Election 2020: SCOTUS rejects attempt to block extended ballot deadline

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released new data from the Postal Service on delivery rates -- saying that it shows that Postmaster General Louis DeJoy has failed to address concerns about the speed of deliveries raised at his congressional testimony this summer. 

With just six days until Nov. 3, House Democrats are also urging voters to avoid relying on the Postal Service to return their ballots and to instead vote in-person or use drop boxes. 

"At this point, Americans should either vote in person or drop their ballot in an official drop box to avoid their ballots not being delivered on time," Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., the chair of the panel, and Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va., said in a statement. "The latest Postal Service data confirms our fears that Postmaster General DeJoy's reckless and unexamined changes undoubtedly resulted in service disruptions right before the election."

-ABC News' Benjamin Siegel

Trump held a rally with hundreds of supporters in Bullhead City, Arizona, this afternoon as coronavirus cases in the state surge and the situation begins to resemble the early stages of the summer spike that made Arizona one of the worst hot spots in the world.

“You are so lucky, people, that I took you on this journey with me,” Trump told the enthusiastic crowd, aiming to pitch himself both to Arizona voters and Nevadans just across the Colorado River.

At one point, Trump defended what he called his "reputation" for stiffing people, saying people who do a “lousy job” don’t deserve to be paid -- using whoever set up his microphone at the rally as an example.

“Whoever did this microphone, don't pay them. You know, I have a reputation for not paying. And it's a false reputation. When somebody does a lousy job like a microphone that is no good or like teleprompters that fly with the wind, I say don't pay them,” Trump said. 

Sen. Kamala Harris is also campaigning in the Cooper State this afternoon, opting for drive-in style rallies and roundtable events, as opposed to the shoulder-to-shoulder events the Trump campaign has hosted. In a parking lot at Pima Community College earlier in the day, Harris pushed back on Trump calling her a “female socialist.” 

“You know there has been some talk about my values. Let me just tell you, Tucson, I am a proud patriotic American. I love my country and our values reflect the values of America,” Harris said. 

-ABC News’ Averi Harper

The Center for Responsive Politics now estimates nearly $14 billion will be spent on federal elections across the country by the end of the 2020 election cycle, nearly twice the total amount spent during the 2016 election cycle.

The center earlier this month projected $11 billion in total spending for the 2020 cycle but updated the number after seeing a huge influx of political spending reported in the third quarter of this year.

This means that even if committees had stopped all spending at the end of September, the 2020 election would still be the most expensive ever.

“Donors poured record amounts of money into the 2018 midterms, and 2020 appears to be a continuation of that trend -- but magnified," CRP Executive Director Sheila Krumholz wrote in a statement. "Ten years ago, a billion-dollar presidential candidate would have been difficult to imagine. This cycle, we’re likely to see two.”

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim

At an event with truckers in Las Vegas, Trump was asked about the unrest in Philadelphia following the death of Walter Wallace Jr., a Black man, at the hands of police. After condemning riots in what he called the "Democrat run" state, he said the federal government is looking into the fatal shooting.

"It's a terrible thing," Trump said. "What I'm witnessing is terrible, and, frankly, that the mayor or whoever it is, that's allowing people to riot and loot and not stop them is also just a horrible thing."

"We're looking at the shooting and if asked to go in and help, we will do that," Trump said, urging Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, a Democrat, to call in the National Guard -- which the state has already done. 

Looking to the election, Trump also said that "hopefully" the courts will stop ballots from being counted past Nov. 3 -- but experts say to expect record amount of mail-in voting, election night could be more like election week.

Biden, asked earlier about the ongoing situation in Philadelphia, gave a general answer to the ongoing clashes between police officers and protesters as he tries to walk a fine line of supporting both Black Lives Matter protesters and law enforcement.

“There is no excuse whatsoever for the looting and the violence. None whatsoever. I think to be able to protest is totally legitimate, totally reasonable," Biden said, going on to pitch his idea of a national commission on policing. "But there's no excuse for the looting."