Harris campaign launches new ad tying Trump to Robinson scandal in battleground North Carolina: Live

Trouble for Republicans in North Carolina can only be good news for Democrats who haven’t won state since 2008

Trump says Jewish voters ‘will have a lot to do with that’ if he loses election

Kamala Harris’s campaign has released a new ad seeking to tie Donald Trump to embattled North Carolina Lt Gov Mark Robinson, engulfed in a scandal relating to online posts on a porn forum.

There are reports that Robinson will not be attending a Trump rally organized in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Saturday, suggesting the former president’s campaign team may be trying to distance him from the scandal.

Meanwhile, Harris told Oprah Winfrey that she would shoot an intruder in her home as the vice president addressed gun violence, the cost of living, reproductive rights, and immigration in an event on Thursday evening.

The pair sat down for their “Unite for America” live-streamed rally in Michigan before an in-person and remote audience that included the likes of Chris Rock and Julia Roberts.

Also on Thursday, Trump said that Jewish American voters will bear “a lot” of blame if he loses the election, he told the Israeli-American Council National Summit in Washington on Thursday.

On Friday, Harris held a rally focused on reproductive rights in Atlanta, Georgia, and in the evening moved on to see supporters in Madison, Wisconsin. Trump is holding a fundraiser in Miami, Florida.

Key Points

• Trump ally Mark Robinson to stay in NC governor race after ‘Black Nazi’ claims in CNN report
• Harris tells Oprah that she’d shoot home intruder
• Trump claims that Jewish voters would have ‘a lot to do with’ election loss
• Springfield mayor seizes ‘emergency powers’ to deal with pet-eating migrant rumors
• Harris set to rally in Atlanta, Georgia, and Madison, Wisconsin
• Trump to attend fundraiser in Miami on Friday

[20 September 2024 19:31 · Oliver O'Connell]

Trump vows to ‘save Vaping again!'

The border, the economy... vaping?

Here’s a major policy proposal from former president Donald Trump (or the concept of a plan for one):

I saved Flavored Vaping in 2019, and it greatly helped people get off smoking. I raised the age to 21, keeping it away from the “kids.” Kamala and Joe want everything banned, killing small businesses all over the Country. I’ll save Vaping again!

It’s what America’s been crying out for. Not health care or anything like that.

[20 September 2024 19:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

After falsely accusing Haitian migrants of ‘eating the pets’, Trump now says they’re ‘destroying America’

Donald Trump is doubled down on his bizarre and aggressive rhetoric against Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying that they’re “destroying” the country.

The former president promised his rally crowd in Uniondale, New York on Long Island that he would visit the small city which suddenly found itself in the midst of a vicious news cycle as Trump and his running mate JD Vance pushed false claims circulated online that Haitian migrants were stealing and eating domestic pets.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

[20 September 2024 19:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

Pollster calls for more Harris interviews: ‘Voters feel they know Harris better with every clip'

[20 September 2024 18:40 · Oliver O'Connell]

Trump reshaped the North Carolina Republican Party in his image. It could cost him the state

Eric Garcia explains how Donald Trump’s remaking of the Republican Party allowed for untested and inflammatory candidates to run for office – which might now lead to electoral disaster in key battleground states.

[20 September 2024 18:30 · Oliver O'Connell]

Watch: Harris campaign seeks to tie Trump to Robinson

[20 September 2024 18:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Jesse Watters claims he’s ‘never heard of’ Mark Robinson

Fox News host Jesse Watters claimed he’s never heard of Mark Robinson, despite interviewing him earlier this year.

Robinson, North Carolina’s Republican candidate for governor, is fighting for his political career after a bombshell report by CNN’s KFile said he referred to himself as a “black Nazi” and said “slavery is good,” among other shocking remarks, on a porn forum.

Rhian Lubin reports.

[20 September 2024 18:00 · Oliver O'Connell]

‘The Number One song, across all charts, about me'

This morning, Donald Trump posted on Truth Social about John Kahn’s “The Fighter”:

This is now the Number One song, across all charts, about me. Such an unexpected honor!

After a quick investigation, it’s number one on iTunes (remember that?), not the Billboard Hot 100, Apple Music, or Spotify.

Anyway, here it is, for your listening pleasure...

[20 September 2024 17:40 · Oliver O'Connell]

Full story: Harris dings Trump’s ‘concept of a plan’

Vice President Kamala Harris took a jab at Donald Trump’s “concepts of a plan” debate remark and used it to promote her own economic policy.

The Democratic presidential nominee spoke to Oprah Winfrey at the “Unite for America” live-streamed rally in Michigan on Thursday evening about a wide range of topics, including her small business plan, should she be elected in November.

Kelly Rissman reports.

[20 September 2024 17:20 · Oliver O'Connell]

Second gentleman continues to pushback on Huckabee Sanders’s comments

In an interview with ABC News broadcast on Good Morning America, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff told anchor Michael Strahan that comments made about Vice President Kamala Harris by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders we “appalling”, “repulsive”, and “so out of touch”.

The governor said earlier this week: “My kids keep me humble. ... Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn't have anything keeping her humble.”

Said Emhoff: “Yeah, it's appalling for somebody who is in a position of leadership, like governor, to say something so repulsive and so out of touch -- not only on the 1 -- mispronouncing her name, which is disrespectful. She knows what her name is. And then, 2 -- as if you need to have your own biological children to be humble.”

He added: “But then -- then to say as if women should be humble. And you can see the pushback — even from ... within her own party, because it's a repulsive thing to say.”

You can watch Emhoff’s response below at the 2:10 mark:

Emhoff’s ex-wife Kersten Emhoff, mother to their children Ella and Cole, Harris’s stepchildren, hit out at the governor earlier in the week to in response to her comments.

Here’s Katie Hawkinson’s report on what she had to say:

[20 September 2024 17:10 · Oliver O'Connell]

Secret Service head to give briefing on first Trump assassination attempt

Coming up at 1pm ET, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe will brief the American people on the conclusions of the Mission Assurance investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

Here’s an excerpt of his remarks:

"In today's hyperdynamic threat environment, the mission of the Secret Service is clear: we cannot afford to fail.

After a review of the planning, event details, and coordination with partner agencies regarding the attempted assassination of former President Trump on July 13th, our Mission Assurance investigation is nearing completion. As I have said, this was a failure on the part of the United States Secret Service.

It's important that we hold ourselves to account for the failures of July 13th and that we use the lessons learned to make sure that we do not have another mission failure like this again.

The Mission Assurance investigation findings have prompted the Secret Service to move into the accountability phase of this process. The Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of Integrity are reviewing the findings. This agency has among the most robust table of penalties in the federal government, and violations of policy will result in disciplinary action.

As a result of these failures, what has become clear to me is we need a shift in paradigm in how we conduct our operations. As was demonstrated on Sunday in West Palm Beach, the threat level is evolving and requires this paradigm shift."