SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

COTTON UP IN ARKANSAS – From Powerline, about the Arkansas Senate race:  A new poll, this one by Talk Business and Politics/Hendrix College, puts Tom Cotton’s lead over Mark Pryor at 48-41. The survey included more than 2,000 likely voters and was taken after the last week’s Cotton-Pryor debate (as I understand it, there will be no more debates between the two). The margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 percent."  This is a must-win for Republicans.  Cotton will be a new GOP star.

CHANGES – From The Politico:  "Eli Lake and Josh Rogin, two of The Daily Beast's top national security and foreign policy reporters, are leaving the company, Daily Beast Executive Editor Noah Shachtman announced in a memo to staff on Monday.  The Huffington Post's Michael Calderone reports the two are likely joining Bloomberg View."  Lake and Rogin are two of the journalists whose work I check very often.  They are among the best.  I hope they continue to rise.

INCREDIBLE – Eyes are on the crucial North Carolina Senate race between incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan and Republican Thom Tillis.   Hagan has been leading throughout the campaign, but the race has been tightening.  Tonight, incredibly, Hagan failed to show up for a scheduled TV debate.  This cannot help her.  With only 13 days to go before the vote, this can turn out to be the most exciting finish this year.

SCARY – From Fox:  "The FBI says it is investigating the possibility that three American teenage girls were attempting to join the Islamic State in Syria when they were detained in Germany.  A law enforcement source told Fox News Tuesday that the girls are home in Colorado after they were tracked down in Frankfurt. The three girls are all under the age of 18 and are not expected to face charges. Two of the girls are of Somali descent and one is of Sudanese descent, according to the source.  ABC News reported that a law enforcement official said the girls were planning to travel to Syria to join militant groups. The official told ABC News the teenagers planned 'to fulfill what they believe is some vision that has been put out on a slick media campaign.'"  Given the state of our schools, this probably guarantees their admission to the Ivy League.

October 21,  2014