VP addresses pro-Palestine demonstrators as Trump holds Montana rally after plane problems

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

“So let me say I have been clear. Now is the time to get a cease-fire deal and get the hostage deal done. Now is the time and the President and I are working around the clock every day to get that cease-fire deal done and bring the hostages home. So, I respect your voices,” she said on Friday night.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump attended a rally in Bozeman, Montana, after his plane was diverted to Billings because of a mechanical issue as he flew to the state.

During the Friday night event he falsely claimed Harris would not debate him, before admitting they would face off on ABC in September.

Harris has surged to a five-point lead over Donald Trump in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, putting her at 42 percent to the Republican’s 37 percent nationally with less than three months to go to November’s presidential election.

Key Points

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

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

• Kamala Harris takes major five-point lead over Donald Trump in new poll

• Stage set for next debate after Trump and Harris agree to ABC date

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

Trump gives shout out to ‘major friend’ Nick Faldo at Montana rally

06:15 , Graeme Massie

Oldest and largest Latino civil rights group backs Harris/Walz

06:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The oldest and largest Latino civil rights group in the US, The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) has endorsed a presidential candidate for the first time in its 95-year history.

The group backed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. Leaders of the group are set to appear at a Saturday rally with the Democratic ticket.

“Throughout her career, Harris has demonstrated a commitment to justice, equality, and inclusivity—values that resonate deeply with the Latino community and will move our country forward in the right direction,” LULAC Adelante PAC chair and former LULAC president Domingo Garcia said in a statement. “Today, we are proud to endorse Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because of the real issues facing Latino communities and all Americans across the nation; we can trust them to do what is right for our community and the country.”

More pictures from Donald Trump’s Friday night rally in Montana

05:11 , Graeme Massie

Biden thanks campaign staff after dropping out of election with on-brand party theme

05:00 , Gustaf Kilander

President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended an event on Thursday to thank campaign staff after Biden dropped out of the race last month.

The staff met the Bidens at The Queen theater in Wilmington, where he often made public appearances during his successful 2020 campaign. The president wanted to thank the staff for their work over the course of the last year and their continued efforts to elect Vice President Kamala Harris. The event had food and, of course, Biden’s favorite dessert: ice cream.

One attendee said the Bidens made speeches and took pictures with members of staff.

Biden thanks campaign staff after dropping out of election with on-brand party theme

Trump claims Harris does not want to debate him

04:51 , Graeme Massie

Trump complained that Kamala Harris did not want to debate him, before admitting that he would debate the vice president on ABC.

Trump campaigns in Montana on Friday night

04:50 , Graeme Massie

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

04:15 , Eric Garcia

Just as former president Donald Trump wrapped up his stemwinder of a grievance-filled press conference 2,300 miles away, one of his most devoted disciples fought to show signs of life as she runs significantly behind the former president.

Two years ago, Republican Kari Lake, the news anchor-turned-election denier, lost the governorship in Arizona by 17,117 votes. Since then, she’s filed lawsuits to overturn the results while at the same time announcing that she will be running for the US Senate seat Kyrsten Sinema will vacate at the end of this year.

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

JD Vance reveals 30-pound weight loss – but worries about his campaign trail diet: ‘Time will tell’

03:00 , Gustaf Kilander

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

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

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

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

02:10 , Graeme Massie

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

Pictures from Kamala Harris’s latest rally

02:03 , Graeme Massie

Harris calls for Gaza cease-fire during Arizona rally

01:47 , Graeme Massie

Kamala Harris recognized apparent Gaza demonstrators at her Friday night rally in Phoenix, telling them,” I respect your voices.”

Harris paused her speech after a minute to address protesters in the arena and call for an immediate Gaza cease-fire.

“Let me address the voices that I think that we are hearing from. And let me just say this on topic of what I think I’m hearing over there. Let me just speak to that for a moment, and then I’m going to get back to the business in hand,” she said.

“So let me say I have been clear. Now is the time to get a cease-fire deal and get the hostage deal done. Now is the time and the President and I are working around the clock every day to get that cease-fire deal done and bring the hostages home. So, I respect your voices…”

Tim Walz appears at campaign rally in Arizona

01:31 , Graeme Massie

Trump mocks Rogan after podcaster shares support for Kennedy

01:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump took to Truth Social to mock Joe Rogan after the podcaster shared his support for Robert F Kennedy Jr.

“It will be interesting to see how loudly Joe Rogan gets BOOED the next time he enters the UFC Ring??? MAGA2024” Trump wrote on Friday.

Rogan said on Thursday that both Democrats and Republicans are damaging democracy.

“That’s just what they do. That’s politics. They do it on the left, they do it on the right,” Rogan said. “They gaslight you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives, and the only one who is not doing that is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

“He’s the only one that makes sense to me,” he added.

He later wrote on X that it wasn’t an endorsement.

“For the record, this isn’t an endorsement. This is me saying that I like RFK jr as a person, and I really appreciate the way he discusses things with civility and intelligence,” he wrote. “I think we could use more of that in this world. I also think Trump raising his fist and saying ‘fight!’ after getting shot is one of the most American f****** things of all time. I’m not the guy to get political information from.”

Tim Walz refers to Army service at 15,000 person rally in Phoenix

01:23 , Graeme Massie

“For 24 years I proudly wore that uniform, I am proud of that service,” Tim Walz told a cheering audience after a week of Republican knocks on his military record.

Scenes from Kamala Harris’s Arizona rally

01:17 , Graeme Massie

How Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump

01:00 , Alex Woodward

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

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

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

Elon Musk is disrupting US elections to boost Trump

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

Saturday 10 August 2024 00:39 , Graeme Massie

Fast food workers fighting for union recognition, higher minimum wages and better working conditions could have a powerful advocate in a former fellow french fry cook, Alex Woodward reports.

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

RFK Jr is endorsed by Russell Brand

Saturday 10 August 2024 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander

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

Saturday 10 August 2024 00:09 , Graeme Massie

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

Trump’s plane diverted due to mechanical issue on way to Montana rally

Friday 9 August 2024 23:34 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump’s plane was diverted to Billings, Montana, because of a mechanical issue as he flew to a Friday night rally in the state.

The former president was heading to Bozeman, Montana, when his plane landed safely in Billings, 140 miles away.

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

Friday 9 August 2024 23:30 , Alex Woodward

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

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

The four criminal cases against the former president — spanning 88 charges in four jurisdictions — have been hung up in months of appeals and delays, creating a Russian nesting doll of courtroom battles, with court dates and side hearings on evidence, gag orders and defense arguments all designed to slow down the likelihood of another conviction before Election Day.

Trump’s election interference case is coming back to life

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

Friday 9 August 2024 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander

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

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

On Wednesday Chris Pavlovski, Rumble’s CEO, posted on X that the company had contacted Dunkin’ Donuts, and its parent Inspire Brands, about advertising on the video platform, because its users “over indexes with coffee consumption.”

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

Joe Rogan insists he’s not endorsing RFK Jr amid MAGA uproar over podcaster’s praise for conspiracy theorist

Friday 9 August 2024 22:25 , Graig Graziosi

Podcaster Joe Rogan has promptly walked back what many listeners took to be an endorsement of independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr.

He made the comments on Thursday’s episode of the Joe Rogan Experience, explaining that he believed Kennedy’s political inexperience made him less likely to lie to voters.

“They do it on the left, they do it on the right,” Rogan said. “They gaslight you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives — and the only one who is not doing that is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

Joe Rogan insists he’s not endorsing RFK Jr after MAGA uproar

Where and when Trump and Harris are speaking tonight

Friday 9 August 2024 22:08 , Gustaf Kilander

Tonight’s rally with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz is set to begin at 5.30pm local time in Arizona, 8.30pm ET.

The rally will be held at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale.

Meanwhile, Donald Trump is speaking in Bozeman, Montana on Friday night at 8pm local time, 10pm ET.

The rally will be held at the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse at Montana State University.

Daily Show host destroys Trump’s claim his Jan 6 crowd rivaled MLK Jr’s March on Washington

Friday 9 August 2024 22:00 , Myriam Page

The Daily Show host Michael Kosta has destroyed Donald Trump’s wild claim that the crowd of supporters who flocked to see him speak on January 6 rivaled the crowd that turned out to hear Martin Luther King Jr’s iconic “I have a dream” speech during the March on Washington.

On Thursday, Trump held a press conference at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, as his campaign seeks to try to grab the spotlight from Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

During the lie-filled briefing, Trump made a series of false and wild claims – with one in particular raising eyebrows: his boast he has drawn in crowds comparable to MLK Jr.

“I’ve spoken to the biggest crowds. Nobody has spoken to bigger crowds than me,” Trump claimed.

Daily Show host destroys Trump’s claim his Jan 6 crowd rivaled MLK Jr

Rightwing podcaster backtracks after announcing support for RFK Jr

Friday 9 August 2024 21:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Rightwing podcaster Tim Pool has backtracked after announcing that he was voting for Robert F Kennedy Jr.

This comes after fellow podcaster Joe Rogan also backed Kennedy.

“Ok I’m voting for RFK Jr now,” Pool wrote on X.

“I think Trump is on track to lose … Dems are a cult, will march in lockstep. MAGA die hards can’t form alliances properly. Independents / post libs will say f*** that,” he added in a separate post. “Registered dems outnumber GOP by almost 12m … There’s a reason they can’t get a Rogan endorsement and it’s exactly this behavior. The top podcast, markedly independent, fair and honest. And they decide to go to war with it instead of trying to ally with it.”

Rogan said on Thursday that both Democrats and Republicans are damaging democracy.

“That’s just what they do. That’s politics. They do it on the left, they do it on the right,” Rogan said. “They gaslight you, they manipulate you, they promote narratives, and the only one who is not doing that is Robert F. Kennedy Jr.”

“He’s the only one that makes sense to me,” he added.

After Pool said he was backing Kennedy, the third party candidate responded on X, writing: “I am so grateful to you, Tim, for your confidence in me but most of all for your steadfast defense of the Constitution and relentless love for our country.”

But Pool then replied to Kennedy, saying he was still voting for Trump.

“You’re a good dude brother. I was trolling the haters but in all honesty I do intend to vote Trump. I hope to see you in the end be a part of his administration and help fight against environmental toxins and big pharma,” he said.

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

Friday 9 August 2024 21:20 , Richard Hall

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

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

Democrats were quick to hit back at the claim, pointing out that Walz filed to run for Congress and officially retired from the Minnesota National Guard months before his unit was alerted about deployment. But Vance’s criticism of his opponent’s record has drawn greater scrutiny of his own time as a “combat correspondent” in the Marine Corps, a role that involves gathering news and writing articles for internal Marine Corps publications and facilitating interviews and access for civilian media.

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

Harris rapid response advisor says he hopes Trump ‘enjoys his August siesta’

Friday 9 August 2024 21:00 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump megadonor John Paulson claims $400,000-a-month Hamptons rental was infested with rodents and made fiancée sick

Friday 9 August 2024 20:30 , Justin Rohrlich

Uber-wealthy hedge funder and high-profile Trump donor John Paulson fled a $400,000-per-month Hamptons rental after just seven days upon discovering the palatial seaside spread reeked of rodent urine and excrement, according to a demand letter obtained by The Independent.

The stunning Southampton manse, which boasts neighbors such as New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, hedge fund titan Ken Griffin, and private equity mogul Leon Black, was allegedly infested with mice, which got into the ventilation system and died there.

Billionaire John Paulson sues over ‘uninhabitable’ Hamptons home

Trump spox issues clarification on abortion drug comments

Friday 9 August 2024 20:15 , Gustaf Kilander

Trump spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Friday that the former president was having a hard time hearing reporters’ questions on Thursday when he suggested that he may be open to revoking federal approval for the abortion drug mifepristone.

“As President Trump said numerous times during the press conference, the questions being asked were difficult to hear,” Leavitt said, according to The Washington Post. “His position on mifepristone remains the same – the Supreme Court unanimously decided on the issue and the matter is settled.”

The Supreme Court denied a challenge to access to the abortion drug, ruling that the plaintiffs didn’t have standing to sue.

Harris ad says she’ll ‘hire thousands more border agents’

Friday 9 August 2024 20:00 , Gustaf Kilander

The Harris campaign has released a new immigration ad before she heads to Arizona this evening for a rally in the border and key swing state.

The ad states that Harris is a “border state prosecutor” who battled drug cartels, adding that if she’s elected, she will “hire thousands more border agents and crack down on fentanyl and human trafficking.”

Trump claims Willie Brown told him ‘terrible things’ about Harris on a near-fatal helicopter ride. He says every part of the story is fiction

Friday 9 August 2024 19:46 , James Liddell

Donald Trump has claimed that Willie Brown, the former San Francisco mayor and ex-partner of Kamala Harris, told him some “terrible things” about her during a near-death experience on a helicopter ride.

Now, the former has spoken out to reveal that every part of the story is “fiction”.

According to Brown, there were no critical comments about Harris, no near-fatal crash – and, in fact, no helicopter ride whatsover.

During his lie-filled press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday afternoon – his first public briefing since Harris picked Tim Walz to join her on the Democratic ticket – the former president recounted what now appears to be a tall tale about a helicopter ride he claims he once took with Brown.

Trump’s ‘fictional’ story about a near-fatal helicopter ride with Kamala Harris’s ex

Tucker Carlson teases documentary on Trump’s ‘comeback’ — just as Harris picks up momentum

Friday 9 August 2024 19:30 , Katie Hawkinson

Tucker Carlson is producing a new documentary about Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.

The right-wing media personality, formerly of Fox News fame, released the documentary trailer on X Thursday night, revealing “The Art of the Surge: The Donald Trump Comeback” will premiere on the Tucker Carlson Network, the streaming service he launched in December.

The documentary comes as Vice President Kamala Harris has taken the lead over Trump in a new poll and her three-week-old campaign builds momentum in key battleground states. The former president is now playing defense, having called a meandering press conference on Thursday where he attacked his opponents and spread several false claims.

Tucker Carlson teases doc on Trump’s ‘comeback’ — just as Harris picks up momentum

Pence says he ‘could never vote’ for Harris and Walz

Friday 9 August 2024 19:00 , Gustaf Kilander

At a gathering hosted by conservative commentator Erick Erickson, former Vice President Mike Pence said he “could never vote” for Harris and Walz, but added that he’s “staying out of the presidential campaign,” according to The Washington Post.

“I cannot endorse this growing abandonment of our allies on the world stage that’s taken hold in parts of our party,” added, saying that he also couldn’t back “ignoring our national debt” and “marginalizing the right to life.”

“And between me and my running mate, I cannot endorse President Trump’s continuing assertion that I should’ve set aside my oath” to the Constitution during the 2021 Capitol riot and refused to certify the 2020 election.

Mike Pence claims relationship with ‘friend’ Donald Trump ‘worked’

Friday 9 August 2024 18:30 , Gustaf Kilander

Why Vance and Harris’s San Francisco ties hold the key to the election

Friday 9 August 2024 18:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Trump claimed at yesterday’s press conference that Kamala “destroyed San Francisco, destroyed California, and is destroying our country”, although the Golden State still appears to be standing when last we checked.

As Io Dodds and Josh Marcus note, the candidates, ideas and vibes of this election are deeply tied to the San Francisco Bay Area.

So what does that tell us about how the race will shake out?

Why Vance and Harris’s San Francisco ties hold the key to the election

Harris looking to pick younger, more diverse Cabinet than Biden

Friday 9 August 2024 17:30 , Joe Sommerlad

The Vice President is reportedly already weighing up her future Cabinet choices, aiming for more young people and people of color than President Joe Biden.

Axios reported a preliminary list of several picks for top administration positions including Senators Laphonza Butler and Alex Padilla from Harris’s home state of California and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.

For Secretary of State, Harris’s shortlist is said to include Delaware Senator Chris Coons, CIA director Bill Burns and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a former contender as Harris’s running mate, could be nominated for US Ambassador to the United Nations.

Harris may also be considering Michele Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy under President Barack Obama, for Secretary of Defense.

Katie Hawkinson has more.

Harris looking to pick younger, more diverse Cabinet than Biden

Fani Willis files brief to Georgia appeals court over Trump’s attempt to disqualify her

Friday 9 August 2024 17:00 , Joe Sommerlad

As you may recall, the Fulton County district attorney’s indictment against the former president (alleging 2020 election interference in her jurisdiction) hit the rocks earlier this year when Trump and his co-defendants kicked up a stink about her past romantic relationship with fellow prosecutor Nathan Wade, hoping to boot her off the case.

After a series of tense hearings, Judge Scott McAfee rejected their arguments but gave the prosecution an ultimatum: either Willis step aside or Wade must leave his role as special prosecutor. The latter took the fall.

Trump and co have since appealed that decision and the state’s appeals court is due to hear their latest arguments on October 4.

Willis has now filed an appellate brief of her own rejecting the motion, in which she writes: “The appellants sought to disqualify District Attorney Fani T Willis by persuading the trial court that she had engineered the present case, which involves issues of national importance and daily public scrutiny, as a scheme for her personal enrichment. They failed.

“After giving the appellants every opportunity to provide evidence and argument in support of their theory, the trial court decided that their central witness had provided no information of value and that their central theory did not add up.

“Unsatisfied, the appellants now seize upon the trial court’s criticisms of the district attorney to distort its actual findings and overstate their case.

“They ask this court to second guess the trial court’s factual conclusions and apply standards of disqualification that no Georgia court has ever authorized or employed.”

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

Friday 9 August 2024 16:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The former president’s ex-national security adviser Trump adviser appeared on CNN last night in the wake of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago meltdown to tell Kaitlan Collins: “In his mind, the truth is whatever he wants it to be and that’s what you heard today.”

Ariana Baio has more.

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

Harris-Walz now selling camo coolers for beer cans

Friday 9 August 2024 16:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Their camouflage baseball caps flew off the shelves earlier this week so it was inevitable the Democratic ticket would extend their merchandise range with further blue collar offerings.

Here’s Kaleigh Werner on the $1m hat that started it all.

Harris-Walz camouflage hat reaches nearly $1m in sales a day after release

Dril hits back over use of his meme in Harris-Walz press release

Friday 9 August 2024 16:00 , Joe Sommerlad

Very hard to imagine Joe Biden ever attempting something like this.

Here’s Greg Evans to explain.

Dril fires back with Israel jab after Harris-Walz use one of his memes

New Harris ad leans into biography in appeal to American middle class

Friday 9 August 2024 15:40 , Joe Sommerlad

You can watch Kamala’s new 30-second TV spot below.

Here’s what her senior campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt had to say about its intentions:

“Being president is about who you fight for. Vice President Harris is the daughter of a working mother and worked at a McDonald’s to put herself through college. She knows what middle class families go through.

“Now, she’s running for president to make it easier for families to not just get by, but get ahead. As president, Harris’ top priority will be taking on corporate greed to lower costs.

“Donald Trump, on the other hand, is running to give more handouts to his ultra-wealthy friends at the expense of working Americans. That’s the contrast voters are going to see between now and Election Day.”

Campaign schedule: Harris and Walz in Arizona today as Trump heads to Montana

Friday 9 August 2024 15:20 , Joe Sommerlad

The Democratic duo hit the Phoeniz, Arizona, leg of their whirlwind swing state tour before appearing in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Trump is finally emerging from his gilded cage in Palm Beach to visit Montana and stump for Republican Senate nominee Tim Sheehy, an entrepreneur and former Navy Seal hopping to topple Democratic incumbent Jon Tester in what is proving an increasingly tense and costly race for both sides as advertising money flows in.

Here’s Alex Woodward on Harris and Walz’s introductory tour.

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz tour battleground states with Trump and Vance behind them

Trump’s speaking style shows ‘potential indications of cognitive decline’, experts say

Friday 9 August 2024 15:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican’s manner of speaking may betray signs of cognitive decline, a number of psychological experts have suggested.

An analysis by STAT –a media organization focusing on health – found that Trump’s common pattern of speech called tangentiality (jumping from topic to topic with few, if any, connections in between) is just one of a number of his incoherent speaking habits that appears to have worsened in the last few years.

In 2017, Trump’s first year as president, STAT concluded Trump’s speaking style had worsened since the 1980s.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Experts say Trump’s speaking style shows ‘potential indications of cognitive decline’

‘Policy attack dog’ or ‘creepy’? Vance’s plane incident with Harris adds to his weird factor

Friday 9 August 2024 14:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The image of Trump’s running mate approaching Air Force Two with his team of nearly all-male advisers earlier this week made some feel deeply uncomfortable, writes Richard Hall.

‘Creepy’: Vance’s plane incident with Harris adds to his weird factor

The truth behind the conspiracies on Tim Walz’s China ties

Friday 9 August 2024 14:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Tim Walz has been attacked from all angles by Republicans in the two days since he was unveiled as Kamala Harris’s running mate to take on Donald Trump and JD Vance in November.

The mild-mannered Midwesterner and Minnesota governor, a 24-year veteran of the Army National Guard and former high school teacher, has been called everything from a “radical leftist” to “Tampon Tim” as the opposition scrambles to define and discredit him in the eyes of voters.

So far, little has stuck, prompting Trump’s allies to turn to Walz’s ties to China as a fresh avenue of attack.

Here’s the truth behind the disingenuous partisan nonsense.

The truth behind the conspiracies on Tim Walz’s China ties

Election predictor moves battleground states from Trump to ‘toss ups’

Friday 9 August 2024 14:00 , Joe Sommerlad

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

Josh Marcus has more.

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

Trump v Harris: When is the next 2024 presidential debate?

Friday 9 August 2024 13:40 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming showdown between the Republican and Democrat on ABC in one month’s time.

Trump v Harris: When is the next 2024 presidential debate and what channel is it on?

Trump gunman visited shooting range dozens of times including Christmas Day amid ‘intense attack preparations’

Friday 9 August 2024 13:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Donald Trump’s would-be assassin visited his local rifle range dozens of times – including on Christmas Day – during a period of “intense preparation” in the year leading up to the attack, according to newly-obtained records.

Documents obtained by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley from Clairton Sportsmen’s Club in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania, reveal that Thomas Crooks visited the shooting range 43 times between August 10 2023 and his failed attempt on the former president’s life on July 13 2024 in Butler.

Crooks “almost exclusively” spent his time at the club’s rifle range, with 80 per cent of his visits spent on shooting practice, according to Grassley’s office.

The 20-year-old even visited the site on holidays, with visits logged on Christmas Day, Valentine’s Day and Halloween.

His final visit came on the afternoon of July 12 – one day before the assassination attempt, records show.

James Liddell and Gustaf Kilander have more.

Trump gunman’s ‘intense prep’ for attack revealed with Christmas shooting range visit

Trump keeps calling Harris ‘Kamabla’ but nobody seems to know why…

Friday 9 August 2024 13:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Republican has tried out a number of nicknames as he scrambles to define Kamala Harris in the presidential race.

There was “Laffin’ Kamala” and there was “Lyin’ Kamala” but he now appears to have settled on the frankly confusing “Kamabla.”

Nobody knows what it means but Gustaf Kilander has attempted to find out.

Explaining Trump’s ‘Kamabla’ name for Harris

Willie Brown dismisses Trump’s claim he told him ‘terrible things’ about Harris as complete fiction

Friday 9 August 2024 12:40 , Joe Sommerlad

The former San Francisco mayor and speaker of the California State Assembly, who was once in a relationship with Kamala Harris, has rubbished Trump’s story that he told the Republican “terrible things” about her during a near-death experience on a helicopter ride.

James Liddell reports on a story Brown insists is total invention.

Trump’s ‘fictional’ story about a near-fatal helicopter ride with Kamala Harris’s ex

Trump’s claim his Jan 6 crowd rivaled MLK Jr’s March on Washington destroyed by Daily Show host

Friday 9 August 2024 12:20 , Joe Sommerlad

Michael Kosta had plenty of fun with one of the Republican’s dumbest claims in some time during yesterday’s press conference.

Myriam Page has this on what he had to say.

Daily Show host destroys Trump’s claim his Jan 6 crowd rivaled MLK Jr

Kamala Harris takes major five-point lead over Donald Trump in new poll

Friday 9 August 2024 12:00 , Joe Sommerlad

The Vice President has surged to a five-point lead over Donald Trump in a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, putting her on 42 per cent to the Republican’s 37 per cent nationally with less than three months to go to November’s presidential election.

The survey found that Harris had widened her lead since a July 22-23 poll from the same source found her up 37 per cent to 34 per cent over Trump.

The nationwide poll of 2,045 American adults was conducted between August 2 and 7 and found just 4 per cent of those surveyed backing independent candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr, down from 10 per cent in July.

Jack Smith seeks three-week delay in Jan 6 case

Friday 9 August 2024 11:45 , Joe Sommerlad

Here’s more on the revenant Jan 6 case.

Justice Department special counsel moved quickly yesterday to ask for more time on how to reframe the case, which some pundits suggest indicates his team have not yet worked out how to go about it.

Here’s our report.

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

Trump’s election interference case is coming back to life

Friday 9 August 2024 11:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Judge Tanya Chutkan has revived Jack Smith’s Jan 6 case against Trump and is calling on both sides to present revised arguments on how to move it forward in light of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling on July 1.

This is what the Republican has had to say about it on Truth Social:

Alex Woodward has the latest.

Trump’s election interference case is coming back to life

Trump is freaking out about Kamala Harris’s surging poll numbers

Friday 9 August 2024 11:00 , Joe Sommerlad

A week after Trump’s attempted assassination, the Atlantic published a headline declaring: “Trump is Planning for a Landslide Win.”

Now, a little over a month and one presidential candidate swap later, the 2024 presidential election’s likely results appear a great deal less obvious.

With the photo of a defiant Trump pumping his fist in the rear-view, the former president has become increasingly frustrated by the surging poll numbers enjoyed by his presumed opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, according to five people close to the situation who spoke to The Washington Post.

The former president reportedly told a supporter he felt it was “unfair” that after he “beat” Joe Biden he had to turn around and run against Harris.

“It’s unfair that I beat him and now I have to beat her, too.”

Graig Graziosi has more.

Trump is freaking out about Kamala Harris’s surging poll numbers: ‘It’s unfair’

Trump holds seemingly pointless press conference filled with false claims

Friday 9 August 2024 10:30 , Joe Sommerlad

Former president Donald Trump spent nearly an hour at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida, on Thursday ranting to a room full of reporters as he tried to regain the spotlight from a resurgent Democratic ticket fronted by Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

The ex-president’s campaign had summoned the hand-picked group of journalists to Trump’s residence, where he attacked Harris as a “radical left person” during a rambling monologue in which he claimed that America is “in the most dangerous position it’s ever been in” and “very close to a world war” without offering evidence to support those assertions.

Here he is bemoaning Joe Biden, threatening mass deportations and claiming, unconvincingly, that he is not “weird” but actually the embodiment of “common sense”.

The only bit of news to emerge from this open therapy session came when Trump revealed he has “agreed” to debates hosted by Fox News on September 4, ABC on September 10 and NBC on September 25, only the second of which Harris has agreed to join him at.

The real question is why isn’t Trump out campaigning? Remember? Like he wanted to be when he was on trial in New York?

Here’s CNN’s Jamie Gangel asking that very question:

Andrew Feinberg watched the bizarre hour at Mar-a-Lago and sends this.

Trump holds seemingly pointless press conference filled with false claims

How Harris and Walz’s policies actually differ from Biden’s

Friday 9 August 2024 10:00 , Ariana Baio & Eric Garcia

While Kamala Harris is no stranger to politics, her unexpected entry into the 2024 presidential election means voters quickly need to pivot from Biden’s stances to hers on key issues like the border, abortion, climate, the economy and immigration.

The vice president generally skews more to the left than Biden. In her failed 2020 campaign, she backed several progressive priorities such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal.

But as a presidential candidate and without a competitive primary, she will likely need to move more toward the center.

The Independent has broken down key policy areas to understand where Harris might differ from Biden.

How Harris and Walz’s policies actually differ from Biden’s

Revealed: Trump said he was ‘very happy’ with Tim Walz’s handling of George Floyd protests

Friday 9 August 2024 09:00 , Oliver O’Connell

A newly-surfaced phone call from 2020 has captured Donald Trump saying he was “very happy” with Tim Walz’s handling of the unrest which swept Minneapolis after George Floyd’s murder – undermining the Republican criticism which has poured in since Walz was tapped as Kamala Harris’s running mate this week.

As Minnesota governor, Walz oversaw the state’s response to the protests and riots which were triggered when white police officer Derek Chauvin murdered Floyd on Memorial Day 2020.

James Liddell reports.

Trump praises Walz’s handling of George Floyd protests in 2020 call

After Project 2025 backlash, Heritage Foundation president delays release of new book

Friday 9 August 2024 08:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The president of the Heritage Foundation has delayed the release of his new book until after the election following backlash against the conservative think tank for its Project 2025 initiative.

Republican senator and vice presidential nominee JD Vance has written the foreword to Dawn’s Early Light by Heritage Foundation president, Kevin Roberts.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Heritage Foundation president delays release of book following Project 2025 backlash

Harris campaign tweaks Walz’s military bio after Republican attacks

Friday 9 August 2024 06:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris’s campaign has tweaked information about Tim Walz’s military record on its website after questions were raised about her running mate’s career with the US Army National Guard.

The website switched language describing Walz as a “retired command sergeant major” to “rising to the rank of Command Sergeant Major,” Politico reported.

The Independent emailed a spokesperson for the Harris campaign for comment.

Michelle Del Rey and Andrew Feinberg report.

Harris campaign tweaks Walz’s military bio after Republican attacks

Voters in Michigan much prefer Harris’s policies — but not Harris herself, poll shows

Friday 9 August 2024 04:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Alicja Hagopian breaks down the numbers.

Confusing polls show voters prefer Harris’s policies — but they don’t prefer Harris

Boebert slams Kamala Harris on X as she joins son in court for his theft case

Friday 9 August 2024 03:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Colorado Republican Representative Lauren Boebert blasted Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz in a post on X just as she entered court to support her son in his criminal theft case.

Boebert sat in the first row of the courtroom as her 19-year-old son Tyler Boebert appeared before the judge in the Garfield County Courthouse, according to Business Insider. He was charged in connection to a series of car thefts.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Boebert joins son in court for his theft case and slams Kamala Harris on X

Laura Ingraham claims Milwaukee is in Minnesota. Ridicule ensues.

Friday 9 August 2024 02:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Fox News host Laura Ingraham, who claimed to know Minnesota well, confused it with neighboring state of Wisconsin when criticizing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

On her Wednesday night show, Ingraham homed in on the record of Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick.

Here’s Kelly Rissman on what she said next.

Laura Ingraham claims Milwaukee is in Minnesota and is roasted online for the gaffe

Meanwhile on Truth Social, Trump rails against ‘witch hunts’

Friday 9 August 2024 01:57 , Josh Marcus

The special counsel’s office aren’t the only ones weighing in on the January 6 case this evening.

On Truth Social, Donald Trump launched a familiar attack on the cases against him.

Here’s what he said:

It is clear that the Supreme Court’s Historic Decision on Immunity demands and requires a Complete and Total Dismissal of ALL the Witch Hunts — The January 6th Hoax in Washington, D.C., the Manhattan D.A.’s Zombie Case, the New York A.G. Scam, Fake Claims about a woman I never met (a 40 year old photo in a line with her then husband does not count!), and the Georgia “Perfect” Phone Call charges. The Democrat Justice Department coordinated ALL of these Political Attacks, which are an Election Interference Conspiracy against Crazy Kamala Harris and Crooked Joe Biden’s Political Opponent, ME. Let us come together to END all Weaponization of our Justice System, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!

Today’s biggest political news, in pictures

Friday 9 August 2024 01:51 , Josh Marcus

Bad news in the battleground states for Trump

Friday 9 August 2024 01:42 , Josh Marcus

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

“Three weeks ago, Donald Trump was leading President Joe Biden in the Cook Political Report national vote tracker by about 2.5%,” editor-in-chief Amy Walter wrote on Thursday. “Today, Kamala Harris leads Trump by less than one point, a shift of more than three points in Harris’ direction. Battleground state polls are showing similar results, with Harris cutting into Trump’s lead by anywhere from two to five points.”

The site also found that the projected election results were within the margin of error in the “Blue Wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

More details in our full story.

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

Special counsel’s office wants more time to weigh immunity precedent in Trump January 6 case

Friday 9 August 2024 01:36 , Josh Marcus

As part of its January 6 case against Donald Trump, the special counsel’s office is asking a Washington federal court for more time to analyze the Supreme Court’s recent decision on presidential immunity.

“The Government continues to assess the new precedent set forth last month in the Supreme Court’s decision in Trump v. United States,” the special counsel’s office wrote in a court filing on Thursday.

It suggested reconvening at the end of August.

Here’s our report from Alex Woodward on how the January 6 case is coming back to life.

Trump’s election interference case is coming back to life

Friday 9 August 2024 01:19 , Matthew Cooper

How Vance’s plane incident with Harris adds to his weird factor

Friday 9 August 2024 01:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Since being announced as Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance has struggled to overcome allegations from his opponents of being “weird.” His current campaign strategy doesn’t appear to be helping.

Vance has embarked on what some critics have described as a “stalking” tour of Kamala Harris’s campaign, shadowing her tour of battleground states and holding parallel events on the same day in each city. So far, he has followed Harris through Philadelphia, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The practice is called “bracketing” in the vernacular of political campaigns, and is not so unusual. But on Wednesday, Vance took things a step further when he approached Harris’s jet as they were both on the airport tarmac in Eau Claire, Wisconsin at the same time.

Richard Hall reports.

‘Creepy’: Vance’s plane incident with Harris adds to his weird factor

Friday 9 August 2024 00:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Video: Far-right thug punches police officer in face during Southport riot

Payday! Man behind the website Harriswalz.com reveals what he sold it for

Friday 9 August 2024 00:00 , Oliver O’Connell

The trademark lawyer who owned the domain name previously sold ClintonKaine.com for $15,000 to a buyer who turned out to be connected to the 2016 Trump campaign.

Gustaf Kilander has the story.

Man behind the website Harriswalz.com reveals his payday after Dem ticket was named

Kamala Harris ‘looking forward’ to debate after ex-president confirmed he would face her

Thursday 8 August 2024 23:49 , Graeme Massie

Donald Trump told reporters at a rambling press conference at Mar-a-Lago that he would debate Harris on ABC on September 10.

Harris quickly took to social media to say that her rival had “finally committed” to debating her after weeks of flip-flopping on the matter.

For those of you who remember Trump complaining about not being able to campaign during NY trial…

Thursday 8 August 2024 23:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Pelosi says she didn’t think Biden would win

Thursday 8 August 2024 23:00 , Oliver O’Connell

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

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

Pelosi told David Remnick that she didn’t see a path to victory for the incumbent president after he appeared lost onstage at points and was unable to complete his thoughts, trailing off before declaring, “…anyway” or coming to an incoherent stop.

“He felt great. And I had confidence in him,” Pelosi said of Biden before the debate. “And then that happened, and I think everybody was stunned. It was stunning.”

John Bowden reports.

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

Harris ‘happy’ to have conversation about additional debate

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:44 , Oliver O’Connell

Per the vice president’s pool:

On debate with Trump: “Well, I’m glad that he’s finally agreed to a debate on September 10.”

On Republican attacks on Walz record: “Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country. And I think that we all should”

On why Trump originally backed out of debate: “I am beyond trying to speculate about how he thinks.”

On being open to more debates: “I am happy to have that conversation about an additional debate, or after September 10, for sure.”

On a sit-down interview : “I’ve talked to my team. I want us to get an interview scheduled before the end of the month.”

Younger and more diverse: Harris already thinking about Cabinet choices

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris is already weighing her Cabinet choices, aiming for more young people and people of color than President Joe Biden, a new report reveals.

Katie Hawkinson looks at who’s on the preliminary list and for what role…

Harris looking to pick younger, more diverse Cabinet than Biden

Watch: Walz tears into Trump for flying on jet with Project 2025 leader

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Megan McCain makes blunt election prediction

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:29 , Oliver O’Connell

Meghan McCain watched Donald Trump’s press conference today and it left her in no uncertain terms as to who will win in November’s presidential election.

Harris: ‘Looking forward to debating Donald Trump’ on September 10

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:26 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump keeps calling Harris ‘Kamabla’ but nobody seems to know why…

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:14 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump has tried out a number of nicknames as he tries to define Kamala Harris in the presidential race. There was “Laffin’ Kamala,” and there was “Lyin’ Kamala” but there has been none so confusing as simply “Kamabla.”

Because nobody knows what it means.

Gustaf Kilander tried to find out.

Explaining Trump’s ‘Kamabla’ name for Harris

Thursday 8 August 2024 22:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Lara Trump, the daughter-in-law of Donald Trump and co-chair of the Republican National Committee, insisted that she is committed to election integrity and if her father-in-law doesn’t “legitimately win” come November, there “will be no problem”.

On Wednesday evening, Lara attempted to diminish concerns that the former president won’t accept election results if he loses the 2024 presidential election – similar to how he did after the 2020 election.

Ariana Baio takes a look at what she said.

Lara Trump insists there won’t be a ‘problem’ if Trump doesn’t ‘legitimately’ win

Watch: ‘I hope he does this every day’ says political strategist about Trump press conference

Thursday 8 August 2024 21:56 , Oliver O’Connell