Biden tells Trump ‘get a life’ over hurricane misinformation
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden on Thursday delivered a sharp rebuke of Donald Trump for spreading misinformation about the federal government’s hurricane response.
Speaking on Hurricane Milton at the White House on Thursday afternoon, Biden was asked if he’s spoken to Trump directly.
“Are you kidding me? Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life, man. Help these people,” Biden responded.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(WASHINGTON) — Election officials in Georgia and North Carolina said Monday that voting from their states in the presidential election in November will not be derailed by the damage left by Hurricane Helene even as crews continue to search for victims.
Though parts of the two states were devastated by the hurricane, election officials said they are working on plans to assure that every ballot cast for the Nov. 5 election will be counted.
“What has been on everyone’s mind is what will happen to elections,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said at a news conference Monday. “Good news: Absentee ballots are going out this week as scheduled, and early voting will start next Tuesday, on Oct. 15.”
Raffensperger said that while Helene caused widespread damage and power outages in his state, he does not expect there to be any major disruptions to the general election. He said election offices and voting equipment in the state’s 159 counties escaped serious damage.
Blake Evans, elections director for the Georgia secretary of state’s office, said county officials are assessing about 2,400 polling locations. So far, just three will have to be changed because of storm damage, he added.
In North Carolina, the state’s Board of Elections unanimously approved on Monday a measure that would broaden the authority of local election officials in the counties most impacted by the disaster.
The approved measure will allow election officials in 13 of the hardest-hit North Carolina counties to make changes to voting sites, access emergency supplies and deploy teams to assist with absentee voting at disaster shelters ahead of early voting commencing on Oct. 17.
“We are committed to ensuring that we open early voting on the 17th in all 100 counties, including these affected counties. It may look a little different in these affected counties, but we fully intend to offer early voting starting on the 17th,” said Karen Brinson Bell, executive director of the North Carolina Board of Elections.
As of Monday, every county election office in North Carolina was opened, according to Bell, compared to last week when 14 of those offices were closed due to the storm. Bell thanked local election officials throughout the state for working to get their offices online while facing “personal struggles” including damage to their homes, transportation issues and a lack of basic utilities.
“What a difference a week makes … this is just quite the feat,” Bell said. “Our struggles are not over, and that is why we need the Board to take action to give the flexibility necessary to carry out these elections, and to be of the best service to the voters that we can be.”
She told reporters Monday that authorities could bring in National Guard tents or FEMA trailers to act as polling locations, and she insisted that it can be done securely and safely.
“It’s not as spacious as your normal polling location, but it does provide the space necessary at the existing voting site if the parking lot [of a polling site is] still accessible,” she said. “[And] even in a temporary structure we can still maintain security of the voting equipment and safety of our workers.”
In Yancey County, North Carolina, Board of Elections Director Mary Beth Tipton told ABC News that officials are still assessing how many of the county’s 11 polling sites would be operational by Election Day. Most of the other polling sites are in schools and fire stations, which are currently being used as shelters and emergency relief sites, and two election stations were severely damaged by flood waters.
“There are some of them that don’t even exist anymore,” Tipton said.
One of the hardest-hit counties was Buncombe County, which sustained historic flooding. The county includes Asheville, the eleventh-largest city in the state.
As of Monday, 67,000 utility customers remained without electricity and a large part of Buncombe County was without running water due to major damage to the water system and its water treatment plant, officials said. Recovery crews continued to search massive piles of debris for 60 people who remain unaccounted for, officials said.
“I’m here to reassure our community that Buncombe County will vote,” Corinne Duncan, the director of Buncombe County Election Services, said at a news conference Monday.
Duncan said she was concerned that some polling places would have to be changed due to the lack of water or power. She said most of the election offices and voting equipment were spared by the storm, but officials are working to “strategize and modify plans” to make sure anyone who wants to vote can do so.
She said officials are trying to get in touch with polling workers for training to make sure polling stations are staffed. As of now, early voting will begin as planned in Buncombe County and residents still have until Oct. 11 to register to vote, Duncan said.
“We are assessing what voting locations are available,” said Duncan, adding, “We must respect the gravity of our situation.”
(CHICAGO) — After the excitement sparked by the Obamas Tuesday night, Democrats will try to keep to momentum going when vice presidential nominee Tim Walz headlines the third night of speakers.
He’ll be joined earlier by another former president — Bill Clinton — as well as Nancy Pelosi and Pete Buttigieg.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Shapiro pushes ‘freedom’ message
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro continued with the Democrats’ message of freedom contending that they were the party of “real freedom” — to the cheers of the crowd.
“Kamala’s and Tim’s names may be on the ballot, but it’s your rights, it’s our rights and our future and our freedoms on the line,” he said.
Shapiro drew the line from the Revolutionary War to the Civil Rights movement as examples of how the country has come together to keep those freedoms, prompting chants of “USA” from the crowd.
“E pluribus unum — out of many, one — is not merely a motto from the past, but a direction for our future,” he said.
Shapiro was on the short list for Harris’ vice presidential picks before she selected Walz.
Tony West plays a critical role in Harris campaign
Tony West, Harris’ brother-in-law, also serves as a close adviser to her 2024 campaign. He’s been seen little on the trail but is now on stage talking about meeting Harris and their shared passion for criminal justice.
Harris’ nephews, niece: ‘Let’s win this thing’
Alexander Hudlin, Jasper Emhoff and Arden Emhoff, Harris’ nephews and niece, touted their aunt as someone who listened to their concerns and pushed them to never give up hope.
The three reciprocated that support.
“Most importantly, you’re a baller,” Alexander said.
“Let’s win this thing,” the three said together.
A night of torch-passing
There’s some torch-passing in tonight’s speaker lineup: from Clinton and Pelosi to Shapiro, Wes Moore, Pete Buttigieg and ending the night with Gov. Walz.
-ABC News’ Rick Klein
Pelosi does not mention Trump by name, mentions Jan. 6
Former House Speaker Nancy did not mention Trump by name during her speech, including when addressing Jan. 6.
“Never before had a president of the United States so brazenly assaulted the bedrock of our democracy, so gleefully embraced political violence, so willfully betrayed his oath of office,” she said. “Let us not forget who assaulted democracy on Jan. 6. He did! But let us not forget who saved democracy that day. We did.”
She said lawmakers returning to the Capitol that same night demonstrated that “American democracy prevailed” and called on voters now to “reject autocracy” and “choose democracy” by electing Harris and Walz.
Pelosi thanks Biden for his ‘patriotic vision of a fairer America’
After a warm welcome from the crowd, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began her remarks thanking Biden for his “patriotic vision of a fairer America.”
“Millions of jobs. Stronger infrastructure. A Biden child tax credit. Rescuing union pensions. Honoring our veterans. Bold climate action. Lowering the costs of prescription drugs,” she said of the presidency’s accomplishments, calling it one of the most successful of modern times.
Pelosi said Harris is now “ready to take us to new heights.”
“Officially, she is a leader of strength, with wisdom and eloquence on policy — most recently demonstrated fighting for women’s right to choose. Politically, she is astute and strategic in winning difficult elections — quickly securing the nomination with dignity and grace and choosing Tim Walz as our vice president,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi at DNC after appearing to play a significant role in Biden’s exit
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is addressing the DNC after appearing to play a significant role in Biden’s exit from the top of the Democratic ticket.
Pelosi, who last month endorsed Harris to be the party’s nominee for president, did not publicly call on Biden to withdraw from the race. Instead, Pelosi, in a July 10 interview, declined to directly answer when asked if Biden had her support in his reelection bid after his ruinous debate performance.
At the time, Biden had already committed to running for reelection, writing in a statement congressional Democrats days earlier that he was “firmly committed” to staying in the race.
Her comments blunted any progress Biden was trying to make persuading congressional Democrats that he was up for the job. And Pelosi’s ambiguous public comments instead created space for rank-and-file Democrats to pressure the president to drop out.
-ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley, John Parkinson, Lauren Peller and Allison Pecorin
Clinton also warns Democrats not to get distracted as 2016 memories loom
Bill Clinton, like many of this week’s keynote speakers, is advising Democrats at the United Center and around the country not to get distracted or overconfident this election cycle.
Seemingly referencing the 2016 election, he said: “We’ve seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it couldn’t happen. When people got distracted by phony issues.
“This is a brutal, tough business. I want you to be happy,” he continued. “One of the reasons that Vice President Harris is doing so well is that we’re all so happy. But you should never underestimate your adversary.”
‘Joy’ a key word of the night
Speakers at the DNC have mentioned the word “joy” more than two dozen times tonight.
The most recent reference came from Bill Clinton.
“Like Hakeem Jeffries, I too want an America that’s more joyful, more inclusive, more future focused,” he said. “Just think what a burden that’s been on us to get up day after day after day after day, buried in meaningless hot rhetoric, when there’s so many opportunities out there, so many problems that need to be solved.”
Clinton mocks Trump’s Hannibal Lecter comments
“President Obama once gave me the great honor of being the explainer-in-chief. Folks, I’ve thought about it and I don’t know what to say,” he said of Trump’s references to Hannibal Lecter on the campaign trail.
Clinton jokes about Harris and his love for McDonald’s
“When she was young, she worked at McDonald’s, and she greeted every person with that thousand-watt smile and said, ‘How can I help you?’ Now she’s at the pinnacle of power and she’s still asking, ‘How can I help you?'” he said of Harris.
“I’ll be so happy when she actually enters the White House as president, because she will break my record as the president who spent the most time at McDonald’s,” he said.
As president, Clinton often made stops at McDonald’s — something parodied on “SNL.”
Clinton, Trump, Bush all about the same age
With his quip about Trump’s age, Clinton reminds us of a historical oddity: He, Trump, and George W. Bush were all born within a few weeks of each other in summer 1946. Trump was born on June 14, Bush on July 6, and Clinton on Aug. 19.
—538’s Nathaniel Rakich
Clinton turns age issue onto Trump
Bill Clinton noted he turned 78 years old earlier this week and is the oldest person in his family.
“And I am still younger than Donald Trump,” he joked.
With Biden out of the race, Trump is now the oldest person seeking the White House.
Clinton is going off script
Clinton is going off script pretty considerably — not on the substance, but as if he’s making little edits in his head along the way.
Bill Clinton pointed out he’s younger than Donald Trump, who was born two months before him. Of course, he doesn’t mention that both are younger than Joe Biden.
-ABC News’ Rick Klein
Bill Clinton compares Biden to George Washington
Bill Clinton praised Biden for his work on a number of issues, but expressed thanks for his sacrifice in stepping aside.
“And then he did something that’s really hard for a politician to do: he voluntarily gave up political power,” he said. “And George Washington knew that and he did it, and he set the standard for us serving two terms before it was mandatory. It helped his legacy and it will enhance Joe Biden’s legacy.”
“It’s a stark contrast to what goes on in the other party,” Clinton said.
Bill Clinton says he’s ‘grateful’ to Republicans, independents at DNC
“After the last two days, aren’t you proud to be a Democrat?” he asked the crowd as he began his remarks.
“I’m very grateful to the Republicans and independents that have joined us and I hope they feel better about it now,” he said.
He also said he thought his wife, Hillary, gave a “great speech too.” Clinton spoke on Monday about how she believed Harris could break the “hardest glass ceiling.”
Jeffries says of Trump ‘bro, we broke up with you for a reason’
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries got a huge laugh when took a jab at former President Donald Trump, calling him “an old boyfriend who you broke up with, but he just won’t go away.”
“He has spent the last four years spinning the block, trying to get back into a relationship with the American people. Bro, we broke up with you for a reason,” he said to cheers.
Bill Clinton scrapped version of speech after watching 1st night of DNC: Sources
Former President Bill Clinton scrapped a version of his speech after the watching the first night of the convention, several people familiar with the speech told ABC News.
Clinton, who is speaking Wednesday night, revised his speech to make sure the “substance meets the moment” and wanted to strike a more “joyful” tone, after he was struck by the energy of the convention floor, one source said.
A senior adviser to Clinton told ABC News that “it was clear to him that, in the spirit of Mario Coumo, we needed more poetry, not prose.”
Cuomo gave the keynote address at the 1984 Democratic convention, saying, “We Democrats must unite so that the entire nation can unite, because surely the Republicans won’t bring this country together.”
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Katherine Faulders
Mindy Kaling hosts tonight
Actress Mindy Kaling is tonight’s celebrity host.
In 2019, she and Harris went viral for a video in which they prepared masala dosa, a South Indian dish.
In her introduction, Kaling referred to herself as “the woman who courageously outed Kamala Harris as Indian in an Instagram cooking video.”
Democrats lean on celebrities to energize crowd on Wednesday
Democrats have already brought out multiple celebrities Wednesday, including musical legend Stevie Wonder and comedian Kenan Thompson. The crowd roared each tome in surprise.
John Legend will also perform later.
Both parties have used celebrities, including wrestler Hulk Hogan at the Republican National Convention.
Kenan Thompson of ‘SNL’ lampoons ‘Project 2025’
Veteran “SNL’ actor Kenan Thompson performed a bit of a stump speech and variety skit at the DNC that poked fun at “Project 2025.”
Thompson brought the prop “Project 2025” book and talked with people across the country about how the conservative policies would harm them drawing boos and laughs from the crowd.
Vulnerable House Democrat attending DNC tonight to support Walz
Many vulnerable Democrats have skipped the convention in Chicago — but not Marcy Kaptur.
The Ohio Democrat, the longest-serving woman in congressional history, now represents a much redder seat after redistricting.
A spokesperson said she traveled to Chicago today to hear Walz — her former House colleague — in person after calling for Harris to choose a running mate from the heartland.
Her presence underscores how the new Harris ticket has reenergized Democrats and given even threatened members of the party hope that they can defend their seats in November and retake the House of Representatives.
They see Walz as one of their own: While he served in Congress, he was one of the few House Democrats to win reelection in a district that supported Donald Trump. (Democrats lost the seat when he ran for governor in 2018.)
-ABC News’ Rachel Scott and Benjamin Siegel
Democratic Senate candidates are avoiding the DNC
Kim is the third Democratic Senate candidate to address the DNC, after Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester. All three are running in safely Democratic states. By contrast, vulnerable Democratic senators like Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jacky Rosen of Nevada are staying away.
—538’s Nathaniel Rakich
Stevie Wonder performs ‘Higher Ground’
“This year I prayed very hard for peace to come to our worlds nations, but also to each one of our hearts.” he said in remarks before his performance.
“Even though our hearts have been beaten and broken beyond prayer, I know the important action and now is the time to understand where we are and what it will take to win. Win the broken hearts. Win the disenchanted, when the angry spirit. Now is the time,” he said.
Congressman in viral Jan. 6 photo
New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim, who just spoke, was captured in a viral photo kneeling to clean up litter-lined floors of the U.S. Capitol after the insurrection.
“What I learned on January 6 is that all of us, all of our, are caretakers for our great republic,” Kim told the crowd.
Jan. 6 video riles crowd up
The video showing scenes from the Jan. 6 attack sparked chants of “lock him up,” which only subsided once Thompson took the stage.
The crowd has gotten very animated whenever the riot is brought up, often chanting for Trump’s imprisonment.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Former Capitol police officer attacked in Jan. 6 riot greeted with loud applause
Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, a former Capitol police officer who was attacked by rioters on Jan. 6, is now taking the stage to loud applause
Gonell told ABC News a year after the insurrection that he was reminded of the attack on the U.S. Capitol every day.
“From the way I sleep, eating breakfast, making sure I don’t hurt myself putting my shirt on. The way I walk, the way I play with my son. The phone calls from the Justice Department, from the FBI, from the department, asking ‘do I recognize this individual?’… It hasn’t been easy,” Gonell told ABC News’ “World News Tonight” anchor David Muir in an interview that aired in January 2022.
Oprah Winfrey to speak at DNC tonight: Sources
Oprah Winfrey will be on stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night, multiple sources familiar with the program confirmed to ABC News.
CNN first reported the development.
–ABC News’ Will Steakin and Katherine Faulders
Another Republican endorsement for Harris
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, another Republican endorsement for Harris scheduled during the DNC this week, said Trump is a “direct threat to democracy.”
“The only thing left to do is dump Trump,” he said, as the crowd chanted “dump Trump.”
Olivia Troye says being in Trump’s White House was ‘terrifying’ Olivia Troye, a former Trump White House National Security official, told the crowd that “being inside Trump’s White House was terrifying.”
“But what keeps me up at night is what will happen if he gets back here,” she continued.
She said she is proud to support Harris because they agree on the most important issue — “protecting our freedom.”
Immigration has been a weakness for Democrats this cycle
Democrats are trying to make progress with voters when it comes to immigration and border security.
A recent ABC News poll found Donald Trump retains the upper hand on the issue, keeping the race a closely contested one.
Trump leads Harris by 10 points in trust to handle the immigration situation at the U.S.-Mexico border, though he had led by 14 points in July.
At the DNC, speakers are bashing Trump for encouraging congressional Republicans to kill the bipartisan border deal negotiated earlier this year.
“He is a self-serving man,” Javier Salazar, the sheriff of Bexar County, Texas, just said on stage. “Just like when he killed the border bill, he just made our jobs harder.”
Former Trump official touts Harris support
Olivia Troye, a former Trump White House National Security official, is on stage — one of several Republicans scheduled to speak during the DNC this week.
Booker once had his own presidential ambitions
In 2020, the New Jersey senator mounted a campaign for the Democratic nomination after decades on the rise within the party.
The theme of his campaign was unity and love. His optimistic messaging was on display again tonight as he spoke.
“We’re not going to lose our faith,” he said. “Look, I want everybody in here to let us all say it together: I believe in America.”
The crowd repeated the phrase back to him.
Trump not serious about the border: Texas congresswoman
As the programming shifts to border security, Texas Rep. Veronica Escobar said that former President Donald Trump and his imitators see the border as a “political opportunity to exploit instead of an issue to address.”
“They are not serious people. You know who is serious? Kamala Harris,” she said, talking about Harris’ visit to El Paso engaging with stakeholders.
“She recognized that the situation at the border is complicated — as filled with challenges as it is with opportunities,” Escobar said.
Maren Morris said she split with country music over Trump-era culture
Maren Morris is now performing at the DNC.
The singer had a public break with the country music industry last year over what she said was its inability to tackle racism and misogyny.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said the Trump-era exacerbated those issues.
“After the Trump years, people’s biases were on full display,” she said. “It just revealed who people really were and that they were proud to be misogynistic and racist and homophobic and transphobic. All these things were being celebrated, and it was weirdly dovetailing with this hyper-masculine branch of country music.”
Israeli American hostage’s parents push for cease-fire deal, send message to son
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, told the crowd, many whom wore “bring them home bracelets,” that they are pushing for a cease-fire and the safe return of the hostages.
“The time is now,” he said.
Many in the crowd were in tears.
Goldberg ended the speech with a message to her son.
Michigan AG Nessel: ‘You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand’
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel had a message for Republicans and the Supreme Court tonight: “You can pry this wedding band from my cold, dead, gay hand.”
“And I’m retaining a lot of water, so good luck with that,” she added.
Taking an apparent jab at Trump, Nessel said: “Kamala knows you go from the courthouse to the White House, not the other way around.”
Crowd chants ‘bring them home’ as parents of Israeli hostage address crowd
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin — one of the Israeli-American hostages, got emotional as they took the stage to a huge ovation.
“Bring them home,” the crowd chanted.
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of the American-Israeli hostages, got emotional as they took the stage to a huge ovation.
Harris and Walz are ‘listening’ to calls for cease-fire, Ellison says
To those calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and “an end to the loss of innocent lives in Gaza” and to bring the hostages home, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison had a message.
“They’re listening, friends. They agree with us,” he said.
“They listen, they care, and everyone is included in their circle of compassion,” he told the crowd.
The comments come as pro-Palestinian demonstrators have been protesting outside the DNC this week to put pressure on Harris’ campaign for a cease-fire.
Ellison cashes in progressive capital for Harris
Ellison was one of the few Muslims to serve in the House before becoming Minnesota attorney general and was one of the chamber’s most vocal progressives. He’s likely one of the few Democrats with cache within the party who also has appeal to the pro-Palestinian protesters outside, making him a potent messenger for Harris on this issue.
Trump’s tried to distance himself from Project 2025. DNC not making it easy
The controversial conservative policy blueprint has become a flashpoint in the 2024 election.
As a result, Trump has tried to put space between his 2024 campaign and the project, despite some of his close advisers and former administration officials being involved in its creation.
“I know nothing about Project 2025,” Trump has claimed on social media. “I have no idea who is behind it.”
Democrats, however, are intent on tying the policy wishlist to Trump. Speakers this week have decried its proposals on everything from reproductive rights and health care to agency regulation.
Minnesota AG plans to address DNC protesters Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, now taking the stage, indicated to ABC News earlier Wednesday that he would address the Gaza crisis directly — and protesters who have raised their voices at the DNC — during his speech.
“I don’t know how much disagreement there is. I think we all want to see the violence stop and civilians have safety and security, and to see Gaza restored. I think there’s general agreement on that,” he said.
‘Swiftie’ Gov. Jared Polis calls out Project 2025
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis brought back the Project 2025 prop book and continued the theme of slamming its conservative policy proposals.
Polis, a self-proclaimed “Swiftie,” cited one of the pop star’s famous lyrics in denouncing the ideology.
“These Project 2025 people like Trump and Vance are not just weird, they’re dangerous. They want to take us backwards. But we aren’t going back. Like ever, ever, ever,” he said to applause.
Booker jabs at Project 2025 as ‘Project 1825’
Sen. Cory Booker continued to criticize Project 2025 with a bit on how Democrats believe it will take the country backward.
“No matter where you live, so-called blue states or red states, if Donald Trump has his way, he’s going to push through their extreme agenda Project 1825,” Booker said.
“I mean, I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I roll that back. I got that wrong. Project 1925. Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Project 2025. That poisonous agenda where every single state will be in a state of crisis.”
Abortion access advocates warn dangers of Trump-Vance policies
A few speakers who lead organizations focused on reproductive rights highlighted Vice President Kamala Harris’ support of reproductive rights and abortion access, saying that a Donald Trump and JD Vance administration would roll back access to abortion.
Alexis McGill Johnson, the president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, spoke about South Carolina and Florida’s six-week ban on abortion and how it impacted a Planned Parenthood patient in Georgia, who tried to go to those states because Georgia also bans abortion after six weeks.
“I’m here to tell you, in no way are Donald J. Trump and JD Vance more qualified than doctors and women to make these decisions. We decide. We trust women. We trust doctors. And we trust Kamala Harris,” she said.
-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim
Campaign co-chair on DNC goals
Delaware Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, the co-chair of the Harris-Walz campaign, is now on stage.
She told ABC News earlier this week that the campaign wanted to focus on how Harris and Walz will uplift the middle class during the convention.
Speakers highlight impact of bipartisan infrastructure law
Local officials and workers are taking to the stage to speak about the impact of the bipartisan infrastructure law on their communities.
The law is one of the signature policy achievements of the Biden-Harris administration. When it passed in the Senate, Vice President Harris was there to preside over the final vote.
Milwaukee Mayor Chevy Johnson made headlines for Trump remarks
Milwaukee Mayor Chevy Johnson has taken to the stage.
He made headlines in June after former President Donald Trump reportedly called Milwaukee “horrible” in a closed-door meeting weeks before the city hosted the Republican National Convention.
“Donald Trump was talking about things that he thinks are horrible. All of us lived through his presidency. So, right back at you, buddy,” Johnson said in response during a news conference at the time.
Asked at the time what he meant by the reported “horrible city” comment, Trump told Fox News he was referring to crime in Milwaukee and the 2020 election.
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval a history-making official
Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval has taken the stage. He is Cincinnati’s first Asian American mayor and, like Harris, has a parent who immigrated to the U.S. from India.
Tom Suozzi vows better immigration policy under Dems
New York Rep. Tom Suozzi, who flipped a Long Island seat this winter, reiterated his message on the campaign trail about the need to solve the nation’s migrant issue.
“To be a nation of immigrants is hard sometimes, too. You have to work for it,” he said.
Democrats jump on ‘freedom’ theme
The DNC marks a culmination of decades of Democratic efforts to take back patriotism after years of Republicans owning messaging around “freedom” and the American flag.
The word “freedom” is seemingly on the lips of every attendee and speaker — and the name of Beyoncé’s hit song and now-campaign anthem. Audience chants of “USA!” puncture speakers’ remarks as they wave signs saying the same. Camo hats bearing the names of Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pockmark the crowd. And musician Jason Isbell performed the country hit song “Something More Than Free.”
Read more here about how Democrats have been running on this message, which has long been a staple in GOP messaging.
-ABC News’ Tal Axelrod
Project 2025 in focus again
Project 2025, a playbook of controversial policy proposals intended to guide the next conservative administration, has been invoked again during the DNC, this time regarding reproductive rights.
Jessica Mackler, president of EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, called Project 2025 a “blueprint for banning abortion in all 50 states” that will give extremists “the power to monitor your pregnancy.”
“Make no mistake — the threat of Project 2025 is very real,” she told the crowd. “But so is our ability to stop it.”
Reproductive rights at the forefront
Day 3 of the DNC kicked off with a focus on reproductive rights — featuring a video of women talking about the importance of the issue this election and speeches so far by Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All, and Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood.
Cory Booker pays tribute to Bill Pascrell
The New Jersey senator took a moment to reflect on Rep. Bill Pascrell, who died Wednesday at the age of 87. Pascrell served in Congress for 14 terms.
“Today while we’re heartbroken, we’re all people who can hold loss and joy in our hearts because we are sad for his loss but we celebrate his life,” Booker said. “Let’s give him a round of applause.”
Chicago police investigating DNC breakfast incident
Chicago police and the FBI are investigating an incident at a DNC breakfast Wednesday morning, according to ABC Chicago station WLS.
One victim was treated and released at the scene, police said.
The Fairmont Chicago hotel, the site of the incident, released a statement confirming that “a group of individuals caused a disruption at a DNC-related breakfast event at our hotel this morning.” The hotel thanked law enforcement for its “swift response.”
-ABC News’ Ben Stein
Bill Clinton speech to be hopeful with jabs aimed at Trump: Source
Former President Clinton’s address at the DNC will be hopeful and aspirational, according to a source familiar with its contents.
The source also said it will include fiery, newsworthy jabs aimed at former President Donald Trump and will highlight the qualities that make for a responsible, qualified commander in chief in the nation’s highest office.
The speech is expected to highlight the striking differences in vision, experience and temperament between Harris and Trump, underscoring the vice president’s story and what her candidacy means for the nation.
-ABC News’ Gabrielle Abdul-Hakim
Night 3 of the DNC kicks off
The third night of the DNC is officially underway, with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker calling the convention to order.
The theme is “A fight for our freedoms” and will feature speeches from former President Bill Clinton and Walz, as he accepts the party’s nomination for vice president.
Wes Moore, rising party star, gets prime-time spot Conventions are also about parties identifying those they view as future leaders.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s coveted speaking spot tonight will not go unnoticed.
His team said this night is about the future, forward momentum, and he is grateful to be a part of that.
He knows Democrats need to show they are delivering actual results, and he thinks he has a story to tell there. A senior staffer to the governor told ABC News he will focus on the Key Bridge collapse and talk about what Biden and Harris did to support his state.
Moore also has a personal relationship with Walz, who reached out to him when he first won and has acted as a sounding board for the governor.
-ABC News’ MaryAlice Parks
The original ‘smoke-filled room’
As I reported on Monday, political conventions in Chicago have a long and storied history. And some of that history can still be found today.
At the 1920 Republican National Convention, the GOP couldn’t decide on a presidential candidate to save their life. After four rounds of balloting on June 11, no candidate had come close to clinching a majority of delegates. That night, a group of party leaders convened in Room 915 of the Blackstone Hotel and decided that Ohio Sen. Warren G. Harding would be an acceptable compromise choice. The following day, after a few more deadlocked votes, delegates decided to follow their lead and switched their votes to Harding, who won the nomination on the 10th ballot.
Those party leaders didn’t technically have the power to nominate Harding themselves, but a popular image soon emerged of Republican elites secretly pulling the strings to get their preferred candidate elected. As an AP reporter put it (probably exaggeratedly), “Harding of Ohio was chosen by a group of men in a smoke-filled room early today as Republican candidate for president.” The phrase “smoke-filled room” captured the public’s imagination and quickly became shorthand for when party leaders coordinate behind the scenes to anoint a candidate.
History buffs will be pleased to learn that the “smoke-filled room” still exists today! Although the room (along with the whole hotel) has been completely renovated, the original fireplace is still there, and the room is decorated with political paraphernalia. If you have the coin, you can even stay there yourself! When I visited on Monday, the room was vacant, but it was booked for Tuesday through Saturday. But it isn’t a political bigwig who’s staying there this week — it’s apparently a musician!
—538’s Nathaniel Rakich
John Legend to perform at DNC Wednesday night
Singer John Legend and percussionist Sheila E. will perform at the DNC Wednesday night. They were photographed in the United Center rehearsing ahead of the convention’s third night.
Vance says DNC ‘vibes’ are not reaching voters
In an interview on “Fox and Friends” on Wednesday morning, GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance said the DNC’s “vibes” weren’t working and reaching people, and suggested there is division within the Democratic Party.
“I don’t think it’s working very well, Ainsley, obviously, I’m not the target audience here, but when you have Barack Obama, the former democratic president of the United States, sitting there and making his big speech, and Kamala Harris is 90 miles away, I think it suggests that their party is not especially unified,” he said.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Video shows Harris reacting to roll call Tuesday night from backstage at rally
From backstage at her Milwaukee rally Tuesday night, Vice President Kamala Harris watched California Gov. Gavin Newsom cast his state’s votes during Tuesday night’s ceremonial roll call.
“California, we proudly cast our 482 votes for the next president, Kamala Harris,” Newsom can be heard saying in the video, posted by the Harris campaign.
Harris appeared overcome with emotion watching the moment.
“Congratulations,” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who was standing next to Harris, told the vice president before exchanging a hug.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Booker, Moore, Shapiro and more expected to speak Wednesday night
Sen. Cory Booker, and Govs. Wes Moore of Maryland and Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania are expected to take the stage Wednesday night before Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s Wednesday prime-time address, according to DNC Executive Director Alex Hornbrook.
Former Trump staffer Olivia Troye will also give remarks, Hornbrook told reporters.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd
Harris’ campaign has raised around $500M since becoming Democratic candidate: Source
Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign has raised about $500 million since President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race, according to a source familiar.
New campaign disclosure filings once again show the Harris campaign and the DNC’s cash on hand advantage over the Trump campaign and the RNC following a major fundraising boost the Democrats saw after Vice President Kamala Harris took over the top of the Democratic ticket last month.
The Harris campaign and the DNC together raised $248 million in July, out-raising The Trump campaign and the RNC, which raised $78 million, disclosures show.
The Harris campaign and the DNC entered August with $285 million in cash on hand, compared to the Trump campaign and the RNC having $250 million in cash on hand entering August.
Harris and the DNC’s latest money advantage comes after Trump and the RNC showed fundraising prowess the past few months and quickly eclipsed the cash on hand edge that Biden and the DNC previously had going into the general election.
The latest filings only show partial figures released by the campaigns and the national party committees’ figures – with full figures from the joint fundraising committees scheduled to be released in October.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Tim Walz takes the convention stage
Amid lingering buzz generated by passionate speeches from Michelle and Barack Obama – vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will be the keynote speaker tonight.
The man Kamala Harris calls “Coach” will likely stress what he calls the politics of “joy” while also taking swipes at Donald Trump.
The theme tonight is “A Fight for our Freedoms.”
Other notable speakers tonight include figures beloved by Democrats – former President Bill Clinton and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
(NEW YORK) — With less than six weeks until Election Day, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are campaigning in battleground states this week and making their case for why they should lead the country.
Harris will be travel to Arizona on Friday for some campaign events and to visit the southern border, according to a source familiar with her plans. It will be her first visit to the border since 2021.
Trump will be in New York, where he plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Trump Tower. Later Friday, he will campaign in Michigan.
Here’s how the news is developing:
VP debate rules announced
CBS News has released the rules for next week’s vice presidential debate between Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz and Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance.
Unlike the Biden-Trump and Harris-Trump debates, the microphones will not be muted.
Harris assails Trump’s ‘broken promises’ to auto workers ahead of his Michigan town hall
Harris is out with a new ad blasting Trump over his “broken promises” to autoworkers ahead of his town hall in Warren, Michigan, as she hints she would look to scrap one of his signature trade deals.
The digital ad juxtaposes a clip of Trump promising at a 2016 rally that if elected, “You won’t lose one plant, you’ll have plants coming into this country, you’ll have jobs again,” to the closure of a Stellantis plant in that town two years later. (Stellantis owns the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands.)
In a statement overnight, Harris lambasted the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the trade deal Trump renegotiated to replace the Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement.
“Once again, he is repeating the same playbook and telling the same old lies about how he’ll fight for working people, including those in Michigan,” Harris said of the former president. “Yet it was Trump’s trade deal that made it far too easy for a major auto company like Stellantis to break their word to workers by outsourcing American jobs. As one of only 10 senators to vote against USMCA, I knew it was not sufficient to protect our country and its workers.”
“Many who voted for this deal conditioned their support on a review process, which as president I will use,” Harris said. The agreement is up for review in 2026, when parties can choose whether or not to extend it.
United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who endorsed Harris, told reporters Friday that her statement was “spot on.”
“It’s criminal that Donald Trump shows up in places like Flint, Michigan, and Warren, Michigan, or anywhere else in this country, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, and wants to tell workers how much he cares about them, that he’s got their back,” Fain said. “He doesn’t give a damn about working class people, especially auto workers.”
ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Trump and Zelenskyy now meeting
Trump and Zelenskyy are now meeting at Trump Tower.
“We’re going to have a discussion and see what we can come up with, but a great honor to have you,” Trump told reporters.
Trump and Zelenskyy then shook hands, with Zelenskyy thanking Trump for the meeting.
“The war in Ukraine has to be stopped and Putin can’t win and Ukraine has to prevail. And I want to discuss with you in detail about our plan,” Zelenskyy said.
Trump to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
After sources said Trump might not meet with the foreign leader while he is in the U.S., Trump told reporters on Thursday they will meet at 9:45 ET this morning at Trump Tower.
“It’s a shame what’s happening in Ukraine. So many deaths, so much destruction,” Trump said. “It’s a horrible thing. And one of the things that are very bothersome to me is the fact that Europe is paying only a small fraction of the money that the United States of America is paying, and we have an ocean between Russia and ourselves.”
ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott asked Trump if he believed Ukraine should cede its own territory to Russia in order to end the war — what Kamala Harris called “surrender.”
“We’ll see what happens,” Trump said. “Let’s get some peace. We need peace. We need to stop the death and destruction, don’t you think? Wouldn’t that be nice?”
Secret Service turns down Trump’s Saturday rally
The Secret Service informed Trump’s campaign it wouldn’t be able to accommodate his outdoor rally in Wisconsin on Saturday due to manpower issues, according to a source briefed on the situation.
The campaign wanted to have a rally at an airport hangar, but due to the Secret Service being stretched thin with the U.N. General Assembly in New York, it didn’t have the number of agents necessary to secure that site. A source said Secret Service personnel and equipment are being pushed to their limits to sustain the current operational tempo.
Trump’s detail is akin to those of President Joe Biden and Harris, with the exception of Defense Department assets on their details, and the agency wasn’t built to handle these increasing needs, according to a source familiar with the planning.
“Former President Donald Trump is receiving heightened levels of U.S. Secret Service protection and our top priority is mitigating risks to ensure his continued safety at all times,” Anthony Gugliemi, Secret Service chief of communications, said. “Out of concern for operational security, we cannot provide specific details about resources allocated for event security or communications between agency personnel and our protectees.”
The Trump campaign hasn’t responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
ABC News’ Luke Barr
Trump blasts Harris ahead of her border visit in lengthy remarks on immigration
Trump blasted Harris’ record as he spoke about immigration at Trump Tower in New York.
“Kamala Harris will be visiting the southern border that she has completely destroyed, from what I understand, tomorrow,” Trump said. “Why would she go to the border now, playing right into the hand of her opponent? I mean, you take a look at this — why would you do that? There can be no justification for what she’s done.”
Trump is going through a lengthy list of his grievances with Harris and continued to demonize migrants.
Trump to deliver remarks to reporters in New York
In a last-minute addition to his schedule, Trump’s campaign announced that he will deliver remarks Thursday at Trump Tower at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The campaign didn’t disclose the topic of his remarks, but they will happen on the same day that New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been charged with five counts connected to improper campaign contributions, according to a sweeping indictment unsealed Thursday morning.
This weekend, Trump will campaign in Michigan and Wisconsin.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Describing her decision not to take the stage at the Republican National Convention, Melania Trump pointed to the letter she penned following Trump’s assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
“It was my decision. I think was just the time. I think was the right time in, days before I wrote a beautiful letter to America, yes. And I think in one way, that letter was my speech,” she said in an interview that aired on Fox & Friends on Thursday morning.
Like her husband, Melania Trump blamed rhetoric from Democrats and people in the media as reasonings for why she feels there has been targeted violence against the former president.
“This is not normal, and is it really shocking that all this outrageous violence goes against my husband? Especially that we hear the leaders from the opposition party and mainstream media branding him as threat to democracy, calling him vile names,” she said. “They’re only fueling a toxic atmosphere and giving power to all of these people that they want to do harm to him. This needs to stop. This needs to stop. The country needs to unite.”
Recounting the moments she heard about Trump’s first assassination attempt, Melania Trump said that she couldn’t get ahold of Trump or the Secret Service initially.
“First, the Secret Service was not available too, because they were with him, right? And then after that, I got the Secret Service on the phone, and they said that he’s OK. We are in on the way to the hospital,” she said.
She also talked about having to tell their son, Barron, about the attack.
“He was outside playing sport, and he rushed in, and was very, very difficult,” she said.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Melania Trump advocates for 2nd Trump term in 1st interview of 2024 cycle
Former first lady Melania Trump, sitting down for an interview with Fox & Friends, attempted to pitch her husband to voters.
“I think American people need to decide what they really want. Maybe some, you know, strong tweets, but everything else great for this country. So it’s all in Americans people’s hands on Nov. 5,” she said, arguing her husband was a strong leader in terms of the economy and immigration.
Despite her lack of a role on the campaign, Melania Trump said that she supports her husband’s third bid to the White House.
“I know how passionate he is to make America great again,” she said.
Melania Trump was also asked some personal questions about her relationship with Trump.
“Did you fall in love then?” co-host Ainsley Earhardt asked after Melania Trump described meeting Donald Trump for the first time.
“It was a connection. It was a connection,” Melania Trump responded.
“His being,” she later said when asked what she loves most about Trump. “His humor, his personality, his kindness, he’s, he’s very special, his positivity, his energy. It’s unbelievable. Yeah, so we have a beautiful relationship.”
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
More details of Harris’ planned visit to border revealed
An aide to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign provided more details about the vice president’s planned visit to the border in Arizona on Friday.
Harris will visit the border city of Douglas, and deliver remarks on border security, according to the aide. She will also talk about her intention to introduce a tough bipartisan border security plan and criticize former President Donald Trump for killing the one introduced over the summer.
Harris releases economic policy book
Vice President Kamala Harris released her roughly 80-page economic policy book on Wednesday and outlined it in a speech in Pittsburgh.
Harris spoke at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh and framed her proposals into three pillars: “lowering costs, investing in American innovation and leading the world in industries of tomorrow.”
She also highlighted her plans for American manufacturing.
“The simple truth is, in America, it takes too long and it costs too much to build. Whether it’s a new housing development, a new factory or a new bridge, projects take too long to go from concept to reality,” Harris said. “It happens in blue states, it happens in red states, and it’s a national problem. And I will tell you this, China is not moving slowly. They’re not, and we can’t afford to either. If we are to compete, we can’t afford to either.”
She attacked former President Donald Trump’s record, calling him “one of the biggest losers ever on manufacturing.”
“Just yesterday, he went out and promised to bring back manufacturing jobs. And if that sounds familiar, it should, in 2016 he went out and made that very same promise about the Carrier plant in Indianapolis,” she said.
“You’ll remember, Carrier then offshored hundreds of jobs to Mexico under his watch. And it wasn’t just there. On Trump’s watch, offshoring went up and manufacturing jobs went down across our country and across our economy,” Harris said.
Harris outlines her ‘pragmatic’ economic vision
Harris drew contrasts between her economic agenda and that of her opponent, Trump, in a speech in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
Harris told an audience at the Economic Club of Pittsburgh that her economic philosophy is “rooted in her middle-class upbringing” while Trump’s comes from a “gilded path to wealth.”
“For Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers. Not those who build them. Not those who wire them. Not those who mop the floors,” she said.
Harris has made the economy and the cost of living a focal point of her campaign in recent weeks.
To allow the middle class to be the “growth engine of our economy,” Harris said she would cut taxes for middle class families and individuals, promising that more than 100 million Americans would get a middle-class tax break.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, and Will McDuffie
Trump takes aim at Iran after officials warn of foreign threats
Former President Donald Trump didn’t mince words Wednesday at a rally in North Carolina following more reports from security officials that Iran has been plotting to assassinate him.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence met with Trump and his campaign Tuesday, according to a spokesman for DNI. While the agency declined to discuss specifics about the meeting, the former president’s campaign said the meeting involved “real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States.”
During his rally in Mint Hill, North Carolina, Trump echoed that statement and sent a stark warning to the country.
“If I were the president, I would inform the threatening country, in this case, Iran, that if you do anything to harm this person, we are going to blow your largest cities and the country itself to smithereens. We’re going to blow it to smithereens,” the former president said to cheers. “There would be no more threats.”
Biden adamant that he would have beaten Trump in rematch
President Joe Biden opened up on the whirlwind of events over the last couple of months during an appearance on “The View” Wednesday.
Biden said he is “at peace” with his decision to exit the 2024 race but says he is still confident he would have defeated Donald Trump in November.
“Look, when I ran for this last term, I said I saw myself as a transition president … But what happened was we were having so much success in getting things done that people felt we couldn’t get done, I found myself having used more time than I would’ve ordinarily to, you know, pass that torch.”
Biden then turned to praising Harris, who he called “tough” and “honorable.”
“And the thing I like about her, and one thing we share in common, is that we have an optimistic view of the future,” he said.
Family of Corey Comperatore, injured supporters to attend Trump’s Butler rally
Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally will take place at the same site where his first assassination attempt took place.
The wife and daughters of Corey Comperatore, the man who was killed during the assassination attempt, are expected to attend Trump’s Butler rally along with the two supporters who were injured during the shooting: David Dutch and James Copenhaver, according to a senior campaign official.
“During his visit, President Trump will honor the memory of Corey Comperatore, who heroically sacrificed his life to shield his wife and daughters from the bullets on that terrible day. President Trump will also recognize the two other Americans who were wounded by the shooter, David Dutch and James Copenhaver,” the campaign said in a press release.
Trump will also “express his deep gratitude to law enforcement and first responders, and thank the entire community for their outpouring of love and support in the wake of the attack,” the campaign said.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Comer launches investigation into Zelenskyy’s trip to Pennsylvania
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer launched an investigation into the Biden-Harris administration for allowing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to fly on a military plane to Pennsylvania earlier this week.
“The Committee seeks to determine whether the Biden-Harris Administration attempted to use a foreign leader to benefit Vice President Harris’s presidential campaign and, if so, necessarily committed an abuse of power,” Comer said in a statement Wednesday.
The committee sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and White House Counsel Edward Siskel. Chairman Comer is requesting documents, information and communications about Zelenskyy’s visit to the U.S. in September.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Trump stumps in North Carolina, Vance in Michigan
Trump will deliver remarks in Mint Hill, North Carolina, at 1 p.m. He will speak about the economy, according to a campaign release.
Later, his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, will speak in Travers City, Michigan. The event is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Harris to outline ‘pragmatic’ view on the economy to voters
As Harris seeks to gain ground on the economy, she will outline on Wednesday what her campaign is calling a “pragmatic” view on the issue.
Harris plans to tell voters that “as a capitalist she understands the limitations of government” and that the government must “work in partnership with the private sector and entrepreneurs,” according to the senior official, granted anonymity to preview Harris’s speech. The official noted Harris will make clear “she is unafraid to hold bad actors accountable if she needs to.”
The vice president will also argue that her economic philosophy is “rooted in her middle-class upbringing” and contrast that with Trump’s “gilded path to wealth,” as part of a larger values argument, the official said.
Harris to be interviewed by MSNBC
Harris is participating in an interview with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday, which will air on the cable network on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, MSNBC announced Wednesday morning.
The network frames it as her first solo network interview since she became the nominee.
Harris has done solo interviews with other news outlets: radio stations and local TV stations. Her first media interview since announcing her candidacy took place last month when she did a joint interview with Tim Walz on CNN.
National Intelligence director briefs Trump about Iranian threats
Former President Donald Trump was briefed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence earlier Tuesday on Iran’s continued assassination threats against him, his campaign said in a new statement, calling the threats “real and specific.”
“Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote in the statement.
“He will let nothing stop him or get in his way to fight for the American people and to Make America Great Again,” Cheung continued.
Harris Arizona campaign office damaged by apparent gunfire for second time in one week: Police
A coordinated campaign office shared by Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign and the Democratic Party in Tempe, Arizona, was damaged by gunfire just after midnight on Monday, the police said Tuesday in a statement to ABC News.
“No one was inside the office during the overnight hours, but this raises concerns about the safety of those who work in that building, as well as those nearby,” Tempe Police spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Cook said.
Police said they received calls from those who worked in the office on Monday afternoon and arrived to what they said appeared to be gunshots through the front windows.
Tempe Police said they are analyzing evidence and were taking “additional measures” after the shooting “to ensure the safety of staff and others in the area.” A motive for the shooting has not yet been determined and the investigation continues, according to the police.
The same office was shot at just a week prior, on Sept. 16, in an incident the police said appeared to involve a BB or pellet gun. That shooting also happened just after midnight and caused “criminal damage,” according to the police.
Harris is scheduled to visit the state on Friday.
In response to the second incident, the Harris campaign offered its thanks to Tempe police.
“Overnight, several shots were fired into our Tempe Democratic Party coordinated campaign office. We are grateful to Tempe Police for coming quickly to the scene and are fortunate no one was present or injured,” read a statement from a campaign spokesperson
Trump, Harris to take part in separate town halls on Univision
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will participate in two town halls next month hosted by Univision where they will interact with undecided Hispanic voters and respond to questions.
Trump will headline the first town hall, which will take place in Miami on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 10 p.m. ET, the network announced.
Harris will headline the second Univision town hall, which will take place in Las Vegas on Thursday, Oct. 10 at 10 p.m. ET.
Both events will air coast-to-coast with Spanish-language translation on Univision and stream on ViX’s Noticias 24/7 channel and will also be available in English on Noticias Univision’s YouTube channel.
Mark Robinson hires Trump attorney who fought 2020 election results
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson announced Tuesday that he has hired lawyer Jesse Binnall to represent him in what he calls the “outrageous lies” following reporting by CNN that he posted racist and inflammatory comments on a porn site’s message board a decade ago.
Binnall is known for his representation of former President Donald Trump, including in legal cases involving Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Binnall still represents Trump in legal matters.
“I am confident that Binnall Law Group will leave no stone unturned and enable us to use every legal means to hold CNN accountable for their lies. In the meantime, my campaign remains laser-focused on the issues at stake in this election,” Robinson said in a statement.
Trump’s campaign and political action committees began paying Jesse Binnall’s law firms in November 2020, and they have paid nearly $6 million since.
This includes more than $823,000 paid so far this year by Trump’s Save America PAC and Make America Great Again PAC, which used to be his previous presidential campaign, according to campaign records.
Trump praises Sen. Manchin for not endorsing Harris
Former President Donald Trump is celebrating the decision from Independent Sen. Joe Manchin not to endorse Harris over her comments on considering eliminating the filibuster.
Manchin has not said whether or not he will endorse Trump.
“Congratulations to Senator Joe Manchin for not endorsing Radical Kamala Harris because of her DEATH WISH for the Filibuster and the Rule of Law,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Trump, in Georgia, hits on economy, immigration and more
In remarks in battleground Georgia focused on the economy and the tax code, Trump said dealing with immigration is first step in his economic plan.
In Savannah, Trump again said migrants with legal protected status in Springfield, Ohio, need to be deported and repeated his discriminatory and false argument that undocumented immigrants were stealing jobs from Black and Hispanic communities. He went on to call on local officials to “move the people back to the country from which they came.”
Trump spent much of his speech focused on increasing domestic production by tariffing other countries, telling Georgians they soon would be “stealing” jobs from other countries.
“Vote for Trump, and you will see a mass exodus of manufacturing from China to Pennsylvania, from Korea to North Carolina, from Germany to right here in Georgia, they’re going to come to Georgia, from Germany and a lot of other places,” he claimed.
“I’m outlining today, not only will we stop our businesses from leaving for foreign lands, but under my leadership, we’re going to take other countries’ jobs. Did you ever hear that expression before? Have you ever heard that? ‘We’re going to take other countries’ jobs.’ It’s never been stated before. We’re going to take their factories,” Trump claimed.
The former president also touched on Ukraine, just hours after President Joe Biden urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly to never “waver” in support for Ukraine.
“I think that we’re stuck in that war unless I’m president. I’ll get it done. I’ll get it negotiated,” Trump claimed — a campaign pledge he often repeats but offers no specifics on how to accomplish.
Trump then seemingly praised Russia.
“That’s what they do, is they fight wars,” he said. “As somebody told me the other day, they beat Hitler, they beat Napoleon. That’s what they do. They fight and it’s not pleasant.”
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Nebraska governor won’t call special session to change electoral votes system
Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen released a statement Tuesday confirming he has “no plans” to call a special session before the November general election — meaning that the Republican-led effort to change the state electoral college to winner-take-all is tabled, for now.
“My team and I have worked relentlessly to secure a filibuster-proof 33-vote majority to get winner-take-all passed before the November election,” Pillen said. “Given everything at stake for Nebraska and our country, we have left every inch on the field to get this done.”
“Unfortunately, we could not persuade 33 state senators,” he added.
Pillen specifically cited opposition from state Sen. Mike McDonnell, who on Monday said he would not support such a change before the 2024 election.
The switch would have likely benefitted Trump and made the electoral map more difficult for Harris.
-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd and Oren Oppenheim
Trump attacks Harris’ plan to visit the border
Trump is now weighing in on Harris’ plans to visit the southern border this Friday in Arizona, labelling the visit as “political” and accusing her of attempting to “con the public” of her border record.
“After almost four years, Border Czar Kamala Harris has decided, for political reasons, that it’s time for her to go to our broken Southern Border. What a disgrace that she waited so long,” Trump wrote on his social media, repeating his disparaging rhetoric on migrants.
While Harris has been to the southern border, the trip marks her first visit since lauched her campaign at the end of July.
Trump has made immigration central to his 2024 campaign, pledging mass deportations and a border shutdown among other hard-line policies. He visited the border last month, the same day Harris formally accepted the Democratic nomination for president.
ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Harris planning a visit to southern border this week: Source
Vice President Harris is planning to visit the southern border during her visit to Arizona on Friday, according to a source familiar.
This would be Harris’ first visit to the southern border since she jumped to the top of the ticket at the end of July.
Immigration has been a big issue in the 2024 race, with Donald Trump and Republicans inaccurately calling Harris the “border czar” and blaming her for the border crisis. Harris, in turn, argues that Trump and Republicans are at fault for killing the bipartisan border bill earlier this year.
Harris has overseen the Biden administration’s efforts to address the root causes of migration as vice president, and visited the border in 2021, after she came under fire for not having done so.
Trump expected to return to Butler for a rally on Oct. 5: Sources
Trump is expected to return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the city of his first assassination attempt, next Saturday for a rally, according to multiple sources familiar with his plans.
The rally is scheduled for Oct. 5.
Trump has long promised to return to Butler to honor the victims who died at his July rally.
“I WILL BE GOING BACK TO BUTLER, PENNSYLVANIA, FOR A BIG AND BEAUTIFUL RALLY, HONORING THE SOUL OF OUR BELOVED FIREFIGHTING HERO, COREY, AND THOSE BRAVE PATRIOTS INJURED TWO WEEKS AGO. WHAT A DAY IT WILL BE — FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT! STAY TUNED FOR DETAILS,” Trump wrote on his social media platform in July.
NBC News was first to report the news.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders, Lalee Ibssa, Kesley Walsh and Soorin Kim
Harris won’t attend the Al Smith dinner, a presidential campaign staple
Vice President Harris will not attend the Al Smith dinner next month in New York, breaking with tradition of major party nominees sharing laughs at the benefit dinner, and will instead be on the campaign trail, a campaign official confirmed to ABC News.
“She is going to be campaigning in a battleground state that day, and the campaign wants to maximize her time in the battlegrounds this close to the election,” the official said.
The dinner, which benefits Catholic Charities, is scheduled for Oct. 17. It has become a traditional stop on the presidential campaign trail, with both the Republican and Democratic nominees attending and delivering remarks full of roasts. In recent years, both nominees attended the gala, including in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020. (The latter was virtual because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
The official also added that Harris’ team informed the dinner’s organizers she would be absent, but was willing to attend in a later year as president.
ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabrielle Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Melania Trump to sit for her 1st interview of 2024 election cycle
Former first lady Melania Trump will sit down for her first interview of the 2024 election cycle with Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt as she continues to promote her new book.
The interview is set to air on Thursday, Fox announced on Monday.
While Melania Trump has remained relatively quiet this campaign cycle, mainly appearing with the former president at closed-door events, she has been more active online recently as she launches her forthcoming memoir, “Melania.”
Her book is scheduled to be released on Oct. 8. Her website describes it in part as “the powerful and inspiring story of a woman who has defined personal excellence, overcome adversity, and carved her own path.”
ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Trump again says it’s too late for another debate amid challenges from Harris
Trump is again ruling out another debate against Harris, arguing it would be “a very bad thing” for the country.
“Well, I’ve already done two debates, and they, you know, we’re good, but to do a third one, everybody’s voting now, and it’s very late to be doing a third debate,” Trump told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin in a phone conversation that aired Monday morning.
Harris said over the weekend she accepted an offer from CNN for a debate on Oct. 23.
Her team has also noted that there have been presidential debates in years past in the final weeks before Election Day.
“The final 2020 debate was October 22,” the Harris campaign wrote on X. “The proposed CNN debate is October 23.”
Trump also debated Hillary Clinton for a third time around the same timeframe: Oct. 19, 2016.
Trump slightly leads in Arizona, about even in North Carolina: Polls
A set of New York Times/Siena College polls found Trump slightly leads Harris in Arizona and they are about evenly matched in North Carolina.
Among likely voters in Arizona, Trump leads Harris 50% to 45% in a head-to-head matchup. In a six-way matchup with other candidates, Trump still leads Harris 48% to 43%.
In North Carolina, Trump also leads Harris among likely voters 49% to 47%. He also leads by 2 percentage points in a six-way matchup. The lead, however, is within the poll’s margin of error.
Arizona and North Carolina are considered crucial battlegrounds this election, along with Georgia. According to 538’s polling average, Trump is ahead slightly in each of the three Sun Belt states.