One last meeting

Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden met for the second and last time on a debate stage last night at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. For Trump, it was the final opportunity to change the dynamics of a race dominated by his response to the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. For Biden, it was 90 minutes to solidify an apparent lead less than two weeks before the election. It was a more subdued affair than their earlier head-to-head meeting, thanks in part to moderator Kristen Welker and a handy mute button.

• — COVID-19. "We're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner," Trump claimed about the coronavirus, even as the country broke its highest single-day record of new cases yesterday, with more than 77,000 recorded. The virus has killed 223,000 Americans. "Anyone who's responsible for that many deaths should not remain as President of the United States of America," Biden said.
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• — Immigration. Biden criticized Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy that separated young children from their migrant parents at the border. A report this week indicated that hundreds of children still have not been reunited with their parents. Trump responded, "They are so well taken care of. They're in facilities that were so clean." The president also said only immigrants with the "lowest IQ" attend their immigration hearings.
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• — Race relations. Trump blamed Biden for the mass incarceration of Black men in the U.S. and declared himself "the least racist person in this room." He also repeated his claim that "nobody has done what I've done" for Black Americans, "with the exception of Abraham Lincoln, possible exception." An incredulous Biden called Trump a "racist" who "pours fuel on every single racist fire." —Associated Press

The latest Hunter Biden scoop falls flat

The Trump machine is working overtime to make hay of its Hunter Biden story. The president brought it up throughout last night's presidential debate, and even went as far as inviting as a debate guest a former associate of Biden's who claims he can verify the story's veracity. Earlier, Trump hinted that The Wall Street Journal was preparing to drop a major breakthrough in the story, even as other news outlets have steered clear of it because of questions about its validity and its sources. The Journal did indeed publish a pro-Trump opinion piece on the matter, but its news division wrote a story in the same Thursday edition refuting the op-ed.

• — The debate guest, Tony Bobulinski, is a businessman who was involved in a scuttled venture with Hunter Biden in 2017 involving a Chinese oil company. He claims to have text messages on multiple phones showing that former Vice President Joe Biden was part of a discussion with his son about a business venture with a Chinese energy company.
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• — In her opinion piece on Thursday, Kim Strassel argued that the text messages allegedly sent by Hunter Biden—which, notably, came after Joe Biden had left office, and before he launched his presidential campaign—show that Hunter Biden "was cashing in on the Biden name" and that "Joe Biden was involved" in the plan.
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• — But according to the Journal's own news reporting, the text messages did not show a pay-for-play scheme, as suggested by Strassel. "Text messages and emails related to the venture that were provided to the Journal by Bobulinski, mainly [from] the spring and summer of 2017, don't show either Hunter Biden or [Joe's brother] James Biden discussing a role for Joe Biden in the venture," the article says. —The Daily Beast

Brooking: The DNI is a dishonest broker

"The Office of the Director of National Intelligence's first comment on the [Hunter Biden] matter came Oct. 19, when [DNI John] Ratcliffe appeared on Fox. He stated that 'no intelligence' supported the interpretation that this was a Russian disinformation campaign. He went on to tacitly endorse Trump's re-election bid, urging viewers to not let Democrats 'return to power' and 'again mislead the American people.'

Ratcliffe's latest attacks on the notion of Russian interference directly contradicted off-the-record remarks by active U.S. intelligence analysts, who have warned of precisely such an operation for months. His remarks came just days after it was revealed that the FBI was conducting an active investigation. They came the same day that the Department of Justice unsealed new charges against Russian hackers for foreign election interference. Ratcliffe's comments did not appear to reflect reality. Instead, they seemed to serve as undeclared advertising for the Trump campaign." —Emerson Brooking in Defense One

Ed. Note: Emerson Brooking is a resident fellow at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council. He is the co-author of "LikeWar: The Weaponization of Social Media."

The Russians are hacking, the Russians are hacking

Federal officials from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security's cybersecurity agency announced yesterday that Russian hackers have targeted a broad range of state and local government networks in the U.S. in recent days, stealing data from at least two servers. The warning has amplified fears of the potential for tampering with the presidential election and has served as a reminder of Russia's superior capabilities even as officials publicly called out Iran for its election interference on Wednesday night.

• — In addition to undermining confidence in the election, the Russian state-sponsored hacking group "may be seeking access to obtain future disruption options, to influence U.S. policies and actions, or to delegitimize (state and local) government entities," the advisory said.
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• — Officials have repeatedly said it would be difficult for hackers to alter vote tallies in any meaningful way, but they have warned about other methods of interference that could disrupt the election, including cyberattacks on networks meant to impede the voting process.
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• — The interference could continue during or after the tallying of ballots if Russians produce spoofed websites or fake content meant to confuse voters about election results and lead them to doubt the legitimacy of the outcome. —Associated Press

Soyemi: Nigerians fight for their democracy

"The protests raise the question: Who gave our so-called leaders the authority they think they have over us; if we are a democracy, who is really in charge? The protests provide an opportunity to rid ourselves of falsehoods that have kept our country in stagnation for over a half-century: that the police and the government that wields it are in our service; that we are a democracy; that in the 1999 transfer from the military we were given a genuine shot at democratic freedom. In both the character of the people who purported to represent a civilian leadership and the vestiges of military authoritarianism that remained, we have never known democratic rule." —Eniola Anuoluwapo Soyemi in The New York Times

Ed. Note: Eniola Anuoluwapo Soyemi is a Nigerian political theorist and a Max Weber Fellow at the European University Institute.

MORE: Nigerian president warns protesters to stop, omits mention of those killed —Los Angeles Times

Trump campaign rebuked in PA

The Trump campaign has been videotaping voters in Philadelphia, Pa., while they deposit their ballots in drop boxes, leading state Attorney General Josh Shapiro to warn the campaign that its actions fall outside of permitted poll-watching practices and could amount to illegal voter intimidation. The campaign made a formal complaint to city officials on Oct. 16, saying a campaign representative had surveilled voters depositing two or three ballots at drop boxes, calling the conduct "blatant violations of the Pennsylvania election code." However, under Pennsylvania law, voters are allowed to deliver additional ballots to drop boxes if they are assisting a voter with a disability or who otherwise needs assistance. —The Philadelphia Inquirer

• — Alabama. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that Alabama can ban curbside voting in the upcoming election, handing Republicans a victory in their battle against easing election rules because of the coronavirus pandemic. A federal appeals court already had refused to lift an Alabama requirement that voters using absentee ballots submit affidavits signed by a notary or two adult witnesses. That court also reaffirmed the need for absentee ballots to include copies of photo IDs. —USA Today
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• — Iowa. The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a Republican-backed law barring auditors from fixing errors on absentee ballot applications on behalf of voters. In the 4-3 ruling, the court barred county auditors from correcting incomplete applications based on state voter databases. While auditors were permitted to make the changes before the new law, they will now be required to send them back to applicants to correct. —The Hill
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• — North Carolina. In a 12-to-3 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit has upheld North Carolina's deadline extension for mail-in votes to be counted in the upcoming election, calling the measure a "common sense change" at a time when the U.S. Postal Service is inundated with ballots. The ruling allows ballots to be received up to nine days after the election as long as they are mailed on or before Nov. 3. —The Washington Post

Krueger: Crony capitalism reaches new heights

"Given that most Americans are concerned about the influence of money in politics, it is surprising how many people remain oblivious to the dangers of these other forms of corruption. The U.S. economy has historically been among the most productive in the world, because it provided a reasonably level playing field. But under the Trump Administration, crony capitalism has taken root, and will now need to be weeded out. Otherwise, the U.S. economy will continue to be hobbled while crooks and grifters line their pockets." —Anne Krueger in Project Syndicate

Ed. Note: Anne Krueger, a former World Bank chief economist and former first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund, is senior research professor of international economics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and senior fellow at the Center for International Development at Stanford University.

MORE: Administration officials alarmed by White House push to fast track lucrative 5G spectrum contract —CNN

Putting a BrandAid on the pandemic

Public relations and marketing firm Jackson Spalding experienced a drop in client work while businesses paused their ad spending due to the pandemic. The Georgia-based agency was forced to lay off team members due to a significant reduction of work. Staffers who remained, however, wanted to channel additional efforts into helping others disproportionately impacted by the virus. So the agency launched BrandAid, a campaign to provide pro bono marketing help to local nonprofits.

• — One of the organizations helped by BrandAid was Extra Special People, a social services organization that serves families in the disability community. The extra support freed up ESP leaders to focus on how to safely organize their annual summer camp that helps 300 kids and their families throughout Georgia.
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• — "For ESP, summer camp is more than fun," Executive Director Laura Hope Whitaker says. "It's essential care for a lot of the families we serve, particularly for those whose support was taken away" due to other camp and facility closures during the pandemic.
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• — With professional help offered at no cost, ESP says they're now able to better communicate their mission and reach other people who may benefit from their services. They also have a clearer story to generate awareness for fundraising. Says Whitaker, "Every gift is important to us at ESP." —CNBC

I just voted yesterday. I live in Oregon—a state that has had mail-in-voting for nearly 40 years. It has been the only way to vote for 20. I put my ballot in one of hundreds of drop boxes throughout the state—the one outside my city hall.

I am a registered Republican in a heavily Democratic state. I voted for the Constitution, for principles, character, experience, compassion, and a plan. I voted a mix of Republican, Democrat, and independent candidates.

If I had voted strictly for my party affiliation, I would have voted for an attorney general candidate with no law experience, a Senate candidate who wants to finish "the fence" and sell off and develop federal lands, and a presidential candidate who acts like a schoolyard bully and has done more to line his own pockets, follow dictators, and destroy our democracy than any POTUS in history.

I voted American. —Keith R., Oregon

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