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Live election updates: Lock him up? Trump targets Miles Taylor in Florida, where Biden leads

President Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Joe Biden are in the home stretch of this election. Refresh this blog all day for updates as the candidates make their final push.

Trump wants to prosecute Miles Taylor and New York Times; Taylor says president wants to lock up critics

Kicking off his campaign day Thursday, Trump again called on authorities to prosecute political opponents – this time the once-anonymous aide Miles Taylor, who criticized him in a high-profile New York Times column and subsequent book.

There "should be major criminal liability for such scum like that," Trump said of Taylor during a campaign rally in Tampa, Fla.

"Are you listening to me back in Washington?" Trump added. "He should be prosecuted."

Taylor, who on Wednesday disclosed he is the anti-Trump writer known as Anonymous, responded on Twitter that Trump is trying to use the legal system to punish and silence opponents.

"The state of open dissent in America: the President derides critics as 'traitors' and 'treasonous'; threatens to 'prosecute' & 'lock them up'; and ominously warns 'bad things' will happen to them," Taylor said. "Is this who we are?"

In the 2018 column and a 2019 book called "A Warning," Taylor said that Trump routinely urged aides to take illegal actions and suggested that the president might refuse to leave office, even if he is defeated for re-election.

“He will not exit quietly – or easily,” Anonymous wrote in "A Warning."

Taylor worked for Trump as an official in the Department of Homeland Security.

Trump also called for prosecution of The New York Times, never mind the First Amendment protections for newspapers (and critics).

This isn't the first time Trump has called for legal action against political opponents. He has urged the Justice Department to investigate members of President Barack Obama's administration involved in the investigation of links between the Trump campaign team and Russians who interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

UNDER PRESSURE: Trump frustrated with his Attorney General Barr over Russia inquiry

–David Jackson

Is the stock market rooting for Trump or Biden?

It turns out the stock market cares more about which party controls Congress than it does about which one wins the White House.

Stocks have typically thrived under legislative gridlock in Washington, and a split Congress has historically been the best scenario for investors.

Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday.
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Thursday.

Since 1950, the average annual stock return for the broad S&P 500 stock index was 17.2% under a split Congress, according to LPL Financial. It falls to 13.4% when Republicans control both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and drops to 10.7% when Democrats control both chambers.

That suggests that markets may prefer divided power come November because it would make it harder for lawmakers to undo policy measures already in place, experts say.

"Markets tend to like checks and balances to make sure one party doesn’t have too much sway," according to Ryan Detrick, senior market strategist at LPL Financial.

– Jessica Menton

Stock market: Is the stock market rooting for Trump or Biden? The answer may surprise you

Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff campaigns despite a flight crew infection

A flight crew member of Doug Emhoff, the husband of vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris, tested positive for COVID-19, the Biden campaign announced Thursday.

Emhoff wasn’t on the plane with the infected crew member and had no contact so would continue travel as scheduled, ccording to Jen O’Malley Dixon, Biden’s campaign manager.

Other members of the flight crew and two members of Emhoff’s staff, who were in close contact with the unnamed flight crew member, will quarantine for 14 days under guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dixon said.

Emhoff was tested Thursday and COVID-19 wasn’t detected.

Emhoff, whose flight to Ohio was delayed while the campaign investigated, will continue with that trip and other stops scheduled through election day, Dixon said.

--Bart Jansen

Chris Christie gets pranked on Cameo, to Democrats' delight

A video made Wednesday night by former Gov. Chris Christie turned out to be a prank pulled off for the benefit of a Democrat. In Montana.

Social media lit up with schadenfreude that the Republican former governor fell for a trick suggesting he supported this year's Democratic candidate for governor in Montana, Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney. Christie supports Cooney's Republican opponent, Greg Gianforte, who spent part of his childhood in Wayne, New Jersey, and graduated from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. But Cooney tweeted the video Thursday morning saying it was "a special message" for Gianforte.

Christie said he responded to a request on the app Cameo, which allows users to request and pay for messages by well-known people. He got a request Wednesday night from a user with the handle Brad Ley requesting a "pep talk" for "Greg."

He said Greg "has been working out of state the last few years & me and his family have been trying to get him to come home to NJ. Could you give him some encouragement?"

Christie, not knowing exactly who Greg was, responded hours later to "think about everything" New Jersey has to offer.

"We've got Taylor Ham. We've got Bruce Springsteen. We've got Jon Bon Jovi. We've got the Jersey Shore. We've got the boardwalks. We've got all that stuff back here that is waiting for you," Christie said.

"More than anything else, Mike and your whole family, they want you back here. So listen, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. You can come back voluntarily or maybe they'll send me out to get you. I don't think that's what you want, Greg."

He finished with: "Get back here, Greg. We need you."

Christie condemned the Cooney campaign and Democratic Governors Association, which is chaired by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who retweeted the video.

– Dustin Racioppi (Trenton Bureau)

Chris Christie: Christie gets pranked on Cameo, to Democrats' delight

Presidential poll: Biden leads Trump in Florida

Former Vice President Joe Biden holds a five-point lead over President Donald Trump among registered Florida voters, according to a Monmouth University poll released Thursday.

Among all registered voters, Biden has 50% support compared to Trump's 45%. The former vice president maintains that advantage among likely voters, with Biden holding a 51%-45% lead in the case of high voter turnout and a 50%-46% lead in a low turnout scenario.

Florida has been one of the most competitive battleground states in the country this electoral cycle, with some recent polls showing Trump narrowing Biden's lead in the state.

Still, Biden's strong support among people of color overall at 68%-23% and especially among the state's large Latino population at 58%-32%, helps to maintain his lead over the president.

– Matthew Brown

Florida presidential poll:: Biden leads Trump in final stretch before Election Day

Supporters of President Donald Trump, some who are not wearing face coverings, arrive to hear his campaign speech on Thursday in Tampa, Florida.
Supporters of President Donald Trump, some who are not wearing face coverings, arrive to hear his campaign speech on Thursday in Tampa, Florida.

McConnell: Chances are '50-50' that Senate control flips to Democrats

During a campaign stop Wednesday in Northern Kentucky, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the chances were "50-50'' that Republicans lose control of the Senate after Election Day.

"It's a 50-50 proposition. There are dogfights all over the country,'' the Republican leader told the crowd gathered at the headquarters for the Kona Ice Hawaiian-style shaved ice franchise in Florence.

McConnell said Republicans "have a lot of exposure'' in the battle for the Senate with 23 seats up for election, while Democrats have 12.

Democrats would need a net gain of three or four seats to win a majority in the Senate, which is currently held by Republicans with 53 senators. Democrats count 45 senators and there are two independent senators who caucus with Democrats.

McConnell said he's been saying for months that control of the Senate "could go either way," and he said he saw no reason to change his opinion less than a week before Election Day.

– Randy Tucker (Cincinnati Enquirer)

Mitch McConnell: Chances are '50-50' that voters flip control of Senate to Democrats

Pelosi hits Trump on remark about getting husbands back to work

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized President Donald Trump for telling women he would help their husbands recover from the economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and get them back to work.

"It isn't even true, but in addition to that, what decade is he living in, what century is he living in?" the California Democrat said of Trump at her weekly news conference Thursday. "So completely removed from the realities of life."

Earlier this week, Trump told women at a Michigan rally that "we're getting your husbands back to work, and everybody wants it." During the event, Trump touted his support among women, claiming that they would back him in the presidential election because "they want security, they want safety, they want law and order."

Trump to women at Michigan rally: 'We're getting your husbands back to work'

Pelosi spent much of the news conference knocking the president, including over his handling of the pandemic. She said she was sure Democrat Joe Biden would come out victorious in the election and put the country on a better track.

"I feel very confident that Joe Biden will be elected president on Tuesday," Pelosi declared.

She outlined some of Democrats' priorities should Biden win the election, including lowering the cost of prescription drugs and eliminating dark money from politics. Pelosi also stressed the need to come to a deal on another COVID-19 relief package and explained she wanted a bill passed before a potential change of power in January so if Biden wins, there would be a clean slate for Democrats to tackle priorities that have been blocked by Republicans.

– Christal Hayes

Top GOP official says cyber attackers stole $2.3 million from Republican Party of Wisconsin

The top official of the Republican Party of Wisconsin said Thursday that hackers stole $2.3 million during a crucial phase of the presidential campaign.

Party Chairman Andrew Hitt said the loss was attributed to a phishing attack that has been reported to the FBI.

The FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office would not confirm or deny they were investigating, citing their protocols.

"It was a devastating moment," Hitt said of when the discovery was made.

Hitt said the party discovered the attack Oct. 22 and by Friday morning realized the money was taken from accounts and the FBI was notified. The money had been earmarked to pay vendors working on President Donald Trump's reelection campaign, Hitt said.

– Bill Glauber and Patrick Marley (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Wisconsin GOP: Top GOP official says cyber attackers stole $2.3 million from Republican Party of Wisconsin

North Carolina: Republicans, Democrats both see hopeful signs in early voting numbers

More than half of North Carolina’s voters have now had their say in the 2020 election. As of Thursday morning, 3.86 million North Carolinians had cast ballots, up 65% from this point in the 2016 election, with still three more days of early voting and Election Day to come.

Some pundits have suggested the state could surpass the total number of ballots cast in the 2016 election, 4.7 million, prior to Election Day.

Parsing the early voting data, political experts and organizers say, offers reasons for both Democrats and Republicans to be encouraged.

After Democrats opened a 10% turnout advantage over the first days of early voting, Republicans have narrowed the gap to less than 3% over the past week. Republicans can also boast to having registered more new voters this year, adding 158,000 Republican registrations compared to 104,000 for Democrats as of last weekend, according to the N.C. State Board of Elections.

North Carolina: Both Republicans and Democrats see hopeful signs in early voting numbers

“I do think it’s reasonable to conclude is that the early voting number don’t tell us this is going to be some huge Democratic victory,” said John Hood, chair of the board of the John Locke Foundation, a conservative-leaning think tank in Raleigh. “There could still be a huge Democratic victory. I just don’t think you see that in the early voting numbers.”

Republicans have typically outperformed Democrats on past election days, which Susan Roberts, a political science professor at Davidson College, called a “red mirage” that usually gets balanced out by Democrats’ propensity to vote earlier.

Democrats retain a slim edge in early voting turnout, 57.08% to 54.47%, and have requested more than twice the absentee ballots. And despite recent GOP gains, Democrats still outnumber Republicans in registration by around 400,000 voters.

– Brian Gordon, USA TODAY Network North Carolina

Florida judge leading a vote-counting board donated to Trump 12 times, breaking judicial rules

A Florida judge who heads Duval County’s vote-counting board has donated repeatedly to President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign and other Republican efforts, and his home is covered in signs supporting Trump, despite rules requiring judges like him refrain from donations or public support.

Duval County senior Judge Brent Shore has served as chairman of the canvassing board because of his role as a county judge. Yet Florida judicial rules bar judges from political donations of any kind. And canvassing board rules bar members from "displaying a candidate's campaign signs."

He first donated $20 in 2016 to Trump’s initial campaign for president. He has donated 11 more times since then to Trump for a total of $170, as well as donating $178 in the last two years to the Republican National Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Violating the judicial canons could land Shore, who wouldn't answer questions for this story, in front of the Judicial Qualifications Commission, where judges are prosecuted and even removed from their positions depending on the seriousness of their violations.

– Andrew Pantazi (Florida Times-Union)

Florida: Florida judge leading a vote-counting board donated to Trump 12 times, breaking judicial rules

'You're a crook': Ossoff attacks Perdue in bruising Georgia Senate debate

Democratic Senate challenger Jon Ossoff tore into incumbent Georgia Sen. David Perdue during a Wednesday debate, knocking the Republican over his response to the coronavirus pandemic and allegations of insider trading.

“It's not just that you're a crook, senator," Ossoff chided during the debate. "It's that you’re attacking the health of the people that you represent."

Perdue is among a group of senators who came under fire after records found that they engaged in stock trading after a Jan. 24 briefing on the coronavirus pandemic. Almost 100 trades selling around $825,000 in stocks and buying $1.8 million more were made on Perdue's behalf.

Perdue's office has released ads denying any wronging, alleging that because the stock trades were carried out by a third-party he committed no wrongdoing.

– Matthew Brown

'It's not just that you're a crook': Ossoff attacks Perdue during Georgia Senate debate

Presidential poll: Biden holds small lead over Trump among Florida Latino voters

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a slight lead over President Donald Trump among Latino voters in the battleground state of Florida, according to a poll published Thursday.

Almost half (48%) of Latino likely voters in Florida said they support Biden, with 43% saying they back Trump, according to a state poll from Telemundo. Less than 10% of Latino voters said they're undecided (7%) or voting for another candidate (2%).

Latinos will be the largest ethnic or racial minority group in the 2020 election, with 32 million eligible to vote. Florida, which has 29 electoral votes, is considered vital to Trump's reelection bid.

But Biden is floundering with Cuban voters, a key Latino voting bloc in the state. According to the poll, Trump holds almost a 50 percentage point lead over Biden, 71% to 23% among Cuban voters.

– Rebecca Morin

Poll: Biden holds small lead over Trump with Latino voters in pivotal Florida

Here’s why two masks are better than one for Biden

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has been a stickler for masks on the presidential campaign trail, wearing not one – but two – at the same time.

"I walked in here with this mask, but I have one of the N95 masks underneath it. And I left it in the dressing room, the room I was in before I got here," Biden said during his town hall on ABC this month.

But he didn’t explain why he puts a surgical mask over the more effective N95. For extra filtering? To protect the more valuable N95?

Turns out it’s for comfort.

“I don’t like it around my ears,” Biden said of the N95, as he was getting into his SUV Wednesday night, “so I hold it on with this mask.”

– Maureen Groppe

'Most valuable surrogate':: Spouses are key in battleground states, lending firepower in final push

California senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday.
California senator and Democratic vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks during a drive-in campaign rally in Phoenix, Arizona on Wednesday.

Presidential poll: Biden up 12 points among likely voters in the final stretch

With less than a week before Election Day, former Vice President Joe Biden maintains a 12-point national lead over President Donald Trump, according to a CNN poll released Thursday.

Among likely voters, 54% of voters back Biden versus 42% who support Trump.

Broken down by gender, the poll reveals Biden is leading among women, with him leading Trump 61%-37% among women and 48%-47% among men.

Voters of color support Biden by a nearly 50-percentage-point margin: 71%-24%.

Senior voters are also solidly backing Biden, with the former vice president leading Trump 55%-44%, according to the poll. Voters under 35 also back Biden 68%-30%. Voters age 35 to 64 are evenly divided with 48% backing each candidate.

The CNN poll was conducted from Oct 23 to Oct 26 and surveyed 1,005 Americans nationally. It has a margin of error of 3.8 points among likely voters.

– Matthew Brown

Presidential poll: 3 of 4 voters worried about violence ahead of Election Day, Biden leads Trump

Americans are increasingly worried about what will happen at the finish line of this year's tumultuous election, a new USA TODAY/Suffolk University Poll finds, including whether the voting will be peaceful and the outcome broadly accepted.

Three of 4 voters express concern about the possibility of violence on Election Day. Only 1 in 4 say they are "very confident" that the nation will have a peaceful transfer of power if Democratic challenger Joe Biden defeats President Donald Trump.

Biden holds a steady 8-point lead over Trump in the nationwide poll, 52%-44%, taken after the final presidential debate last Thursday. That reflects little change since the survey taken at Labor Day, the launch of the fall campaign season, when the former vice president led by 7 points, 50%-43%.

– Susan Page and Sarah Elbeshbishi

USA TODAY/Suffolk Poll: Ahead of Election Day, 3 of 4 voters worry about violence in a divided nation

Vice President Mike Pence and his daughter Audrey acknowledge his supporters after speaking at a campaign event Wednesday in Flint, Michigan.
Vice President Mike Pence and his daughter Audrey acknowledge his supporters after speaking at a campaign event Wednesday in Flint, Michigan.

We're five days away

There are now just five days to Election Day, and approximately 75 million people have already voted, according to numbers compiled by @electproject.

However, millions of mail ballots are still outstanding, and the date the USPS recommends to mail them back to make state deadlines has passed. Officials stress those ballots now be dropped off in person.

Voters in Oklahoma can head to the polls starting Thursday for early voting, and it is the last day to register to vote in Nevada.

Fact check: What's true and what's false about voting by mail in 2020

More: Trump’s campaign made stops nationwide. Coronavirus cases surged in his wake in at least five places.

Voting updates:

There are still many details and battles to work through in several states as voting becomes increasingly scrutinized. Wednesday saw a handful of major developments.

  • The Supreme Court refused for a second time Wednesday to change Pennsylvania's election rules, handing Republicans a defeat in their effort to reimpose an Election Day deadline for the return of absentee ballots. The unsigned order means that for now, ballots received by Nov. 6 will be counted.

  • SCOTUS also refused on Wednesday to second-guess election rules in North Carolina, a key battleground state, that allow absentee ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive up to nine days later.

  • Polls show Biden ahead of Trump in Wisconsin and Michigan, and slightly leading the president in Georgia.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Election 2020 updates: Biden, Trump in Florida today for events