Top election lawyer Mark Elias is making his Democracy Docket website free until Election Day.
So you can read Elias’ response to questions he’s received on what to watch for and what to expect next. I prefer a less anxiety-producing metaphor than he chooses, ranking threats to our democracy as sharks closest to the boat. So I’ll just note at the outset the calming conclusion of Elias’ writeup:
“We will be fighting a lot of battles on a lot of different fronts. The sharks will attack before we see them. But that does not mean we are not ready to fight back. When the sharks attacked in 2020, I won 64 out of 65 cases. And we will win again. The sharks may be circling, but they are no match for us.”
By the way, Elias’ piece refers to the Justice Department’s lawsuit blocking ballot counting in California as the shark closest to the boat. When he wrote the item on Wednesday, he was waiting for a judge to issue a ruling. As Elias expected, DOJ lost.
Other election-related news and events:
Reuters: In a court filing, Justice Department says FBI, ICE agents will not serve as poll monitors in midterms
Reuters: Trump administration issued more than 100 subpoenas demanding records on tens of thousands of voters in at least 13 states
Politico: OpenAI is launching election war room to track interference efforts
The No Kings coalition is holding an online training tonight, Oct. 29, from 8 to 9 p.m. Eastern, on “what you can do to fight disinformation and understand what voter intimidation looks like in your community.” You can RSVP here.
Voting rights on John Dineen’s briefing.center
“The vote is precious. It is the most powerful non-violent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.” — late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., civil rights activist
Here are regularly updated voting rights resources for the midterm elections.
John’s daily commentary on briefing.center
Here is John’s commentary today, titled “In journalists we trust? Not so much, the latest survey says.”
Also in the news
Israel election results show no clear winner between Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition and diverse bloc of opposition parties
Putin hosts Russia-Africa summit, part of effort to expand Russian influence across the continent
UN nuclear chief: Iran hasn’t tried to repair nuclear facilities damaged by U.S. strikes
New Pentagon estimate says cost of Iran war to taxpayers has increased to $47 billion
WPost: Hegseth’s team forces out another top general at Pentagon
WSJ: Trump administration’s stock portfolio spans more than 40 companies
Hegseth, Mullin say in court papers that Trump arch would be used to counter drone attacks, as a base for snipers
Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged; 2 officials had sought an increase
Website leaks data on more than 40,000 Homeland Security Department employees
Elizabeth Warren wants answers from Anthropic on ‘existential’ risks
Alaska GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy orders criminal investigation of Peltola campaign
Judge allows Democrats to intervene in Justice Department’s lawsuit over Alaska Senate race
Disinformation videos, likely from Russia, are exploiting real people to malign 2 Democratic Senate candidates
Right-wing activist James O’Keefe charged with unlawful voting, identity theft in Minnesota
Judge sentences key figure in Minnesota food fraud to 30 years in prison
Heather Cox Richardson on Flávio Bolsonaro, ‘rejection of MAGA,’ campaigns, more
WSJ: Google, Meta, others resist ICE demands for user data, trying to insulate themselves from potential Democratic-led probes
New Labor Department rule will require pharmacy benefit managers to disclose details about payments from drug companies
RFK Jr. eases access to unproven peptides despite ‘overwhelming’ pushback from FDA scientists
Dolores Huerta, labor leader and force for civil rights, dies at 96
You can call the Capitol switchboard, (202) 224-3121, and be connected to the offices of your representative and senators. To email your House member and your two senators, you can connect to their websites at Congress.gov. Most lawmakers seem to only accept emails from their constituents, but these leaders accept emails from Americans nationwide, at:
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
Senate Majority Leader John Thune