Today in one sentence: 14 days until Election Day; more than 400 doctors and health professionals called on Trump to release his medical records, questioning his mental and physical fitness to serve; Trump has made more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, imprison, or punish his perceived opponents since 2022; Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire backer, told the Life Center megachurch "that no one’s even bothering to try to kill Kamala" because it would be "pointless"; Trump’s plans for mass deportations, tariffs, and tax cuts would drive Social Security to insolvency by 2031 – three years earlier than currently projected; the Biden administration proposed a rule requiring private health insurance plans to cover over-the-counter birth control at no cost to patients; 79% of Republicans favor putting undocumented immigrants in encampments; and 60% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 support Harris for president.

  • Days until Election Day: 14.

  • 📈 Election Polling Tracker.

  • Harris +1.0 points (New York Times)
    Harris +1.7 points (538)
    Harris +1.6 points (Nate Silver)
    Harris +1.6 points (The Economist)
    Harris +0.9 points (RealClearPolitics)

  • 🔮 Election Forecast Tracker.

  • Trump wins 50 times out of 100. Harris wins 50 times out of 100. (538)
    Trump wins 53 times out of 100. Harris wins 47 times out of 100. (Nate Silver)
    Trump wins 54 times out of 100. Harris wins 46 times out of 100. (The Economist)
    Trump wins 61 times out of 100. Harris wins 39 times out of 100. (Election Betting Odds)
    Trump wins 52 times out of 100. Harris wins 47 times out of 100. (JHK Forecasts)
    Trump wins 61 times out of 100. Harris wins 39 times out of 100. (Super Model)

  • 📅 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.

1/ More than 400 doctors and health professionals called on Trump to release his medical records, questioning his mental and physical fitness to serve. “With no recent disclosure of health information from Donald Trump, we are left to extrapolate from public appearances,” their letter states. “And on that front, Trump is falling concerningly short of any standard of fitness for office and displaying alarming characteristics of declining acuity.” The letter adds that Trump is 78 years old and would be the oldest president if he win. But at a campaign event Sunday, Trump denied being close to 80 years old or having any cognitive issues. “I’m not 80, and I’m not that close to 80,” said Trump, who is 20 months away from turning 80. “I’ve done cognitive tests. I’ve done them twice, and I aced both of them, and the doctor in one case said, ‘I’ve never seen anybody ace them.’” Following a series meandering, unhinged, and nonsensical public appearances, a psychiatrist who helped craft the 1973 “Goldwater rule” that has kept mental health professionals from opining about Trump for nearly a decade said he’d recommend a dementia test for Trump. Allen Dyer, a retired George Washington University psychiatry professor, said Trump’s recent behavior warrants medical evaluation because “he seems to be progressively cognitively impaired.” (Mother Jones / HuffPost / New York Times)

2/ Trump has made more than 100 threats to investigate, prosecute, imprison, or punish his perceived opponents since 2022. As part of a campaign to exact “retribution,” Trump has repeatedly threatened to use federal law enforcement to prosecute Harris and Biden, as well as the prosecutors, judges and courtroom staff connected to the prosecutions against him for election interference, illegally retaining classified documents, and business fraud, promised televised military tribunals, and suggested he’d imprison journalists. Legal experts say they’re few guardrails preventing Trump from pursuing his plans, and in about a dozen cases, the Justice Department followed through and initiated investigations at his request. (NPR)

  • 💡 Why should I care? Trump’s rhetoric and proposed actions, if realized, would impact every American by weakening the democratic foundations that ensure fairness and accountability in government. Imagine a world where political disagreements aren’t settled through debate, but by jailing opponents and silencing critics through fear. It goes beyond Trump or his political enemies – it could set a dangerous precedent for future leaders to abuse their power. The liberties we take for granted – free speech, due process, peaceful political competition—could be eroded. This would affect not just the politically active but all citizens, as dissent becomes dangerous and civic engagement declines under the threat of government retribution. The legal system, too, would become a tool of partisan warfare, not justice. For anyone who values democracy and individual rights, this shift would have profound personal and societal consequences.

3/ Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire backer, told the Life Center megachurch “that no one’s even bothering to try to kill Kamala” because it would be “pointless.” Musk added: “Because there’s no point. There’s no point. [They’d] just get another puppet, you know.” The billionaire hastened to add, “I’m not suggesting someone should try to kill her. It’s pointless! I’m just making an observation. Nobody’s bothered. Why is that? Because it doesn’t matter. Yeah? Assassinating a puppet is pointless.” This is the third time that Musk, who’s contributed $75 million to his pro-Trump super PAC and pledged a daily $1 million prize for registered voters who sign his petition about supporting free speech and access to guns, has made a “joke” about somebody assassinating Harris. (Rolling Stone / Mediaite)

4/ Trump’s plans for mass deportations, tariffs, and tax cuts would drive Social Security to insolvency by 2031 – three years earlier than currently projected, according to a report from the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Under Trump’s policies, Social Security’s trust funds would be drained of tax revenue and force a 33% across-the-board cut to all benefits. Currently, the program’s combined retirement and disability trust funds are scheduled to be depleted in 2034, which would lead to a 23% cut in benefits the following year. Harris’s proposed policies, meanwhile, would not meaningfully change the current trajectory. (Washington Post / Axios / CBS News / Bloomberg / CNN)

5/ The Biden administration proposed a rule requiring private health insurance plans to cover over-the-counter birth control at no cost to patients, including daily pills, emergency contraceptives, and condoms. The rule is subject to a 60-day public comment period and, if finalized, would be “the most significant expansion of contraception benefits” in more than a decade. The rule would expand access for 52 million women of reproductive age covered by private health plans. (NPR / Washington Post / New York Times)

  • Missouri voters could undo their state’s abortion ban. Making abortion accessible is a different story. “Even before Roe v. Wade fell, a web of restrictions had made abortion largely unavailable in Missouri – particularly in the rural areas home to a third of the state’s residents.” (The 19th)

poll/ 79% of Republicans favor putting undocumented immigrants in encampments, compared to 22% of Democrats who support the idea. Overall, 50% of Americans oppose rounding up and deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, while 47% approve of it. (Axios / Public Religion Research Institute)

poll/ 60% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 support Harris for president, compared to 40% who support Trump. (CNBC)

Four years ago today: Day 1372: "Out of whack."
Five years ago today: Day 1006: Direct line.
Six years ago today: Day 641: A great mind.