Cassidy Hutchinson's allegations against Rudy Giuliani and Chicago-area murder suspect found dead: Morning Rundown

Former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson alleges that Rudy Giuliani groped her on Jan. 6. A woman who lived with the man suspected of killing a family in Illinois says he was ‘very dangerous.’ And why California is removing a series of massive dams.

Here’s what to know today.

Ron DeSantis’ descent continues

The Florida governor, once seen as the top rival to former President Donald Trump in the 2024 GOP primary, sits in fifth place in New Hampshire, according to a poll released yesterday. He hasn’t visited the state, which holds the nation’s second contest, in more than a month.

“His campaign needs a kick in the ass,” one DeSantis ally said. “It’s dead in the water.”

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DeSantis aides and outside supporters have long described the campaign as a “two-man race” between the Florida governor and the former president. But that’s clearly not the case in key primary states New Hampshire, South Carolina and Iowa.

Back in Florida, state law enforcement staff raised concerns about Gov. DeSantis top crime point but leadership “did not care.” “We knew the numbers were bad,” one former law enforcement employee said.

Allies had hoped his performance in the first GOP debate last month would arrest a summer swoon. Now, hopes rest on next week’s GOP debate in California to reverse the ongoing slump.

How Ramaswamy uses family experiences to shape his policy proposals

Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has spoken about his family’s past while promoting two controversial policy ideas. He wants to end birthright citizenship for children born to undocumented immigrants and thinks that 18- to 24-year-olds should pass a civics test in order to vote. He doubled down on those ideas and elaborated on his family’s history in an exclusive sit-down interview with NBC News.

The 38-year-old entrepreneur’s campaign has been full of off-the-cuff speaking and attention-grabbing, aggressive policy proposals. He’s jumped in front of more seasoned politicians in polls. Still, he said, “I don’t relish the idea of being the next president.”

Interest rates left unchanged

The Fed is taking a wait-and-see approach, at least for the next month, announcing yesterday that the rate would remain unchanged this month. That means the main policy rate is in the range of 5.25% to 5.50%. Officials cited easing economic conditions in its decision, though it acknowledged that inflation is still higher than its 2% target.

The Fed is expected to announce its next interest rate decision on Nov. 1. Data on consumer prices for this month will be extra important in determining what the central bank does next.

Wyoming ranch accused of abusing children and unsanitary conditions has a new name and no license

A Wyoming ranch accused of abusing children and forcing them to perform manual labor lost its license earlier this year, but it has found a way to stay open — and will no longer need a license to care for children. Triangle Cross Ranch, a facility that claims it can help transform misbehaving teen boys into “thoughtful, respectful, and responsible young men,” saw its license revoked earlier this year by the Wyoming Department of Family Services after a litany of safety and sanitary violations.

The facility now has a new name: Sunlight Mountain Boys Ranch. And it does not need a license to operate and will not be subject to regular welfare inspections. Reporter Tyler Kingkade explains what one advocate called an “incredibly troubling” change.

The cultural consequences of Hasan Minhaj’s fabrications

Comedian Hasan Minjah said he fabricated routines about racial and political injustices — like when he said his daughter was potentially exposed to anthrax, or when he said his high school crush rejected him moments before the prom. The New Yorker published its interview with Minhaj last week and detailed several other stories that he used in his comedy specials.

Now, some comedians and experts say he’s done a disservice to the South Asian diaspora and Muslim Americans. “They trusted his programs because he depicted himself as a journalist, a truth-teller, and someone who would always speak to what’s right, and he completely destroyed that,” said comedian Sarah Suzuki Harvard, who is a Muslim American. But others say expecting Minhaj to be the perfect role model is unreasonable.

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Suspect in quadruple murder of Chicago-area family was ‘a very dangerous man’

The man suspected in the murders of four family members at a home in Romeoville, Illinois, was a “huge manipulator” who started acting suspicious a few months ago, Cristiana Espinoza told NBC News. Espinoza said her mother was in a relationship with 31-year-old Nathaniel Huey Jr., and the three of them lived together for about eight years. Then, “something switched” in Huey, she said.

Yesterday, Huey was found dead in a burning vehicle that had fled from authorities in Oklahoma and crashed. A woman who was critically wounded was also in the vehicle, police said. Police have not identified the woman, but Espinoza said her mother was in the vehicle.

Officials said evidence in the deaths of the family of four pointed to a possible connection with the suspect, as well as a possible motive.

Today’s Talker: Just before a missing F-35 jet crashed, witnesses saw…

…the aircraft flying “inverted” and low to the ground. A South Carolina couple said that as they celebrated their son’s 7th birthday on Sunday afternoon, they saw a plane that was “probably 100 feet above the treetops, and almost going inverted.” They didn’t think much of it at the time but realized the next day that what they saw likely wasn’t just any aircraft.

Politics in Brief

Zelenskyy visits D.C.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will meet today with President Joe Biden, as well as senators and House leaders, who will be asked to continue to fund Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

Military nominations blockade: The Senate confirmed its first military nominee in months amid a blockade by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who put a hold on nominees to protest a Defense Department abortion policy. Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. will succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley as the nation’s top military officer.

Rudy Giuliani groping accusation: In a new book set to be released next week, a former top aide to ex-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows said that she was groped by then-Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani at an event on Jan. 6, 2021.

U.S.-China relations: President Joe Biden’s aides have asked that Rahm Emanuel, the U.S. ambassador to Japan, stop posting messages taunting Chinese President Xi Jinping on social media, according to three administration officials.

Staff Pick

Our reporters spoke to Libyans still reeling from the catastrophic floods that left thousands dead, as well as experts on a region plagued by years of conflict and corruption. In detailing the systemic failures that led to much of an entire city being swept away, we learn of extreme weather, chaotic governance and missed warnings — including the striking detail that one local resident had, in the days before the flood, written a poem warning of it. -Annie Hill, platforms editor

In Case You Missed It

California is engaged in the world’s largest dam removal project, part of a national push to “rewild” nature to the state it was before human intervention.

Two principals in Delaware made and shared a meme of a student’s nude breast, according to a lawsuit filed against the men, the high school and the school district.

Free Covid tests from the government will be available to order starting next week. Here’s how to get them.

Suppressing negative thoughts, rather than indulging them, may improve your mental health, a new study suggests.

The trial of one current and one former Colorado police officer charged in the death of Elijah McClain began yesterday with a prosecutor describing how the victim said, “I can’t breathe,” seven times as he lay handcuffed on the ground.

A woman in Michigan was rescued after getting stuck in an outhouse while trying to retrieve her Apple Watch.

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