Trump confirms Madison Square Garden rally as Harris fundraising tops $1bn, report says: Live

Donald Trump confirmed during a rally in President Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, that his campaign has booked an event at Madison Square Garden in the heart of deep-blue Manhattan, claiming that they will make a play for New York and other states including New Jersey.

Exclusive polling for The Independent shows that Republicans are tiring of Trump and much prefer his running mate, JD Vance. The same survey shows voters find Tim Walz more presidential than this GOP rival. The rival vice presidential nominees Vance and Walz are both on the campaign trail in Arizona.

Democratic nominee and vice president Kamala Harris, meanwhile, joined the president for a briefing on preparations for Hurricane Milton to make landfall in Florida later tonight. Biden took the opportunity to slam Trump for spreading misinformation in an “onslaught of lies” about federal action in response to natural disasters.

Harris has just completed a media blitz of interviews, culminating in cracking open a beer on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and ridiculing Trump as a “loser”.

According to reporting by NBC News, the Harris campaign has raised an unprecedented $1bn in less than three months.

Key Points

• Harris passes $1bn in fundraising since entering the race in July

• Trump to hold rally in New York’s Madison Square Garden

• Trump sent Vladimir Putin Covid-19 testing machines early in pandemic, new books alleges

• Joe Biden reportedly called Trump ‘f***ing a**hole’ and Benjamin Netanyahu a ‘bad guy’

• Trump’s ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles printed in China

• Trump campaign advisor says they won’t change mind on CNN debate

Tim Walz hosting rally in Arizona

00:10 , Ariana Baio

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is holding a rally in Tucson, Arizona tonight hoping to pick up independent voters’ support in the swing state.

Donald Trump rallying in Pennsylvania

00:03 , Ariana Baio

Former president Donald Trump is expected to take the stage soon in Reading, Pennsylvania where he will speak to supporters.

Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state this election cycle.

How might hurricanes Helene and Milton impact the election?

00:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia looks at how both parties are pushing for extended voting periods.

Hurricane aftermath could change the election in Florida and North Carolina

What does Elon Musk gain by being a Trump fanboy?

23:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Elon Musk actually jumped twice when he appeared on stage with Donald Trump on Saturday.

Maybe you’ve seen the photo: Earth’s richest human, his jacket flapping up around his arms and his belly flesh bared, briefly achieving enough delta-V to hang in the air a few feet above the planet’s surface for one perfect moment. Trump looks nonplussed.

Io Dodds reports.

Elon Musk is already the world’s richest man. So what does he want from Donald Trump?

Hannity pushes bogus claims about FEMA hurricane response — even Fox News has debunked them

23:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Fox News host Sean Hannity claimed on his show that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was “running out of money” and was sending resources needed by victims of Hurricane Helene to migrant shelters instead.

His claims would later be debunked by a Fox News correspondent, but not before Hannity would misrepresent information about FEMA’s finances.

Hannity said during his monologue that he was responding to comments from Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Hannity pushes bogus FEMA response claims – which Fox News discredited

Full story: Harris passes $1bn in fundraising since entering the race in July

23:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Fresh off a media blitz that included stops on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and The View, the Harris campaign is reportedly heading into the final stretch of the 2024 election with another show of force: it has reportedly raised over $1bn since the vice president entered the race, likely the fastest a campaign has ever hit ten figures.

In the less than three months since Harris declared her candidacy, she’s raised an estimated $147m more than Trump has raised this entire year, according to The New York Times, citing people familiar with non-public details of the campaign’s finances.

Josh Marcus reports from San Francisco.

Harris passes $1billion in fundraising since entering the race in July

Marjorie Taylor Greene doubles down on debunked weather conspiracy theory

22:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Georgia lawmaker continues to spread “beyond ridiculous” claims, as Katie Hawkinson reports.

MTG doubles down on ‘beyond ridiculous’ weather control conspiracy theory

Trump campaign advisor says they won’t change mind on CNN debate

22:25 , Oliver O’Connell

NBC News reporter Garrett Haake asked Donald Trump’s senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita whether they would change their mind about a late-October debate against Kamala Harris on CNN.

“We haven’t and we won’t,” LaCivita said.

Trump rejected a past invitation from CNN for an October 23 debate, that was accepted by Harris.

Remember Trump’s ‘God Bless USA’ Bibles? They’re made in China…

22:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Thousands of copies of Donald Trump’s “God Bless the USA” Bible were printed in a country that the former president has repeatedly accused of stealing American jobs and engaging in unfair trade practices: China.

Global trade records reviewed by The Associated Press show a printing company in China’s eastern city of Hangzhou shipped close to 120,000 of the Bibles to the United States earlier this year.

Continue reading…

It turns out Trump’s ‘God Bless the USA’ Bibles were made in China

Full story: Tim Walz says Electoral College ‘needs to go’ and Harris campaign quickly wades in

22:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The Harris campaign quickly stepped in and issued a statement after Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz said the electoral college “needs to go” in favor of a national popular vote.

The Minnesota governor made the comments during a fundraiser at the home of California Governor Gavin Newsom in Sacramento.

“I think all of us know the electoral college needs to go,” Walz said. “But that’s not the world we live in.”

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Harris campaign quickly wades in after Tim Walz says Electoral College ‘needs to go’

Giuliani’s son says dad gifted him 4 World Series rings sought by Georgia election workers

21:40 , AP

Rudy Giuliani‘s son is trying to stop two Georgia election workers who won a $148 million defamation judgment against his father from taking the elder Giuliani’s New York Yankees World Series rings, saying in new court filings that he is actually the rightful owner because they were gifted to him years ago.

Andrew Giuliani, who was unsuccessful in a 2022 Republican bid for New York governor, said in papers filed Tuesday in federal court in Manhattan that his father gave him four World Series rings as a gift in 2018.

Continue reading…

Rudy Giuliani’s son says dad gifted him 4 World Series rings sought by Georgia election workers

Watch: Trump claims he can talk about hundreds things at one time…

21:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Most people call this being totally incoherent.

Watch: Trump plays transphobic video of ‘woke military’ vs clips of ‘Full Metal Jacket’

21:29 , Oliver O’Connell

At his rally in Scranton, Donald Trump played a video splicing together the drill sergeant scene from Full Metal Jacket, calling it the “Trump military”, with scenes of dancing drag queens, that he called the “woke military”.

Full Metal Jacket is about the cadets training for the Vietnam War. Trump famously got multiple deferments from the draft for Vietnam.

As polls tighten and media interviews fall flat, has panic set in for Democrats?

21:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Vice President Kamala Harris’s media blitz has yet to see a payoff in the polls.

The Democratic presidential nominee has taken part in a series of high-profile interviews in the past week after months of Republican complaints she was ducking scrutiny. But they haven’t yet seemed to move the needle much in her favor.

Both candidates have plateaued in recent weeks; she has a 2.6-point lead over Trump in the latest average of national polls, FiveThirtyEight averages show.

Kelly Rissman reports.

Panic sets in for Democrats as polls tighten and media interviews fall flat

Watch: Trump bring up widely mocked ‘jumping’ by Elon Musk at Butler rally

21:11 , Oliver O’Connell

Here’s our reporting on that moment:

Elon Musk’s jumping photo at Trump’s rally has the internet in hysterics

White House: ‘Concerning’ if Trump has spoken to Putin since leaving office

21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The White House says it cannot confirm whether the US government has any knowledge of alleged phone calls between former president Donald Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin but concedes that such talks would be “concerning” if they have taken place.

On Tuesday, CNN reported that veteran journalist Bob Woodward’s forthcoming book, War, contains reporting which alleges that Trump has kept up contact with Putin in the years since he left the White House.

Andrew Feinberg reports from the White House.

White House says it’s ‘concerning’ if Trump has spoken to Putin since leaving office

Watch: Trump continues to perpetuate lies about FEMA as hurricane approaches Florida

20:55 , Oliver O’Connell

New report: 2024 election to be most expensive in history

20:40 , Oliver O’Connell

The 2024 presidential election is on track to be the most expensive in history, even as one of the two major candidates has essentially run one of the shortest campaigns in modern times.

John Bowden reports.

2024 election to be most expensive in history with $15.9bn spent, new report reveals

Trump confirms rally at Madison Square Garden

20:38 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has confirmed his campaign has booked a rally at Madison Square Garden, adding “we’re gonna make a play for New York”.

Continuing he claimed that migrants had taken over Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue and have taken over the parks, stopping children from playing Little League. This is not true.

The former president added that other arena bookings are planned, including Atlanta.

Watch: Trump dismisses New York Times poll (in which he’s losing) as ‘fake news’

20:33 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump mentions that he’s losing in the latest New York Times poll but dismisses it as “fake news” and calls the press “the enemy of the people”.

This week, Kamala Harris said: “Watch his rallies … You’re going to hear conversations that are about himself and all of his personal grievances.”

Harris calls out ‘loser’ Trump as she cracks a beer with Stephen Colbert

20:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris cracked open a beer and took the opportunity to hit out at election rival Donald Trump on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, calling the former president a “loser” and joking: “This is what happens when I drink!”

The Democratic presidential nominee walked on stage to rapturous applause from the CBS show’s studio audience and instantly took a jab at Trump as she exclaimed: “They know how to pronounce my name!”

Colbert invited her to have a drink with him, with Harris cheerily accepting a can of Miller High Life, hailing it as “the champagne of beers.”

The host then pitched her a “gotcha question”: “Did Donald Trump lose the 2020 election?”

Joe Sommerlad reports on what she said next.

Harris calls out ‘loser’ Trump as she cracks a beer with Stephen Colbert

Watch LIVE: Trump holds a rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania — Biden’s hometown

20:12 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump calls ‘The View’ hosts ‘dumb women’ and ‘degenerates’ after Harris interview

20:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to rant about Kamala Harris’s appearance on ABC’s The View, calling the hosts “degenerates” and “dumb women.”

The Vice President appeared on the popular morning talk show on Tuesday as part of a media blitz that also included Stephen Colbert.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Trump calls The View hosts ‘dumb women’ and ‘degenerates’ after Harris interview

Trump campaign calls White House FEMA update ‘literally propaganda’

19:59 , Oliver O’Connell

Chris LaCivita, political strategist for Donald Trump’s campaign, called Fox News “just as bad as every other ‘cable news’ network” because they aired the White House FEMA update on the impending landfall of Hurricane Milton in Florida.

He referred to the broadcast as “literally propaganda” and a TV ad for Kamala Harris “disguised as a news conference”.

During the news conference, President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris implored people to heed instructions from local officials, explained what FEMA was doing in the state, and called out those in the Republican Party who have been spreading misinformation and lies about the response.

DNC to fly banner over Detroit Tigers game calling Trump ‘scab’ day before he visits city

19:47 , Oliver O’Connell

The Democratic National Committee will fly a banner over the Detroit Tigers home playoff game today, the day before Donald Trump visits the city.

The banner will read: “Trump is an anti-union scab. Vote Kamala!”

DNC spokesperson Stephanie Justice said in a statement: “The miracle of the Detroit Tigers’ season embodies the city’s spirit: from being counted out, to being on the verge of heading to the ALCS and potentially the World Series. Detroit workers lived through the consequences of Trump’s catastrophic policies and have made a comeback under the Biden-Harris administration.

“Meanwhile, Trump remains an anti-union scab who weakened the rights of workers, and he’ll push them to the bottom of his priority list once again to give handouts to his billionaire friends.

“Michiganders have had enough, and they’ll elect Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz in November so that they can continue to invest in Michigan manufacturing and uplift workers across the state.”

Are you a young conservative looking for love? ‘Sexual matador’ Stephen Miller has some advice

19:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Stephen Miller, a senior adviser to Donald Trump during his presidency, has bizarrely offered some dating advice to young male conservatives looking for love, suggesting that wearing their proud support for Trump on their sleeves is the best way to “impress the ladies” this election season.

Alrighty…

Joe Sommerlad has the story.

‘Sexual matador’ Stephen Miller offers advice to young conservatives looking for love

New Quinnipiac poll shows cracks in Blue Wall

19:38 , Oliver O’Connell

PENNSYLVANIA: Harris 49%, Trump 46%, other candidates 2%

MICHIGAN: Trump 50%, Harris 47%, other candidates 2%

WISCONSIN: Trump 48%, Harris 46%, other candidates 2%

Less than a month until Election Day, the so-called Blue Wall battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin show a tight presidential race where neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Donald Trump is winning as all three states are too close to call, according to Quinnipiac University polls of likely voters in each of the states released today.

In Quinnipiac University’s September 18 poll, Harris held a lead in Pennsylvania, a slight lead in Michigan, and the race was essentially tied in Wisconsin.

Harris 2024 campaign crossed $1bn in fundraising, report says

19:32 , Oliver O’Connell

Per NBC News:

Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign operation crossed the $1 billion fundraising threshold in September, two months after she took over as the Democratic Party’s 2024 standard bearer, according to two people familiar with the numbers.

That figure includes money raised by the campaign committee itself and by a campaign-affiliated joint fundraising committee that also collects cash for the Democratic National Committee and state parties.

…

Presidential campaigns tend to take in more money as an election nears, but a clip of roughly half a billion dollars a month is unheard of. Biden’s campaign raised a little more than $1 billion for the entire 2020 election cycle, which included a competitive primary, and affiliated outside groups chipped in another $580 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Fox News proposes new Trump- Harris debate just days before the election

19:24 , Oliver O’Connell

Fox News Media has proposed a final presidential debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump that would fall barely a week before Election Day, as both campaigns come to a close.

“This would present an opportunity for each candidate to make his or her closing arguments,” FOX News Media president & Executive Editor Jay Wallace and Vice President of Politics Jessica Loker wrote in a letter sent to both campaigns.

Josh Marcus has the details.

Fox proposes another debate for Harris and Trump just days before the election

Melania was first lady during some of America’s most tumultuous political moments — yet summed it all up in under 200 pages

19:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Melania Trump has had a front-row seat for some of the most tumultuous years in modern US political history, having been First Lady during the time of a global pandemic, chaos behind the scenes in the Oval Office, and the January 6 storming of the US Capitol.

She told all those stories, or didn’t, in under 200 pages.

Mike Bedigan has the story.

Melania’s book is under 200 pages despite being first lady during tumultuous years

Trump attacks ‘BETA MALE’ Howard Stern

19:09 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has attacked radio star Howard Stern on Truth Social over his interview with Kamala Harris, calling him a “BETA MALE” and accusing him of “working so hard to make a totally incompetent and ill-equipped person look as good as possible, which wasn’t very good”.

Here’s what was weighing on the former president’s mind today:

BETA MALE Howard Stern made a fool of himself on his low rated radio show when he “interviewed” Lyin’ Kamala Harris, and hit her with so many SOFTBALL questions that even she was embarrassed. He looked like a real fool, working so hard to make a totally incompetent and ill-equipped person look as good as possible, which wasn’t very good. I dropped Howard a long time ago, like most others, and have since been credited with very good judgment! MAGA2024

Harris calls into CNN to talk hurricane respsonse and call with Netanyahu

19:06 , Oliver O’Connell

Vice President Kamala Harris called into CNN to talk about Hurricane Milton as it heads for landfall in Florida and this morning’s call between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which she participated.

On the call with Netanyahu, she said: “It was a classified call, and I don’t have any announcements to make about what happened during the call, and I can’t get into private diplomatic conversations.”

Regarding the hurricane, she said: “It is unconscionable that anyone who considers themselves a leader would mislead desperate people… The last thing that people deserve is a so-called leader misleading them and making them afraid of seeking help.”

Watch below:

EXCLUSIVE: Republican voters are tiring of Trump and much prefer JD Vance, poll shows

19:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance was a complete switch in tone from the Harris-Trump matchup in early October — and appears to have given Vance an unexpected advantage.

Exclusive polling for The Independent by Prolific shows that Vance has become substantially more likeable than Donald Trump, according to all voters.

Most strikingly, the poll shows that Republicans are twice as likely to consider Vance more professional than Trump.

Alicja Hagopian reports.

Poll shows Republican voters are tiring of Trump and much prefer JD Vance

Full story: Biden condemns Trump’s ‘onslaught of lies’ about hurricane relief efforts as Florida braces for Milton

18:40 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden on Wednesday slammed his predecessor for leading a massive campaign of misinformation and disinformation that is hampering efforts to help Americans harmed by Hurricane Helene and protect them from the damage that is sure to be wrought by Hurricane Milton when it hits Florida later this week.

Speaking during a briefing alongside administration officials at the White House, Biden said he has been in “constant contact” with governors from all of the states affected by Milton and Helene — Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Virginia — and stressed that the governors have been ”very thankful and appreciative of the help the federal government is providing.”

Andrew Feinberg reports from the White House.

Biden condemns Trump’s ‘onslaught of lies’ about hurricane relief efforts

Vance to hold North Carolina town hall with Danica Patrick

18:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Former professional racing car driver Danica Patrick will moderate a town hall with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance tomorrow in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The event at the Koury Convention Center is scheduled for 6pm.

Giuliani tries to block defamed election workers from going after money Trump owes him

18:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Rudy Giuliani told a federal bankruptcy court in February that he believes Donald Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee owe him $2 million for his failed legal efforts to overturn election results in 2020.

His bankruptcy case was dissolved in August, and now a pair of election workers Giuliani defamed during his 2020 crusade are hoping to recover the $148 million that a jury said they are owed.

But Giuliani does not want those women touching the Trump campaign.

Alex Woodward explains what’s happening.

Rudy Giuliani tries to block election workers from going after money Trump owes him

Watch: Kimmel roasts Trump over Category 5 hurricanes

18:10 , Oliver O’Connell

VOICES: Musk’s hurricane of misinformation has finally gone too far

18:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Ryan Coogan writes:

Being a Democrat sounds like hard work. There are all those satanic meetings to attend; all those vaccine microchips to keep track of; and, according to Republican representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, they even control the weather.

Yes, the American political right has continued its rapid divorce from reality, amping up the conspiracy rhetoric in recent years to levels that your craziest uncle would call “totally reasonable and proportionate”. No claim is too wild, no story too out-there. It would honestly be funny, if it didn’t have the potential to get so many people killed.

Continue reading…

Musk’s hurricane of misinformation has finally gone too far

Biden slams Trump for ‘onslaught of lies’ about disaster relief as Hurricane Milton nears landfall in Florida

17:57 , Mike Bedigan

Joe Biden has slammed Donald Trump for leading an “onslaught of lies” and promoting “disinformation” about recovery and aid as Hurricane Milton approaches Florida.

“Over the last few weeks there has been a reckless, irresponsible, and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people,” Biden said in a televised statement on Wednesday.

“It’s undermining confidence in the incredible rescue and recovery work that is being undertaken… it’s harmful for those who need help the most.”

He added: “There is simply no place for this to happen. For President Trump has led the onslaught of lies. Assertions have been made that property has been confiscated… that is simply not true… They’re saying money for this crisis is being diverted to migrants, what a ridiculous thing to say.”

Biden also mentioned Georgia representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and her bizarre claim that Democrats were “controlling the weather.”

“It’s gotta stop,” he said. “In moments like this, there are no red or blue states, there’s one United States of America.”

The president also said he had spoken with officials in Florida and given them his personal number.

Watch: Trump complained about edits to Harris’s ‘60 Minutes’ interview, here he is on Fox News last week…

17:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Count the edits…

Full story: Trump set to hold rally at deep-blue NYC’s Madison Square Garden

17:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump plans to hold a rally at Madison Square Garden in late October, according to a report.

The former president’s campaign event is scheduled for October 27, NBC News reported. The rally will mark the first time that Trump will speak to his supporters in his deep-blue hometown.

Kelly Rissman has the story.

Trump to hold Madison Square Garden rally – despite no shot of winning in Manhattan

Watch: Harris drinks beer with Stephen Colbert on late night show

17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

And get’s a little cheer from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.

Echoing RFK Jr’s health theories, Vance claims ‘weird childhood diseases’ are impacting Americans

17:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance echoed some of Robert F Kennedy Jr’s theories on health during a campaign rally on Tuesday in Michigan.

Kennedy, a former Democratic and Independent presidential candidate who has endorsed former President Donald Trump, is an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist who has pushed debunked public health theories. The 70-year-old was still on the ballot in the swing state even after attempting to get himself removed after dropping out.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

JD Vance claims ‘weird childhood diseases’ are impacting Americans

Watch: Trump tries to dismiss rambling nonsense as the ‘weave’

17:10 , Oliver O’Connell

What on earth…

Latest poll updates: Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?

17:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Alicja Hagopian looks at the latest data.

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

Revealed: Biden’s colorful nicknames for Trump and Netanyahu

16:40 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden’s colorful nicknames for Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu have been revealed in Bob Woodward’s new tell-all book.

According to the journalist’s latest book War, due out on October 15 and obtained in advance by CNN, the president doesn’t hold back when talking about his former opponent and the Israeli leader behind closed doors.

Rhian Lubin has the story.

Biden’s colorful nicknames for Trump and Netanyahu revealed in Bob Woodward’s book

Watch: Trump spokesperson confronted over former president’s FEMA lies

16:31 , Oliver O’Connell

In an appearance on CNN this morning, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt was challenged by anchor Kate Bolduan over Donald Trump’s lies regarding FEMA’s funding and hurricane response, and false allegations that money was being taken from disaster response and used to house migrants.

Here’s how that went:

Bolduan then noted that it was actually Trump who used money from the disaster fund for migrant programs: “It’s okay for Donald Trump to do it but it’s not okay for the Biden administration to do it?”

Not getting an answer out of Leavitt, Bolduan ended the interview.

Full story: Trump ignores First Amendment again and says news network should be investigated over Harris interview

16:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has once again threatened a major broadcast network after he dropped out of an interview with 60 Minutes on CBS.

He baselessly suggested that the network did something criminal when the program interviewed his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, and claimed without evidence that the interview violated campaign finance laws.

Alex Woodward has the full story.

Trump baselessly claims CBS committed a crime with Kamala Harris interview

Trump appears to be opting out of presidential transition process, report says

16:08 , Oliver O’Connell

With less than a month to go before election day, Donald Trump’s campaign appears to be ignoring the official presidential transition process that would ensure a seamless transfer of power should he win.

The New York Times reports that Team Trump has missed two deadlines to sign agreements with the administration that are set by federal law and also failed to sign an ethics plan that is required as part of the process of planning for a new administration. All three have been signed by Kamala Harris’s transition team.

Representatives of the former president did attend a meeting at the White House in September but have had little communication with the Biden administration otherwise and even skipped the opportunity to receive national security briefings.

Per the Times, the move “appears to be guided, at least in part, by the candidate’s deep suspicion and mistrust of the government he is running to lead”.

Further:

Experts note Mr. Trump may also have other incentives. His refusal to sign the documents allows him to circumvent fund-raising rules that put limits on private contributions to the transition effort, as well as ethics rules meant to avoid possible conflicts of interest for the incoming administration.

Representatives of Mr. Trump’s transition team, formally known as Trump Vance 2025 Transition Inc., said its lawyers were still negotiating with the Biden administration over terms of the agreements.

Lawyers for both parties “continue to constructively engage” in talks, Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, the Trump transition co-chairs, said in a statement to The New York Times. “Any suggestion to the contrary is false and intentionally misleading.”

In not signing the documents and delaying the process, the Trump team will not receive some services provided by the government, potentially millions of dollars in funding, and aides will not get the security clearances needed to review federal documents.

Melania Trump claims Barron was refused a bank account because of ‘cancel culture’

16:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Melania Trump has claimed that “cancel culture” led to her son Barron being refused a bank account after the Trump clan left the White House.

In her memoir Melania, which came on Tuesday, the former first lady complains that she and Barron felt the “venom of cancel culture” in the weeks after the January 6 Capitol riot took place.

“I was shocked and dismayed to learn that my long-time bank decided to terminate my account and deny my son the opportunity to open a new one,” she continues.

Rhian Lubin has the details.

Melania Trump claims Barron was refused a bank account because of ‘cancel culture’

Walz: ‘Electoral College needs to go’

15:53 , Oliver O’Connell

Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz has renewed his previous calls for ditching the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote, as nervous Democrats fear a repeat of 2016’s election when Hillary Clinton won the popular vote by failed to secure the presidency.

“I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go,” Kamala Harris’s running mate said at a campaign fundraiser with California Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday afternoon, Politico reports citing pool reporters. “We need a national popular vote that is something. But that’s not the world we live in.”

The Minnesota governor went on to say that in the current way in which elections are fought the campaign still needs to focus on winning the key seven swing states that are expected to decide the election.

Walz has previously made similar comments at fundraisers and, as governor, in May 2023 he signed legislation that sought to replace the Electoral College with the popular vote. Although other states support such a proposal, congressional approval would be required to make any change.

New book claims Lindsey Graham warned ‘erratic’ Trump Jan 6 would be ‘his obituary’

15:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Senator Lindsey Graham has urged an “erratic” Donald Trump to move on from his false claims about the 2020 election so that January 6 won’t be his “obituary,” according to Bob Woodward’s new book.

The veteran journalist relays a series of alleged conversations between the former president and Graham, a top Trump ally, in his upcoming book War due out on October 15 and seen in advance by CNN.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Lindsey Graham warned Trump Jan 6 would be ‘his obituary’, Woodward’s book reveals

Trump lashes out at ‘60 Minutes’ over alleged editing in Harris election interview

15:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump is demanding an investigation into CBS News, slamming the 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris as “FAKE NEWS” by alleging that the network “slices and diced” the vice president’s answers to “make her look more presidential”.

The former president had refused to participate in the traditional 60 Minutes interview series with both candidates, having clashed with the journalist Leslie Stahl during the taping in 2020 and refusing to accept fact-checking of his statements this time around.

Here’s what he had to say on Truth Social this morning:

I’ve never seen this before, but the producers of 60 Minutes sliced and diced (“cut and pasted”) Lyin’ Kamala’s answers to questions, which were virtually incoherent, over and over again, some by as many as four times in a single sentence or thought, all in an effort, possibly illegal as part of the “News Division,” which must be licensed, to make her look “more Presidential,” or a least, better. It may also be a major Campaign Finance Violation. This is a stain on the reputation of 60 Minutes that is not recoverable – It will always remain with this once storied brand. I have never heard of such a thing being done in “News.” It is the very definition of FAKE NEWS! The public is owed a MAJOR AND IMMEDIATE APOLOGY! This is an open and shut case, and must be investigated, starting today!

In other news, Trump’s recent interview with Dr Phil raised eyebrows for being edited to seemingly cover up the former president’s “gaffes and confusion”:

Edits in Trump interview with Dr Phil questioned by eagle-eyed viewers

And here’s an account of the editing that had to be done to The Apprentice to stop Trump looking “like a complete moron”:

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