What's happening on the campaign trail today
- The phones of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, were targeted in a Chinese hacking campaign against U.S. telecommunication networks, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. People affiliated with the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris were also targeted, another source said.
- Both Trump and Harris will make appearances in Texas today, with Trump speaking this afternoon in Austin and Harris expected to hold a campaign event in Houston. The Harris event is scheduled to feature a performance by Beyoncé.
- Following Trump's remarks, he sat down for an interview on Joe Rogan's podcast.
- The presidential candidates' allies will also hold competing events in a different state, with former President Barack Obama and Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance both scheduled to hold events this evening in North Carolina.
Western Michigan pastor cites rising Christian nationalism as a top concern of her congregation
Reporting from Grandville, Michigan
Head Pastor Lynette Sparks of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, has noticed in her congregation “a huge level of unease right under the surface” as Election Day approaches. But one issue stands out among the rest, she told NBC News.
“For our congregation, at a national level, there’s a real concern about the encroachment of Christian nationalism,” she said. “That’s not something that our congregation and our tradition subscribes to by any means.”
Sparks said she takes issue with how Christian nationalism “is melding church and state with a particular view.” She also invoked the Theological Declaration of Barmen, a proclamation born out of Christians in Nazi Germany resisting the Nazi state’s attempts to control religious life.
“Our authority is Jesus Christ, and anything, anything that seeks to replace that goes really strongly against our values and against our theology,” Sparks said.
“Last November, I preached a sermon that addressed Christian nationalism from our theological standpoint,” she recalled. “I have never gotten so many comments on a sermon ever in my life.”
Democrats and advocates for the separation of church and state have decried what they describe as rising Christian nationalism on the right. Instances can be seen from Oklahoma’s schools superintendent ordering public schools to teach the Bible, to a right-wing provocateur declaring, “There is no separation of church and state,” to Trump’s own embrace of rhetoric linked to Christian nationalism.
For some members of the approximately 1,100-strong congregation in deeply religious Western Michigan, their participation in the church can profoundly shape their values, and by extension, their votes.
One 80-year-old member of the Westminster community said the church has helped “clarify” her values. Formerly a lifelong Republican, she says she became a split-ticket voter over concerns with the U.S.’ involvement in the Iraq War. And since Trump’s first run for the White House in 2016, she’s been a straight-ticket Democrat.
Supporters leave Trump rally after hearing he's running more than 2 hours late
Trump supporters started to leave the former president's rally in Traverse City, Michigan, tonight after learning that he’s running more than 2 hours behind schedule for the event.
Trump's campaign said he was departing Austin, Texas, at around 7:40 p.m. ET. The flight from Austin to Traverse City is about two-and-a-half hours.
Leonardo DiCaprio endorses Harris for president
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio said today that he is voting for Harris, citing her positions on climate change and referencing the widespread damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
“Donald Trump continues to deny the facts. He continues to deny the science,” DiCaprio said in a video posted to his Instagram account.
The Academy Award-winning actor has been an outspoken advocate for climate action and has supported Democratic candidates, including President Joe Biden, in the past.
“Climate change is killing the earth and ruining our economy. We need a bold step forward to save our economy, our planet and ourselves. That’s why I’m voting for Kamala Harris. She helped lead the most significant climate action in U.S. history, including passing the Inflation Reduction Act,” DiCaprio said.
Army releases report on incident involving Trump campaign aide at Arlington cemetery
The U.S. Army today released a heavily redacted copy of a police report stemming from an August incident in which a staffer from Trump’s campaign allegedly pushed an Arlington National Cemetery worker.
The report, which describes the incident as a “simple assault,” notes that on Aug. 26 the campaign staffer used “both” hands while trying to move past the cemetery worker, who NBC News previously reported had attempted to stop the staffer from taking photos. The names of both people were redacted.
Mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day in Mississippi shouldn’t be counted, appeals court says
A federal appeals court ruled today that a Mississippi law allowing mail-in ballots to be counted if they are postmarked before election day — but received up to five days after Election Day — is preempted by federal law.
The ruling by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals does not have any immediate impact on the current election because the three-judge panel of Trump appointees declined to issue an injunction blocking the counting of votes and sent the case back to the lower court for further action.
Trump rallygoers in Traverse City, Michigan, say they are unmoved by John Kelly's comments
Reporting from Traverse City, MI
Voters attending Trump’s rally in Traverse City, Michigan, today said they were unswayed by John Kelly’s reported recent comments that Trump meets the definition of a fascist.
Some of the voters expressed skepticism about the timing of the reports.
“I can make my own decisions about Trump and a lot of stuff that’s coming out now is just kind of unbelievable,” James Chase, a 66-year-old Republican attending his first political rally, told NBC News. “So, you know, you got to take it with a grain of salt.”
Barbara Poli, 70, who voted absentee for the first time because she will have surgery the day before the election, said Harris has not provided concrete enough policies for her liking and that she did not think Trump is a fascist.
“I don’t believe that he can be defined as a fascist because look at all the work that he’s done in prior years, even before he was president, of all the things that he has done before, all the parties, charities and everything else,” Poli said.
Her husband, Antonio Poli, said he thought Kelly’s comments were “all a lie.”
“Why didn’t he say that four years ago? Am I right? Why now? Why two weeks before the election?” he said.
Ryan Tomey, 43, who voted for Obama but switched to Trump in 2016, cited censorship, anti-war and economic policies as those more important to him.
“The Democratic Party started veering off drastically, and the conservatives kind of went the other way,” Tomey said. “They kind of went a little more liberal.”
Gov. Josh Shapiro weighs in on Elon musk, misinformation and Harris’ chances in Pennsylvania
Reporting from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Josh Shapiro sits atop what may be one of the most important states this election, and he said he’s doing everything he can to make sure Harris wins in Pennsylvania.
“Every election I’ve ever personally been involved in, the feeling I want to have that night, that Monday night when I go to bed, is that I left it all on the field,” Shapiro told NBC News when asked if he will feel on the night before Election Day that he’s done everything he can to get Harris elected.
Florida abortion rights amendment campaign passes $100 million in fundraising
A group backing Florida’s Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution if passed, says it has raised over $100 million.
Floridians Protecting Freedom’s “Yes on 4” campaign reported raising more than $14 million last week alone from 7,760 unique donors, bringing its fundraising total to $104 million from over 47,000 donors. NBC News has not independently verified those figures.
The reported numbers would make the fundraising haul the largest by a pro-abortion rights ballot initiative since the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade.
The campaign touted the figures as a triumph amid what it described as unprecedented government interference against the ballot measure.
“While the attacks from the opposition and their ability to spread misinformation to try to confuse voters are appalling, it’s clear that people across Florida are determined to take the government out of their healthcare decisions and will not be fooled by these attacks,” Brice Barnes, the National Finance Director of “Yes on 4” said.
“We are raising the unprecedented and necessary resources to be able to effectively communicate with and mobilize voters so we win on November 5th and end Florida’s extreme abortion ban,” Barnes added.
Casey campaign calls on challenger McCormick to demand Bridgewater release employees from NDAs
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., today held a press call calling on Republican challenger Dave McCormick to demand the hedge fund he formerly led release former employees who reported sexual harassment from nondisclosure or confidentiality agreements.
Casey’s campaign sent a letter to McCormick yesterday in response to a 2023 book that said that under McCormick’s leadership, the hedge fund Bridgewater encouraged female employees who had experienced sexual harassment to keep quiet.
“You have held up your record as President and CEO of Bridgewater as a key proof point explaining why the voters of Pennsylvania should choose you as their new Senator. They deserve the full story,” Casey campaign manager Tiernan Donohue wrote in the letter to McCormick.
McCormick tweeted yesterday, "Bob Casey’s lying about my record as a leader in the workplace" alongside a video of several women identified as McCormick's co-workers offering words of praise for his leadership style.
"He spent a lot of time really wanting to make those policies and make the company an amazing place for women to work," a woman identified as Alexandra said in the video. "We need leaders in Washington who can bridge the different sides of the aisle together, and there's nobody better than Dave McCormick that can do that."
Casey and McCormick are locked in a high-stakes race that could determine Senate control. Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up.
China targeted phones of Trump, Vance and Harris campaign affiliates, sources say
A broad Chinese hacking campaign against U.S. telecommunication networks targeted the phones of Trump and Vance, two sources familiar with the matter say. Another source told NBC News that people affiliated with the Harris campaign were also targeted.
None of the three sources clarified whether campaign devices were successfully compromised or whether China stole their communications. It is unclear who in the Harris campaign was targeted or if others in the Trump campaign were targeted in addition to Trump and Vance.
In a joint statement, the FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said the federal government “is investigating the unauthorized access to commercial telecommunications infrastructure by actors affiliated with the People’s Republic of China.”
Vance compliments Mark Robinson before realizing 'Mark isn't here'
As is typical during the senator’s events, Vance called out local elected officials by name and noted their effort in helping the campaign — with one awkward mistake.
“I want to give a shout out to — you guys have a great lieutenant governor. Sorry, we’ve got — sorry, Mark isn’t here,” Vance said in Raeford, North Carolina, catching himself as he complimented Mark Robinson, the state’s deputy executive and Republican candidate for the governorship, who is embroiled in controversy after a CNN report unearthed troves of off-color online comments.
Robinson, who has denied the allegations in the CNN report and vowed to stay in the race, has not appeared with Vance at one of his several events in the state since the report broke.
“We’ve got Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg. He’s not lieutenant governor. Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg,” Vance said, correcting himself and continuing down the list of dignitaries.
Far-right congressman suggests N.C. Legislature should consider handing electors to Trump on Election Day
Reporting from Washington, D.C.
The newly elected chairman of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., suggested that North Carolina’s Republican-controlled state Legislature should consider awarding the state’s electors to Trump before all votes are counted, according to a video of his remarks posted on social media today.
Citing North Carolina counties hit by Hurricane Helene where residents may have difficulty voting, Harris said during a Q&A at a Maryland county Republican Party dinner last night that it “makes a lot of sense” for the state Legislature to convene a joint session to allocate the state’s electors on Election Day, Nov. 5.
Walz's Olympic dream? To join the curling team.
“Orange bowling,” as it is sometimes referred to, is a tradition on the campaign trail. Members of the press corp will roll oranges up the aisle of a campaign plane to ask candidates lighthearted questions.
Today’s question for Walz was written on a mini pumpkin: “Gov. Walz, if you could compete in an olympic sport...summer or winter...which would it be?”
His answer: “Curling.”
According to a source familiar with the matter, Walz said, “It’s something I still think I could actually do.”
Apparently, he went back and forth between curling and bobsledding as his family watches bobsledding every winter. The governor ultimately decided to go with curling, calling it “the unofficial sport of Minnesota winters.”
Harris centers her closing argument on Trump by arguing he’s dangerous
With just days until Election Day, Harris is leaning into a closing argument centered on attacking Trump as a danger, an approach campaign officials believe will help her both win over remaining undecided voters and motivate her base, according to four Harris aides familiar with the strategy.
The approach won’t be one-note, her advisers said, but will also seek to highlight her vision and explain what she would do in office.
The plan to hammer Trump more harshly and aggressively in the final days has already begun to play out. On Wednesday, Harris said she believed Trump was a “fascist” during a town hall. She appeared in a series of moderated discussions with Liz Cheney, the former Republican congresswoman who served on the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack and has been a vocal critic of Trump. And on Thursday, Harris delivered an unscheduled speech focused on former Trump chief of staff John Kelly confirming Trump praised Adolf Hitler’s generals.
Harris’ campaign also announced she will give a speech Tuesday on the Ellipse park outside the White House — the site where Trump spoke shortly before the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that critics and prosecutors have pointed to as the catalyst for the attack.
Harris features Bernie Sanders in new digital campaign
The Harris campaign has started running new digital ads featuring Sen. Bernie Sanders, in which Sanders promotes Harris’ plans to expand Medicare, lower home health care costs and build more affordable housing.
“The people on top are doing just fine. Let’s protect working families,” Sanders says in the ads.
This is Sanders’ first digital persuasion ad for the Harris campaign. The Vermont independent did record digital fundraising ads for the Harris campaign and also appeared in a digital ad over the summer when President Joe Biden was atop the ticket, going after Trump for telling rich people that he would give them tax cuts.
These new digital ads are running both statewide and in targeted communities in swing states on Snapchat.
RFK Jr. turns to Supreme Court seeking removal from Michigan ballot
Former independent presidential candidate and new Trump ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr. filed a request today at the Supreme Court seeking his removal from the ballot in Michigan, an important swing state.
This followed a similar filing earlier this week concerning Wisconsin, another election battleground.
The court has yet to act on either case. It has asked state officials to respond to Kennedy's requests by Monday afternoon.
With voting underway in both states it would appear unlikely that Kennedy's last-ditch gambits, clearly aimed at boosting Trump, will pay off.
GOP seeks to block Pa. court ruling that allowed some potentially defective ballots to be provisionally counted
Republicans today sought to block a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling from earlier in the week that said some mail-in ballots in the state flagged as potentially defective should be provisionally counted.
Although the case arose from this year's primary election, the filing asserts that the case is binding on the general election too. Republican lawyers said in the court filing that they intend to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to step in.
The divided state court said mail-in ballots that machines detect as lacking secondary “secrecy envelopes” as required under state law can nevertheless be counted provisionally, a finding that Republicans had argued against. Such ballots automatically lead to voters’ being notified that there are problems with the ballots that can be remedied by voting in person.
The legal issue could have major ramifications if the election is close in the key swing state because it raises a legal question potentially of interest to the U.S. Supreme Court about whether the state court ruling unlawfully encroached on the Legislature’s authority to set election rules under the U.S. Constitution.
The issue was the subject of a Supreme Court ruling last year that mostly rejected the “independent state legislature” theory, which says legislatures’ authority over elections is unfettered, while leaving the door open to revisit it in future.
Trump blasts Virginia judge for blocking GOP effort to remove alleged noncitizens from voter rolls
During a speech in Texas, Trump blasted a Virginia judge who on Friday blocked a GOP-led effort to remove alleged noncitizens from voter rolls in the state.
"The outrageous decision goes against the very bedrock of our democracy," Trump said, echoing a post he made earlier Friday on TruthSocial.
"And thankfully, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who’s doing a terrific job, is working hard to fix this problem. Thousands of illegal votes and the judge said, ‘You didn’t do it in a timely fashion,'" Trump added.
Harris slams Trump for saying the U.S. is 'like a garbage can for the world'
Harris blasted Trump while speaking to reporters briefly in Texas over his comments yesterday calling the U.S. "like a garbage can for the world."
"It’s just another example of how he really belittles our country. This is someone who is a former president of the United States who has a bully pulpit, and this is how he uses it, to tell the rest of the world that somehow the United States of America is ... trash," she said.
Harris said the president should "be someone who elevates discourse and talks about the best of who we are and invest in the best of who we are, not someone like Donald Trump, who is constantly demeaning and belittling who the American people are. America deserves better.”
NBC News has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
N.C. elections board says residents in Hurricane Helene disaster zones having 'tremendous turnout'
The North Carolina State Board of Elections said Friday that despite Hurricane Helene leaving destruction across western North Carolina, registered voters from the area have had "tremendous turnout," in early voting.
"What most of the affected counties are seeing is tremendous turnout," Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NCSBE.
She added that in McDowell County, just east of Asheville, the board has seen "more turnout each day than in 2020, when we were setting records across the state in terms of turnout."
Brinson Bell said that the state has early voting poll sites open across the state, including in destruction zones. She said that only four of 80 previously planned polling sites were not able to open, and that additional tent sites have gone up in other areas.
In addition to the early polling sites, the board said that voters from the 25 counties in the destruction zones have the option to request absentee mail-in ballots. If voters are able to fill out the ballots but are worried that the ballot may not make it back to their home counties because of roadway damages and other blockages, voters from those 25 counties can drop their ballots off at any early polling site in the state.
Brinson Bell said that 2.3 million votes have been cast in early voting as of Friday morning, meaning a 30% voter turnout across the state thus far. Early voting stays open until Nov. 2 through 3 p.m. in every county in the state.
Walz says Trump picked Vance as his running mate because 'he would not have done what Mike Pence did'
Walz said at a campaign reception in Philadelphia today that Trump chose Vance to be on the GOP 2024 ticket because the senator wouldn't have done what former Vice President Mike Pence did.
"This is about Donald Trump ignoring the rule of law. He’s talking about suspending the Constitution. He’s talking about being a dictator on day one," Walz said.
"JD Vance is on that ticket because he admitted he would not have done what Mike Pence did, which was put the Constitution above Donald Trump. That’s that’s why he’s on there," the Democratic vice presidential nominee said.
Walz appeared to be referring to Pence not following through on Trump's orders not to certify the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, 2021.
Vance has indicated that he wouldn't have certified the election for Biden. “If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors, and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there,” Vance said in an interview with ABC News earlier this year.
The Ohio Republican recently went as far as saying Trump didn't lose the 2020 election. “First of all, on the election of 2020, I’ve answered this question directly a million times: No. I think there are serious problems in 2020. So, did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use,” Vance said at an event in Pennsylvania.
Election official assaulted in San Antonio, local officials say
An election official was assaulted at a polling place in San Antonio, Texas, on Thursday night, Bexar County officials said Friday.
The Bexar County Elections Department polling clerk was assaulted at an early voting location, Jacquelyn Callanen, the department’s administrator, said in a statement. Law enforcement and first responders were called and the clerk was treated on site and went home.
Callanen said that law enforcement was now investigating the incident and that security remains in place at the voting site where the assault occurred. She added that the victim cast his ballot before the incident took place.
“Bexar County Elections has always made it a priority to provide security for our voters, when needed,” Callanen said. “We ask that our voters remain calm and realize that more than 200,000 early voters have cast their ballot this past week, and the majority of experiences have been positive.”
Pro-Palestinian protester interrupts Biden during apology for Indian boarding school system
At least one pro-Palestinian protester interrupted Biden during his formal apology for the United States’ Native American boarding school system during remarks in Arizona.
"Let her go. There’s a lot of innocent people being killed," Biden said in response. "It has to stop."
Jo Ann Davidson, the first woman to serve as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, has died
Reporting from Cleveland, Ohio
Jo Ann Davidson, the first woman to serve as speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, has died, The Columbus Dispatch and others, including Gov. Mike DeWine, report. She was 97.
A trailblazer in Buckeye State politics, Davidson was a confidante and mentor to countless Republican officeholders, candidates and operatives. Until earlier this year, she served as Ohio’s female representative on the Republican National Committee.
As the Dispatch obituary notes, Davidson was a fiscal conservative, but socially moderate. In her later years, she was a close adviser to John Kasich, the congressman-turned-governor who ran for the GOP presidential nomination in 2016, losing to Trump. Davidson’s involvement with Kasich signaled the beginning of a rift between old-guard Ohio Republicans in the state and the ascendant far-right flank that responded to Trump’s populist politics of grievance.
The rift was apparent at that year’s Republican National Convention in Cleveland, where at least a minor, off-prime-time speaking slot seemed all but guaranteed given her place in the state’s rich GOP history. But her support for Kasich, who skipped the convention in a silent protest of Trump’s coronation, kept her off the stage. When convention organizers needed someone to introduce a video tribute to the late Sen. George Voinovich, the Ohio Republican who had died the previous month, they bypassed Davidson in favor of her successor as speaker (who later went to prison on corruption charges).
“The snub was deliberate and brutal, and not the sort of thing that builds party unity,” Dave Yost, then the Ohio state auditor, and now the state attorney general, wrote at the time.
The Ohio GOP of today doesn’t much resemble the one that Davidson helped build. But until Trump came along, only a few in the party rivaled her for influence over the last half-century.
Trump blasts Virginia judge for blocking GOP plan to remove alleged noncitizens from voter rolls
On TruthSocial, Trump blasted a Virginia judge who halted a plan by Republicans to remove alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls so close to Election Day.
"This is a totally unacceptable travesty," Trump wrote, lauding Virginia GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin for appealing the decision to a higher court.
"Keep fighting, Glenn — AND REPUBLICANS IN VIRGINIA, KEEP VOTING EARLY!" the former president added.
Trump also said he would call into a Youngkin rally in the state tomorrow and would plan to stop there again in-person ahead of Election Day.
Philadelphia Inquirer endorses Harris for president
The editorial board of The Philadelphia Inquirer, a flagship paper in battleground Pennsylvania, endorsed Harris for president on Friday.
"The choice is clear and obvious. Vice President Kamala Harris wants to help all Americans. Donald Trump wants to help himself," the editorial board wrote.
The Inquirer's endorsement comes the same day that The Washington Post declined to endorse a presidential candidate, a departure from that paper's tradition. Last week, the Los Angeles Times also decided not to endorse this year.
Signs across N.C. deemed as 'voter intimidation' will stay up, state's election board says
The North Carolina Board of Elections responded to outcries that signs posted across the state near polling sites were being used to intimidate voters.
Yellow signs written in Spanish read: "Warning: if you are not a citizen of the United States of America, you cannot vote in elections. It is illegal! It is a crime. (18 U.S. code §611.) You could be deported. Don't do it! Paid for by North Carolina Election Integrity Team.”
Several advocacy groups signed and sent a letter to the NCSBE requesting that the signs be removed, arguing that they "serve no purpose but to intimidate legally qualified voters from engaging in our political process.”
While the board did call for the removal of signs with the Spanish word “extranjero,” which translates to “foreigner,” they said signs that used the proper translation of "noncitizen" could remain standing.
Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the NCSBE, said in a press conference today that the board has to walk a "fine line" between "accurate information, free speech, electioneering" and whether signs include "voter intimidation or a restriction on First Amendment rights."
Bell said that for signs that are "accurate," there's no concern about those being placed near polling sites.
"But when there's inaccurate information that's conveyed, as was the case with some of the signs in an improper translation of the term noncitizen, that's when we had to intervene and say that those cannot be displayed," Bell added.
Paul Cox, general council for the board, added that because voting qualifications are already posted by officials at polling sites, “there’s no real basis for election officials to remove them.”
The Washington Post says it is done making presidential endorsements
The Washington Post's editorial board will not make a presidential endorsement in this election or in "any future presidential election," the newspaper's publisher and chief executive announced today.
"We recognize that this will be read in a range of ways, including as a tacit endorsement of one candidate, or as a condemnation of another, or as an abdication of responsibility. That is inevitable. We don’t see it that way," Will Lewis said in a statement published on The Post's website.
"We see it as consistent with the values The Post has always stood for and what we hope for in a leader: character and courage in service to the American ethic, veneration for the rule of law, and respect for human freedom in all its aspects," he went on to say. "We also see it as a statement in support of our readers’ ability to make up their own minds on this, the most consequential of American decisions — whom to vote for as the next president."
The announcement comes days after The Los Angeles Times announced it would not make a presidential endorsement this year, reportedly after the newspaper's owner blocked the editorial page's plans to back Harris. In response, at least three staffers have resigned.
McConnell and Johnson blast Harris in rare joint statement
In a notable — and rare — joint statement from House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, the two congressional leaders blasted Harris for calling Trump a "fascist" and comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler at a town hall last night.
“In the weeks since that second sobering reminder,” the two men wrote, referring to the assassination attempts of the former president, “the Democratic nominee for President of the United States has only fanned the flames beneath a boiling cauldron of political animus.”
Johnson and McConnell — the latter of whom just heavily criticized Trump in his new biography — slammed Harris for her rhetoric.
“Labeling a political opponent as a ‘fascist,’ risks inviting yet another would-be assassin to try robbing voters of their choice before Election Day,” they said.
They added, “Vice President Harris may want the American people to entrust her with the sacred duty of executive authority. But first, she must abandon the base and irresponsible rhetoric that endangers both American lives and institutions.”
The letter from the pair comes after Trump's former White House chief of staff, John Kelly, said the former president spoke favorably of Hitler while in office.
Judge grants DOJ request to block Virginia from removing noncitizens from voter rolls
A federal judge has granted the Justice Department’s request for an injunction blocking Virginia from systematically removing alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls this close to an election.
U.S. District Judge Patricia Giles ordered the Commonwealth this morning to stop its program immediately and within five days restore the voter registration of the more than 1,600 people who were removed in recent months.
“Defendant’s program has curtailed the right of eligible voters to cast their ballots in the same manner as other eligible voters,” Giles said in announcing her ruling.
Since obtaining the full list of people flagged for removal under this program on Tuesday, lawyers were able to confirm the identity of 18 citizens who were incorrectly removed from the voter rolls, a lawyer for a civil rights groups said in court on Thursday. In Prince William County, 43 people who were removed from the rolls were likely U.S. citizens, the Justice Department said in a previous filing.
“How many more are there?” Giles asked rhetorically Friday.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, however, remained defiant and said in a statement reacting to the judge's ruling that “Virginia will immediately petition the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals and, if necessary, the U.S. Supreme Court, for an emergency stay of the injunction.”
RNC is leading the legal charge for Trump amid echoes of 2020 election chaos
Reporting from WASHINGTON
When a Republican official in Georgia filed a lawsuit this year declaring that election boards did not have a duty to certify results, the lawyer she turned to was part of the legal team who worked on former President Donald Trump’s behalf there in 2020.
Atlanta-based attorney Alex Kaufman, whose name appears on the lawsuit, was a silent listener on the infamous January 2021 call in which Trump pressured Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” enough votes to reverse his loss there. He was also part of the legal team that tried to submit an alternative slate of electors in the state.
How Democrats can win control of the House even if Trump is elected president
Among the many permutations for how the elections could end, one prospect has sparked chatter in both parties: Donald Trump could win the presidency while Democrats seize control of the House.
Such a split would be rare — not since 1989 has a president entered office without his party controlling the House — and give Democrats substantial power over Trump’s legislative agenda.
GOP majority whip dodges questions on Trump's reported Hitler comments
Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the GOP House majority whip, repeatedly dodged questions about Trump's reported praise for Adolf Hitler and a new ABC News/Ipsos poll showing 49% of respondents consider the GOP nominee a fascist.
CNN anchor Kate Bolduan pressed Emmer on both topics throughout the increasingly contentious live interview, but the congressman — a Trump campaign surrogate — refused to answer her directly. Instead, Emmer pivoted to talking about Trump's closing argument to voters.
Bolduan at one point asked: "Are you, personally, OK if Donald Trump says that he wants his generals to be like Hitler's generals?"
Emmer, after a brief pause, said in part: "Americans do not want to talk about that."
Voters who sat out 2020 weigh whether to jump in for Trump or Harris this time
A new focus group of voters who plan to cast ballots this fall — but didn’t participate in the 2020 presidential election — illustrates how both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are leaning on a core message to try to expand the electorate in a close race.
Read the full story here and watch below:
Spokesman says Harris won't appear on Joe Rogan podcast
Harris campaign spokesman Ian Sams told MSNBC's Chris Hayes last night that the vice president won't be able to appear on Joe Rogan's podcast, which is interviewing Trump today.
Hayes asked Sams if Harris was invited to go on the podcast and whether she would appear on the show.
“Well yeah, I think that the vice president’s happy to go anywhere and any place to talk to a broad segment of the country,” Sams said.
“We talked with Rogan and his team about the podcast," he continued. "Unfortunately it isn’t going to work out right now because of the scheduling of this period of the campaign."
Trump and Harris will both campaign in Texas today. The former president will sit for an interview with Rogan in Austin while Harris is set to hold a rally with Beyonce in Houston and tape an interview with Brené Brown, whose podcast is popular with women.
Rogan's podcast, “The Joe Rogan Experience,” is highly popular among young men, which both campaigns have been courting. Trump tends to perform better with that demographic in polls.
Speaker Mike Johnson fights to save the House Republican majority — and his job
Reporting from Washington, D.C.
As Speaker Mike Johnson marks one year on the job today, he’s fighting hard to preserve House Republicans’ razor-thin majority — and his speakership.
Multiple House Republicans said they believe Johnson, R-La., who rose from relative obscurity to the top of the conference last year, can beat back his critics and win the speaker’s gavel for two more years. But only if the GOP manages to win control of the House again in November’s elections.
Business Leaders for Harris’ expands, launches first paid ad campaign
Two prominent businessmen are joining the ranks of Business Leaders for Harris, the group announced today.
The new business leaders are Forbright Bank chairman John Delaney and The Home Depot co-founder Arthur M. Blank. Delaney is also a former Democratic member of Congress.
The project also announced today that it was launching its first paid ad campaign. The ad, a six-figure buy, is running on digital platforms in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, the group said. It features a testimonial from a small business owner in Michigan who said she voted for Trump twice but will now cast her ballot for Harris.
Business Leaders for Harris is headed by the Republican Accountability PAC, not the Harris campaign.
Harris set for major speech on reproductive freedom in Texas
Harris is scheduled to deliver a marquee address on reproductive freedom tonight in Houston, where she will be joined by women and men who have faced the consequences of state-level abortion bans since the fall of Roe v. Wade.
Before the speech, Harris' campaign plans to roll out a new ad titled "He Did It," focused on Trump taking responsibility for the end of federal abortion protections. The former president appointed three of the conservative Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe in 2022.
The vice president's campaign has pointed to data showing that reproductive freedom is among the most salient issues for voters who remain undecided in the final stretch of the race, motivating men and women alike.
Harris will be joined at the Houston rally by abortion rights advocates such as:
- Ondrea, a Texas woman who shared her personal story in a new Democratic ad campaign;
- Amanda and Josh Zurawski, a Texas couple who led a lawsuit against the state's abortion bans and spoke on stage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago;
- Shanette Williams, the mother of Amber Nicole Thurman, who died after delays in her medical treatment linked to Georgia’s ban on abortions after six weeks.
The vice president will also appear alongside Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, the former NFL player who is challenging Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Recent polls show a tightening race between Allred and Cruz.
Pop superstar Beyoncé is expected to perform at the event, too, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Before the rally, Harris is set to record an interview with the popular podcaster Brené Brown, who has a large female audience.
Liz Cheney hits the trail for Democrat Elissa Slotkin in the Michigan Senate race
Former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney will campaign in Michigan on Monday with Rep. Elissa Slotkin, the Democrats' Senate nominee in Michigan.
Cheney and Slotkin will be in Grand Rapids, once a conservative stronghold, days after the prominent Republican endorsed Slotkin against her Republican opponent, former Rep. Mike Rogers.
In a statement Cheney said her endorsement in the competitive, open Senate race is “not about policy differences” but rather “about doing what’s right for our country.”
“The stakes in this election are unlike anything we’ve ever faced before, but the future of our democracy is on the line,” Cheney, a former member of House GOP leadership, said in Wednesday’s announcement.
"At a moment when our democracy is being challenged, Liz Cheney’s voice has been critical," Slotkin said in a statement, adding: "While we certainly don’t agree on every issue, I look forward to welcoming her back to Michigan next week to talk about the issues where all Americans can come together."
Monday evening’s event won’t be Cheney’s first time on the campaign trail with Slotkin. She endorsed the Michigan Democrat two years ago for Congress, marking the first time Cheney ever backed a candidate across party lines. This year, of course, she has endorsed Harris over Trump in the presidential race.
At a 2022 event in Slotkin’s congressional district, Cheney urged voters to “look beyond partisan politics” for “the survival of our republic” — a tone the Wyoming Republican struck during a string of appearances with Harris this week.
Earlier this month, Cheney backed Democrats in a pair of contested House races in New York and Pennsylvania that could hamper Republicans’ chances of retaining power in the lower chamber.
Trump says the U.S. should deport special counsel Jack Smith
Trump said in an interview on WABC radio yesterday that special counsel Jack Smith should be deported from the United States.
The former president, while discussing the border and illegal immigration, said that the U.S. has to "get the killers and murderers and mentally deranged, you have to get them out."
"And we should throw Jack Smith out with them — the mentally deranged people. Jack Smith should be considered mentally deranged, and he should be thrown out of the country," Trump said.
The special counsel's office declined to comment.
Earlier in the day yesterday, Trump said that he would fire Smith as special counsel "within two seconds" if he's re-elected. He previously said that Smith and other federal prosecutors who have charged him should wind up in a mental institution if he wins a second White House term.
13 ex-Trump administration officials sign open letter backing John Kelly
Thirteen former Trump White House officials signed an open letter backing former Trump chief of staff John Kelly, who told The New York Times that Trump fits the definition of a fascist.
“We applaud General Kelly for highlighting in stark details the danger of a second Trump term. Like General Kelly, we did not take the decision to come forward lightly,” the letter said. “We are all lifelong Republicans who served our country. However, there are moments in history where it becomes necessary to put country over party. This is one of those moments.”
Politico was first to report on the letter.
Harris to crisscross Philly neighborhoods Sunday to get out the vote
Harris will make multiple campaign stops throughout parts of Philadelphia on Sunday with hope of turning out voters, a senior campaign official said. She will visit historically Black and Latino neighborhoods, the official said.
Harris will start by speaking at a church service in the western part of the city, where she will also visit a barbershop to speak with Black men. Harris also plans to visit a Puerto Rican restaurant in the northern part of the city and a youth basketball facility in Philly's northwestern region.
Sunday is Harris' 14th visit to Pennsylvania since she launched her presidential campaign, the official said.
Harris to deliver speech in Texas centered on reproductive rights
Harris will head to Texas to deliver a speech centered on reproductive rights, a senior campaign official said.
Texas is not considered to be a swing state, but the campaign said it selected the state for the speech because it represents the impact of abortion restrictions, which the campaign is trying to tie to Trump. Polling indicates that abortion is a top issue for voters.
A group of people affected by restrictions on abortion will join Harris at the rally, the official said.
The Harris campaign is also releasing a TV advertisement centered on women criticizing Trump for his comments about the Supreme Court's overruling Roe v. Wade.
Also in Texas, Harris will sit for an interview with podcast host Brené Brown, the campaign official said.
Democrats says they're ramping up ground game in final sprint to Election Day
With under two weeks to Election Day, and as millions of Americans have already voted, the Democratic National Committee is kicking its ground game operation into high gear for the final sprint.
If you got a knock on your front door last weekend, there’s a good chance it was from one of the canvassers the DNC says were using its proprietary canvassing software to seek out possible Democratic voters.
And those text messages you’re getting from Democratic campaigns aren’t just feeling like they’re getting more frequent; they actually are. The DNC says it has invested millions of dollars into improving its cellphone lists to reach out to more than 80% of voters — a 50% increase from 2016.
In a memo released today, the DNC is also touting its coordination with IWillVote.com, a DNC-funded venture that allows voters to find voting and drop-off locations near them, along with resources that alert users to their voter registration statuses. More than 72,000 people looked up their polling places yesterday, according to the DNC.
All of that takes significant financial resources — which the Harris campaign and DNC have no shortage of. New analysis from NBC News indicates outside groups have spent $464 million in support of the Democratic campaign — on top of the billion dollars the Harris campaign has raised during the third quarter.
To put that into perspective, that’s more than the gross domestic product of more than a dozen countries, NBC News’ Ben Kamisar writes.
On the GOP side, the Trump campaign touts its Trump Force 47 voter outreach program as key to its ground game success. Outside groups, including Elon musk’s America PAC and Turning Point Action, are also contributing to the door-knocking and text-sending efforts.