I want everyone to vote and each vote to be counted. There was time when that was not such a revolutionary statement; or at least not a particularly partisan one. But this is 2020, and which ballots get in and which votes get counted could be the decisive factor in the the most anticipated election on a lifetime. WaPo: "Democrats won two significant Supreme Court victories involving voting deadlines in key battleground states Wednesday, as the justices allowed extended periods for receiving mail-in ballots in Pennsylvania and North Carolina." Yes, allowing votes to be processed and counted in states overwhelmed by Covid-driven mail-in ballots is considered a Democrat victory, not a democratic one. And this issue, even in the two states mentioned, is far from over. "Thomas, Alito and Gorsuch signaled that they might want to revisit the case after the election, and even indicated the votes received after Election Day ultimately might not be counted." And Amy Coney Barrett did not partipate in the decision.

+ The New Yorker: In Pennsylvania, Republicans Might Only Need to Stall to Win. "More Democrats than Republicans have requested mail-in ballots in the state, by a margin of two-to-one. This means that in-person returns on Election Day are almost certain to favor Trump, an advantage that he will likely exploit, however falsely, to claim victory."

+ Another front in this battle: Ballot drop boxes: "The largely secure voting method has long been available to voters in states like Colorado and Washington. But amid the partisan battles over access to the polls, election officials in battleground states are still fighting to limit their usage with only days left until 3 November."

+ Another front: Polling places. NPR: Polling Places Are Closing Due To COVID-19. It Could Tip Races In 1 Swing State. "Overall, this affects some 670,000 Iowans, 30% of the state's registered voters. Those affected by the changes overwhelmingly live in the state's urban areas, which reliably vote Democratic. And the closures are happening at a time of multiple competitive races in the state, including the presidential contest."

+ All of these matters are of particular importance because of the person in the Oval Office. "If, as many of these experts expect, a 'red mirage' emerges as the polls shut on Election Day, Trump could, at that moment, have the opportunity to declare victory and set in motion the workings of the federal government, especially the Department of Justice under Attorney General William Barr." In the NYT, Thomas B. Edsall lays out the scenarios. How Far Might Trump Go? In 2016, the story was about Russian meddling. This time, it's an inside job.

There are several states that could be decisive, and therefore could be the subjects of protracted and painful legal battles. But one state is not likely to give up its election weirdness title without a fight. "President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden are chasing votes Thursday in Florida, a state all but essential to the Republican's pathway to another term, as both nominees turn their focus to encouraging voters to turn out in person on Election Day." Trump, Biden appeal to Florida voters to turn out in person. (Florida, seriously. Just this once…)

The GDP sprung back from the Spring collapse to achieve record growth. From AP: "The U.S. economy grew at a record 33.1% annual rate in the July-September quarter but has yet to fully rebound from its plunge in the first half of the year — and the recovery is slowing as coronavirus cases surge and government aid dries up."

+ Axios: The U.S. economy has clawed back some of its pandemic losses, but still has a long way before a full recovery.

"Thursday's knife attack in Nice has been described as a 'terrorist' incident by the city's mayor, and France's anti-terrorism prosecutor has taken on the investigation. The incident marks mark the latest in France's dark recent history of attacks." Here's the latest on a knife attack that killed three peopled in French city of Nice.

+ For some background, here's a look at the state of affairs the day before the attack. Anger towards Emmanuel Macron grows in Muslim world. "On the front page of a hardline Iranian newspaper, he was the 'Demon of Paris.' In the streets of Dhaka he was decried as a leader who "worships Satan". Outside Baghdad's French embassy, a likeness of Emmanuel Macron was burned along with France's flag. Rage is growing across the Muslim world at the French president and his perceived attacks on Islam and the prophet Muhammad, leading to calls for boycotts of the French products and security warnings for France's citizens in majority-Muslim states."

"In an article posted to Medium, Miles Taylor revealed himself to be the writer and White House insider behind an anonymous 2018 New York Times op-ed ("I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration") and the subsequent book "A Warning," published in November 2019. Taylor served as chief of staff to former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and Acting Secretary Chad Wolf." (I was hoping Anonymous would be someone a little less anonymous.)

+ The "Anonymous" Figure Who Claimed To Be Resisting Trump Actually Defended His Controversial Immigration Policies. (He worked in the Trump administration. You thought he was gonna be perfect?)

+ Speaking of this immigration policies: "The Department of Homeland Security has expelled unaccompanied immigrant children from the US border more than 13,000 times since March."

"At the time of the blast on Wednesday, we were driving along the main street of the provincial town of Barda, Azerbaijan, toward an intersection. Azerbaijan is at war with Armenia, but the frontline was 20 miles away and life to that point was going on uneventfully in the area. Women were out shopping, men were filling their cars at the gas station. Then, a string of deafening explosions sounded in rapid succession, each one seeming closer and louder. A woman started shrieking. A man bellowed at his family ... I am in Azerbaijan with a photographer, Ivor Prickett, to cover the war that broke out last month between Azerbaijan and Armenia. It was my first time back in more than 20 years, yet coming under rocket fire was not unfamiliar — the Caucasus region has been wracked by half a dozen conflicts since the disintegration of the Soviet Union." Carlotta Gall in the NYT: In Azerbaijan, a String of Explosions, Screams and Then Blood.

"Over the past week, a string of prominent public health experts — notably Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the government's top infectious disease specialist, and Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former commissioner of food and drugs under President Trump — have said it is time to seriously consider a national mandate to curb the spread of the virus." The reason? The virus spread is getting bad. Really bad. Here's the latest.

+ Hospitals Are Reeling Under a 46 Percent Spike in Covid-19 Patients.

+ France and Germany thrust into lockdowns. The virus has resurged in Europe as well. The difference? Leaders there live in reality. Macron: "The virus is circulating at a speed that not even the most pessimistic forecasts had anticipated."

+ Helen Branswell in Stat: It may be time to reset expectations on when we'll get a Covid-19 vaccine.

In Philadelphia, protesters are taking to the streets over the killing of Walter Wallace Jr. It is part of a movement that has marked 2020 almost as much a the virus. But there's something very different about this movement from similar ones in the past. Newshour: How this year's antiracism protests differ from past social justice movements. "This is unprecedented. We have never seen this kind of white involvement in any social justice movement in American history, let alone racial justice. So, this is — we're in a whole new ballpark."

"Once cheap and readily available, swamp ash became an integral part of Fender's DNA over the decades, says Mike Born, former director of wood technology at the company. But earlier this year an acute shortage forced Fender to announce it would move away from using swamp ash in its famous line of Stratocasters and Telecasters—reserving the wood for vintage models only. Fender blamed the dwindling supply on longer periods of climate-fueled flooding along the lower Mississippi." Climate Change Hits Rock and Roll as Prized Guitar Wood Shortage Looms.

"Chinese police have arrested a man after he scattered a 'heavenly rain of banknotes' on commuters from his apartment window while allegedly high on methamphetamine. Police said the 29-year-old was 'in a trance' after taking drugs at his home on the 30th floor of a building in Chongqing, in south-western China, when he began throwing cash out of the window to the streets below." That's what I call a stimulus package.

+ "The lawsuit filed in Lynchburg Circuit Court on Wednesday includes claims of defamation and breach of contract. It alleges that Liberty officials accepted what Falwell says are false claims about his involvement in an extramarital affair between his wife and a business partner of the couple's and 'moved quickly' to destroy his reputation." Falwell sues Liberty, saying school damaged his reputation. (Unlike Falwell, for me, this is just too salacious to watch...)

+ This is the Covey Spreader. Nasty.