“With the presidential race in its closing weeks, Donald Trump’s language has grown increasingly strident on the issue of immigration. But as he continues to demonize undocumented migrants as violent criminals, the former president is also reviving another old habit: invoking his long-held fascination with genes and genetics,” the New York Times reports.

“For decades, including long before he became a political figure, Mr. Trump has been publicly obsessed with bloodlines and his stated belief that genetics are the best predictor of a person’s success. He has repeatedly commented on what he described as his, his family’s and his supporters’ good genes, and on others’ bad genes.”

Donald Trump reiterated — in an all caps post on Truth Social — that he won’t do another presidential debate with Kamala Harris.

A new Nobel Predictive Insights poll finds Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump nationally, 49% to 46%.

“Donald Trump rallied a raucous crowd here Wednesday as he seeks to halt Kamala Harris’ gains in the polls on handling the economy, launching a wave of insults at her and painting a dark vision of the future if he loses the election,” NBC News reports.

Said Trump: “I don’t want to be nice. Somebody said, ‘You should be nice sir, women won’t like it.’ The women want safety.”

“He then described an apocalyptic America if he loses.”

“Kamala Harris’ campaign is livestreaming a Tim Walz rally from Arizona and Azeroth tonight. Yes, Azeroth—the planet from World of Warcraft,” Wired reports.

“This will be the first time the Harris campaign will stream live gameplay on its Twitch account. The event, which will take place at 6:30 pm ET, will include a live feed of Walz’s Arizona speech with Preheat, a Twitch creator, playing the game and providing commentary. Preheat is expected to highlight their connection to the campaign and encourage viewers to make a plan to vote.”

“Donald Trump said he supports lowering taxes on U.S. citizens who live abroad, marking a new attempt by the former president to win support from an often-overlooked group of voters,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The U.S. has an unusual system for taxing its citizens on their total income regardless of where they earned it and where they live, making America alone among major countries with such a rule. Other countries use systems that base taxation on where people live.”

“The U.S. policy dates back to 1864 and the income tax created to finance the Civil War.”

Fox News has proposed a final presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump that would fall barely a week before Election Day, The Independent reports.

The debate, proposed for October 24 or 27 in the swing state of Pennsylvania, would feature Fox’s Brett Baier and Martha MacCallum as moderators and would be held without a live audience.

“With Mayor Eric Adams’s political future shrouded in uncertainty, the New York attorney general, Letitia James, is considering whether to run to replace him,” the New York Times reports.

“Her decision is far from assured and is not imminent; some close to her stressed her ambivalence, if not reluctance. But Ms. James might be swayed to run if a different sullied political leader enters the race: the former governor she helped push out of office, Andrew Cuomo.”

NBC News: “With less than four weeks until Election Day, Trump is scheduled to hold rallies in staunchly Democratic states he has virtually no chance of winning. It’s an unorthodox strategy campaign advisers say is designed to focus on areas where Democratic policies have failed, but it will also keep him away from the small handful of swing states almost certain to determine the election.”

“Over the next month, Trump has events scheduled in Colorado, California, Illinois and New York. President Joe Biden won those states by an average of 20 points in 2020, with his 13-point Colorado win the closest margin.”

“Lawmakers from both parties are vowing to fight back if former President Donald Trump makes good on his pledge to put a Confederate general’s name back on an Army base if he’s reelected,” Politico reports.

President Biden accused Donald Trump of “outright lies” regarding the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, causing moral issues among emergency medical workers and confusing victims of the storm, the New York Times reports.

Said Biden: “The last few weeks, there’s been a reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies. It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that has already been taken and will continue to be taken. It’s harmful to those who need help the most.”

CNN: Inside the White House’s desperate scramble to swat down hurricane misinformation.

New Quinnipiac polls of likely voters:

• Pennsylvania: Harris 49%, Trump 46%
• Michigan: Trump 50%, Harris 47%
• Wisconsin: Trump 48%, Harris 46%

Said pollsters Tim Malloy: “The Harris post-debate starburst dims to a glow as Harris enters the last weeks slipping slightly in the Rust Belt.”

“Kamala Harris is zeroing in on a monumental task that could make or break her prospects in the final month before Election Day: wiping out Donald Trump’s persisting advantage among voters on whom they trust to handle the economy,” NBC News reports.

“While Harris has gained ground on stewardship of the economy, Trump still leads in most surveys about the issue, which frequently ranks as the top concern for voters. The Harris campaign and Democratic allies believe she must erode that advantage and at least fight it to a draw.”