[What A Day]([link removed])

Thursday, October 10, 2024
BY MATT BERG & CROOKED MEDIA

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- Donald Trump [at a campaign rally]([link removed]) this week, doubling down on his longstanding war on windmills

The Harris and Trump campaigns are scrambling to get disengaged voters to the polls on election day, and trying out novel ways to reach them. Yes, even the internet’s newest celebrity, “Hawk Tuah” girl, is getting dragged into this campaign. 
 

- Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remain stunningly, bafflingly, frustratingly, mind-numbingly, tied in the battleground states, according to a [new poll]([link removed]) released today. One of the most eventful political years of anyone’s lifetime has somehow failed to change many voters’ minds — despite a string of mind-boggling reversals, criminal drama, a candidate change, environmental disasters, foreign wars and assassination attempts. Just consider the latest hot take from supposed polling guru Nate Silver, who, today, [gave us this incomprehensible chestnut]([link removed]) about recent micro-fluctuations in the data: “The race is on the verge of becoming truly 50/50 rather than virtually 50/50. But this is pretty minor movement and could also just reflect noise.” Cool! Thanks, Nate! Helpful. So now we’re pondering the difference between “truly 50/50” and “virtually 50/50.” This is gonna be a long October.
 

- The upshot is that both campaigns are now seeking ways to break the logjam by reaching folks who still aren’t sure who to vote for… because they normally don’t vote. These are the least-interested voters — who could make all the difference. “In key battlegrounds, Trump's best bet remains high turnout of less engaged voters,” Dave Wasserman, an editor at Cook Political Report, [tweeted]([link removed]) after releasing the organization’s final swing state poll before the election.
 

- That’s where your bros and estranged uncles come into play. In recent weeks, Trump’s campaign has been increasingly focusing on reaching out to low-propensity voters, otherwise known as people who typically just don’t give a shit. The Nelk Boys, right-wing “pranksters” with millions of YouTube and podcast viewers, are [creating a multi-million dollar get-out-the-vote campaign]([link removed]) targeting young men. Ads may run on sports gambling sites, and another is expected to be on the popular [podcast run by Haliey Welch]([link removed]), aka “Hawk Tuah” girl, according to Politico. It’s also worth noting that Trump’s main spokesperson is a [former UFC staffer]([link removed]) known for ridiculing Democrats with questionable language.
 

- Harris seems to be largely ceding the younger bro vote, where Trump has an advantage and where, we should note, many influencers have ties to [white nationalism]([link removed]) and [incel culture]([link removed]). But she’s making her own unorthodox media forays. Earlier this week, the veep [sat down]([link removed]) with Alex Cooper’s incredibly popular “Call Her Daddy” podcast to talk about women’s reproductive rights, domestic violence, and other . She then [appeared]([link removed]) on Howard Stern’s radio show, (which has an audience that’s 73 percent male and 85 percent white), and [The View]([link removed]) (the [most-watched network television]([link removed]) show with a massive female audience). 

If you want to make a difference in the November election, the best way seems to be giving your politically ambivalent, libertarian-curious Uncle Leroy a call. Or your best bro.

Hurricane Milton left an [estimated 3.2 million people without power]([link removed]) and killed at least 11. But as the storm exited the eastern side of the Florida peninsula this morning, where it’s expected to dissipate over the Atlantic, early assessments indicated that the storm [didn’t hit Florida as hard]([link removed]) as many had feared.  
 
Much of the damage across the Sunshine State was caused by 38 tornadoes that sprang up ahead of the hurricane, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell told MSNBC today. Sarasota appeared to see the heaviest damage, while Tampa avoided a direct hit. Still, some areas on the coast saw storm surges up to 10 feet deep. “The evacuation orders saved lives,” Criswell said. More than 5.5 million people were told to leave their homes. Milton weakened to a Category 1 hurricane today after briefly reaching Category 5 while brewing in the Gulf of Mexico. 

Again: There’s a big climate change lesson here. FEMA is now struggling under the strain of repeated natural disasters. The agency has [spent almost half of its entire budget]([link removed]) already — just eight days into the fiscal year. Congress will likely have to approve more funding soon, otherwise FEMA will have to restrict its spending as disaster relief efforts ramp up in the coming days. Warmer ocean waters make hurricanes more intense, and [researchers found]([link removed]) that high sea temperatures — which fueled both Hurricane Helene and Milton — were 200 to 500 times more likely because of climate change.

Over a year ago the Hollywood writers’ and actors’ unions went on strike for fair contracts, and since then the entertainment landscape has changed. This week on [Assembly Required,]([link removed]) Stacey sits down with award-winning actor, producer and activist Bryan Cranston to talk about everything from the evolution of Hollywood, how can the industry sustain our thirst for content, to the livelihoods of the artists who make it. Listen to this episode now wherever you get your podcasts and on Youtube. New episodes of Assembly Required drop every Thursday.

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Israeli airstrikes killed at least 22 people in Beirut today, [according to Lebanon’s health ministry]([link removed]). In Gaza, an Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter killed 27 people, according to Palestinian medical officials. Israel claimed it attacked militants, but people sheltering in the building said that it struck a meeting of aid workers, the Associated Press reports. 
 
Harris has raised a record $1 billion since her campaign launched less than 80 days ago. But the funds won’t entirely cover costly strategies in swing states. “We are in the margin of error. This will come down to grinding it out,” a campaign insider told the [Washington Post]([link removed]). 
 
Meanwhile, Trump isn’t exactly making it rain (...dollars; never mind the burgeoning right-wing conspiracy theory that [politicians control the weather]([link removed])). Fewer than a third of donations to his campaign [have come from]([link removed]) small-dollar donors, or those who give less than $200. In 2020, nearly half of all his donations came from that group. You’re telling me he has to rely on the mega-wealthy to have a chance? 
 
Kamala Harris [agreed to take part]([link removed]) in a CNN town hall on October 23. The outlet also offered Donald Trump his own town hall, after he declined to a second debate against the veep. His campaign hasn’t responded to the offer yet. 
 
The inflation rate [fell to 2.4 percent]([link removed]), the lowest it’s been in three years, but higher than analysts expected. Also, filings for jobless benefits [rose last week]([link removed]) to the highest they’ve been in a year — believed to be caused by Hurricane Helene and the Boeing strike. 
 
Republicans have a good shot at taking control of the Senate in November, according to a New York Times / Siena College [poll released today]([link removed]). That’s because Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) is well behind his [racist opponent]([link removed]), and Republicans will almost certainly pick up a seat after Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) retires this year. So it looks like ol’ West Virginia Joe might be leaving us all a little lump of coal in our stockings this year. 
 
Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) [spoke with our friends at Hysteria]([link removed]) about her historic term representing the Golden State and her friendship with VP Harris. She’s not seeking re-election, but “I never say never … to doing it again.”

Ethel Kennedy, the social activist and wife of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, [died today]([link removed]) at 96 years old. She leaves behind nine children, 34 grandchildren and 24 great-great grandchildren.

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CFR Spotlights Foreign Policy in the U.S. Presidential Election
 
In the run-up to the November presidential election, the [Council on Foreign Relations]([link removed]) has launched Election 2024, an initiative that offers a wide range of resources–including a content hub, candidate tracker, podcasts, videos, and more–to help voters better understand the critical international issues at stake. 
 
Elections matter. Leaders matter. The world matters.
 

South Korean writer Han Kang was [awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature]([link removed]) for her body of work that “confronts historical traumas and exposes the fragility of human life.” Some of her most popular works include “The Vegetarian” and “Human Acts.”
 
Almost 100 raccoons [swarmed a woman’s home]([link removed]) in Washington state, prompting her to call the police. They apparently saw her car and front door as a food source and began acting aggressively. But the picture of them is so dang cute.

Grazer has once again been [crowned the winner]([link removed]) of America’s finest online popularity contest: Fat Bear Week. She defeated Chunk — who had killed one of Grazer’s cubs — by more than 40,000 votes. Sweet, sweet vengeance. The haters said it couldn’t be done twice.

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