Week Ahead: Michael Aftermath, Midterms, Mattis, Saudi Relations

With Meghna Chakrabarti

Top journalists open their notebooks and look ahead to the week’s news at home and abroad.

Ayesha Rascoe, NPR White House correspondent. (@ayesharascoe)

Adam Smith, political editor for the Tampa Bay Times. (@adamsmithtimes)

Naftali Bendavid, Washington editor for the Wall Street Journal. (@NaftaliBendavid)

CNN: "Hurricane Michael aftermath: Thousands join recovery efforts as many residents remain missing" — "As residents pick up the pieces after Hurricane Michael, and teams comb through rubble in search of survivors, authorities say it could be weeks or months before a sense of normalcy returns to storm-ravaged Florida.

"In the meantime, residents are doing what they can to restore it. Hiland Park Baptist Church in Panama City sustained some damage in the storm, so the church held its Sunday morning service outside.

"'For the last couple of days I've just been walking down the streets, going from house to house,' Senior Pastor Steven Kyle told CNN. 'And one of the first things that everybody has said is, "Are we going to have church? Can we have church?" '

"'They just wanted the community,' he said.

"The widespread destruction has left many people living in dire conditions. Residents have been waiting in long lines to collect bottle water and ready-to-eat meals (MREs) at several distribution centers. Helicopters are also airdropping food and water to remote areas."

Washington Post: "The Latest: Trump campaign plans more rallies for midterms" — "President Donald Trump’s campaign says he will rally for GOP candidates in several critical Western states late next week.

"The campaign says Trump will campaign Thursday in Missoula, Montana; on Friday in Mesa, Arizona, and on Saturday in Elko, Nevada. The swing is part of an aggressive fall campaign push by the 72-year-old president to energize Republicans and encourage them to vote on Nov. 6 to keep Republicans in control of both houses of Congress.

"The latest campaign swing was announced Saturday night as Trump was midway through a campaign rally in Richmond, Kentucky — his fourth rally of the week."

Politico: "Saudi Arabia warns against threats over missing journalist" — "Saudi Arabia warned Sunday it will respond to any 'threats' against it as its stock market plunged following President Donald Trump’s warning of “severe punishment” over the disappearance of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi.

"Trump made a point of visiting the kingdom on his first overseas trip as president and has touted arms sales to Saudi Arabia. But both the White House and the kingdom are under mounting pressure as concern grows over the fate of the veteran journalist, who hasn’t been seen since he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2.

"Already, international business leaders are pulling out of the kingdom’s upcoming investment forum, a high-profile event known as 'Davos in the Desert.' "