Donald Trump will host a rally in suburban New York on Wednesday evening making a pitch to reverse a tax policy he signed into law in 2017 that has a bigger impact on higher tax states.
The former president will speak at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, Long Island, at 7pm, just three days after a second assassination attempt against him. Earlier in the day there was a brief security scare regarding a false report of an explosive device near the site that was quickly dismissed by law enforcement as having no factual basis.
“There is no validity to the report,” a Nassau County PD spokesman told The Independent.
Trump’s decision to host a rally in New York is curious given that the election will almost certainly come down to voters in a handful of swing states. New polling from Quinnipiac shows Kamala Harris leading Trump by six points in Pennsylvania and five in Michigan — outside the margin of error.
A survey commissioned by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows the race between the former president and Harris tightening in Georgia, with Trump leading the vice president by just three percentage points, signaling yet another nail-biter from the Peach State in November.
Donald Trump declares ‘only consequential presidents get shot at’ at Michigan town hall
Trump surprises booing supporters by praising Kamala Harris’s ‘very nice call’ after foiled attack
Harris condemns Trump’s pet-eating migrant conspiracy: ‘Exhausting, harmful and hateful’
Sarah Huckabee Sanders slams Harris for not having biological children
Democrat leads Trump by record margin of six points nationally, new poll finds
18:10 , AP
Law enforcement officials on Long Island worked quickly on Wednesday to publicly knock down social media posts falsely reporting that explosives had been found in a car near former President Donald Trump’s planned rally in New York.
The false reports of an explosive began circulating hours before the Republican presidential nominee’s campaign event at Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, just days after he was apparently the target of a second possible assassination attempt.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said police questioned and detained a person who “may have been training a bomb detection dog,” near the site of the rally and “falsely reported explosives being found.”
Lt. Scott Skrynecki, a spokesperson for the county police, said in follow-up messages that the person, who police have not yet identified, was a civilian and not a member of a law enforcement agency.
He also said the person was not working at or affiliated with the event, which is expected to draw thousands of Trump supporters to the arena that was formerly the home of the NHL’s New York Islanders.
The rally is Trump’s first on Long Island, a suburban area just east of New York City, since 2017.
Earlier Wednesday, Skrynecki and other county officials responded swiftly to knock down the online line claims, which appear to have started with a post from a reporter citing unnamed sources in the local police department.
“False,” Skrynecki texted the AP as the claims spread on X, formerly Twitter.
“No. Ridiculous. Zero validity,” said Christopher Boyle, spokesperson for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman.
17:50 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump has been roasted after he bizarrely mixed up an Alaskan wildlife refuge and an Afghanistan airbase during a town hall in Michigan.
The former president appeared on stage in Flint on Tuesday for the event which was moderated by his former White House press secretary and current Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
James Liddell tries to make sense of things as Trump says: “We just have the best. We have Bagram in Alaska.”
Trump roasted for mixing up Afghan airbase with oil-rich region of Alaska
17:30 , Oliver O’Connell
A new poll released on Wednesday by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution shows that Kamala Harris and Donald Trump locked in a tightening race for Georgia with just 48 days left until the election.
Trump currently has 47 per cent of the vote, while Harris is on 44 per cent, with a 3.1 per cent margin of error, signaling we may be in for another nailbiter in the Peach State come November.
Seven per cent of voters are undecided, and third-party candidates drew less than one per cent of support from those surveyed.
Trump draws his support from 90 per cent of Republicans and just under two-thirds of white voters.
Harris has support from just over half of independents (versus one-third who support Trump) and 77 per cent of Black voters (12 per cent said they were undecided).
The poll was conducted for the paper by the University of Georgia’s School of Public and International Affairs between September 9-15 among 1,000 likely voters.
17:25 , Oliver O’Connell
And if you think that’s premature, the First Nail Ceremony for the Presidential Inauguration platform took place outside the Capitol this morning at which lawmakers ceremoniously bang in the first nails:
Senator Amy Klobuchar quipped: “I think at its very least, it will be therapeutic.”
The presidential inauguration is 124 days away, on January 20, 2025.
“What could go wrong at this moment with all of us with the hammers?” quipped Joint Congressional Cmte on Inaugural Ceremonies Chair Sen. Amy Klobuchar, at the first nail ceremony (starting construction of inaugural platform). “I think at its very least, it will be therapeutic” pic.twitter.com/9jPWrsGQOM
— Nathaniel Reed (@ReedReports) September 18, 2024
It’s the first time the ceremony has taken place since 2016 as in 2020 it would have conflicted with the memorial ceremonies for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
17:20 , Oliver O’Connell
Representatives for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris ‘ transition teams met for the first time at the White House, the Biden administration announced Wednesday, as the outgoing administration plans to smooth the handoff to whomever wins in November.
Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients hosted a meeting Tuesday of the White House Transition Coordinating Committee — the government’s senior-most transition planning group — and for the first time this year included Harris and Trump aides. The meeting and invitation to both parties’ representatives are required under the Presidential Transition Act, which mandates that the designated candidate representatives serve in an advisory capacity.
Continue reading…
White House hosts first meeting with Trump, Harris transition teams
17:00 , Oliver O’Connell
JD Vance once penned a furious blog post sharing his disdain for the Republican party’s hostility toward immigrants – then urged his professor to delete it years later as he sought to enter politics.
As a 28-year-old Yale law student back in November 2012, the Ohio senator wrote an article titled: “A Blueprint for the GOP.”
In it, the more youthful and progressive Vance slammed Republicans for being “tone deaf” on immigration and “openly hostile to non-whites.”
Now, more than a decade later, as Donald Trump’s running mate, he has been accused of amplifying this same anti-immigrant rhetoric – most recently pushing false claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio.
James Liddell reports.
JD Vance penned 2012 blog slamming ‘tone deaf’ Republicans for alienating migrants
16:49 , Oliver O’Connell
Mike Johnson makes clear on CNBC that he supports all of Trump’s half-baked ideas to eliminate various taxes even while acknowledging there’s no specific plan to pay for them pic.twitter.com/Lj8o4EGVAu
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 18, 2024
16:46 , Oliver O’Connell
12pm — Vice President Kamala Harris at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 2024 Leadership Conference
3pm — Senator JD Vance campaigns in Raleigh, North Carolina
4.30pm — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigsn in New York, New York
7pm — Former President Donald Trump campaigns in Uniondale, New York
7.25pm — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff campaigns in Brooklyn, New York
16:25 , Oliver O’Connell
A large group of former national security figures who worked for Republican presidents from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump have signed an endorsement letter showing their support for Kamala Harris.
They warn that a second Trump administration would bring back the “daily chaos” that characterized his first term.
“We expect to disagree with Kamala Harris on many domestic and foreign policy issues, but we believe that she possesses the essential qualities to serve as President and Donald Trump does not,” the letter reads.
Further, they give eight bullet points demonstrating how Harris has demonstrated her suitability to be president.
Consistently championed the rule of law, democracy, and our constitutional principles;
Pledged to “ensure America always has the strongest, most lethal fighting force in the world” and to honor and respect those who wear the uniform;
Committed to sign the bipartisan Border Security package, drafted under the leadership of Republican Senator James Lankford and other Republicans, which would hire 1,500 new Customs and Border Protection personnel and provide more resources for law enforcement but was opposed by Donald Trump to avoid giving President Biden any political advantage;
Supported a strong NATO to stand up to Russia and protect European and American security and been firm in her support of Ukraine;
Declared her intention to ensure that the United States will meet the economic and military competition with China;
Declared her intention to “always stand up for Israel’s right to defend itself” and “to take whatever action is necessary to defend our forces and our interests against Iran and Iran-backed terrorists”;
Demonstrated that she can engage in orderly national security decision-making, without the constant drama and Cabinet turnover of the Trump Administration; and
Committed to appoint a Republican to her Cabinet in order to encourage a diversity of views and restore a measure of bipartisanship and comity to our domestic politics.
Trump, they say, is unworthy of the presidency given his role in “inciting” the Capitol riot of January 6, 2021.
“As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country’s founding documents.”
In addition to former lawmakers, other signatories include former ambassadors, lawyers, state department employees, and deputy or assistant advisors to more prominent figures in the national security community.
You can read the full letter here.
15:55 , Oliver O’Connell
Whoopi Goldberg sends message to JD Vance over blame for violent rhetoric
15:40 , Oliver O’Connell
Trump: I don’t think I’ve ever said this before. So we do these rallies. They’re massive rallies. Everybody loves, everybody stays till the end. By the way, you know, when she said that, well, your rallies people leave. Honestly, nobody does. And if I saw them leaving, I’d say,… pic.twitter.com/ymSbz5mcXk
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 17, 2024
15:25 , Oliver O’Connell
Jimmy Kimmel has reminded Donald Trump of the glowing comments he previously made about Sean “Diddy” Combs, who federal agents in New York arrested on Monday following months of civil lawsuits accusing him of sex trafficking, sexual abuse and rape.
After the judge denied the rapper bail on Tuesday, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host said: “in the meantime, he’s getting his character references lined up.”
Well, this could be embarrassing, as Myriam Page reports.
‘He’s a good friend’: Jimmy Kimmel brings up Trump’s glowing past Diddy comments
15:07 , Oliver O’Connell
14:55 , Joe Sommerlad
Donald Trump’s efforts to block the certification of the 2020 election is in the spotlight in a new documentary as it probes the former president’s efforts to surround himself with so-called “yes men” who will do his bidding.
Stopping the Steal, shown on HBO for the first time last night, tracks Trump’s extraordinary efforts from Election Day 2020 through to January 6 2021 to stay in power despite his defeat at the ballot box.
The film reveals the former president’s reliance on so-called “yes men,” a group that includes his DC allies and fringe conspiracy theorists alike, to boost his baseless claims while many elected officials refused to bend to Trump’s will.
Kelly Rissman has more.
New doc exposes how Trump finds ‘yes men’ to push his election fraud lies
14:39 , Oliver O’Connell
CNBC reports that for the first time in the 2024 election cycle, Vice President Kamala Harris is viewed as more likely than former President Donald Trump to win November’s presidential election, according to results of a CNBC Fed Survey published on Tuesday.
The 27 respondents to the survey include investment strategists, economists and fund managers. Among the group, 48 per cent see a Harris victory as the most likely scenario, while 41 per cent believe Trump will win.
The survey was conducted from September 12-14 several days after Harris and Trump’s first (and possibly only) debate.
The latest forecast marks a shift from the previous CNBC Fed Survey published in late July, when 50 per cent forecast a Trump victory and only 37 per cent believed Harris would win.
That poll was taken just nine days after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris.
When Biden was still in the race, 48 per cent of those surveyed thought Trump was the most likely winner, while 35 per cent believed Biden would be reelected. The remaining 17 per cent were unsure or did not know.
14:25 , Joe Sommerlad
A former Trump aide has warned that the Republican presidential nominee’s administration would be full of “Laura Loomers of the world” if he is re-elected president in November.
Loomer, 31, a conservative conspiracy theorist who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” has been placed under the microscope in recent weeks for her presence and perceived close relationship with the 78-year-old former president.
Now, Trump’s former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews weighed in on his connection to the outspoken conspiracy theorist and what role she might play in a second administration.
“I would imagine maybe she wants to be White House press secretary,” Matthews said on MSNBC’s Inside with Jen Psaki.
“And that is what is most concerning to me, because I’ve talked about this threat of, ‘Who will be staffing a second administration?’”
Matthews argued “it’s terrifying” that Trump could place someone like Loomer in government, warning that his staff would consist of “yes men and women.”
James Liddell reports.
Second Trump administration will be full of ‘Laura Loomers,’ former aide says
13:55 , Joe Sommerlad
This was a textbook answer from Kamala Harris in Philadelphia last night.
Q: Do you feel safe?
Vice President Harris: I do. But not everybody has Secret Service. There are far too many people in our country who are not feeling safe. Look at Project 2025. Immigrants don’t feel safe. Members of the LGBTQ+ community don’t feel safe. Women don’t feel… pic.twitter.com/fg6CqIKhhC
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 17, 2024
13:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Nearly half of Donald Trump supporters say they believe his debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating residents’ pets.
Some 52 per cent of Trump voters said that the claim is “definitely” or “probably” true, according to a post-debate poll from YouGov released this week.
Meanwhile, 24 per cent of Trump voters said they’re “not sure” if it’s true while 25 per cent said it’s “probably” or “definitely” false.
On the other hand, 81 per cent of Kamala Harris voters said the claim is “definitely false.”
Katie Hawkinson has more.
Majority of Trump supporters think his Haitian immigrant lies are true, poll shows
13:15 , Joe Sommerlad
Speaking of the Republican vice presidential nominee, Eric Garcia has this on the Senator’s failure to turn up for key votes on Capitol Hill and why his prioritising campaigning may present Democrats with a hidden advantage.
IVF is supposedly key to Trump’s campaign. JD Vance didn’t even show up to vote on it
12:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Trump’s running mate has suggested that American support for Nato should be predicated on the European Union not regulating Elon Musk and his X social media platform.
The Ohio senator claimed in an interview with YouTuber Shawn Ryan that a top EU official had threatened to arrest the billionaire if he allowed Trump back on X.
“The leader, I forget exactly which official it was within the European Union, but sent Elon this threatening letter that basically said, ‘We’re going to arrest you if you platform Donald Trump,’ who, by the way, is the likely next president of the United States,” Vance said in the interview published last week.
Vance then suggested that US support for Nato should be used as a cudgel to get the Europeans in line.
“So what America should be saying is, if Nato wants us to continue supporting them and Nato wants us to continue to be a good participant in this military alliance, why don’t you respect American values and respect free speech?” he asked.
“It’s insane that we would support a military alliance if that military alliance isn’t going to be pro-free speech. I think we can do both. But we’ve got to say American power comes with certain strings attached. One of those is respect free speech, especially in our European allies.”
Gustaf Kilander reports.
JD Vance says US could veto NATO if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk’s platforms
12:20 , Joe Sommerlad
Here’s another very odd proclamation from the Republican nominee last night, which recalls his similar warning to banking industry CEOs in New York earlier this month.
Donald Trump bizarrely claims nuclear weapons are biggest threat to car industry
12:00 , Joe Sommerlad
The former first lady and secretary of state said that Donald Trump’s wife reminded her of a “little kid” during an awkward meeting last year at ex-first lady Rosalynn Carter’s memorial service.
In her new book Something Lost, Something Gained, released on Tuesday, Clinton writes that she “never quite knew what to make of the third Mrs Trump.”
James Liddell has more.
Hillary Clinton says Melania Trump was like a ‘little kid’ in awkward meeting
11:35 , Joe Sommerlad
Mayor Rob Rue has said he would be “fine” with the Republcan presidential nominee canning his planned visit to Springfield, Ohio, the scene of Trump and JD Vance’s baseless claim that Haitian immigrants are eating people’s pets.
At a City Hall news conference on Tuesday, Mayor Rue explained that “it would be an extreme strain on our resources” if the former president visited.
“So it’d be fine with me if they decided not to make that visit.”
Here’s more from Myriam Page.
Springfield’s Republican mayor says he’d be ‘fine’ with Trump axing visit to town
11:15 , Joe Sommerlad
The Republican has been advised by the Secret Service that he must significantly increase his security arrangements if he wishes to keep up with his favorite hobby – golf– following the second attempt on his life at his Florida course.
In a meeting with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday, Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told Trump that it was difficult to properly secure areas with such large, open spaces.
Here’s his lawyer Alina Habba on precisely that subject last night:
Mike Bedigan reports.
Secret Service tells Trump to increase security if he wants to keep golfing
10:45 , Joe Sommerlad
It was a busy evening for the Republican presidential nominee, who once again called into Sean Hannity’s primetime show on Fox News to double-down on his customary pre-election immigration fear-stoking.
Trump: No country has been invaded like we’ve been invaded. If you look at what’s going in Ohio and Colorado.. they’re being invaded by people from jails, by gang members, and people from mental institutions.. pic.twitter.com/A87heCCVAq
— Acyn (@Acyn) September 18, 2024
10:25 , Joe Sommerlad
The former president appeared on Real America’s Voice on Monday night, once again dragging up his claims from both before and after the 2020 election that mail-in ballots are heavily affected by fraud, even though the voting method has been found to be safe and secure.
Trump claimed: “We have very bad elections. We have a bad voting system. We have mail-in ballots. You know it’s very interesting, I read the other day, the post office is saying how bad it is.
“The post office is critiquing itself saying, ‘We’re really in bad shape, we can’t deliver the mail,’ and they’re not even talking about mail-in ballots,” he added.
“‘We’re gonna dump millions and millions of ballots.’ And I’m saying to myself, ‘How can they be taking the vote?’”
Gustaf Kilander reports.
Trump threatening to sue post office because they’ll ‘maybe’ lose mail-in ballots
10:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Still hurting from Harris’s attack on the debate stage a week ago that people were leaving his campaign events early out of “boredom and exhaustion”, Trump had this to say on the subject in Flint.
Donald Trump sends message to anyone who leaves his rallies early
09:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Back in Flint, the Arkansas Governor appeared to criticize the Vice President for not having biological children during last night’s event.
“My kids keep me humble,” Huckabee Sanders said in Flint. “Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”
Sarah Huckabee Sanders follows in Vance’s footsteps and hits VP Harris for not having biological children. Disgusting.
“So, my kids keep me humble. Unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”pic.twitter.com/CYx32g7l2M
— Kelsie Taggart (@kelsientaggart) September 17, 2024
Here’s more on an appalling low blow echoing JD Vance from Gustaf Kilander.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders sneers at Kamala Harris for not having biological children
09:25 , Joe Sommerlad
The Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee was speaking to the National Association of Black Journalists in Philadelphia last night, the same organisation Trump spoke to in late July when he made his notorious “happened to turn Black” comment about her race.
Here’s what she had to say about the Springfield, Ohio, conspiracy the Republican ticket has been pushing.
Kamala Harris: “I think most people in our country, regardless of race, are starting to see through this nonsense and to say, ‘Let’s turn the page on this. This is exhausting and it’s harmful and it’s hateful.'” pic.twitter.com/Uh7dHSkzDA
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 17, 2024
09:05 , Joe Sommerlad
Drawing boos in Flint, Trump said he had a “very nice” call with Vice President Kamala Harris when she checked in on him after the second failed assassination attempt against him during this campaign.
“I have to say that President Biden called me yesterday, [it] was… a very nice conversation. I appreciated that he called about, you know what happened the other day,” Trump began.
“A little while ago, I got a very nice call from Kamala. It was very nice… and we appreciate that, but we have to take back our country. We have to win. We’re going to win, and we’re going to make America great again.”
As he spoke, sections of the crowd at the town hall booed at the mention of Harris’s name.
Despite that, Trump mentioned the call again later in the town hall, insisting that the Vice President “couldn’t have been nicer.”
Gustaf Kilander has more.
Trump surprizes booing supporters by praising Harris’s ‘very nice call’
08:45 , Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Let’s take a look back at Donald Trump’s madcap town hall with his former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in Flint, Michigan, last night.
The Republican presidential nominee attempted to turn the threats against his life into a compliment by claiming that “only consequential presidents get shot at” and insisted again that he does not “ramble” during his public appearances.
“The fake news likes to say, ‘Oh he was rambling.’ No, no. That’s not rambling. That’s genius,” Trump said.
“When you can connect the dots. Now, Sarah, if you couldn’t connect the dots, you got a problem. But every dot was connected. And many stories were told in that little paragraph.”
Alrighty then.
Among the examples of his “genius” on show in Flint was his confusing an Alaska wildlife reserve with an Afghan airbase, saying climate change would be great for the seafront property sector, suggesting that China had deliberately unleashed Covid-19 on the world to sabotage his presidency and raving about windmills and the threat nuclear warefare poses to local manufacturing.
08:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Brittany Mahomes is reportedly questioning her support of Donald Trump, following the former president’s attack on one of her close friends – Taylor Swift.
Trump’s recent attacks on Swift – who last week officially backed Kamala Harris for president – have reportedly shaken Mahomes “to her core.”
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Brittany Mahomes now questioning Trump support after Taylor Swift backs Kamala Harris
07:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Watch: Billie Eilish and Finneas endorse Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in new video
06:30 , Oliver O’Connell
The Independent’s White House correspondent Andrew Feinberg has been traveling with Tim Walz — something he calls a ‘surreal affair’ — and details how Harris’s running mate responded to the second attempted shooting of Trump at his golf course in Florida.
I traveled with Walz after the second attempted Trump shooting. Here’s how he reacted
05:30 , Oliver O’Connell
A former Donald Trump aide warned that the Republican presidential nominee’s staff would be full of “Laura Loomers of the world” if he is re-elected president in November.
Loomer, 31, the conservative conspiracy theorist who once described herself as a “proud Islamophobe,” has been placed under the microscope in recent weeks for her presence and perceived close relationship with the 78-year-old former president.
Now, Trump’s former deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews weighed in on the Republican presidential nominee’s connection to the MAGA stalwart, and what role she might play in a second administration.
Read on…
Second Trump administration will be full of ‘Laura Loomers,’ former aide says
04:30 , Oliver O’Connell
One of Donald Trump’s golfing partners has recalled the moment that Secret Service members “converged” on the former president after gunshots rang out across the Florida golf course.
Businessman Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump friend and political donor, said the agents present took “two seconds, maybe three” to spring into action and usher Trump off the course.
The incident happened on Sunday as the pair played at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Mike Bedigan reports.
Trump’s golfing pal recalls watching Secret Service react to assassination attempt
03:30 , Oliver O’Connell
MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle cursed live on air while delivering scathing criticism about Donald Trump’s business partner in his new cryptocurrency venture.
Chase Herro, the self-styled “dirtbag of the internet,” is the dealmaker behind World Liberty Financial, the crypto project Trump is working on with his two eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr.
The four men, along with fellow crypto entrepreneur Zachary Folkman, unveiled the new venture in a virtual address from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Monday — a highly unusual maneuver just weeks before election day on November 5.
James Liddell has the details.
MSNBC host curses live on air while taunting Trump’s ‘dirtbag’ crypto partner
02:30 , Oliver O’Connell
Donald Trump’s efforts to block the certification of the 2020 election is in the spotlight in a new documentary as it probes the former president’s ability to surround himself with so-called “yes men” who will do his bidding.
Stopping the Steal, the documentary available on HBO on September 17 at 9pm, tracks Trump’s extraordinary efforts from Election Day 2020 through January 6 to stay in power despite his election loss. The film reveals the former president’s reliance on so-called “yes men,” a group that includes his allies and conspiracy theorists alike, to boost his baseless claims while many elected officials refused to bend to Trump’s will.
Kelly Rissman reports.
New doc exposes how Trump finds ‘yes men’ to push his election fraud lies
02:00 , Michael Rubinkam, Julie Carr Smyth
A small Ohio city has been inundated with hoax bomb threats since last week’s presidential debate, when former President Donald Trump falsely accused members of Springfield‘s Haitian community of abducting and eating cats and dogs.
Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, has amplified debunked internet rumors about Haitian migrants as the Republican ticket criticizes the immigration policies of President Joe Biden’s administration that are supported by Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. City officials acknowledge growing pains from the influx of some 15,000 Haitian immigrants, but say there’s no evidence to support the claim they are consuming anyone’s pets.
More than 30 bomb threats have been made against schools, government buildings and city officials’ homes since last week, forcing evacuations and closures. Springfield also canceled its annual celebration of diversity, arts and culture in response to the threats, and on Tuesday, state police were deployed to city schools.
Here are some things to know about the situation in Springfield:
What to know about the threats in Springfield, Ohio, after false claims about Haitian immigrants
01:30 , Mike Bedigan
Donald Trump has been advised by the Secret Service that he must significantly increase his security arrangements if he wishes to keep up with his favorite hobby – golf– following the second attempt on his life at his Florida course.
In a meeting with the former president at his Mar-a-Lago residence on Monday, Secret Service acting director Ronald Rowe told Trump that it was difficult to properly secure areas with such large, open spaces.
The president had asked him directly if it was safe for him to continue golfing regularly, The New York Times reported, citing three people with knowledge of the conversation.
Secret Service tells Trump to increase security if he wants to keep golfing
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:55 , Gustaf Kilander
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:53 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump said he would like to meet the woman who took a picture of the license plate of the man who was detained following the second attempted assassination of the former president.
“This woman was unbelievable, because I actually asked the sheriff, if it happened 1,000 times, would anybody have done that? He said, maybe, but not much, not much. So she did [an] … amazing job,” he said.
He also called the suspect, Ryan Wesley Routh, “a sophisticated guy.”
He added: “He even had the serial number taken off the rifle.”
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:43 , Gustaf Kilander
Trump told the Michigan crowd on Tuesday night that he “saw that Putin the other day endorsed Kamala.”
He added: “And you have to understand, these are major chess players, so when he endorses Kamala, he may say, ‘Well, I did that because I love you and it’s better to be doing it’ … he endorsed Kamala, which is a little unusual. I was watching. I said, it’s interesting. I think that’s a good thing, isn’t it? It really is.”
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:31 , Gustaf Kilander
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander
To boos from the audience, Trump said he received a “very nice” call from Kamala Harris after the most recent attempted assassination.
“I have to say that President Biden called me yesterday, was … a very nice conversation. I appreciated that he called about, you know what happened the other day,” Trump said.
“A little while ago, I got a very nice call from Kamala. It was very nice … and we appreciate that, but we have to take back our country. We have to win. We’re going to win, and we’re going to make America great again,” he added.
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:15 , Oliver O’Connell
JD Vance has suggested that American support for NATO should be predicated on the European Union not regulating Elon Musk and his X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter.
The Republican vice presidential nominee and Ohio senator claimed in an interview with YouTuber Shawn Ryan that a top EU official had threatened to arrest the billionaire if he allowed former President Donald Trump back on X.
Gustaf Kilander reports.
JD Vance says US could veto NATO if Europe tries to regulate Elon Musk’s platforms
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:10 , Gustaf Kilander
Addressing the recent assassination attempt, Trump said, “It’s a dangerous business … being president, it’s a little bit dangerous.”
He added: “You know, they think race car driving is dangerous. They think bullriding, that’s pretty scary, right? No, this is a dangerous business, so we have to keep it safe.”
Wednesday 18 September 2024 00:06 , Gustaf Kilander
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the former Trump White House Secretary and current Arkansas governor, slammed Kamala Harris during her opening remarks at the town hall event with former President Donald Trump in Flint, Michigan.
“Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble,” she said. “You would think after four years of straight failure, she would know a little humility. Unfortunately, she doesn’t. You would think after four years of wide open borders, skyrocketing inflation, and an embarrassment on the national stage, she would be held accountable for the failures of this administration, but she thinks she can walk away and get out of it but we’re not going to let her.”
Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:55 , Oliver O’Connell
USA Today reports that nearly half of Republicans say they won’t accept the results of the presidential election if their candidate loses, and some of them say they would “take action to overturn” the results, according to data released Tuesday.
Roughly a quarter of Democrats says they wouldn’t accept the results if their candidate loses and far fewer would “take action to overturn” the results.
The data was gathered by the World Justice Project which indexes how strong the rule of law if in more than 100 countries. It was part of a larger study that saw online interviews conducted with 1,046 American households between June 10 -18.
Per USA Today:
The report did not ask people what specific “action” they would take to overturn the election results, just that 46% of Republicans and 27% of Democrats wouldn’t accept results, and 14% of Republicans compared with 11% of Democrats said they would “take action.”
Elizabeth Andersen, the group’s executive director, said the results are “kind of startling” and amount to about one-third of Americans being unwilling to accept the presidential election results if their candidate loses.
Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:35 , Oliver O’Connell
Nearly half of Donald Trump voters say they believe his debunked claim that Haitian immigrants in Ohio are eating residents’ pets.
Some 52 percent of Trump voters said that the claim is “definitely” or “probably” true, according to a post-debate poll by YouGov released this week. Meanwhile, 24 percent of Trump voters said they’re “not sure” if it’s true, while 25 percent said it’s “probably” or “definitely” false.
On the other hand, 81 percent of Kamala Harris voters said the claim is “definitely false.”
Katie Hawkinson has the story.
Majority of Trump supporters think his Haitian immigrant lies are true, poll shows
Tuesday 17 September 2024 23:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Assassins have killed four US presidents— Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F Kennedy—part of 18 total plots against presidents and presidential candidates.
However, one Republican president faced two assassination attempts in even shorter succession than Trump.
Josh Marcus has more:
When were there two presidential assassination attempts this close?
Tuesday 17 September 2024 22:55 , Oliver O’Connell
The death of a 28-year-old pregnant woman from an infection has been blamed on “Trump abortion bans” by Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
Amber Nicole Thurman, from Atlanta, died two years ago after delays in her care as doctors grappled with Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws.
Her death was later ruled “preventable” by a state committee, which included 10 doctors, investigative outlet ProPublica reported on Monday.
Katie Hawkinson has the details.
Harris blames ‘Trump abortion bans’ for ‘preventable’ death of Georgia mother
Tuesday 17 September 2024 22:35 , Oliver O’Connell
VP Harris stopped by a voter registration training at the Community College of Philadelphia to mark National Voter Registration Day:
“You all are just killing it. You are the reason, one of the reasons for sure that I am so optimistic and excited about the future of our… pic.twitter.com/EP0TjE8gwt
— Ebony Davis (@ebonyjdavis) September 17, 2024
Tuesday 17 September 2024 22:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump by three points in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, according to the latest USA Today/Suffolk University polling.
The post-debate survey, released on Monday shows the vice president with 49 per cent support among likely voters in the vital battleground state, outpacing the former president’s 46 per cent.
Harris’s lead however falls within the margin of error.
The Democrat also held a five-point lead with independents — 43 per cent support to Trump’s 38 per cent.
The former president has a double-digit lead with male voters of 12 points, with 53 per cent support compared to Harris’s 41 per cent.
However, the vice president has a 17-point lead among female voters in the state — 56 per cent to 39 per cent.
The statewide poll was conducted over September 11-15 among 500 likely voters from across Pennsylvania, after the two candidates faced off in Philadelphia in their first presidential debate.
The margin of error is 4.4 percentage points.
Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:55 , Oliver O’Connell
Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:35 , Oliver O’Connell
Podcaster Joe Rogan, known for hosting a wide range of guests including those on the right wing, heaped unexpected praise on the Kamala Harris campaign and the vice president’s performance in last week’s debate against Donald Trump.
“Whoever’s helping her, whoever’s coaching her, whoever’s the puppet master running the strings—you did a f***ing amazing job,” Rogan said on an episode released Monday, recorded just after the debate.
Josh Marcus reports on what else he had to say.
Joe Rogan effusively praises Harris’s debate against Trump: ‘She’s nailing it’
Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:22 , Oliver O’Connell
The latest Monmouth University poll shows Vice President Kamala Harris continues to hold slightly more voter support than former President Donald Trump in the 2024 race for president.
There has been practically no change in these numbers since the last national Monmouth poll taken a few weeks after Harris entered the race, with only a handful of voters saying last week’s debate caused them to reconsider their support.
Trump has an advantage among economically disaffected voters and handling immigration, while Harris has the edge on leadership qualities and handling abortion, with a large gender gap on these key issues.
Just under half of registered voters say they will either definitely (39%) or probably (10%) vote for Harris in November and, in a separate question, just over 4 in 10 will definitely (34%) or probably (10%) support Trump. About half say they will definitely not vote for Trump (48%), while a smaller number say they definitely will not vote for Harris (42%).
These results have changed little from Monmouth’s August poll taken a few weeks after President Joe Biden dropped out of the contest. Harris then stood at 48% total support and Trump was at 43%. In fact, Trump’s support is virtually unchanged from his levels when Biden was in the race from Monmouth polling going back a year.
Last week’s debate was seen as a clear win for Harris, but very few voters report their support in the race has been affected by it. Specifically, 71% say the debate did not raise any doubts about the candidate they were already supporting, while another 17% say they did not see or hear any part of the event. Another 8% of voters say the debate raised some doubts about their choice, but it did not change their minds. That leaves a mere 3% of voters who say the debate caused them to reconsider who they may support for president. Among this impacted group, most are currently supporting Harris. Even if this represents an actual shift in vote choice for this group, it amounts to a net gain of only one point for Harris over what would have been her pre-debate margin among all voters.
Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:15 , Oliver O’Connell
Eric Garcia writes:
During his debate with Kamala Harris last week, former president Donald Trump said that “I have been a leader on fertilization” — and what he meant by that was in vitro fertilization treatment, otherwise known as IVF. The former president promised before the debate that either the federal government or insurance would cover the cost of IVF if he got a second term in the White House.
This all seemed a little convenient, considering it was Trump who put IVF in jeopardy.
Read on…
IVF is supposedly key to Trump’s campaign. JD Vance didn’t even show up to vote on it
Tuesday 17 September 2024 21:05 , Katie Hawkinson
Kamala Harris rejected the untrue claim peddled by Donald Trump and his GOP allies that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are eating people’s pets.
“I mean, my heart breaks for this community,” Harris told the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday. “So there were children, elementary school children. It was school photo day. You remember what that’s like going to school on picture day? They dressed up in their best, got all ready, knew what they were going to wear the night before, and had to be evacuated, children, children, a whole community put in fear.”
Several schools in Springfield have evacuated students due to threats surrounding the rumors. A bomb threat on Thursday forced the evacuation of city hall and two schools. Local officials said the threat explicitly “used hateful language towards immigrants and Haitians in our community.” On Monday, threats continued to pour in. As a result, two more schools in Springfield evacuated while two nearby college campuses moved classes online and canceled on-campus events.
“I bet it’s a crying shame, literally, what’s happening to those families, children in that community,” Harris continued.
Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:55 , Oliver O’Connell
Brittany Mahomes is reportedly questioning her support of Donald Trump, following the former president’s attack on one of her close friends – Taylor Swift.
Trump’s recent attacks on Swift – who last week officially backed Kamala Harris for president – have reportedly shaken Mahomes “to her core”.
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Brittany Mahomes now questioning Trump support after Taylor Swift backs Kamala Harris
Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:40 , Katie Hawkinson
Vice President Kamala Harris checked in on Donald Trump after the second assassination attempt against him on Sunday
“I checked in to see if he was okay, and I told him what I have said publicly, there was no place for political violence in our country,” Harris said.
“I am in this election, in this race for many reasons, including to fight for our democracy. And in a democracy, there is no place for political violence. We can and should have healthy debates and discussion and disagreements, but not resort to violence to resolve those issues.”
Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:35 , AP
Florida law enforcement officials will launch their own criminal investigation into the apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump that will run parallel to the federal probe, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Tuesday.
The governor said Florida prosecutors will pursue the most serious charges available under state law, including attempted murder, in the state-level investigation into Ryan Wesley Routh, who was charged Monday with federal firearms offenses.
“We have a very strong interest in holding this suspect accountable,” DeSantis told reporters.
Florida will launch criminal probe into apparent assassination attempt of Trump, governor says
Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:33 , Oliver O’Connell
Q: Why is joy important to you in this election and what do you make of Republicans trying to weaponize it against you?
Vice President Harris: There are some times when your adversaries will try and turn your strength into a weakness. Don’t you let them. I find joy in the… pic.twitter.com/rTMgLP5X4u
— Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 17, 2024
