Trump blames Harris for Israeli hostage deaths as he tries to deflect from Arlington cemetery controversy: Live

Donald Trump has blamed “a complete lack of American Strength and Leadership” by Kamala Harris and Joe Biden for the deaths of six Israeli hostages including one US citizen, likening the situation to the “Debacle of the Afghanistan Withdrawal”.

The former president is trying to deflect from the controversy over his visit to Arlington National Cemetery in which his campaign filmed him in an area in which it is forbidden. This resulted in an altercation between his aides and cemetery staff.

Harris says Trump “disrespected sacred ground” when he undertook what she called a “political stunt”.

The Trump team hit back releasing video messages from Gold Star families who lost loved ones in the US withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration.

A joint statement from the families of the service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing says they are “appalled” by the vice president’s “recent attempts to politicize” Trump’s visit to the cemetery.

Meanwhile, the Harris campaign has accused Trump of flip-flopping on policy issues including IVF treatment and the recreational use of marijuana.

In a memo, the campaign said: “Trump must be held accountable for his brazen flip-flops wholly at odds with how he governed as president.”

Key Points

• Trump blames Harris for deaths of Israeli hostages and likens it to Afghanistan withdrawal chaos

• Trump posts video messages from Gold Star family members amid Arlington visit controversy

• New poll shows Harris maintaining lead post-DNC

• Harris accuses Trump of flip-flopping on IVF and marijuana

• Harris joins backlash against Trump over Arlington National Cemetery ‘political stunt’

Lindsey Graham brands Harris a ‘wrecking ball’ on Israel

22:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump loyalist Lindsey Graham went on the offense against Kamala Harris on Sunday calling her a “wrecking ball” for her stance on Israel’s war with Hamas, after it was announced that six hostages had been found dead in Gaza.

Graham appeared on ABC’s This Week on Sunday and opened up a line of attack against Harris’s foreign policy credentials – something that the Trump campaign has been trying to get off the ground this past week as it pushes back on criticism over a controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery and a host of issues related to his running mate JD Vance.

“I would say on foreign policy, she [Harris] has been a wrecking ball,” Graham said on Sunday.

John Bowden reports.

Lindsey Graham brands Harris a ‘wrecking ball’ on Israel after 6 hostages found dead

Trump posts video messages from Gold Star family members amid Arlington visit controversy

21:56 , Oliver O’Connell

The war of words over Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery continued over the weekend with his campaign issuing a statement and sharing videos from the Gold Star military families that the former president had joined at the memorial on Monday, when they marked three years since 13 service members were killed during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.

In the statement shared on Sunday, the Gold Star families – who have lost a loved one in military service – defended the Republican presidential nominee and insisted that Vice President Kamala Harris was the candidate politicizing fallen US service members.

Some family members also recorded video messages that the former president posted on Truth Social, saying Trump was honoring their loved ones when he came to Arlington.

Read on…

Trump shares videos from Gold Star families as Arlington visit controversy continues

Scaramucci claims he’s met only one person who hates former president more than Melania

21:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Anthony Scaramucci, a former aide to Donald Trump, has claimed he has only met one person who hates his ex-boss more than his wife Melania Trump.

Speaking in an interview with MeidasTouch on Saturday, Scaramucci suggested that the former president’s wife might be the only person who would like to see Vice President Kamala Harris win the presidential election more than he does, because “she hates him.”

Michelle Del Rey has the story.

Ex-aide says he’s met only one person who hates Trump more than Melania

Trump blames Harris for deaths of Israeli hostages and likens it to Afghanistan withdrawal chaos

21:24 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has blamed “a complete lack of American Strength and Leadership” for the deaths of six Israeli hostages including one US citizen, likening the situation to the “Debacle of the Afghanistan Withdrawal”.

He also yet again baselessly accused Joe Biden and Kamala Harris of allowing the deaths to occur “because they only care about Weaponizing the Department of Justice” against him.

Here’s what he wrote on Truth Social this afternoon:

We grieve the senseless death of the Israeli Hostages, horrifically including a wonderful American Citizen, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, murdered by Hamas due to a complete lack of American Strength and Leadership. Make no mistake – This happened because Comrade Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe Biden are poor Leaders. Americans are getting slaughtered overseas, while Kamala is disparaging and making up lies about Gold Star families, and Biden is sleeping on the beach on this 16th consecutive day of vacation. They have blood on their hands! Sadly, this is the total lack of “Leadership” that Kamala and Biden represent – One that allows terrorists to take American lives, because they only care about Weaponizing the Department of Justice against their Political Opponent. Just like the Debacle of the Afghanistan Withdrawal that claimed 13 American lives, Kamala and Biden’s judgment has not only put lives at risk, but is directly responsible for unnecessary deaths that should have never happened….

….Our Country and our amazing people are not safe under Joe Biden, and will be less safe under Kamala Harris. This terror would have never happened if I were President, and it will stop the day I am back in the Oval Office. America will be Strong Again, and that will make the World Safe and Secure!

Arlington cemetery controversy shines spotlight on Utah Gov Spencer Cox’s sudden embrace of Trump

21:00 , AP

A few months ago, Utah Gov Spencer Cox was one of the few prominent Republicans consistently keeping his distance from Donald Trump, whose brash style seemed to be the antithesis of a brand of politics Cox had carefully cultivated that centered on unity and respect.

Cox did not vote for Trump in 2016 or 2020, and told CNN in July that he would not vote for him this year. The governor said the then-president’s role in inciting the January 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol went too far.

Days later, after an assassination attempt on Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, Cox changed his mind.

Continue reading…

Arlington cemetery controversy shines spotlight on Utah Gov’s embrace of Trump

In pictures: Tim Walz attends the Minnesota State Fair

20:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Harris calls on Trump to debate with mics ‘on the whole time’

20:30 , Reuters

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee in the U.S. presidential election in November, on Saturday called on her Republican rival Donald Trump to debate her with their microphones switched on throughout the event.

Harris and the former president have both agreed to a debate, hosted by ABC News, on Sept. 10.

“Donald Trump is surrendering to his advisors who won’t allow him to debate with a live microphone. If his own team doesn’t have confidence in him, the American people definitely can’t,” Harris said in a post on X.

“We are running for President of the United States. Let’s debate in a transparent way — with the microphones on the whole time.”

Trump has said that he preferred to have his microphone kept on and that he did not like it muted during the last debate against then-contender President Joe Biden.

So-called “hot mics” can help or hurt political candidates, catching off-hand comments that sometimes were not meant for the public. Muted microphones also prevent the debaters from interrupting their opponent.

A representative for ABC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The debate would be the first time Harris and Trump face off since Biden dropped out of the presidential race following a poor performance at a CNN debate in June that raised doubts about his mental acuity.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz and Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance have agreed to an Oct. 1 debate on CBS News.

George Clooney calls Biden most ‘selfless’ president since George Washington

20:23 , Oliver O’Connell

George Clooney has hailed Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race as “the most selfless thing that anybody has done since George Washington.”

In an appearance at the 2024 Venice Film Festival on Sunday September 1 – where he is promoting his new film Wolfs with co-star Brad Pitt – the actor was asked about the “impact” of the damning op-ed he wrote for The New York Times titled “I Love Joe Biden, But We Need a New Nominee”.

The essay is seen as one of the key turning points as momentum built to urge the president to step aside in favor of a younger candidate. Less than two weeks later, Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris — who was also quickly endorsed by Clooney.

Continue reading…

George Clooney praises Biden as ‘selfless’ after op-ed urging him to quit race

20:15 , Oliver O’Connell

In spite of favorable polling, Harris campaign embraces ‘underdog’ label

20:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris’s campaign is entering September with the mindset of a campaign running from behind – even as polling shows that is not the case.

A memo sent out by the Harris campaign on Sunday morning claimed that the vice president was still the “underdog” in the race and projected “razor-thin” margins for the race in November.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, Harris’s campaign manager, said in the memo that the reason for this mentality was Donald Trump and his continued dominance over the Republican party — whose core base of supporters is as motivated as ever to support him in 2024.

And she previewed how the Harris campaign looks to make up the ground it supposedly needs to win key battleground states in November.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

Harris’s campaign embraces ‘underdog’ label – even as polling shows her beating Trump

Watch: Trump brushes off media claims that he ‘rambles’

19:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Walz draws crowd at Minnesota State Fair

19:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Is Usha Vance’s Hindu identity an asset or a liability to the Trump-Vance campaign?

19:00 , AP

Usha Chilukuri Vance loves her “meat and potatoes” husband, JD Vance. She explained to a rapt Republican National Convention audience how their vice-presidential candidate adapted to her vegetarian diet and even learned to cook Indian food from her immigrant mother.

That image of her white, Christian husband making the spicy cuisine of her parents’ native state in South India is atypical for the leaders of a party whose members are still largely white and Christian. Her presence at the RNC sparked enthusiasm on social media among some Indian American conservatives, particularly Hindu Americans, although most Indian Americans identify as Democrats.

But for all Usha Vance shared about their identity-blending marriage in her speech last month in Milwaukee, which was a little over four minutes, she made no mention of her Hindu upbringing or her personal faith and their interfaith relationship – biographical details that have exposed her to online vitriol and hate.

Continue reading…

Is Usha Vance’s Hindu identity an asset or a liability to the Trump-Vance campaign?

Veteran senator slams Trump’s Arlington photo-op

18:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Senator Tammy Duckworth, a retired Army National Guard lieutenant colonel who served in Iraq and lost both legs, has slammed Donald Trump’s use of Arlington National Cemetery for a photo-op.

She wrote on X: “Donald Trump’s latest incident at Arlington National Cemetery is another example of someone who has no idea what it means to serve anything greater than himself. It is sacred ground for those who gave their lives to defend and protect this nation, not the backdrop for a photo op.”

Duckworth continued: “This is why I pushed against his Admin’s expansion of eligibility for Presidents who never served in uniform to be buried at Arlington, like himself. Respecting this hallowed ground should not be a partisan issue, but Trump can’t help but disrespect our servicemembers & Veterans.”

Watch: Harris widens gender gap in latest ABC News/Ipsos poll

18:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump again claims October 7 would never have happened, accuses Biden of plotting against him

18:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has again claimed that — along with Russia’s war on Ukraine — the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7 never would have happened if he were president.

The former president also bizarrely accused Joe Biden of using his vacation time on the beach in Delaware for “plotting and scheming how to take out his once Political Opponent, ME”.

Biden likely has more important things to do. The president returns to the campaign trail tomorrow alongside Vice President Kamala Harris in Pittsburgh on Labor Day.

Here’s what Trump wrote on Truth Social today:

The Hostage Crisis in Israel is only taking place because Comrade Kamala Harris is weak and ineffective, and has no idea what she’s doing. I look forward to seeing her at the Debate! Biden failed, and now he spends his day on the beach, plotting and scheming how to take out his once Political Opponent, ME, who took him out both at the Debate, and otherwise. THE OCTOBER 7th ISRAELI CRISIS WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IF I WERE PRESIDENT!

Tim Walz’s brother is ‘100% opposed’ to his sibling’s political ideology

18:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Back in 2016, Jeff Walz donated to Donald Trump’s campaign.

Now, eight years on, the 67-year-old’s brother Tim Walz is taking on the former president having joined Vice President Kamala Harris on the Democratic party’s 2024 ticket.

And Jeff Walz appears to be far from happy with his sibling’s political aspirations.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Tim Walz’s brother donated to Trump and is ‘100% opposed’ to his sibling’s politics

Trump thanks Arlington families while attacking ‘FOOLS in the White House’

17:43 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has thanked the families of the fallen military personnel who invited him to join them at Arlington National Cemetery, emphasizing that they wanted him to stand with them and take pictures, in an attempt to diffuse the furor after an altercation occurred between his campaign officials and staff.

The former president also took the opportunity to attack the “FOOLs in the White House” for the deaths of thirteen service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan three years ago.

Trump wrote on Truth Social:

I want to thank the families of our Great Warriors who have been lost to us for the way they came together as one, and thanked me for attending, at their request, the Celebration of their wonderful family members who, because of the Incompetence of Kamala Harris and Joe Biden, are no longer with us. Thank you for saying you wanted me to stand with you at Arlington National Ceremony, and take pictures, that it was your request, not mine, but it was my Great Honor to do so. I WILL NEVER FORGET! Lightweight V.P. Kamala Harris tried turning it around, because they weren’t there, have never spoken to the families, and have no intention to do so. In Afghanistan, you don’t take the Soldiers out first, you take the Soldiers out last. This would be Military 101, the most basic, and the “leaders” of that Disaster should be immediately fired. We have FOOLS in the White House, and now, they are trying to solve the Hostage Crisis in Israel. Guess how that’s going to turn out?

Trump allies weigh in on Arlington National Cemetery incident

17:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Allies of Donald Trump were asked on Sunday morning’s talk shows about the former president’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery that led to an altercation with staff over filming for political purposes.

Here’s former Democratic Rep Tulsi Gabbard on CNN’s State of the Union with Dana Bash:

Senator Tom Cotton appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker:

And Senator Lindsey Graham spoke about it on ABC’s This Week with Jonathan Karl:

New poll shows more enthusiastic support for Harris, more reservations over Trump

17:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The new ABC News/Ipsos poll, released today shows more enthusiastic support for Kamala Harris among those who back her, while a larger proportion of Donald Trump’s supporters have reservations about backing him compared to those who support the vice president.

Per Ipsos:

Among people who support Harris, most (64%) strongly support her, 18% support her with some reservations, and 19% mainly dislike the other candidates.

Among people who support Trump, 60% strongly support him. However, compared to Harris, nearly twice as many Trump supporters support him with reservations (31% support Trump with reservations vs. 18% for Harris).

There is a similar gap around the “anti-vote”, that is those who support their candidate because they mainly dislike the other candidates. Compared to Trump’s support, twice as many Harris supporters are backing her because they mainly dislike other candidates (19% support Harris because they mainly dislike other candidates vs. 9% of Trump supporters).

For most Americans (79%), Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suspending his campaign and supporting Trump makes no difference in their vote. About one in ten (12%) say that RFK Jr. supporting Trump makes them more likely to back him, while a nearly equal share (9%) are now less likely to support Trump.

Lindsey Graham does not support Trump idea to make insurers make IVF free

16:30 , Oliver O’Connell

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham says on ABC’s This Week that he does not support Donald Trump’s idea to mandate that insurance companies have to make IVF free for those trying to have children. He instead believes a tax credit would be a better idea.

Neera Tanden, domestic policy advisor to President Joe Biden notes on X: “I was away last week, so I didn’t tweet how inane it is to believe that a party that has opposed any requirement for insurance to cover anything, would turn around and cover IVF.”

“Will. Never. Happen.”

Watch: Lewandowski continues to push Trump infanticide lie

16:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Harris mourns American killed by Hamas, ‘will never waver’ from commitment to free hostages

16:10 , Oliver O’Connell

Vice President Kamala Harris released the following statement following the news of the discovery of the bodies of a US citizen and five other hostages in Gaza.

On October 7, Hersh Goldberg-Polin — an American citizen — was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists. He was just 23 years old, attending a music festival with friends. We now know he was murdered by Hamas.

Doug and my prayers are with Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Hersh’s parents, and with everyone who knew and loved Hersh.

Americans and people around the world will pray for Jon, Rachel, and their family and send them love and strength. As is said in the Jewish tradition, may Hersh’s memory be a blessing.

Hamas is an evil terrorist organization. With these murders, Hamas has even more American blood on its hands. I strongly condemn Hamas’ continued brutality, and so must the entire world. From its massacre of 1,200 people to sexual violence, taking of hostages, and these murders, Hamas’ depravity is evident and horrifying. The threat Hamas poses to the people of Israel — and the American citizens of Israel — must be eliminated and Hamas cannot control Gaza. The Palestinian people too have suffered under Hamas’ rule for nearly two decades.

As Vice President, I have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens, wherever they are in the world. President Biden and I will never waver in our commitment to free the Americans and all those held hostage in Gaza.

Inside Trump’s weird new obsession with AI-generated images

16:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Mike Bedigan writes:

First appeared “Comrade Kamala” with a hammer and sickle. Then, a line of blonde women wearing “Swifties for Trump” merch. By the time Donald Trump himself appeared riding a lion, it was clear: fan-generated AI images were the Republican candidate’s latest obsession.

Continue reading…

Inside Trump’s weird new obsession with AI-generated images

Biden says death of American hostage ‘tragic and reprehensible’, Hamas leader ‘will pay for these crimes’

15:43 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Biden asked about Arlington cemetery altercation

15:35 , Oliver O’Connell

After leaving Mass in Rehoboth Beach on Saturday evening, President Joe Biden was asked about Donald Trump’s behavior leading to an altercation with staff at Arlington National Cemetery.

A visibly angry Biden responded: “I don’t want to answer because I might tell you what I think.”

15:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump mockingly impersonates ally Elon Musk to laughter from crowd

New poll shows Harris maintaining lead post-DNC

15:13 , Oliver O’Connell

A new ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted after the Democratic National Convention finds that Vice President Kamala Harris has a slight lead over former President Donald Trump among Americans who plan to vote in November’s election, statistically unchanged from earlier in August.

Harris leads Trump 50:46 per cent among both all adults and registered voters, and that lead grows to six per cent (52: 46 per cent) among likely voters.

Robert F Kennedy Jr’s departure from the race and endorsement of Trump makes no difference to most Americans.

On the topic of campaigns, a majority feel Harris is running her campaign well, while fewer feel the same about Trump (56: 42 per cent).

Americans continue to trust Trump more than Harris on the economy, inflation, immigration, and the Israel-Hamas war. Harris leads on health care, protecting democracy, Supreme Court appointments, gun violence, abortion, and race relations. The candidates are tied on crime.

Yet, Americans still feel Harris, rather than Trump, is more qualified and physically and mentally fit to serve in office.

Compared to pre-convention results, Harris has retained her lead on personal attributes. These include favorability (46:33 per cent versus Trump) and being seen as qualified for the office, (53:47 per cent over Trump).

In a list of other attributes, Harris leads Trump by a broad 32 points on having the physical health for the job (57:25 per cent), 18 points on honesty and trustworthiness (43:25 per cent), 10 points on mental acuity (47:37 per cent), eight points on understanding the problems of people like you (41:33 per cent) and seven points on representing your personal values (41:34 per cent). All these closely reflect pre-convention results.

Watch: Schiff compares Harris policy shift to Trump changing position on abortion four times in two days

15:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump bizarrely claims people have stopped eating bacon because of wind power

15:00 , Oliver O’Connell

You know, like people avoid carbs because of solar…

Trump bizarrely claims people have stopped eating bacon because of wind power

Watch: Trump calls Harris ‘the greatest flip-flopper’ amid own policy reversals

14:49 , Oliver O’Connell

Harris accuses Trump of flip-flopping on IVF and marijuana

14:35 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris’s campaign has accused Donald Trump of flip-flopping on several policy issues including IVF treatment and the recreational use of marijuana.

In a memo sent out on Saturday, the campaign said: “Trump must be held accountable for his brazen flip-flops wholly at odds with how he governed as president.”

Noting that Harris has been subject to significant media scrutiny of her own policy positions and that they were a focus of her first interview on Thursday, “at the same time, former President Donald Trump has made several bewildering ‘policy proposals’ that deserve real scrutiny”.

They accuse Trump of saying one thing after having done another, and list:

• As a candidate in 2024, he suggests he is for decriminalizing marijuana – but as President, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses.

• As a candidate in 2024, he has thrown out a vague promise to pay for everyone’s IVF treatment – despite the fact his own platform could effectively ban IVF, and his own running mate voted against IVF protections on the Senate floor just a few months ago.

• As a candidate in 2024, he keeps proclaiming “no tax on tips” – after pushing regulations as President that would have stolen more than $700 million a year from tipped workers to let bosses keep their workers’ tips.

• As a candidate in 2024, he and his running mate JD Vance say they want to expand the Child Tax Credit – but for years, Republicans have blocked doing that.

Senior campaign spokesperson Ian Sams writes: “Let’s be blunt: Trump is just making stuff up. And he hopes we will all memory hole his actual record and only pay attention to his shallow words.”

More specifically on marijuana, Sams writes: “Trump now suggests he is for legalizing marijuana – but as President, his own Justice Department cracked down on marijuana offenses.

“Trump’s Administration took marijuana reform backwards, withdrawing guidelines to limit prosecutions of marijuana offenses that were legal under state laws. Trump even proposed removing medical marijuana protections.”

And on the especially hot-button issue of in vitro fertilization, he says: “Trump claims he will provide free IVF treatment – but his platform could effectively ban it.

“Donald Trump’s own platform – linked on his campaign website – could effectively ban IVF by establishing so-called “fetal personhood.”

Sams further explains: “Fetal personhood bestows the same rights currently reserved for people to embryos from the moment of fertilization. The GOP platform said the party supports ‘mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).’ It does not explain how they plan to support IVF while also supporting fetal personhood policies that would render it illegal.”

Melania’s plea for Trump to control his swearing flops as he tears into Harris at rally

14:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Melania Trump’s apparent plea to her husband Donald Trump to control his language fell on deaf ears on Friday night when he torched Kamala Harris saying that everything she touches turns to “s**t.”

The former president and Republican nominee attacked the vice president’s record before a crowd in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, claiming she doesn’t “have any common sense” before noting that both his wife and Reverend Franklin Graham have asked him to not use “foul” language.

Read on…

Melania’s plea for Trump to not swear flops as he tears into Harris at rally

As Florida prepares to legalize marijuana, Trump appears to show support

14:19 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump appears to now be in favor of decriminalizing marijuana after his JUstice Department cracked down on its use while he was president. He now calls for prohibition in public spaces as Florida looks set to join many other states in permitting its use.

the former president writes on Truth Social:

As everyone knows, I was, and will be again, the most respected LAW & ORDER President in U.S. History. We will take our streets back by being tough & smart on violent, & all other types, of Crime. In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3. Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly. We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities. At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States. We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana. We will make America SAFE again!

Vance instantly jumps to Trump’s defense as Harris joins backlash over cemetery ‘political stunt’

14:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris has now joined the growing backlash against Donald Trump over his controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery where his staffers allegedly pushed a cemetery official, he posed with a thumbs up at a soldier’s grave and his team filmed a campaign ad.

In a scathing statement posted on X on Saturday, the Democratic presidential candidate slammed her Republican rival’s “political stunt” calling him “a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself.”

Rachel Sharp reports.

Harris joins backlash over Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery ‘political stunt’

New poll: Harris’s lead over Trump cut in half in must-win swing state

13:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris’s lead in Minnesota has been halved by Donald Trump, one new survey shows, despite the state’s Governor Tim Walz joining the Democratic ticket.

The most recent poll by SurveyUSA in conjunction with local TV networks KTSP, KAAL, and WDIO, has found that Harris is now leading Trump 48 per cent to 43 per cent in the must-win swing state.

Though still healthy, her lead has shrunk to five percentage points in the space of a month, having led 50 per cent to 40 per cent in a poll conducted between July 23 and 25.

Read on…

New poll shows Harris’s lead over Trump cut in half in must-win swing state

As each side mulls the next steps, Trump team will seek dismissal of federal election subversion case

12:30 , AP

Lawyers for Donald Trump intend to urge a judge to dismiss the federal election subversion case against the former president after a Supreme Court opinion that narrowed the scope of the landmark prosecution, according to a court filing.

The defense team, in a joint filing late Friday with prosecutors that lays out dueling proposals for the next steps, foreshadowed a series of anticipated challenges that would draw out until deep into next year the criminal case charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Continue reading…

Trump team will seek dismissal of federal election subversion case

JD Vance attacks working women as being ‘on path to misery’

11:30 , Oliver O’Connell

In a resurfaced podcast interview from September 2021, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said that professional women “choose a path to misery” by prioritizing their careers over having children

Donald Trump’s running mate also claimed the masculinity of men in America is “suppressed”, and attacked immigrants and Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar.

The Guardian reported that the now-Ohio senator said of women, such as his Yale Law School classmates, that “pursuing racial or gender equity is like the value system that gives their life meaning … [but] they all find that that value system leads to misery”.

Continue reading…

JD Vance attacks working women as being ‘on path to misery’ in unearthed audio

Latest poll updates: Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?

10:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Alicja Hagopian, The Independent’s data correspondent, looks at the latest data.

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

ICYMI: Harris plays normal foil to ‘weird’ Trump in first interview as presidential candidate

09:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz emerged from their first post-convention sitdown interview on Thursday virtually without making a shred of news.

Just as planned.

John Bowden reports.

In first interview as candidate, Harris plays normal foil to ‘weird’ Trump

Trump says Harris ‘killed’ US soldiers in Afghanistan as he tries to shake off Arlington scandal

08:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has made the shocking claim that Vice President Kamala Harris “killed” US soldiers in Afghanistan, in an attempt to shake off the string of scandals he has been facing since visiting the Arlington National Cemetery on Monday.

Speaking at a Michigan campaign event on Thursday, Trump addressed accusations that he used a commemoration for the 13 soldiers killed outside Kabul Airport in 2021 as a campaign stunt and tried to turn the discourse on the Biden administration.

“Biden killed their children by incompetence – should’ve never happened,” boomed the former president into the microphone.

“Kamala killed their children,” he continued. “Just as though they had a gun in their hand, by gross incompetence.

“And not one general or incompetent bureaucrat was fired for the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

Myriam Page reports.

Trump says Harris ‘killed’ US soldiers in Afghanistan amid cemetery scandal

Trump claims ‘107%’ of new jobs are being taken by ‘illegal immigrants’

06:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Math is not one of Trump’s strong points.

It’s also a weirdly specific number.

Donald Trump claims ‘107%’ of new jobs are being taken by ‘illegal immigrants’

After falling for five months, border arrests are expected to rise slightly in August

04:30 , AP

Arrests for illegal border crossings from Mexico during August are expected to rise slightly from July, officials said, likely ending a five straight months of declines.

Authorities made about 54,000 arrests through Thursday, which, at the current rate, would bring the August total to about 58,000 when the month ends Saturday, according to two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss information that has not been publicly released.

The tally suggests that arrests could be bottoming out after being halved from a record 250,000 in December, a decline that U.S. officials largely attributed to Mexican authorities increasing enforcement within their borders. Arrests were more than halved again after Democratic President Joe Biden invoked authority to temporarily suspend asylum processing in June. Arrests plunged to 56,408 in July, a 46-month low that changed little in August.

Continue reading…

Border arrests are expected to rise slightly in August, hinting 5-month drop may have bottomed out

New poll shows Harris’s lead over Trump cut in half in must-win swing state

03:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris’s lead in Minnesota has been halved by Donald Trump, one new survey shows, despite the state’s Governor Tim Walz joining the Democratic ticket.

The most recent poll by SurveyUSA in conjunction with local TV networks KTSP, KAAL, and WDIO, has found that Harris is now leading Trump 48 per cent to 43 per cent in the must-win swing state.

Though still healthy, her lead has shrunk to five percentage points in the space of a month, having led 50 per cent to 40 per cent in a poll conducted between July 23 and 25.

Continue reading…

New poll shows Harris’s lead over Trump cut in half in must-win swing state

Trump team will seek dismissal of federal election subversion case as each side mulls the next steps

02:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Lawyers for Donald Trump intend to urge a judge to dismiss the federal election subversion case against the former president after a Supreme Court opinion that narrowed the scope of the landmark prosecution, according to a court filing.

The defense team, in a joint filing late Friday with prosecutors that lays out dueling proposals for the next steps, foreshadowed a series of anticipated challenges that would draw out until deep into next year the criminal case charging Trump with plotting to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Continue reading…

Trump team will seek dismissal of federal election subversion case

Vance attacks working women as being ‘on path to misery’ in unearthed audio

01:30 , Oliver O’Connell

In a resurfaced podcast interview from September 2021, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said that professional women “choose a path to misery” by prioritizing their careers over having children

Donald Trump’s running mate also claimed the masculinity of men in America is “suppressed”, and attacked immigrants and Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar.

The Guardian reported that the now-Ohio senator said of women, such as his Yale Law School classmates, that “pursuing racial or gender equity is like the value system that gives their life meaning … [but] they all find that that value system leads to misery”.

Continue reading…

JD Vance attacks working women as being ‘on path to misery’ in unearthed audio

Trump bizarrely claims people have stopped eating bacon because of wind power

Sunday 1 September 2024 00:30 , Oliver O’Connell

You know, like people avoid carbs because of solar…

Trump bizarrely claims people have stopped eating bacon because of wind power

Vance won’t apologize for posting viral Miss Teen USA clip — despite causing her mental anguish

Saturday 31 August 2024 23:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance refused to apologize for posting a video of a Miss Teen USA contestant struggling with an answer to mock Vice President Kamala Harris – despite learning the viral clip caused the pageant contestant mental anguish.

On Thursday evening, Vance posted a clip of Miss Teen USA contestant Caitlin Upton giving a nonsensical answer to a question during the 2007 pageant. The viral video became a well-known meme and is often used to mock a person’s intelligence.

But on Friday morning, CNN’s John Berman informed Vance that the video he posted caused Upton to go into a depression and contemplate suicide.

Ariana Baio reports.

Vance won’t apologize for posting viral Miss Teen USA clip to take a swipe at Harris

Trump is turning to YouTube influencers and pranksters to win the ‘bro’ vote — here’s why

Saturday 31 August 2024 22:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump is turning to YouTubers, pranksters and podcasters to win over the so-called “bro” vote.

His campaign — which recently announced a new aggressive strategy described as “Trump on steroids” — is specifically targeting 18- to 29-year-old men by pitching them through non-traditional media channels,The New York Times reports.

To garner support among the bro voters, the Trump campaign is dedicating time to YouTubers like Logan Paul and podcasters like Theo Von, the Times reports.

Katie Hawkinson has the story.

Why Donald Trump is turning to YouTubers and pranksters to win the ‘bro’ vote

Watch: Gwen Walz claps back at Vance, telling him to “mind your own business” over teachers without children

Saturday 31 August 2024 22:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch: Scaramucci says only Melania Trump wants Harris to win more than him

Saturday 31 August 2024 21:38 , Oliver O’Connell

Speaking on the Meidastouch Network, one-time Trump ally and briefly White House communicatsions director, Anthony Scaramucci, now one of the former president’s leading critics, said today:

Nobody wants [Kamala Harris] to win more than me. Maybe Melania Trump—she could be the only person I can think of. I judge the hatred of Donald Trump by the ‘Melania standard.’ Like, Ben hates Trump slightly less than Melania. My wife hates Trump as much as Melania. I met one person who actually hates Trump more than Melania, and that’s General Milley.

Watch below:

Security concerns force Ella Emhoff to give up knitting club

Saturday 31 August 2024 21:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Ella Emhoff has revealed she has been forced to give up her knitting club over security concerns since her stepmother launched her presidential bid.

With Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign going full steam ahead, the 25-year-old budding fashion designer’s life has been turned upside down in more ways than one.

Her stepmother’s political ambitions have led Emhoff to, unfortunately, suspend Soft Hands Knitting Club meetings.

Olivia Hebert has the story.

Ella Emhoff reveals she’s been forced to give up knitting club over security concerns

As Florida prepares to legalize marijuana, Trump calls for prohibition in public

Saturday 31 August 2024 21:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump writes on Truth Social:

As everyone knows, I was, and will be again, the most respected LAW & ORDER President in U.S. History. We will take our streets back by being tough & smart on violent, & all other types, of Crime. In Florida, like so many other States that have already given their approval, personal amounts of marijuana will be legalized for adults with Amendment 3. Whether people like it or not, this will happen through the approval of the Voters, so it should be done correctly. We need the State Legislature to responsibly create laws that prohibit the use of it in public spaces, so we do not smell marijuana everywhere we go, like we do in many of the Democrat run Cities. At the same time, someone should not be a criminal in Florida, when this is legal in so many other States. We do not need to ruin lives & waste Taxpayer Dollars arresting adults with personal amounts of it on them, and no one should grieve a loved one because they died from fentanyl laced marijuana. We will make America SAFE again!

This week’s Sunday morning talk show guests

Saturday 31 August 2024 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

ABC’s This Week — Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.; Gov. Jared Polis, D-Colo.

NBC’s Meet the Press — Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark.; Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif.

CBS’ Face the Nation — Gov. Maura Healey, D-Mass.; Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas; Teamsters President Sean O’Brien; Mitch Landrieu, co-chair of Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign.

CNN’s State of the Union — Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, a supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

Fox News Sunday — Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.; Corey Lewandowski, an adviser to Trump’s campaign.

Senator Tom Cotton issues statement on Trump’s cemetery visit

Saturday 31 August 2024 20:50 , Oliver O’Connell

Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a veteran, has issues a statement in support of former president Donald Trump amid the debacle concerning the Republican presidential nominee’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery that resulted in an altercation with cemetery staff and accusations of dsirespecting “sacred ground” by filming political content there.

The senator wrote:

“I commend President Trump for accepting the invitation of the Gold Star families to join them at Arlington National Cemetery to honor their loved ones who died during the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. The families had every right to invite whomever they wanted to commemorate this solemn anniversary, just as President Trump and his aides had every right to accept their invitation; neither the families nor President Trump violated cemetery regulations or policies. The real scandal here isn’t that the families invited President Trump or that he accepted their invitation, and it’s not even that political apparatchiks working for the incompetent secretary of the Army disrespected the wishes of these Gold Star families. The real scandal is that Kamala Harris and Joe Biden condemned thirteen brave American troops to death and didn’t even have the decency to call or meet with the Gold Star families to express their condolences. Kamala Harris should never be our military’s commander-in-chief.”

Cotton is a veteran of the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) and author of Sacred Duty: A Soldier’s Tour at Arlington National Cemetery.

Trump shares image of himself, Vance, RFK Jr, Musk and Gabbard as superheroes

Saturday 31 August 2024 20:30 , Oliver O’Connell

If there’s one thing Donald Trump loves, it’s an AI-generated or photoshopped image that glorifies himself or praises his agenda.

Now, he has one showing off his ‘super’ powers and friends.

The former president added a new meme post to his Truth Social account Thursday evening – this time, a poorly photoshopped image of himself and his close allies as various DC Comics superheroes.

Ariana Baio has the story.

Trump posts photoshopped image of himself and allies as superheroes

Full story: Harris joins backlash against Trump over Arlington National Cemetery ‘political stunt’

Saturday 31 August 2024 20:08 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris has now joined the growing backlash against Donald Trump over his controversial visit to Arlington National Cemetery where his staffers allegedly pushed a cemetery official, he posed with a thumbs up at a soldier’s grave and his team filmed a campaign ad.

In a scathing statement posted on X on Saturday, the Democratic presidential candidate slammed her Republican rival’s “political stunt” calling him “a man who is unable to comprehend anything other than service to himself.”

Trump running mate JD Vance immediately jumped to his defense on X, as Rachel Sharp reports.

Harris joins backlash over Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery ‘political stunt’

Harris campaign announces 50-stop bus tour on reproductive rights

Saturday 31 August 2024 20:00 , James Liddell

Kamala Harris’s campaign team has announced that it will be launching a 50-stop bus tour to promote access to reproductive rights.

The “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” tour kicks off from Palm Beach, Florida, on Tuesday, driving through both Democrat and Republican strongholds and battleground states.

Surrogates from Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Minesotta Governor Tim Walz’s wife Gwen, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and Harris’s campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez will be on the tour.

Those on the campaign trial will focus on Harris and her running mate Tim Walz’s ambition to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade, which was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022.

“This election is about freedom – and the American people want and deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions,” Rodriguez said in a statement.

“Our campaign is hitting the road to meet voters in their communities, underscore the stakes of this election for reproductive freedom, and present them with the Harris-Walz ticket’s vision to move our country forward, which stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s plans to drag us back.”

Ex-Obama aide gives Harris advice for taking down Trump at first debate: ‘Make him small’

Saturday 31 August 2024 19:30 , James Liddell

David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Barack Obama, says it’s imperative for Kamala Harris to make Donald Trump “small” in their first televised debate on September 10.

Axelrod appeared on CNN’s Newsnight following Harris and her running mate Governor Tim Walz’s primetime interview with Dana Bash on Thursday evening.

“I guess if I were advising her… don’t make Trump big by trying to get into back and fourth with him throughout the night. Make him small. He’s going to try to do what Trump does,” he told host Abby Phillip on Thursday evening.

“This is his seventh presidential debate; nobody’s done more. We know what his habits are.”

He concluded: “She should have a conversation with the American people about the future she envisions and spar with him when she has to.”