Good morning. I'm James Holman from the Washington Post and this is the Daily

2002 for Thursday, October 15. In today's news, as Amy Coney Barrett finishes her time in the hot seat,

Democrats acknowledge she will be confirmed.

Three weeks from the election, President Trump and his allies are going after

Hunter Biden once again.

And the Treasury Secretary acknowledges a coronavirus relief deal

before the election seems very unlikely.

But first, the big idea.

In August, a fresh-faced Republican activist named Charlie Kirk

stepped into the spotlight at a closed-door gathering of leading conservatives

and shared his delight about an impact of the coronavirus pandemic,

the disruption of American universities.

So many campuses had closed, Kirk said, that up to half

a million left-leaning students probably wouldn't vote. The audience cheered as the

26-year-old said that. This gathering in Northern The audience a little known and highly secretive group that has served for decades as a hub for a nationwide network of conservative activists and the major donors who support them.

Members include Jenny Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and

Leonard Leo from the Federalist Society, an outside advisor to President Trump, who has helped raise

literally hundreds of millions of dollars from

undisclosed donors to support the nominations of very conservative federal judges.

Dozens of hours of videos from

CNP meetings were provided to my colleague Bob O'Haro.

They cover C&P meetings over three days in February and three more days in August.

...