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Trump, Georgia governor to reunite for first time in hurricane aftermath; Harris campaigns in Michigan: Live

Kamala Harris is in Flint and Detroit today; Georgia Governor Brian Kemp testified about 2020 election interference leading to charges against former president, with Trump labeling him as ‘disloyal’

Oliver O'Connell,Joe Sommerlad
Friday 04 October 2024 19:42
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Kamala Harris calls Liz Cheney endorsement ‘profound honor’

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Eric Garcia

Washington Bureau Chief

In a surprise appearance in the White House briefing room, President Joe Biden told reporters that he is confident in a free and fair election this November, but he is not confident it will be peaceful given Donald Trump’s “very dangerous” rhetoric.

The president was also asked if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was delaying a diplomatic agreement regarding the Gaza conflict to influence the election. Biden said that no administration has helped Israel more than he has and Netanyahu should remember that.

He also mocked MAGA Republicans for calling today’s positive jobs numbers “fake” and when asked if he had reconsidered dropping out of the presidential race, joked: “I’m back in.”

On the campaign trail, Trump will be reunited with Georgia Governor Brian Kemp on Friday afternoon as they survey damage from Hurricane Helene. The two have been estranged since the governor refused to help the former president find more voters in his state in the 2020 election.

Trump will be joined by tech billionaire Elon Musk at his Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of his attempted assassination on July 13.

Kamala Harris is campaigning in Michigan focusing on labor and the economy having scored high-profile endorsements from Liz Cheney and Bruce Springsteen.

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How Mark Zuckerberg went from liberal darling to calls with Trump

Elon isn’t the only Silicon Valley kingmaker taking the Republican ticket seriously.

Zuckerberg, the CEO, chairman and controlling shareholder of Facebook’s parent company Meta says he wants to be “non-partisan”.

But that’s not so easy when you’re a monarch in all but name, writes Io Dodds.

How Mark Zuckerberg went from liberal darling to phone calls with Trump

The CEO, chairman, and controlling shareholder of Facebook’s parent company Meta says he wants to be ‘non-partisan’. But that’s not so easy when you’re a monarch in all but name, reports Io Dodds

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 14:30
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Melania hits back over ‘I don’t care’ jacket scandal in new memoir

Here’s a little more on the former first lady’s new book, in which she doesn’t menton the name Stormy Daniels once but does blame the media for making a furore out of the notorious “I Really Don’t Care, Do U?” coat she chose to wear to visit an immigration center at the Texas border, which, she feels, distracted from the seriousness of the issue in hand.

Which it did – but surely she could have foreseen that it might attract headlines and worn something without a provocative slogan emblazoned it, particularly given the sensitivity of the mission?

Rhian Lubin has the story.

Melania Trump addresses ‘I don’t care’ jacket scandal in new memoir

The $39 Zara jacket sparked uproar and quickly went viral, with critics calling the first lady ‘unempathetic’ and ‘tone deaf’

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 14:10
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JD Vance addresses viral ‘Jim from The Office’ face during debate

Speaking to The Ruthless Podcast, Trump’s running mate addressed a viral moment from Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate with Tim Walz when he looked knowingly into the camera in a manner reminiscent of Jim Halpert in the US version of The Office.

“This thing that has gone super viral of me kind of doing the Jim from The Office thing, looking into the camera,  it’s because – I wish I could take credit for it – but it’s because I guess the timer is right by the camera,” Vance explained.

“I was trying to, like, you know, pay attention to what [Walz is] saying, but then you have to be ready for, like, when his time’s up because then it’s your turn to speak. And so I was looking at the timer.

“It spawned a million viral memes. So, I’m glad they did it like that.”

Interestingly, Vance also admitted to the show that he had been “nervous as hell” during the debate.

“My wife comes out at the very end… and I look at Usha’s face, and I just knew – I was like, oh s***, we must have done a very good job.

“Usha doesn’t lie to me, and her face especially doesn’t lie to me, and I knew that minute that we had a very good debate.”

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 13:50
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MAGA congressman seen in photo wearing blackface for Michael Jackson Halloween costume

Oh boy.

Here’s James Liddell on Mike Lawler.

MAGA rep in photo wearing blackface as part of Michael Jackson Halloween costume

‘This was really not what could truly be construed as blackface,’ Mike Lawler claimed during his apology

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 13:30
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Elon Musk has been sending millions to GOP-aligned groups for years

The tech bro was reportedly giving tens of millions of dollars to conservative political causes years before he made headlines this summer for creating a pro-Trump political action committee.

Beginning in 2022, the X billionaire funneled an estimated $60m to groups affiliated with former Trump adviser Stephen Miller and 2024 candidate and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Our own Josh Marcus has more.

Elon Musk has been sending millions of dollars to GOP-aligned groups for years

Donations make Musk one of most prominent funders of conservative politics in U.S.

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 13:10
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Trump still will not share his medical records as he approaches 80

Since Donald Trump first emerged on the American political scene in 2015, he has refused to provide a glimpse into his medical records.

If the Republican, 78, wins in November, he will become the oldest person ever to serve as president, ousting the current record-holder, a certain Joe Biden.

When his potential second term ends, he will be 82 years old.

But despite his advanced age, Trump still refuses to provide any glimpse into his records.

Graig Graziosi has this report.

Trump refuses to release medical records as he approaches 80

Trump is nearly 80-years-old, loves steak and Big Macs, was hospitalized with Covid-19, and has been shot, but has maintained his health is fine

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 12:50
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Barack Obama to stump for Harris in Pittsburgh next week

The 44th president, last spotted joking about Trump’s fixation with crowd sizes at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago in August, will tour a series of battleground states to campaign for Kamala Harris in the coming weeks, starting with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Thursday October 10.

“Kamala Harris won’t be focused on her problems, she’ll be focused on yours,” Obama told the DNC this summer.

“A president, she won’t just cater to her own supporters and punish those who refuse to kiss the ring or bend the knee. She’ll work on behalf of every American. That’s who Kamala is.”

Barack Obama
Barack Obama (Getty)
Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 12:30
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‘People need help now’: Biden on working with Republicans for Hurricane Helene relief

Funding to clean up the devastating Hurricane Helene, which has killed over 200 people, is desperately needed now, President Joe Biden said on Thursday – and he has still not ruled out ordering Congress to a special session to make it happen.

The President, who spent the day touring storm damage in Florida and Georgia, rejected House Speaker Mike Johnson’s suggestion that a delay until the post-election period could be acceptable rather than call Congress back into session from their pre-election recess.

“We can’t wait,” Biden said. “People need help now.”

Andrew Feinberg reports.

‘People need help now’: Biden details working with Republicans on Helene relief

Biden has not ruled out ordering Congress into a special session

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 12:10
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Trump’s hurricane relief claims draw backlash: ‘Professional conservatives know this is a lie’

The likes of Stephanie Ruhle and Chris Hayes have been picking up on the Republican presidential nominee’s breathtaking string of lies in Saginaw yesterday when he baselessly accused the Biden administration of embezzling FEMA funding to bankroll a non-existent influx of illegal immigrants to steal the election for Kamala Harris in November, which is simply not something that’s happening.

“Professional conservatives”, you say?

This is how Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham are covering it.

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 11:50
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Cheney to be joined by three female former Trump aides at her next Harris event

Liz Cheney will be part of another campaign event for Kamala Harris next week, this time a “fireside chat” in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, also featuring Alyssa Farah Griffin, Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews, former Trump administration aides all, CNN reports.

Cheney, Hutchinson and Matthews have formally endorsed Harris but Griffin, a co-host on ABC’s The View, has yet to do so, but often backs the Democrat’s point of view on that show.

The October 9 event will be hosted by activist group Democracy First in one of the all-important “collar counties” outside Philadelphia in an absolutely vital swing state.

A source told CNN the quartet will “offer a warning about the threat Donald Trump poses to democracy and the rule of law,” making the case about “the need for independents, moderates, and Republicans to stop him from getting back in office.”

Alyssa Farah Griffin
Alyssa Farah Griffin (The View/ABC)

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 11:30

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