RFK Jr. pulls one last stunt

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     October 1, 2024 The devastation wrought by Hurricane Helene has been astonishing. At least [121 people]( have been killed, entire neighborhoods destroyed, and many remain without basic supplies, including roughly [2 million]( still without power. As my colleague Tim Murphy writes, it is neither wise nor useful to politicize how the devastation could affect the election. But it's my personal crusade to punch up when duty calls and I want to make you aware of the unique roles RFK Jr. and North Carolina's Supreme Court have had in significantly hampering early voting in North Carolina, just before Helene's arrival. [Here's Tim](: It goes without saying that weeks of delays in violation of state statutes, followed by a once-in-a-century storm, will have simply made things logistically harder for people than they otherwise would have been or should have. Residents will have a far shorter window for early voting than they were supposed to have—and that the law says they should have—because of RFK and the state Supreme Court. That window will now get even shorter because of the storm. Acts of God may be unavoidable, but shameless acts of partisanship are perhaps not. Again, I can't imagine this is front and center for North Carolinians right now—nor should it be. But I do hope that RFK Jr., while keeping a low profile over [the bombshell of his incredibly weird]( relationship drama, finds Tim's story and has a moment of rare clarity: "Ah why yes, I am a terrible human with a [strange dead animal proclivity]( who should not be anywhere near national politics." —Inae Oh P.S. One of the biggest issues you're all but certain to hear about tonight, and all the way up to Election Day, is the so-called border crisis. Our colleagues at Reveal have a [terrific episode]( that should force us to ask: Did the United States cause this situation in the first place? The episode, which takes a look at the US policies that triggered the cycles of violence that put innocent families in harm's way, [is well worth the listen](. Advertisement [On Xi Jinping]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [This Is Why You Don’t Mess With the Election Calendar]( Early voting was supposed to start in North Carolina near the start of September. Then came RFK Jr. and Hurricane Helene. BY TIM MURPHY MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   DONALD TRUMP & DEMOCRACY You’re a Mother Jones Daily reader, so you know the stakes and you know reporting like ours matters so freaking much in the month ahead (and beyond). About that: We need [the support of our newsletter readers like never before]( to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We urgently need all hands on deck. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field. Please help with a donation if you can—even just a few bucks helps. A [monthly gift]( would be incredible. [Donate Now]( [Trending] [JD Vance says his "Mamaw" had eight miscarriages. His policies deny women like her lifesaving care.]( BY STEPHANIE MENCIMER   [Right-wing think tank targets efforts to educate federal judges on climate science]( BY DHARNA NOOR AND ALICE HERMAN   [A court just threw out Georgia's six-week abortion ban]( BY NINA MARTIN   [Trump is amplifying his dangerous hate speech against migrants]( BY MARK FOLLMAN Advertisement [On Xi Jinping]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [The wildest JD Vance facts to know before the VP face-off]( Watching Tuesday's debate? CBS won't be fact-checking—so read this first. BY JULIANNE MCSHANE Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755