The Economist

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October 3rd 2024

A sharp round-up of the most important political news

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The US in brief

A sharp round-up of the most important political news

Jack Smith, the special counsel prosecuting federal cases against Donald Trump, released a partially redacted 165-page brief setting out his election-interference case against the former president. The document also argues that the case could proceed despite a Supreme Court decision in July granting presidents sweeping immunity. The ruling protected presidents from prosecution for “official acts”; the brief seeks to show that “the defendant’s scheme was a private one” by detailing his “increasingly desperate plans” to overturn results in seven states that he lost. It now falls to the judge, Tanya Chutkan, to determine which allegations and what evidence can be cited in court given the Supreme Court’s ruling. Mr Trump, who denies wrongdoing, described the dossier as “pure election interference”.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris made separate trips to areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene. Mr Biden visited South Carolina before surveying the destruction in North Carolina from a helicopter. Ms Harris, meanwhile, met officials in Augusta, Georgia. Alejandro Mayorkas, the secretary of homeland security, said that America’s emergency-management agency “does not have the funds” to make it through hurricane season.

The Trump campaign said that it had raised $160m in September, almost all of it from individuals giving less than $200. That number pales in comparison with $361m raised by the Harris campaign the month before. (The Harris campaign has not published a figure for September).

A judge blocked a Californian law expanding a ban on distributing political deepfakes in the period around an election. The law also allows the recipient of digitally manipulated content and the person or campaign depicted to sue the distributor. The judge ruled that the law “acts as a hammer instead of a scalpel” and probably violates the First Amendment.

There are few opportunities to take a paws from the political headlines, but Alaska’s Fat Bear Week is one of them. Voting in the annual contest to crown the chunkiest brown bear in all of Katmai National Park & Preserve began on Wednesday. Fans will choose the bear they think has gained the most weight over summer to prepare for hibernation—and enjoy learning about conservation along the way.

Got your money

Democrats are on pace to beat Mr Trump in the money race. But despite a history of being roundly outspent, Mr Trump has so far won one close White House race (and lost another). And The Economist’s election forecast suggests that this year’s contest remains a toss-up. That prompts a question campaign fund-raisers are loth to ask but our story isn’t: does raising more money than your opponent matter?

A view from elsewhere

“Neither Walz nor Vance showed the righteous anger needed to eviscerate his opponent”, wrote Bruce Wolpe in the Sydney Morning Herald, an Australian newspaper. Though his running-mate is becoming ever more “incandescent, extreme and reckless”, Mr Vance “wasn’t weird” during the debate. He “parked his inner-mongrel” and treated Mr Walz “with civility”, even complimenting him at times. “That will infuriate Trump.”

Figure of the day

43%, the share of Americans who live in states that will have a plebiscite on abortion. Read our story about how referendums in ten states will determine the future of reproductive rights.

We want to hear from you
With Hurricane Helene, the dockworkers’ strike and Jack Smith’s dossier detailing his election-interference case against Mr Trump, this month has already thrown up some potential game-changers. Do you think October has more surprises in store, or is the course of the election now more or less fixed? Please send your views to usib@economist.com. And, of course, we welcome your feedback on this newsletter.

Editor’s picks

Our latest US coverage

October surprise

A ports strike shows the stranglehold one union has on trade

East coast longshoremen are already among America’s best-paid manual workers

Reinventing the army

The US Army’s chief of staff has ideas on the force of the future

But can he scale up his clever experiments?

Buttonwood

A Wall Street state of mind has captured America

Downtown New York is quieter than ever. Finance has never been louder

Today’s poll

Every week YouGov polls Americans on behalf of The Economist. This week we asked if the corruption investigation into Eric Adams is politically motivated. As many people think politics played some part as believe the investigation into New York City’s mayor is on the level. Republicans are more likely to think there’s something dodgy doing on—perhaps because Donald Trump, who has his own legal troubles, has offered Mr Adams his support. Messrs Adams and Trump both deny wrongdoing.

Daily quiz

From Monday to Thursday we’ll quiz you on all things American. This week Jimmy Carter turns 100. To celebrate the former president’s centenary, we’ve got a set of questions on his life.

Thursday: What did Jimmy Carter report having seen in the skies over Leary, Georgia one night in 1969?

Wednesday: In a rather Monty-Pythonesque episode in 1979, an animal attacked Jimmy Carter. What type of beast was it?

See how to take part in the quiz at the bottom of this page.

If you enjoyed this week’s quiz, play Dateline, The Economist’s history game.

Seen in Jack Smith’s brief

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

—How a senior Trump adviser described the election-fraud claims the campaign was pushing, according to Mr Smith’s filing.

Read all of our recent coverage of the 2024 election. Confused about a term? Check out our A-Z of American politics.

Also from The Economist

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