(CNN)Here are the stories our D.C. insiders are talking about in this week’s “Inside Politics” forecast, where you get a glimpse of tomorrow’s headlines today.
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s planned visit to Russia could hardly come a time when US-Russia relations were under closer scrutiny.
Paul says the upcoming trip is aimed at supporting what he sees as President Donald Trump’s diplomatic outreach to Vladimir Putin. But it comes on the heels of a stark warning by US intelligence chiefs over Russia’s ongoing efforts to interfere in American elections — and amid continued fallout from Trump’s controversial summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“He has kind of appointed himself a one-man wrecking ball to defend the President against his critics in Congress,” said the Washington Post’s Karoun Demirjian. “So this is going to be another episode in this unfolding narrative of the U.S.-Russia relationship, but it’s one that could serve to reinforce the President’s opinions of his own job performance in this regard, at a time when most other people in the country are really, really critical of it.”
As election watchers track whether or not 2018 will turn out to be another so-called “Year of the Women,” Tuesday night’s elections could prove to be an intriguing bellwether.
In Washington state, four seats are up for grabs, including two held by female incumbents. Among the challengers? Four more women.
“So we could see women running against women as they battle for the votes of — you guessed it — suburban women,” said CNN’s Nia-Malika Henderson.
Another state to watch is Michigan, where two women are among…
