| This is Bloomberg Opinion Today, a juvenile delinquent so attached to Bloomberg Opinion's opinions. Sign up here. It would be really nice if I could write you a newsletter that was like, "This weekend was so fun! I went to a wonderful new restaurant and saw a Broadway play and there was not a single Sunday scary in sight!" Then I could tell you all about how Godzilla is turning 70 and pigs have bird flu and Mark Zuckerberg is binging on AI slop — all fascinating takes by Howard Chua-Eoan, F.D. Flam and Parmy Olson, respectively — but alas, I cannot do any of that. Instead, I must spend this newsletter talking about the BIG event of the week. No, it's not the Sephora sale: It's not Fed Day, even though Mohamed A. El-Erian says Jerome Powell has some explaining to do. It's not the election in Moldova, which Marc Champion says Putin tried — and failed — to meddle with. Instead, it's the election in America. You know, the one that everyone's been freaking out about since the last time we did this in 2020. One Democratic lawmaker has reportedly prepared an "insurrectionist getaway costume" in case there's a repeat of Jan. 6. It's a valid concern: Ever since a mob of Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol, Mary Ellen Klas says "disruptions have become the new normal for American elections." Votes are being lost to arson in Oregon and Washington. There was a major shooting at a Democratic campaign office in Arizona. And an 18-year-old in Florida was arrested for wielding a machete at an early voting site. Ty Cobb, one of Trump's former White House lawyers, says such behavior is not just undemocratic; it weakens our credibility abroad: "It is our commitment to the rule of law that has enabled the US to lead on the world stage … Efforts to undermine our electoral process threaten not only our democracy but also the rights of every citizen." The stakes (sorry, had to) could not be higher: Lisa Jarvis says Trump wants to let RFK Jr. "go wild on health." Matthew Yglesias says Trump's agenda would add "twice as much debt as Harris." And underneath all the bluster— mimicking oral sex on a microphone and calling my colleagues buffers for bullets — says Timothy L. O'Brien, "is a deeply unwell man, a juvenile delinquent so attached to fantasy, conspiracy theories, bigotry, violence and fascism that he's uniquely unfit for the White House." On the flip side, Nia-Malika Henderson believes Vice President Kamala Harris' historic race "has been triggering for millions of Americans nostalgic for the old order and the old ways" and "energizing for millions of Americans who want fairness, equality, and just plain decency." So, no, it is not a totally normal week by a long shot. But we're gonna get through it one way or another, and hopefully this newsletter can be a salve for the all madness that might ensue. Bonus Election Reads — Because of Course There's More: Over the weekend, Olivia Rodrigo revealed that she asks an oddly specific question on every first date: Would you ever want to go to space? If her date says yes, it's a major red flag: "I just think if you want to go to space, you're a little too full of yourself," she said. When Grimes — mother of X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl and Techno Mechanicus — caught wind of this, she tweeted: "It's true. Only women should be going to space." Which brings me to the father of those children: "Terraforming Mars may be a pipe dream, but Elon Musk is all in on colonizing somewhere closer to home: the White House," write Liam Denning, Thomas Black and Dave Lee in a new free read that examines how the world's richest man is inserting himself — and his money — into America's election. "Musk's foothold in Trump's orbit could add direct policymaking power to his business portfolio — giving him a say on public finances and an opportunity to bring his special brand of 'moving fast and breaking things' to the foundations of popular programs such as Social Security and Medicare," they write. A Trump administration would also bring benefits to a bunch of his businesses, including Tesla, SpaceX and X, which would likely morph into "a US state-run social network." "Trump loves having rich, flashy, aggressive men at his side, and Musk fits the bill," but he hates sharing the spotlight, they argue: "It's a recipe for conflict." Perhaps Olivia Rodrigo — and the whole country — ought to be asking another oddly specific question as they head to the polls: Would you ever want spend millions of dollars and countless hours of your life trying to sway an election so that you and your companies get favorable treatment from the White House? For Elon Musk, the answer is yes. Red flags abound. Maybe all America needs is a democracy sausage? My Australian colleague Christine Vanden Byllaardt informed me that every polling place in her country has "BBQ sausage sizzles" during elections — run by volunteers! — so you can grab a snack when you vote. Sounds like just the type of kumbaya moment this nation needs. Tobin Harshaw says pride in this country is pretty low these days, but "forging a new patriotism isn't hopeless," he writes. "One great hope would be for encouraging (not mandating) some form of public service for younger Americans." Starting with … sausage parties?? After all, democracy IS brat(wurst).  John Authers says the prediction market's response to the poll in the Des Moines Register over the weekend was quite dramatic. "If accurate, this implied Harris capturing other states where expectations have seemed tighter; supporters dared to speak of a landslide coming into view," he writes. But stocks have had little time to react: "On the face of it, if you think you're overexposed to a Trump victory, it makes sense to lighten your position a little before Tuesday's vote," he writes. Timothy L. O'Brien and Nia-Malika Henderson join Bloomberg Opinion columnists for live Election Day analysis on the key issues driving voters to the polls. Taxes will likely keep rising on Britons and their assets. — Marcus Ashworth and Stuart Trow India's trade negotiators are notoriously defensive. That has to change. — Mihir Sharma Saudi Arabia's MBS is no longer writing blank checks. — Shuli Ren Kemi Badenoch offers the Tories a shot at redemption. — Martin Ivens China's shift to electrification is not out of line with elsewhere. — David Fickling What to expect when you're expecting results. How Uvalde's newspaper kept going. Quincy Jones' life in photos. Young doctors want a life. There's a new pygmy hippo in town. Premium ice from Japan is a hot commodity. Monkeys will never type Shakespeare. Notes: Please send democracy sausages and feedback to Jessica Karl at jkarl9@bloomberg.net. Sign up here and follow us on Threads, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. | 
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