What it means, no one seems to be quite sure, but Herman Cain will announce something he thinks is "major" on Saturday in Atlanta. At a campaign event today he said, "Tomorrow in Atlanta I will be making an announcement... to clarify what the next steps are," according to National Journal reporter Lindsey Boerma. Again, "next steps" is an unspecific way to preview the announcement. It could mean anything from another "reassessment," to putting his campaign on hold, touting an endorsement (as Politico speculated), ending it altogether, or none of the above.

The news was first reported by NBC News, which quoted his press secretary saying that some announcement would happen but "would not allude to the nature of the announcement." The Washington Post  reported that "Cain is inviting his top supporters and donors to Atlanta on Saturday for a meeting in which he will give them advance word of whether he intends to continue his campaign." Which could mean that news might leak that he's ending his campaign, or reassessing, or, again, nothing. Earlier today, Cain was sending out a fundraising email to supporters, as Talking Points Memo noted, that appears to use the uncertain status of his campaign to raise money: 

"As I assess the future of my campaign, I need to gauge the support of the people of this great nation," the email says. "In today’s political environment, the only way we can gauge true support is by the willingness of our supporters to invest in this effort."

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Erik Hayden