What to know about the campaigns today
- Vice President Kamala Harris sat down with NBC News anchor Hallie Jackson for an interview at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., that aired on "NBC Nightly News" at 6:30 p.m. ET, followed by an interview with Telemundo’s Julio Vaqueiro.
- Harris' running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, campaigned with former President Barack Obama in Madison, Wisconsin, this afternoon before he headed to Racine for a rally tonight. Obama will speak in Detroit tonight, as well.
- Former President Donald Trump will hold a rally tonight in Greensboro in North Carolina, a state he has focused much of his attention on in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
- Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, spoke at a campaign event in Peoria, Arizona, this afternoon. He's holding a rally at the Pima County Fairgrounds in Tucson tonight.
Eminem praises Harris at Detroit rally with Obama
Eminem offered praise for Harris tonight while introducing Obama at a get-out-the-vote rally in Detroit.
“I don’t think anyone wants to America where people are worried about retribution, what people would do if you make your opinion known,” said the rapper, who grew up in Detroit. “I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms … should be protected and upheld.”
Eminem then turned the microphone over to Obama, who made a joke about his palms being “sweaty” — a reference to an Eminem lyric.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, introduced Eminem and got in on the lyric game, too.
“Can the real Slim Shady please stand up?” she asked.
Trump made disparaging remarks about soldier murdered at Fort Hood, The Atlantic reported
Trump made disparaging comments about Vanessa Guillén, a Mexican American soldier who was murdered at Fort Hood, and refused to pay for Guillén’s funeral despite having offered to do so, according to new reporting from The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg.
Guillén was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, when she was killed by a fellow soldier in April 2020. Trump met with her family at the White House in July 2020 and offered to pay for any funeral costs.
But, during an unrelated Dec. 2020 meeting about a separate national security issue, Trump asked if the family had billed him for the funeral expenses, The Atlantic reported, citing two sources in the meeting. "According to attendees, and to contemporaneous notes of the meeting taken by a participant, an aide answered: Yes, we received a bill; the funeral cost $60,000," The Atlantic said.
According to The Atlantic, Trump then said, "It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a f---ing Mexican!” and told his then-chief of staff Mark Meadows not to pay for it. Trump later that day complained that the family was "trying to rip me off," according to The Atlantic, citing a witness.
A spokesperson for Meadows and the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment tonight.
Meadows said in a post on X tonight that the report was not true.
“Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral expenses is absolutely false,” Meadows wrote.
Sen. Stabenow says Trump is 'the real enemy within us'
Reporting from Detroit
Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., is warming up the crowd with some pointed attacks on Trump.
Specifically, Stabenow homed in on Trump’s recent comments warning of an “enemy within” as Election Day approaches.
“We know who the real enemy within is,” said Stabenow, who is not seeking re-election this year. “And it’s Donald Trump.”
Wisconsin experiences 'system lag' on first day of in-person early voting
In Wisconsin, “higher than expected turnout” on the first day of in-person early voting today caused some system lags, according to the state Elections Commission.
“The WisVote system that some clerks use experienced a period of slowness that has now been resolved,” the commission said in a statement tonight.
“Today’s system lag was purely related to demands on the WisVote system due to high turnout,” the statement said. The state says that the system is used to print labels for ballot envelopes but that the same information can be written manually by clerks using pens.
The commission says that staff members worked to increase system capacity and that “this should not prevent any voter’s ability to vote in-person absentee today.”
Long lines, with some people waiting more than an hour, were seen outside early voting locations throughout the day in Milwaukee. Dozens of voters lined up before polls even opened.
More than 326,000 Wisconsinites had cast ballots by mail or secure drop boxes as of this morning. The state will release the in-person totals tomorrow.
Georgia high court won't reinstate contested election rules
The Georgia Supreme Court today declined to take up an emergency appeal from the state Republican Party that would have restored new rules from the state’s GOP-led Election Board ahead of Election Day.
In a brief ruling, the court said it would not hear the appeal of last week's ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Thomas Cox on an expedited basis, meaning Cox's decision shooting down seven new rules from the Trump-allied board will stand until at least after the November election.
Cox found that the recently passed rules, which included a hand-count rule for Election Day ballots and rules tied to certifying results, were “unconstitutional” and in violation of state law.
He wrote that the five-member board “had no authority to implement these rules” and that the measures were “illegal, unconstitutional, and void.”
The measures were opposed by state Democrats, and the state's Republican secretary of state and attorney general had warned the board the moves were likely to be illegal.
Biden on Trump: 'Lock him up — politically lock him up'
President Joe Biden, speaking at a campaign event in New Hampshire today, said Trump's policies are so "bizarre" and dangerous that if he'd warned about them five years ago "you'd lock me up."
"We've got to lock him up," Biden said to applause from the small crowd before he appeared to catch himself and added, "politically lock him up."
"Lock him out," he continued. "That's what we have to do."
Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesman, criticized the remark in a post on X tonight.
“President Trump is the only candidate who was shot in the head in a failed assassination attempt,” Cheung said, apparently referring to an attempt on Trump’s life in July when his ear was struck by a bullet or fragments. “What a piece of s---- Biden is.”
At her rallies, Harris has typically shut down the "lock him up" chants directed at Trump, saying the courts would handle that.
Chants of "lock her up" aimed at 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton became popular with Trump supporters during that election, with Trump sometimes just watching the crowd chant and other times agreeing "they should lock her up."
Pressure mounts on prosecutors to review Musk’s $1M swing-state petition giveaway
Pressure is mounting on state and federal prosecutors to investigate tech billionaire Elon Musk’s $1 million lottery-style giveaway to registered voters in seven battleground states.
A spokesperson said today that the Justice Department had received a letter from 11 former government officials, including several Republican ex-prosecutors, urging it to investigate whether Musk’s daily prizes violate a federal law prohibiting paying people to register to vote.
The Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment further and would not say whether the department had opened an investigation.
Trump plans to vote early, in person
Trump plans to vote early and in person, according to a source familiar with his plans.
The exact timing of when he will go to the polls hasn't yet been determined, the source said. Early, in-person voting in Florida runs from Saturday to Nov. 2. Election Day is Nov. 5.
Trump has delivered mixed messaging to his supporters about mail-in and absentee voting, even as the Republican National Committee has embraced early voting this year.
At times, Trump has encouraged getting out the vote early, but he has also cast doubt on the process, as he did ahead of the 2020 election.
‘Turning the page’: Harris says America is ready for a Black female president
Harris said in an interview with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson today that she is not concerned that sexism could affect next month’s election and that she thinks the country is ready for a woman of color in the White House.
“Come to my events and you will see there are men and women,” Harris said at her official residence in the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. “The experience that I am having is one in which it is clear that regardless of someone’s gender, they want to know that their president has a plan to lower costs, that their president has a plan to secure America in the context of our position around the world.
“Every walk of life of our country,” she continued, “I think part of what is important in this election is really not only turning the page but closing the page and the chapter on an era that suggests that Americans are divided.”
Fact check: Harris said law enforcement officers were killed on Jan. 6
Statement
“One hundred-forty law enforcement officers were attacked, some who were killed.”
Verdict
This needs context.
Analysis
It’s true that 140 police officers were assaulted during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but none died during the attack. Capitol Officer Brian Sicknick died the day after the attack, but his death was ruled to be due to natural causes.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the Washington, D.C., medical examiner, Dr. Francisco Diaz, said that “all that transpired [on Jan. 6] played a role in his condition.”
Four other officers who responded to the riot have since died by suicide; the Justice Department determined at least one of them to have died in the line of duty.
Verdict
This needs context.
Analysis
It’s true that 140 police officers were assaulted during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, but none died during the attack. Capitol Officer Brian Sicknick died the day after the attack, but his death was ruled to be due to natural causes.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the Washington, D.C., medical examiner, Dr. Francisco Diaz, said that “all that transpired [on Jan. 6] played a role in his condition.”
Four other officers who responded to the riot have since died by suicide; the Justice Department determined at least one of them to have died in the line of duty.
Trump to join 'Tucker Carlson Live' tour next week in Arizona
Trump will participate in the “Tucker Carlson Live” tour in Arizona on Oct. 31, less than a week before Election Day.
Other guests on different tour dates include Vance, Megyn Kelly, Charlie Kirk and Kid Rock.
Carlson, the former Fox News host who has often made incendiary comments about race, immigration and LGBTQ rights, among other topics, kicked off a cross-country tour last month featuring a roster of Trump allies.
Kari Lake says her Senate campaign office received 'suspicious envelope'
Arizona GOP Senate nominee Kari Lake wrote today on X that her office received a "suspicious envelope, potentially containing anthrax."
NBC News has not confirmed the nature of the substance in the envelope, and the Phoenix police and fire departments did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego, Lake's opponent in the Senate race, said in a statement that he condemns "any act of violence or threats against Kari Lake, her office, or other public officials."
Harris eyes Howard University for her election night headquarters
Reporting from Washington, D.C.
Harris plans to spend election night in Washington, with her campaign eyeing her alma mater, Howard University, as a possible venue for her to speak from, according to seven people familiar with the planning.
While it’s possible the election results could be known within hours and not days, the Democratic campaign is preparing for a much longer stretch without an outcome — perhaps even an election “week” — these people said.
That plan could include several different speeches and venues for delivering them. Precisely what Harris says publicly and the backdrop for her remarks would depend on how Election Day and the rest of the week unfold, the people familiar with the planning said.
New York delivered Republicans the House in 2022. Will the blue state help them keep it in 2024?
Reporting from Kingston, New York
Huddled with volunteers at his campaign headquarters here, Iraq War veteran and freshman Rep. Pat Ryan said it felt like a “pre-mission brief” back in his Army days.
Ryan’s mission now is holding on to his seat in a suburban district in upstate New York that Republicans would very much like to flip — and that his Democratic Party needs if it has any hope of taking back control of the House.
The race underscores a unique dynamic in this year’s battle for the House: It hinges on areas in states well outside the presidential battleground map, most notably New York and California. New York also played a starring role two years ago. While an expected “red wave” didn’t materialize nationwide, the GOP won enough seats in this historically blue state to secure a slim House majority.
Harris says ‘of course’ her team is prepared if Trump declares victory before votes are counted
In an interview with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson today, Harris said she’s preparing for the possibility that Trump will declare victory before the votes are counted in next month’s election.
Sitting down at her official residence in the Naval Observatory in Washington, Harris said that her campaign is prepared for the possibility that Trump will try to subvert the election but that she’s focused on trying to beat him first.
“We will deal with election night and the days after as they come, and we have the resources and the expertise and the focus on that,” she said.
Obama says at Harris-Walz rally that he voted yesterday
Former President Barack Obama said today that he has cast his ballot in the general election.
"I voted yesterday," Obama said as he campaigned for Harris in Madison, Wisconsin. "I got my ballot, filled it in, sealed it, signed it, and then I walked, which I don’t always get a chance to do, and Secret Service got nervous, but I said, 'Now, let’s walk to a mailbox.'"
Obama encouraged supporters to vote and help their friends and families make plans to vote. “Because together, we’ve got a chance to choose a new generational leadership in this country and start building a better, stronger, fair, more hopeful America now,” he said.
Former President Jimmy Carter voted by mail in Georgia last week. His grandson Jason Carter has said Carter planned to vote for Harris.
Walz calls Musk a 'dips---' at campaign rally in Wisconsin
At a campaign rally today in Wisconsin, Walz made jabs at both Vance and Elon Musk, saying Musk is Trump's real running mate.
"I’m going to talk about [Trump’s] running mate — his running mate, Elon Musk," Walz said. "Elon is on that stage, jumping around, skipping like a dips--- on these things."
Musk has been ramping up his campaigning for Trump while raising eyebrows from legal experts with his $1 million lottery-style daily giveaway for people who sign a conservative-leaning petition in battleground states.
Walz targeted Musk a few days after Trump called Harris a "s--- vice president." Trump told the crowd at Saturday's rally that profanity helps him underscore his arguments.
Parties duel for Latino voters in battleground Nevada
Reporting from Reno, Nevada
As Harris answered a question at this month’s Univision town hall about immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as children, Elvira Diaz began to applaud.
Sitting with other Harris supporters at a watch party at Taqueria Jalisco in Reno, with Harris campaign signs that read “¡Cuando Luchamos Ganamos!” (“When we fight, we win!”) lining the walls, Diaz had been waiting to hear Harris talk about so-called Dreamers, as such immigrants are known.
But she’s worried other Latino voters aren’t hearing Harris’ message.
Meta bans accounts tracking private jets of Trump, Musk and Zuckerberg
Meta has banned a series of accounts that post location updates about private jets belonging to some of the world’s richest and most powerful people, including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Trump.
Those accounts have been deleted from Threads and Instagram, and corresponding Facebook accounts will be deleted soon, Andy Stone, Meta’s communications director, told NBC News.
The accounts, run by a Florida college student named Jack Sweeney, also track Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates. Some still exist on other platforms, including Bluesky.
Texas county says no reason to believe votes are being switched
A viral claim by a voter in Texas that a machine had changed his choice for president was easily resolved and is the only such report out of the 58,000 votes already cast, officials in Tarrant County said.
In a viral video with more than 6 million views on X, a man says he had voted in Tarrant County and that his choice for president was not whom he had intended to vote for in the printout. The video is followed by another man making a claim, without evidence, that it has happened to other voters as well.
A county spokesperson told NBC News in an emailed statement that the only voter who reported a discrepancy was allowed to invalidate the initial ballot and print a new one to accurately reflect their choice.
“Tarrant County Elections has no reason to believe that votes are being switched by the voting system,” the spokesperson said. “Tarrant County Elections highly encourages voters to confirm their selections on the physical paper ballot before placing it into the scanner to be counted.”
The county uses the Hart InterCivic Verity Voting System, which allows voters to pick candidates on a digital screen and prints out a marked ballot that they can verify is accurate before submitting it.
It’s unclear what caused the discrepancy in this instance — if it was machine or user error — or why only a single voter would experience the problem.
Trump’s comments on military use should be taken ‘seriously,’ D.C. mayor says
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said people need to take seriously Trump’s recent suggestion that the U.S. military could be used against “the enemy from within,” referring to Democrats and others, on Election Day.
“When we hear the threat that the United States military would be used against American citizens, people should take it seriously, because we have the 82nd Airborne Division on the banks of Washington, D.C.,” Bowser said at a news conference this morning. “A president without guard rails can use the United States army against its citizens in America.”
D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Pamela Smith said at the news conference that about 4,000 police officers from around the country are expected to travel to D.C. to support local law enforcement during the inauguration. Officials also said a security fence will be erected around the Capitol from Jan. 5, the day before Congress certifies the election, to Jan. 21, the day after the inauguration.
The city began planning for the 2024 election cycle on Jan. 7, 2021, after the attack on the U.S. Capitol, Bowser said. The biggest change in security is that the congressional certification of the election on Jan. 6 has been designated a National Special Security Event, which allows for more coordination between national and local authorities under a command-and-control system led by the Secret Service, she said.
“The United States Capitol Police are prepared to ensure a peaceful transfer of power at the Capitol, regardless of the victor,” Bowser said.
Currently, officials are not aware of any credible threats in D.C. between Nov. 5, Election Day, and Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. Bowser said officials will set up a rapid response team to address potential misinformation and disinformation over the next several months.
Jan. 6 rioter who allegedly built a giant ‘Trump’ billboard that was used to assault cops is arrested
A Trump supporter who federal authorities say built a giant pro-Trump billboard that the mob of Trump supporters used as a battering ram against police officers during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol was arrested on Tuesday.
Jeffrey Newcomb, 41, from Polk, Ohio, faces several charges, including felony counts of obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding federal officers while using or carrying a deadly or dangerous weapon. The FBI says he later bragged about his work on X.
“Went to Jan 6th to peacefully protest in the loudest way possible: With a 13ft by 10ft signs on custom made aluminum wagon,” Newcomb wrote on a now-deleted X profile in 2023, FBI prosecutors said. “I spent $700 on this. Keeping my identity a secret because bullets are expensive.”
Trump unleashes a torrent of personal attacks on Harris, calling her ‘the worst’ and ‘lazy as hell’
Trump unleashed a torrent of personal attacks against Harris today, saying at a Latino outreach campaign event in Miami that she is “the worst” and “slow,” with a “low IQ.”
“This woman is the worst. I mean, it’s just unbelievable,” the former president said at the roundtable event with Latino leaders.
Trump first attacked Harris for choosing Walz as her running mate. “I think she made a horrible mistake. We’ll see what happens. On Nov. 5, you know, let’s see what happens. But there’s something wrong with him. Honestly, there’s something wrong and there’s something wrong with her, too. She’s slow, low IQ, something, I don’t know what the hell it is, but they lied.”
“We don’t need another low-IQ person,” he continued. “We had one for four years. We don’t need another.”
During the event, during which participants of the roundtable repeatedly praised Trump, the former president also attacked Harris for not appearing on the campaign trail on Tuesday.
While Harris is not appearing at campaign events today, she is sitting down for interviews with NBC News’ Hallie Jackson and Telemundo’s Julio Vaqueiro. Though she had been criticized by Trump and his allies previously for a lack of news interviews, she has done a flurry of media appearances in recent weeks, including an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” that Trump himself skipped.
Trump to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast in latest outreach to young male voters
Trump will sit with Joe Rogan for a taping of his podcast in Austin, Texas, on Friday, according to two sources familiar with the planning.
Trump will visit Texas the same day Harris is scheduled to host a campaign rally in Houston.
“The Joe Rogan Experience” has been one of the most popular podcasts for years, particularly among young men, who have been key targets of the Trump campaign.
Trump has done a number of interviews in recent weeks with other media figures popular among men, including Ben Shapiro, Adin Ross and Theo Vonn. He also appeared on Andrew Schulz’s “Flagrant” podcast with Akaash Singh.
This is a developing story. Check here for updates.
U.S. intelligence agencies say Russia is trying to help Trump campaign
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Russia is continuing to work to benefit Trump's campaign, including by circulating a false story about Harris' running mate.
“Based on newly available intelligence … the IC assesses that Russian influence actors manufactured and amplified inauthentic content claiming illegal activity committed by the Democratic vice-presidential candidate during his earlier career,” the assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence says.
The fake video that attracted millions of views last week on social media purported to be from a former student alleging sexual misconduct by Tim Walz when he was a high school teacher. Independent researchers had attributed it to a Kremlin-linked propaganda group called Storm-1516, a disinformation mill that was the subject of an NBC News report last week.
The intel agencies are also “increasingly confident that Russian actors are considering — and in some cases implementing — a broad range of influence efforts timed with the election. Some of these are aimed at inciting violence and calling into question the validity of democracy as a political system, regardless of who wins. Others are aimed at amplifying false information and conspiracies—that may exacerbate post-election tensions in the United States.”
Iran may try to do the same thing, the assessment warned.
In a separate assessment, U.S. agencies say they believe foreign actors may use cyber operations to stoke allegations of fraud after the election and undermine confidence. It warns that foreign adversaries will see the time between poll closing and the certification of official results as an opening to generate disinformation about election integrity.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DOJ launches webpage for voters affected by recent hurricanes
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division launched a webpage today compiling information for voters in states affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The department is focusing its resources on Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, its announcement said. The webpage provides links for each state, detailing accommodations for voters who have been displaced, lost their identification documents, or have had polling sites moved.
For further assistance, the department directs voters to contact information for local officials who can provide the most up-to-date guidance on voting in their county.
Bulletproof vests, snipers and drones: Election officials beef up security at the polls
Election officials across the country are ramping up their security measures at polling places with voting underway in the presidential race, from beefing up law enforcement presence to donning bulletproof vests to deploying drones for surveillance amid an increasingly hostile environment.
The once-routine business of running elections in America has become much more fraught with risk in the wake of the 2020 campaign, with poll workers facing harassment, violent threats and chaotic protests. It’s a dynamic that has forced many election officials out of the industry, while those who remain have taken in some cases dramatic steps to protect poll workers and voters ahead of Election Day. Some poll workers are also receiving pay bumps as incentives to stay on through a stressful voting period.
In interviews, county and state election officials shared details of security plans with NBC News.
Maricopa County, Arizona, has been a hotbed of conspiracy theories, protests and threats for years, fueled by baseless voter fraud claims from former President Donald Trump and his allies.
The county, the largest in one of the most critical battleground states on the map, will have some of the most intense security in the nation. Its tabulation center will have snipers on the roof, metal detectors and security at every entrance, drones surveilling overhead, and security cameras and floodlights to help law enforcement monitor the area.
Anti-war protests planned in Wisconsin tomorrow
Listen to Wisconsin, a group of Wisconsinites advocating for an end to the Israel-Hamas war, plans to host a series of protests at three early voting sites in Milwaukee tomorrow afternoon.
The protests are part of a larger movement called Swing States Against Genocide, backed by voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Wisconsin. The group says it is calling for a permanent cease-fire from the current administration and a commitment to an arms embargo on Israel.
Events will begin at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s campus in the early afternoon, where members of Students for Justice in Palestine and others will protest amid visual displays of calendar months showing a year since the war began.
Listen to Wisconsin will also host a rally at Milwaukee’s City Hall tomorrow evening, where 100 voters are expected to show up to call for a cease-fire.
In April, more than 48,000 people in Wisconsin voted "uninstructed" as an anti-war protest vote in the Democratic presidential primary.
Election group issues PSAs to combat threats to workers
A group called the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections rolled out a series of public service announcements designed to push back on threats against election workers.
The group, which describes itself as "cross-partisan experts in election administration and law enforcement who aim to support policies and practices that protect election workers and voters from violence, threats and intimidation," released the series of ads on youtube earlier today.
They feature a collection of former military officers, current election officials and law enforcement officers urging citizens to stand up against threats to election workers and families, and warning of consequences for those who threaten violence.
“Every vote counts and will be counted. What will not be tolerated are acts of violence and intimidation,” Orange County, California, Sheriff Don Barnes, a Republican, said in one of the ads. For those who "decide to act out in ways that aren't legally protected by the Constitution, you should expect there may be some law enforcement actions taken against you."
Trump says Harris is 'the worst' and 'there's something wrong with her'
Trump lashed out against Harris at his roundtable event with Latino leaders in Miami this morning, saying, "This woman is the worst."
The former president said Harris lied about his position on IVF and that he was "totally in favor" of it "from the beginning." "She said I'm against it," he added.
"Then she’s got that, the worst governor in the country," Trump said. "I think she made a horrible mistake. We’ll see what happens. On Nov. 5, you know, let’s see what happens. But there’s something wrong with him. Honestly, there’s something wrong — and then something wrong with her, too. She’s slow, low IQ, something, I don’t know what the hell it is, but they lied.”
NBC News reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
Trump has been intensifying his ad hominem attacks on Harris in recent weeks. At a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania, earlier this month, Trump said, “I don’t want to be nice. Somebody said, ‘You should be nice, sir, women won’t like it.’”
Then over the weekend, Trump said at a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, that Harris is a "s--- vice president."
“Bernie is radical left, and this one, Kamala, is further left,” Trump told the crowd at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. “And then, so you have to tell Kamala Harris that you’ve had enough, that you just can’t take it anymore. We can’t stand you. You’re a s--- vice president.”
Springsteen to headline Harris rally concerts
Bruce Springsteen will headline two Harris-Walz campaign rallies this week and next as part of a concert series to mobilize voters in battleground states, a senior campaign official said.
Springsteen — who endorsed Harris for president this month — will perform at Harris’ first joint rally with former President Barack Obama in Atlanta on Thursday before heading to Philadelphia with Obama on Monday.
The campaign will announce additional concerts in the coming days, and the series plans to hit all seven battleground states.
Trump attacks Harris for not being on the campaign trail today
At a roundtable event with Latino supporters in Miami this morning, Trump scoffed at Harris for not appearing on the campaign trail today.
“I don’t know, but it’s gonna be close," Trump said. "I mean, she’s sleeping right now. She couldn’t go on the trail. You know, you think when you have 14 days left, you wouldn’t be sleeping. She’s not doing anything today."
The former president then suggested he should take a day off. "We’ve gone 52 days in a row, and I’m going 14 more days, and we’re gonna have a big victory party, hopefully, and we’re gonna turn our country around," he said.
NBC News reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
While Harris is not appearing at campaign events today, she is sitting down for interviews with NBC News' Hallie Jackson and Telemundo's Julio Vaqueiro. She had been criticized by Trump previously for not being willing to sit for more news interviews.
Her campaign has been suggesting Trump is fatigued from campaigning, saying he appeared to nod off during a recent event. Trump has also canceled a number of campaign events recently. He pulled out of an appearance on CNBC; canceled an appearance at an NRA event; postponed an interview with NBC's Christine Romans, which hasn't been rescheduled; and canceled a health care-focused town hall with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard today.
GOP congressman adds important caveat to a promise in his ad
In a recent direct-to-camera ad, Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., tells voters: "I'll put more money in your pocket by eliminating taxes on Social Security, tips and overtime. And I'll work every day to restore the American dream."
Bacon's position aligns with a trio of Donald Trump's campaign planks as the congressman faces a challenge from Democrat Tony Vargas in the competitive Omaha-based district.
But those proposals are expensive, and Trump hasn't proposed a way to pay for them. When asked on NewsNation about the high cost of nixing taxes on tips, Social Security benefits and overtime, among other tax breaks Trump has mused about, Bacon added a caveat.
"I don’t think we can do all of them," he said. "But I think we should look at the Social Security tax."
Many older adults are "totally reliant on their Social Security, but then we’re taxing it," he added. "So I think there could be some targeted tax cuts for those in the most need right now."
Bacon went on to call for a bipartisan "debt commission" to give advice on how Congress can balance the budget.
Senate Democrats emphasize election results might not be known on Nov. 5
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and other Senate Democrats released a report this morning encouraging Americans to vote early and have confidence in the electoral process, while stressing that the outcome of the election may not be known on Nov. 5.
The 11-page report reads as a “what to expect” for Election Day and lays out information on each state’s vote counting processes for mail-in ballots.
“As in past years, some state vote totals on Election Night might not give us a complete picture of who will win after all the votes are counted,” the senators wrote in the report. “There have been efforts to stoke fear and chaos about the election with false allegations of voter fraud. The American people should beware of election misinformation.”
The Democrats’ report come as the party is campaigning on election integrity, and amid worries that Trump will sow doubt in the results or declare victory prematurely.
“Just like 2020, Donald Trump and his allies continue to refuse to commit to accepting the results of the election if he loses while pushing dangerous and divisive rhetoric to sow discord and undermine confidence in our election process," Schumer said. "Americans losing faith in the results of our elections doesn’t just risk another January 6th but puts our very democracy at risk. Senate Democrats remain committed to ensuring all Americans can vote without fear or intimidation.”
Early voting begins in Milwaukee
Doors opened this morning at what Milwaukee election officials say is the city’s busiest early voting location, where more than 100 people were already lined up.
Hispanic organization announces Gallego endorsement
Reporting from Peoria, AZ
The League of United Latin American Citizens' PAC, LULAC Adelante PAC, announced its endorsement of Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego in the Arizona Senate race today.
Gallego, who is running for retiring independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's seat, would be Arizona's first Latino senator.
“Ruben has been a steadfast advocate for us, whether bolstering access to educational and employment opportunities or lowering the cost of health care and groceries for families," LULAC's national president, Domingo Garcia, said in a statement.
The endorsement is the second in LULAC's almost 100-year history and its first endorsement in a Senate race. Gallego is squaring off against Republican candidate Kari Lake in a hotly contested race that could help determine the balance of power in Washington.
State courts reject GOP challenges to overseas and military voting
State courts denied Republican efforts to block overseas and military voting laws in the battleground states of North Carolina and Michigan.
In North Carolina, a Wake County judge refused to block a bipartisan law that’s been on the books for more than a decade, which allows the adult children of North Carolina residents living abroad to vote in the state.
“Plaintiffs have presented no substantial evidence of any instance where the harm that plaintiffs seek to prevent has ever fraudulently occurred,” the court wrote, adding that the GOP plaintiffs hadn’t even proven that anyone had voted using his provision.
In Michigan, a similar provision allows a U.S. citizen who is the spouse or child of an overseas voter who previously lived in the state to vote absentee. State election rules specifically say that citizen is eligible even if they’ve never personally resided in Michigan, which the GOP lawsuit took issue with.
“Laches bars this 11th hour attempt to disenfranchise these electors in the November 5, 2024 general election,” the court said, citing the legal doctrine that allows courts to cite an unreasonable delay as grounds for refusal of a claim.
The suits were filed after months of Republican claims that noncitizens are voting in U.S. elections, despite a lack of evidence. Noncitizen voting is a serious crime — punishable by deportation — and one that immediately creates a paper trail that election officials are required to review.
Cleta Mitchell, a former Trump lawyer who was on the former president’s infamous phone call pressuring Georgia election officials after the 2020 election, is working behind the scenes to challenge these laws in two states.
“It is a federal law that has been completely exploited and they’re literally getting people to lie and to say that they’re overseas or to say that they’re citizens and the states are not checking at all,” she said on a conservative radio show recently, noting she was boosting a North Carolina suit and a similar case in Pennsylvania.
There's no evidence that overseas and military voting rules are being abused.
The battle for control of Congress is just as tight as the 2024 presidential race, highlighted by a handful of high-profile contests coast-to-coast. NBC’s Ryan Nobles reports for "TODAY."
Arizona official pleads guilty in 2022 election certification case
A Republican county supervisor in Arizona pleaded guilty yesterday after she tried to delay certification of the 2022 midterm election results, state Attorney General Kris Mayes announced.
Peggy Judd, a Cochise County supervisor, pleaded guilty to failing to perform duties as an election officer, a misdemeanor. She acknowledged that she failed to canvass the election as required by law, the attorney general’s office said.
Judd will be sentenced to unsupervised probation for at least 90 days and pay a maximum $500 fine, the attorney general’s office said. NBC News has reached out to her for comment.
Harris to visit Texas, which campaign calls 'ground zero' of 'Trump abortion bans'
Harris will travel to Texas on Friday to discuss what's at stake in the election for women's reproductive health services.
The vice president will deliver remarks in Houston about the consequences of abortion restrictions on women and be joined by those who have been directly affected by the bans, a senior Harris campaign official said. Texas law bars abortions except when the life of the mother is at stake. The campaign calls the state "ground zero of extreme Trump abortion bans."
Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who is running against Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, will also attend the event.
In response to the announcement, Cruz's campaign spokesperson, Macerena Martinez, said in a statement, "Colin Allred is Kamala Harris."
"They have spent the last four years working hand-in-hand against Texans and the American people with their radical policies, whether those be pushing to allow boys in girls’ sports, allowing dangerous illegal aliens to come into our country, or trying to destroy the oil and gas industry in Texas," Martinez said. "Colin and Kamala share an agenda and now they’ll share a stage for all Texans to see.”
While in Texas, Harris also plans to sit for an interview with podcaster Brene Brown, a professor at the University of Houston.
Harris will then travel to Atlanta on Saturday for an event where she'll be joined by family members of Amber Nicole Thurman, the official said. Thurman died after she was denied medical treatment after experiencing complications related to a medication abortion.
Harris to discuss expanding opportunities for Latino men in Telemundo interview
Harris will discuss her plans to expand opportunities for Latino men in an interview with Telemundo today, her campaign said in a release.
The vice president's plans include creating opportunities for Latino men in the workforce through training programs and apprenticeships, increasing startup funding for businesses and trying to drive up annual the number of Latino homebuyers to almost 600,000, the campaign said.
"A second Trump term would be a disaster for Latinos and their families — raising costs on middle class families by nearly $4,000 a year, separating Latino families, and gutting affordable health care for more than 4 million Latinos," her campaign said.
Arnold Palmer's daughter on Trump's vulgar remarks: 'In my father’s world, this wouldn’t be acceptable'
A daughter of the golfing icon Arnold Palmer said last night on CNN that Trump’s vulgar remarks about her father over the weekend are not acceptable.
Asked if anyone in Trump’s world reached out to her after the former president’s comments, Peggy Palmer Wears said: “They probably have a long line of people to reach out to because it seems to be something he does. Again, it’s locker room talk, it’s something he seems to think is acceptable. In my father’s world, this wouldn’t be acceptable.”
At his campaign rally Saturday in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, Trump suggested that Palmer, who died in 2016, had unusually large genitalia.
Can you spot the celebrity ‘deepfakes’ in a new ad warning against election disinfo?
A new public service campaign featuring the actor Rosario Dawson and other Hollywood stars aims to alert Americans not to be duped by AI-generated deepfakes designed to mislead them about when, where and how to vote on Election Day.
“If something seems off, it probably is,” Dawson warns in the video spot, shared exclusively with NBC News.
Other celebrities featured in the video include Chris Rock, Laura Dern, Michael Douglas, Amy Schumer and Jonathan Scott delivering the message that Americans should rely on state secretaries of state for information about voting in the 2024 election and not to fall for unverified claims about alleged changes at polling stations.
The celebrities say Americans may receive a fake message claiming voting has been extended, or a polling location has closed or changed due to an emergency, or that new documentation is required to vote. “These are all scams designed to trick you into not voting. Don’t fall for it,” the celebrities say. At the end, the video reveals that some of the Hollywood stars are mere deepfakes, with their voices and images superimposed on other actors.
Who does China’s president want to win the U.S. election?
HONG KONG — One is a former president who vows to double down on the trade war he started with China but could stoke global instability to Beijing’s benefit. The other is a vice president who might be more conciliatory in the short term but could rally U.S. allies against China’s growing global influence.
Which U.S. presidential candidate would Chinese President Xi Jinping rather work with?
Whoever wins the White House next month — Trump or Harris — will determine the tone and much of the substance of the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.
Worried by fall of Roe v. Wade, organizers get same-sex marriage on the ballot in three states
Two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, doing away with a half-century of precedent, activists worried that other high court decisions could be in jeopardy are taking their concerns to the polls. California, Colorado and Hawaii will soon allow their residents to vote on ballot measures that would remove language from their state constitutions prohibiting same-sex marriage.
The landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, guaranteeing same-sex couples across the country the right to marry, makes these state bans unenforceable. However, these ballot measures seek to proactively protect these marriage rights should Obergefell ever be overturned.
Paul Smith, a Georgetown law professor who argued the landmark 2003 Supreme Court case Lawrence v. Texas, which struck down the country’s remaining anti-sodomy laws, said the high court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which struck down the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade abortion ruling, should serve as a cautionary tale.
“We’ve had the example of how Dobbs can take down a long-standing precedent. Suddenly there are these state laws that were sitting there dormant, that came springing back to life,” he said, referring to the dozens of states that now have abortion bans following the Dobbs decision. “These states don’t want their same-sex marriage bans to come springing back to life, so they’re going to do something about it, if just in case.”
Harris campaigned across Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin yesterday, joined by GOP former Rep. Liz Cheney who urged Republican-leaning voters to back Harris. Meanwhile, Trump wrapped up a three-stop day in North Carolina where he courted Christian voters. NBC’s Garrett Haake reports for "TODAY."
Usha Vance’s expansive reading list gives a glimpse of a private figure in the campaign
As Republican vice presidential nominee Vance campaigns across the country, his wife, Usha Vance, has been a near-constant presence by his side. In the final weeks of the campaign, she has traveled with her own regular companion: a copy of “The Iliad.”
Her edition of the Greek epic — a celebrated 800-page translation from 2023 by University of Pennsylvania classicist Emily Wilson — has accompanied Vance across the country, briefly visible as she has boarded and exited campaign planes in Pennsylvania, Arizona, Michigan, Colorado and California.
“That’s because our now 7-year-old decided in the spring that he was obsessed with mythology,” Vance said in a rare phone interview. “He picked up a child’s version of ‘The Odyssey’ and then ‘The Iliad’ and all these other things and became completely obsessed. So to keep up with him, I decided it was time to pick ‘The Iliad’ up myself.”
The volume is just one piece of a larger, growing library of books she has torn through in three months on the campaign trail, the dust covers visible to reporters on airport tarmacs around the country.
Democrats brace for a possible crack in the blue wall and signs of North Carolina slipping
The “blue wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania have paved the path to the White House for the last two Democratic presidents.
But with just 14 days until the Nov. 5 election, there are concerns within Kamala Harris’ campaign about whether the vice president can claim all three states.
Recent discussions have centered on the possibility of an anomaly happening this year with just part of the blue wall breaking its way. The conversations have focused on whether Michigan or Wisconsin “fall” to former President Donald Trump while the two other states go blue, according to three sources with knowledge of the campaign’s strategy.
Losing Wisconsin or Michigan would mean that even if Harris secures Pennsylvania — where both Harris and Trump have spent the most time and resources — she would not reach the necessary 270 electoral votes to win the White House without winning another battleground state or possibly two.