Biden gives first interview since exiting 2024 race as Harris leads Trump in key state polls

Joe Biden has given his first interview since withdrawing from the 2024 presidential election in favor of Kamala Harris.

The president told Robert Costa of CBS News that it had been a great honor to serve as commander-in-chief but he had an obligation to the country to maintain democracy and defeat Donald Trump.

Biden also said he was not confident there would be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025 if Trump loses the election, noting about the former president: “You can’t love your country only when you win.”

Harris has surged in the polls, both nationally and in key battleground states since taking over the Democratic Party ticket.

She has a five-point lead over Trump in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, putting her at 42% to the Republican’s 37% nationally. In a New York Times/Siena College poll Harris is leading by four points in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The vice president wrapped up her tour of swing states this week with another enthusiastic rally in Las Vegas at which she pledged to end taxes on tips to service industry workers, echoing a Trump promise.

Enraged, he took to Truth Social, angrily posting: “This was a TRUMP idea — She has no ideas, she can only steal from me.”

Key Points

• Biden gives first interview since leaving presidential race

• Trump persists in questioning Harris’s race as his campaign flounders since shooting

• Trump campaign says it was hacked and points the finger at Iran

• New poll sees Harris leading in three key battleground states

• Trump and Harris now both advocate no tax on tips — but is it good policy?

• Revealed: ‘Project 2025’ training videos featuring Trump officials and allies

Revealed: ‘Project 2025’ training videos featuring Trump officials and allies

21:28 , Oliver O’Connell

A series of leaked training videos provides new insights into Project 2025, including appearances by officials and allies of former President Donald Trump – who has disavowed the proposal despite numerous direct ties to the effort.

Across 14 hours of videos, obtained by ProPublica and Documented, a series of 36 speakers, more than two-thirds of whom worked for the Trump administration or one of Trump’s campaigns,

Josh Marcus has the story.

The alarming world of ‘Project 2025’ training videos featuring Trump officials

More Americans trust Harris to handle economy than Trump

21:15 , Oliver O’Connell

A new survey from the Financial Times and the University of Michigan shows Vice President Kamala Harris eating away at one of Donald Trump’s key political advantages.

For months, voters have indicated in numerous surveys that they trusted Republicans—and Trump—more on the economy. A wide range of explanations was given for this, but much of it ties back to the sharp rise in consumer prices and other monumental shifts in the economy that occurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

John Bowden reports.

New poll shows Kamala Harris taking away key advantage from Trump

21:04 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump and Harris now both advocate no tax on tips — but is it good policy?

20:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have now said that they would scrap taxes imposed on income from tips given to service industry workers.

That doesn’t mean it is a guarantee to change under the next president.

The former president first pushed the idea at a rally in Las Vegas in June. The vice president did the same last night in the same city having been endorsed by the Culinary Union, which represents workers who would benefit most from such a policy.

But how might it work?

Read on…

Trump and Harris now both advocate no tax on tips — what are the potential pitfalls?

ICYMI: Three battleground states move from Trump column into ‘toss ups’

20:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada, no longer look like they will be wins for the Trump campaign in 2024, according to election forecasters at the Cook Political Report, which moved the states from leaning Republican to “toss-ups.”

Josh Marcus reports.

Top election predictor moves three battleground states from Trump wins to ‘toss ups’

Trump falsely claims crowd at Kamala Harris rally is fake or was generated by AI

20:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has bought into a conspiracy theory that claims there was no crowd of supporters waiting to greet Kamala Harris when she got off Air Force Two in Detroit for her rally on Wednesday evening.

Naturally, he’s wrong and the whole thing is totally unhinged. Here’s Snopes with an explanation of the photo in question.

And here are more photos and footage of the estimated 15,000-strong crowd that greeted the vice president and Governor Tim Walz.

And here’s Andrew Feinberg with an explanation of why the former president would post something that is obviously completely false .

Trump can’t even tell when he’s lying, says former adviser

19:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s response to Donald Trump’s rambling press conference on Thursday could be summarized in one sentence: “Trump can’t tell the difference between what’s true and what’s false.”

Bolton, who served in the Trump administration, said the former president consistently told falsehoods throughout the nearly hour-long “general news conference” but said it was not deliberate lying, rather that Trump espoused what he believes in his mind.

Ariana Baio reports.

Former Trump adviser says ex-president can’t even tell when he’s lying

Will Dunkin’ get the Bud Lite treatment?

19:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Followers of Donald Trump are calling for a boycott of Dunkin’ Donuts after the chief executive of Rumble claimed that the coffee chain refused to advertise on the conservative video platform because of its “right-wing culture”.

Rumble has joined Elon Musk’s X in a lawsuit against a number of advertisers that they say have declined to do business with them because of the right-wing content on their platforms, Newsweek reported.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

MAGA fans call for boycott of Dunkin Donuts: ‘The Bud Lite treatment’

In depth: How Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump

18:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Alex Woodward writes:

While he stokes far-right hysteria overseas, Elon Musk is amplifying election disinformation at home.

The 2024 presidential cycle is the first since Musk bought X, formerly Twitter. Under his ownership, the fact checkers are gone, AI-generated content is feeding false election information to millions of users, and Musk himself is responsible for misleading posts that have been viewed more than 1 billion times.

The world’s wealthiest man not only controls a platform where he can boost Donald Trump’s campaign, he also helped launch a Trump-supporting political action committee to spend and raise unlimited dollars to get him elected — a uniquely powerful combination that election analysts, civil rights groups and state prosecutors are closely watching.

Continue reading…

Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump

Vance refuses to back down from ‘childless cat lady’ comments

18:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s running mate JD Vance appeared on the Sunday morning talk shows today and was quizzed about some of his more controversial remarks and the campaign pledge to roll out the “largest deportation operation in history”.

John Bowden reports on what he had to say.

Vance refuses to back down from ‘childless cat lady’ comments

Full story: Biden gives first interview since leaving presidential race

17:25 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden talked about the pressure from his fellow Democrats to leave the race as he sat down for his first interview since becoming the first sitting president in over 50 years not to seek reelection.

Speaking to Robert Costa of CBS News, Biden said that while polling showed him neck and neck with Donald Trump, “a number of my Democratic colleagues in the House and Senate thought that I was going to hurt them in the races.”

Continue reading…

Biden gives first interview since leaving presidential race

Trump campaign says it was hacked and points the finger at Iran

17:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s campaign said on Saturday that some of its internal communications had been hacked after Politico began receiving emails from an anonymous account that included internal campaign documents.

Citing a Microsoft report published on Friday that Iranian hackers “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign”, the campaign blamed “foreign sources hostile to the United States.”

In the report, Microsoft did not identify the campaign targeted by the email and declined to comment when approached by Politico.

Late on Saturday night, Trump posted to Truth Social: “We were just informed by Microsoft Corporation that one of our many websites was hacked by the Iranian Government – Never a nice thing to do! They were only able to get publicly available information but, nevertheless, they shouldn’t be doing anything of this nature. Iran and others will stop at nothing, because our Government is Weak and Ineffective, but it won’t be for long. What Iran doesn’t realize is that I will make the World a better and safer place, and that’s good for them, also!”

Here’s our report:

Trump campaign says it was hacked and documents stolen, pointing the finger at Iran

In pictures: Harris and Walz hold rally in Las Vegas

16:55 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump bashes Colorado after successful fundraising trip

16:44 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social this morning:

Great visit to Montana and Wyoming, where I am leading BIG, and Colorado, whose Radical Left Governor has gone to all Mail-In Voting, making the State a POLITICAL CESSPOOL where, even if you were leading, it would make no difference! Colorado is run by the Lunatic Left that led the effort, overturned by the United States Supreme Court, to keep me off the ballot. For that reason alone, Colorado will have A BIG TRUMP VOTE! Anyway, the two day visit raised $28,000,000 for our very successful Presidential Campaign. Thank you to a truly beautiful part of the World!

Watch: Charlamagne tha God says Kamala Harris has ‘super main character energy’

16:25 , Oliver O’Connell

IN FOCUS: The right-wing evangelicals who want Trump to turn America into a theocracy

16:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Alex Hannaford writes:

It’s October 2019, and in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, then-president Donald Trump stands at his desk in a blue suit, his eyes closed. Around him are 25 people, also smartly dressed, and with their eyes shut too. With a few exceptions, they’re mostly middle-aged white men, and those of them nearest to Trump lay their hands on him while the room falls silent in prayer.

Among the usual suspects – right-wing evangelicals like American Values president Gary Bauer, First Baptist Dallas senior pastor Robert Jeffress, and Family Research Council president Tony Perkins – are a female televangelist named Paula White-Cain, and the president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, Samuel Rodriguez.

These last two are leaders in a movement that is playing an increasingly significant role in American politics, constructing a religious network determined to see Trump re-elected in November so that he can continue their mission: to turn America into a theocracy. This is the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR).

Continue reading…

The far right evangelicals who want Trump to turn America into a theocracy

Trump lashes out at New York Times after report on ‘worst three weeks’ of campaign

16:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump is furious at The New York Times after the publication of a sprawl report on the former president’s campaign missteps and difficulties over the past three weeks.

Trump wrote on Truth Social:

The Failing New York Times, which is a crooked newspaper run by a Radical Left group of Lunatics, is losing readers at a record level. Their stories about me are highly inaccurate, and their polling is even worse. They are a big reason for the DECLINE OF NEW YORK CITY, which the entire World is watching with shock and sorrow! Its only hope is that I get elected President. I will fix it, and fix it fast!

The Times handily beat expectations for second-quarter digital subscriber growth adding 300,000 new readers taking it to 10.8 million print and digital subscribers.

Trump loves to claim that New York City is in decline and yet it remains by far the safest large city in the US with crime continuing to fall after a small increase during the pandemic.

Here’s our report on what the Times had to say about the Trump campaign:

Trump pushes questions on Harris’s race: ‘I think I was right’

Watch: Charlamagne tha God says Biden should’ve backed out of 2024 race four years ago

15:55 , Oliver O’Connell

Celine Dion calls out – and mocks – Trump for use of Titanic song

15:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Celine Dion has hit out at – and mocked – Donald Trump and JD Vance for using her Oscar-winning song from Titanic at his latest rally.

Shortly before the presidential candidate appeared on stage in Bozeman, Montana, on Friday (9 August), Republicans watched on as a clip of Dion singing her 1997 track “My Heart Will Go On” was played on a large screen.

Yes, THAT song, from THAT movie about THAT disaster, which is often used as a metaphor for all other disastrous events.

Jacob Stolworthy reports.

Celine Dion calls out – and mocks – Trump for using her Titanic song at rally

Biden enjoys Sunday morning bike ride in Rehoboth Beach

15:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Buttigieg calls Trump press conference ‘Olympics of lying’

15:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump is still trying to make Harris’s laugh a problem. People who know her well explain why

15:16 , Oliver O’Connell

Io Dodds writes:

Long before Kamala Harris was running to be president of the United States, Mark Buell noticed that she had a certain anxious tic.

“[Harris] is very funny. She has a very good sense of humor, and when she enjoys herself, she has a very hearty laugh,” recalls the San Francisco real estate developer and Democratic donor, who was one of Harris’s earliest political patrons, in an interview with The Independent.

But back then, he says, when she was nervous “that laugh became more prominent… so between the two, it would show up sometimes at inappropriate times.”

Two decades later, Donald Trump and other conservatives are trying to use Harris’s distinctive and frequent peals of whole-body laughter as an attack line, with the former president even adding “Laughing Kamala” to his notorious roster of nicknames.

Continue reading…

Why Trump is desperately trying to make Kamala Harris’s laugh a problem

Watch: Vance confronted over Trump remarks on Harris’s race and ‘childless cat ladies’ comment

14:48 , Oliver O’Connell

For these voters, Tim Walz is a reminder of their dad – before they were lost to partisan division

14:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Ariana Baio writes:

He’s got jokes, enthusiasm and a smiley face that’s not even remotely trying to hide how he’s feeling. He’s Tim Walz – and he’s bringing major Midwestern dad energy to the Democratic ticket.

At least that’s how many white women feel when they see Walz in videos, riding the Slingshot at the state fair with his daughter, signing legislation to give kids in Minnesota free lunches or tweeting about his pet cat.

It’s in stark contrast to what some see in their own fathers – who often have more conservative political views.

Continue reading…

For these voters, Tim Walz is the dad they wish they had

Watch: JD Vance says he accepts ‘weird’ attacks

14:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Celine Dion team rebukes Trump campaign and mocks us of ‘THAT song’

14:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Celine Dion’s management team has rebuked the Trump campaign for the unauthorized use of the song and video of “My Heart Will Go On”, the theme to the movie Titanic at the former president’s rally in Montana last night.

Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.

In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.

And in an amusing jab at the campaign, currently seen by many as having hit its own iceberg, the statement concludes: “…And really, THAT song?”

Trump persists in questioning Harris’s race as his campaign flounders

13:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump doubled down on his questions about Kamala Harris’s race – which have drawn a strong rebuke – saying “I think I was right.”

The revelation comes in a sprawling New York Times report detailing the Trump campaign’s missteps and difficulties in the last three weeks. Trump had seemingly everything in his favor after the attempt on his life and the start of the Republican National Convention.

But, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race paving the way for Vice President Harris to ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket. It was a move that has put the Trump campaign on its heels as Harris has surged in polls and momentum.

Alex Lang reports.

Trump pushes questions on Harris’s race: ‘I think I was right’

Pointing finger at Iran, Trump campaign says it was hacked and had documents stolen

13:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s campaign said on Saturday that some of its internal communications had been hacked after Politico began receiving emails from an anonymous account that included internal campaign documents.

Citing a Microsoft report published on Friday that Iranian hackers “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign”, the campaign blamed “foreign sources hostile to the United States.”

Continue reading…

Trump campaign says it was hacked and documents stolen, pointing the finger at Iran

Harris pledges to work to end taxes on tips for service industry employees, echoing Trump vow

12:45 , AP

Vice President Kamala Harris promised Saturday to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to restaurant workers and other service employees, echoing a pledge that her opponent in November, Donald Trump, has made, and creating a rare instance of political overlap from both sides.

Harris made the announcement at a rally on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where the economy relies heavily on the hotel, restaurant and entertainment industries. Trump vowed essentially the same thing at his own rally in the city in June — though neither he nor Harris are likely to be able to fully do that without actions from Congress.

“It is my promise to everyone here that, when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America,” Harris said. “Including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.”

Trump responded on his social media site a short time later, posting that Harris “just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy.”

“The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes!,” the former president wrote. “This was a TRUMP idea – She has no ideas, she can only steal from me.”

Harris campaign: Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war’

12:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice president, “misspoke” in a 2018 video about “weapons of war that I carried in war,” a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson said Saturday.

Read on…

Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war,’ Harris campaign says

Trump’s Truth Social lost $16.4m last quarter and had under $1m in revenue

11:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s social media company Trump Media and Technology Group has reported a $16.4 million loss and less than $1 million in quarterly revenue, only months after it began trading publicly to much fanfare earlier this year.

Read on…

Trump’s Truth Social lost $16.4m last quarter and less than $1m in revenue

Watch: JD Vance can’t hide from the couch and cat lady jokes

10:30 , Oliver O’Connell

“By the way, I’m one of those ‘miserable, childless cat ladies,’’ Rep Dina Titus said during her introductory remarks in Las Vegas ahead of speeches by Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, referencing Senator JD Vance’s past comments that have drawn criticism. “JD Vance apologized to my cat but he didn’t apologize to me… you better hide behind that sofa because we’re coming for you,” she added.

Trump bizarrely claims nobody knows his Democratic rival’s last name

09:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Following Thursday’s tsunami of absurd and false statements at his seemingly pointless “general news conference” at Mar-a-Lago, a free-wheeling Donald Trump bizarrely told supporters on Friday night that “nobody really knows” his opponent’s last name.

The reclusive former president emerged from hiding at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate and flew — with a slight mechanical interruption — to a rally in Bozeman, Montana, in support of Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is looking to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Tester.

On stage, Trump reeled through his standard list of grievances and disparaging remarks about America, adding some new material for the crowd.

Read on…

Trump oddly claims during Montana rally no one knows Kamala Harris’s last name

Dem congressman pokes fun at Trump’s angry reaction to Harris tips pledge

08:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Capitol rioter gets 20 years in prison for attacking police

07:30 , Oliver O’Connell

A California man with a history of political violence was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for repeatedly attacking police with flagpoles and other makeshift weapons during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

David Nicholas Dempsey’s sentence is among the longest among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. Prosecutors described him as one of the most violent members of the mob of Donald Trump supporters that attacked the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden‘s 2020 presidential election victory.

Dempsey, who is from Van Nuys, stomped on police officers’ heads. He swung poles at officers defending a tunnel, struck an officer in the head with a metal crutch and attacked police with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture, prosecutors said.

Continue reading…

Man who attacked police at the US Capitol with poles gets 20 years, one of longest Jan. 6 sentences

Trump furious about Harris echoing ‘no tax on tips’ policy

06:45 , Oliver O’Connell

This really got to him…

Trump appears to confirm hacking of campaign by Iran

06:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Here’s our earlier reporting:

Trump campaign says it was hacked and documents stolen, pointing the finger at Iran

Harris pledges to work to end taxes on tips for service industry employees, echoing Trump vow

05:45 , AP

Vice President Kamala Harris promised Saturday to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to restaurant workers and other service employees, echoing a pledge that her opponent in November, Donald Trump, has made, and creating a rare instance of political overlap from both sides.

Harris made the announcement at a rally on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where the economy relies heavily on the hotel, restaurant and entertainment industries. Trump vowed essentially the same thing at his own rally in the city in June — though neither he nor Harris are likely to be able to fully do that without actions from Congress.

“It is my promise to everyone here that, when I am president, we will continue our fight for working families of America,” Harris said. “Including to raise the minimum wage and eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.”

Trump responded on his social media site a short time later, posting that Harris “just copied my NO TAXES ON TIPS Policy.”

“The difference is, she won’t do it, she just wants it for Political Purposes!,” the former president wrote. “This was a TRUMP idea – She has no ideas, she can only steal from me.”

Harris and Walz hold rally in Las Vegas

05:13 , Oliver O’Connell

It was quite a turnout, again.

Kamala Harris celebrated the endorsement of the Culinary Union — potentially crucial in Nevada.

Harris tries out a new message: “Bring it on!”

What did JD Vance do while serving in Iraq?

03:30 , Oliver O’Connell

JD Vance sparked a firestorm this week when he accused fellow veteran and Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota governor Tim Walz, of abandoning his unit before it deployed to Iraq.

“When the United States Marine Corps … asked me to go to Iraq to serve my country, I did it,” Vance told reporters. “When Tim Walz was asked by his country to go to Iraq … he dropped out of the army and allowed his unit to go without him.”

Democrats were quick to hit back at the claim, pointing out that Walz filed to run for Congress and officially retired from the Minnesota National Guard months before his unit was alerted about deployment. But Vance’s criticism of his opponent’s record has drawn greater scrutiny of his own time as a “combat correspondent” in the Marine Corps, as Richard Hall reports.

What JD Vance really did in Iraq, as told by the friend who served with him

After months of delays, Trump’s election interference case is back in Judge Chutkan’s hands

01:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s federal election interference case is slowly coming back to life.

The case is now back in the hands of District Judge Tanya Chutkan, after it was frozen for months while the former president was fighting for “immunity” up to the Supreme Court.

Alex Woodward has been closely following the case.

Trump’s election interference case is coming back to life

Jack Smith seeks delay in Trump’s election interference case

Sunday 11 August 2024 00:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Special Counsel Jack Smith is seeking a three-week delay in Donald Trump’s election interference case to give prosecutors more time to propose next steps in light of the Supreme Court’s unprecedented ruling around presidential immunity.

Smith’s office indicted Trump in August 2023 over his allegedly “criminal scheme” to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory by installing slates of “fake electors” in states he lost, ordering the Justice Department to conduct “sham election crime investigations” and pressuring then-vice president Mike Pence to “alter the election results,” then failing to stop a mob that sought to do it by force.

The Republican presidential nominee pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Joe Sommerlad and Alex Woodward report.

Jack Smith seeks delay in Trump’s Jan 6 case after Supreme Court immunity ruling

Harris campaign: Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war’

Sunday 11 August 2024 00:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic candidate for vice president, “misspoke” in a 2018 video about “weapons of war that I carried in war,” a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson said Saturday.

Read on…

Walz ‘misspoke’ in 2018 reference to ‘weapons of war, that I carried in war,’ Harris campaign says

The press conference you should’ve been paying attention to while Trump rambled on about nothing

Saturday 10 August 2024 23:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia reports from Arizona where things are getting nasty as one of Trump’s most devoted disciples fights to stay relevant.

The presser you should’ve been watching while Trump rambled on about nothing

MAGA fans call for boycott of Dunkin Donuts

Saturday 10 August 2024 22:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Followers of Donald Trump are calling for a boycott of Dunkin’ Donuts after the chief executive of Rumble claimed that the coffee chain refused to advertise on the conservative video platform because its “right-wing culture”.

Rumble has joined Elon Musk’s X in a lawsuit against a number of advertisers that they say have declined to do business with them because of the right-wing content on their platforms, Newsweek reported.

Gustaf Kilander has the story of the latest boycott hysteria.

MAGA fans call for boycott of Dunkin Donuts: ‘The Bud Lite treatment’

Trump campaign says it was hacked and had documents stolen

Saturday 10 August 2024 22:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s campaign said on Saturday that some of its internal communications had been hacked after Politico began receiving emails from an anonymous account that included internal campaign documents.

Citing a Microsoft report published on Friday that Iranian hackers “sent a spear phishing email in June to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign”, the campaign blamed “foreign sources hostile to the United States.”

In the report, Microsoft did not identify the campaign targeted by the email and declined to comment when approached by Politico.

Continue reading…

Trump campaign says it was hacked and documents stolen, pointing the finger at Iran

For these voters, Tim Walz is a reminder of their dad – before they were lost to partisan division

Saturday 10 August 2024 22:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Ariana Baio writes:

He’s got jokes, enthusiasm and a smiley face that’s not even remotely trying to hide how he’s feeling. He’s Tim Walz – and he’s bringing major Midwestern dad energy to the Democratic ticket.

At least that’s how many white women feel when they see Walz in videos, riding the Slingshot at the state fair with his daughter, signing legislation to give kids in Minnesota free lunches or tweeting about his pet cat.

It’s in stark contrast to what some see in their own fathers – who often have more conservative political views.

Continue reading…

For these voters, Tim Walz is the dad they wish they had

Celine Dion team rebukes Trump campaign and mocks us of ‘THAT song’

Saturday 10 August 2024 21:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Celine Dion’s management team has rebuked the Trump campaign for the unauthorized use of the song and video of “My Heart Will Go On”, the theme to the movie Titanic at the former president’s rally in Montana last night.

Today, Celine Dion’s management team and her record label, Sony Music Entertainment Canada Inc., became aware of the unauthorized usage of the video, recording, musical performance, and likeness of Celine Dion singing “My Heart Will Go On” at a Donald Trump / JD Vance campaign rally in Montana.

In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use.

And in an amusing jab at the campaign, currently seen by many as having hit its own iceberg, the statement concludes: “…And really, THAT song?”

Iran is using fake news sites to influence 2024 election

Saturday 10 August 2024 21:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Groups connected to the Iranian government are ramping up their efforts to interfere with voters’ decision-making in the 2024 presidential election by targeting far-left and far-right individuals with fake news websites, a new report from Microsoft Threat Analysis Center claims.

Among those fake news websites is a left-leaning one called Nio Thinker, launched in October 2023, that appealed to potential liberal voters by concentrating on the Israel-Hamas war and mocking former president Donald Trump.

A right-leaning one called Savannah Time has published content associated with conservative hot-button issues like gender-reassignment surgery and other LGBT+ issues, the report says.

Ariana Baio has more details below.

Microsoft says Iran is using fake news sites to influence 2024 election

Crowds lining up to see Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in Vegas

Saturday 10 August 2024 21:12 , Oliver O’Connell

In depth: How Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump

Saturday 10 August 2024 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

While he stokes far-right hysteria overseas, Elon Musk is amplifying election disinformation at home.

The 2024 presidential cycle is the first since Musk bought X, formerly Twitter. Under his ownership, the fact checkers are gone, AI-generated content is feeding false election information to millions of users, and Musk himself is responsible for misleading posts that have been viewed more than 1 billion times.

The world’s wealthiest man not only controls a platform where he can boost Donald Trump’s campaign, he also helped launch a Trump-supporting political action committee to spend and raise unlimited dollars to get him elected — a uniquely powerful combination that election analysts, civil rights groups and state prosecutors are closely watching.

Alex Woodward reports.

Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump

Trump will do town halls if Harris doesn’t agree to Fox News and NBC debates, report says

Saturday 10 August 2024 20:39 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump still intends to be in front of TV cameras even if Kamala Harris dismisses his pleas for two other presidential debates, The New York Post reports, citing a campaign official.

If the vice president will not attend debates suggested by the former president, the officials said: “We’ll do town halls.”

Harris has agreed to a debate on September 10 hosted by ABC News that was previously arranged to be between Trump and President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race.

Trump appeared to back out of the debate after Harris took over the campaign and was then this week confirmed as the party’s nominee.

Instead, the former president said he wanted to debate on the friendlier turf of Fox News on September 4. Harris declined to do so.

During a rambling, lie-filled press conference on Thursday at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said he has now accepted the ABC News invitation and again touted the Fox News debate before saying that he was also asking for a September 25 debate on NBC (which appeared to have not been fully agreed to by anyone except him).

In remarks to reporters, Harris left open the door to the NBC debate or another date after the ABC News event.

JD Vance reveals 30-pound weight loss

Saturday 10 August 2024 20:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance has revealed that he has lost 30 pounds over the past two years.

Vance, who was announced as Donald Trump’s running mate at the Republican National Convention last month, attributed the weight loss to eating better, running and hitting the gym. He denied taking any weight loss medication.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

JD Vance reveals 30lb weight loss – but worries about his campaign trail diet

Walz’s campaign tries to walk back 2018 comments about using weapons ‘in war’

Saturday 10 August 2024 20:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Tim Walz “misspoke” in a 2018 video where the Minnesota governor linked his stance on gun regulations to handling weapons “in war,” according to the Harris campaign, as Republicans continue to allege Walz has been exaggerating his military record.

Earlier this week, the Kamala Harris campaign shared a video of Walz talking about why he supports background checks, public health research and other Democratic priorities around gun legislation.

In the clip, Walz described his nearly quarter-century serving in the Army National Guard and said, “We can make sure those weapons of war, that I carried in war, is the only place where those weapons are at.”

Josh Marcus has the story.

Walz tries to walk back 2018 comments over using weapons ‘in war’ after GOP attacks

Harris could make history as the first president to work at McDonald’s

Saturday 10 August 2024 19:30 , Oliver O’Connell

The next president of the United States could be a former McDonald’s employee.

More than 13 percent of Americans, or roughly 41 million people, have worked at a McDonald’s restaurant at some point in their lives. That includes Kamala Harris, who worked at a restaurant for a summer while she was in college.

Harris mentioned her brief stint on the fryer when she joined the picket line with fast food workers in Las Vegas in 2019 and during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show in April.

Alex Woodward looks at the significance of the vice president’s former summer job for the campaign.

Kamala Harris could make history as the first president to work at McDonald’s

Bidens enjoy day at beach

Saturday 10 August 2024 19:15 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden, first lady Jill Biden and their granddaughter Naomi Biden are enjoying an afternoon at the beach in Delaware.

Trump bizarrely claims nobody knows his Democratic rival’s last name

Saturday 10 August 2024 19:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Following Thursday’s tsunami of absurd and false statements at his seemingly pointless “general news conference” at Mar-a-Lago, a free-wheeling Donald Trump bizarrely told supporters on Friday night that “nobody really knows” his opponent’s last name.

The reclusive former president emerged from hiding at his Palm Beach, Florida, estate and flew — with a slight mechanical interruption — to a rally in Bozeman, Montana, in support of Republican Senate candidate Tim Sheehy, who is looking to unseat Democratic Senator Jon Tester.

On stage, Trump reeled through his standard list of grievances and disparaging remarks about America, adding some new material for the crowd.

Read on…

Trump oddly claims during Montana rally no one knows Kamala Harris’s last name

Watch: Moment Trump polls Montana crowd about attack line on Biden — who is no longer running…

Saturday 10 August 2024 18:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Should someone tell him? 🤔

John Bolton says Trump can’t even tell when he’s lying

Saturday 10 August 2024 18:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s response to Donald Trump’s rambling press conference on Thursday could be summarized in one sentence: “Trump can’t tell the difference between what’s true and what’s false.”

Bolton, who served in the Trump administration, said the former president consistently told falsehoods throughout the nearly hour-long “general news conference” but said it was not deliberate lying, rather that Trump espoused what he believes in his mind.

Ariana Baio reports.

Former Trump adviser says ex-president can’t even tell when he’s lying

Trump persists in questioning Harris’s race as his campaign flounders since shooting

Saturday 10 August 2024 18:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump doubled down on his questions about Kamala Harris’s race – which have drawn a strong rebuke – saying “I think I was right.”

The revelation comes in a sprawling New York Times report detailing the Trump campaign’s missteps and difficulties in the last three weeks. Trump had seemingly everything in his favor after the attempt on his life and the start of the Republican National Convention.

But, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race paving the way for Vice President Harris to ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket. It was a move that has put the Trump campaign on its heels as Harris has surged in polls and momentum.

The Trump campaign denied the Times’ report that the Republican nominee has seen struggles in his campaign. Still, several examples show the potential pitfalls Trump has encountered in recent weeks.

Alex Lang reports.

Trump pushes questions on Harris’s race: ‘I think I was right’

Arizona: Latest polling is good news for Democrats

Saturday 10 August 2024 18:02 , Oliver O’Connell

With Kamala Harris taking her place at the top of the Democratic Party ticket and selecting Tim Walz as her running mate, on Thursday the Cook Political Report showed that the electoral race in Arizona, along with Nevada and Georgia, had flipped from “leaning Republican” to “toss-up” over just a few weeks.

When Joe Biden was top of the ticket, Donald Trump was leading him by approximately 2.5 per cent in the state.

Enthusiasm behind the Harris ticket and a quest to deny Donald Trump a second term in the White House has seen a movement by moderate Republicans to back the Democrat.

Here’s the Republican Mayor of Mesa, Arizona, endorsing Harris:

In the latest local polling, Harris now leads Trump by two per cent, while down-ticket in the Senate race, Democrat Ruben Gallego is leading MAGA loyalist Kari Lake by 11 points!

Trump Media sees $16m loss and falling revenue in latest filing

Saturday 10 August 2024 17:51 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s social media company Trump Media and Technology Group has reported a $16.4m loss and less than $1m in quarterly revenue, only months after it began trading publicly to much fanfare earlier this year.

The parent company of Truth Social said on Friday in its latest filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it had earned $837,000 in revenue for the second quarter of 2024 — down 30 per cent from the same period last year — and had also paid millions of dollars to cover legal expenses related to its stock market listing.

“Additionally, the Company incurred $3.1 million of IT consulting and software licensing expenses, primarily related to its software licensing agreement to power its new TV streaming service,” Trump Media said in a press release.

Trump Media said it ended the quarter with $344m in cash and cash equivalents, with no debt.

These latest dire financial results are not surprising given that in April the company reported a $58m loss for last year, leading to a collapse in its stock price.

On March 27, shares in Trump Media closed at $66.22. On Friday at market close, they were $26.21.

The company has a market capitalization of nearly $5bn, an extraordinarily high valuation given its very modest sales.

Truth Social plays a major role in Trump’s campaign for reelection, with the former president usually posting several times a day. He has 7.5 million followers on the site, which he started having been deplatformed by both Twitter and Facebook following the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Saturday 10 August 2024 17:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump called military veterans ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’, former Chief of Staff claims

Harris calls for Gaza ceasefire at Arizona rally

Saturday 10 August 2024 17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Vice President Kamala Harris told pro-Palestine protesters at a rally in Glendale, Arizona that “now is the time” to get a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza.

Harris’s words differ vastly from two days ago when she told pro-Palestine protesters at a rally in Detroit—a state with a large Arab-American population—that “If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”

By contrast, early in her speech at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona, she received heckles from pro-Palestine protesters chanting “free, free Palestine.” In response, Harris tried to speak from a policy perspective.

Eric Garcia watched her remarks.

Harris tells pro-Palestine protesters in Arizona ‘now is the time’ to get a ceasefire

Inside JD Vance’s curious investment portfolio

Saturday 10 August 2024 17:15 , Oliver O’Connell

The most recent financial disclosures of JD Vance have revealed an electic investment portfolio – from the right-wing streaming service, Rumble and a popular Catholic prayer app, to a controversial biotech firm.

The 2022 filings, made to the Senate Ethics Committee, shows that Trump’s running mate also had financial interests in a housekeeping services provider, legal technology developer and student loans assistance company, among others. The Ohio senator has requested an extension on his 2023 filings.

The investments have been made through different companies set up by Vance and his associates, some named in apparent reference to JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Mike Bedigan reports.

A Catholic prayer app and biotech firm: JD Vance’s curious investment portfolio

In pictures: Kamala Harris and Tim Walz rally supporters in Arizona

Saturday 10 August 2024 16:58 , Oliver O’Connell

Pelosi says she didn’t think Biden would win

Saturday 10 August 2024 16:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Nancy Pelosi is finally making clear her role in the pressure campaign which led to Joe Biden making the painful, personal decision to step down as the Democratic Party’s 2024 candidate.

The former House speaker sat down with The New Yorker for an interview which published on Thursday; in it, she outlined a bleak outlook for the Biden campaign following the president’s concerning appearance at June’s presidential debate in Atlanta.

Pelosi told David Remnick that she didn’t see a path to victory for the incumbent president after he appeared lost on stage at points and could not complete his thoughts.

John Bowden reports.

Pelosi says she didn’t think Biden would win, reveals chilled relationship with him

Biden and JD Vance set for Sunday morning TV interviews

Saturday 10 August 2024 16:28 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden has recorded an interview with Robert Costa of CBS News — his first since withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race. The full interview will be broadcast on CBS Sunday Morning tomorrow.

Asked if he were confident that there would be a peaceful transfer of power in January 2025, Biden said: “If Trump loses, I’m not confident at all. He means what he says. We don’t take him seriously. He means it, all the stuff about, ‘If we lose, there’ll be a bloodbath, it’ll have to be a stolen election.’”

Here’s a clip:

Meanwhile, Ohio Senator JD Vance, Donald Trump’s choice for running mate, will also be making the rounds of the Sunday shows. He will interviewed by Jonathan Karl on ABC News’s This Week, also on Sunday morning — other guests scheduled to appear are Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, and Charlamagne tha God, co-host of The Breakfast Club.

The senator is also scheduled to appear on CNN’s State of the Union (other guests: Senator Bernie Sanders, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg) and CBS’s Face the Nation (alongside Kansas Governor Laura Kelly; Brian Moynihan, CEO of Bank of America; retired General Frank McKenzie, former commander of US Central Command).

Fox News Sunday will have Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Democrat Rep Jason Crow of Colorado.

On NBC, Meet the Press is pre-empted by coverage of the Olympics from Paris.

Watch: Biden says he has obligation to country ‘we must defeat Trump’

Saturday 10 August 2024 16:15 , Oliver O’Connell

White House slams Israeli ‘extremists’ for resisting hostage deal

Saturday 10 August 2024 16:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The White House has condemned Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich for arguing against a ceasefire and hostage release deal brokered with the Biden administration, calling his recent public statements unhelpful and dangerous.

National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby on Friday said the US welcomes Israel’s announcement that it will participate in talks with Hamas representatives set to begin next week, either in Doha or Cairo, and said President Joe Biden has spoken with Israeli and Qatari leaders about “a way forward” to “close remaining gaps and to see if we can get this hostage deal concluded.”

Andrew Feinberg reports.

White House slams Israeli ‘extremists’ for resisting hostage deal

George Floyd’s brother endorses Harris-Walz

Saturday 10 August 2024 15:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Per NBC News:

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was just a year into his first term when in May of 2020 a Minneapolis police officer killed George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes, spurring protests across the state and the nation.

To Philonise Floyd, Walz’s compassion and dedication to ensure accountability for his older brother’s murder — and for other police brutality victims in Minnesota — is one of the things that make him worthy of being the next vice president of the United States.

“He’s built for this,” Floyd, 43, said on Friday. “He’s built for this fight that he’s going to go through and I think he can do it.”

ICYMI: Trump’s plane diverted over mechanical issue

Saturday 10 August 2024 15:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Former President Donald Trump’s plane was diverted while heading to a rally in Montana on Friday.

The Associated Press reported that the plane was diverted from Bozeman, Montana due to a mechanical issue but landed safely at Billings Logan International Airport. A staff member at the Billings airport confirmed the incident.

Michelle Del Rey reports.

Trump’s plane diverted over mechanical issue while flying to rally in Montana

Capitol rioter gets 20 years in prison for attacking police

Saturday 10 August 2024 15:15 , Oliver O’Connell

A California man with a history of political violence was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison for repeatedly attacking police with flagpoles and other makeshift weapons during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

David Nicholas Dempsey’s sentence is among the longest among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. Prosecutors described him as one of the most violent members of the mob of Donald Trump supporters that attacked the Capitol as lawmakers met to certify Joe Biden‘s 2020 presidential election victory.

Dempsey, who is from Van Nuys, stomped on police officers’ heads. He swung poles at officers defending a tunnel, struck an officer in the head with a metal crutch and attacked police with pepper spray and broken pieces of furniture, prosecutors said.

Continue reading…

Man who attacked police at the US Capitol with poles gets 20 years, one of longest Jan. 6 sentences

New poll sees Harris leading in three key battleground states

Saturday 10 August 2024 14:58 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump in three of the most important battleground states that will likely decide the election.

A new poll from The New York Times and Siena College shows the vice president has dramatically reversed the fortunes of the Democratic Party in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

In a survey of likely voters conducted between August 5 and 9, Harris leads Trump by four percentage points 50 per cent to 46 per cent.

Per the Times:

While the reshaped race is still in its volatile early weeks, Democrats are now in a notably stronger position in these three battleground states that have long been key to the party’s victories — or defeats. Still, the results show vulnerabilities for Ms. Harris. Voters prefer Mr. Trump when it comes to whom they trust to handle the economy and immigration, issues that remain central to the presidential race.

…

Much of the newfound Democratic strength stems from improved voter perceptions of Ms. Harris. Her favorability rating has increased 10 percentage points among registered voters in Pennsylvania just in the last month, according to Times/Siena polling. Voters also view Ms. Harris as more intelligent and more temperamentally fit to govern than Mr. Trump.

Culinary Union endorses Harris-Walz

Saturday 10 August 2024 14:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have won the endorsement of the powerful Culinary Union.

In a statement released on Friday evening, the group said the vice president “Has consistently championed our union and hospitality workers” and “stood by us as we negotiated and won the best union contract ever”.

As Donald Trump’s campaign promises a “no tax on tips” rule, the union nevertheless says: “Kamala has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to tackle issues that are important to guest room attendants who clean hotel rooms, cooks who make gourmet food, and the tip-earning servers who deliver cocktail and unparalleled hospitality.”

Accusing Republicans of siding with Wall Street landlords and the super-rich, the union concludes its statement by saying: “The path to victory runs through Nevada, and the Culinary Union will deliver Nevada for President Kamala Harris and Vice President Tim Walz.”

Harris for President Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in response: “Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz are honored to be endorsed by Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and Bartenders Union Local 165 and will never stop fighting for their 60,000 workers across the great state of Nevada.”

Sinking ship: Trump mocked for ‘ironic’ Celine Dion song choice

Saturday 10 August 2024 14:28 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump is being lampooned for the “ironic” use of Celine Dion’s Oscar-winning song from Titanic at his latest rally.

Shortly before the presidential candidate appeared on stage in Bozeman, Montana on Friday (9 August), his supporters watched as a clip of Dion singing her 1997 track “My Heart Will Go On” was played on a large screen.

It’s unknown whether Trump requested rights from Dion, who recently performed at the Olympics opening ceremony that Trump went on to criticise. The Independent has contacted representatives of Dion and Disney, who now owns 20th Century Fox, the studio that distributed Titanic, for comment.

Dion previously refused to perform at Trump’s inauguration when he was elected president in 2016.

Jacob Stolworthy reports.

Trump lampooned for ‘ironic’ song choice at Montana rally