WITH THREE WEEKS UNTIL ELECTION DAY – THE CANDIDATES ARE FOCUSING IN ON THE KEY BATTLEGROUND STATES – AND NONE MAY BE AS IMPORTANT AS PENNSYLVANIA AND ITS 19 ELECTORAL VOTES. 

BOTH VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS AND FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP TOOK THEIR MESSAGE ONCE AGAIN TO THE KEYSTONE STATE ON MONDAY – EACH BELIEVING THAT IF THEY WIN PENNSYLVANIA – THEY WILL WIN THE ELECTION. 

HARRIS HELD A RALLY IN THE NORTHWESTERN CITY OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA – WHERE TRUMP VISITED A FEW WEEKS AGO. 

THE VICE PRESIDENT PAINTING HER OPPONENT AS A THREAT TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY –  WARNING HER SUPPORTERS OF WHAT SHE CALLS THE DANGERS OF ANOTHER TRUMP PRESIDENCY. 

VICE PRESIDENT KAMALA HARRIS 

“I believe so strongly that a second Trump term would be a huge risk for America and dangerous. Donald Trump, Donald Trump is increasingly unstable and unhinged. And he is out for unchecked power. That’s what he’s looking for.” 

HARRIS ALSO URGED PENNSYLVANIANS TO GET OUT TO VOTE EARLY – AS MAIL-IN VOTING IS NOW UNDERWAY IN THE STATE. 

MEANTIME – FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP SPOKE DURING A TOWN HALL IN OAKS, PENNSYLVANIA – A SUBURB OF PHILADELPHIA – WHERE HE TOUCHED UPON THE CLAIMS ABOUT BEING A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY. 

FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP 

“But when they talk about a threat to democracy, how about where they take a candidate who won fair and square? They throw them out and they put up a woman who failed, was the first one to drop out of a field of 22 and got no votes. And this is the person we’re running against. And she is not a smart woman. That’s true. And we cannot– we’ve had that for four years. We’re not going to have it for another four years.” 

TRUMP CUT HIS TOWN HALL SHORT AFTER TWO ATTENDEES REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION – WITH BOTH THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND MODERATOR SOUTH DAKOTA GOVERNOR KRISTI NOEM COMMENTING ON THE HEAT IN THE VENUE AND JOKING THAT INFLATION HAD DRIVEN UP THE PRICE OF AIR CONDITIONING. 

TRUMP THEN REQUESTED MUSIC BE PLAYED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EVENT. 

ALONG WITH RALLIES, THE CANDIDATES ARE CONTINUING THEIR MEDIA TOUR TO REACH VOTERS. THE VICE PRESIDENT TAKING PART IN A TOWN HALL TODAY HOSTED BY THE RADIO PROGRAM “THE BREAKFAST CLUB” AND THEN SHE WIILL APPEAR  ON FOX NEWS ON WEDNESDAY. 

WHILE THE FORMER PRESIDENT WILL BE INTERVIEWED BY THE EDITOR OF BLOOMBERG NEWS TODAY AND HAS INDICATED HE WILL SIT DOWN WITH POPULAR PODCASTER JOE ROGAN BEFORE ELECTION DAY. 

REUTERS REPORTING VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS IS ALSO IN TALKS TO BE INTERVIEWED BY ROGAN AS WELL. 

TODAY DONALD TRUMP HEADS BACK TO GEORGIA AS THE FOCUS ON THE BATTLEGROUND STATES INTENSIFIES. 

MORE THAN 200 PROTESTERS WERE ARRESTED NEAR WALL STREET MONDAY – DEMONSTRATING OUTSIDE THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE — CALLING FOR THE END TO THE WAR IN GAZA.  

THE GROUP OF PRO-PALESTINIAN DEMONSTRATORS STAGED A SIT-IN DEMANDING AN END TO U-S SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST HAMAS IN GAZA. 

WHILE **NONE** OF THE PROTESTERS GOT INTO THE STOCK EXCHANGE — DOZENS DID CROSS THE SECURITY FENCE PUT IN PLACE BY POLICE. 

A NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON SAID OFFICERS ARRESTED 206 PEOPLE. 

A  PRO-ISRAEL COUNTER-PROTEST, SMALLER IN NUMBER, WAS ALSO HELD AT THE SITE AT THE SAME TIME.  

SINCE THE WAR IN GAZA STARTED JUST OVER A YEAR AGO — MORE THAN 42-THOUSANDS PALESTINIANS HAVE BEEN KILLED AND ALMOST THE ENTIRE POPULATION HAS BEEN DISPLACED, ACCORDING TO GAZA HEALTH OFFICIALS. 

INVESTIGATORS IN NORTH CAROLINA ARRESTED A MAN — CHARGED WITH THREATENING TO HARM FEMA WORKERS WHO WERE HELPING PARTS OF THE STATE DEVASTATED BY HURRICANE HELENE. 

ACCORDING TO THE RUTHERFORD COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE, 44-YEAR-OLD WILLIAM PARSONS IS CHARGED WITH “GOING ARMED TO THE TERROR OF THE PUBLIC” — A MISDEMEANOR. 

IN A STATEMENT, THE SHERIFF SAID WHILE INITIAL REPORTS INDICATED THERE WAS A GROUP OF ARMED MILITIA THREATENING FEMA WORKERS, THEY FOUND PARSONS ACTED ALONE. 

OFFICIALS SAID HE DID HAVE A HANDGUN AND A RIFLE IN HIS POSSESSION WHEN ARRESTED. 

THE ARREST FOLLOWED MISINFORMATION AND DISINFORMATION,  BEING SPREAD ABOUT FEMA,  IN THE WAKE OF THE NATURAL DISASTER — AND CAUSED FEMA TO CHANGE THE WAY IT WAS WORKING TO HELP PEOPLE IMPACTED BY HELENE BECAUSE OF CONCERNS OVER WORKERS’ SAFETY.

NASA’S SEARCH FOR LIFE ON OTHER PLANETS CONTINUES — WITH THE LAUNCH OF ITS MISSION TO ONE OF JUPITER’S MOONS. 

EUROPA HAS LONG BEEN THOUGHT TO HAVE A VAST UNDERGROUND OCEAN AND A POTENTIALLY HABITABLE ENVIRONMENT. 

NOW — NASA INTENDS TO FIND OUT IF THAT’S TRUE. 

THE MISSION, DUBBED EUROPA CLIPPER, IS ON ITS LONG JOURNEY TO JUPITER’S FOURTH LARGEST MOON. 

IT’S EXPECTED TO ENTER THE PLANET’S ORBIT IN 20-30 — AFTER, GET THIS, A FLIGHT OF NEARLY TWO **BILLION** MILES.

ELEVEN MONTHS AFTER THE NATIONAL ZOO IN WASHINGTON D.C. SAID GOODBYE TO ITS GIANT PANDAS – TWO NEW ONES ARE ON THEIR WAY. 

ACCORDING TO CHINESE OFFICIALS, THE PAIR OF GIANTS PANDAS HAVE LEFT A RESEARCH FACILITY AND ARE SET TO BE FLOWN TO WASHINGTON D.C. 

IT’S NOT CLEAR WHEN THEY’LL ARRIVE – THE ZOO’S WEBSITE STILL SAYING NEW PANDAS WILL BE COMING BY THE END OF THE YEAR – HOWEVER THE ZOO ANNOUNCED MONDAY IT WILL BE CLOSED THE ENTIRE DAY TODAY — WITHOUT GIVING A REASON. 

THE RETURN OF PANDA DIPLOMACY BETWEEN CHINA AND THE US HAS ALREADY SEEN A PAIR DELIVERED TO THE SAN DIEGO ZOO WITH ANOTHER PROMISED TO SAN FRANCISCO.

FINALLY THIS MORNING – MOST OF US HAVE HEARD OF THE GREAT PUMPKIN FROM CHARLIE BROWN – WELL THAT PUMPKIN IS “PEANUTS” COMPARED TO THIS ONE. 

A 2,471-POUND PUMPKIN WON THE 51ST WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP PUMPKIN WEIGH-OFF MONDAY IN HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA, SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO – DEFEATING ITS CLOSEST COMPETITOR BY 6 POUNDS. 

THE WINNING PUMPKIN BELONGS TO A MINNESOTA HORTICULTURE TEACHER WHO IS NO STRANGER TO GIGANTIC GOURDS. 

HIS PUMPKINS HAVE WON THIS CONTEST FOUR YEARS IN A ROW —- 

HE SET A WORLD RECORD LAST YEAR WHEN HIS ENTRY WEIGHED 2,749 POUNDS. 

GOOD GRIEF, NOW “THAT” IS A GREAT PUMPKIN!