Today in one sentence: The House unveiled a bipartisan spending bill to temporarily fund the government through Dec. 20; the Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule requiring all ballots to be hand-counted on Election Day; a Nebraska Republican state lawmaker blocked a Trump-backed effort to change how the state awards its five electoral votes; the Justice Department said the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Trump last week left a note stating "this was an assassination attempt"; North Carolina's Republican gubernatorial candidate, who is Black, referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” praised Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf,” and expressed support for reinstating slavery; Trump said "that will be it" if he loses the presidency in November; Trump said it’s "too late to do another" debate after Kamala Harris accepted an invitation from CNN for a second debate on Oct. 23; and U.S. is sending “a small number" of troops to the Middle East following Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Hezbollah targets that killed at least 490 people, including dozens of women and children, and wounded more than 1,645 others.

1/ The House unveiled a bipartisan spending bill to temporarily fund the government through Dec. 20. It doesn’t include the SAVE Act, the Trump-backed election security proposal that would require people to show proof of citizenship to register as a voter. Speaker Mike Johnson plans to vote on the legislation by Wednesday. It would then head to the Senate ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. The bill generally funds agencies at current levels, but directs an additional $231 million to the Secret Service. Last week, House Republicans rejected their own funding bill after Trump demanded that the government be shut down if legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote isn’t passed. (Associated Press / CBS News / Bloomberg / NPR / Axios / New York Times)

2/ The Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule requiring all ballots to be hand-counted on Election Day. The Republican-controlled board pushed the measure through over the opposition of Georgia’s Republican secretary of state and attorney general, and dozens of local election officials who said the last-minute change could delay certification and cause confusion on election night. The vote was 3-2, with three Trump allies supporting the move, and a Democratic and independent Republican-appointed member strongly opposing it. The new rule requires counties to count the number of ballots cast to make sure the count matches the ballots tallied by voting machines. It does not require hand tabulation of how people voted. (Washington Post / New York Times / CNN / Bloomberg / NPR)

3/ A Nebraska Republican state lawmaker blocked a Trump-backed effort to change how the state awards its five electoral votes. Mike McDonnell said he wouldn’t support the effort to change the state’s electoral system to winner take all. The outcome that could have cost Kamala Harris an electoral vote. Nebraska is one of two states — the other is Maine — that awards its electoral votes by congressional district. (Washington Post / NBC News / CNN / New York Times)

4/ The Justice Department said the man suspected of attempting to assassinate Trump last week left a note stating “this was an assassination attempt.” In one note, addressed to “The World,” Ryan Routh said “I failed you,” urging others to “finish the job.” He offered $150,000 to anyone who managed to kill Trump. Also found in his car was a handwritten list of dates and venues where Trump was to set to appear. Routh will be held without bail while he awaits his trial. (Washington Post / CNN / Axios / Associated Press / Politico)

5/ North Carolina’s Republican gubernatorial candidate, who is Black, referred to himself as a “black NAZI,” praised Adolf Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf,” and expressed support for reinstating slavery, according comments he posted on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago. Mark Robinson said he’s staying in the race. Robinson, who has advocated for anti-transgender policies and has made comments critical of trans people, also posted about how he enjoyed watching transgender pornography, describing himself as a “perv” who liked “[transgender] on girl porn.” Trump – who once praised Robinson as “Martin Luther King on steroids” – declined to formally withdraw his endorsement, saying “This is an issue that has to do with Robinson’s campaign and not President Trump’s campaign.” JD Vance, meanwhile, said the allegations against Robinson “aren’t necessarily reality.” Most of Robinson’s campaign staff have since stepped down. (CNN / ABC News / New York Times / New York Times / Washington Post / NBC News / Axios)

6/ Trump said “that will be it” if he loses the presidency in November. When asked if he’d make a fifth consecutive presidential run in 2028 if he loses, Trump said “No, I don’t. I think that will be, that will be it. I don’t see that at all. I think that hopefully we’re gonna be successful.” Trump, 78, would be 82 in 2028 – a year older than Biden is now. He is the oldest presidential nominee in history. (ABC News / Reuters / Associated Press / NPR / New York Times)

7/ Trump said it’s “too late to do another” debate after Kamala Harris accepted an invitation from CNN for a second debate on Oct. 23. “She’s done one debate. I’ve done two. It’s too late to do another. I’d love to, in many ways, but it’s too late. The voting is cast,” Trump said. “She’s had her chance to do it with Fox.” The Democratic National Committee, meanwhile, launched a billboard campaign calling Trump “chicken” for not agreeing to a second debate. The billboards include a digitally altered image of Trump in a chicken suit alongside the words “There’s no debate: Donald Trump’s a chicken.” (CNN / Politico / Axios / The Hill / NBC News)

8/ The U.S. is sending “a small number” of troops to the Middle East following Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon on Hezbollah targets that killed at least 490 people, including dozens of women and children, and wounded more than 1,645 others. The U.S. currently has about 40,000 troops in the region, and that new detachment was being sent “in light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution.” Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has launched some 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October in support of Hamas, which has prompted Israeli counterattacks. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take “whatever action is necessary” to change the “balance of power” on its northern border with Lebanon, and that Israel will not “wait for the threat — we take action before it.” Today, Israeli fighter jets struck more than 1,300 “terrorist targets” inside Lebanon that were linked to Hezbollah. [Editor’s note: This is a good time to remind readers that my job is to help distill news that deserve attention into a clear, understandable, and accurate first draft of history – even if it is uncomfortable, unpopular, or upsetting. Practically speaking, WTFJHT covers the news through the lens of the executive branch specifically – and the president in particular – followed by the legislative and judicial branches in general, and in that order. Naturally people will demand more from me than this scope and framing allows for, and that’s fine. But if your politics, religion, or ideology dictate that you pick a side and expect me to cater to it, you might be disappointed. Our humanity requires us to rise above picking sides. We are capable of more than rooting for human suffering. Because in the end, we’re talking about people, not politics.] (USA Today / Associated Press / CNN / New York Times / NBC News / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Politico / Axios / NPR)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 💰 Sept. 30: Government funding deadline.
    📺 Oct. 1: CBS vice presidential debate.
    📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Oct. 23: [Proposed] Presidential debate.
    🗳️ 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 +2.7 points (538)
    Harris +2.9 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +4.0 points (The Economist)
    Harris +2.2 points (RealClearPolitics)
    Harris +6.8 points (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 58 times out of 100. Trump wins 42 times out of 100. (538)
    Harris wins 53 times out of 100. Trump wins 47 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 60 times out of 100. Trump wins 40 times out of 100. (The Economist)