New York Times: “Some midlevel aides on the Trump campaign have even begun inquiring about employment on Capitol Hill after the election, apparently under the assumption that there will not be a second Trump administration for them to serve in. Less than three weeks before Election Day, there is now an extraordinary gulf separating Mr. Trump’s experience of the campaign from the more sobering political assessments of a number of party officials and operatives, according to interviews with nearly a dozen Republican strategists, White House allies and elected officials. Among some of Mr. Trump’s lieutenants, there is an attitude of grit mixed with resignation: a sense that the best they can do for the final stretch is to keep the president occupied, happy and off Twitter as much as possible, rather than producing a major shift in strategy.”

Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a routine Sunday church service for the first time in his presidency today, as his official schedule lists him the International Church of Las Vegas, a non-denominational mega-church in a state Trump is clawing to win in November’s election.

Trump will spend one hour at the church before heading to McCarran Airport to fly to private fundraiser in Santa Ana, California.  He’ll fly back to Nevada tonight for a campaign rally in Reno.

While Trump has gone to churches for funerals during his presidency, he has only officially stopped in at a Sunday service once before, in June 2019 for “Pray for Donald Trump Day” at Northern Virginia’s McLean Bible Church.  Trump arrived after playing a round of golf, still clad in his golf spikes.  He stayed for 15 minutes so that the congregation could pray to for him, and then he left.

“From Wisconsin to Arizona, as in much of the country, these final weeks of the campaign look to be about who actually votes, because voters say they’ve made their choices, and many have made it official. Mail ballot returns are pouring in, and almost all remaining voters say they’re locked into their decisions anyway. The coronavirus outbreak continues to shape the election in these states. Wisconsin is now going through another rise in cases, and Arizona was hard-hit earlier this year.”

“It’s particularly related to the views of those voting for Democratic nominee Joe Biden, who note it as a big reason they’re picking him over President Trump and believe he would handle the outbreak better. Biden is cutting into the president’s 2016 support levels with key groups like seniors, men and White, non-college voters, helping to push him to a 5-point lead in Wisconsin, and a 3-point lead in Arizona” – CBS News.

WESH: “Workers at a Central Florida company are wondering about their job futures, and whether that has anything to do with how they vote. The head of that company put letters in pay stub envelopes saying if President Trump doesn’t win re-election, they might lose their jobs. WESH 2 News spoke to some of the 170 employees as they were heading home from Daniels Manufacturing in Orlando, where a Trump banner is displayed on the flag pole out front. Some said they were voting for Trump, while others we spoke to said they were upset to receive a letter obtained through a company source from DMC president George Daniels.”

“The company which makes tools and electronics for the aerospace, military and aircraft industries has been weathering the economic downturn. The letter warns: ‘If Trump and the Republicans win (the election), DMC will hopefully be able to continue operating, more or less as it has been operating lately… However, if Biden and the Democrats win, DMC could be forced to begin permanent layoffs beginning in late 2020 and/or early 2021.'”

Hunter Biden’s laptop is a disaster for the entire Biden family, but especially for his father, Joe. It is now a proven fact, and cannot be denied, that all of that info is the REAL DEAL. That makes it impossible for “50%, or 10%” Joe, to ever assume the office of the President!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2020

CNN: “If things don’t go Donald Trump’s way on Election Day, the President may face more serious matters than how to pack up the West Wing. Without some of the protections afforded him by the presidency, Trump will become vulnerable to multiple investigations looking into possible fraud in his financial business dealings as a private citizen — both as an individual and through his company. He faces defamation lawsuits sparked by his denials of accusations made by women who have alleged he assaulted them, including E. Jean Carroll, the former magazine columnist who has accused him of rape.”

“And then there are claims he corrupted the presidency for his personal profits. As President, Trump has been able to block and delay several of these investigations and lawsuits — including a yearlong fight over a subpoena for his tax returns — in part because of his official position. Many of those matters have wound through the courts and will come to a head whether he is reelected or not. But with the polls showing that Democratic rival Joe Biden is leading in the race, the stakes become much higher for Trump if he loses the election. A raft of legal issues, including a criminal investigation by New York prosecutors, will come into focus in the weeks after Election Day.”

AP: “President Donald Trump leaned into fear tactics Saturday as he accused the left of trying to ‘destroy the American way of life’ in a late reelection pitch to voters in Michigan and Wisconsin — two Midwestern states that were instrumental to his 2016 victory but may now be slipping from his grasp. In back-to-back rallies, Trump accused the left of wanting to “erase American history” and ‘purge American values.’ He claimed, with no basis, that Democratic rival Joe Biden would put communities at risk. Trump offered the dark message as he faces headwinds not only in national polling, which shows Biden leading, but also in key battleground surveys. His comments come after his campaign, with far less cash than Biden’s, largely retreated from TV advertising in the Midwest, shifting much of its money to Sun Belt states such as Florida, North Carolina, Arizona and Georgia, as well as Pennsylvania.”

Kamala Harris wasn’t Joe’s first choice, but he needed to hire a prosecutor to make up for the one he had fired in the Ukraine to cover for Hunter.

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) October 18, 2020

“Mr. Biden is not Mrs. Clinton. Yet for many Democrats and independents who sat out 2016, voted for third-party candidates or backed Mr. Trump, it is a rationale for their vote that comes up repeatedly: Mr. Biden is more acceptable to them than Mrs. Clinton was, in ways large and small, personal and political, sexist and not, and those differences help them feel more comfortable voting for the Democratic nominee this time around. Mr. Biden also benefits, of course, from the intense desire among Democrats to get President Trump out of office. And a majority of voters give the president low marks for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the dominant issue of the race. But a key distinction between 2020 and 2016 is that, four years ago, the race came down to two of the most disliked and polarizing candidates in American history, and one of them also faced obstacles that came with being a barrier-breaking woman.”

“Mr. Biden now leads Mr. Trump in many public polls by bigger margins than Mrs. Clinton had in 2016. In private polling and focus groups, voters express more positive views of Mr. Biden than of Mrs. Clinton, though they know far less about his decades in political office, according to strategists affiliated with both Democrats’ campaigns” – New York Times.

“President Trump is trailing Joe Biden in the polls, lagging badly in fundraising and losing out on the endorsements of some prominent Republicans and even former aides. But there remains one marker by which Trump believes his campaign is showing its true vitality in the home stretch and demonstrating why he can win again Nov. 3 — crowd size” the Washington Post reports.

“Trump has returned to the campaign trail with gusto after battling the novel coronavirus, holding daily rallies with thousands of supporters at airport hangars, including events in recent days in Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Wisconsin. In doing so, the president is again flouting warnings from doctors — including Anthony S. Fauci, the federal government’s top infectious-disease expert — about the potential health risks of large groups gathering with little social distancing and many eschewing face masks. For Trump, however, the rallies are a show of strength and an ego boost after months of stumbles, during which former campaign manager Brad Parscale was demoted in part over his management of a rally in Tulsa at which turnout was far below projections.”

WHYY.org: “An appellate court judge in Pennsylvania turned down an emergency petition from Republicans seeking to block the Philadelphia suburb of Delaware County from operating a three-day, pop-up early voting center in a predominantly Black area. Commonwealth Court Judge Kevin Brobson, in a decision Friday night, wrote that a county judge had reasonable grounds to reject the emergency petition.”

“With barely two weeks left before Election Day, Pennsylvania is shaping up as a key battleground state in the contest between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden. The voting center began operating Friday in Subaru Park in the Democratic city of Chester. The county was scheduled to continue operating it Saturday and Sunday, allowing people to register to vote, apply for a mail-in ballot, fill it out and turn it in. Republicans had argued that the Democratic-controlled county election board approved the voting center without putting it on a meeting agenda or allowing for public comment beforehand, in violation of state public meetings law.”

The Sun: “A fitness influencer who thought Covid-19 didn’t exist has died at the age of 33 after contracting the virus on a trip to Turkey. Dmitriy Stuzhuk had been discharged from hospital in his native Ukraine after testing positive- but was rushed back and as his health rapidly deteriorated. To his one million subscribers, the 33-year-old appeared super-fit as he promoted sports and healthy living. But his ex-wife and mother of his three children, Sofia Stuzhuk, 25, who announced his death, said coronavirus had triggered heart complications. After becoming ill, he had posted to his fans: ‘I want to share how I got sick and to strongly warn everyone. I was one who thought that Covid does not exist… Until I got sick.’ He told them: ‘COVID-19 IS NOT A SHORT-LIVED DISEASE!'”

“Trump faces a problem unlike four years ago: The vast majority of voters – 95% or higher in most polls – say they have already decided who they’re backing and can’t be persuaded. Adding to the troubles for the president: It comes as more than 26 million people have already voted early, fueled by a major advantage for Democrats in mail-in voting.”

“With fewer undecided voters in this year’s election and not as many considering voting for a third-party candidate, Biden has eclipsed an important mark. He is consistently polling with support from more than 50% of voters, while Clinton typically polled in the high- or even mid-40s in October before the 2016 election. Strong opinions about Trump after his four years in the White House have proven challenging for the president. And Biden, lacking the high negative marks that Clinton did, has turned into an elusive target for the Trump campaign. It has made for a remarkably stable race with little tightening in polls compared to past elections” – USA Today.

The Atlantic: “If Democrats win the presidency—and even both houses of Congress—their difficulties will burgeon the day Trump leaves office. Not only must they hold their own coalition together as they contend with the coronavirus and the economic crisis that it created, but they will face fierce opposition from the voters who support Trump despite everything. Far from being chastened into moderating the GOP’s rhetoric and cooperating with a new administration, the remaining elements of a vanquished Republican Party will likely become more extreme. It’s happened before.”

“During the primaries, Democrats were unified by their loathing of Trump: About 85 percent strongly disapproved of his performance in office, and a majority voted with laser focus for the candidate who could best defeat him. During the general-election campaign, Biden has gotten 95 percent of Democrats behind him, and gained the support of independents and Republicans alarmed by the incumbent. If victorious, Democrats will be united around an agenda that includes defeating the coronavirus; providing economic relief to states, cities, and individuals, prioritizing the neediest Americans; large-scale infrastructure investment; a new Medicare-type public option for health insurance; a new research-centered Manhattan Project to address climate change; and much more. The demands of this moment will bring them together—even more so if the United States Supreme Court declares the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional.”

I’m voting for @realDonaldTrump because he’s NOT a politician. I voted for him 4 years ago for this reason and shall vote for him again for this reason. He gets things done quickly and he will turn the economy around quickly. There you have it folks there you have it🙄

— Kirstie Alley (@kirstiealley) October 17, 2020

Daily Beast: “In the past few weeks, Donald Trump and close allies have kept tabs on prominent conservatives who the president believes are gearing up to throw him under the bus in the event he loses his bid for re-election. Two individuals who have spoken to Trump say the president has expressed suspicion that members of his own party believe he will be defeated by Joe Biden. That sense of paranoia has been fed by the president’s aides and confidants, who have flagged recent news coverage for him of Republican politicians either openly criticizing his conduct or trying to distance themselves from a possible electoral bloodbath. According to one of the sources with direct knowledge, the president is already contemplating retribution.”

“‘[The president] said something to the effect of: if you’re backing away from him now, don’t bother coming back for a favor when he wins,’ the other source said. ‘He made a comment about how there are some people out there who you can only count on when things are going your way.’ Some of the coverage that has been bookmarked for Trump includes recent stories on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who has not only split with the president on the issue of coronavirus-related stimulus legislation but made a point of saying he hadn’t been to the White House in weeks because of its cavalier approach to the pandemic.”

Speaking at a cult rally in Michigan to bolster his flagging campaign, incumbent republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lauded police use of force against protesters, the Washington Post reports.

Talking about the protests that arose in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck, killing him, Trump claimed he ordered Minnesota National Guard in, and “something very beautiful” about “watching everybody get pushed around.”  (Trump, in fact, didn’t order the National Guard to respond to the unrest; the Minnesota governor did.  The President has no authority to order the Guard in.)

Watching “American Utopia” on HBO.  David Byrne is the same age as Donald Trump (nope, I was wrong about that; Byrne’s only 68, but still…) and would make a much better President.

The production of “American Utopia” on HBO was as an ongoing effort by Byrne and producer Spike Lee to get out the vote.