The Note: Friday Night Spotlight on Donald Trump
— -- NOTABLES
--JEB BUSH, DONALD TRUMP UNAPOLOGETIC FOR 'ANCHOR BABY' LANGUAGE: Jeb Bush isn't backing down over his usage of the phrase "anchor babies," a controversial term both and fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump have both used. In one of his testiest exchanges to date, Bush pushed back against reporters yesterday in Keene, NH who asked if he thought the term -- referring to the American-born children of undocumented immigrants -- was offensive. A reporter asked Bush if he regretted using the term "anchor babies" on Bill Bennett's radio show earlier this week, to which he snapped, "You give me a better term and I'll use it," ABC's CANDACE SMITH notes. ABC's TOM LLAMAS asked if the language was "bombastic," the same kind of talk from Trump Bush had knocked down just moments earlier. "Look here's the deal. What I said was it's commonly referred to that," Bush said. "That's what I said, I didn't use it as my own language...I think that people born in this country ought to be American citizens." http://abcn.ws/1LnmSmZ
--ANALYSIS -- ABC's RICK KLEIN: Does Jeb Bush need Donald Trump to get his groove back? That might depend on what groove he falls into, since he's out carving a new one that adjusts to the new realities of the race. It's hard to imagine that Bush ever saw himself as likely to attack another front-running candidate for being insufficiently conservative, as he unloaded on Trump on taxes, healthcare, abortion, and even past party affiliation on Thursday. It was more fiery than Bush has been in recent weeks, though his comments are admittedly mild compared to things Trump has been saying about Bush since before the beginning of the campaign (May: "Not even a smart person"; August: "Very low energy"). Bush would surely rather not have a debate over the term "anchor babies," where he's coming under fire for using the same term as Trump, while holding the opposite position. But perhaps the most impactful statement from Bush land on Trump comes not from the candidate but from the chief strategist of his super PAC: "Trump is, frankly, other people's problem," Mike Murphy told The Washington Post.
--TODAY ON THE TRAIL with ABC's GREG CROFT: Donald Trump holds an event tonight in Mobile, Alabama is in a 50-000-seat college football stadium because of high demand. Jeb Bush will speak today at Americans for Prosperity's Defending the American Dream event in Columbus, Ohio. Ted Cruz has his turn at the soapbox at the Iowa State Fair and then holds a rally tonight in Des Moines, for which the campaign said it has received over 2,500 RSVPS as of Wednesday.
THE BUZZwith ABC's VERONICA STRACQUALURSI
NYC TRIES TO FIND A WAY TO CANCEL CONTRACTS WITH TRUMP. Mayor de Blasio's office has concluded that New York City cannot terminate any contracts with Donald Trump. "We reviewed the city's existing contracts with Donald Trump and found no legal way to cancel these contracts. In the future, however, the mayor said he would not go out of his way to do any business with Mr. Trump," said Monica Klein, a mayoral spokeswoman. Trump has contracts with the city that include two ice skating rinks and the carousel in Central Park and a golf course in the Bronx. The mayor ordered the review of contracts after Trump mocked Sen. John McCain's status as a war hero, according to ABC's AARON KATERSKY.
JEB BUSH LEANING ON FAMILY: THE FUNDRAISER WITH BUSH 41 AND 43. On October 25-26, there will be a huge donor summit in Houston, TX featuring much of the Bush family, notably George H.W. and George W. who will be headliners. Barbara Bush will also be in attendance. The event has been dubbed "Q3 Mission 2015: Jeb Celebration" and is hosted directly by the campaign. To garner an invitation, potential attendees must have raised at least $50,000 for the campaign. This comes amidst all the Trump-mania, the back and forth between the current frontrunner and the former front-runner... Bush struggling to regain his footing in a kind of race he never saw coming. Obviously, this fundraiser could be a huge cash-cow for Bush as he's now leaning on his father and brother's wealthy network to pump some cash [and life] into this floundering campaign. Of course- on the other side, as Jeb! tries to distinguish himself from his brother and those unpopular policies, this could hurt that effort, bringing into view those inextricable links between Jeb and his family's legacy, ABC's CANDACE SMITH writes.
WHAT HAPPENED AT HILLARY CLINTON'S TOP AIDE'S HEARING. A federal judge directed the State Department Thursday to make sure the FBI alerts them (and the judge) if they find anything of value on Hillary Clinton's private email server, which many have said was wiped clean. The judge, Emmet Sullivan, also wants to know if there are any copies or back-ups of Clinton's server, and he wants the U.S. government to ask Clinton that specifically. The judge noted Thursday: "We wouldn't be here today had the employee [Clinton] followed government policy." All that came out of a court hearing yesterday in Washington over a FOIA lawsuit against the State Department seeking records connected to Clinton's former top aide Huma Abedin, ABC's MIKE LEVINE reports.
IN THE NOTE'S INBOX
"TIME FOR REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN," a Jerusalem Post Op-Ed by GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. "This week as I returned to Israel to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other key Israeli leaders, it's clear that Iran is ripe for another revolution. This time, with US support, Iran's democratic opposition could topple the Islamic Republic and put an end to the ayatollahs' threats to 'wipe Israel off the map' and bring 'death to America.' The Iranian regime lost the confidence and support of its own people long ago. During the Green Revolution of 2009, the Islamic Republic faced the greatest threat of its 30-year existence at the hands of its own people. ... I would announce on my first day as president that the new policy of the United States is to support freedom in Tehran. I would double-down against Iran with tougher sanctions. Officials within the Iranian government, clerical establishment and military would face a clear choice: They can stay on a sinking ship, or abandon a regime that has outlived its shelf life." http://bit.ly/1JtH1Y7
WHO'S TWEETING?
@samsmithNC: Speaker Paulsen endorses @ChrisChristie. @DMRegister Speaker Paulsen: Christie has proven record of results http://goo.gl/qtLC2v #iacaucus
@mkeneally: my friend @joshbhaskell stumbled upon the next Great American Pastime at the Iowa State Fair: rubber chicken throwing http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/chickens-fly-iowa-state-fair-33212477...
@TheFix: Donald Trump owns the Central Park Carousel! (I did not know that.) http://wpo.st/lBHW0
@CNNPolitics: Mexico: @realDonaldTrump's immigration plan is racist http://cnn.it/1KxLHa6 via @JDiamond1
@ConsultReid: It ain't really campaign season until the @cspan mug shows up. Thanks, @HowardMortman!