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First Read's Morning Clips: Team Trump Pivots To Bill Clinton's Scandals

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day.
Image: Donald Trump Sr. and Melania Trump Wedding, Self Assignment, January 22, 2005
Newlyweds Donald Trump Sr. and Melania Trump with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Bill Clinton at their reception held at The Mar-a-Lago Club in January 22, 2005 in Palm Beach, Florida.Maring Photography / Contour by Getty Images

OFF TO THE RACES: Team Trump pivots to Bill Clinton’s sex scandals

From Benjy Sarlin and Alex Seitz-Wald: “Donald Trump doesn't think he's gotten enough credit for not talking about Bill Clinton's history of sexual misconduct in Monday's debate… In a risky move for a thrice-married adulterous nominee, Trump is making a full-on pivot to the former president's sexual misbehavior. While the candidate demanded praise for his winking show of restraint, and top aides say he plans to take "the high road" and focus on jobs — top surrogates have been out in force to raise the issue in explicit terms.”

The Washington Post looks at the debate over whether Hillary Clinton was a devoted defender of her family or an enabler.

Trump’s next round of debate prep? Practice. The New York Times: “Campaign advisers to Donald J. Trump, concerned that his focus and objectives had dissolved during the first presidential debate on Monday, plan to more rigorously prepare him for his next face-off with Hillary Clinton. They intend to drill the Republican nominee on crucial answers, facts and counterattacks, and coach him on ways to whack Mrs. Clinton on issues even if he is not asked about them. Whether he is open to practicing meticulously is a major concern, however, according to some of these advisers and others close to Mr. Trump.”

More, from Katy Tur and Leigh Ann Caldwell: “The debate was a "disaster" for Trump, according to one source close to the campaign. Also dissatisfied with the debate performance were Trump's children, according to a campaign aide, who said they wish campaign leadership had forced him to take it more seriously. There's also worry within the family that the campaign is having an adverse impact on their business. Trump's children deny this.”

From POLITICO: “While the Republican's campaign is marked by light staffing, a scant policy agenda and the nominee’s gut-instinct style on the stump, the Trump transition team led by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has assembled nearly 100 advisers who are weighing details on issues ranging from taxes and national security to decisions on which Obama administration policies should be quickly overturned, according to people familiar with its inner workings.”

The New York Times reports that many conservative evangelicals are despairing in the age of Trump.

Trump again mocked Clinton’s health Wednesday, saying “All those days off, and she can’t even make it to her car.”

And Trump doubled down on not paying taxes, telling Bill O’Reilly “"[Hillary Clinton] said, 'Maybe you didn't pay taxes.' And I said, 'Well, that would make me smart,' because tax is a big payment. But a lot of people say, 'That's the kind of thinking that I want running this nation.' Some people loved that statement, and other people didn't. But the fact is that I think people are looking at it like maybe that's the kind of person we need. ... I think that's the kind of thinking we need in our country."

The Washington Post outlines Trump’s long history of talking about women’s weight.

Newt Gingrich(!) is defending Trump on the Alicia Machado feud, saying “you’re not supposed to gain 60 pounds during the year that you’re Miss Universe.”

From Newsweek: “A company controlled by Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, secretly conducted business in communist Cuba during Fidel Castro’s presidency despite strict American trade bans that made such undertakings illegal, according to interviews with former Trump executives, internal company records and court filings.”

Gary Johnson struggled to name any foreign leader during last night’s town hall on MSNBC.

“With just six weeks to go until Election Day, younger voters are shunning the two major political parties on a scale not seen since Ross Perot’s third-party bid for the presidency in 1992, a striking swing in public opinion that is slicing into Hillary Clinton’s thin margin for error,” writes the New York Times.

The Obama administration is considering new weaponry for Syrian rebels.

And on Capitol Hill, ICYMI: “Congress on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to override a veto by President Obama for the first time, passing into law a bill that would allow the families of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for any role in the plot.”

And this: “Congress avoided a partial government shutdown at week’s end after both chambers passed a short-term spending bill that would keep the government running through early December. A weekslong partisan impasse over the bill broke when lawmakers agreed to provide federal assistance for residents of Flint, Mich., in separate legislation this year. That deal quickly paved the way for the Senate to pass a short-term spending bill, also known as a continuing resolution, that would keep the government funded through Dec. 9.”