Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during a presidential debate hosted by ABC as Republican presidential nominee, former US President Donald Trump, listens, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, September 10, 2024. — Reuters
With Hurricane Helene in the southeast region causing pervasive damage across states, along with Hurricane Milton devastatingly entering Florida, Donald Trump grasped the opportunity to gain an upper hand in the presidential campaigning by using misinformation as a political strategy.
Trump falsely claimed that FEMA misemployed the disaster funds on migrants under Biden administration, exacerbating his controversial stance on migration.
The narrative not only makes the migrants more vulnerable but also creates a sense of scepticism in the storm-stricken communities regarding the abuse of allocated funds. Trump accused the Democrat government of being “incompetent and inefficient”.
Similarly, the current vice president and her party has also time and again counter-fired the attacks on Trump including the social media response to Trump mocking the Democrat’s take on climate change.
While both the contenders have politicised the hurricane suffering of Americans at crucial times with less than a month before elections, Harris seems to be in a more fragile position considering her stake in current government as the VP and her ongoing presidential campaign.
Doug Heye, a Republican representative having strong ties with North Carolina, said “We’re a month out from an election, politics are always going to be a part of it, but people who are pushing a political agenda in these instances are not helping their own voters”, amid disastrous impacts of hurricane in the state.
With death toll reaching around 232 and thousands facing outages in critical swing states like North Carolina and Georgia, both the candidates have been throwing a monkey wrench at each other to win the race for the White House in the wake of disaster.
Kamala Harris’s interview on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper aired on Sunday. The host, whose podcast targets a diverse set of audiences, and the vice-president discussed issues revolving around abortion, reproductive healthcare, housing and student debt relief.
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Donald Trump delivered his roughly two-hour speech at a rally inJuneau, Wisconsin.The former president was standing behind barriers of bulletproof glass, which is now a standard US Secret Service practice at outdoor rallies.
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Arizona senator Mark Kelly criticized Elon Musk during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union for supporting Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania this weekend.
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President Joe Biden ordered 500 more troops to assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The troops will move into western North Carolina and assist with the response and recovery efforts after the deadly and devastating Hurricane Helene.
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Tim Walz said during his appearance on Fox News this morning that Donald Trump’s agenda would destroy the US economy, while he supported Kamala Harris’s plan to lower costs and stimulate job growth.
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Kamala Harris condemned former president Donald Trump for calling himself the “protector” of women at a rally in Pennsylvania.
“The majority of women who receive abortion care are mothers,” Harris said. “Every state in the South except for Virginia has an abortion ban.”
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Kamala Harris’s interview on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper just dropped.
“As you guys know, I do not usually discuss politics or have politicians on the show,” Cooper said. “At the end of the day, I couldn’t see a world in which one of the main conversations in this election is women, and I’m not a part of it.”
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Donald Trump attacked Kamala Harris’s tax policy, calling her a “tax queen” and misleading attendees with a claim that Harris plans to raise taxes on US families.
In reality, Harris has said she plans to cut corporate tax rates.
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Donald Trump claimed that the media favors Kamala Harris in their coverage and they “hate our country”. He continued to make anti-immigrant and transphobic comments.
“I can’t understand. Why do they want open borders? Why do they want sex change operations for people that are too young to even think about it? Why do they want men playing in women’s sports?” Trump said.
“We actually are now the party of common sense,” he said. “I think that’s what I like calling us now, party of common sense.”
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Donald Trump called the Biden administration “the most corrupt people” during his rally in Wisconsin.
“From the very beginning of this journey, I’ve been on a mission to rescue our nation from a failed and corrupt political establishment and corrupt people,” he said.
“This country is in big trouble. We’re a failing nation. We are a failing nation. We’re a nation in decline. We’re a nation in distress, and we’re going to get it fixed very quickly,” Trump said.
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Donald Trump started his speech on time in Juneau, Wisconsin.
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President Joe Biden said on Sunday he ordered another 500 active-duty troops to move into western North Carolina and assist with the response and recovery efforts after the deadly and devastating Hurricane Helene.
“With a total of 1,500 troops now supplementing a robust on-the-ground effort – including more than 6,100 National Guardsmen and more than 7,000 Federal personnel – my administration is sparing no resource to support families as they begin their road to rebuilding,” Biden said in a statement.
He also said he was being briefed on tropical storm Milton as it strengthened across the Gulf of Mexico. Milton, which strengthened into a category one hurricane on Sunday, is expected to make landfall on Florida on Tuesday or Wednesday.
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California representative Adam Schiff said during an interview with NBC News’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Donald Trump “will contest” the election results if he loses.
“He has more reason to contest it than he did before, not because of any flaw in the election, but because Donald Trump believes, and perhaps with reason, that if he doesn’t succeed at the ballot box, he may be going to jail. So he’s going to challenge the results.”
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During an interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Arizona senator Mark Kelly criticized Elon Musk for supporting Donald Trump.
On Saturday, Musk joined Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and made the baseless claim that if Trump’s supporters fail to turn out, “this will be the last election”.
Kelly said that Musk was “hypocritically standing next to the guy that tried to overturn the last – the 2020 election on January 6, saying that this is somehow going to be the last election and they’re going to take away your vote.”
“It’s not lost on me, and it shouldn’t be lost on the American people that Donald Trump, when he was president, gave a giant tax cut to billionaires,” Kelly said during the interview. “Elon Musk is the richest person in the world. He’s got a tremendous amount of interest in Donald Trump being elected president.”
.@SenMarkKelly calls Elon Musk “hypocritical” for supporting Donald Trump and tells @DanaBashCNN, “He’s got a tremendous amount of interest in Donald Trump being elected president because… billionaires like Elon Musk will get their giant tax cut again.” pic.twitter.com/pBuxaKMyDs
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) October 6, 2024
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Melania Trump was asked whether Donald Trump knew she would express strong support for abortion rights in her upcoming memoir, where she emphasized that women should have the autonomy to decide whether to have children based on their own convictions, without government interference or pressure.
“I want to decide what I wanted to do with my body. I think I don’t want government in my personal business,” she added.
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Key events
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Politics tamfitronics Closing summary
This blog is closed – thanks for following along. Here is a summary of today’s key developments:
Kamala Harris’s interview on Call Her Daddy with Alex Cooper aired on Sunday. The host, whose podcast targets a diverse set of audiences, and the vice-president discussed issues revolving around abortion, reproductive healthcare, housing and student debt relief.
Donald Trump delivered his roughly two-hour speech at a rally inJuneau, Wisconsin.The former president was standing behind barriers of bulletproof glass, which is now a standard US Secret Service practice at outdoor rallies.
Arizona senator Mark Kelly criticized Elon Musk during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union for supporting Donald Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania this weekend.
President Joe Biden ordered 500 more troops to assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The troops will move into western North Carolina and assist with the response and recovery efforts after the deadly and devastating Hurricane Helene.
Tim Walz said during his appearance on Fox News this morning that Donald Trump’s agenda would destroy the US economy, while he supported Kamala Harris’s plan to lower costs and stimulate job growth.
Kamala Harris finished her interview with Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooper by pledging to fight for student debt relief and listing key issues she hopes to address if she’s elected president.
“I care about making sure that people are entitled to and receive the freedoms that they are due,” Harris said. “I care about lifting people up and making sure that you are protected from harm. I care about tapping into the ambitions and the aspirations of people knowing that we are capable of so much.”
Alex Cooper and Kamala Harris discussed JD Vance’s age-old sexist “childless cat ladies” trope, but Harris was asked what she would do as president to help generations who feel that the economy hinders them from having children.
“Housing is too expensive and we need to increase the housing supply,” Harris said. “Part of my plan is to work with home builders in the private sector to create tax incentives to build by the end of my first term, 3,000,000 more housing units.”
“Part of my plan is to give 100 million more people who basically are middle class working people, tax cuts, including for young parents, a $6,000 tax cut for the first year of their child’s life, which helps them buy a crib or a car seat or clothing and just get through that first year,’” she added.
During an episode of the podcast Call Her Daddy, Kamala Harris condemned Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders after Sanders said that the presidential candidate “doesn’t have anything keeping her humble” because she doesn’t have children.
“I don’t think she understands that there are a whole lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble,” Harris said during the podcast.
The vice-president discussed her relationship with her stepchildren, Cole and Ella Emhoff, who are the biological children from her husband’s, Doug Emhoff, first marriage.
“We have our family by blood and then we have our family by love. And I have both,” Harris said.
Kamala Harris was asked by Alex Cooper if she could think about any law that “gives the government the power to make a decision about a man’s body”.
Harris laughed and said: “We are a work in progress.”
“Part of the strength of our country and our evolution as a country has been through the fight for the expansion of rights. Not the restriction of rights,” she added.
Alex Cooper asked Kamala Harris to clarify a claim former president Donald Trump made during last month’s presidential debate, where he falsely claimed that Democrats support abortions “after birth” and “executing” babies.
“That is not happening anywhere in the United States,” Harris said. “It is not happening and it’s a lie.”
She also labeled as “insulting” his claim that women in their ninth month of pregnancy are electing to have an abortion.
Kamala Harris and Alex Cooper continued to discuss abortion rights and reproductive healthcare during a Call Her Daddy episode aired on Sunday.
“You don’t have to abandon your faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government shouldn’t be telling her what to do,” Harris said in the podcast.
Harris added: “What’s so outrageous about it is a bunch of these guys up in these state capitals are writing these decisions because they somehow have decided that they’re in a better position to tell you what’s in your best interest than you are to know what’s in your own best interest.”
Politics tamfitronics Harris condemns Trump for claiming to be ‘protector’ of women
Kamala Harris condemned former president Donald Trump for calling himself the “protector” of women at a rally in Pennsylvania.
“This is the same guy who said that women should be punished for having abortions,” Harris said on Alex Cooper’s podcast Call Her Daddy.
Harris went on to talk about the state of abortion access currently in the country.
“The majority of women who receive abortion care are mothers,” Harris said. “Every state in the South except for Virginia has an abortion ban.”
Kamala Harris responded to questions from Call Her Daddy’s Alex Cooperelaborating on why she decided to become a prosecutor, the guidelines for reporting sexual assault, and the need to talk about the issue more.
There are a number of young women for whom Call Her Daddy is their go-to source for entertainment. The fact that Kamala Harris is talking directly to them, through an interview with their trusted messenger, Alex Cooper, matters. pic.twitter.com/PU3HPtxD1w
— Rachel Janfaza (@racheljanfaza) October 6, 2024nn”}}”>
There are a number of young women for whom Call Her Daddy is their go-to source for entertainment. The fact that Kamala Harris is talking directly to them, through an interview with their trusted messenger, Alex Cooper, matters. pic.twitter.com/PU3HPtxD1w
— Rachel Janfaza (@racheljanfaza) October 6, 2024
In her interview with Kamala Harris, Alex Cooper asked the vice-president about the lessons she learned from her mother regarding mental health, the ways she has taken accountability during her vice-presidency, and what she thinks her mother would say if she became the next president of the United States.
Later on, Cooper referenced some of the harsh descriptions former president Donald Trump has used against Harris during the race, including questioning her mental health. She asked Harris how this affected her.
Harris said:
I think it’s really important not to let other people define you, and usually those people who will attempt to do it don’t know you.
Donald Trump finished his remarks in Juneau, Wisconsin, which ran for about two hours.
During her interview with Kamala HarrisCall Her Daddy host Alex Cooper quickly touched on a soft spot for the Harris campaign, which is the vice-president’s lack of interviews with the media. She asked Harris why she decided to come on the podcast.
“I think you and your listeners have really got this thing, right, which is one of the best ways to communicate with people is to be real, you know, and to talk about the things that people really care about,” Harris said.
“What I love about what you do is that your voice in your show is really about your listeners,” she added. “And I think especially now, this is a moment in the country and in life where people really want to know they’re seen and heard and that they’re part of a community, that they’re not out there alone.”
The host of the comedy and advice podcast Call Her Daddy, Alex Coopersaid at the start of her episode with Kamala Harris that she invited former president Donald Trump to come on the show.
“If he also wants to have a meaningful, in-depth conversation about women’s rights in this country, then he is welcome on Call Her Daddy anytime,” Cooper said.
Welcome to the online version ofFrom the Politics Deskan evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.
In today’s edition, we explore one positive and on negative development for Kamala Harris’ support from organized labor. Plus, chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes that current level of political discourse is unsustainable.
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here.
A key union won’t endorse, but Harris has other plans to boost labor support
By Megan Lebowitz, Alexandra Marquez and Natasha Korecki
Vice President Kamala Harris failed to secure the endorsement of a major union, but her campaign is banking on the organizational muscle of the key labor groups that are in her corner to provide a boost in the rapidly diversifying Sun Belt.
The influential Teamsters union on Wednesday declined to issue an endorsement in the presidential race, Megan Lebowitz and Alexandra Marquez report. Both candidates had courted the group — the union’s leaders met with Harris on Monday and with former President Donald Trump earlier in the year. But the development is a particular blow to Harris, as the Teamsters had endorsed a Democratic presidential candidate in every election dating back to 2000, including Joe Biden four years ago.
Prior to the announcement, the Teamsters also released survey data showing more rank-and-file members preferred to endorse Trump than Harris.
“Neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business,” Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said in a statement.
Still, Harris has won the endorsement of just about every other major labor union in the country (the International Association of Fire Fighters remains a notable holdout). And while a candidate’s labor bona fides are often viewed through the lens of white working-class voters in the Rust Belt, Harris’ campaign has their sights set on women and people of color in the Sun Belt.
Workers with the Service Employees International Union, the Culinary Workers Union and the AFL-CIO are among the groups who labor leaders say have become especially energized since Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, Natasha Korecki reports.
All together, labor leaders predict thousands of union members will deploy to key swing states to knock on doors and work phone banks on Harris’ behalf. Large groups are expected to travel from blue states such as California, Illinois and New York to crucial battlegrounds such as Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina.
“It’s a special moment for our members, particularly when we think about women of color, who often feel unseen, who often feel undervalued, disrespected, demeaned,” SEIU President April Verrett said. “It really is a special moment where our members can see themselves reflected in a woman who has been their champion for a long time, being able to be the leader of this country.”
Read more →
What if we can’t unite?
By Chuck Todd
There’s been an odd numbness in the political ecosystem regarding the apparent second attempt to assassinate Donald Trump. We’ve collectively underreacted — and perhaps there are perfectly reasonable explanations for that.
Yet I fear some of the underreaction has to do with the fact that we are now so close to Election Day that some people are calibrating their responses through the prism of whether what they say will help or hurt their partisan causes, rather than stepping back and asking themselves critically how we got here.
And unfortunately, I think, the broader electorate and the media are more concerned about that larger question than any of the elected leaders we have collectively put in charge of our democracy. It’s frustrating watching the effort to exploit this episode for political gain, which is only feeding the divide, not healing it.
Just look at Trump’s initial response to the apprehension of a man armed with a rifle who was spotted on the perimeter of his golf course. Unlike after he was shot in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July, when he and his team embraced the approach of “let’s have cooler heads prevail” and left some of the more heated rhetoric to other Republicans, there has been none of that this time. Instead, the Trump campaign appears to be approaching this apparent assassination attempt as an opportunity rather than as a moment to reflect.
Let’s be honest: The current level of political discourse is unsustainable for this democracy. Maybe it doesn’t break us this year, maybe not next. But unless we choose to rise above it, either by electing de-escalators rather than purveyors of zero-sum political pugilism or by demanding that the big tech companies stop creating algorithms that are designed to incite and divide, we will break — and that break will be perilous. It has happened to this republic before, so don’t assume it can’t happen again.
The problem with political discourse in America right now is that we are all stuck in a social media funhouse mirror booth. What we see isn’t what is, and how we’re seen isn’t who we are. And yet, here we are.
Read more from Chuck →
Politics tamfitronics 🗞️ Today’s top stories
✂️ It’s cutting season : The Federal Reserve is lowering its key interest rate by half a percentage point, an unusually aggressive move designed to cushion the economy from a further slowdown. Read more →
🧂 SALT in the wound: Trump is calling on Republicans to reinstate the state and local tax deductions that were capped under his signature 2017 tax law. Read more →
🖥️ Targeted ads: The Harris campaign is spotlighting her worries about “human suffering in Gaza” in new ads targeting heavily Arab American neighborhoods in the Detroit area. Read more →
🔀 Across the aisle: A group of more than 100 Republican former national security and policy officials endorsed Harris for president. Read more →
🍂 New fall fashion: Pennsylvania’s ballots will look different this year as the state looks to reduce the number of rejected votes. Read more →
🗳️ Ballot battles: The Montana Supreme Court ruled that a Green Party Senate candidate can appear on the state’s ballot, a blow to Democratic Sen. Jon Tester’s re-election bid. Read more →
Follow live coverage from the campaign trail →
That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at [email protected]
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