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Ron DeSantis seemingly walked into a question on Donald Trump's mishandling of classified documents during an appearance on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

The Florida governor and 2024 Republican presidential candidate made a rare appearance outside of conservative media Tuesday, speaking to host Joe Scarborough during a brief interview that focused primarily on the Hamas attack on Israel.

But DeSantis tried to deliver a campaign message shortly before the program ended.

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"Going forward as Republicans, you know, my argument has been very simple," DeSantis said. "If the election is about Joe Biden's failures and our positive vision for the future, which it would be if I was the candidate, we will win. If it is about what piece of paper or document was left at the toilet at Mar-a-Lago, or all these other things on Jan. 6, if that's what the election is about, then it is going to allow Biden to be in his basement and they're going to be able to do it again.

"Just a question for Republicans about what you want to be talking about?"

That left an opening for Scarborough to ask his opinion on Trump's indictment on 40 counts in federal court for retaining classified documents and stashing them in his bathroom and other areas of his beach resort.

"You talk about the toilet as something being -- that really brings up an issue I wasn't going to bring up," Scarborough said. "Let me ask you really quickly, we're about to run out of time. Should Americans be concerned, are you concerned by the fact that President Trump revealed war plans to invade Iran, military attacks against Iran to people that didn't have classified ability to see those documents?"

DeSantis, like most of the former president's Republican challengers, has only indirectly criticized Trump's alleged crimes, which have resulted in indictments in four jurisdictions and 91 charges.

"Well, look, I think that's an allegation, it remains to be seen," DeSantis said. "Obviously if it is proven, that would be a difficult thing. I would note, I think this is why a lot of Republicans are concerned about some of these cases is that he was being attacked for years as being in collusion with Russia, and that was not accurate.

"That was a false narrative that was created, and so I would be remiss if I dove in and accepted all those things. I think he has his day in court, I think he's innocent until proven guilty. The reality is we're dealing with this situation and if the elections is a referendum on all the other issues and we're not talking about inflation and interest rates and the border and crime, then that gives the Democrats a huge advantage to try to retain power."

Scarborough asked whether the election becoming a referendum on Trump, rather than the current president, would be bad news for Republicans.

"I think a referendum on Joe Biden means we win," DeSantis said. "If I'm the candidate, I think a referendum on Donald Trump, if that's it, then I think the Democrats would win. There are millions of voters out there who don't like what Biden is doing, think the country is in the wrong direction, going in the wrong direction. They want to vote for a Republican, but once it is Donald Trump, that's just a deal breaker for them.

"They just won't do it. I saw a report, I think on your network, someone said it was a Republican, he said it didn't matter, he would do Biden. That's just a reality that Republicans have to face up to if we want to win and we saw these losses in the most recent elections. Let's give them a fresh, America a chance for a fresh start, and I think that the results will be very positive for us."

Watch the video below or at this link.

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In the wake of he worst terror attack in Israel's history being carried out by Hamas, people are wondering if the House, led by Acting Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, has the power to respond, Politico reported.

As the fallout from the attack escalates, there's fear that a new speaker won't be elected this week. But as Politico points out, Republicans are hoping the attack provides a "rally-around-the-flag moment" for the party.

“Our hope is that this whole situation would be clarifying for our membership, that we need to get our shit together and elect a new speaker,” one senior GOP aide told Politico. “Because stuff like this can happen … and we’re rudderless and leaderless.”

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The current crisis in the Middle East also brings up the question as to whether the House in its current state could function if a similar tragedy struck in the United States.

“What if we were in the kind of scenario for which the rule was originally drafted? Would we actually want a speaker with limited powers/who could only drive the House towards the election of a new speaker?” Molly Reynolds, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, told ABC.

“I’m not sure, and I worry that setting a precedent now could hamstring the House in a future crisis.”

Read the full op-ed over at Politico.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said Monday he plans to file criminal complaints against the group of state representatives who led the impeachment against him for releasing his personal information.

“The impeachment managers clearly have a desire to threaten me with harm when they released this information last week,” he said in a statement. “I'm imploring their local prosecutors in each individual district to investigate the criminal offenses that have been committed.”

The 12 House representatives being targeted by Paxton led the impeachment trial in the Senate after the House overwhelmingly voted to impeach Paxton in May. Last month the Senate acquitted Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment that alleged corruption and bribery.

In a statement Monday, Paxton accused the House impeachment managers of violating a new state law with an Oct. 2 release of documents related to the case. The new legislation cited by Paxton prohibits posting an individual’s personal information such as a home address or telephone number with the intent to cause harm to that individual or their family.

Paxton said he plans to file the criminal complaints in each of the eight counties represented by the dozen impeachment managers. It is not clear which address is in question. Several of Paxton's addresses are available through already-published public records, often found online from any location through local municipalities' appraisal district databases.

House lawyer Rusty Hardin, who prosecuted Paxton, said Monday that the documents released last week contained the same information that was included in other documents that had already been filed or were admitted into the impeachment trial without objection.

He also said that the information about Paxton's residence is available through public records, and has been for years. Further, he said the release of documents was not conducted with an intent to cause harm to Paxton as he alleged — it was "simply a repeat of public information to anyone that wants to look into it."

If Paxton makes good on his pledge to file the criminal complaints, Hardin said his Houston law firm will consider countering with a criminal complaint against Paxton for making a false report to police.

"This is the exact kind of bullying, uninformed vengeful act that we predicted if the attorney general was not impeached," Hardin said. "He's trying to misuse the criminal justice system to cower and punish people who sought to impeach him under the law. It's just one more outrageous, vengeful act by a man who has no business being attorney general."

This is a developing story.

This article originally appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/09/ken-paxton-impeachment-managers-criminal-complaint/.

The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and engaging Texans on state politics and policy. Learn more at texastribune.org.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s independent presidential run got off to a rocky start on Monday after he took the stage without a speech.

After being introduced by his wife, Cheryl Hines, Kennedy was expected to announce that he was leaving the Democratic Party to pursue an independent presidential bid.

Instead, there was a moment of confusion while he fumbled through his jacket for a speech.

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"I need my speech," he said, noting that the TelePrompter appeared upside down.

Kennedy left the stage and returned moments later with a speech in hand.

Watch the video below or at this link.

A Philadelphia journalist was found shot multiple times in his home early after 911 calls reported gunshots and screams, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Josh Kruger had been shot multiple times and collapsed in the street outside his home. He later died after being rushed to the hospital. Police say someone entered Kruger's home and shot him at the base of the stairs, before fleeing.

No arrests had been made as of Monday morning and police still don't know a motive. There were no signs of forced entry, they said.

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“Either the door was open, or the offender knew how to get the door open,” police said, according to the Inquirer. “We just don’t know yet.”

Kruger had posted on Facebook about two weeks ago that someone came to his house searching for their boyfriend — “a man I’ve never met once in my entire life" -- and threatened him. According to his post, the person called themselves “Lady Diabla, the She-Devil of the Streets.”

READ MORE: Mike Lindell's vote fraud gizmo could send 'enraged partisans' marching on election offices: report

Kruger's freelance journalism covered the city's most vulnerable residents, including the homeless, people in addiction, and LGBTQ community, the Inquirer reported.

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The United Auto Workers expanded its strikes against Ford and General Motors on Friday, calling on nearly 7,000 additional members in Michigan and Illinois to walk off the job as the union looks to ramp up pressure on the companies to deliver stronger wage and benefit proposals.

The union opted not to expand its walkouts against Chrysler parent company Stellantis, citing progress in recent bargaining sessions on cost-of-living adjustments, the right to strike over plant closures, and other issues.

"Sadly, despite our willingness to bargain, Ford and GM have refused to make meaningful progress at the table," UAW president Shawn Fain said in a video update posted to social media on Friday. "To be clear, negotiations haven't broke down. We're still talking with all three companies, and I'm still very hopeful that we can reach a deal that reflects the incredible sacrifices and contributions our members have made over the last decade."

"But I also know that what we win at the bargaining table depends on the power we build on the job," said Fain. "It's time to use that power."

Friday's walkouts brought the total number of UAW members on strike at the Big Three U.S. car manufacturers to roughly 25,000—nearly double the number of workers who walked off the job on the first day of the strikes two weeks ago.

Survey data released earlier this week showed public support for the strikes has grown since their launch earlier this month. Last week, UAW members walked out at every General Motors and Stellantis parts distribution facility in the U.S.

As part of its "stand-up strike" strategy, the UAW is expected to continue steadily expanding its walkouts at strategic locations throughout the country in an effort to give negotiators more leverage to pursue the union's demands at the bargaining table.

"We will not be intimidated into backing down by the companies or scabs," Fain said Friday. "Our cause is just. Striking for a better future, to protect our communities, and to defeat corporate greed is not just our right, it's our duty."

"We will win. Our strategy is working," said Fain. "Our solidarity is the most powerful force in the world. When we stand together, united in the cause of social and economic justice, there's nothing we can't do."