Today in one sentence: With landfall by Milton, a major Category 3 hurricane, hours away and nearly 7.3 million Floridians facing mandatory evacuation orders, Marjorie Taylor Greene continued to promote her false conspiracy theory that the government can control the weather; the Kremlin confirmed that Trump secretly sent Putin Covid-19 testing equipment during the height of the pandemic when the machines were in short supply; Republicans are challenging all aspects of mail-in voting in battleground states; and Trump plans rallies in solidly Democratic states in an unorthodox strategy for the election's final weeks.

1/ With landfall by Milton, a major Category 3 hurricane, hours away and nearly 7.3 million Floridians facing mandatory evacuation orders, Marjorie Taylor Greene continued to promote her false conspiracy theory that the government can control the weather. The Georgia Republican claimed last week that “they” can control the weather after Hurricane Helene killed more than 230 people, including two dozen people in her state. She added: “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.” Greene doubled down since her initial claim, posting screenshots of “weather modification project reports” from the NOAA website and citing a post by a conspiracy theorist website as proof that “yes they can control the weather.” She continued: “If your home or business or property is damaged or a loved one is killed by their weather modifications shouldn’t you be eligible for compensation? After all, did they ask you if you agreed to our weather being modified?” Biden called Greene’s conspiracy theory “reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies […] harmful to those who need help the most.” He added that the “claims are getting even more bizarre […] it’s beyond ridiculous. It’s got to stop.” Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez, meanwhile, said Greene and others who think that humans can control the weather need “to have their head examined.” Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast overnight as a major hurricane, and could become one of the most destructive storms on record. Harris urged residents to heed evacuation warnings, saying the storm is expected to be “catastrophic and deadly” and “unlike anything we’ve seen before.” (NBC News / Bloomberg / Politico / CNN / Washington Post / New York Times / The Hill)

2/ The Kremlin confirmed that Trump secretly sent Putin Covid-19 testing equipment during the height of the pandemic when the machines were in short supply. Trump denied that he sent Covid test equipment to Putin, saying “none of these made up stories by Bob Woodward are true” – referring to “War,” Woodward’s new book. “We also sent equipment at the beginning of the pandemic,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a written response. Peskov, however, denied reporting that Trump and Putin have spoken on the telephone “as many as seven” times since Trump left office. The Logan Act prohibits private U.S. citizens from engaging in diplomacy with foreign governments without authorization that are in dispute with the U.S. (Bloomberg / Axios / NBC News / Politico / ABC News / Axios / NPR / The Hill)

✏️ Notables.

  1. Republicans are challenging all aspects of mail-in voting in battleground states. “Key swing states like North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada and Michigan are still experiencing a high volume of mail-in and absentee voting. That has prompted multiple lawsuits in battleground states where Republicans are suing to challenge everything from whether mail-in ballot envelopes are properly sealed to whether they are postmarked correctly.” (CNN)
  2. Trump plans rallies in solidly Democratic states in an unorthodox strategy for the election’s final weeks. “Trump is scheduled to hold rallies in staunchly Democratic states he has virtually no chance of winning. It’s an unorthodox strategy campaign advisers say is designed to focus on areas where Democratic policies have failed, but it will also keep him away from the small handful of swing states almost certain to determine the election.” (NBC News)
  3. Harris’ mission critical in final push: Wipe out Trump’s advantage on the economy. “While Harris has gained ground on stewardship of the economy, Trump still leads in most surveys about the issue, which frequently ranks as the top concern for voters. The Harris campaign and Democratic allies believe she must erode that advantage and at least fight it to a draw.” (NBC News)
  4. Howard Stern endorsed Kamala Harris during interview that touches on therapy, sexism, and Trump. “And yes, I’m voting for you, but I would also vote for that wall over there, rather than a guy who says he doesn’t support Ukraine… Why do my fellow Americans want this kind of chaos overseas?” Stern said. (Salon)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 📺 Oct. 10: Harris town hall
    ⛔️ 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 +2.5 points (538)
    Harris +3.2 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +2.9 points (The Economist)
    Harris +2.0 points (RealClearPolitics)
    Trump +3.0 points (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 54 times out of 100. Trump wins 45 times out of 100. (538)
    Harris wins 54 times out of 100. Trump wins 46 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 50 times out of 100. Trump wins 50 times out of 100. (The Economist)