Kamala Harris may have been exposed, but she was definitely wearing a mask.
Kamala Harris suspends travel "out of an abundance of caution." Ethan Miller/Getty
Gulp: This past September was the hottest on record for the entire planet. Global temperatures averaged 60.75 degrees, beating out 2015 and 2016 for the hottest Septembers since we started keeping track, reports KOMO. And it's only going to get worse! Good morning!

Today is Boar Nest's last day of operation: The Ballard BBQ spot will permanently close on their nine year anniversary due the pandemic. “The cancellation of all events hit everyone hard. But, the hardest part for us is now saying goodbye to you,” the owners wrote on on Facebook.

"Hey, let's meet at the Fritz!": Seattle Parks and Recreation opened Fritz Hedges Waterway Park, a 3.5-acre waterfront park right on Portage Bay with one pier and a kayak launch point as well as open lawn space and a picnic area. It's named after Fredrick "Fritz" Hedges," a long-time Seattle Parks professional. I wanna lay down on one of those eggs!

14 million people have already voted in the general election: 2 million voters have cast their ballots in Florida alone. One Democratic strategist calls the numbers "pretty staggering," especially as many have had to endure hours long lines just to vote. Washington voters should be getting their ballots in the mail by the end of this week and you should absolutely vote the way we tell you to.

Washington State Health Officer Kathy Lofy to resign later this year: She has been "instrumental" in leading the state's response to the pandemic, serving in her role for six and a half years, reports KING 5. In a statement, Lofy said, "This decision is my own, and it's a personal one." The search for her replacement will begin next month.

I have no idea what federal authorities read Slog AM, but I would like them to know that Ice Cube does NOT speak for my ass: The rapper has been working the Trump Administration to adopt parts of his Contract with Black America—which honestly sounds like a Republican scam—into the White House's Platinum Plan addressing the Black community, which sounds like an even bigger Republican scam. Middle age and millions of dollars really change you, huh?

36 dogs have been rescued from a Tacoma home in an animal cruelty investigation: The owner allegedly shot some of them with a pellet gun. Of the dogs that were seized by officers, 15 were puppies under 12 weeks old. KOMO reports that it "appeared many of the dogs were used for breeding and selling."

Doubts arise around the killing of Portland activist Michael Reinoehl by the U.S. Marshals task force back in September: Authorities claim that Reinoehl "attempted to escape arrest" and "produced a firearm" when the officers pulled up on his car, prompting them to open fire and kill him. But a reconstruction of the night based on eyewitness accounts and preliminary findings of investigators calls that story into question. Some say that officers failed to identify themselves to Reinoehl before opening fire or that Reinoehl even had a gun in his hand. The New York Times goes deep.

OK, I'm honestly still thinking about E. Alex Jung's Sohla El-Waylly profile in Vulture: If you haven't had a chance to read it, please carve out some time in your day to do so. If only for this little nugget o' gold:

The corona creep has now hit the Democrats! The Biden campaign announced that Sen. Kamala Harris will suspend travel until Monday after Harris's communications director and a flight crew member test positive for COVID-19. The campaign said that Biden himself was not exposed, even though he and Harris spent several hours together on October 5, reports AP. Though neither individual had direct contact with Biden or Harris, the VP nominee will be taking stopping travel "out of an abundance of caution."

It's the final day of Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation hearing: Barrett will not be present at today's meeting, but instead witnesses will be presented by both Republicans and Democrats that they believe can speak to her character.

The Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled a vote on the nominee for October 22: This vote was set over the objections of Senate Democrats who say this nomination process has moved way too quickly. "She has been rushed in a way that is historically unprecedented," said Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell simply says "We have the votes." He plans on bringing the motion to the Senate floor for full debate on Oct. 23. And so that's that.

If you're a masochist: You can watch Republicans steal a seat on the Supreme Court in real time.

About that New York Post "October surprise" story on Joe Biden's connections to Ukraine: It's bullshit!

Meanwhile: A new national NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds Biden ahead of Trump by 11 points among registered voters, 53 percent to 42 percent. Biden and the Democratic National Committee also announced that they raised a monster $383 million combined in September, breaking their own record set in August. Polls and money don't guarantee an election—as we all know—but it is heartening.

Fall: Hath fallen.

898,000 Americans filed for unemployment last week: A number which is significantly above the 830,000 estimated by economist and represents the highest number since August 22. In contrast, the number of continuing claims fell by 1.165 million to just over 10 million, reports NBC News.

Today is the final day to participate in the 2020 Census: If you haven't already done so, make sure to do so here.

I-976 is unconstitutional, baby! The Washington State Supreme Court has struck down the $30 car tab measure as it "contains more than one subject, and its subject is not accurately expressed in its title." Read the full opinion here. Nathalie Graham will have more on it later, but for now rejoice that epic troll Tim Eyman has been defeated and Sound Transit will live to see another day.

Seattle-area man is the third confirmed person in the country to have been infected with COVID twice: The nursing home resident first got infected in March, spending more than 40 days in the hospital before testing negative and getting discharged. After getting ill in July, doctors confirmed that he was newly infected with a slightly different variant of COVID, reports the Seattle Times. Reinfection seems to be rare, but is still scary as hell.

Something to groove to this morning: I recently watched documentary Keyboard Fantasies which is about Beverly Glenn-Copeland, a Black trans musician whose 1986 album Keyboard Fantasies grew a global cult fanbase thirty years after its release. The film is really a testament to his tremendous spirit and will show at the Seattle Queer Film Festival, which starts this week. I'll have more words about it later, but for now listen to "Winter Astral." Beverly is going on every mixtape I make for my crushes from here on out: