Now the the world’s richest man and self-styled free thinker is hard to distinguish from the anonymous trolls he once decried on his platform. Musk literally jumped around on stage with Trump, awkwardly proclaimed himself “dark MAGA” and in his brief remarks in Butler, Penn. offered a series of generic Trumpworld talking points.

He invoked in heroic terms Trump’s defiant fist pump after he survived a July assassination attempt; he declared that “this election is the most important election of our lifetime” and that “the other side wants to take away your freedom of speech.”

The Morning: Donald Trump’s mental health
Is he in cognitive decline?

My take: Trump is old. He would be the oldest person ever to serve as president if he makes it through four years in a 2nd term. That is a fact. He is also showing signs of his age and, even if he remains healthy overall in the next four years, we can assume he will continue to age — and grow less cognitively sharp (at best) — over that time.

Why do people vote for Trump, part 3
A Trump voter emails.

From Chris Webster in comments
When I joined the military, I swore an oath to support and defend the constitution. And each time I was promoted I repeated that oath. Trump has indicated a repeating disdain for the constitution. So, he cannot take the oath of office ( without purpose of evasion or mental reservation) in good faith. Every man and woman who that oath would potentially violate it in voting for a man who disavowed the constitution. Full stop. No matter your interests or political leaning.

CHRIS CRUCIAL: 1 *very* good sentence for Kamala Harris

1. The fundamentals of the economy are strong. Really

2. The Trump Bible + Oklahoma

Conflict Escalates on 10/7 Anniversary, The Guardian
Israelis commemorated a year since the October 7 killings and taking of hostages by Hamas. Meanwhile, the Israeli government bombed targets in Beirut and Gaza, and Hezbollah struck Israel’s third-largest city, Haifa — all pointing to a growing conflict.

Florida West Coast Braces…Again, CBS News
Following the destruction of Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton is set to hit Florida on Wednesday after being classified Category 1 and rapidly intensifying earlier this week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis ordered a state of emergency as the state prepares for more impact.

FEMA Chief Debunks Conspiracies, Associated Press
The country’s top disaster relief official said conspiracies from Donald Trump and other right-wing extremists are “demoralizing” and false, such as that FEMA money is being used for illegal immigrants and aid is being diverted from Republican areas.

Harris Begins Media Blitz, The Hill
Howard Stern, Stephen Colbert, and the hosts of “The View” will get the opportunity this week to interview Kamala Harris as part of an ongoing media blitz before she visits the west coast as early voting begins.

Postal Concerns About Mail-In Ballots, USA Today
Election officials and lawmakers are continuing to raise concern over the Postal Service’s ability to handle mail-in ballots, as data from previous elections and recent surge in absentee voting points to late deliveries and potentially millions of invalid vote

Ground News

Huge Group Crosses the Channel, For the Left
A total of 973 migrants in 17 boats crossed the English Channel, leaving four dead, including an infant. This marks the largest group to cross this year.

Solar Power Booming in Africa, For the Right
About 600 million Africans lack electricity due to a lack of infrastructure and climate change, but solar power companies on the continent are some of the fastest-growing.

What I Missed —William Kristol

But I did miss something. I didn’t see clearly enough that oligarchic arrogance and entitlement would eagerly join forces with populist demagoguery. The photo of Elon Musk leaping on stage to exultantly join Donald Trump Saturday night in Butler, Pennsylvania, captures the phenomenon that I’m describing.

I should have remembered the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt in his acceptance speech at the 1936 Democratic convention: “It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power, reached out for control over government itself.”

The strong report put to rest ideas the Federal Reserve may continue aggressively lowering rates to keep the labor market afloat after a sluggish summer of hiring, economists said. The Fed lowered its benchmark fed funds rate last month for the first time in more than four years by a half percentage point, or 50 basis points, to a range of 4.75% to 5% from a 23-year high of 5.25% to 5.5%. It also penciled in shaving another half point by year-end.

“Don’t even talk about a 50-basis point cut in November; it’s not on the table,” said Tim McDonough, Key Wealth senior portfolio manager. “Blowout numbers for September jobs data … (are) further evidence that the economy is humming along stronger than expected.”

The September jobs report was surprisingly strong, and the details show that growth came from many different areas of the economy.

The biggest contributions came from leisure and hospitality, with 78,000 new positions, and health care and social assistance, at 71,700. If private education was added to the health-care group, as some economists do, that category would have been the biggest growth area of the month.