Harris to host star-studded Georgia rally; Trump campaigns in Nevada, Arizona

Kamala Harris said she believes that Donald Trump is a “fascist” in a CNN town hall in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, again warning of the threat the Republican poses to the country’s future.

The former president is currently facing a fresh storm of criticism over a report alleging that he once said he needed “the kind of generals that Adolf Hitler had.”

John Kelly, his former chief of staff, meanwhile told The New York Times that Trump praised Hitler on multiple occasions.

Harris told compere Anderson Cooper that Kelly’s revelations were a “911 call to the American people”, having said earlier that Trump is “increasingly unhinged and unstable”.

Trump has nevertheless taken a narrow lead over Harris in a new Wall Street Journal poll with less than two weeks to go until Election Day, getting 47 percent of the vote in the newspaper’s latest survey, with Harris two points behind.

Another poll from Marist places the candidates neck-and-neck in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina.

In a long-awaited boost to the Harris campaign, the vice president will be joined onstage in Houston on Friday by Beyoncé after campaigning with Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen tonight in Atlanta.

Key Points

• Beyonce to join Kamala Harris rally in Houston on Friday

• Kamala Harris hits out at ‘fascist’ Donald Trump and defends policies at CNN town hall

• Trump takes narrow lead over Harris in new Wall Street Journal poll

• All-star line-up for Harris rally in Atlanta tonight

• Campaign schedule: Who’s doing what where on Thursday

Trump denies proposes national sales tax — still fails to understand how tariffs work

21:09 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump still fails to understand or admit that tariffs on imported goods mean higher prices for American consumers buying imported goods and businesses that rely on imported components.

These higher prices are framed as a national sales tax by Democrats.

Here’s what the former president wrote on Truth Social this afternoon:

I am NOT proposing a National Sales Tax, as the Democrats say in their Advertisements against me. Dems know what they are saying is a blatant lie. I am proposing tariffs on other countries that take advantage of us, hardly a NST. These tariffs are paid for by the abusing country, NOT THE AMERICAN CONSUMER. They do not cause inflation, and will MAKE AMERICA RICH AGAIN!

‘Did you just ‘whatever’ the Holocaust?’: ‘Daily Show’ skewers ‘Fox & Friends’

20:50 , Oliver O’Connell

The Daily Show tore into Fox News anchor Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday, after the broadcaster tried to defend Donald Trump in the wake of reporting that he allegedly praised Adolf Hitler in the White House.

“He obviously has frustration, and I could absolutely see him going out, ‘You know what? It would be great to have German generals [that] actually do what we asked them to do,’” Kilmeade told panelists on Fox & Friends. “Knowing that, maybe not fully being cognizant of the third rail of German generals were Nazis and whatever. But he was frustrated with the slowdown.”

“Did you just ‘whatever’ the Holocaust?” Daily Show host Michael Kosta asked during a segment on the controversy.

Josh Marcus reports.

‘Daily Show’ skewers ‘Fox & Friends’ for defending Trump’s Hitler remarks

Watch: Howard Kurtz vouches for Kelly over Trump’s Hitler comments before trying to explain them away

20:33 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump claims Pennsylvania has 500,000 fracking jobs — is there any truth to that?

20:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Pennsylvania has 500,000 fracking jobs, but reports indicate that the figure is closer to a tenth of that.

Gustaf Kilander looks at the numbers.

Trump claims Pennsylvania has 500K fracking jobs – the figure is a tenth of that

Watch: CNN pollster says 60% chance Harris or Trump could sweep battlegrounds

20:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Explained: A convicted felon, such as Trump, wins the presidency — what happens next?

20:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Earlier this year, Donald Trump made history by becoming the first former president ever convicted of a crime.

Now, with Election Day looming and the Republican neck-and-neck with Kamala Harris in the polls, he could make history again: by becoming the first convicted felon elected to the nation’s highest office.

Joe Sommerlad explains what could happen next.

What happens if a convicted felon – like Trump – wins the presidency?

Biden to apologize for 150-year Indian boarding school policy

20:05 , AP

President Joe Biden is expected to formally apologize on Friday for the country’s role in the Indian boarding school system, which devastated the lives of generations of Indigenous children and their ancestors.

“I would never have guessed in a million years that something like this would happen,” said Secretary of Interior Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of Laguna. “It’s a big deal to me. I’m sure it will be a big deal to all of Indian Country.”

Shortly after becoming the first Native American to lead the Interior, Haaland launched an investigation into the boarding school system, which found that at least 18,000 children, some as young as 4, were taken from their parents and forced to attend schools that sought to assimilate them, in an effort to dispossess their tribal nations of land. It also documented nearly 1,000 deaths and 74 gravesites associated with the more than 500 schools.

No president has ever formally apologized for the forced removal of Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children — an element of genocide as defined by the United Nations — or any other aspect of the US government’s decimation of Indigenous peoples.

Continue reading…

President Biden to apologize for 150-year Indian boarding school policy

More than 2.1 million people have voted early in Georgia

19:59 , Alex Woodward

Georgia’s secretary of state says more than 2.125 million people have voted early in the state, as of this afternoon.

On day ten of Early Voting in previous years, 730,706 (2018), 1,328,199 (2020), and 1,139,770 (2022) voters had turned out for in-person Early Voting.

“Georgia voters know we’ve made it easy to cast a ballot. It’s really that simple,” said Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger.

“Over the past four years we’ve worked tirelessly to prepare for this election by adding Early Voting days and investing in infrastructure, only to be rewarded with the lies of Jim Crow 2.0 and a missed All-Star Game. We’re battled tested and ready, despite the critics.”

Far more Harris supporters confident outcome of election will be clear when ballots counted

19:55 , Alex Woodward

A majority of American voters are at least somewhat confident in the outcomes of elections this November, but Donald Trump’s supporters are nearly 30 percent less likely to believe that it will be clear who won when the ballots are counted.

Partisan gaps in how voters view election results and election administration are about as wide as they were in 2020, according to the results of a new Pew Research Center poll out today.

Roughly 85 percent of Kamala Harris voters are confident that it will be clear who won once the results are counted, compared to just 58 percent of Donald Trump supporters.

Eighty-five percent of Harris voters are also confident that mail-in ballots will be accurately accounted for, compared to just 38 percent of Trump voters.

Harris voters are much more confident than Trump voters that election systems are secure from hacking and technological threats — 73 percent, to just 32 percent among Trump voters, representing a 60 percent decrease from four years ago.

Only 20 percent of voters are “extremely” or “very” confident that the Supreme Court will remain politically neutral if election litigation lands in front of the justices this year.

Trump voters are far more confident (34 percent) about that than Harris voters (6 percent).

The survey was performed September 30 to October 6 among roughly 5,000 adult participants.

Republicans have bet big on anti-trans ads… but polling shows voters hate them

19:50 , Oliver O’Connell

A polling firm has revealed that more than half of registered voters view Republicans’ anti-trans ads as “mean-spirited.”

54 percent of voters agree with the statement that attack ads on transgender people have “gotten mean-spirited and out of hand,” according to polling data released Thursday by left-leaning Data for Progress. 31 percent of Republicans also agreed with the statement, according to the poll.

Another 80 percent of likely voters said they “strongly” or “somewhat” agree both political parties should “spend less time talking about transgender issues and more time talking about voters’ priority issues like the economy and inflation.”

Katie Hawkinson has the details.

Republicans have bet big on anti-trans ads. Voters hate them

Sarah Jessica Parker shares presidential endorsement

19:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Sarah Jessica Parker made reference to her Sex and the City character Carrie Bradshaw as she announced her support for Kamala Harris in next month’s presidential election.

Parker, 59, posted an image of herself holding up a “Harris/Walz” placard on Instagram.

In the caption, she listed 31 reasons why she intends to vote for the Democratic candidates. The post already has just under 340,000 likes.

Here’s Kevin E G Perry’s report.

Sarah Jessica Parker shares presidential endorsement before 2024 election

DNC shootings suspect ‘was planning mass casualty event’

19:30 , Oliver O’Connell

An Arizona man arrested after a series of attacks on a Democratic National Committee office may have been planning a ‘mass casualty event’ authorities say.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, was arrested on Tuesday night by Tempe Police and charged with multiple felony counts, including unlawful discharge of a firearm, shooting at a non-residential structure and committing an act of terrorism, and three misdemeanor counts of criminal discharge, authorities said.

Kelly Rissman reports.

DNC shootings suspect ‘was planning mass casualty event’ as FBI find 120 guns

Watch: ‘Trump’ sent to nursing home in new Eric Swalwell video

19:20 , Oliver O’Connell

‘Donald Trump’ sent to nursing home in new Eric Swalwell video

James Taylor to join Walz on campaign trail in North Carolina

19:16 , Oliver O’Connell

Singer James Taylor will join vice presidential nominee Tim Walz on the campaign trail in Wilmington, North Carolina this evening, NBC News reports.

Taylor, a North Carolina-native, has endorsed the Kamala Harris and Tim Walz ticket.

‘Dad’ Trump will give ‘vigorous spankings to bad girls’… according to Tucker Carlson

19:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson whipped up a crowd of Donald Trump supporters with a bizarre speech comparing the former president to a dad coming home to punish his misbehaving children.

Here’s Ariana Baio’s report on this unsettling visual.

Bizarre Tucker Carlson speech compares Trump to ‘dad’ giving kids ‘vigorous spanking’

Watch: Scaramucci explains why he doesn’t think Trump would incite violence if he loses

19:07 , Oliver O’Connell

Former Trump staffer Anthony Scaramucci tells Dean Obdeidallah why he doesn’t think that Donald Trump would incite violence if he loses the 2024 election.

Warren Buffett reveals endorsement decision after fake claims about who he’s backing

19:03 , Oliver O’Connell

The billionaire Warren Buffet has finally revealed his endorsement decision for next month’s election – but it’s not the one many would have guessed.

Madeline Sherratt has the story.

Warren Buffett finally reveals his endorsement decision in 2024 election

Watch: Trump tells Hugh Hewitt he would fire Jack Smith in ‘two seconds’

19:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Harris hails endorsements from GOP leaders, dings Trump for being ‘exhausted’

18:54 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris hailed new endorsements from Republican Party leaders while speaking to the press this lunchtime: “I’m proud to announce that we’ve had some endorsements this morning…Two leaders of the Republican Party…The Mayor of Waukesha and former Representative Fred Upton.”

She also reiterated the claim that Donald Trump is “exhausted”, adding “the sad part about that is he’s trying to be President of the United States”.

Three decades serving as congressional Republican, and this GOP stalwart has voted for Harris

18:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Fred Upton, a member of the Republican Party who represented Michigan in Congress for more than three decades, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president on Thursday, breaking from his party in defiance of Donald Trump.

Reflecting on the January 6 attack on the Capitol, Upton said Trump is “unfit to serve as commander in chief again” and has continued to engage in unacceptable “unhinged behavior”, in a statement obtained by the New York Times.

Ariana Baio reports.

Ex-GOP rep backs Harris saying Trump is unfit to serve as commander in chief again

Watch: GOP mayor ‘terrified of Donald Trump’ declares support for Kamala Harris

18:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Red city mayor ‘terrified of Donald Trump’ declares support for Kamala Harris

Mailbox set on fire damaging ballots in crucial swing state Arizona

18:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Phoenix Fire Department and law enforcement are investigating after a United States Postal Service mailbox was believed to have been set on fire overnight. Some 20 mail-in electoral ballots were damaged in addition to other mail awaiting collection.

ABC 15 Arizona reports:

Crews were called to the USPS Osborn Station, near 7th Avenue and Indian School Road, around 1:30 a.m. where a drove-up mail collection box was on fire.

Crews were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, but investigators were later seen going through pieces of mail that had been burned in the fire.

“Approximately 20 electoral ballots were damaged, along with additional miscellaneous mail,” Phoenix Fire Department officials said. The Postal Inspector has since taken possession of the damaged ballots and mail.

What led to the fire is not yet known, but Phoenix Police Department says Phoenix Fire Department’s Arson Investigation Taskforce is performing a criminal investigation with postal inspectors and police.

Watch: Harris speaks to reporters before traveling to Atlanta

18:31 , Oliver O’Connell

More than 230 doctors say Trump is too unstable to serve

18:30 , Oliver O’Connell

More than 230 psychiatrists and mental health professionals have signed on to an open letter declaring Donald Trump to be far too mentally unstable to be president as part of a new ad campaign from conservative lawyer George Conway’s Anti-Psychopath PAC.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

More than 230 doctors say Trump is too unstable to be president in open letter

Watch: Harris campaign deploying celebrity advantage over GOP

18:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Full story: Trump says he would fire ‘mean’ special counsel Jack Smith ‘within seconds’ of taking office

18:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump said he would “fire” special counsel Jack Smith within “two seconds” of his first day in office, if elected, suggesting that the Republican presidential nominee intends to force law enforcement agencies and the courts to drop two federal cases against him.

Right-wing radio host Hugh Hewitt asked Trump on Thursday whether he would pardon himself or “fire” the special counsel appointed to oversee the criminal cases against the former president.

“Oh, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. He’s a crooked person … I would fire him within two seconds,” Trump said.

Alex Woodward reports.

Trump says he would ‘fire’ Jack Smith ‘within seconds’ of taking office

Watch: Trump continues to pledge to revive archaic ‘alien’ law

18:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump continues pledge to revive centuries-old archaic ‘alien’ law

Another day, another pointless fib…

17:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump‘s claim that his youngest daughter Tiffany Trump graduated at the very top of her law school class is raising eyebrows — given the school doesn’t rank its students and she doesn’t appear on the honors list.

James Liddell has the story.

Trump’s claim Tiffany graduated top of her class at Georgetown raises eyebrows

Watch: Morning Joe breaks down how Trump economic plan would ‘tank economy’

17:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Steve Rattner takes a look at how Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s economic plans stack up after 23 Nobel Prize-winning economists slam the Republican candidate’s policies, predicting higher prices and larger deficits.

New poll shows Trump inching past Harris

17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

A new poll has found that former President Donald Trump has a small lead over Vice President Kamala Harris, less than two weeks ahead of November’s election.

A national Wall Street Journal poll found Trump leads Harris 47 to 45 percent. In August, the same pollster found that Harris was ahead by two points. The poll results included third-party and independent candidates. However, both Trump’s and Harris’s poll leads have been within the margin of error.

Gustaf Kilander reports (but make sure you also check out Alicja Hagopian’s polls explainer here):

New poll shows Trump inching past Harris less than two weeks from election day

Why Kelly’s Hitler claims about Trump are hardly an October surprise, according to Stephen Colbert

17:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Stephen Colbert has joked that John Kelly’s claims about his former boss Donald Trump praising Adolf Hitler are hardly an October surprise – but more like an “autumn no s***.”

James Liddell has the story.

Stephen Colbert says Kelly’s Hitler claims about Trump are hardly an October surprise

Full story: Beyoncé to join Kamala Harris at Houston rally on Friday

16:55 , Oliver O’Connell

Beyoncé will reportedly join Vice President Kamala Harris at a rally in Houston, Texas, on Friday, according to multiple outlets.

The campaign appearance will mark the “Texas Hold Em” singer’s first public endorsement for the Democratic presidential nominee. While Beyoncé has yet to make a statement in support of Harris, the vice president has continued to use the track “Freedom” – from Beyoncé’s 2016 album Lemonade – as her 2024 campaign song.

Meredith Clark has the details.

Beyoncé to join Kamala Harris at Houston rally on Friday

Top Democratic strategist reveals why he’s certain Harris will win 2024 race

16:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Top Democratic strategist James Carville has predicted that Kamala Harris is “certain” to win the presidential election.

Carville, 79, has worked on several presidential campaigns, including former president Bill Clinton’s in 1992. Now, he has explained in a New York Times opinion piece why he’s confident Harris has this race in the bag.

His reasons are threefold, as Katie Hawkinson reports.

Top Democratic strategist reveals why he’s certain Harris will win 2024 race

Harris-Walz campaign reacts to Trump’s comments about firing Jack Smith

16:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Harris-Walz 2024 Director of Rapid Response Ammar Moussa gave the following statement on Donald Trump promising to fire Jack Smith in this morning’s interview with Hugh Hewitt:

“Donald Trump thinks he’s above the law, and these latest comments are right in line with the warnings made by Trump’s former Chief of Staff that he wants to rule as a dictator with unchecked power. A second Trump term, where a more unstable and unhinged Trump has essentially no guardrails and is surrounded by loyalists who will enable his worst instincts, is guaranteed to be more dangerous. America can’t risk a second Trump term.”

Watch: Tucker Carlson compares Trump to angry father spanking ‘bad little girl’

16:40 , Oliver O’Connell

No, really…

Tucker Carlson compares Donald Trump to angry father spanking ‘bad little girl’

Can we trust the polls on Harris vs Trump — and how do they work?

16:30 , Oliver O’Connell

It is now less than two weeks until election day, and the polls are no closer to showing who will be the next president of the United States.

In the past few days, polls have ranged from a 4-point Harris lead, to Trump 3 points ahead overall.

With this much variation, can (and should) we really trust the polls?

Here’s Alicja Hagopian to explain:

Can we trust the polls about Harris and Trump — and how do they really work?

16:24 , Oliver O’Connell

Here at The Independent, we rely on the Associated Press to call the results of races during US elections, so I’m just going to leave this here:

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — AP sources: Beyoncé, whose song ‘Freedom’ is Harris campaign anthem, is expected to be at Harris’ Houston rally Friday.

Will Beyonce finally enter the fray?

16:13 , Oliver O’Connell

Now, look… we’ve been burned before by rumors about Beyonce campaigning with Kamala Harris — remember the appearance at the DNC that never was?

However, multiple news organizations are now reporting that the global superstar will appear with the vice president tomorrow in her hometown of Houston, Texas, and will perform…

Harris is scheduled to speak in Houston tomorrow and give remarks focuses on reproductive rights.

Here’s a more pragmatic approach to the news that summed up the response from many on The Independent’s news desk:

Former champion wrestler has message for Trump

15:58 , Oliver O’Connell

Mick Foley, the retired professional wrestler — considered the greatest of his era in the WWE — has a message for America about Donald Trump as the election nears.

Appearing over the years in the ring as Mankind, Dude Love, and Cactus Jack, Foley slams Trump’s rhetoric about “the enemy within”, is frustrated so many cannot see how he is only out for himself, and explains the former president’s history of screwing over the working class by not paying contractors.

Returning to Trump’s threats to jail his opponents, Foley addresses the former president directly: “Are you going to put me in jail for criticising the Supreme Court?” He then lays into conservative justices one after another, before calling Trump a “douchebag”.

He closes out his video message with an emphatic: “Vote for Kamala Harris!”

Trump tells Hugh Hewitt he would fire Jack Smith ‘within two seconds’

15:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump was interviewed on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show this morning. A transcript is not yet complete and the audio quality wasn’t great because the former president was on a plane, but here are some highlights:

• Yes, he’d use military force to prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons

• Asked whether he’d pardon himself or fire Jack Smith on his first day in office: “Oh, it’s so easy. It’s so easy. He’s a crooked person. … We had a brave and brilliant judge in Florida … I would fire him within two seconds. … I don’t think they’ll impeach me if I fire Jack Smith … He’s a scoundrel … He’s so mean.”

• Would he pardon Hunter Biden?: “I wouldn’t take it off the books. … Hunter’s a bad boy, there’s no question about it … But I happen to think it’s very bad for our country … I could’ve gotten Hilary Clinton very easily. … I could’ve had her put in jail.” [huh?]

• His response to a question about “why do some people hate you so much” is almost a free association chain of thought worthy of James Austin Johnson’s impression of Trump on Saturday Night Live:Well, it’s a gift, or it’s something like being left a gift. But it’s one way or the other, because I have a tendency to win. It’s a nice thing, and that bothers people. Sometimes, I play a little bit rough, but they play rough. They are rough and vicious people. They are vicious people. They’re dirty people. They’ve weaponized government. They’ve weaponized everything. And it’s actually made me more popular. It’s hard to believe. That’s, they’re also going to be wrestling with for years, because every time they do something, it makes me more popular. And even I’m surprised about the others. But the people, the thing I’ve learned is the people are very smart. They get it. They get it better than the Democrats get it. And every single time they’ve pulled that weaponization, every single time, with Fani, you know, Fani is…with Fani, with everybody, every time they do this, it’s shocking. You know, my pollster will call me, “Sir, you’re up seven points.” The next time, “Sir, you went up six points.” And it’s rather amazing. But Trump Derangement Syndrome, I don’t know, it’s, I think I’m a nice person. But I’m a negotiator, but I win. And look, I’ve won for the Republican Party. I’ve taken the Republican Party and made into an entirely different party…The Republican Party is a very big, powerful party. Before, it stood, it was an elitist party with real stiffs running it.

Trump’s rambling answers at Bronx barbershop visit were edited down for broadcast

15:28 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has furiously denounced CBS News for editing the 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris for clarity and brevity, as is the norm in a news magazine show. The former president even called for the network to lose its license, so incensed was he about the issue — having refused to be interviewed himself.

However, now a full unedited video has emerged from Trump’s visit to a barbershop in the Bronx in New York City, as part of Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones’ ongoing barbershop interview series.

CNN compared the video — shot on the phone of someone in the store and posted to Instagram — with what was broadcast by Fox News, and would you believe it, the network “edited out many of Trump’s rambling comments and false claims” and “participants had to repeatedly follow up when Trump meandered away from the original point of their questions”, the network reports.

Trump complained that the Harris interview edits made by CBS were intended to “make her look better”, which is exactly what Fox News has done on this occasion and in other recent interviews with the president on the campaign trail.

The former president’s barbershop rants about Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, and crime in Aurora, Colorado were omitted from broadcast.

Per CNN:

One of the most telling parts of the dialogue began when an audience member asked Trump about finding a way to eliminate federal taxes in the future. On Fox, Trump was shown immediately answering affirmatively: “There is a way.”

But that response from Trump actually came more than seven minutes later, after Trump (and Jones) brought up other topics, including inheritances, the Keystone Pipeline, Ronald Reagan, Russia, and transgender sports players. Trump had to be nudged back on track several times by the unnamed audience member, who kept circling back, apologetically, and said “I wasn’t able to finish my question.” After he repeated his tax inquiry yet again, Trump said “there is a way.”

A Fox News spokesperson confirmed to CNN that all of the barbershop segments are pretaped and edited and the Bronx edition ran for an hour and so was cut for time and clarity.

The truth about whether ‘Nikki Haley Republicans’ can help Harris win

15:10 , Joe Sommerlad

While the Vice President touts the support of disaffected Republicans like Liz Cheney and John McCain’s son, alumni of Haley’s campaign aren’t impressed, writes Eric Garcia.

The truth about whether ‘Nikki Haley Republicans’ can hand Kamala Harris a win

All-star line-up for Harris rally in Atlanta

14:58 , Oliver O’Connell

Not only will Kamala Harris be joined by Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen at her rally in Atlanta tonight — her first campaign appearance with both the former president and the Boss — but she will also be backed up by Hollywood royalty.

NBC reports that joining the vice president tonight will also be director Spike Lee, actor Samuel L Jackson, filmmaker Tyler Perry, and Mix Master David.

This is the first in a series of “When We Vote We Win” concerts. Springsteen and Obama are also scheduled to appear in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Inside the grassroots campaigns already planning to overturn the 2024 election

14:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Thousands of US citizens concerned about Trump-alleged election fraud have been trained by MAGA-aligned figures on how to spot and fight it ahead of the imminent presidential election, an investigation claims.

Dozens of far-right election advocacy groups have visited communities across the country to hold seminars and training sessions intended to motivate average voters to monitor their local election offices.

Ariana Baio has more.

‘God, slavery and ballot mules’: The grassroots campaigns aiming to overturn election

Justice Department announces four cases brought by Election Threats Task Force

14:36 , Oliver O’Connell

The Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force (ETTF) has announced four cases involving interstate transmissions of threats to election personnel and other victims.

• Teak Brockbank, 45, of Cortez, Colorado, pleaded guilty today to threatening a Colorado election official and making other threats to an Arizona election official, a Colorado state judge, and federal law enforcement agents between September 2021 and July 2024.

• Brian Jerry Ogstad, 60, of Cullman, Alabama, was sentenced on Monday to 30 months in prison for sending messages threatening violence to election workers with Maricopa County Elections in Phoenix from Aug. 2-4, 2022, during and immediately following the Arizona primary elections.

• Richard Glenn Kantwill, 61, of Tampa, Florida, was charged on Monday for allegedly sending a threat on Feb. 9 to an election official in addition to already pending charges for threats made to three other victims based on their political commentary in 2019 and 2020.

• John Pollard, 62, of Philadelphia, was charged on Monday for allegedly threatening on Sept. 6 to kill a representative of a Pennsylvania state political party who was recruiting official poll watchers.

“As we approach Election Day, the Justice Department’s warning remains clear: anyone who illegally threatens an election worker, official, or volunteer will face the consequences,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“Over the past three and a half years, the Justice Department has been aggressively investigating and prosecuting those who threaten the public servants who administer our elections, and we will continue to do so in the weeks ahead. For our democracy to function, Americans who serve the public must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives.”

Read more about the cases here

DOJ warns Elon Musk’s $1m sweepstakes could be illegal

14:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The Department of Justice has warned Elon Musk’s Trump-supporting political action committee that its $1m sweepstakes could be illegal.

A letter from the department’s election crimes chief in its public integrity bureau reminded America PAC that offering anything of value to influence how someone casts their ballot would violate federal law.

The letter follows alarm from election law experts and civil rights groups alleging that Musk’s scheme is either an illegal vote-buying stunt or an ethically dubious infusion of the billionaire’s cash into a Trump-boosting campaign.

Alex Woodward has more.

Justice Department warns Elon Musk’s $1 million sweepstakes could be illegal

Ex-Republican congressman who voted to impeach Trump endorses Harris

14:10 , Joe Sommerlad

“We don’t need this chaos,” says Fred Upton after he crosses the aisle having represented the GOP in Michigan for almost four decades.

“We need to move forward.”

Trump calls Biden’s ‘lock him up’ comments ‘election interference’ – despite his own 2016 catchphrase

13:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump has branded President Joe Biden’s comments that the GOP candidate should be locked up “illegal” and “election interference” – seemingly forgetting his own 2016 catchphrase about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.

During a visit to the Democratic Party’s New Hampshire headquarters on Tuesday, the president told campaign workers that “we gotta lock him up” about Trump. He quickly backtracked, adding the caveat: “politically.”

Trump condemned Biden’s remarks during his campaign rally in Duluth, Georgia, last night, saying it “should cause cases.”

“He can’t say that,” the former president said.

“I’ve been telling you that it’s election interference. This is all it is. He said: ‘We got to lock him up.’ This is illegal and should cause cases.”

James Liddell has more.

Trump calls Biden’s ‘lock him up’ comments ‘illegal’ – despite own 2016 catchphrase

Nostradamus pollster reveals latest 2024 prediction – and how he’s never had ‘so much hate’ in an election

13:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Historian Allan Lichtman has insisted that he stands by his prediction about who will win the 2024 presidential race despite recent polls – and revealed that he has “never experienced” so much “hate” in an election cycle.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Nostradamus pollster Allan Lichtman reveals latest prediction in 2024 race

MAGA appropriates Vincent Price to warn against ‘Kamalaween’

13:10 , Joe Sommerlad

I’ve seen a lot of pro-Trump garbage on social media in my time but I just can’t let this one go – the legendary horror actor and art collector, who passed away in 1993, would have been utterly mortified to be associated with anything as crass and divisive as Donald Trump.

It is actually quite nicely done, particularly the pumpkin-headed Trump “with his golden hair aflame like the autumn leaves”, but Vincent, who was “greylisted” by Joseph McCarthy’s goons as a suspected Communist in the 1950s, would unquestionably have been voting Harris-Walz and deserves so much better than to have his image travestied like this.

Here’s an actual political message from the great man, in which he appeals for tolerance, unity and social responsibility, values entirely alien to Trump.

Harris to give closing speech at spot where Trump kicked off Jan 6

12:50 , Joe Sommerlad

The Vice President plans to give a major campaign speech this coming Tuesday at the Ellipse in Washington, DC, the park just outside the White House where Trump called on his supporters to march on Congress in the moments leading up to the January 6 insurrection in 2021.

Campaign officials said the speech, a week before Election Day, will serve as a “closing argument” where Harris, a former prosecutor, will make her final case against Trump before a “jury” of the American people.

According to a permit application obtained by CNN, the event is expected to draw a roughly 7,500-person crowd and feature four to five individuals speaking.

Josh Marcus reports.

Kamala Harris to give closing election speech at spot where Trump riled Jan 6 rioters

Warren Buffett won’t endorse a candidate this election

12:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The “Oracle of Omaha” has put out a statement via Berkshire Hathaway saying he will endorse neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump this year, despite previously backing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

This is literally all it says:

“In light of the increased usage of social media, there have been numerous fraudulent claims regarding Mr. Buffett’s endorsement of investment products as well as his endorsement and support of political candidates. Mr. Buffett does not currently and will not prospectively endorse investment products or endorse and support political candidates.”

While Harris has the support of 81 billionaires, Trump is being backed by 51, including the richest man on earth Elon Musk.

However, Buffett is not only in staying out of it: Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos have not endorsed either.

More than 230 doctors declare Trump too unstable to serve in ad campaign from George Conway’s PAC

12:10 , Joe Sommerlad

A swathe of mental health professionals have signed on to an open letter declaring Trump to be far too mentally unstable to be president as part of a new ad campaign from conservative lawyer George Conway’s Anti-Psychopath PAC.

The open letter will be published on Thursday as a paid advertisement in The New York Times, and states that Trump’s “symptoms of severe, untreatable personality disorder – malignant narcissism” have rendered him “deceitful, destructive, deluded, and dangerous” as well as “grossly unfit for leadership.”

Andrew Feinberg reports.

More than 230 doctors declare Trump too unstable to serve in new ad from Psycho PAC

McConnell said Trump’s ‘MAGA movement is completely wrong’, new book reveals

11:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Senator Mitch McConnell has said the MAGA movement “is completely wrong” and Trump has “done a lot of damage” to the Republican Party, a new book reveals.

McConnell, who has long been critical of the former president, delivered a withering assessment of how Trump has transformed the GOP to the point where Ronald Reagan “wouldn’t recognize” the party today.

The revelations have emerged in McConnell’s upcoming biography by Michael Tackett, titled The Price of Power.

Rhian Lubin has more.

McConnell said Trump’s ‘MAGA movement is completely wrong’, new book reveals

Clip show: ‘Flawless vs lawless’, Clinton and AOC strike back and Vance talks up Trump’s fitness

11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s a look at some of the best lines from yesterday’s campaigning.

On CNN, pundit Van Jones hit out at the double-standards at play as Kamala must remain “flawless” at all times in her policy and presentation whereas Trump is “lawless” and gets to go around doing whatever he likes, from weird listening parties to salting fries and joking about dead golfers’ junk.

In Arizona, Bill Clinton derided the “macho” Republican for hiding from Harris.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez meanwhile hit back at Trump for creepily dismissing her as “a young girl”…

… while JD Vance praised Trump’s health in glowing terms, attracting the notice of an expert on authoritarianism.

Harris will ‘get Trump killed’ in Hitler remark fallout, claims MTG

11:10 , Joe Sommerlad

The always-reliable Marjorie Taylor Greene claimed that Kamala Harris is going to get Donald Trump “killed” after the Vice President dared to address Trump’s own remarks praising the “loyalty” of Hitler’s generals.

The Georgia congresswoman described Harris as a “desperate, dangerous” liar in response to Harris’s statement about her Republican rival on Wednesday.

Mike Bedigan has this one too.

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims Harris going to ‘get Trump killed’ over Hitler remarks

Campaign schedule: Who’s doing what where on Thursday

10:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s where the main players are today:

• Kamala Harris will be joined by Barack Obama on the campaign trail for the first time for a get-out-the-vote rally and concert in battleground Georgia. Bruce Springsteen performs.

• Tim Walz is hitting Durham, Greenville and Wilmington in North Carolina.

• Doug Emhoff is in Wisconsin, first in Milwaukee and then Kenosha with Wes Moore and Tony West.

• Joe Biden is visiting Arizona.

• Donald Trump is holding two events in the southwest: a rally in Tempe, Arizona, in the afternoon followed by another Turning Point gathering in Las Vegas, Nevada. Charlie Kirk, Tulsi Gabbard and Vivek Ramaswamy will be on hand for that one.

• JD Vance will be on the campaign trail in Waterford, Michigan.

• Other Trump surrogates out-and-about include his daughter-in-law Lara Trump, who will be on a women’s tour in Georgia and Robert F Kennedy Jr, who will be in conversation with Dr Phil McGraw in Pennsylvania.

Model claims Trump groped her in ‘twisted game’ with Jeffrey Epstein

10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

A former model has accused Donald Trump of groping her at an event at Trump Tower in 1993 during a “twisted game” the former president was playing with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Stacey Williams said she was introduced to Trump by the disgraced financier, who died in 2019, and that she understood the two men to be good friends.

She said she had dated Epstein for a few months.

The alleged groping – which has been vehemently denied by the Trump campaign – occurred in the late winter or early spring of 1993, Williams claims, when Epstein suggested during a walk they were on that he and Williams stop to visit Trump at Trump Tower.

Mike Bedigan has the story.

Model claims Trump groped her in ‘twisted game’ with Jeffrey Epstein

Trump warns of ‘Catholic persecution’ and talks up Netanyahu and Orban

10:10 , Joe Sommerlad

Before joining Turning Point, Trump was taking part in a faith-based town hall in Zebulon, Georgia, yesterday, where he warned of sinister but non-existent anti-Catholic mobs and name-checked a few more of his favorite international “strongmen”.

Trump claims he ‘stopped wars with France’ at Turning Point rally

09:50 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican was concentrating his energies on Georgia yesterday and was given a rousing introduction by Charlie Kirk and Tucker Carlson, the former claiming that God “hates” the Democratic Party and the latter glorying fascistically in the prospect of “Daddy” taking revenge on his enemies if he is elected.

When Trump himself took to the stage in Duluth, he absurdly claimed to have “stopped wars with France” before dishing up further nasty and nonsensical remarks about Harris, Tim Walz and the fictitious armed migrant population of Times Square.

Oh and here he is bashing Detroit again.

Harris hits out at ‘fascist’ Trump and defends policies at CNN town hall

09:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Let’s recap yesterday’s campaigning, starting with the Democrat’s event in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, compered by Anderson Cooper.

She firmly agreed that Trump is indeed a fascist and launched several other pointed attacks on his authoritarian rhetoric as she took questions from an audience of undecided voters in the pivotal swing state.

Here’s Andrew Feinberg’s report.

Harris hits out at ‘fascist’ Trump and defends policies at CNN town hall

Trump takes narrow lead over Harris in new Wall Street Journal poll

09:10 , Joe Sommerlad

This is all getting a bit tense.

The Republican is on 47 percent of the vote in the newspaper’s latest survey, with Harris two points behind on 45 percent.

“Voters have adopted a more positive view of his agenda and past performance and a more negative view of Kamala Harris,” it reports ominously.

Another poll, this one from Marist, places the candidates neck-and-neck in the Sunbelt swing states of Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, the scene of much fierce campaigning by both sides in recent days.

In Arizona, Trump is one point ahead on 50 percent to 49 percent.

In North Carolina, he’s up two on 50 percent to 48 percent.

But in Georgia, the duo are tied on 49 percent apiece.

Here’s Alicja Hagopian on all the latest election polling.

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

Truth Social: Trump says Harris has ‘warped mind’ and ‘lowlife’ John Kelly ‘became jello’ in office

08:50 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s the Republican presidential nominee’s latest social media ravings, as he attempts to spin his own alleged praise for Adolf Hitler’s generals on Kamala Harris and launches a bizarre attack on his own former White House chief of staff John F Kelly, who is, he concedes, “tough but dumb” and says he is a “lowlife” who has betrayed him since leaving office.

Everyone is talking about election betting markets — here’s the truth

08:00 , Mike Bedigan

Betting markets have become a big search term when people are trying to determine the outcome of the close race between Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump – but former government officials are warning people not to bet on betting markets’ accuracy.

In recent weeks, betting odds on the candidates from markets like Polymarket, Betfair, Kalshi, PredictIt and more have become a widely cited statistic. Especially, since Trump’s odds have surged.

Ariana Baio explains about why they are not what they seem and why some are worried about the public’s potential reliance on them.

Here’s why you shouldn’t put your faith – or money – on election betting markets

ICYMI: Harris condemns reported Trump comment that he wants ‘kind of generals Hitler had’ – watch

07:01 , Mike Bedigan

Donald Trump leads over Kamala Harris on US economy in new poll

06:02 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

Donald Trump is leading over his Democratic rival Kamala Harris on the US economy in the US presidential election, according to a poll conducted by the Financial Times.

The poll found 44 per cent of registered voters said they trusted Mr Trump more to handle the economy versus 43 per cent for Ms Harris.

The poll found the former Republican president had a wider lead among voters on the question of which candidate would leave them better off financially.

About 45 per cent Mr Trump — a five-point improvement from the previous month — compared to 37 per cent for Ms Harris, per the FT poll.

EDITORIAL: Why Trump’s latest outburst should be seen for what it is – a phoney war against Labour

06:00 , Mike Bedigan

Everyone knows there is no substance to the accusations. Everyone also knows that Labour is more politically aligned to Kamala Harris’s campaign, but Mr Trump’s politics – like his supporter, Nigel Farage’s – are one of childish indignation; and should be treated as such.

Continue reading…

Why Trump’s latest outburst should be seen as a phoney war against Labour

Harris hits out at ‘fascist’ Trump and defends policies at CNN town hall

05:01 , Mike Bedigan

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Vice President Kamala Harris went on offense against former president Donald Trump by warning Americans that her Republican opponent is an authoritarian who doesn’t care about the needs of ordinary people.

Harris spoke to voters in Pennsylvania as part of a CNN town hall that took the place of a presidential debate that Trump refused to attend.

Andrew Feinberg watched:

Harris hits out at ‘fascist’ Trump and defends policies at CNN town hall

Watch: Kamala Harris makes casual weed comment in election stress conversation

04:30 , Mike Bedigan

Trump attacks Harris’ ‘warped mind’ after Hitler comment backlash

04:00 , Mike Bedigan

Noted oddsmaker JD Vance says Trump has a 60% chance to win the election

03:30 , Mike Bedigan

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance — who you might have noticed doesn’t get mentioned at all by his running mate during campaign stops, in favour of Elon Musk — suggested that former President Donald Trump has a 60 percent chance of winning the November election during an appearance on a podcast – despite the Ohio senator having no background in oddsmaking.

Vance was a guest on the Tuesday episode of comedian Theo Von’s podcast This Past Weekend.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Noted oddsmaker JD Vance says Trump has a 60% chance to win the election

Kamala Harris to give closing election speech at spot where Trump riled up crowd before Jan 6 attack

03:10 , Mike Bedigan

Vice President Kamala Harrisplans to give a major campaign speech this coming Tuesday at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., the park just outside the White House where Donald Trump in 2021 called on his supporters to march on Congress in the moments leading up to the January 6 insurrection.

Campaign officials said the speech, a week before election day, will serve as a “closing argument,” where Harris, a former prosecutor, will make her final case against Donald Trump before a “jury” of the American people.

Read more from Josh Marcus here:

Kamala Harris to give closing election speech at spot where Trump riled Jan 6 rioters

Harris calls herself a ‘nerd’ as she describes her ‘weaknesses’

02:55 , Mike Bedigan

Kamala Harris called herself “kind of a nerd” after she was asked what her weaknesses were during the CNN Town Hall.

“I may not be quick to have the answer as soon as you ask it about a specific policy issue sometimes because I’m going to want to research it, I’m going to want to study it. I’m kind of a nerd sometimes, I confess,” she said.

“And some might call that a weakness, especially if you’re, you know, in an interview, or just kind of, you know, being asked a certain question and just expected to have the right answer right away. But that’s how I that’s how I work.”

Harris blasts Trump’s ‘clearly admiring comparison’ to Hitler

02:47 , Mike Bedigan

Answering further questions from audience members in Pennsylvania, Kamala Harris said: “The American people deserve to have a president who encourages healthy debate, works across the aisle, not afraid of good ideas, wherever they come from…

“…but also maintains certain standards about how we think about the role and the responsibility, and certainly not comparing oneself in a clearly admiring way to Hitler.”

Harris: ‘John Kelly just put out a 911 call to the American people’ – watch

02:36 , Mike Bedigan

In pictures: Harris takes questions CNN Town Hall in Pennsylvania

02:25 , Mike Bedigan

Harris responds to direct question about whether she thinks Trump is a fascist

02:15 , Mike Bedigan

Kamala Harris was directly asked whether she thought Donald Trump was a “fascist.”

CNN’ anchor and host of the Pennsylvania Town Hall, Anderson Cooper, said: “Let me ask you tonight, do you think Donald Trump is a fascist?”

“Yes, I do,” Harris replied. “Yes I do. And I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.”

Kamala Harris opens Pennsylvania Town Hall with remarks about John Kelly revelations

02:10 , Mike Bedigan

Kamala Harris opened a Pennsylvania Town Hall with remarks about John Kelly revelations about Donald Trump’s remarks in the White House, saying that the former GOP chief of staff had put out a “911 call to the American people.”

“Today, we learned that John Kelly, a four star marine general who was his longest serving Chief of Staff, gave an interview recently, in the last two weeks of this election, talking about how dangerous Donald Trump is,” she said.

“And I think one has to think about why would someone who served with him, who is not political, a Four Star Marine General. Why is he telling the American people now?

“And frankly, I think of it as is he’s just putting out a 911 call to the American people understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House.”

RFK Jr joins Trump on stage in Georgia

02:05 , Mike Bedigan

Former independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy made a surprise appearance with Donald Trump at a rally in Georgia.

The former president spoke about national health issues, before introducing RFK Jr as “the man who is going to help us get it all straightened out.”

In his brief remarks, RFK said: “Don’t you want a president who’s going to get the corruption out of Washington DC.”