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First Read's Morning Clips: How the 2018 landscape has changed in a year

A roundup of the most important political news stories of the day
Beto O'Rourke
Beto O'Rourke, who is running for the U.S. Senate, speaks during the general session at the Texas Democratic Convention on June 22, 2018, in Fort Worth, Texas.Richard W. Rodriguez / AP file

MIDTERM MADNESS: Here’s how the 2018 landscape has changed in a year

It’s easy to forget how much the landscape has changed since the beginning of the midterms. NBC’s Dante Chinni and Sally Bronston break down the big swings.

The Washington Post sums up the midterm environment this way: “Voters want the anger to stop but can’t stop being angry.”

2020: Mike Bloomberg may run for president as a Democrat. But he could have issues dealing with his views on policing and #MeToo.

Terry McAuliffe is headed to Iowa to fire up Democrats.

FL-GOV: The corporate tax is becoming a big deal in the Florida governor race.

MD-GOV: Ben Jealous is out with his first TV ad since the primary.

MN-SEN: Tina Smith is in a strong position in Minnesota’s Senate race.

MN-GOV: Tim Walz is leading, but there’s a sizable group of voters who are undecided, per a new poll.

MO: A new CBS Battleground poll shows McCaskill and Hawley tied.

MT-SEN: And the same CBS poll finds a margin-of-error race in Montana.

MS-SEN: Chris McDaniel is trying to stay afloat after rising to political stardom in 2014, McClatchy writes.

NJ-SEN: POLITICO reports on Bob Menendez’s fight for survival.

NM-SEN: Heinrich is benefitting from Gary Johnson’s presence in the Senate race, a new poll finds.

OH: Trump’s appeal in Ohio ain’t what it used to be, writes POLITICO.

TRUMP AGENDA: Confirmation bombshell

The huge news from over the weekend: The woman accusing Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault came forward to tell her story to the Washington Post.

Republican senators are beginning to speak out about letting Kavanaugh’s accuser be heard.

Speaking with one of us(!), FEMA administrator Brock Long questioned why independent studies were done regarding the death toll in Puerto Rico.

Paul Manafort could flip, but it might not be on Trump.

Companies aren’t rushing to repatriate funds despite Trump’s promise of fast action.