Trump Delivers Tough-on-Crime Speech After Landing Major Police Endorsement

Trump tells FOP he will eliminate drug cartel leaders

“I will sign an executive order on my first day making it the official policy of the US government to completely eliminate the presidents of drug cartels foreign gangs in the United States,” Trump said. “We’re going to eliminate them.”

–Monica Sager

‘I will stop the invasion’

“The days of foreign nations dumping their criminals into America are over,” Trump said during a speech at an FOP event in North Carolina. “I will stop the invasion. I will shut down deadly sanctuary cities and we will carry out the largest deportation operation because we have no choice in the history of our country.”

–Monica Sager

Trump plans to get MS-13 gangs out of schools

“We’ll get MS-13 out of our schools, out of our high schools, out of communities and out of our country,” Trump said. “When I first went in, MS-13 – we had so much, and I said take them back to their countries.”

–Monica Sager

Trump talks Putin during FOP event

“There’s never been such destruction, and I mean a war that would have never been had, there’s no way Russia was going in. I know Putin very well. There’s no way he was going in. There’s no way that Israel would have been attacked on Oct. 7,” Trump said. “We wouldn’t have inflation. We wouldn’t have had that travesty in Afghanistan, the most embarrassing day in the history of our country. We’ve never had a person like this.”

Trump makes promise to FOP

“No politician who endorsed Marxist defund the police lunacy should ever be president of the United States,” Trump said. “I promise you I will never tell you we will defund the police. I might tell you we will overfund the police. We’ll be over budget.”

–Monica Sager

Trump wants to ‘dismantle the gangs’

Trump said his administration would launch a federal task force to “dismantle the gangs, the street crews and the criminal networks.”

There would be a 10-year minimum sentence for anyone found guilty of “human smuggling” and life sentence for child trafficking as well as the death penalty for drug smugglers.

–Monica Sager

Trump: ‘We’re not going to take it anymore’

“When I’m president of the united states, we’re not going to take it anymore,” Trump said about crime levels during his speech to the FOP in North Carolina.

–Monica Sager

Trump takes stage at FOP event

Former President Donald Trump takes the stage in North Carolina to address the National Board of the Fraternal Order of Police.

“This is a big endorsement for me,” Trump said.

–Monica Sager

Trump to talk threat of China to U.S. agriculture

The Protecting America Initiative will host former President Donald Trump on Sept. 23 to discuss the threat of China to U.S. agriculture and the country’s food supply at an event in Smithton, Pennsylvania.

The event will be hosted by former Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell and former Rep. Lee Zeldin.

The Trump campaign noted that Trump negotiated the ground-breaking USMCA trade deal to replace NAFTA.

–Monica Sager

Ben Carson is Donald Trump’s Religion Chairman

Former President Donald Trump announced former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson as the national faith chairman for his 2024 campaign.

“Kamala Harris and the radical left have waged war on America’s faith community since the day they took office. Her selection of Governor Tim Walz as her Vice-Presidential nominee solidifies their commitment to intensifying those efforts,” Trump said. “Ben Carson, a man of unwavering faith, is the perfect person to work with leaders of the faith community on behalf of the campaign to promote the protection of religious freedom and prosperity in our country.”
Carson said Trump believes in re-establishing the country as “that shining city upon a hill” and acknowledging “we are One Nation Under God.”

“I’m honored to serve as his National Faith Chairman and will work diligently with the faith community to get him elected,” Carson said. “There is only one candidate in this race that has defended religious liberty and supported Americans of faith. That candidate is Donald J. Trump.”

–Monica Sager

Progressive YouTuber talks about GOP’s motives

Progressive YouTuber Brian Tyler Cohen and Zeteo CEO Mehdi Hasan wrote in Zeteo’s newsletter that the Republican party’s motives have been laid out “ever since the Nixon era.”

“The Republican strategy that would ultimately deliver an insurrectionist into power has essentially been a long con, constructed over decades,” they said.

The two said the Republican agenda is called the Powell memo, named after Sen. Lewis Powell who called himself “well-settled in the White male social and corporate elite of Richmond, VA.”

–Monica Sager

‘Erode our Democracy’

Bill Gates, an election official from Maricopa County, Arizona, said it is his and his colleagues’ job to “make sure we have a safe and secure election again here in 2024.”

“The 2020 election might be the most scrutinized election in the history of the world,” Gates told CNN. “There’s been no basis for arguing that the results were inaccurate, yet people continue to raise questions and they continue to raise doubt about it.”

Gates said the people continuing to raise doubts to “erode our democracy” are a problem.

One of the largest voting districts in the United States — and the most populous in the swing state of Arizona — voted for Joe Biden in 2020, immediately becoming one of the targets for Donald Trump in his claims of election fraud.

The days and weeks which followed that election saw officials in Maricopa County come under intense scrutiny from voters, the media and politicians, which one election official told Newsweek was difficult, dangerous and discouraging.

–Monica Sager and Dan Gooding

Trump Campaign Releases Statement on Early Mail-Ins

Former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance’s campaign released a memo on “the blue mirage of mail-in and early ballots.”

The message says that Vice President Kamala Harris, her allies and the media are “already spreading misinformation about the state of play as part of a coordinated and intentional voter suppression effort against President Trump’s supporters.”

The campaign laid out “some facts about the ‘Blue Mirage,'” which focuses on the seven battleground states.

In North Carolina, the Trump campaign suggests “Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 2:1 in requested absentee ballots in 2020.”

In Pennsylvania, it says the “Democrats had a nearly 3:1 advantage.”

The one oddball state seems to be Arizona, according to the campaign, which “is unique in that Republicans and Democrats are competitive in terms of the total number of ballots mailed out.”

–Monica Sager

Trump calls hush money case ‘witch hunt’ on Truth Social

Former President Donald Trump said his hush money case, which he called a “witch hunt” has been postponed because “everyone realizes that there was NO CASE, I DID NOTHING WRONG!”

“It is a political attack against me by Comrade Kamala Harris and other Radical Left Opponents for purposes of Election Interference, and is a case that should have never been brought,” Trump posted to his social media site Truth Social.

“Nothing like this has ever happened in the United States of America – IT IS STRICTLY THIRD WORLD, BANANA REPUBLIC “STUFF.”
Trump called for the case to be “rightfully terminated.”

–Monica Sager

WATCH: Donald Trump Speaks to FOP in North Carolina

The Democrats’ Uphill Climb to Hold Senate Gets Steeper

Republicans need to flip just two Senate seats to gain control, with a strong focus on Ohio and Montana. West Virginia is almost certain to swing Republican.

“With that West Virginia seat, the starting line for the battle for the Senate is 50-50. Even if Democrats hold every other seat, if Republicans take the White House, that means they also take the Senate,” said Susan Davis, political correspondent on The NPR Politics Podcast. The same goes if Democrats take the White House.

Davis said former president Donald Trump is leading Montana by 15 points today and no one expects Vice President Kamala Harris to contest in that state. Regarding the senate, incumbent Senator Jon Tester is trailing Republican Tim Sheehy by six to eight points.

Ximena Bustillo, political reporter for The NPR Politics Podcast recently visited Ohio. She states Democrats are on defense in several key races, including Ohio, where Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown is facing a challenge from Republican Bernie Moreno. Brown has historically performed well despite national trends, but recent changes in Ohio’s political landscape could impact his chances.

Davis said incumbents generally have an advantage, which helps Democrats like Bob Casey and Tammy Baldwin maintain strong positions. However, Republican candidates in some races, like Kari Lake in Arizona, could weaken their chances by being controversial.

Trump’s endorsement may influence individual races, particularly in Ohio, where Moreno’s alignment with Trump could either boost his campaign or become a liability.

–Courtney McGinley

CNN announces weekend lineup

CNN announced Sen. Bob Casey and Dave McCormick, both candidates for the Senate position from Pennsylvania will appear on Inside Politics on Sunday from 8 to 9 a.m.

Later in the day, airing first from 9 to 10 a.m., Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will appear.

In the later hour, there will also be a panel that includes former Deputy Communications Director for the Trump 2016 campaign, Bryan Lanza.

–Monica Sager

Walz and Emhoff will join Reproductive Freedom National Bus Tour

Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff and First Lady of Minnesota Gwen Walz will join the Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom National Bus Tour in Raleigh, North Carolina on Monday.

The purpose of the bus tour is to discuss their support for reproductive rights and opposition to a national abortion ban, as well as restrictions on birth control and IVF.

The tour, which includes stops in Asheville and Raleigh, aims to rally voters and highlight the contrasts between the Harris-Walz campaign and their opponents.

–Jesus Mesa

Jim McGovern for Kamala Harris

Rep. Jim McGovern posted a photo to social media of him placing a Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz sign in his yard.

“I am ready to win for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in November,” the Massachusetts representative said.

–Monica Sager

Dick Cheney will vote for Kamala Harris, per Liz Cheney

Trump-Vance Land FOP Endorsement Ahead of NC Event

The National Fraternal Order of Police union has officially endorsed former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance.

“Our members carefully considered the positions of the candidates on the issues and there was no doubt — zero doubt — as to who they want as our president,” the statement reads.

Trump is set to speak with the union today at 4 p.m. in North Carolina. The union said in the statement it has previously met with Trump but Vice President Kamala Harris did not “grant” a similar meeting.

Kamala Harris Makes New Hire

Vice President Kamala Harris is hiring a new campaign manager to focus on rural engagement, as reported by Politico.

Matt Hildreth, who has been a part of the progressive Rural Organizing group, is joining the team to help with margins in the battleground states.

Politico reports that the Harris campaign does not expect to flip many rural counties, but the addition can help by losing by slightly fewer percentage points, potentially allowing Harris to victory along with down-ballot Democrats.

–Monica Sager

Musk Weighs in on Voter Rolls

America First Legal (AFL) filed an amended lawsuit on Wednesday against Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, and Yuma for failing to remove non-citizens from its voter rolls.

Today, Elon Musk posted to his X social media that “they are refusing to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.”

–Monica Sager

The Young Male Voter

David Hogg, a founder of March for Our Lives, posted to social media that he believes the Democrats’ main fault in the presidential election is “the number of young men of all races that are no longer Democrats.”

Hogg predicts that this trend came from the Covid-19 pandemic and “the epidemic of male loneliness in this country,” which has pushed young men to “commodification through social media of misogyny.”

“There’s been a taboo about talking about this because we understandably are hesitant to make men a main point of conversation (given we have been for thousands of years) but we have a real problem to deal with,” Hogg posted. “At this point with 60 days to go there isn’t much we can do to recover it other than turning out more young woman and trying to slow the departure of young men.”

‘I’m not with her, Black voters for Trump’ bus tour hits the road

CJ Pearson, the co-chair to the GOP Youth Advisory Council shared on social media that she will be “hitting the road starting TODAY for President Trump.”

Pearson will join the Black Conservative Federation and their bus, which reads: “I’m not with her, Black voters for Trump.”

Former Trump Advisor Charged By DOJ

The Justice Department has charged a Russian-born U.S. citizen and former adviser to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign with working for a sanctioned Russian state television network and laundering the proceeds.

The Department two indictments today charging Dimitri Simes, 76, and Anastasia Simes, 55, with violating U.S. sanctions.

The two allegedly “participated in a scheme to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by providing services to Channel One Russia, including by serving as a present and producer of programming.”

The Simeses also allegedly received over $1 million, a personal car and driver, a stipend for an apartment in Russia and a team from Channel One Russia.
The two remain at large and are believed to be in Russia.

–Monica Sager

Lara Trump takes jab at Kamala Harris

Former President Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, posted to Instagram to share an alleged screenshot of an email that was sent from a teacher to students in North Carolina on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Gross & desperate,” Lara Trump commented. “Thankfully the school board has shut this down and is investigating further.”

–Monica Sager

Kamala Harris Making Gains on Donald Trump in Texas, New Poll Shows

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared to gain ground with Texas voters in a poll released on Friday.

The survey from the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project showed former President Donald Trump still in the lead in the state, with 49 percent, but the Democratic candidate was not far behind with 44 percent.

Pollsters examined trends in the state between June and late August, which showed increased enthusiasm from registered Democrats, while Harris’ favorability also rose.

Read more from Dan Gooding

Donald Trump Handed Big Legal Win in New York Fraud Case

Judge Juan Merchan handed former President Donald Trump a big legal win on Friday, postponing the sentencing for his New York fraud conviction until after the 2024 presidential election.

Merchan announced in a four-page decision that sentencing would now be on November 26.

Trump, the 2024 Republican presidential nominee, was tried in New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records related to a hush money payment made to former adult film actor Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) ahead of the 2016 presidential election. On May 30, a jury convicted him on all 34 counts.

“There should be no sentencing in the Manhattan DA’s Election Interference Witch Hunt. As mandated by the United States Supreme Court, this case, along with all of the other Harris-Biden Hoaxes, should be dismissed.” Trump’s spokesperson Steven Cheung told Newsweek.

Read more from Jason Lemon

North Carolina Reaching Young Voters

Anderson Clayton, the chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said on CNN said her state is organizing for students in college and those right out of it to reach the undecided young voters.

A recent Fox poll out of North Carolina found that voters under the age of 35 are essentially split in their votes between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

“These issues impact them, and we need to have folks talking with them on their campuses but also in their places of work and bringing this campaign to them,” Clayton said. “That’s exactly what the Vice President is doing this year and what Gov. Walz is doing this year.”

–Monica Sager

North Carolina Dem Party Chair Opinion on Ballots

Anderson Clayton, the chairwoman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, said on CNN the RFK Jr.’s name should remain on the ballot in her state because “ballots were supposed to go out today” and now there is a “great corruption in our court of appeals with the Republican takeover.”

“We’re arguing for him to stay on the ballot in the sense that ballots are supposed to go out today. It’s egregious in my opinion” Clayton said. “It’s interfering with our election system and it’s integrity right now, which is why we’re fighting back against this.”

Clayton also said voters in North Carolina will have to pay “potentially millions of dollars” to reprint the ballots. She believes Harris has a “tenfold impact” compared to former President Barack Obama in 2008.

–Monica Sager

Kamala Harris team points out the obvious

Vice President Kamala Harris’ team points out on X, formerly known as Twitter, that former President Donald Trump did not take “a single question” as he ended “his ‘press conference.'”

–Monica Sager

Kamala Harris slams Donald Trump’s news conference

Vice President Kamala Harris’ team points out on X, formerly known as Twitter, that former President Donald Trump did not take “a single question” as he ended “his ‘press conference.'”

Clearing the streets of NY for Trump

Trump attorney makes promise

Trump attorney Alina Habba said the Trump administration “will fix this problem” of using officials in the White House and “putting them in DAs offices, in AGs offices and attacking your political opponent.”

“We should not be sitting here at a press conference talking about this,” Habba said. “We did this in 2016, and every woman had no reports. They come out when it’s election time. As a woman who has stood with President Trump, who has spent extensive time with President Trump and his beautiful family, I will tell you that is not President Trump and I am completely disgusted by what I’ve seen happen.”

–Monica Sager

Trump attacks Judge Aileen Cannon

Former President Donald Trump called Judge Aileen Cannon “a brilliant woman” even though she is overlooking a “scam case.”

“These people are playing the ref where they’re allowed to call for a recusal, an impeachment of a judge, because they’re not getting their way,” Trump said. “For some reason the other side does not do that. The other side is a lot softer. Republicans are a lot softer but they play legitimately.”

“Our country is in serious trouble,” Trump said. “Our judicial system is in serious trouble.”

Trump attorney Will Scharf said the case is a classic “he said she said” without any police reports, DNA evidence, exact details, surveillance evidence or witnesses.

“In light of that, in light of the utter implausibility that E G Carroll was trying to sell to the trial in this case, her attorneys introduced evidence that should have never seen light in the courtroom,” Scharf said. “Jessica Leeds’ story is instructive here. This is a woman that claims in the middle of a crowded airliner in 1979, Trump assaulted her. Leeds has never been able to identify where this plane departed from, where it went to, the date of the flight in question.”

–Monica Sager

Anti-Trump protester arrives for press conference

People gather outside Trump Tower

Josh Shapiro Responds to Georgia high school Shooting

“We have to hold this 14-year-old accountable, and you’ve got to hold the parents accountable as well,” Josh Shapiro said on “The View”. “How did that 14-year-old get their hand on a gun in the first place?”

“In Pennsylvania, we’re taking a lot of steps. We’re hiring more police. We’re investing in community violence prevention work, investing in school safety. We are making sure that we pass new laws. We passed them in one chamber. We must get through the other chamber to have universal background checks.”

— Courtney McGinely

Trump begins press conference

“Let’s say we’re leading or let’s say we’re tied or let’s say what’s the difference?” Trump said. “We’re in the races between two people, but I think we’re leading by a lot.”

“The other thing is I was very famous then, if I would have walked into the Bergdorf Goodman, the department store that she said, everybody would have said ‘oh there’s Trump,'” Trump said. “And it would’ve been on Page 6.”

— Monica Sager

Watch Live: Trump Hosts Press Conference at 12 pm in NY

Josh Shapiro on Trumps ‘overrated Jewish’ comment

Josh Shapiro weighed in on Donald Trump’s “overrated Jewish” comment during his appearance on “The View” on Friday.

“I have been the subject of a lot of Donald Trump attacks, including a bunch of anti semitic attacks over the years. I don’t get down from that. I don’t get too high when folks say really great things. Are low when they say negative things. But what really angers me is that Donald Trump is failing the basic test we set as parents for our kids, right? Love thy neighbor, right? Treat your neighbor with respect.”

“Anti-semitism played absolutely no role in my dialog with the Vice President. I said all along, she had a very personal choice, personal decision to making this process. In the end, so did I, and she made the exact right pick for her.”

–Courtney McGinley

Political pundit says Kamala Harris needs to focus on AI-driven disinformation

Political pundit Anand Giridharadas said in his newsletter that Vice President Kamala Harris needs to focus on addressing the threat of AI-driven disinformation.

“Democrats failed to prevent massive concentration of tech power in the 2000s and 2010s,” he said. “There’s no room for the same errors now.”

Giridharadas suggested Harris’ future administration should “continue to support competition policy” as well as support new anti-trust legislations, such as the American Innovation Choice Online Act.

–Monica Sager

Political strategist calls Trump ‘petulant narcissist’

Steve Schmidt, political strategist, called former President Donald Trump a “petulant narcissist” in his The Warning newsletter, after the Republican nominee admitted the only basis for his fraud claims had been an “errant win number which was too low.”

Trump told podcaster Lex Fridman that he “lost by a whisker” in the 2020 presidential election.

“Donald Trump is a petulant narcissist surrounded by sycophants, cheered by cultists, and covered by a bevy of whores and useful idiots who are all part of the same sickness that has caused so much cynicism and anger in the country,” Schmidt said.

“All of it is unraveling now because the only antidote that works has been pulled out as if by magic. BETTER is how Trumpism is defeated. America will not succumb to a vile new strain of fascism, even one idiotized for the social media era.”

–Monica Sager

Josh Shapiro reveals his wife wrote his DNC speech

Josh Shapiro told “The View” hosts his wife “basically” wrote his speech for the Democratic National Convention.

She inspired him with the idea during a relaxed coffee conversation, just the two of them, without the kids around.

“I can’t believe these people are always talking about freedom and then tell me what medicine I can use, tell me what I can do with my body. It’s not freedom,” Shapiro’s wife said to him.

That sparked a nerve, and he joked about pulling out a pencil and notebook right then and there.

–Courtney McGinely

Trump delivers press conference in NY after court

Former President Donald Trump is speaking after appealing the E. Jean Carroll sex abuse verdict, which he called “ridiculous.”

“(It’s) a woman I have never met, I don’t know, I have no idea who she is,” Trump said. “She wrote a book and she made a ridiculous story up.”

Trump said his “hostile” judge was “appointed by Clinton.” He called the “system a disgrace.”

“I had never seen so much anger,” Trump said. “He threatened one of our attorneys to throw her in jail…I just ask for fairness. I don’t ask for anything else.”

–Monica Sager

Doug Emhoff Loves Pretzels

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris joke about Tasty Ranch Dill pretzels. Harris shared that she got her husband some of his favorite treats from Port City Pretzel in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

“Hopefully he doesn’t eat them all at once,” she posted.

— Monica Sager

Pennsylvania Voter Registration Skyrockets

Tom Bonier, the CEO of The Tara Group and senior advisor of Target Smart, shared Pennsylvania voter file updates for the week of July 21, after Vice President Kamala Harris took on the Democratic ticket.

Compared to the same week in 2020, a total of new voter registrations increased by 34.3% in Pennsylvania in the week following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal. Democratic registrations increased by 46.6% and Republican registrations by 21.1%.

Trump talks child care costs

Former President Donald Trump was asked about child care costs during an event at The Economy Club of New York. He said his administration would be “taking in trillions of dollars” and while there are talks of how expensive child care is, it’s actually “relatively speaking.”

“It’s a very important issue…We’re going to make this into an incredible country that can afford to take care of its people,” the Republican nominee said. “But those numbers are small relative to the economic numbers that I’m talking about.”

In his Project 2025 agenda, page 486 states that the plan is to eliminate child care as well as the development block grant, which lowers costs for 1.5 million families each year.

“Children who spend significant time in day care experience higher rates of…neglect,” the agenda reads.

–Monica Sager

Obama Calls Out Unregistered Voters

Barack Obama appeared on the I’ve Had It podcast and expressed frustration with unregistered voters, particularly among the younger generation.

“For those of you who are unregistered and not thinking about voting, I have permanently had it with you,” the former president said.

Obama wants to encourage people to work toward a country where women are respected and their healthcare choices are honored. He advocates for a nation that ensures fair wages, addresses climate change and treats everyone with respect and dignity. He said these crucial issues are on the ballot, stressing the importance of voting.

He said he always tells younger people, “you wouldn’t let your grandparents make decisions about what you wear or what you listen to so why are you letting them make decisions without any input from you about the kind of country you’re going to be living in.”

–Courtney McGinley

Team Trump claims Kamala Harris is ‘hiding her policies’

Tommy Pigott and Eric Leyden, from Team Trump, said Vice President Kamala Harris is “hiding her policies from the press and the American people.”

“She can’t hide her failed record on the economy, however,” they wrote. “Americans are living through it.”

Pigott and Leyden said that Harris offers “nothing but four more years of economic misery.” Contrarily, they said former President Donald Trump has “put out an economic plan to Make America Affordable again.”

Harris announced her plans in New Hampshire on Wednesday. Trump was supposed to share his ideas yesterday at the Economy Club of New York, but he said statements like he would promise “low taxes, low regulations, low energy costs, low interest rates, secure borders, low, low, low crime.”

— Monica Sager

Donald Trump stops by court before hitting campaign trail

Donald Trump’s appeal hearing for the E. Jean Carroll sexual assault case was held at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, with the former president present at the Manhattan federal appeals court house on Friday morning.

Carroll’s lawyer Roberta Kaplan argued that Trump was “given every opportunity” during the trial to show up in court, testify and rebut the evidence presented against him. “He didn’t show,” she said.

“He did not put on a single witness,” the attorney added. “We put on 11.”

A key point of contention is Trump’s infamous Access Hollywood tape, in which he said “I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait.”

The tape was allowed to be played to jurors during Trump’s trial.

Trump’s lawyer John Sauer said Carroll suggested that the jury’s judgment was “tainted” by hearing the tape, as well as by hearing evidence from from two additional women who claimed Trump sexually assaulted them. Sauer said the plaintiffs “relentlessly hammered” the Access Hollywood tape and the two women’s evidence.

Carroll was awarded $5 million by a jury in the civil case last year, after the found that Trump had sexually abused and defamed the former Elle magazine advice columnist in mid-1990s. Trump was in court for less than 30 minutes and did not answer questions from reporters as he left. He plans to hold a press conference at Trump Tower in Manhattan at 12 p.m.

— Jason Lemon

Biden calls Trump a ‘liar’

President Joe Biden called former President Donald Trump a liar Friday morning on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“He calls our country a failing nation,” Biden posted. “Just look at the facts. He’s dead wrong.”

Trump Releases New Video Attacking Kamala Harris

Team Trump released a new video against Vice President Kamala Harris, calling her “down right dangerous.” The advertisement shows clips from the Republican National Convention as well as photos from Harris’ time in the President Joe Biden administration.

–Monica Sager

More than 90 CEOs endorse Kamala Harris

Over 90 CEOs and business leaders endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris and her Opportunity Economy plans this morning.

The list of leaders includes the CEOs of Yelp, Box and Chobani as well as the former CEOs of Starbucks, Ford, Pepsi and Lyft.

Harris introduced her Opportunity Economy plan on Wednesday in New Hampshire. She set a goal for a record 25 million new business applications in her first term as president, with a ten-fold increase in the deduction for startup expenses from $5,000 to $50,000.

–Monica Sager

Mail in Ballots Safety Update

Robert Brandon, the president of the Fair Elections Center, said mail-in ballots are “secure” thanks to signatures, barcodes and their safe placement.

“They’re very convenient,” Brandon said on CNN. “A lot of people, they might be shift workers like a police officer or an RN in the emergency room and they don’t have the ability to get to the polling place on Election Day.”

Brandon also noted mail-in ballots can also save money for local officials because less staff will be needed day-of.

–Monica Sager

How Harris’ Housing Target Will Trigger the Next Migration Fight

Vice President Kamala Harris is looking to offer economic relief for Americans priced out of their dreams, but her ambitious housebuilding target could leave her open to attacks on her greatest political vulnerability—immigration.

For the first time since the 1990s, housing is a prominent campaign issue. Both Harris and former President Donald Trump have put the nation’s affordable housing crisis at the forefront of their campaigns, offering promises to solve a shortage that has left many voters feeling as though the American dream is out of reach.

Nearly nine out of 10 Americans say that owning a home is essential or important to their vision of the future, but only one-in-10 say it’s easy to achieve, according to a Wall Street Journal/NORC poll from July. Indeed, just 4.09 million homes were sold in the U.S. last year, the fewest since 1995.

Read more from Katherine Fung

Republican National Committee Calls Out Economy

While the economy grew by 142,000 jobs in August, Jake Schneider, the rapid response director for the Republican National Committee, is saying that is not enough as the “labor market continues its slowdown.”

“Things are great — if you’re not an American,” Schneider said. “Just wait until Kamala raises taxes by $5 trillion and destroys the economy for good.”

–Monica Sager

Father of Parkland Shooting Victim Calls Out JD Vance

Fred Guttenberg, gun violence prevention advocate, told CNN that school shootings do not need to be a “fact of life,” like Sen. JD Vance suggested.

Guttenberg lost his daughter, Jaime, in the 2018 Parkland shooting. He said he invited “every member of Congress” last year to walk through the Parkland School.

“JD Vance never showed up,” Guttenberg said. “You know who did? Kamala Harris. Kamala Harris and walked that building with me because rather than thinking this a fact of life” that we need to accept, she wanted to see everything that led to the tragedy that could’ve been done to stop it and how we need to rethink the schools and public safety going forward.”

Guttenberg said there are over 400 million weapons making their ways into schools as well as political rallies.

“JD Vance forgets Donald Trump was shot a couple of months ago,” Guttenberg. “This is a fact of failed policy and failed politicians and we get to fix this with our vote.”

–Monica Sager

Team Harris-Walz Raises $361 Million in August

Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz announced that their campaign raised $361 million in August, the largest haul throughout the 2024 cycle. It nearly tripled former President Donald Trump’s August fundraising efforts.

Since the beginning of her candidacy, the Harris campaign has raised more than $615 million. The campaign is also reporting $404 million in cash on hand.

“In just a short time, Vice President Harris’ candidacy has galvanized a history-making, broad, and diverse coalition – with the type of enthusiasm, energy, and grit that wins close elections,” said Julie Chavez Rodriguze, a Harris-Walz campaign manager.

“As we enter the final stretch of this election, we’re making sure every hard-earned dollar goes to winning over the voters who will decide this election. Make no mistake: this election will be hard-fought and hard-won. But with the undeniable, organic support we are seeing, we are making sure we are doing everything possible to mobilize our coalition to defeat Donald Trump once and for all.”

–Monica Sager

JD Vance says school shootings are ‘fact of life’

Sen. JD Vance called school shootings a “fact of life” that “we’ve got to deal with.” In response, Ammar Moussa, a Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson, said the government in fact needs to “take action.”

“Vice President Harris and Governor Walz know we can take action to keep our children safe and keep guns out of the hands of criminals. Donald Trump and JD Vance will always choose the NRA and gun lobby over our children. That is the choice in this election,” Moussa said.

— Monica Sager

Kamala Harris hits the Spanish airwaves

Vice President Kamala Harris did an interview with Arizona-based Spanish-language radio station Uforia’s Amor 106.3 FM on Thursday, with the full interview broadcasting Friday.

“I am in the race because I believe we are in a fight for the future of our country, and I want to chart a new path forward and part of that is that we must turn the page on the past and the old ideas and the divisive hateful rhetoric that we have heard from my opponent for many years,” Harris said.

–Jason Lemon

Democratic Senate Candidates Lead in Every Swing State Race: Poll

A poll published by YouGov on Friday found that Democratic Senate candidates were ahead of their Republican opponents in every swing state race.

In Arizona, Democratic candidate Ruben Gallego had an eight-point lead over Republican Kari Lake.

Elissa Slotkin was leading Mike Rogers by 11 points in Michigan, and in Nevada, Jacky Rosen was ahead of Sam Brown by 12 points.

Democratic candidate Bob Casey Jr. was 11 points ahead of Republican David McCormick, whilst in Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin had an eight-point lead over Eric Hovde.

YouGov said its surveys were conducted between August 23 – September 3, 2024 for The Times and the SAY24 project for Stanford, Arizona State, and Yale Universities.

The sample size for each state was 1,000 in Michigan and Pennsylvania, 900 in Arizona and Wisconsin, and 800 in Nevada.

U.S. Senate elections are held every two years. Senators serve six-year terms, with about one-third of the 100 seats up for election every cycle.

The next scheduled Senate elections are on November 5, 2024. These will decide seats in the Senate for the 2025-2031 term.

— Joe Edwards

Trending on X today #CantAffordKamala

Conservative Columnist Breaks Tradition, Supports Democratic Presidential Vote

An opinion columnist for the New York Times, known for his conservative views since the Reagan era, firm pro-life stance and history of never voting for a Democrat, is breaking with tradition this election and voting Democratic.

“I was deeply embedded in the conservative legal movement and the republican party before the rise of Donald Trump,” David French said on the podcast series The Ezra Klein Show. “I am for the first time in my adult life going to vote for a Democrat for President.”

French argues the policies and commitment of ‘MAGA’ Republicans, particularly regarding abortion, differ from those of the Reagan era Republicans. He describes the current platform as the “most watered down” on abortion in 40 years.

“With the rise of Donald Trump I was very concerned about his effect – abortions went up under his presidency,” French said. “Trump was the first president since Carter to end his presidency with a higher abortion rate ratio.”

He believes the Pro-Life Movement would benefit more under the Harris Administration. He supports the Biden Administration’s initiatives to create and expand a child tax credit and improve policies for young mothers, which he thinks the Harris Administration could further develop.

— Courtney McGinely

Over 100 Law Enforcement Officials Back Kamala Harris, Slam Donald Trump

Dozens of law enforcement officials have signed a letter to declare their support for Kamala Harris’ presidential run, while slamming her opponent Donald Trump.

A group of 101 police officers, lieutenants, county sheriffs, and deputies from across the U.S. came together to endorse the vice president, saying they believed Harris and her running mate Governor Tim Walz are “the only candidates we trust to keep our communities safe.”

Regarding Harris’ Republican rival, the officials wrote, “Donald Trump has shown he will undermine our departments and make our country more dangerous.”

Read more from Newsday’s Jasmine Laws

PA Governor Josh Shapiro Makes a Stop on ‘The View’

Music Shapes Political Campaigns

Dana Gorzelany-Mostak studies the use of music in political campaigns.

During an episode of The Axe Files present The Assignment with Audie Cornish, she said music helps people feel connected to themselves and their emotions, offering a sense of belonging. When combined with politics, it creates a new narrative, exploring diverse identities that listeners resonate with deeply.

Former President Donald Trump frequently uses the song “God Bless the USA.” At the Republican National Convention, classic rock anthems from artists like the Doobie Brothers, Eagles, Steely Dan and Kenny Loggins also featured prominently.

“I think the messaging of Trump’s campaign is very much about looking at the past as a much brighter period of our nation’s history,” Gorzelany-Mostak said.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign targets a younger demographic, making Beyoncé’s song “Freedom” a fitting choice. However, the song carries a deeper significance, originating from her 2016 Lemonade album, which addresses political issues like the Black Lives Matter movement and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“It nicely aligns with a lot of the different narratives her campaign is trying to put forward,” Gorzelany-Mostak said. “Taking this story of a woman who has managed so many successful reinventions—that is the narrative Harris wants to tap into, not just through the song but through the figure of Beyoncé.”

–Courtney McGinley

Busy schedule this weekend for the candidates

Former President Donald Trump announced a press conference at 12 p.m. Friday in New York. He will later in the day address the Fraternal Order of Police in Charlotte, North Carolina at the University City Hilton. The order’s president, Patrick Yoes, said Trump “led our nation admirably through some very tough times.”

Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Chicago for his second day of delivering remarks at a campaign reception. He was in Los Angeles today.
On Saturday, Trump will hold a rally in Mosinee, Wisconsin at 2 p.m.

Gov. Tim Walz will deliver a keynote remark at the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, annual national dinner on Saturday.

The organization recently endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket. Walz served as a faculty sponsor while he was a teacher for his school’s first gay-straight alliance. As Governor, he enacted policies to ban conversion therapy and protect access to healthcare for LGBTQ+ people in Minnesota.

–Monica Sager

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump’s Very Different Campaign Strategies

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have adopted substantially different strategies in their dueling bids to win the 2024 presidential election, according to a number of prominent political scientists.

Thomas Gift, who heads up the Center on U.S. Politics at University College London, said the Republican candidate was “participating in more unscripted events” which he contrasted to Harris’ “refusing to take tough questions from the media.”

Harris replaced Joe Biden as the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate shortly after the incumbent dropped out of the race in July amidst widespread concern over the 81-year-old’s age and mental acumen. A recent ActiVote poll gave Harris a 1.6 point lead over Trump, with 50.8 percent of the vote against his 49.2 percent, though this was within the margin of error and the Republican candidate could win with a minority of the vote thanks to the Electoral College system as he did in 2016.

Read more from Newsweek’s James Bickerton

Laura Trump Accuses Justice Department of ‘Thwarting’ Donald Trump’s Campaign

Lara Trump accused the Department of Justice of derailing the former president’s 2024 campaign, calling his ongoing criminal cases and the new accusations of Russian election meddling “very reminiscent of 2016.”

“You’ve had the Department of Justice right now in this country trying to thwart a presidential candidate in his election in Donald Trump,” Trump told Fox News on Friday morning. “Four indictments, a mugshot, 34 ridiculous felony counts in downtown Manhattan. And yet, it actually hasn’t deterred voters.”

Trump, co-chair of the Republican National Committee, was referring to the 34 counts of falsifying business records on which her father-in-law was found guilty by a Manhattan criminal court in May.

She was also asked to respond to a recent announcement by the DOJ concerning Russian state-sponsored election interference.

On Wednesday, the department said it had seized 32 internet domains used by Moscow in “government-directed foreign malign influence campaigns,” and had indicted two Russian RT employees for distributing propaganda to American audiences.

“The American people are entitled to know when a foreign power is attempting to exploit our country’s free exchange of ideas in order to send around its own propaganda,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said Wednesday. “Last I heard Vladimir Putin was endorsing Kamala Harris,” Trump said, referencing comments made by the Russian President during an interview at the Eastern Economic Forum.

“I think this feels very reminiscent of 2016 to a lot of people, Very reminiscent of 2020 to a lot of people,” she added. “There’s no surprise that you have the you have the media pouncing all over this and trying to insinuate in some way this will help Donald Trump’s campaign.”

— Hugh Cameron

Former Democrat Compares Harris’ Nomination to a ‘Banana Republic’

Speaking to Fox News on Friday morning, Gloria Romero said the swift nomination of Kamala Harris to lead the Democratic ticket was one of the reasons that compelled her to leave the party after decades as one of its leading members.

“To me, really the major issue that prompted this re-examination of my political conscience was the complete eradication by the so-called party of democracy when 14 million votes in Democratic Party primaries were just thrown out, including mine.”

In July, the 14 million voters who cast ballots in favor of President Biden had their votes rendered effectively void, following his withdrawal, leaving the nearly 4,000 DNC delegates free to choose an alternative candidate.

Romero called the instance “similar to what we see happens in a banana republic,” and told Fox that she “was not going to sit still for it.”

Gloria Romero, who served for over 10 years as majority leader in the California State Senate, on Wednesday announced that she would be switching allegiances, and declared her support for Donald Trump in the 2024 election.
Among other reasons for changing teams, Romero cited the Biden administration’s “march towards endless wars,” the underperformance of California student’s over the past three years, and “the soaring crime-open borders that are creating havoc, and a mockery of what we even mean by citizenship.”

— Hugh Cameron

Polling ‘Nostradamus’ Calls US Election for Kamala Harris

Historian Allan Lichtman has officially predicted that Vice President Kamala Harris will win the 2024 race for the White House.

Lichtman became known as the “Nostradamus” of U.S. elections for his impressive track record forecasting the outcomes of presidential races for over 40 years using his prediction model, “The Keys to the White House.” He was one of the few pundits to correctly call the 2016 election for former President Donald Trump and predicted a victory for President Joe Biden in 2020. He now forecasts Harris will be the next president.

“Kamala Harris will be the next president of the United States,” Lichtman said in a video for the New York Times.

“At least, that’s my prediction for this race,” he added.

Read more from Newsweek’s Joe Edwards