Obama uses executive privilege to shield Holder . . . President Obama used executive privilege to withhold the contents of more than 20 emails sent between Attorney General Eric Holder, his wife and his mother that a conservative watchdog group sought in connection with the federal government’s botched “Fast and Furious” gun-running operation. Examiner

IRS notches victory in Tea Party case . . . The IRS may have inadvertently figured out how to win its legal battles against aggrieved tea party groups: Give them what they wanted in the first place — tax-exempt status. That was a major reason a Republican-appointed federal judge on Thursday threw out two lawsuits brought by more than 40 conservative groups seeking remedies for being singled out in the tea party targeting scandal, a victory for the IRS. Politico

IRS witness kept from Congress until after election . . . A Treasury official who may have knowledge of how IRS official Lois Lerner’s lost emails got lost won’t be available to testify to Congress until after the voting is done. White House Dossier

Barack Obama, bystander . . . He’s president. Has been for almost six years. Yet Barack Obama reflexively insists on playing the shocked outsider when something goes wrong within his own administration. Charles Krauthammer

Et tu, Axe? . . . Former senior White House adviser David Axelrod in a Thursday report said President Barack Obama is sometimes “negligent” in the more symbolic elements of the presidency. Politico

Democrats have nothing to say . . . Democrats this year—what a rhetorical, emotional and policy disaster. In ’08 they were on fire with hope, in ’12 they were keep the faith, stay the course. This year they are surly. They are unloving and unlovable. It’s race and gender politics, it’s wheelchairs, it’s endless defensiveness about voting for or with the president. Republicans may have failed to unite, but the Democrats divide. Peggy Noonan

When they can't even associated themselves with the head of their Party, Barack Obama, then they can't possibly run on ideas or policies. 

Democrats have momentum in Georgia . . . Georgia Democrats believe they're close to ending more than a decade of losses — and with it, potentially save Senate control for their party. Democrat Michelle Nunn has jumped into a narrow lead in recent polling of the state’s open Senate race, a slight edge driven as much by questions about Republican David Perdue’s business career as the former charity executive’s centrist appeal. The Hill

Obama: If Nunn wins, we keep the Senate . . . Said Obama, "... if Michelle Nunn Wins, that means that Democrats keep control of the senate...," going on to make it clear he sees control of the senate as critical in terms of continuing to advance his own agenda. Breitbart

Millennials suddenly a problem for Dems . . . Disenchantment among millennial voters is the latest worry for Democrats fighting to hold their Senate majority. Young voters rallied to President Obama’s side when he first ran for the White House in 2008, and then defied predictions that their enthusiasm would drop off in 2012. But there is no guarantee they will back Democrats at the polls next month. The Hill

What a disappointment to get all starry eyed about Obama and then have to go live with your parents when you can't find a job.

GOP governor in Massachusetts? . . . For the first time in the Boston Globe’s weekly tracking poll, Republican Charlie Baker holds a significant lead over Democrat Martha Coakley in the Massachusetts gubernatorial race, 45 percent to 36 percent. Politico

The five most conservative states . . . Alabama is the most Republican state in the country. Also on the list: Alaska, Idaho, Mississippi, and Kansas. The Hill

The five most liberal states . . .  Washington is the bluest state in the country. The other states with the worst blues: Minnesota, Oregon, California, and Rhode Island. The Hill



Doctor in New York City has Ebola . . . A doctor in New York City who recently returned from treating Ebola patients in Guinea became the first person in the city to test positive for the virus Thursday, setting off a search for anyone who might have come into contact with him. New York Times

NYC police hatchet attack looks like terrorism . . . A New York City police officer is in critical condition and another is stable after a man with a hatchet attacked four officers on the street in Queens, New York, on Thursday, officials said. The other officers then opened fire on the man, killing him and accidentally striking a nearby woman, who was later treated for non-life threatening injuries. The attacker had been tentatively identified as Zale Thompson, a 32-year-old man with a Facebook page containing images of what appears to be a Muslim warrior and prayers. NBC News

But let's not jump to any conclusions, of course . . . 

Obama administration to transfer Afghan detainee . . . The Obama administration is preparing to transfer a military detainee in Afghanistan for criminal trial in Virginia, U.S. officials said Thursday. The move would mark the first time a military detainee from Afghanistan was brought to the U.S. for trial, and it represents the Obama administration's latest attempt to show that it can use the criminal court system to deal with terror suspects. Fox News

Did he commit a crime in the United States? What's he doing here? Maybe we can give him a green card too.

Canada attacks follow ISIS instructions perfectly . . . While they may not have officially been designated as jihadists, two suspected extremists who killed Canadian soldiers in shooting and driving rampages followed instructions issued by Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group to the letter. AFP

Iranian: Obama the weakest of presidents . . . The Iranian president’s senior advisor has called President Barack Obama “the weakest of U.S. presidents” and described the U.S. leader’s tenure in office as “humiliating.” Free Beacon

Hmm. For once, Iran not spewing propaganda.

ISIS used chlorine gas . . . The chlorine attack appears to be the first confirmed use of chemical weapons by the Islamic State on the battlefield. The presence of a large former Iraqi chemical weapons production plant in territory seized by the ISIS creates fears of more to come. Washington Post



Missouri police prepare for grand jury decision . . . Missouri police have been brushing up on constitutional rights and stocking up on riot gear to prepare for a grand jury's decision about whether to charge a white police officer who fatally shot a black 18-year-old in suburban St. Louis. Fox News

Canadian model flees Twitter after bashing USA . . . After being called out for using the October 22 terror attack on Canada as an opportunity to bash America on Twitter, super model Chrissy Teigen is leaving Twitter for Instagram to escape criticism. It all started while the police response to the terror  attack was still ongoing, and Teigen tweeted, "Active shooting in Canada, or as we call it in america, wednesday." Breitbart

CNN anchor apologizes for mocking Palin family . . . Carol Costello played a police recording of the Palin party brawl, saying it was ”quite possibly the best minute and a half of audio we’ve ever come across.” Costello also notes after the audio finishes that “I think that long bleep was my favorite part” and finishes by adding “you can thank me later.” Daily Caller