September 26, 2024, presidential campaign news

Our live coverage has ended.?Follow the?latest 2024 election news?here or read through the posts below.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged Michigan voters to support former President Donald Trump while acknowledging “the likelihood is” his name will appear on the state’s ballot after a hard-fought legal effort to have his name removed fell short.

Kennedy, who endorsed Trump after suspending his campaign in August, spoke at a town hall hosted by “Real America’s Voice” in Lansing, Michigan.

As an independent candidate, Kennedy gained ballot access in Michigan after accepting the nomination of the Natural Law Party, a minor party with ballot access in the state. When he left the presidential race last month, he sought to withdraw his name from competitive and traditionally Republican states’ ballots. But courts in Michigan, a key battleground state, denied Kennedy’s request to be removed from the ballot, and a federal judge rejected his last-ditch effort to be removed from the ballot last week.

Kennedy, who repeatedly accused the political system of being rigged against him while he ran for president, laid the groundwork for questioning the integrity of Michigan’s elections when he was asked by one voter about a plan to prevent “widespread systemic election fraud,” which there is no evidence of and federal, state and local officials have said did not occur in Michigan.

Kennedy expressed the need for paper ballots in every state, and he warned “we need to be very, very careful using mail-in ballots.”

“We need to make sure that people who are illegal, undocumented immigrants, cannot vote in our elections,” he said, claiming “the anemic safeguards that we have against that right now are completely ineffective to guarantee that result.”

Michigan, where voters began receiving absentee ballots in the mail this week, uses paper ballots and it is illegal for noncitizens to vote. Election officials have described in detail how they safeguard these processes and how people who violate the law will be prosecuted.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, who is running for governor, delivers remarks prior to Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaking at a campaign event at Harrah's Cherokee Center on August 14, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff said former President Donald Trump not yet condemning North Carolina Republican gubernatorial nominee Mark Robinson is “shameful” and proves Trump is “unfit for any job” in a clip of an interview with MSNBC released on Thursday.

Emhoff said Trump and other Republicans ignoring the controversy around Robinson after CNN reported he made antisemitic, racist and homophobic remarks in a porn forum years ago represents “pure cowardice” as he sought to label Trump’s silence on Robinson as an implicit endorsement.

Emhoff’s comments come after Trump avoided mentioning Robinson during a Wilmington, North Carolina, rally last week. When asked about Robinson during a press conference in New York on Thursday, Trump said, “I don’t know the situation.”

Emhoff, who is Jewish, also criticized Trump for suggesting Jewish voters would bear some blame if he loses the presidential election during an event ostensibly organized to combat antisemitism.

Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday slammed former President Donald Trump ahead of his trip to Michigan, accusing him of making empty promises to American workers.

“As President, he cut taxes for corporations, encouraged outsourcing, and lost nearly 200,000 manufacturing jobs, including auto jobs. He has joked about firing workers, supported state anti-union laws, and suggested companies move jobs out of Michigan,” she added.

The vice president’s statement comes as Trump is expected to host a town hall in Warren, Michigan, on Friday focused on the auto industry. She argued Trump’s previous trade deal with Mexico and Canada facilitated the loss of American auto jobs and pledged to bring autoworker jobs back to the US.

Both Harris and Trump have been campaigning in battleground states to make their pitch to voters on the economy, a top issue this campaign cycle. A recent CNN poll conducted by SSRS found likely voters overall say they trust Trump over Harris to handle the economy (50% Trump to 39% Harris). Even among those who say Trump’s views and policies are too extreme, 15% say they trust him over Harris to handle the economy.

Vice President Kamala Harris launched a?new campaign ad?Thursday evening pushing back on a wave of sharp attacks coming from the Trump campaign and its allies, as the election’s advertising wars have intensified in the closing weeks of the 2024 race.

With pointed reference to Harris’ law enforcement background and her efforts to combat illegal drugs and crime, the ad is aimed at rebutting some of the stark attacks that the Trump campaign and allied outside groups have leveled in their ads.

Some context: Data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact shows that Republicans have waged an overwhelmingly negative advertising campaign in the presidential race, focused heavily on immigration and crime. In the last week, out of $20 million that Republicans spent on broadcast TV ads, $14.7 million had a negative tone, according to AdImpact data, and more than $10 million included references to immigration, crime or law enforcement.

Many of the pro-Trump ads highlight stark accounts of violent crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, and several feature the victims of attacks, some explicitly blaming Harris.

This week, the Harris campaign has about $28 million worth of ad time reserved, with its largest bookings in the top battlegrounds.

Mike Rogers spoke on Thursday, September 26, at an event with Black pastors and community leaders in Detroit hosted by the Trump campaign and the RNC.

Mike Rogers, the GOP Senate candidate in Michigan, vowed Thursday to abide by the will of the people in the state if elected, as his Democratic rival Rep. Elissa Slotkin frames him as a “staunch opponent” of reproductive rights.

Asked at an event with Black pastors and community leaders in Detroit about an ad that Slotkin’s campaign is running that highlights Rogers’ previous support, when he was a?congressman, for an abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest, the Michigan Republican said he has “always been for exceptions” in cases of rape, incest and threats to the life of the mother.

Slotkin has launched a multimillion-dollar TV and digital advertising campaign highlighting Rogers’ voting record on abortion legislation and featuring Michigan voters who say they’re worried about his positions.

The majority of Michigan voters supported a ballot measure in 2022 to amend the state constitution to guarantee the right to an abortion. Democrats in the state warn voters that if Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers regain power in Washington, they could still enact a national abortion ban.

Donald Trump slammed Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of her trip to the US-Mexico border, blaming her for undoing policies that he enacted during his four years and spawning an “invasion” of undocumented immigrants.

“She’ll be out there tomorrow, standing probably in front of the wall that I built, trying to say what a wonderful job she did,” the former president said Thursday at a news conference at Trump Tower.

Trump also said migrants are “infecting our country” and “destroying our country.”

Praising his own administration’s efforts to secure the southern border, Trump said it “took a lot of talent” to negotiate “Remain in Mexico” policy that President Joe Biden reversed.

“He assigned her the job. And whether you call her a ‘border czar’ or just say that she was put in charge of the border doesn’t make any difference. Same thing, done a horrible job,” Trump said.

As?CNN’s Daniel Dale?has reported, Biden gave Harris a more limited immigration-related assignment in 2021, asking her to lead diplomacy with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras?in an attempt to address the conditions that prompted their citizens to try to migrate to the United States.

The Harris campaign released a statement saying that it’s “impossible to believe” that former President Donald Trump is unfamiliar with the Mark Robinson scandal in North Carolina after Trump told reporters “I don’t know the situation” earlier on Thursday.

Trump, who endorsed Robinson earlier this year, has?previously praised?the lieutenant governor on several occasions.

A new CNN Poll of Polls of recent surveys in Georgia finds no clear leader in the state, with former President Donald Trump averaging 49% support among likely voters compared with 48% for Vice President Kamala Harris.

The average includes four surveys of likely voters conducted in mid-September, including a?Fox News poll?released Thursday evening. Each of the polls finds the candidates separated by a margin of 3 percentage points or less, within each survey’s margin of error.

Fox also released?a poll of Arizona?on Thursday, where it similarly finds no clear leader, with Trump taking 50% to Harris’ 47% among likely voters.

Vice President Kamala Harris alongside Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House compound, on Thursday, September 26.

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the White House one year ago to plead for more weapons and shore up deteriorating support for his war,?it was President Joe Biden who appeared alongside Zelensky in the East Room of the White House to pledge his unwavering support. And it was Biden who occupied that same role when Zelensky returned three months later as a critical aid packaged stalled in Congress.

Today, Vice President Kamala Harris — the newly minted standard-bearer for the Democratic Party — stepped into that spotlight as the chief messenger for the Biden administration’s foreign policy.

Standing side-by-side with Zelensky against a stately backdrop of Ukrainian and American flags, Harris offered a staunch defense of Ukraine.

Harris similarly embraced the stagecraft of the office, with Biden’s permission, following the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, just days after Biden exited the race.

“You’ll see her stepping out more” in these moments, a Harris adviser told CNN, noting that Biden is “bringing her to the table more” for critical engagements than before. While the result may be more favorable optics for voters, another goal is to reinforce her personal relationships with world leaders to engender continuity in US policy if she wins.

While Harris has been putting her own stamp on economic and domestic policies, the adviser said “there will be no daylight” between Harris and Biden on foreign policy as she seeks to project stability.

But a senior administration official said Harris is becoming more deeply involved in the policies the Biden administration is pursuing outside its borders, asking probing questions and making her voice be heard.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at Trump Tower in New York, on Thursday, September 26.

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he doesn’t know if New York City Mayor Eric Adams should resign and suggested the indictment was prompted by Adams?voicing concern?over the influx of migrants in the city.

Trump said he didn’t know if Adams will get a fair trial in New York City and continued to claim the Justice Department and FBI have been weaponized.

Adams was?indicted?on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy and soliciting campaign contributions from foreign nationals brought by the Southern District of New York.

Former president Donald?Trump?said?he?disagreed?with?Ukraine?President?Volodymyr?Zelensky’s assessment?that?he?doesn’t?know?how?to?end?Russia’s?war?on?Ukraine.

Zelensky?told?the New Yorker: “My feeling?is?that?Trump?doesn’t really?know?how?to?stop the?war?even if?he?might?think?he?knows?how.?With?this?war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand.”

Trump?left things open-ended when asked?he?believes?Ukraine?should cede territory?to?Russia as a means of?ending the?war.

“We’ll see what happens,”?Trump?told reporters at?Trump?Tower.

While?he?declined?to?delve into the specifics of his?plan?to?end?the?war,?Trump?said?he?doesn’t think it amounts?to?“surrender,” as Harris said earlier?today alongside?Zelensky.

“It’s?not a surrender,”?Trump?said. “I want?to?save lives. Millions of people are dead.”

“It’s not my fight, but it?is?a fight?to?save humanity,”?he?added.

Trump?said his message?to?Zelensky?tomorrow?is?“let’s get some peace. We need peace.”

Former President Donald Trump said he is meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in New York this evening.

“Yes, he’s coming tonight,” Trump told reporters at a news conference at Trump Tower.

Starmer, along with President Joe Biden, have flocked to New York city this week for the 79th United Nations General Assembly to discuss global issues and highlight their countries’ priorities.

“Yeah, I actually think he’s very nice. I think he ran a great race. He did very well. It’s very early, but he’s popular, and I’ll be seeing him,” Trump said.

Starmer guided the UK’s Labour Party to a historic victory in July, an end to 14 years of Conservative rule.

Former President Donald Trump speaks to the press at Trump Tower in New York, on Thursday, September 26.

Former President Donald Trump said Thursday he’s unfamiliar with the scandal surrounding North Carolina Republican gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson when asked if he would pull his endorsement.

Trump’s comment comes as other Republicans running for office have distanced themselves from the current North Carolina lieutenant governor since CNN reported on dozens of inflammatory comments he made on a pornography website’s message board more than a decade ago, including referring to himself as a “black NAZI,” expressing support for slavery and making other lewd and sexually explicit remarks.

CNN previously reported the Trump campaign did not invite Robinson to his rally Saturday in Wilmington, North Carolina. Trump also did not mention Robinson in his remarks.

Meanwhile, the Harris Campaign has tried to tie the former president to Robinson, launching a new television advertisement?a day after CNN’s report that shows Trump’s past praise for Robinson alongside the gubernatorial candidate’s anti-abortion comments.

At a campaign stop earlier this week, Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, refused to say whether the Trump campaign still endorsed Robinson.

“I think it’s up to Mark Robinson to make his case to the people of North Carolina that those weren’t his statements, and I’m going to let him make that case,” Vance said.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on gun violence in the East Room of the White House on Thursday, September 26.

President Joe Biden on Thursday criticized his predecessor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance for past comments both candidates have made in the wake of school shootings.

“Last year, after another school shooting, my predecessor just said, like some members of Congress say, ‘Just get over it,’” Biden said. He was referencing remarks Trump made following a school shooting in Iowa earlier year.

“I’m going to be very blunt — Secretary Vance of Ohio has called these shootings facts of life,” the president added, misstating the senator’s title.

Vance drew criticism earlier this month following the school shooting in Winder, Georgia, after he said: “I don’t like this. I don’t like to admit this. I don’t like that this is a fact of life.”

Biden warned the progress under his administration to stem the flow of violence could be reversed if Trump wins in November or Republicans gain control of congress.

The remarks came before Biden signed an executive order to improve active shooter drills in schools while addressing emerging firearm technologies, such as ghost and 3D-printed guns.

Former President Donald Trump delivers remarks at Trump Tower in New York on Thursday, September 26.

Former President Donald Trump said he is meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday morning.

Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks on gun violence in America at the White House in Washington, DC, on Thursday, September 26.

Vice President Kamala Harris — who has revealed while campaigning that she is a gun owner — pushed for strengthened gun laws during a White House event on gun violence Thursday.

Harris touted work the Biden administration had done, including 2022’s Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the hiring of mental health officials, but she added “for as much as we have accomplished, more must be done.”

“We need more leaders, like the leaders in this room, in Congress who have the courage to take action, to stand up to the gun lobby and to put the lives of our children first,” Harris said.

Filings from special counsel Jack Smith laying out never-before-seen evidence in?the?election subversion?case against Donald Trump?are now in the hands of a federal court — including interview transcripts and notes from an investigation that counted among its witnesses former Vice President Mike Pence,?Ivanka Trump and?former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows.

It will now be up to district Judge Tanya Chutkan to determine how much of that evidence the public gets to see and when they will be able to see it.

The prosecutors have complied with Chutkan’s order for briefing on the case’s immunity issues as of 4:40 p.m., according to Peter Carr, the special counsel office’s spokesperson.

The court submissions, filed under seal Thursday, could provide Americans with the most comprehensive view they’ll ever get of Smith’s case alleging that Trump conspired to defraud the United States in his efforts to overturn his 2020 electoral loss.

The filings are expected to include grand jury transcripts, the FBI’s formal notes from witness interviews, and documentary evidence, as part of an effort by prosecutors to argue that their reworked indictment can survive under the Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling.

Read more on the several legal challenges?Trump is facing as he runs again for president.

President Joe Biden meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House on Thursday.

President Joe Biden has signed the bill to fund the federal government until December 20, the White House announced Thursday.

The move formally averts a shutdown after the legislation on a short-term spending bill, known as a continuing resolution, was passed by Congress on Wednesday.

Biden previously praised Congress for avoiding a shutdown, saying in a statement that the bill “gives lawmakers “more time to pass full-year funding bills by the end of this year.”

Former President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Zelensky are now working on plans to meet in person on Friday, a source familiar with the planning told CNN and noted the details are still coming together.

Trump?on?Truth Social?Thursday cryptically posted?what appeared to be a private communication between the deputy ambassador and an aide to Trump asking to pass along a message to the former president from Zelensky, asking to meet with Trump.?Trump did not indicate in the post whether he would meet with the Ukrainian president.

Zelensky had been expected to depart the United States but is prepared to stay an extra day to facilitate a meeting,?a source familiar with his plans said.

Trump?on Wednesday criticized Zelensky?and claimed the Ukrainian president “refuses to make a deal” amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, marking?Trump’s most explicit criticism of?Zelensky’s handling of the war to date. He also accused Zelensky of “making nasty little aspersions” about him.

Trump’s campaign had been blasting?Zelensky over an interview with the New Yorker published Sunday, in which?Zelensky called GOP Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance “too radical.”

“His message seems to be that Ukraine must make a sacrifice. This brings us back to the question of the cost and who shoulders it. The idea that the world should end this war at Ukraine’s expense is unacceptable,”?Zelensky said in the interview.?“For us, these are dangerous signals, coming as they do from a potential vice president.”

Zelensky met with Vice President Kamala Harris at the White House earlier today, where she pledged continued support for Ukraine and offered a veiled swipe at Trump without naming the Republican nominee.

Vice President Kamala Harris meets with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris pledged continued support for Ukraine during remarks at the White House Thursday, offering a veiled swipe at former president Donald Trump without naming the Republican nominee as she suggested proposals from those who say Ukraine should cede territory to Russia, “are the same as those of Putin.”

The vice president’s remarks come as Trump has criticized Zelensky, who he’s said, “refuses to make a deal,” and signaled Ukraine should have given up territory to Russia to stop the war earlier.

Harris seemed to acknowledge those remarks in her Thursday meeting with Zelensky, referencing, “some in my country who would instead force Ukraine to give up large parts of its sovereign territory, who would demand that Ukraine accept neutrality, and would require Ukraine to forgo security relationships with other nations.”

“These proposals are the same as those of Putin — and let us be clear, they are not proposals for peace,” she said. “Instead, they are proposals for surrender, which is dangerous and unacceptable.”

In contrast, she said, “as I have made clear on our six previous meetings and throughout Putin’s brutal aggression and war against Ukraine, my support to the people of Ukraine is unwavering.”

“I’ve been proud to stand with Ukraine – I will continue to stand with Ukraine, and I will work to ensure Ukraine prevails in this war, to be safe, secure and prosperous,” Harris pledged. “The United States must continue to fulfill our long-standing role of global leadership— we must stand with our allies and our partners, we must defend our democratic values and stand up to aggressors, and we must stand for international order, rules and norms.”

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz speaks at a campaign event on September 12 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his advisers are setting up “debate camp” in Harbor Springs, Michigan – a small waterfront resort town about a four-hour drive from Detroit — ahead of next Tuesday’s vice presidential debate against Ohio Sen. JD Vance.

With the exception of a campaign event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, when the governor plans to attend a University of Michigan Wolverines football game, sources said Walz is planning to remain at debate camp until the day of the debate, when he will travel to New York City.

So far, debate prep sessions for Walz and his team have remained largely informal, sources said, and mock debates have not yet begun.

Those full rehearsals are expected to begin over the weekend, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg standing in for Vance, as CNN has previously reported. Buttigieg has participated in both in-person and virtual debate sessions, and will soon also make his way to Harbor Springs.

The campaign declined to comment on those details.

More on the debate prep: Helping to lead Walz’ debate preparations are former White House official Rob Friedlander and Zayn Siddique, a lawyer at the law firm Paul, Weiss, who was also involved in Vice President Kamala Harris’ debate prep, sources said.

Local law enforcement from the Butler, Pennsylvania area and a former secret service agent are sworn-in Washington on Thursday.

The House task force charged with investigating the near assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, heard from local law enforcement and a medical examiner about what happened on July 13, when the former president was shot and one rallygoer was killed.

During Thursday’s hearing, local officers testified to the convoluted communication set up that day, where multiple different groups of officers were on different radios, all separate from the Secret Service’s own channel.

But those findings were overshadowed by a second panel consisting of two GOP representatives who put forward blatant conspiracy theories around the shooting.

Democrats on the task force did not attend the second part of the hearing, which included testimony from Reps. Eli Crane of Arizona and?Cory?Mills of Florida.

Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, the task force’s top Democrat, told reporters that members of his party left because they were not informed that Crane and Mills would be joining the hearing until Wednesday.

The hearing came the day after a bipartisan committee in the Senate?released a damning report?highlighting key failures by the Secret Service that day, including the lack of decision-making and leadership structure.

Read more about the hearing.

Former President Donald Trump launched “Trump Watches,” as the newest item in his merchandise lineup for his fans. The watches will be priced between $499 and $100,000, according to the website.

In a Truth Social post, the former president announced, “The Official Trump Watch Collection is here! These watches are truly special—you’re going to love them. “ Where he suggested they will make a great Christmas present. “GET YOUR TRUMP WATCH RIGHT NOW!”

As he directed his followers to the website?to make a purchase.

“The Trump Victory Tourbillon,” a bejeweled golden watch, is the priciest option at $100,000. More affordable choices include the “Fight Fight Fight” watch, available in three colors: Onyx Gold for $799, and Red Silver and Silver Gold for $499 each. The watches include Trump’s name and his signature.

“Only 147 Pieces Available —Once They Are Gone, They Are Gone,” the site states.

The watch website also clarifies that the products “are not political and have no connection to any political campaign,” and that they “are not designed, manufactured, distributed, or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, or any of their affiliates or principals.”

A New York appeals court grilled attorneys for both Donald Trump and the New York attorney general’s office Thursday over the $454 million civil fraud judgment against the former president, raising questions about the size of the penalty and the scope of the attorney general’s authority to bring case itself.

Trump did not attend Thursday’s oral argument, but his lawyers are seeking to overturn the?judgment levied by state Judge Arthur Engoron?in February, who found that Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his business liable for fraud, as well as issuing false financial statements and false business records.

Here’s what to know from Thursday’s hearing:

Justice says size of penalty against Trump ‘troubling’: The five-judge appellate panel peppered Deputy New York Solicitor General Judith Vale with questions about the scope of the attorney general’s authority, the lack of alleged victims in the conduct and the size of the penalty Engoron imposed.

State attorney asked about scope of case vs. Trump if bank wasn’t harmed: Much of questioning of the New York state attorney involved the law that state Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat, used to bring the action against Trump and his business. Justice David Friedman questioned the attorney general’s authority given that Deutsche Bank is not saying they were harmed by Trump’s actions.

Trump’s lawyer questioned on statute of limitations claims: A lawyer for Trump argued the $454 million judgment should be thrown out because most of the conduct at issue was too old.

A massive judgment against Trump at stake: The panel did not rule at the end of Thursday’s hearing and no decision is expected before the election,?and?the appeals court ruling can still be appealed to New York’s highest appellate court.

Read the takeaways here.

GOP Reps. Eli Crane and?Cory?Mills, who have been conducting their own parallel investigation into the first assassination attempt against Donald Trump, made a surprise appearance at Thursday’s hearing held by the task force investigating the assassination attempts against the former president, frustrating Democrats on the bipartisan panel who refused to listen to their testimony.

By removing themselves from the hearing room, Democrats clearly signaled they viewed the appearance by Crane and Mills as partisan – marking the first public sign of discontent within the task force, which has pledged to remain apolitical, to date.

Rep. Jason Crow, the task force’s top Democrat, told reporters that members of his party left because they were not informed that Crane and Mills would be joining the hearing until yesterday.

“We did not receive notice of this panel until late yesterday,” Crow said, adding that they didn’t have time to add their own experts to the panel or know what those members were going to say.

The chairman of the committee, GOP Rep. Mike Kelly, told reporters that the presentation from Mills and Crane doesn’t change the bipartisan spirit of the panel and shared he invited the lawmakers because of their combat experience.

“It’s not going to shatter my feeling that it’s bipartisan. If somebody has another opinion, that’s their opinion” Kelly said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visits the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Pennsylvania, on September 22.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip last weekend to a munitions plant in Pennsylvania came about following a request from the Ukrainians to visit the facility, the White House said Thursday amid Republican accusations of political interference.

The US military transport provided Zelensky is on par with previous requests by foreign officials, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, and pointed to Zelensky’s visit in July to Utah as an example of a previous visit to a red state.

Some House Republicans have accused Zelensky in participating in a political interference by visiting the critical battleground of Pennsylvania in the lead-up to November’s election. House Speaker Mike Johnson has called for Zelensky to dismiss his ambassador to Washington for her role in orchestrating the visit.

Jean-Pierre said there was nothing out of the ordinary about the stop, which she said highlighted American support for Ukraine.

She said Zelensky’s position as a target of Russia further illustrated a need for military support on the trip.

Lawyers for Donald Trump and the New York attorney general’s office were peppered by a New York appeals court over whether the $454 civil fraud judgement should stand.

A lawyer for the former president argued that the judgment should be thrown out because most of the conduct was too old.

“There’s a direct contradiction, a direct disregard of this court’s prior opinion,” Sauer argued.

All five of the judges interrupted to pose questions, including digging in on whether Trump’s team was trying to curtail the attorney general’s authority to bring cases about “persistent” and “repeated” fraud.

Presiding Justice Diane Renwick asked, “Why isn’t the language of the statute here”?repeated and?persistent fraud, “why doesn’t that define the scope of the statute. Why do we need to go to harm?”

Sauer said, “We have a situation where there were no victims, no complaints, no evidence of materiality or reliance.” He said the lenders “did do their due diligence.”

Sauer said he was not asking for a ruling about the scope of the state’s authority, merely a reversal of the claims in this case.

Justice Moulton asked Trump’s attorney what about deterrence to others in the marketplace.

He said it may be fine, “but in the future some deal might not go down well and someone may be harmed by that.”

Remember: This is one of several legal challenges the former president faces while running again for president.

A super PAC that Elon Musk helped form?disclosed?about $6.7 million in new political spending this week, dropping $4.2 million on the presidential race and more than $2.5 million on a series of House races, as the group continues to ramp up its activity and enable the richest man in the world to flex political influence.

New?filings?with the Federal Election Commission show that America PAC – which was?formed?with help from Musk in May – added $2.7 million to its canvassing efforts in the presidential race and nearly $1 million to canvassing across fifteen highly competitive House races, including key buckets of races in California (CA-22, CA-41, and CA-45) and New York (NY-17, NY-19). The rest of the group’s new spending went to digital advertising and printing and postage.

America PAC has now spent a total of more than $72 million so far this cycle, including more than $67 million on the presidential race – $46 million coming since Kamala Harris took over the Democratic ticket – and about $5 million across the fifteen House races that it has engaged.

In particular, the group’s spending on canvassing in the presidential race – now totaling more than $42 million, including the latest round of filings – has provided a critical lift to the Trump campaign, which has struggled to keep pace with the Harris campaign’s fundraising and its spending on staff and field operations.

The appellate hearing for Donald Trump’s bid to dismiss the $454 million fraud judgment against him has started.

Trump attorney John Sauer is presenting first, followed by Judith Vale, the Deputy Solicitor General for the New York Attorney General.

The hearing is expected to last about 30 minutes with each side allotted approximately 15 minutes for their arguments.

Trump’s lawyers are seeking to overturn the $454 million judgment levied by state Judge Arthur Engoron in February, who found that Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his business liable for fraud, as well as issuing false financial statements and false business records.

More on the case: The judgment against Trump was for $354 million, with an additional $100 million in interest that had accrued when the judge’s ruling was issued in February. The interest is still accruing at a rate of nearly $112,000 per day while Trump appeals, and the amount had surpassed $478 million as of Thursday, according to a person familiar with the judgment.

Trump’s attorneys will also address Judge Arthur Engoron’s sanctions against them, which were handed down in September 2023 for repeatedly making legal arguments against the New York attorney general’s lawsuit that were already denied by the judge.

Former President Donald Trump holds a campaign rally in Indiana, Pennsylvania, on September 23.

A leading pro-Trump super PAC has bought nearly $16 million more?ad time in key swing states as Republicans work to cut into the advertising edge that Kamala Harris and her Democratic allies have developed in recent weeks.

Over the last two days, MAGA Inc., the super PAC, reserved a total of about $15.8 million in new ad bookings, beginning this week and set to run through Election Day, and targeting four top battlegrounds.

The group added a total of $5.9 million to its bookings in Pennsylvania – including $3.8 million targeting the Pittsburgh market, $712,000 targeting the Harrisburg market, $300,000 targeting the Johnstown market, and with $1.09 million targeting the heavily saturated Philadelphia market. In addition, MAGA Inc. added $4.35 million to its bookings in North Carolina, $3 million to its bookings in Georgia, and $2.6 million to its bookings in Arizona.

The infusion of cash will help Republicans mitigate an advertising advantage that Democrats have established since Kamala Harris took over the ticket. Between July 22 and today, Democrats have outspent Republicans on advertising in the presidential race by a total of about $645 million to $415 million, including a more than $100 million overall edge on digital platforms.

Across the key swing states – Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina, and Nevada –?the battle has been closer, but Democrats still have the edge, having spent about $482 million to $369 million from Republicans.

Donald Trump took to Truth Social Thursday to respond to a new advertisement by Kamala Harris that claims in vitro fertilization (IVF) could be banned effectively in some states due to his plan.

“Comrade Kamala Harris just put up an Ad saying that I.V.F. was banned in certain areas because of me. That is another LIE, just like her working at McDonald’s was a LIE!” Trump’s post reads, as he defends himself and the Republican Party as supportive of IVF.

This comes just days after the former president cast himself as a “protector” of women at a Pennsylvania rally this week.

Trump didn’t miss the opportunity to once more criticize Harris for saying that she worked at a McDonald’s in high school, calling it another lie.

Democrats have sought to use threats to IVF to paint Republicans, including Trump, as seeking to restrict access to reproductive health care. Earlier this year, Trump said he supports women having access to IVF following an Alabama Supreme Court ruling that declared frozen embryos as children. In March, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed a law protecting IVF access in the state following the court’s decision.

Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are off the campaign trail today, but there are still plenty of events to watch for as Election Day quickly approaches.

Harris: Vice President Kamala Harris and?President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine will deliver remarks to press in Washington, DC, at 3:05 p.m. ET, and Harris will then meet with Zelensky in a closed meeting. Zelensky’s?visit to the White House on Thursday could be his final chance to convince a receptive American president of his country’s war aims.

Harris will also deliver remarks on “addressing the scourge of gun violence in America” alongside President Joe Biden in the Rose Garden at 4:45 p.m. ET.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has no public events today.

Trump: Former President Donald Trump will speak to reporters this afternoon from New York City, according to his campaign.

GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance does not currently have any public events scheduled for Thursday. He was expected to hold events in Macon and?Flowery Branch, Georgia, on Thursday, but?they were postponed due to Hurricane Helene.

Tomorrow: Harris returns to the campaign trail with an Arizona border visit, while Trump heads to Michigan.

Meanwhile, in New York, an appeals court is set to hear arguments Thursday in Trump’s bid to have the $454 million civil fraud judgment against him dismissed.

In Washington, DC, the House task force charged with investigating the near assassination of Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, will hold its first hearing Thursday on Capitol Hill, probing local law enforcement and a medical examiner over what happened on July 13.

This post has been updated with additional details on the candidates’ schedule.

Vice President Kamala Harris plans to use her trip to the US-Mexico border on Friday to slam former President Donald Trump for?scuttling a bipartisan border deal?and lean into her work as California attorney general, according to a campaign aide.

The Harris campaign announced Wednesday?the vice president will make a stop at the US southern border?while visiting Arizona on Friday, confirming CNN reporting.

Why she’s making the trip: Some Harris campaign officials remain concerned about the gap in polling, which shows Trump holding a lead on the issue, but also see an opportunity to narrow a gap they believe is closing and try to shut down GOP attacks over her not visiting the border enough, according to a source familiar.

The campaign has touted endorsements by border town mayors, pointed to a dramatic drop in border crossings to argue that the Biden-Harris administration has strengthened border security, and cited the bipartisan border bill, which included some of the toughest border measures in recent memory.

But that’s so far done little to convince voters who place more trust in Trump than Harris on handling the US-Mexico border. Recent polling shows that Trump continues to hold an edge on Harris on the issue of immigration.

Harris previously visited the border while vice president and has cited her work as a border state senator?and attorney general.

Queen Latifah is seen in Los Angeles in September 6, 2022.

Queen Latifah will attend Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Las Vegas on Sunday.

“I’m attending 2024 NV Victory’s event, “Las Vegas Rally with Vice President Kamala Harris” - sign up now to join me!,” she?posted?on X.

This comes as the Harris campaign continues to collaborate with celebrities ahead of Election Day.

Last week, Harris participated in a livestream event hosted by Oprah Winfrey. Julia Roberts, Tracey Ellis Ross, Ben Stiller, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, and Bryan Still were some of the?celebrities?to make a virtual appearance.

Kamala?Harris leads?Donald Trump?by a wide margin among Black likely voters, according to a?new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, but still falls short of?Joe Biden’s winning 2020 margins with this group. Yet the poll suggests that Black likely voters currently supporting Trump or third-party candidates are not as locked into their choices as those Black likely voters who back the vice president.

Here’s what the poll found:

Since Harris’ entrance into the race, enthusiasm among Black voters about the election appears to have grown. In the latest poll, 79% of Black registered voters say they would definitely vote, up from 68% in the June poll. For voters overall, that stood at 82% in the latest poll, about the same as in June. Black voters now are just as likely as other voters to say it is extremely important that they, personally, vote (both at 63%), while in June, Black registered voters were less likely to say the same (57% among Black voters, 66% overall).

Read more on the latest CNN poll.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her advisers believe that she and Donald Trump could not have more starkly contrasting worldviews when it comes to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Still, when Harris meets with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Washington on Thursday, she does not plan to mention Trump by name in her public remarks, multiple sources familiar tell CNN – a move meant to steer clear of any explicit mention of US politics ahead of a somber meeting with the wartime president.

However, those sources said, the vice president’s brief remarks will be aimed at laying out what she sees as a black and white difference in how she and the former president each views the situation in Ukraine – including America’s role in helping Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression.

Harris has insisted that if she were to become president – unlike under Trump’s watch – Ukraine would be able to count on unwavering US support. As CNN has reported, Thursday will mark the sixth Harris-Zelensky meeting since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky walks with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell at the Capitol on Thursday.

Ukrainian President?Volodymyr Zelensky’s?visit to the White House on Thursday could be his final chance to convince a receptive American president of his country’s war aims.

The precise details of the “victory plan” Zelensky plans to present in separate meetings to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are unknown, having been closely held until they are presented to the American leaders.

But according to people briefed on its broad contours, the plan reflects the Ukrainian leader’s urgent appeals for more immediate help countering Russia’s?invasion. Zelensky is also poised to push?for long-term security guarantees that could withstand changes in American leadership ahead of?what is widely expected to be a close presidential election between Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Looking to develop relationship with Harris: Zelensky’s separate meeting with?Harris?on Thursday – set to take place after the Ukrainian leader has wrapped up with Biden –?signals his desire to further develop what would be his most important leader-to-leader relationship should she win.

In the weeks since taking the political baton from Biden, Harris and her aides have gone to great lengths to insist that on major matters of foreign policy, there is no daylight between the vice president and the outgoing president.

The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia is no exception, they say, insisting that Ukraine would continue to have the US’s unwavering support against Russian aggression under a Harris presidency.

Read more on Zelensky’s meeting today with Biden and Harris.

Former US President Donald Trump sits inside the courtroom during his civil fraud trial in New York City on October 17, 2023.

A New York appeals court is hearing arguments Thursday in former President Donald Trump’s bid to have the $454 million civil fraud judgment against him dismissed.

The appellate hearing is yet another legal development for Trump playing out the same time as his presidential campaign hits the homestretch. In addition to the civil fraud appeal, Trump’s lawyers have argued to?dismiss the guilty verdict?in the New York criminal case, the?federal election interference case?in Washington, DC, and the?E. Jean Carroll defamation verdict?– all in the past month.

On Thursday, Trump’s lawyers are seeking to overturn the $454 million judgment levied by state Judge Arthur Engoron in February, who found that Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, and his business liable for fraud, as well as issuing false financial statements and false business records.

Engoron ruled that Trump and his co-defendants inflated the value of the former president’s assets in order to obtain more favorable loan and insurance rates.

Trump is not expected to attend Thursday’s hearing, sources told CNN. He?posted a $175 million bond?in April while the appeal is ongoing.

The judgment against Trump was for $354 million, with an additional $100 million in interest that had accrued when the judge’s ruling was issued in February. The interest is still accruing at a rate of nearly $112,000 per day while Trump appeals, and the amount had surpassed $478 million as of Thursday, according to a person familiar with the judgment.

Read the full story.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will make a rare joint appearance today at the White House, where they’ll deliver remarks on the administration’s efforts to reduce gun violence, unveiling a new executive order to improve active shooter drills in schools while addressing emerging firearm technologies.

Thursday’s event marks one year since the formation of the first-ever White House office of gun violence prevention, which Harris oversees, and comes as the Biden administration has sought to highlight new FBI data showing a decline in violent crime under Biden’s watch—but it also comes as guns have emerged as a wedge issue on the campaign trail.

During their presidential debate earlier this month in Philadelphia, Trump accused Harris of wanting “to confiscate your guns.” Harris, for her part,?has countered by saying she’s a gun owner, and neither she nor Minnesota Governor Tim Walz are “taking anyone’s guns away.”

Per an administration official, the executive order Biden will sign Thursday will direct a newly-formed firearms threats task force to assess risks posed by “machine-gun conversion devices,” which can turn ordinary semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic firearms, and un-serialized printed firearms, which can be 3D printed from computer code available online.

It also calls on Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in consultation the department of Health and Human Services, the DOJ, and the Surgeon General, to publish guidance for schools on active shooter drills to address what the official called, “very limited research on how to design and deploy these drills to maximize their effectiveness and limit any collateral harm they might cause.”

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

The race for president is near even across three critical Sun Belt swing states, according to new polling from Marist College.

In?Arizona?and in?Georgia, the survey finds former President Donald Trump at 50% to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 49%, within each poll’s margin of error suggesting no clear leader in the race. In?North Carolina, Harris and Trump are tied at 49% each.

The North Carolina survey was conducted entirely after CNN’s reporting about Republican nominee for governor Mark Robinson’s past comments on a porn website, and it finds Democratic gubernatorial nominee Josh Stein well ahead in that race, holding 54% support to Robinson’s 43%.

In Arizona’s Senate race, the survey shows Democrat Ruben Gallego leading Republican Kari Lake 54% to 44%, a wider margin than other recent polling has suggested there.

A spreadsheet tracking all recent reportable state polling on the presidential race can be found??here.

More about the polls: They were conducted Sept. 19-24 among likely voters. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3.8 for results among likely voters in Arizona, 3.9 in Georgia and 3.7 in North Carolina.

The bipartisan House?task force investigating the assassination attempts?against former President Donald Trump announced their witness list for Thursday’s hearing focused on local law enforcement responding to the July 13 attempt at Trump’s Butler, Pennsylvania, rally.

Here’s who is expected to appear at the hearing:

In reaction to Vice President Kamala Harris replacing President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee, former first lady Melania Trump said “the record speaks for itself” while pointing to differing policy issues for Americans to decide who to vote for.

She said the country under this administration is different compared to former President Donald Trump, who she said was “leading the country?through peace, through strength.”

Trump also said it’s in Americans’ hands on Election Day, saying, “I think American people need to?decide what they really want.”

Melania Trump attends the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18.

Former first lady Melania Trump said she decided to release a social media video questioning the first assassination attempt against her husband because she felt it wasn’t being discussed enough.

While media outlets have spent a considerable amount of time investigating the circumstances around both attempted assassinations, the former first lady said she felt it wasn’t enough.

“It’s interesting?how quiet and everything became,?all of the mainstream media.?There were a few days of?reporting about (the) July 13 event?and everything then became?quiet.?So I had a lot of questions.?What’s going on??This is not normal,” Trump said referring to coverage of Donald Trump’s assassination attempt in a “Fox & Friends” clip.

She criticized Democrats for labeling her husband a threat, saying “And is it really shocking that?all this outrageous violence?goes against my husband??Especially that we hear the?leaders from the opposition?party and mainstream media?branding him as a threat to?democracy, calling him vile?names.”

She continued, “They’re only fueling a toxic atmosphere and giving power, all of these?people that they want to do harm to him.?This needs to stop. This needs to?stop.?The country needs to unite, and I?encourage everybody to read my?letter that I wrote on?July 14, again.?Because that cannot continue.”

Former first lady Melania Trump said she was “really surprised” by the FBI search at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in 2022.

“It made me angry, yes.?Invasion of privacy and the way?it was done was – I was really?surprised,” Trump said in a “Fox & Friends” clip that aired on Thursday.

“I saw unpleasant stuff that nobody?wants to see it.?And you get angry because nobody should be putting up with?that kind of stuff. Some?person – I don’t know even know?who or how many people, they went?through my stuff,” she said.

The former first lady added that she asked the property’s manager to leave the area as is so she could see up close what it looked like after the raid.

Former President Donald Trump and Former first lady Melania Trump appear on stage at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 18.

Former first lady Melania Trump said that former President Donald Trump’s survival during the two assassination attempts against him were “really miracles.”

The former first lady said she watched the shooting in Butler County, Pennsylvania, back just a few minutes after it happened.

“I ran to the TV, and I rewind?it.?And I watched it.?I was only a few minutes behind.?And something, I guess, look?over me, so I didn’t really see?live, live but maybe three?minutes, a few minutes later.?But when I saw it, I, you know,?it was only – nobody really?knew yet because when you see?him on the floor and you don’t?know.?You don’t know what really?happened,” Trump said.

Trump said she thinks “something was?watching over him like the country really needs him.”

Vice President Kamala Harris appears during an interview with MSNBC, released on Wednesday, September 25.

Vice President Kamala Harris said former President Donald Trump’s plan to increase tariffs in all foreign imports demonstrates he is “not very serious” in his thinking around economic issues during an interview with MSNBC released Wednesday.

In the interview, around Harris’ economic remarks at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Harris responded to a question about the appropriate use of tariffs in economic policy by suggesting that Trump’s proposal to add tariffs of up to 20% on products coming into the US is a “talking point ending in an exclamation point at a political rally” rather than a “real plan.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will attend the football game between the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota in Ann Arbor, Michigan, on Saturday, a campaign official told CNN.

Kamala Harris’ running mate will also meet with University of Michigan students during his stop in Ann Arbor, the official said.

The visit leans into Walz’s history as a former high school football coach, an aspect of his identity the Harris campaign has frequently played up at campaign rallies and messaging around the Minnesota governor.

A campaign rally site for former President Donald Trump is empty following an assassination attempt on July 13, in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Donald Trump’s campaign?has officially announced?the former president’s plans to return to Butler, Pennsylvania for a rally on October 5.

CNN previously reported Trump’s plans to return on that date.

“During his visit, President Trump will honor the memory of Corey Comperatore, who heroically sacrificed his life to shield his wife and daughters from the bullets on that terrible day. President Trump will also recognize the two other Americans who were wounded by the shooter, David Dutch and James Copenhaver. He will express his deep gratitude to law enforcement and first responders, and?thank the entire community for their outpouring of love and support in the wake of the attack,” the campaign added.

Read more?about the visit here.

Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt said Monday she would be interviewing former first lady Melania Trump about her forthcoming book and that the interview would air on Thursday.

The former first lady has kept a low profile throughout her husband’s presidential campaign and this will be her first television interview this campaign cycle.

Her memoir is set to publish next month, and the former first lady has been posting videos on X promoting her book in recent weeks.