Trump tells New York rally that Harris is the threat to democracy, not him: Live

Donald Trump is hosting a rally in suburban New York on Wednesday evening where he began by addressing the second assassination attempt against him.

The former president called the suspect Ryan Wesley Routh a “radical left mobster.”

“As you know, three days ago, there was yet another assassination attempt on my life,” he said. “It was the second one in eight weeks by a violent radical left mobster, this evil would-be assassin, got within a few hundred yards of where I stood. But thankfully, our outstanding Secret Service agents … spotted the barrel of his rifle in the bushes.”

The former president began to speak at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, after 7pm. Earlier in the day there was a brief security scare regarding a false report of an explosive device near the site that was quickly dismissed by law enforcement as having no factual basis.

Meanwhile, the influential Teamsters Union has said it would not offer an endorsement in this year’s presidential race — the first time it has declined to do so since 1996 — even after internal polling showed 58 percent of members backed Trump and only 31 percent Harris.

Key Points

• Trump says GOP should shutdown government without SAVE Act being attached to continuing resolution

• New poll: Harris ahead in Pennsylvania, Michigan by more than margin of error as Wisconsin up for grabs

• False reports of explosives found in a car near a Trump rally spread online

• Donald Trump declares ‘only consequential presidents get shot at’ at Michigan town hall

• Harris condemns Trump’s pet-eating migrant conspiracy: ‘Exhausting, harmful and hateful’

• Sarah Huckabee Sanders slams Harris for not having biological children

‘Stop claiming your opponents will turn America into a dictatorship’

00:27 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump calls would-be assassin ‘radical left mobster’

00:22 , Gustaf Kilander

Addressing the second assassination attempt on his life in the last few months, Trump called the suspect Ryan Wesley Routh a “radical left mobster.”

“As you know, three days ago, there was yet another assassination attempt on my life,” he said. “It was the second one in eight weeks by a violent radical left mobster, this evil would-be assassin, got within a few hundred yards of where I stood. But thankfully, our outstanding Secret Service agents … spotted the barrel of his rifle in the bushes.”

‘We are going to win New York’: Trump speaks on Long Island

00:19 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump is speaking at a rally in Uniondale, New York on Long Island.

“I’m thrilled to be back in the state I love with thousands of proud, patriotic New Yorkers who are really the heart and soul of America. We know that,” he said.

“And the reason I’m here … hasn’t been done in many decades. It hasn’t been done for a long time, but we are going to win New York,” Trump added.

The last time a Republican won the Empire State was in 1984 when Ronald Reagan won the state.

Speaker Mike Johnson rebuked as his Trump-bait funding bill fails to pass Republican-controlled House

00:13 , John Bowden

Speaker Mike Johnson pushed forward with his doomed bid to avert a government shutdown on Wednesday, despite clear signs that the legislation was unpalatable to both conservatives in his own party as well as Democrats who control the upper chamber of Congress.

The House voted early Wednesday evening on a continuing resolution to keep the government open laden with giveaways to the conservative right. Those included spending cuts and a piece of legislation stapled to the broader package aimed at preventing non-citizens from voting in federal elections — something that is already illegal. Johnson of course, admitted this in a recent interview — and has evaded acknowledging that Donald Trump’s claims of massive numbers of undocumented immigrants voting are false.

“This is the play we’re running,” the Speaker told The Hill this week. “I’ll be working around the clock to try to get it done.”

Mike Johnson rebuked as his Trump-bait funding bill fails to pass GOP House

Authors claim producers had to heavily edit The Apprentice to stop Trump from looking like a ‘complete moron’

00:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump was so bad at picking who to fire during his stint hosting The Apprentice that the producers of the show would retroactively edit the show to make him look better.

“Our job then was to reverse-engineer the show and to make him not look like a complete moron,” a member of the production team told the authors of new book Lucky Loser, New York Times journalists Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig.

The producers of the program would have to go back and edit the show to make the person who Trump chose to fire look bad, even if they had performed quite well during the tasks at hand.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Producers edited The Apprentice to stop Trump from looking like a ‘complete moron’

Watch: Republicans respond as Trump floats prospect of government shutdown

23:45 , Oliver O’Connell

CNN’s Manu Raju spoke with Republicans on Capitol Hill about the prospect of a government shutdown, should Donald Trump’s SAVE Act not get attacked to a continuing resolution to keep funding flowing until March 2025.

Full story: Doug Emhoff’s ex-wife leaps to Kamala Harris’s defense after another attack on childless women

23:25 , Oliver O’Connell

The ex-wife of Kamala Harris’s husband has yet again defended the vice president on social media after she was attacked for not having biological children.

Kerstin Emhoff rushed to Harris’s defense after Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders appeared to sneer at the Democratic presidential candidate for not having biological children at a town hall event in Flint, Michigan with Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Katie Hawkinson reports.

Emhoff’s ex-wife defends Harris after Huckabee ‘childless’ attack

Watch: Crowd boo prospect of lower inflation at Vance event

23:05 , Oliver O’Connell

More than 100 former GOP national security officials back Harris over Trump in damning letter

22:45 , Oliver O’Connell

A group of more than 100 prominent former officials who served in Republican administrations have endorsed Kamala Harris, in a scathing letter that claims Donald Trump is “unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust.”

The letter, obtained by The New York Times, counts signatories including former defense secretaries Chuck Hagel and William Cohen; former C.I.A. directors Michael Hayden and William Webster; and former Trump administration officials Miles Taylor and Olivia Troye, among others.

The signatories admit they probably disagree with Harris on a number of issues but argue that Donald Trump’s affinity for strongmen and behavior on January 6 disqualifies him from serving again.

Josh Marcus has the full story.

More than 100 former GOP officials back Harris over Trump in damning letter

On the road with Tim Walz as he tests out new Trump attack lines

22:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Comfortable in khakis and an open collar, Walz couldn’t be more different from JD Vance, the awkward man in a boxy suit and an overly long tie. Instead of talking about ‘threats to democracy’, Harris’s running-mate made a football analogy about January 6th — and it went down a storm.

Andrew Feinberg reports from the campaign trail.

I went on the road with Tim Walz as he tested out new Trump attack lines. They worked

Secret Service currently protecting 40 people

22:25 , Oliver O’Connell

The Secret Service is currently protecting 40 people as officials and politicians on both sides of the aisle call for more funding to help the agency carry out its duties.

The agency’s protective responsibility has grown this campaign season, NBC reports, in the wake of two assassination attempts on former president Donald Trump.

Among those with protective details are president Joe Biden, vice president Kamala Harris and their families; former presidents and first ladies; running mates and their families; and other people deemed to qualify based on threat levels, the outlet reported.

Mike Bedigan has the details.

Secret Service protecting 40 people as officials call for more agency funding

Government shutdown fight: Mike Johnson is about to embarrass himself and Republicans

22:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Speaker Mike Johnson pushed forward with his doomed bid to avert a government shutdown on Wednesday, despite clear signs that the legislation was unpalatable to both conservatives in his own party as well as Democrats who control the upper chamber of Congress.

The House was set to vote early Wednesday evening on a continuing resolution to keep the government open laden with giveaways to the conservative right. Those included spending cuts and a piece of legislation stapled to the broader package aimed at preventing non-citizens from voting in federal elections — something that is already illegal.

John Bowden reports from Capitol Hill.

Mike Johnson is about to embarrass himself and Republicans in a big way

Republicans believe second assassination attempt will give Trump a boost

22:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Several Republican lawmakers have said they think the second assassination attempt of Donald Trump will give him a boost in the polls.

Officers arrested Ryan Wesley Routh on Sunday for allegedly aiming an SKS-style rifle through the bushes at Trump National Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while the former president was playing a round. Officials say Routh lurked in the bushes for nearly 12 hours before he was arrested.

The attempt came two months after Thomas Crooks opened fire at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, striking the former president in the ear.

Katie Hawkinson reports.

Republicans believe second assassination attempt will give Trump a boost

21:45 , AP

On the Democratic side of the campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to speak at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s 47th Annual Leadership Conference in Washington on Wednesday, and has trips planned later in the week to Michigan and Wisconsin.

Latino voters form a critical bloc in swing states such as Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Speaking on the Nueva Network this week with the personality known as “Chiquibaby,” Harris promoted her proposed tax deductions for new small businesses, her experience prosecuting border cases as California attorney general and her support for offering a “pathway to citizenship for those who have earned it.”

On Tuesday, the vice president sat for an interview in Philadelphia with members of the National Association of Black Journalists. She decried Trump’s rhetoric and said voters should make sure he “can’t have that microphone again.”

Trump is attempting to return to his campaign cadence after Sunday’s apparent assassination attempt as he golfed in Florida. On Tuesday, he traveled to Flint, Michigan, and has not appeared to alter plans for upcoming trips to the nation’s capital and North Carolina later in the week.

His running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, is scheduled to hold an event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday.

Why is Trump campaigning on Long Island?

21:35 , AP

Presidential candidates typically focus much of their travel on battleground states, but Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking his message to a somewhat unlikely place: suburban New York.

The Republican presidential nominee and former president is heading to Uniondale, on Long Island, an area that could be key to his party maintaining control of the House. His party is trying to protect 18 Republicans in Democratic-heavy congressional districts that Joe Biden carried in 2020, particularly in coastal New York and California, and going on offense to challenge Democrats elsewhere.

Long Island in particular features one of the most closely watched races, between first-term Republican Rep. Anthony D’Esposito and Democrat Laura Gillen. D’Esposito is a former New York Police detective who won in 2022 in a district that Biden won by about 15 percentage points in 2020.

Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social platform that the GOP has “a real chance of winning” New York “for the first time in many decades.” In that same post, Trump also pledged that he would “get SALT back,” suggesting he would eliminate a cap on state and local tax deductions that were part of tax cut legislation he signed into law in 2017.

The so-called SALT cap has led to bigger tax bills for many residents of New York, New Jersey, California and other high-cost, high-tax states, and is an important campaign issue in those states, particularly among those New York Republicans serving in districts Biden won.

Continued…

Registration quirk means nearly 100k Arizonans could be ineligible to vote in upcoming state and local elections

21:25 , Oliver O’Connell

Almost 100,000 residents in Arizona may be ineligible to vote in upcoming elections, due to a flaw in the state’s voter registration system which was discovered just weeks before early ballots begin.

A state law that went into effect in 2004 requires Arizona voters to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote in state and local elections.

Mike Bedigan reports.

Nearly 100k Arizonans may be ineligible to vote in upcoming state and local elections

Watch: Speaker Johnson reacts to Fed ‘rate cut’

21:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Springfield mayor says Trump visit would be ‘extreme strain on resources’

21:11 , Oliver O’Connell

Harris releases statement on Fed interest rate cut

21:04 , Oliver O’Connell

The Harris-Walz campaign released the following statement from Vice President Kamala Harris following the Federal Reserve’s decision to slash interest rates by 0.5% — the first cut in four years.

“While this announcement is welcome news for Americans who have borne the brunt of high prices, my focus is on the work ahead to keep bringing prices down. I know prices are still too high for many middle class and working families, and my top priority as President will be to lower the costs of everyday needs like health care, housing, and groceries. That is why I am proposing plans to cut taxes for more than 100 million working and middle-class Americans, pass the first-ever federal ban on corporate price gouging on food and groceries, and make housing more affordable by building 3 million new homes and giving more Americans down payment assistance. But we also need to go further to create an opportunity economy where, with hard work and ambition, everyone has a chance to compete and a chance to succeed – from buying a home to starting a business and building wealth.

“This is the opposite of what Donald Trump would do as President. While proposing more tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations, his plan would increase costs on families by nearly $4,000 a year by slapping a Trump Tax on goods families rely on, like gas, food and clothing. He wants to repeal the law I cast the tie-breaking vote to pass that caps the costs of prescription drugs for seniors, including insulin at $35. He would end the Affordable Care Act and erase the progress we have made to lower premiums for millions of Americans by hundreds of dollars a year. Sixteen Nobel Prize winning economists say his plan would increase inflation, and a Moody’s report found it would cause a recession by the middle of next year.

“This election is about whether we are going to finally build an opportunity economy that gives every American a shot not just to get by, but to get ahead. As President, that will be my priority every day.”

Fed cuts interest rates for first time in years. Here’s what that means for you

20:59 , Oliver O’Connell

The Federal Reserve has broken a four-year run and cut its benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 4.75-5.0 percent.

This significant move signals that the US central bank believes it is winning the war on inflation and will now focus on preventing the job market from weakening.

One immediate effect should be lower borrowing costs for both consumers and businesses in the run-up to November’s presidential election.

Continue reading…

Fed slashes interest rates for first time in years. Here’s what that means for you

Full story: Melania Trump defends nude modeling career in latest video promoting new memoir

20:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Melania Trump has taken the media to task over its interest in her past nude modeling career in the latest video promoting her new memoir Melania.

“Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modelling work?” the former first lady and wife of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, 54, asks in the video posted on X and Instagram.

“The more pressing question is why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?”

Joe Sommerlad reports.

Melania Trump defends nude modeling career in latest video promoting new memoir

ICYMI: Kerstin Emhoff defends Kamala Harris after attack by Sarah Huckabee Sanders

20:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Kerstin Emhoff, the first wife of Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, has jumped to the defense of Vice President Kamala Harris following a low-blow attack from Sarah Huckabee Sanders, governor of Arkansas, who has joined the ranks of in the Republican Party of those who feel the need to disparage women who have not had biological children of their own.

Emhoff is the mother of Cole and Ella Emhoff and Harris has been their stepmother or “Mamala” since 2014.

The anti-abortion and anti-IVF campaigners who feel betrayed by Trump

20:25 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

On Tuesday, Democrats held a vote to enshrine protections for IVF and mandate insurance coverage for the treatment. Unsurprisingly, Republicans blocked the legislation, with only Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine joining Democrats to vote for the bill.

Former president Donald Trump had only just promised that a second Trump administration would mean free IVF for all Americans. Yet, even Trump’s running mate JD Vance failed to show up to work that day to vote on the legislation.

Continue reading…

‘He’s listening to swampy people’: Anti-abortion campaigners feel betrayed by Trump

Trump says GOP should shutdown government without SAVE Act being attached to continuing resolution

20:21 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has weighed in on the Republican plan to avert a government shutdown at the end of the month with a continuing resolution to extend funding for six months until March 2025.

The former president says GOP lawmakers should not agree to keep the government funded if it doesn’t include the SAVE Act — which would require documentary proof of US citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections and there are virtually no record of it being a problem.

Speaker Mike Johnson does not have the votes to pass a continuing resolution with the SAVE Act attached in the House and it would then die in the Senate.

Does he allow the government to shut down on September 30, or will he defy Trump and pass a clean continuing resolution?

Here’s what the former president wrote on Truth Social this afternoon:

If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form. Democrats are registering Illegal Voters by the TENS OF THOUSANDS, as we speak – They will be voting in the 2024 Presidential Election, and they shouldn’t be allowed to. Only American Citizens should be voting in our Most Important Election in History, or any Election! A Vote must happen BEFORE the Election, not AFTER the Election when it is too late. BE SMART, REPUBLICANS, YOU’VE BEEN PUSHED AROUND LONG ENOUGH BY THE DEMOCRATS. DON’T LET IT HAPPEN AGAIN. Remember, this is Biden/Harris’ fault, not yours!

20:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump sends message to anyone who leaves his rallies early

HOWEVER… the Teamsters Union has announced it will not be endorsing a presidential candidate

20:09 , Oliver O’Connell

Despite 58 per cent of Teamsters Union members saying they back Donald Trump in this November’s election and 31 per cent opting for Kamala Harris in the latest survey, the executive board found “no definitive support among members for either party’s nominee”.

The union will therefore not endorse either candidate.

Bad news for Harris from the Teamsters Union

19:55 , Oliver O’Connell

The Teamsters Union has announced the results of its latest member poll of preferred presidential candidate.

From April 9 to July 3, nearly 300 Teamsters local unions nationwide conducted first-of-their-kind Presidential town halls, soliciting endorsement preferences from members via straw polls.

The in-person voting was held before President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 race. The Teamsters’ polling data shows members backed Biden 44.3 per cent to Donald Trump’s 36.3 per cent.

Following the Republican National Convention and Biden’s campaign exit, the Teamsters commissioned a national electronic poll of its 1.3 million members, overseen by an independent third party. During a voting window from July 24 to September 15, rank-and-file Teamsters voted 59.6 per cent for the union to endorse Trump, compared to 34 per cent for Vice President Kamala Harris.

In the past week, following the Democratic National Convention and recent Presidential debate, the Teamsters commissioned independent polling firm Lake Research Partners to conduct the union’s final national survey.

In the poll ending September 15, Teamsters selected Trump by 58 per cent for endorsement over 31 per cent for Harris.

EXCLUSIVE: Investment bank CEO and Trump associate accused of spending $5.4m on bogus ‘expenses’

19:45 , Oliver O’Connell

The CEO of investment bank EF Hutton has been accused of improperly funneling millions into his own pocket by falsifying expense reports for, among other things, private jets to sporting events with his wife and bookie, more than $1 million in restaurant meals, and nearly $100,000 worth of intravenous drips “to treat hangovers from excessive alcohol and drug usage.”

Joseph Rallo, who helped take public Donald Trump’s Twitter clone, Truth Social, also allegedly pilfered corporate funds to make charitable contributions to his son’s school, treat his wife to lavish stays at extravagant resorts, buy life insurance, and otherwise live far beyond his already well-capitalized means, according to a bombshell lawsuit filed by the firm and obtained by The Independent.

Continue reading Justin Rohrlich’s report:

Investment bank CEO and Trump associate accused of spending $5.4m on bogus ‘expenses’

Latest poll updates: Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?

18:55 , Oliver O’Connell

The Independent’s data correspondent Alicja Hagopian looks at the latest numbers.

Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates from the 2024 election

Miss Sassy — the cat at the center of the fake story about Haitian migrants — is safe and well

18:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance tried to prove his baseless claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets by pointing to a police report from one resident in Springfield, Ohio, that alleged her cat may have been stolen by her Haitian neighbors.

Turns out the cat, Miss Sassy, had been hiding in the basement the whole time, and Anna Kilgore had apologized to her neighbors for the mix-up with the help of a translation app, she told The Wall Street Journal this week.

Katie Hawkinson has the full story.

Vance said a Springfield resident’s cat was stolen and eaten. Instead, it was hiding

New poll: Harris ahead in Pennsylvania, Michigan by more than margin of error as Wisconsin up for grabs

18:25 , Oliver O’Connell

The latest polling by Quinnipiac University has good news for Kamala Harris in two key swing states.

PENNSYLVANIA: Harris 51%, Trump 45%, Stein 1%, Oliver 1%

MICHIGAN: Harris 50%, Trump 45%, Stein 2%

WISCONSIN: Harris 48%, Trump 47%, Stein 1%

Per Quinnipiac:

One week after the presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, the 2024 presidential race in three critical battleground states shows Harris leading Trump in Pennsylvania, holding a slight lead in Michigan, and the two candidates essentially tied in Wisconsin, according to Quinnipiac University polls of likely voters in each of the states released today.

Pennsylvania: Presidential Race

In Pennsylvania, viewed as a must-win state in the path to the White House, Harris receives 51 percent support among likely voters, Trump receives 45 percent support, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein and Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver each receive 1 percent support. This compares to a Quinnipiac University poll of likely voters in Pennsylvania on August 14 when Harris received 48 percent support and Trump received 45 percent support.

Michigan: Presidential Race

In Michigan, Harris receives 50 percent support among likely voters, Trump receives 45 percent support, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein receives 2 percent support. All other listed third-party candidates receive less than 1 percent support.

Democrats 98 percent back Harris, while Republicans 94 – 5 percent back Trump. Among independents, 47 percent back Harris, while 44 percent back Trump.

In a hypothetical two-way race between Harris and Trump, Harris receives 51 percent support and Trump receives 46 percent support.

Wisconsin: Presidential Race

In Wisconsin, Harris receives 48 percent support among likely voters, Trump receives 47 percent support, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein receives 1 percent support. All other listed third-party candidates receive less than 1 percent support.

In a hypothetical 2-way race between Harris and Trump, Harris receives 49 percent support and Trump receives 48 percent support.

From September 12-16, after the first presidential debate, the Quinnipiac University Poll surveyed:

• 1,331 likely voters in Pennsylvania with a margin of error of +/- 2.7 percentage points;

• 905 likely voters in Michigan with a margin of error of +/- 3.3 percentage points;

• 1,075 likely voters in Wisconsin with a margin of error of +/- 3.0 percentage points.

False reports of explosives found in a car near a Trump rally spread online

18:10 , AP

Law enforcement officials on Long Island worked quickly on Wednesday to publicly knock down social media posts falsely reporting that explosives had been found in a car near former President Donald Trump’s planned rally in New York.

The false reports of an explosive began circulating hours before the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign event at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, just days after he was apparently the target of a second possible assassination attempt.

Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said police questioned and detained a person who “may have been training a bomb detection dog,” near the site of the rally and “falsely reported explosives being found.”

Lt. Scott Skrynecki, a spokesperson for the county police, said in follow-up messages that the person, who police have not yet identified, was a civilian and not a member of a law enforcement agency.

He also said the person was not working at or affiliated with the event, which is expected to draw thousands of Trump supporters to the arena that was formerly the home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.

The rally is Trump’s first on Long Island, a suburban area just east of New York City, since 2017.

Earlier Wednesday, Skrynecki and other county officials responded swiftly to knock down the online line claims, which appear to have started with a post from a reporter citing unnamed sources in the local police department.

“False,” Skrynecki texted the AP as the claims spread on X, formerly Twitter.

“No. Ridiculous. Zero validity,” said Christopher Boyle, spokesperson for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.

Trump mixed up Afghan airbase with oil-rich region of Alaska

17:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has been roasted after he bizarrely mixed up an Alaskan wildlife refuge and an Afghanistan airbase during a town hall in Michigan.

The former president appeared on stage in Flint on Tuesday for the event which was moderated by his former White House press secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

James Liddell tries to make sense of things as Trump says: “We just have the best. We have Bagram in Alaska.”

Trump roasted for mixing up Afghan airbase with oil-rich region of Alaska

New poll shows Georgia presidential race tightening after Harris took over ticket against Trump

17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

A new poll released on Wednesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump locked in a tightening race for Georgia with just 48 days left until the election.

Trump currently has 47 per cent of the vote, while Harris is on 44 per cent, with a 3.1 per cent margin of error, signaling we may be in for another nailbiter in the Peach State come November.

Seven per cent of voters are undecided, and third-party candidates drew less than one per cent of support from those surveyed.

Trump draws his support from 90 per cent of Republicans and just under two-thirds of white voters.

Harris has support from just over half of independents (versus one-third who support Trump) and 77 per cent of Black voters (12 per cent said they were undecided).

The poll was conducted for the paper by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs between September 9-15 among 1,000 likely voters.

17:25 , Oliver O’Connell

And if you think that’s premature, the First Nail Ceremony for the Presidential Inauguration platform took place outside the Capitol this morning at which lawmakers ceremoniously bang in the first nails:

Senator Amy Klobuchar quipped: “I think at its very least, it will be therapeutic.”

The presidential inauguration is 124 days away, on January 20, 2025.

It’s the first time the ceremony has taken place since 2016 as in 2020 it would have conflicted with the memorial ceremonies for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Just 48 days until Election Day… time for transition planning!

17:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Representatives for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ transition teams met for the first time at the White House, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, as the outgoing administration plans to smooth the handoff to whomever wins in November.

Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients hosted a meeting Tuesday of the White House Transition Coordinating Committee — the government’s senior-most transition planning group — and for the first time this year included Harris and Trump aides. The meeting and invitation to both parties’ representatives are required under the Presidential Transition Act, which mandates that the designated candidate representatives serve in an advisory capacity.

Continue reading…

White House hosts first meeting with Trump, Harris transition teams

Vance once slammed Republicans for anti-immigrant stance. Now he’s pushing rumors about Haitians

17:00 , Oliver O’Connell

JD Vance once penned a furious blog post sharing his disdain for the Republican party’s hostility toward immigrants – then urged his professor to delete it years later as he sought to enter politics.

As a 28-year-old Yale law student back in November 2012, the Ohio senator wrote an article titled: “A Blueprint for the GOP.”

In it, the more youthful and progressive Vance slammed Republicans for being “tone deaf” on immigration and “openly hostile to non-whites.”

Now, more than a decade later, as Donald Trump’s running mate, he has been accused of amplifying this same anti-immigrant rhetoric – most recently pushing false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.

James Liddell reports.

JD Vance penned 2012 blog slamming ‘tone deaf’ Republicans for alienating migrants

Watch: Speaker Johnson quizzed on how Trump’s proposed tax changes will be paid for

16:49 , Oliver O’Connell

Coming up today on the campaign trail

16:46 , Oliver O’Connell

12pm — Vice President Kamala Harris at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 2024 Leadership Conference

3pm — Senator JD Vance campaigns in Raleigh, North Carolina

4.30pm — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigsn in New York, New York

7pm — Former President Donald Trump campaigns in Uniondale, New York

7.25pm — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigns in Brooklyn, New York

More than 100 former Republican national security figures back Harris in new letter

16:25 , Oliver O’Connell

A large group of former national security figures who worked for Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump have signed an endorsement letter showing their support for Kamala Harris.

They warn that a second Trump administration would bring back the “daily chaos” that characterized his first term.

“We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not,” the letter reads.

Further, they give eight bullet points demonstrating how Harris has demonstrated her suitability to be president.

• Consistently championed the rule of law, democracy, and our constitutional principles;

• Pledged to “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world” and to honor and respect those who wear the uniform;

• Committed to sign the bipartisan Border Security package, drafted under the leadership of Republican Senator James Lankford and other Republicans, which would hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel and provide more resources for law enforcement but was opposed by Donald Trump to avoid giving President Biden any political advantage;

• Supported a strong NATO to stand up to Russia and protect European and American security and been firm in her support of Ukraine;

• Declared her intention to ensure that the United States will meet the economic and military competition with China;

• Declared her intention to “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and “to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists”;

• Demonstrated that she can engage in orderly national security decision-making, without the constant drama and Cabinet turnover of the Trump Administration; and

• Committed to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet in order to encourage a diversity of views and restore a measure of bipartisanship and comity to our domestic politics.

Trump, they say, is unworthy of the presidency given his role in “inciting” the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.

“As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents.”

In addition to former lawmakers, other signatories include former ambassadors, lawyers, state department employees, and deputy or assistant advisors to more prominent figures in the national security community.

You can read the full letter here.

15:55 , Oliver O’Connell

Whoopi Goldberg sends message to JD Vance over blame for violent rhetoric

Watch: Harris campaign continues to use Trump’s nonsensical rambling rally rants as campaign ads

15:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past comments about Diddy

15:25 , Oliver O’Connell

Jimmy Kimmel has reminded Donald Trump of the glowing comments he previously made about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who federal agents in New York arrested on Monday following months of civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape.

After the judge denied the rapper bail on Tuesday, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said: “in the meantime, he’s getting his character references lined up.”

Well, this could be embarrassing, as Myriam Page reports.

‘He’s a good friend’: Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past Diddy comments

Watch: Melania defends nude modeling work ahead of book release

15:07 , Oliver O’Connell

New documentary exposes Trump’s hunt for ‘yes men’ to push election fraud lies

14:55 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump’s efforts to block the certification of the 2020 election is in the spotlight in a new documentary as it probes the former president’s efforts to surround himself with so-called “yes men” who will do his bidding.

Stopping the Steal, shown on HBO for the first time last night, tracks Trump’s extraordinary efforts from Election Day 2020 through to January 6 2021 to stay in power despite his defeat at the ballot box.

The film reveals the former president’s reliance on so-called “yes men,” a group that includes his DC allies and fringe conspiracy theorists alike, to boost his baseless claims while many elected officials refused to bend to Trump’s will.

Kelly Rissman has more.

New doc exposes how Trump finds ‘yes men’ to push his election fraud lies

For first time, Harris victory seen most likely by economists

14:39 , Oliver O’Connell

CNBC reports that for the first time in the 2024 election cycle, Vice President Kamala Harris is viewed as more likely than former President Donald Trump to win November’s presidential election, according to results of a CNBC Fed Survey published on Tuesday.

The 27 respondents to the survey include investment strategists, economists and fund managers. Among the group, 48 per cent see a Harris victory as the most likely scenario, while 41 per cent believe Trump will win.

The survey was conducted from September 12-14 several days after Harris and Trump’s first (and possibly only) debate.

The latest forecast marks a shift from the previous CNBC Fed Survey published in late July, when 50 per cent forecast a Trump victory and only 37 per cent believed Harris would win.

That poll was taken just nine days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.

When Biden was still in the race, 48 per cent of those surveyed thought Trump was the most likely winner, while 35 per cent believed Biden would be reelected. The remaining 17 per cent were unsure or did not know.

Future Trump administration would be full of ‘Laura Loomers,’ ex-aide warns

14:25 , Joe Sommerlad

A former Trump aide has warned that the Republican presidential nominee’s administration would be full of “Laura Loomers of the world” if he is re-elected president in November.

Loomer, 31, a conservative conspiracy theorist who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” has been placed under the microscope in recent weeks for her presence and perceived close relationship with the 78-year-old former president.

Now, Trump’s former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews weighed in on his connection to the outspoken conspiracy theorist and what role she might play in a second administration.

“I would imagine maybe she wants to be White House press secretary,” Matthews said on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki.

“And that is what is most concerning to me, because I’ve talked about this threat of, ‘Who will be staffing a second administration?’”

Matthews argued “it’s terrifying” that Trump could place someone like Loomer in government, warning that his staff would consist of “yes men and women.”

James Liddell reports.

Second Trump administration will be full of ‘Laura Loomers,’ former aide says

Harris: ‘I feel safe. But not everybody has the Secret Service’

13:55 , Joe Sommerlad

This was a textbook answer from Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last night.

Half of Trump voters think his Haitian immigrant lies are true, poll finds

13:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Nearly half of Donald Trump supporters say they believe his debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating residents’ pets.

Some 52 per cent of Trump voters said that the claim is “definitely” or “probably” true, according to a post-debate poll from YouGov released this week.

Meanwhile, 24 per cent of Trump voters said they’re “not sure” if it’s true while 25 per cent said it’s “probably” or “definitely” false.

On the other hand, 81 per cent of Kamala Harris voters said the claim is “definitely false.”

Katie Hawkinson has more.

Majority of Trump supporters think his Haitian immigrant lies are true, poll shows

Vance fails to turn up to IVF vote – or to many votes at all

13:15 , Joe Sommerlad

Speaking of the Republican vice presidential nominee, Eric Garcia has this on the Senator’s failure to turn up for key votes on Capitol Hill and why his prioritising campaigning may present Democrats with a hidden advantage.

IVF is supposedly key to Trump’s campaign. JD Vance didn’t even show up to vote on it

JD Vance says US could veto Nato if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk

12:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump’s running mate has suggested that American support for Nato should be predicated on the European Union not regulating Elon Musk and his X social media platform.

The Ohio senator claimed in an interview with YouTuber Shawn Ryan that a top EU official had threatened to arrest the billionaire if he allowed Trump back on X.

“The leader, I forget exactly which official it was within the European Union, but sent Elon this threatening letter that basically said, ‘We’re going to arrest you if you platform Donald Trump,’ who, by the way, is the likely next president of the United States,” Vance said in the interview published last week.

Vance then suggested that US support for Nato should be used as a cudgel to get the Europeans in line.

“So what America should be saying is, if Nato wants us to continue supporting them and Nato wants us to continue to be a good participant in this military alliance, why don’t you respect American values and respect free speech?” he asked.

“It’s insane that we would support a military alliance if that military alliance isn’t going to be pro-free speech. I think we can do both. But we’ve got to say American power comes with certain strings attached. One of those is respect free speech, especially in our European allies.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

JD Vance says US could veto NATO if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk’s platforms

Watch: Trump bizarrely claims nuclear weapons are biggest threat to car industry

12:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s another very odd proclamation from the Republican nominee last night, which recalls his similar warning to banking industry CEOs in New York earlier this month.

Donald Trump bizarrely claims nuclear weapons are biggest threat to car industry

Hillary Clinton says Melania Trump was like a ‘little kid’ in awkward meeting last year

12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The former first lady and secretary of state said that Donald Trump’s wife reminded her of a “little kid” during an awkward meeting last year at ex-first lady Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service.

In her new book Something Lost, Something Gained, released on Tuesday, Clinton writes that she “never quite knew what to make of the third Mrs Trump.”

James Liddell has more.

Hillary Clinton says Melania Trump was like a ‘little kid’ in awkward meeting

Springfield’s Republican mayor says he’d be ‘fine’ with Trump axing visit after pushing migrant claims

11:35 , Joe Sommerlad

Mayor Rob Rue has said he would be “fine” with the Republcan presidential nominee canning his planned visit to Springfield, Ohio, the scene of Trump and JD Vance’s baseless claim that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets.

At a City Hall news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Rue explained that “it would be an extreme strain on our resources” if the former president visited.

“So it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit.”

Here’s more from Myriam Page.

Springfield’s Republican mayor says he’d be ‘fine’ with Trump axing visit to town

Trump told to increase security if he wants to keep golfing

11:15 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican has been advised by the Secret Service that he must significantly increase his security arrangements if he wishes to keep up with his favorite hobby – golf– following the second attempt on his life at his Florida course.

In a meeting with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday, Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told Trump that it was difficult to properly secure areas with such large, open spaces.

Here’s his lawyer Alina Habba on precisely that subject last night:

Mike Bedigan reports.

Secret Service tells Trump to increase security if he wants to keep golfing

Trump repeats immigration scaremongering on Hannity

10:45 , Joe Sommerlad

It was a busy evening for the Republican presidential nominee, who once again called into Sean Hannity’s primetime show on Fox News to double-down on his customary pre-election immigration fear-stoking.

Trump threatens to sue post office because ‘they’ll lose ballots’

10:25 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president appeared on Real America’s Voice on Monday night, once again dragging up his claims from both before and after the 2020 election that mail-in ballots are heavily affected by fraud, even though the voting method has been found to be safe and secure.

Trump claimed: “We have very bad elections. We have a bad voting system. We have mail-in ballots. You know it’s very interesting, I read the other day, the post office is saying how bad it is.

“The post office is critiquing itself saying, ‘We’re really in bad shape, we can’t deliver the mail,’ and they’re not even talking about mail-in ballots,” he added.

“‘We’re gonna dump millions and millions of ballots.’ And I’m saying to myself, ‘How can they be taking the vote?’”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Trump threatening to sue post office because they’ll ‘maybe’ lose mail-in ballots

Watch: Trump sends message to anyone who leaves his rallies early

10:05 , Joe Sommerlad

Still hurting from Harris’s attack on the debate stage a week ago that people were leaving his campaign events early out of “boredom and exhaustion”, Trump had this to say on the subject in Flint.

Donald Trump sends message to anyone who leaves his rallies early

Sarah Huckabee Sanders slams Harris for not having biological children

09:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Back in Flint, the Arkansas Governor appeared to criticize the Vice President for not having biological children during last night’s event.

“My kids keep me humble,” Huckabee Sanders said in Flint. “Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”

Here’s more on an appalling low blow echoing JD Vance from Gustaf Kilander.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders sneers at Kamala Harris for not having biological children

Kamala Harris condemns Trump’s pet-eating migrant conspiracy: ‘Exhausting, harmful and hateful’

09:25 , Joe Sommerlad

The Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee was speaking to the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia last night, the same organisation Trump spoke to in late July when he made his notorious “happened to turn Black” comment about her race.

Here’s what she had to say about the Springfield, Ohio, conspiracy the Republican ticket has been pushing.