| Former chief of staff John Kelly’s comments about what former President Donald Trump said behind closed doors is reverberating through the fast-closing campaign. According to published reports, Trump told aides he wanted generals like Hitler and said the Nazi leader “did some good things.” Kelly, a former decorated military general, told the New York Times that Trump met the definition of a fascist, would govern like a dictator if allowed and had no understanding of the Constitution or the rule of law. He also discussed and confirmed that Trump had made admiring statements about Hitler. “He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly recalled. In an interview with The Atlantic, Kelly said Trump raised the idea of needing “German generals,” clarifying to Kelly that he meant “Hitler's generals.” Kelly, who worked for Trump in the White House from 2017 to 2019, has long been critical of Trump and previously accused him of calling veterans “losers” and “suckers.” Trump’s campaign decried the accounts Tuesday, saying Kelly had “beclowned himself with these debunked stories he has fabricated.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz seized on the moment to decry Trump. Harris said Wednesday that the comments reportedly made to Kelly offer a window into how the former president plans to operate if he were elected again. Harris reupped warnings about Trump’s mental state and intentions for the presidency, saying Trump admired Hitler’s generals because he “does not want a military that is loyal to the United States Constitution, he wants a military that is loyal to him. He wants a military who will be loyal to him personally.” In St. Paul on Wednesday, Walz said Kelly’s statements indicate Trump is “descending into madness.” Harris led with the storyline in a CNN-hosted town hall in Pennsylvania, where she cast the military leaders comments as "a 911 call to the American people."
Walz took a brief break from the campaign trail yesterday to vote early in St. Paul. Dana Ferguson watched Walz cast his ballot alongside Gwen Walz and their son, Gus, at the Ramsey County Government Center. Gus Walz, who appeared at the polls in the classic late-teen uniform of sweats, socks and sandals, became eligible to vote after turning 18 this month. Walz joked last week that his son was weighing whether his dad had earned his vote. Gus didn't confirm who he'd supported. A pool reporter noted that the governor and his son high-fived as they fed their ballots into the tabulation machine.
Earlier this week, Walz was promoting early voting in Wisconsin and more than 97,000 people in the Badger State voted early on the first day they could. The high turnout on Tuesday led to long waits at some polling places , which were made worse by overwhelmed computer systems used to process ballots. As of Wednesday, 475,460 absentee ballots had been returned by voters. Clay Masters was there to cover the start of early voting and a rally featuring Walz and former President Barack Obama. Trump lost the pivotal swing state by just 21,000 votes in 2020.
A new Microsoft report says efforts by foreign adversaries to sway voters may escalate in the race to the finish line. The report serves as a warning and builds on others from U.S. intelligence officials that the worst election interference may be yet to come. The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) said it observed sustained efforts by Russia, Iran and China aimed at undermining the election. While Iranian actors have focused their operations on the Trump campaign by spreading disinformation and hacking into the former president’s campaign, Russian actors have targeted the Harris campaign by posting AI generated audio and video to social media sites. The Office of the U.S. Director of National Intelligence confirmed yesterday that several videos targeting Walz are Russian disinformation. The report says Chinese actors have shifted their focus to several down-ballot candidates and members of Congress. In the 2020 presidential cycle, MATC said foreign adversaries amplified claims of election rigging, voter fraud and other election integrity issues to sow doubt in the U.S. electorate.
Elon Musk’s offer of $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution has drawn the attention of the U.S. Justice Department. Musk has already committed at least $70 million to help return former President Donald Trump to the White House. Musk’s America PAC has launched a tour of Pennsylvania and is aiming to register voters in support of Trump. Individuals who sign the PAC’s petition supporting the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech, and the Second Amendment, with its “right to bear arms” are entered into a raffle to win a $1 million cash prize. But some election experts are concerned with the giveaway, as the PAC requires voter registration in certain states — all swing states — as a prerequisite to be eligible for the $1 million check. Federal prosecutors warned the Musk committee that the sweepstakes might be a law violation.
We’re in the phase of the campaign where big contributions to state level candidates or groups need to be disclosed within 24 hours. Those are donations of $1,000 or more. A few of note have already rolled in. The We All Do Better PAC, which is a Democratic-aligned group playing in key legislative races, scooped up another $400,000 from a national teachers union. Two Republican-aligned groups pulled in large donations, too: The Republican State Leadership Committee, which is hoping to help the GOP flip the Minnesota House, gathered another $23,000 and Renew Minnesota, a conservative group, got $15,000 in one swoop. Candidates are getting in on the action as well. A couple examples: Vikings owner Zygi Wilf sent $1,000 to Republican House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth’s campaign and the Jane Fonda Climate PAC sent $1,000 to state DFL Rep. Brion Curran’s account. Track those 24-hour notices here. The next big batch of comprehensive reports with granular details on fundraising and spending come out next week.
State Rep. Josh Heintzeman of Nisswa is a bonafide Republican, so says the Minnesota Supreme Court. Justices tossed out an attempt to disqualify Heintzeman from the ballot — from a former primary foe — over his use of Republican rather than Republican Party of Minnesota in his candidate paperwork. The decision was made in July, but the rationale was released yesterday . In the unsigned opinion, justices said that candidates need not be exact in how they list the party nomination they’re seeking, especially when a political party is regularly known by a shorthand name. They rejected the plaintiff’s claim, saying to require “a candidate seeking the nomination of a major political party must list the full name of the party on their affidavit of candidacy is not a reasonable interpretation of the relevant statute.” | 
