The New York Post just made Putin happy as a clam

[View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter]( October 15, 2020 One day I am going to write a book and it's going to start like this: "Tell me a story of sin and regret." "Ah, so it's a love story you want!" But not today. Today it's a story [about politics](: In 2016, Russia attacked an American election and accomplished its mission of electing Trump—in part because much of the media throughout October of that year focused on the Hillary Clinton-related emails hacked-and-leaked by Putin’s secret operation without paying much attention to the Kremlin assault itself. In 2020, Moscow, according to the Trump administration’s top intelligence officials, is at it again. So allegations or stories that might be linked to or created by Russia’s ongoing covert operation ought to be vetted carefully before being reported or amplified. Journalists should resist becoming handmaids for Putin’s latest war on the United States. Especially now that the New York Post has provided all reporters a wonderful tutorial on how to be a useful idiot for Russia. They are pulling this stuff again—the same sins—but the media is not destined to be haunted by the same regrets. The Post and Fox are down to clown, but many other outlets have been chastened by their experience, and how they handle this particular moment will tell us if they really learned anything. Read David's [whole piece](. It's great—it walks through all the problems in the Post’s story and includes all the information they willfully left out. These people got away with it this last time, and they have the audacity to do it again right now here in front of our very eyes. But they can only get away with it again if [people let them](. —Ben Dreyfuss P.S. Don't steal the opening to my book. Thank you to the some 1,500 readers who have pitched in during our [fall fundraising drive](: You have helped us raise about $73,000 of our $350,000 goal. Please join your fellow readers and [support our nonprofit journalism]( to help us raise the final $277,000 by October 31. [ACLU]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [This Is How Authoritarians Get Defeated]( People around the world have stood up for democracy and truth. Now it's our turn. BY MONIKA BAUERLEIN [Trending] [Donald Trump sounds so happy describing how his government killed a man]( BY TIM MURPHY [Climate change could tip the scales in these 6 toss-up House races]( BY JESSE NICHOLS, TERESA CHIN, AND JOSEPH WINTERS [Amy Coney Barrett has spent her entire life in a conservative bubble. That’s a problem.]( BY STEPHANIE MENCIMER [Giuliani's October surprise is a test the media must pass]( BY DAVID CORN [ACLU]( [The Big Feature] [Special Feature]( [Republicans Broke Florida’s Unemployment System. Could It Cost Trump the Election?]( Instead of taxing businesses, the GOP cut benefits. The voters it hurt have soured on the president. BY HANNAH LEVINTOVA [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( [Recharge] SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR ONCE [At Least We Have 12-Foot Skeletons]( Trick-or-treating may be a [no-go]( for a lot of kids this year, thanks to, you know, the pandemic. Fortunately, people are still finding creative ways to get spooky this Halloween. As one Twitter user [noted](, the Amityville Horror house at 112 Ocean Avenue, where a man shot and killed six members of his family in 1974, decorated its lawn with little shrouded skeletons—as if the historical occurrences weren’t scary enough. But the mother of all Halloween decorations is the 12-foot skeleton from [Home Depot](, which you can call your own for $300—that’s $25 per foot of skeleton. Luckily, you don’t have to spend a dime to bring the big bundle o’ bones home; the 3D augmented reality feature in the Home Depot app allows you to visualize how Skelly would look in your space. Everyone on the internet is [obsessed]( with this skeleton. The reviews from people who actually bought it are glowing. Writes one reviewer, “Our town was obliterated by Hurricane Delta. There are power lines down, well-built heavy fences down, and even trees uprooted completely. Guess who survived the wind no issues?! Jimothy Bones, the 12 foot skeleton.” Writes another, “This skeleton is the only thing that has cured my depression.” Same, HomeDepot.com reviewer Dave. Same. —Abigail Weinberg Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [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