1/ Hurricane Milton left at least 12 people dead, and more than 3 million people remain without power. “The storm did bring much destruction and damage,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said. “The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst case scenario.” Biden said he pre-deployed thousands of federal personnel to areas affected by the storm, including more than 1,000 Coast Guard members, and that over 80,000 Floridians had safely sheltered from the storm. (Associated Press / Politico / NPR / Washington Post / New York Times / ABC News / NBC News / Axios)

2/ Biden told Trump to “get a life” for his continued false claims about the federal government’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton, while delivering a briefing at the White House about the response to Milton so far. After Biden said that people who lie about hurricane recovery efforts are “undermining confidence in the rescue and recovery work that’s opening and ongoing,” a reporter asked if he had spoken to Trump. “Are you kidding me?” said Biden, adding: “Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man. Help these people.” FEMA, meanwhile, has spent nearly half of the disaster relief funding that Congress allocated for the next 12 months in the last eight days. Biden called on Congress to return from its recess to pass emergency relief. (CNN / NBC News / Politico / Bloomberg)

3/ Florida’s Department of Health threatened to criminally charge local TV stations that air a political ad calling for the repeal of the state’s six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. At least two stations received cease-and-desist letters that running the 30-second spot was a violation of Florida’s “sanitary nuisance” law. The Democratic chair of the Federal Communications Commission, meanwhile, said the stations should not be intimidated for airing political ads, saying: “The right of broadcasters to speak freely is rooted in the First Amendment. Threats against broadcast stations for airing content that conflicts with the government’s views are dangerous and undermine the fundamental principle of free speech.” In November, Florida residents will vote on Amendment 4, which would protect abortion rights in the state’s constitution and undo the new abortion ban. (Florida Politics / Washington Post / CNN)

4/ Inflation dropped last month to its lowest point in more than three years. Consumer prices rose 2.4% in September from a year earlier – down from 2.5% in August. It was the smallest annual rise since February 2021. The so-called core consumer price index — which excludes food and energy costs — increased 3.3% from a year earlier and 0.3% from August. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, stands at 4.1%, the S&P 500 stock index is up more than 20% this year, and GDP has been growing at a 3% pace. (Associated Press / Politico / Axios / New York Times / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

5/ Trump urged the federal judge overseeing his election subversion case to not to release any additional evidence from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 165-page legal brief, which details Trump’s alleged efforts to subvert the transfer of presidential power after the 2020 election.Trump claimed that Smith was attempting to interfere with the presidential election by making public potentially damaging information while voters are casting their ballots. “There should be no further disclosures at this time of the so-called ‘evidence’ that the Special Counsel’s Office has unlawfully cherry-picked and mischaracterized – during early voting in the 2024 Presidential election – in connection with an improper Presidential immunity filing that has no basis in criminal procedure or judicial precedent,” Trump said in a court filing. (CNN / CBS News)

✏️ Election Notables: What’s at stake.

  1. Republicans challenge legitimacy of overseas votes, including military. “A Pennsylvania suit opens a new front in GOP efforts to raise questions about the validity of mail-in ballots, targeting a group once seen as off-limits.” (Washington Post)

  2. Dems’ Blue Wall blues. “Top Democratic politicians and operatives tell us the vital states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania are getting tougher for Vice President Harris and the party’s Senate candidates.” (Axios)

  3. Trump gains slim lead in Michigan, battleground poll finds. “The polls, conducted Oct. 3-7 and released on Wednesday, found that in a hypothetical two-way match-up, Harris leads Trump by 3 percentage points in Pennsylvania, 49 percent support to 46 percent. Trump, meanwhile, leads by 3 percentage points in Michigan, 50 percent to 47 percent. The race is even closer in Wisconsin, with the candidates neck and neck: Trump at 48 percent and Harris at 46 percent. All three results are within the margins of error.” (Politico)

  4. Dems move to shore up Harris’ base in Michigan. “The Harris campaign is dispatching surrogates to shore up support among Black men.” (Politico)

  5. Ohio voters dismiss false claims about Haitians, but Trump has slight lead. “Trump holds an edge of six percentage points over Vice President Kamala Harris among likely voters in the Buckeye State — 51 percent to 45 percent — similar to his eight-point winning margin four years ago. And a must-win Senate election for Democrats to keep control of the chamber is essentially tied.” (Washington Post)

  6. Harris May Finally Be Breaking Through to the Most Critical Voters. “A Times/Siena poll shows working-class voters are finally moving in the Democrat’s direction. She may need them to win in November.” (The New Republic)

  7. Is the Trump campaign’s male-dominated culture losing women votes? “Trump and his advisers are calculating that, at a time when polls show voters dissatisfied with the direction of the country, and with turmoil abroad revealing the limitations of America’s global influence, they can win the White House by projecting a particular kind of strength — with a distinctly aggressive vibe not seen in presidential campaigns before.” (Washington Post)

  8. Republicans Appear Poised to Take Control of Senate, New Poll Shows. “Control of the Senate appears likely to flip from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party this fall, as one of the nation’s most endangered Democrats, Senator Jon Tester of Montana, trails his Republican challenger in his bid for re-election.” (New York Times)

  9. The 2024 race to control the House couldn’t be tighter. “Each party just about a 1-in-2 shot of controlling the chamber after the 2024 election — making the race a true coin flip.” (ABC News)

  10. When you should panic about the polls. “Most of the time, you shouldn’t — but here are the exceptions.” (Silver Bulletin)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 📺 TODAY: Harris Univision town hall
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Oct. 23: Harris CNN town hall
    🗳️ Nov. 5: Election Day.
    ⚖️ Nov. 26: Trump is sentenced.

  • ✅ Get election ready: Register to vote, update your address, or request an absentee ballot at Vote.org, TurboVote.org, RocktheVote.org, or VoteFromAbroad.org.

  • 📈 Election Polling Tracker

  • Harris +3.0 points (New York Times)
    Harris +2.5 points (538)
    Harris +3.0 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +3.5 points (The Economist)
    Harris +1.8 points (RealClearPolitics)
    Trump +8.0 points (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 55 times out of 100. Trump wins 45 times out of 100. (538)
    Harris wins 53 times out of 100. Trump wins 47 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 50 times out of 100. (The Economist)