Good Morning! Congrats if you’re a Bo-Sox fan. Here’s your Daily News for Monday, October 29.

1. Dems on their own.

• After the improbable election of Doug Jones in 2017, you might be tempted to think Alabama Democrats were poised for a comeback of sorts in 2018.
• They have a lot of things going for them: the best slate of candidates anyone can remember in years, an energized base that is eager to vote for Democrats and against President Trump; and, in many cases, fundraising help from outside national groups.
• And yet, it ain’t looking like the Democrats’ year.
• Kim Chandler has a feature piece on why that is, from a general lack of support amongst the electorate to a party infrastructure in disarray.
• It’s worth a read this morning.

2. Feds to seek death penalty in synagogue shooting.

• The U.S. Attorney for Pittsburgh announced Sunday he will seek the death penalty for Robert Bowers, the gunman who shot and killed 11 people inside Tree of Life Synagogue.
• Attorney General Jeff Sessions has to approve the request, and President Trump has already been outspoken about his desire to “bring back” the death penalty.
• Grief and sympathy continue to pour in for this terrible tragedy, from Rome to Israel to the American pulpit.
• Bari Weiss, a columnist with the New York Times who is from the Squirrel Hill neighborhood, wrote a really compelling piece about what it’s like to be from “Mr. Rogers Neighborhood” that is worth your time this morning.
• Also worth your time is Southern Baptist Convention leader Dr. Russell Moore’s write up about the different ways Christians can stand in solidarity with the Jewish community, including by rejecting “blood and soil” ethno-nationalism that he says comes into conflict with the Gospel of Christ. Read his piece “If you Hate Jews, you Hate Jesus.”
• Bad takes also abide. And not just from the elite Washington and New York thinkers! Alabama Political Reporter’s Josh Moon believes Gov. Kay Ivey and others who take issue with George Soros’ politics are responsible for inciting the shooting. Come on.

3. A graceful exit?

• I get asked a lot what I think “is going to happen” to Attorney General Jeff Sessions.
• The premise is that, given Trump’s well-documented frustration with Sessions over the last year and a half, the AG’s days office are numbered.
• I have no idea if that’s true, by the way. In situations like these, those who know don’t talk and those who talk don’t know.
• Still, a group of Sessions’ allies is reportedly making the case to Trump’s closest advisers to allow Sessions’ a graceful exit on his terms.
• Among their arguments: He has a long and distinguished public service career, he has put more policy wins on the board than any other cabinet official, and, oh yeah, he helped win you the presidency.
• One thing I find interesting about the timing here is that we haven’t really heard a lot about the Mueller probe lately.
• Could it be that the right and rational thing to do was always to let the thing play out?
• Anyway, read more about all that HERE.

4. Matthew Stokes: A Halloween Humbug learns to love the holiday.

• ADN Columnist Matthew Stokes is back this week with a well-timed piece on the upcoming Halloween holiday.
• It’s not his favorite as a parent, he confesses. And yet, he sees the benefits of community and camaraderie in this uniquely American holiday.
• “Where your local geography allows, Halloween strikes me as a perfect time to let your children go. Light the grill in the driveway and share hot dogs with the neighbors, but let the children roam for candy with friends old and new.
• Greet the other kids in your neighborhood. As you know those kids, and your own children learn of their own adult neighbors, everyone benefits. Everyone feels security and strength and, yes, even happiness.”
• Read the full column HERE.

5. Headlines

 

Front Pages (images link to newspaper websites, which you should visit and patronize).