Special counsel filings reveal allegations of Trump’s ‘increasingly desperate efforts’ to overturn 2020 election: Live

JD Vance has his mic cut as VP candidates spar over immigration

Judge Tanya Chutkan has unsealed Special Counsel Jack Smith’s 165-page redacted motion on presidential immunity concerning the 2020 election interference case against Donald Trump.

The document is expected to include the fullest account and evidence of what happened in the lead-up to the 2020 election and the attempt to subvert the result as if it were an opening statement to a jury. Smith argues that Trump’s actions were not covered by presidential immunity.

With just a month to go before the election, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump remain deadlocked in the key battleground states according to new polling by The Cook Political Report.

The vice president leads Trump in Michigan by three percentage points, and she also leads by one or two points in Arizona, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, and they are tied in North Carolina.

Trump leads in Georgia by two percentage points but is also losing his polling lead on key issues — inflation and immigration.

Vice presidential rivals JD Vance and Tim Walz met for their first and probably final debate last night, with the Republican appearing more confident, polished, and prepared than his Democratic counterpart, who nevertheless landed some important blows.

Key Points

• BREAKING: Trump ‘pursued multiple criminal means to overturn election’ new special counsel filing claims
• New polling shows Harris leading or tied with Trump in six battleground states
• Watch the VP debate highlights, as chosen by the candidates
• Where will Kamala Harris, Joe Biden and Donald Trump be on Wednesday?
• New poll shows Trump slipping on economy and inflation versus Harris

[2 October 2024 13:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Vance claims he never supported a national abortion ban. Here’s the truth

Since Trump’s running mate does not appear to enjoy being fact-checked, here’s Rhian Lubin and Alex Woodward to do precisely that.

[2 October 2024 12:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

Furious Megyn Kelly drops F-bomb over Vance getting fact-checked

I thought it was the libs who were supposed to be easily triggered?

This was the moment she was so incensed by.

[2 October 2024 12:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

Kaitlan Collins confronts Donald Trump Jr: ‘Vance likened your dad to Hitler’

The CNN correspondent hung Don Jr out to dry in the spin room last night after he attempted to blame the media for the two recent assassination attempts against his father.

[2 October 2024 12:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

Watch: The key moments from last night’s VP debate between Vance and Walz

Here’s a quick recap if you’re just joining us or waking up bleary-eyed in the United States.

[2 October 2024 11:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

Analysis: Vance plays Trump’s anger translator on the debate stage – but he is no less extreme

Also taking in last night’s showdown, Rich Hall writes for Indy Premium:

“It was, at times, wonky – a style that suited Yale graduate Vance more than it did the vibes candidate Walz.

“Vance was more relaxed on the stage. He was most effective when he was plagiarizing entire paragraphs from his bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy.

“Walz spoke fast. He tried to drag the conversation into his comfort zone by talking about farms as much as possible. He spoke about soybeans, corn, and topsoil. He even managed to get in a line about pheasant hunting after football practice.”

Here’s more.

[2 October 2024 11:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

Analysis: It took nearly 90 minutes, but Walz made clear exactly why Trump chose Vance

Let’s take a broader view of this thing.

First up, here’s Andrew Feinberg on Vance proving his worth to the man he once suggested might just be “America’s Hitler”.

[2 October 2024 11:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

CNN anchors interrupted by dog puppet dressed as Vance’s late grandmother

“Oh boy, this is how you know it’s almost 1am,” sighs Dana Bash as co-anchor Jake Tapper introduces Robert Smigel’s Triumph the Insult Comic Dog in the early hours of the morning.

[2 October 2024 10:40 · Joe Sommerlad]

Trump needs to ‘speak less’ and pass the mic to Vance, veteran pollster says

The Republican running mate was so good last night, in the opinion of GOP pollster Frank Luntz, he should do all of Trump’s talking for him.

Whether you agree with that assessment or not, one person who certainly will not like it is Donald J Trump himself.

With both sides inevitably claiming victory, here’s Mike Bedigan’s report on who won the vice presidential debate.

[2 October 2024 10:20 · Joe Sommerlad]

I joined Democrats at a VP debate watch party. The vibes in the room were telling

A world away from poor John, Eric Garcia watched the action in Arlington, Virginia, last night, where the mood among the Democrats surrounding him shifted from silent to celebratory as Tim Walz gradually found his feet and got in some timely jabs.

[2 October 2024 10:00 · Joe Sommerlad]

A night out with the edgelords: Watching the Walz-Vance debate with DC’s young MAGA mob

There were more fireworks in the Dirty Water bar in Washington DC last night – where the local Young Republicans chapter had gathered to watch Vance and Walz duke it out – than there were on the debate stage, writes poor old John Bowden, who had the grave misfortune to be there.