OUR PICKSEnsuring Resilient Water Infrastructure | Border Arrests Fall in September | Protectionism Is Not the Way to Protect Workers, and more

Protectionism Is Not the Way to Protect Workers  (Ngaire Woods, Project Syndicate / The Strategist)
Political support for protectionist trade policies is easy to explain. A growing share of working people in industrialized democracies feel—and, in fact, are—less represented and less protected than previous generations, and both Chinese factories and immigrant workers are easy targets. So, when politicians acknowledge these voters’ frustration and promise to improve their lives with tariffs and immigration controls, they are easily convinced. Ultimately, however, this approach will do little for workers—or for the political leaders who embrace it.

Trump Wanted Generals Like Hitler’s, Says Ex-White House Chief of Staff  (AP / VOA News)
Donald Trump’s longest-serving chief of staff is warning that the Republican presidential nominee meets the definition of a fascist and that while in office, Trump suggested that Nazi leader Adolf Hitler “did some good things.”
The comments from John Kelly, the retired Marine general who worked for Trump in the White House from 2017 to 2019, came in interviews published Tuesday in The New York Times and The Atlantic. They build on past warnings from former top Trump officials as the election enters its final two weeks.
“He commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too,’” Kelly recalled to the Times. Kelly said he would usually quash the conversation by saying “nothing (Hitler) did, you could argue, was good,” but that Trump would occasionally bring up the topic again.
In his interview with the Atlantic, Kelly recalled that when Trump raised the idea of needing “German generals,” Kelly would ask if he meant “Bismarck’s generals,” referring to Otto von Bismarck, the chancellor who oversaw the unification of Germany. “Surely you can’t mean Hitler’s generals,” Kelly recalled asking Trump. To which the former president responded, “Yeah, yeah, Hitler’s generals.”

Ensuring Resilient Water Infrastructure Requires Creative Financing  (Chelsea Kolb, Sara Stullken and Sara Hughes, Route Fifty)
Federal support is key to ensuring water systems are safe. But state and local governments have a critical role to play, too.

Border Arrests Fall in September, Last Monthly Gauge Before U.S. Elections(AP / VOA News)
Arrests for illegally crossing the border from Mexico fell 7% in September to a more than four-year low, authorities said Tuesday. It was likely the last monthly gauge during a presidential campaign in which Republican nominee Donald Trump has made immigration a signature issue.
The Border Patrol made 53,858 arrests, down from 58,009 in August and the lowest tally since August 2020, when arrests totaled 47,283, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

A Trump Victory Would Make America Poor Again  (Eduardo Porter, Washington Post)
If the GOP nominee’s economic agenda is enacted, it could trigger a depression.

Arizona Republican Official Who Refused to Certify 2022 Midterm Election Pleads Guilty  (Rachel Leingang, Guardian)
Cochise county supervisor Peggy Judd agrees to plead guilty to misdemeanor charge