THE BIG STORY

The FBI said it busted a domestic terror plot to kidnap Michigan’s governor before the election

The FBI announced that its investigators thwarted a plot by a right-wing militant group to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at her vacation home before the Nov. 3 election.

One of the men allegedly told the others, “Snatch and grab, man. Grab the fuckin' Governor. Just grab the bitch. Because at that point, we do that, dude — it's over.”

State prosecutors have filed charges against seven additional men associated with the militia group Wolverine Watchmen. They, too, were planning an attack that involved kidnapping government officials, including Whitmer.

Whitmer, a Democrat, implemented a shutdown when the pandemic started. The state saw drive-by protests and armed right-wing demonstrators occupy the state capitol building over the lockdowns. In April, President Donald Trump tweeted, “Liberate Michigan!”

Gov. Whitmer in part blamed Trump's rhetoric for the groups’ actions. “When our leaders meet with, encourage, or fraternize with domestic terrorists, they legitimize their actions, and they are complicit,” she said.

👉 Our reporters dug deep into how the radical militants hitched the plan to kidnap Whitmer. Here’s the inside story. In the encrypted group chat, one man wrote, “Have one person go to her house. Knock on the door, and when she answers it just cap her. At this point. Fuck it.”

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speaks during the first day of the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention. Reuters

STAYING ON TOP OF THIS

The second presidential debate will be virtual, but Donald Trump says he won’t participate

In the wake of President Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis, the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that the second presidential debate — set for next week — will be virtual. Immediately after the announcement, Trump said he won’t participate.

“I'm not going to waste my time on a virtual debate,” Trump told Fox. The president said he didn't like the idea of virtual debates because “they cut you off whenever they want.”

In response, Joe Biden’s campaign urged the debate commission to move the Biden-Trump town hall to Oct. 22 “so that the president is not able to evade accountability.”

SNAPSHOTS

The World Food Programme has won the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize. The United Nations agency battles hunger and food insecurity, and has intensified its efforts amid the global pandemic. The Nobel Committee's chair said, “As the organization itself has stated: Until the day we have a vaccine, food is the best vaccine against chaos.”

A postal worker has been charged with dumping thousands of pieces of mail, including election ballots. Nicholas Beauchene, a 26-year-old New Jersey postal service worker, has been arrested after more than 1,800 pieces of mail, including 99 election ballots, were found in dumpsters. He could face up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Ukraine deported two American members of a neo-Nazi group who tried to join a far-right military unit for “combat experience.” The two men were members of the US-based neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division, who tried to join Ukraine’s far-right Azov Regiment, Ukrainian security officials said.

It took Facebook more than a year — and a whistleblower — to remove a troll farm connected with Azerbaijan's ruling party. Former Facebook data scientist Sophie Zhang said it took the company a year to pursue an investigation into fake accounts and comments in Azerbaijan.

"GOOD LUCK...YOU ARE GOING TO NEED IT"

Millions of people are already voting, and courts keep changing the rules

Over just four days this week, courts issued a number of rulings that affect how people vote in the election — even as voting is already underway, and many have already cast their ballots.

For example, the US Supreme Court ruled voters in South Carolina will need a witness to their mail-in ballots, even though voting has already begun. Meanwhile, a New Jersey federal judge rejected the Trump campaign’s challenge to the state’s plan to accept mail-in ballots without a clear postmark through Nov. 5.

One Wisconsin judge perfectly described the chaos of the changing voting rules, writing, “Today, in the midst of a pandemic and significantly slowed mail delivery, this court leaves voters to their own devices. Good luck and G-d bless, Wisconsin. You are going to need it.”

Our reporter Zoe Tillman explains the mess.

SLOW DOWN, PAL

Take a pause with these weekend longreads

Emily In Paris is bad, and not in a fun way. Everyone on the timeline is talking about Emily In Paris, but few seem to think it’s...good? Shannon Keating wrote about the new Netflix series: “From the creator of Sex and the City and Younger, we should expect more than…whatever this is.”

Mariah Carey’s new book is more revealing than you’d think. The pop royalty’s new memoir delves into the reasons for her over-the-top persona. Michael Blackmon reflects on what Mariah offers us: “This is Carey’s world, and now that she is controlling the narrative, she can finally define herself, for herself.”

Everyone is watching Away on Netflix, but is it even good? I wrote about how Jason Katims, who is behind shows like Parenthood and Friday Night Lights, was my go-to for a good cry. But his new show, Away, only extracted a few tears.

Remember that you are so much more than your anxieties and stresses,

Elamin