'He was having fun'

Chants of "Lock her up!" are nothing new at Trump rallies. Along with "Build the wall!", they were a signature of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign stops, in reference to his rival that year, Hillary Clinton. On Saturday, Trump's supporters at a rally in Muskegon, Mich., repurposed the chant for the state's governor, Gretchen Whitmer. Whitmer was the intended target of a violent right-wing militia plot foiled by the FBI less than two weeks ago. Trump laughed and responded to the chant with "Lock 'em all up!"

• — Authorities announced on Oct. 8 that 13 men were charged in connection to plots to kidnap Whitmer and overthrow the state's government. Federal prosecutors said the scheme included months of planning, and involved monitoring the governor's vacation home and building bombs. —Business Insider
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• — "It's incredibly disturbing that the President of the United States, 10 days after a plot to kidnap, put me on trial, and execute me—10 days after that was uncovered—the president is at it again and inspiring and incentivizing and inciting this kind of domestic terrorism," Whitmer said on NBC's "Meet the Press" yesterday morning. —Detroit Free Press
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• — "It's a fun, light atmosphere." In an interview on CNN's "State of the Union," Lara Trump, a senior adviser to Trump's re-election campaign, defended her father-in-law's suggestion that Whitmer should be imprisoned alongside his other political rivals. "He wasn't doing anything, I don't think, to provoke people to threaten this woman at all," Lara Trump said. "That's ridiculous." Sure, all in good fun. —Politico

'People are tired of COVID'

A frustrated and at times foul-mouthed President Trump claimed on a campaign call that Americans are tired of hearing about the deadly coronavirus pandemic, which has killed more than 215,000 Americans, and trashed Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as a "disaster" who has been around for "500 years." During the call with campaign staff from his namesake hotel in Las Vegas, Trump said, "People are saying whatever. Just leave us alone. They're tired of it. People are tired of hearing Fauci and all these idiots." Cases of COVID-19 are again spiking in the U.S., and medical experts warn the worst may be yet to come. —CNN

• — Superspreader-in-chief. The number of coronavirus cases tied to Trump's September rallies in Minnesota has risen to 23. The Minnesota Department of Public Health said that 16 cases have been traced to a Sept. 18 Trump event in Bemidji, four to a protest outside that same rally, and three to a Sept. 30 Trump campaign speech in Duluth. Contact tracers also identified one new case stemming from former Vice President Joe Biden's Sept. 18 visit to a union training center in Duluth. —The Daily Beast
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• — No tweet for you. White House Coronavirus Task Force member Scott Atlas now has something in common with the president—he's had a tweet flagged by Twitter for violating its policies regarding spreading misleading information. On Saturday, the controversial neuroradiologist, who doesn't specialize in infectious disease or epidemiology, tweeted a suggestion that face masks don't work and that there are actually "many harms" associated with wearing masks. —Forbes
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• — Stimulus status? House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set a 48-hour deadline yesterday on reaching a deal to pass a coronavirus stimulus relief bill before Election Day. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Saturday there would be Senate votes on stimulus measures on Tuesday and Wednesday. But Democrats, who are expected to block McConnell's effort, have been pushing for a larger deal, banking on Pelosi's negotiations with Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin. Stay tuned. —CNN

The Economist: COVID-19 is a dream come true for autocrats

"The disease poses a grave and fast-moving threat to every nation. Governments have, quite reasonably, assumed emergency powers to counter it. But such powers can be abused. Governments have selectively banned protests on the grounds that they might spread the virus, silenced critics, and scapegoated minorities. They have used emergency measures to harass dissidents. And they have taken advantage of a general atmosphere of alarm. With everyone's attention on COVID-19, autocrats and would-be autocrats in many countries can do all sorts of bad things, safe in the knowledge that the rest of the world will barely notice, let alone object." —The Economist

Even the Post reporters didn't want the Post story

Last week, The New York Post published a front-page article about Hunter Biden, suggesting that former Vice President Joe Biden had used his position to enrich his son. The article was written mostly by staff reporter Bruce Golding, who did not allow his byline to be used because he had concerns over the article's credibility. The story was based on photos and documents the paper said it had taken from the hard drive of a laptop purportedly belonging to Hunter Biden.

• — Many Post staff members questioned whether the paper had done enough to verify the authenticity of the hard drive's contents. It was originally obtained by a Delaware computer repairman who supposedly made a copy of Hunter Biden's original hard drive and turned it over to Rudy Giuliani, attorney for Joe Biden's political opponent, Donald Trump.
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• — Staff members also had concerns about the reliability of its sources and its timing. In addition to Giuliani, the article names Steve Bannon as a source. Bannon is a former adviser to Trump who is now facing federal fraud charges. He was said to have made the paper aware of the hard drive last month.
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• — Headlined "BIDEN SECRET E-MAILS," the article appeared with two bylines—Emma-Jo Morris and Gabrielle Fonrouge. Morris is a deputy politics editor who joined the paper in April after four years at Fox News. It was her first bylined article for the Post. A Post reporter since 2014, Fonrouge had little to do with the reporting or writing of the article. She learned that her byline was on the story only after it was published. —The New York Times

Frantz: What happened in Hungary can happen anywhere

"With its recent history of representative government and high levels of wealth, academic research suggests that Hungary's democracy should have been safe. But perhaps our understanding of democratic resilience, in both democracies new and old, needs an update. It is no longer safe to assume that any country's democracy is robust enough to resist a power grab from its elected leadership. This message is timely for observers of American politics, with a pivotal election quickly approaching on Nov. 3. As Hungary's experience illustrates, elections can serve as triggering events for democratic breakdowns, opening opportunities for incumbent leaders that can quicken a country's transition to authoritarianism." —World Politics Review

Ed. Note: Erica Frantz is an assistant professor of political science at Michigan State University. She has authored four books on dictatorships and development.

MORE: Albertus: Will Chile set an example for true democracy? —The New York Times

ICYMI: Quick takes from the weekend

If you were too busy with autumn activities this weekend to check on the news, good for you. Here's a roundup of stories you may have missed...

• — White supremacists busted in Utah. Twenty-one members and associates of white supremacy organizations are facing multiple drug and weapons charges in Utah, following an investigation that focused on the Soldiers of Aryan Culture, Silent Aryan Warriors, and Noble Elect Thugs. "These targets were violent, they're criminals, and they're the worst in our communities," said Matt Harris, U.S. marshal for the District of Utah. —TIME
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• — Election landslide in New Zealand. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Labour Party won a huge re-election victory over the weekend, after a successful term leading the country through the coronavirus pandemic and a mass shooting last year. Asked what the takeaway for Americans should be from her victory, she said people throughout the world should work to move beyond partisan infighting. "That can be damaging for democracy, regardless of the side of the House that you sit on," said Ardern. —The Hill
   
• — Thousands mourn teacher in France. Demonstrators took to the streets in several French cities yesterday to pay homage to Samuel Paty and proclaim their support for the country's teachers. In a shocking assault, Paty, a history teacher, was beheaded on Friday after teaching a lesson on free speech that included cartoons from Charlie Hebdo, the satirical magazine targeted in a terrorist attack in 2015. The 18-year-old suspect was shot and killed by police. —The Wall Street Journal
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• — Demonstrations continue in Thailand. Thailand's government has vowed to protect the monarchy after tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters rallied in Bangkok and other cities over the weekend, as calls for a new constitution and curbing the king's powers continue to grow. Demonstrators again defied an emergency decree banning public gatherings of more than five people and hit the streets en masse for a fifth straight day yesterday. —CNN

Truax: We have a choice. Choose wisely

"In the end, it isn't just America's guardrails that are being tested. Americans are being tested. We live in a particular time. On Nov. 3, we have a choice to make, not just between candidates, but between democratic values on one hand, and fear and anger on the other. Choose wisely. We are all going to live with those choices for a very long time." —USA Today

Ed. Note: Republican Chris Truax is an appellate lawyer in San Diego and the CEO of CertifiedVoter.com.

MORE: Horn: My fellow Republicans, Trump does not deserve your loyalty —USA Today

Every little bit helps

Portland, Ore., has been the site of much unrest in this tumultuous year. As recent protests turned to riots, a crowd smashed windows at the Oregon Historical Society. They also stole a handmade quilt, which was later found outside, soaked by rain. The Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt was sewn by 15 Black women from Portland in the 1970s.

• — Dismayed by the destruction, Terry Tymchuk, executive director of the OHS, was nevertheless heartened by the new memberships and donations it generated. But "none have affected me as much as a gift from our neighbor, Oscar," he said.
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• — Oscar is a local homeless man who left a handwritten note on a napkin with a $1 bill. He said he saw the damage and wanted to help with some of his bottle-collecting money, because the OHS once gave him a free tour before the pandemic. "So this is a thank you!" he wrote.
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• — Touched by the outreach, the organization released a statement saying, in part, "For everyone who has called, emailed, or sent us messages of support, we can't thank you enough for your kindness during this difficult time." The quilt is currently off public display for evaluation, but thanks to people like Oscar, the OHS will be back. —KPTV

This week's campaign events have left me thinking that the national divide is not so much between left and right as it is between moderates and extremists—between those who sincerely seek to learn the truth, and those who passively accept what others tell them; between those who consult many sources of information, and those who let others do their thinking for them; between those who formulate their own ideas, and those who parrot what they have heard from others.

The debate about climate change is a good example. Extremists on both sides adhere to rigid beliefs based on emotion or self-interest or both. Moderates entertain ideas from many sources and recognize the complexity of the problem. An ancient saying is "moderation is best in all things," and that is true. I hope for a silent majority of moderates who will vote in the coming election and then become active members of a revived democracy. —Tim P., New Mexico

The views expressed in "What's Your Take?" are submitted by readers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial staff or the Stand Up Republic Foundation.