1/ Federal prosecutors charged New York City Mayor Eric Adams with bribery, fraud, and soliciting illegal foreign campaign donations as part of months-long federal investigation into whether his campaign illegally conspired with Turkish entities to collect foreign donations. According to the five-count indictment, Adams accepted free travel on Turkish Airlines, illegal campaign contributions, and other perks from his “corrupt relationships” with rich foreigners connected to the Turkish government. In exchange, prosecutors allege that Adams used his position as incoming mayor to influence the opening of the Turkish consulate in Manhattan by expediting the fire safety inspection despite safety concerns, as well as not releasing a statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day – the annual observance of the estimated 1.5 million Armenians, who were systematically exterminated through mass deportations, forced marches, and mass killings. Adams, meanwhile, said he would not resign. (New York Times / Washington Post / Politico / Associated Press / Axios / Wall Street Journal / NBC News)

2/ Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden introduced legislation to add six justices to the Supreme Court, require supermajorities to overturn any law passed by Congress, require justices to undergo audits, and more. “The Supreme Court is in crisis and bold solutions are necessary to restore the public trust,” Wyden said in a statement. “More transparency, more accountability and more checks on a power hungry Supreme Court are just what the American people are asking for.” The bill would increase the number of justices from nine to 15 over 12 years to prevent one political party from packing the courts with its nominees. In addition, the legislation would require Supreme Court nominees to be automatically scheduled for a vote in the Senate to prevent senators from refusing to hold a vote on a nominee – like what Mitch McConnell did to Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016. “It’s not an atomic secret that the process for selecting justices is politicized,” Wyden said. “You’ve got this thoroughly politicized process resulting in a Supreme Court that now frequently issues sweeping rulings to overturn laws and upend precedents. We are proposing a way to restore some balance between the three branches of government.” The bill, however, stands little chance of passing in the Republican-controlled House. (Washington Post / Salon / The New Republic)

3/ Rudy Giuliani was disbarred from practicing law in Washington, D.C., over his efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 election loss. An ethics panel recommended Giuliani be disbarred, saying: “He sought to disrupt a presidential election and persists in his refusal to acknowledge the wrong he has done.” Giuliani was also recently disbarred in New York. (Axios / Politico / Associated Press)

4/ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue his bombardment of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon indefinitely despite the U.S. and other allies calling for a 21-day ceasefire. Netanyahu’s said the IDF will keep “fighting with full force,” adding: “We continue to hit Hezbollah with all our might. This is the policy.” Israeli airstrikes and attacks have killed more than 700 people, including many women and children, in Lebanon over the past 10 days. Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging rocket fire since the start of the war in Gaza. Both Hezbollah and Hamas are backed by Iran, and are designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. (Bloomberg / Associated Press / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / CNN / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

5/ Republican Rep. Clay Higgins deleted his racist social media post calling Haiti the “nastiest country in the western hemisphere” after being confronted by multiple House colleagues who threatened to censure him. In Higgins’ social media rant, he called Haitians “thugs,” repeated Trump and JD Vance’s false and dehumanizing claims about pet-eating, falsely claimed “wild” Haitians were practicing “vudu,” and called Haitian migrants “thugs’ and “slapstick gangsters” who needed to get “their ass out of our country.” He later doubled down that “it’s all true,” when asked about his now-deleted post. Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Steven Horsford plans to force action on a censure resolution when the House returns after the November election. (Politico / Associated Press / CNN / NBC News / Washington Post / USA Today / Axios)

✏️ Notables.

  1. 😷 Free covid tests by mail are back. People can again order four covid tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday.

  2. Jack Smith’s 2-year investigation into Trump will land on Tanya Chutkan’s desk today. “Smith’s prosecutors are scheduled to submit to Chutkan a 180-page dossier distilling their case against Trump — the fruits of a two-year investigation that included secret grand jury testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence and former chief of staff Mark Meadows. It is likely the special counsel’s final chance before Election Day to lay out his case for why Trump deserves to be put on trial and convicted.” (Politico / ABC News)

  3. Legal experts say Jack Smith about to drop a bomb in Trump case. “This will be 180 pages of evidence and the evidence will be powerful, undeniable and persuasive.” (Salon)

  • 📅 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 +2.8 points (538)
    Harris +2.8 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +3.7 points (The Economist)
    Harris +2.0 points (RealClearPolitics)
    Harris +3.9 points (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 56 times out of 100. Trump wins 44 times out of 100. (538)
    Harris wins 55 times out of 100. Trump wins 45 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 50 times out of 100. (The Economist)