 2nd Congressional District of Kansas, Republicans are mounting a furious push to save a seat that has been in their party’s control for a decade — one of two seats in this deep-red state that President Donald Trump won by more than 20 points but could flip to the Democrats come Election Day. The GOP gave an opening to Democrats with the retirement of Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins and nominated a political novice who has faced serious questions about whether he inflated his resume — all the while facing an experienced Democrat who is raising far more money than his opponent.

But while a victory here could help flip the House to the Democrats — and help make Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California the speaker again — it also underscores the challenges for a party on the cusp of returning to power. Democrats like Davis are running away from their party’s leader — and may need to continue keeping their distance from their leadership to hold on to their seats in conservative districts.
First, though, Pelosi will have to win the gavel — without the support of Democrats like Davis.

“There isn’t a circumstance in which I’m going to support Pelosi,” Davis told CNN in Lawrence, Kansas. “I think Democrats generally are going to have to figure out who’s the candidate that can get to 218 votes.”

Whether or not Davis would vote for Pelosi, a vote for Davis is almost certainly a vote for Pelosi.

PRIVACY: Senator Wyden wants to jail execs who don’t protect consumer data.

UGH: Trump Admin Poised to Cave on Iran Sanctions.

Senior State Department officials working on the Iran issue are said to have convinced Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to permit Iran to remain connected to the international banking system, providing a key lifeline to Tehran as its economy teeters on the brink of collapse.

While President Donald Trump vowed to enforce a bevy of new sanctions, senior officials in both the State and Treasury Departments caved to pressure from European allies and Iran, officials confirmed to the Washington Free Beacon.

Iran is now set to continue doing business on the international banking system known as SWIFT, sources said. Additionally, the Trump administration will grant waivers to several countries allowing them to continue purchasing Iranian oil, another concession that the administration once said would not take place.

These concessions, pushed by European allies seeking to keep doing business with Iran as the United States readies new sanctions on Nov. 4, have sparked outrage among Iran hawks on Capitol Hill and among some within the administration who have been pushing for a hardline on Iran.

What a mess.

BY THE NUMBERS: Tech Workers Bankroll 2018 Dems: 96 Percent at Google, 95 Percent at Facebook, 89 Percent at Amazon.

STEPHEN KRUISER: My Path to Political Zen in the Age of Outrage. “I decided to write about my journey and the result is ‘Straight Outta Feelings (Political Zen in the Age of Outrage)’, which is now available on Amazon. It is a relatively short, retroactive examination that begins during the primaries and goes through to the present, examining how I went from being a Trump skeptic to thoroughly enjoying almost every single thing he does to aggravate the Democrats and their media puppets.”

UPDATE (FROM GLENN): Here’s the Kindle link.

NEWS I HOPE YOU CAN’T USE: Why You Shouldn’t Store Random Stuff In Your Oven.

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Sex For Speed Bumps? “Catherine Padilla just wanted her city government to install speed bumps in her neighborhood to slow down cars and make her subdivision safer. The Town Council eventually voted to pay for the speed bumps after she presented a petition signed by 71% of the residents in the area, but Padilla says one member of the council – Lantana Mayor David Stewart – said he could guarantee the vote if she agreed to have sex with him.”

I suppose that’s one way to service your constituents.

PAULA BOLYARD: Ohio SoS Candidate Who Moved to Keep Trump Off 2020 Ballot Vows to ‘Impact’ Election if She Wins. “A down-ticket race that hasn’t garnered much national attention — but should — is the contest to be Ohio’s next secretary of state. Two state lawmakers, Republican Frank LaRose and Democrat Kathleen Clyde, are vying for the position that the Democratic candidate has said could impact the 2020 presidential election.”

It’s as though they’re not even trying to hide the fact that they cheat anymore.

CHANGE? We’re the Organizers of the Google Walkout. Here Are Our Demands.

Today at 11:10 a.m. in every time zone in which the protest is taking place, employees at nearly two thirds of Google’s global offices are walking out of their offices. We, the seven core organizers of today’s Google Walkout, represent thousands of Google employees in our call to demand change.

All employees and contract workers across the company deserve to be safe. Sadly, the executive team has demonstrated through their lack of meaningful action that our safety is not a priority. We’ve waited for leadership to fix these problems, but have come to this conclusion: no one is going to do it for us. So we are here, standing together, protecting and supporting each other. We demand an end to the sexual harassment, discrimination, and the systemic racism that fuel this destructive culture.

We are building on the work of others. Many at Google have been advocating for structural change for years. It’s their legacy and leadership that made this moment possible. We are a small part of a massive movement that has been growing for a long time. We are inspired by everyone from the women in fast food who led an action against sexual harassment to the thousands of women in the #metoo movement who have been the beginning of the end for this type of abuse.

So today, over 60 percent of all Google offices, and thousands of Google employees will walk out, around the world.

Their demands include:

• An end to Forced Arbitration

• A commitment to end pay and opportunity inequity

• A clear, uniform, globally inclusive process for reporting sexual misconduct safely and anonymously

It will be interesting to see if this is just some doomed-to-fizzle-out moral preening, or perhaps one of the biggest-ever cases of the Left eating its own.

TWITCHY’S SARAH D.: God forbid the media stop humping their own leg for two seconds and actually do their job.

Plus, loads of Iowahawk.

SUSTAINABILITY: Treasury Sees 2018 Borrowing Needs Surging to $1.34 Trillion.

OH: Denver Public Schools Proudly Admits to Sharing the Same ‘Values’ as Left-Wing Anti-Christian SPLC.

HEY MAN, NICE SHOT: US warship shoots down missile in space with ballistic ‘kill vehicle.’

Photos at the link, and they’re dramatic.

WOW: European business holds the trump card on Iranian sanctions.

Since the president pulled out of the JCPOA, the EU has been working feverishly behind the scenes to protect the relationship between Europe and Iran, including publicly calling for a special purpose vehicle to help businesses avoid American sanctions, and the implementation of a blocking statute also intended to protect European businesses. The EU goal is to continue with the Iran deal alone, without the U.S., by creating a financial channel between their central banks with the Central Bank of Iran. The Trump administration has made it clear, however, that they will compel the Europeans to comply with the new sanctions— either by carrot or by stick.

This means one more rift in the transatlantic alliance. But for the Trump administration, a new and unexpected ally has emerged: European business. The American ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, has made pressuring Germany on Iranian sanctions his signature issue. While European governments were making heated announcements about their opposition to the American sanctions, major German companies began announcements of their own: They are leaving Iran, ceasing projects, ceasing to sell auto parts, etc. From the perspective of a corporate CEO, the decision is clear. On the question of doing business in the U.S. or Iran, they choose the American market. In fact, these same CEOs have reportedly made it clear to Ambassador Grenell that not only will they comply with sanctions, but in fact they are not supportive of the EU government’s talk of evading said sanctions.

It’s great to have European businesses coming on board, but this mess proves that Obama and Kerry lied about sanctions ever “snapping back.”

BOL-ILL-VARIAN REPUBLIC: Venezuela’s Health Crisis Is Crossing the Border. “The collapse of Venezuela’s health system has turned what was once Latin America’s richest nation into an incubator for malaria, yellow fever, diphtheria, dengue and tuberculosis, as well as the virus that causes AIDS.”

The diseases, many of which had been considered all but eradicated, are now cropping up beyond Venezuela’s borders—including in this Amazon city 600 miles away.

Earlier this year, Elainy Portela watched with alarm as measles reappeared with a vengeance. Telltale red rashes covered six children near her home in Manaus, just off the highway used by Venezuelans escaping misery at home.

The highly contagious airborne disease was declared vanquished here 18 years ago. In March, the city had four possible cases. But by early October, there were nearly 1,000 people with measles here and about 2,000 total for this state, Amazonas, and in neighboring Roraima, all having originated with infected Venezuelans who crossed into Brazil, the Health Ministry said. Twelve people have died.

But only uncaring monsters are opposed to socialism.

TONY KATZ: Racist Hall Pass For Joe Donnelly and Hillary Clinton. “The mainstream media never holds their preferred friends to account. Rather, they prefer to pretend it never happened; holding their friends to the standard they demand from others might hurt their friends, and the implementation of their shared ideology which, ironically, ostensibly includes being opposed to racism and bigotry.”

Ostensibly being the key word — and do read the whole thing.

ROBERT SPENCER: The Pittsburgh Shooting and Islamic Apologists’ Cognitive Dissonance. “They condemn anti-Semitism, but believe in a book teeming with it.”

HEH: Trump’s Medicare chief tweeted a shirt with ‘Medicare for All’ on it and called it ‘this year’s scariest Halloween costume.’

UGH: CDC confirms 10 new cases of rare polio-like neurological condition.

TIM BERNERS-LEE: Father of Web says tech giants may have to be split up.

“What naturally happens is you end up with one company dominating the field so through history there is no alternative to really coming in and breaking things up,” Berners-Lee, 63, said in an interview. “There is a danger of concentration.”

But he urged caution too, saying the speed of innovation in both technology and tastes could ultimately cut some of the biggest technology companies down to size.

“Before breaking them up, we should see whether they are not just disrupted by a small player beating them out of the market, but by the market shifting, by the interest going somewhere else,” Berners-Lee said.

Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Facebook have a combined market capitalization of $3.7 trillion, equal to Germany’s gross domestic product last year.

That’s an incredible figure.