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First Read's Morning Clips: An interesting development in Missouri

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day
Image: Claire McCaskill
Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP

MIDTERM MADNESS: “O’Dear” — look who’s jumping into Missouri’s Senate race

2020: Some Democrats are not happy with Kamala Harris’ “no” vote on a compromise immigration bill, POLITICO writes.

AZ-SEN: Rand Paul will campaign for Kelli Ward today.

CA-GOV: What’s up with Amanda Renteria’s late bid for governor? Plenty of folks in California are scratching their heads, writes KQED.

IL-SEN: The AP writes that Todd Rokita has spent about $3 million in public money on media campaigns and mailers, usually before elections.

MD-SEN: The Baltimore Sun asks: Is Chelsea Manning’s run for real? She says she doesn’t plan to run TV ads and that “we don’t want to raise millions.”

MO-SEN: Independent candidate Craig O’Dear is jumping in the race, and it could mean a headache for both McCaskill and Hawley.

ND-SEN: Kevin Cramer is advertising a major announcement and rally today.

OH-SEN: Rand Paul is endorsing Mike Gibbons over Jim Renacci.

PA-18: A new poll from Monmouth shows a very, very close race.

SC-4: Outspoken pro-Trump pastor Mark Burns is running for Trey Gowdy’s seat, NBC’s Ali Vitali reports.

TN-SEN: ICYMI: A poll funded by the Senate Conservatives Fund showed Blackburn leading Corker 49 percent to 26 percent.

CNN reports that Blackburn met with White House officials on Wednesday.

VA: A top GOP state lawmaker has changed course and now supports expanding Medicaid, increasing the chances that the program could finally be expanded.

UT-SEN: He’s in. Here’s Mitt Romney’s Senate announcement video.

If elected, Mitt Romney will be a junior senator — but will it matter?

The Washington Post writes that some are looking to Mitt Romney to carry John McCain’s torch abroad.

Is there any way Romney can lose?

TRUMP AGENDA: Mueller interview Bannon over multiple days this week

In the New Yorker, Ronnan Farrow describes Trump’s alleged affair with former Playmate Karen McDougal. He writes that “Trump and his allies used clandestine hotel-room meetings, payoffs, and complex legal agreements to keep affairs—sometimes multiple affairs he carried out simultaneously—out of the press.”

NBC’s Leigh Ann Caldwell sums up last night’s failed immigration bills in the Senate.

Carl Hulse, in the New York Times: “After raising expectations of an elevated, old-school clash of ideas, the Senate delivered a dud, a major disappointment to those hoping to see a revived Senate confront the tough, politically charged issues by hashing them out on the floor.”

From NBC’s Hallie Jackson: Steve Bannon was interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller over multiple days this week.

The Washington Post compares how Trump and Obama addressed school shootings.

No, there have not been 18 school shootings in 2018.

ICYMI: Trump’s inaugural committee paid out $26 million to a friend and adviser of Melania Trump.

VA chief David Shulkin says political appointees are trying to force him out.