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Donald 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 when a gunman’s bullet struck the politician’s ear.

Musk announced his appearance on X, responding to a Trump post about the event by saying: “I will be there to support!”

Kamala Harris spent Thursday visiting Ripon, Wisconsin, where political meetings in 1854 led to the formation of the Republican Party as she attempted to remind her opposition of its pre-Trump principles in the company of anti-Trump conservative Liz Cheney.

Cheney could prove an influential supporter of the Harris-Walz ticket, as might rock legend Bruce Springsteen, who formally endorsed the Democrats in an Instagram video yesterday in which he called Trump “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime”.

At his own rally in Saginaw, Michigan, Trump himself repeated lies about the 2020 election, just a day after the release of a court filing by Special Counsel Jack Smith that outlined a sprawling criminal case against him over his alleged attempts to overturn the vote, accusing him of “increasingly desperate efforts” to cling to power with “knowingly false claims of election fraud”.

1728035440

Trump responds to Melania standing up for abortion access

Asked during an interview with Fox News’s Bill Melugin yesterday about his wife Melania’s decision to champion women’s rights in her new memoir, Trump had this to say:

“We spoke about it. And I said, you have to write what you believe. I’m not going to tell what you to do. You have to write what you believe.

“She’s very beloved.

“But I said you have to stick with your heart. I’ve said that to everybody, you have to go with your heart.”

Here’s Katie Hawkinson on the rather less breezy reaction to the first lady’s stance from anti-abortion conservatives, who have called her “wrong” and even “disgusting”.

Anti-abortion activists turn on Melania Trump and bash her after memoir revelation

Donald Trump said he would veto a national abortion ban this week

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 10:50

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Watch: Trump reverts to election lies and pet themes at Michigan rally

The Republican presidential nominee was in Saginaw yesterday where he very much played the hits, repeating his lie about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and his false claims that the Biden administration is not helping victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.

Just a day after Jack Smith’s latest damning court filing on his 2020 election interference plot, Trump was back insisting the vote was “rigged” and, interestingly, appeared to have a problem drawing a crowd, which he will not like seeing pointed out.

We were also treated to baseless threats of a Second Great Depression, his old riff about people not being able to watch TV because it’s not windy out (nine years later and he STILL doesn’t understand the principle of battery power storage).

There was also more praise for Elon Musk and further unwise talk about his delight in stiffing contractors.

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 10:30

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Bruce Springsteen endorses Harris and calls Trump ‘most dangerous candidate’ in his lifetime

The rock legend has formally endorsed Kamala Harris for president in an Instagram video, adding that Donald Trump’s “disdain” for the US Constitution should “disqualify him from the office of president ever again.”

The superstar, 75, is a longtime Democrat who has backed Joe Biden and Barack Obama in the past.

He warned in his post that Trump is “the most dangerous candidate for president in my lifetime”.

Kevin EG Perry has more from The Boss.

Bruce Springsteen endorses Kamala Harris while eviscerating ‘dangerous’ Trump

Springsteen says former president Trump has ‘disdain for the sanctity of our Constitution’

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 10:10

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Trump attacks ‘Low IQ War Hawk’ Cheney over Harris support

This was the Republican nominee’s inevitable, angry response to the former Wyoming representative’s appearance with Harris in Ripon – you know that if she’d endorsed him, he’d be out there posting about how wonderful she is.

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 09:40

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Kamala Harris and Liz Cheney campaign in birthplace of Republican Party

The Democratic presidential nominee spent Thursday visiting Ripon, Wisconsin, where political meetings in 1854 led to the formation of what became the Republican Party as she attempted to remind her opposition of its pre-Trump principles in the company of anti-Trump conservative Liz Cheney.

In an unprecedented joint appearance with the former House GOP conference chair, Harris said upholding the US Constitution should be a “basic requirement” for seeking and holding the highest office in the United States.

And, citing Trump’s efforts to block the peaceful transfer of power after he lost the 2020 election four years ago, she warned that her rival “must never again, stand behind the seal of the President of the United States.”

Cheney, who recalled how she’d first voted for a Republican presidential candidate when she cast a ballot for Ronald Reagan in the 1984 election, told the crowd in Ripon that, this year, she is “proudly casting [her] vote” for Harris because the Vice President is “standing in the breach at a critical moment in our nation’s history” and “working to unite reasonable people from all across the political spectrum.”

Here’s Andrew Feinberg with a full report.

Liz Cheney dubs Trump ‘petty, vindictive and cruel’ as she campaigns with Harris

Cheney is one of the hundreds of prominent Republicans who are backing Harris over Donald Trump this year

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 09:10

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Elon Musk to join Donald Trump as he returns to scene of assassination attempt in Pennsylvania

Donald 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 when a gunman’s bullet struck the politician’s ear.

Musk announced his appearance on X, responding to a Trump post about the event by saying: “I will be there to support!”

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO called the Republican presidential nominee “tough” and officially endorsed him after he survived the attempt on his life earlier this summer, cementing Musk’s shift towards right-wing politics.

The October 5 rally will be held at the same ground where Trump was hit and a rallygoer was killed by shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, before he in turn was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.

In September, the former president survived a second attempt on his life when another would-be gunman hid undetected for nearly 12 hours at one of his Florida golf clubs.

Here’s our report.

Elon Musk to join Trump as he returns to scene of Butler assassination attempt

Billionaire tech mogul to join Republican presidential nominee on ‘historic’ return to Pennsylvania town where he was shot in the ear this summer

Joe Sommerlad4 October 2024 08:40

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The politics of Hurricane Helene prove tricky

Eric Garcia writes:

Rick Scott is one of the most conservative voices in the Senate. He has tussled with Joe Biden over Social Security and Medicare. A major supporter of Donald Trump, he even traveled to New York during Trump’s criminal trial.

But on Thursday, as Biden touched down in Florida to assess the damage of Hurricane Helene, Scott greeted Biden. And it’s not the only time he’s done so. Last year, after Hurricane Idalia ravaged the state, he did the same — while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who was running for president at the time, elected not to meet with Biden at all.

Continue reading...

From Trump’s GoFundMe to Harris’s travels, the politics of Helene prove tricky

In an election year, it helps to be friendly — but not too friendly — with the other party when disaster strikes

Oliver O'Connell4 October 2024 07:30

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Trump laughed at Sidney Powell over ‘crazy’ election conspiracy, court filing shows

Donald Trump laughed at his former attorney Sidney Powell over her “crazy” 2020 election conspiracies and compared them to something from Star Trek, according to the new legal filing submitted by special counsel Jack Smith in the former president’s federal election interference case.

New details about the inner workings of Trump’s alleged plot to overturn the 2020 election were revealed in the bombshell document, unsealed on Wednesday, including how even the former president thought Powell had appeared “unhinged” at a now infamous November 2020 press conference.

Rhian Lubin has the story.

Trump laughed at Sidney Powell’s conspiracy and compared it to Star Trek, docs say

Trump said his former ‘Kraken’ lawyer Sidney Powell appeared ‘unhinged’ during a now infamous press conference alongside Rudy Giuliani, court documents allege

Oliver O'Connell4 October 2024 06:30

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Melania Trump’s publisher demanded $250,000 for interview about her memoir

The book publishing company behind Melania Trump’s memoir reportedly asked CNN to pay $250,000 for an interview with the former First Lady ahead of the book release.

The news channel says Skyhorse Publishing sent an email containing demands for the huge “licensing fee” and a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) last week as the former First Lady promotes her forthcoming memoir, Melania.

Ariana Baio has the full story.

Melania Trump’s publisher demanded $250,000 for interview about her memoir

Book publisher says request for huge payment and NDA was an ‘internal miscommunication’

Oliver O'Connell4 October 2024 05:30

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Vance says Trump won the 2020 election, then doubles down on the lie

Senator JD Vance repeated a tired Republican lie from 2020 — that Donald Trump actually won the election, despite all evidence to the contrary — and then doubled down on it during a recent recorded encounter.

On Thursday, comedian Jason Selvig posted a clip of an interaction he had with Vance on X. During their brief encounter, Selvig repeatedly asked Vance if Trump won in 2020. The settled issue of who won the 2020 election came up again after Vance told viewers who tuned into Tuesday’s vice presidential debate that he would have helped Trump carry out his “alternative electors” scheme to maintain power in the White House.

Graig Graziosi reports.

Vance says Trump won the 2020 election - then doubles down on the lie in new clip

During the vice presidential debate, Vance similarly refused to answer if he would contest this year’s election if Trump loses

Oliver O'Connell4 October 2024 04:30

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