Ex-border Patrol Officials Write Congressional Leaders Seeking Help With Migrant Surge

Axios: “Donors’ questions revealed deep doubts within the Democratic Party on whether Biden has the stamina, skill and substance to go toe-to-toe with former President Trump for the next four months, defeat him on Nov. 5, and serve another four-year term.” Said one participant in the conference call: “I don’t know what the pathway forward is, and I think they are trying to figure that out, too.

“Four days after his disastrous debate performance, President Joe Biden still hadn’t personally called top Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill to shore up support,” NBC News reports. “Biden’s team has been working to quash questions swirling in the party about whether he can continue in the race against former President Donald Trump.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) “chastised President Biden’s re-election campaign for their aggressive attempt to quell intensified age concerns in the wake of a disastrous debate performance which sent tremors through the Democratic Party,” Semafor reports. Said Welch: “I really do criticize the campaign for a dismissive attitude towards people who are raising questions for discussion.

Playbook: “Dysfunction at the heart of an otherwise functioning organization can go on for years without anyone complaining. But when a crisis hits, insiders suddenly start pointing fingers and naming names.” “Democrats were unusually withering about Biden’s team in conversations we had yesterday, repeatedly complaining about how ‘insular’ his staff is.

“NATO will station a senior civilian official in Kyiv, among a raft of new measures designed to shore up long-term support for Ukraine that are expected to be announced at a summit in Washington next week,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

Punchbowl News: “We’re hearing tons of chatter in Democratic circles that suggests much of the donor cash could shift to House races. Democrats only need to pick up five seats to take the majority.” “The thinking here is that with the Senate almost certainly lost and confidence in Biden waning, the House could end up being the only thing that’s winnable for Democrats.