Today in one sentence: Israel Defense Forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a strike in Gaza; Trump blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for allowing Russia to invade Ukraine; JD Vance outright denied Trump lost the 2020 election, flatly answering "no"; Trump’s described the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol a “day of love”; Trump asked a federal judge to delay the court-ordered release of special counsel Jack Smith’s evidence against him until after the 2024 election; Mitch McConnell, who has endorsed Trump for president this year, called Trump a “despicable human being,” a "narcissist," “stupid,” and “ill-tempered" after the 2020 election; and Trump – again – tried to silence Stormy Daniels before an election.

1/ Israel Defense Forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar during a strike in Gaza. Sinwar is believed to be the key architect of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack in which Palestinian militants killed 1,200 people in Israel. Israel previously killed Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, and then killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut in September. Biden, meanwhile, said Sinwar’s death opens the door for “a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike […] It’s time for this war to end and bring these hostages home. We’re going to work out what, what is the ‘day after’ now. How do we secure Gaza and move on.” Kamala Harris added: “This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza, and it must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination. It is time for the day after to begin without Hamas in power.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, addressed Sinwar’s demise, saying, “This is the beginning of the day after Hamas. Evil has suffered a heavy blow, but the task before us is not yet complete.” (Politico / CBS News / Associated Press / Axios / NPR / NBC News / New York Times / Bloomberg / Washington Post / CNN)

2/ Trump blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for allowing Russia to invade Ukraine. “He should never have let that war start. The war’s a loser,” Trump said. In September, Trump met with Zelensky and said that it was an “honor” to meet with him and that they had a “very good relationship.” Trump then added that he also has a “very good relationship” with Putin. Zelensky, meanwhile, warned that 10,000 North Korean troops are being readied to join Russian forces in their fight against Ukraine as part of “the first step to a World War.” (Washington Post / Politico / New York Times / Associated Press / Axios / The Hill)

3/ JD Vance outright denied Trump lost the 2020 election, flatly answering “no.” For months Vance has repeatedly deflected questions about whether Trump lost the 2020 election, instead saying he was focused on the future. But when asked again at a rally in Pennsylvania if Trump lost, Vance replied: “No. I think there were serious problems in 2020. So, did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use, OK?” (NPR / Axios / Associated Press / Washington Post)

4/ Trump’s described the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol a “day of love.” Five people, including three police officers, died after the Jan. 6 attack, and more than 140 officers were injured. Nevertheless, Trump, appearing at a town hall hosted by Univision, was asked to respond to a self-identified Republican, who raised concerns about Trump’s inaction on Jan. 6, his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and why many of his own former administration officials don’t support him any longer. “I want to give you the opportunity to try and win back my vote,” the voter offered. Trump replied: “You had hundreds of thousands of people come to Washington. They didn’t come because of me, they came because of the election—they thought the election was a rigged election, and that’s why they came. Some of those people went down to the Capitol. I said ‘peacefully and patriotically,’ nothing done wrong at all, nothing done wrong. Action was taken, strong action. Ashley Babbitt was killed. Nobody was killed. There were no guns down there, we didn’t have guns, the others had guns […] But that was a day of love.” (Washington Post / The Hill / NBC News / The Guardian)

5/ Trump asked a federal judge to delay the court-ordered release of special counsel Jack Smith’s evidence against him until after the 2024 election. Following the Supreme Court decision that presidents have immunity for “official acts,” Smith filed a motion arguing that Trump was acting in a private capacity when he tried to overturn the 2020 election. Last week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered the release of the documents. “[I]f the Court immediately releases the Special Counsel’s cherry-picked documents, potential jurors will be left with a skewed, one-sided, and inaccurate picture of this case,” Trump’s attorneys wrote in the filing. “Those same potential jurors may not see President Trump’s later responsive filing.” Trump’s attorneys requested that Chutkan delay the release of the appendix until Nov. 14 – after the election. (Politico / Axios / ABC News)

6/ Mitch McConnell, who has endorsed Trump for president this year, called Trump a “despicable human being,” a “narcissist,” “stupid,” and “ill-tempered” after the 2020 election, according to his diaries. A forthcoming new biography of McConnell, “The Price of Power,” drew from years of interviews with McConnell, as well as his recorded diaries. McConnell did not deny his statements when asked. (Associated Press / Washington Post / Axios / NBC News / The Hill)

7/ Trump – again – tried to silence Stormy Daniels before an election. Less than two weeks before the 2016 election, Trump paid Daniels $130,000 to not speak publicly about their extramarital affair, illegally laundering the money through his business and Michael Cohen. Trump was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to the payments in May, and will be sentenced in late November. In a case separate, however, Daniels still owed Trump more than half a million dollars in legal fees related to a failed 2018 defamation case she brought against Trump. While negotiating the fees and interest, Trump’s lawyer demanded $652,000 from Daniels, who was aiming for a number closer to $600,000. In July, Trump’s lawyer told Daniels that a payment of $620,000 was too low, but they’d settle the issue for $620,000 if Daniels agreed “in writing to make no public or private statements related to any alleged past interactions with President Trump or defamatory or disparaging statements about him, his business and or any affiliate affiliates or his suitability as a candidate for president.” After Daniels declined the offer, Trump’s attorney sent another email stating that the case could be settled for $635,000 without the nondisclosure agreement. Ultimately, Daniels reportedly settled for $627,500 and did not sign any NDA. (MSNBC / Rolling Stone / NBC News / New York Magazine / The New Republic)

✏️ Notables.

  1. The Biden administration announced that it has forgiven another $4.5 billion in student debt for over 60,000 borrowers. The latest round brings the total amount of student loan cancellation to more than $175 billion for nearly 5 million people since Biden took office. That’s roughly equal to 11% of all outstanding federal student loan debt. (CNN / New York Times / CNBC)

  2. Florida’s abortion law includes an exception for fatal fetal anomalies, but in practice, it often fails women facing medically complex pregnancies. “A handful of states with abortion bans — Florida, North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Indiana, Iowa and West Virginia — have included language that purportedly provides an exception in cases of fatal fetal anomalies. But in practice, securing those exceptions often proves impossible. The problem is, it’s not always clear what it means for an anomaly to be fatal. And if physicians in Florida err on the side of permissiveness, they risk being charged with a felony that carries up to five years prison time.” (The 19th)

  3. Trump’s mass deportation plan threatens U.S. food supply. Trump’s proposed mass deportations of undocumented immigrants could seriously harm the U.S. food system. Experts warn that deporting millions of workers—many of whom are essential to agriculture—would destabilize an industry already strained by climate change and labor shortages. (Grist)

  4. Pro-Trump dark money group behind fake pro-Harris campaign. A dark money network tied to Donald Trump and backed by Elon Musk is funding a fake pro-Kamala Harris campaign under the name “Progress 2028.” The initiative claims to support Harris but is actually designed to create divisions among her voter base. (OpenSecrets)

  5. How Alarmed Should We Be If Trump Wins Again? A second Trump term could dismantle key democratic institutions and align the U.S. with authoritarian regimes. The cultural theater of his presidency is not mere entertainment; it is a real threat to American democracy. Trump’s resilience, combined with a yearning for political vengeance, makes him a more dangerous figure than many recognize. (New Yorker)

  6. Texas voter roll purge inflated, investigation finds. Texas Governor Greg Abbott claimed 6,500 noncitizens were removed from voter rolls, but a joint investigation found the number was likely exaggerated. Many voters were flagged simply for not responding to citizenship verification letters, leading to potential mistakes. (ProPublica)

  7. A Georgia judge called seven new rules that the State Election Board passed “illegal, unconstitutional and void.” “Fulton County Judge Thomas Cox ruled after an hours-long hearing to invalidate seven rules total, including the hand count rule, finding in part that the board did not have the authority to enact them.” (Axios / ABC News)

  8. Five key moments from Kamala Harris’s heated Fox News interview.” The 30-minute interview with Fox chief political anchor Bret Baier often got combative, with the pair speaking over each other at times, as they tangled over topics from immigration to what Harris would do differently from President Joe Biden, to former president Donald Trump.” (Washington Post)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 📺 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 +2.0 points (New York Times)
    Harris +2.4 points (538)
    Harris +2.5 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +3.1 points (The Economist)
    Harris +1.5 points (RealClearPolitics)
    Trump +15.2 points (Election Betting Odds)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker

  • Harris wins 52 times out of 100. Trump wins 48 times out of 100. (538)
    Trump wins 50 times out of 100. Harris wins 49 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Harris wins 54 times out of 100. Trump wins 45 times out of 100. (The Economist)