Closing arguments wrap in RFK Jr. New York ballot access case
Closing arguments have wrapped in the ballot access case against independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Pursuants — defending Kennedy — argued that Kennedy never misled or confused signatories of his petition to appear on the ballot. Kennedy’s attorney emphasized the candidate’s intent to return to New York, drawing upon his ties to the state including his voter registration and his law firm in New York.
Petitioners — arguing against Kennedy — accused him of “perpetrating a sham” with his election filing. They pointed out some inconsistencies throughout witness testimony and warned this case could provide a “playbook” to flout election law. Petitioners also brought up the potential for Kennedy to lose California’s electoral votes if his residency matched that of his running mate Nicole Shanahan, a California resident.
Following the court’s adjournment, Kennedy delivered brief remarks to reporters outside the courtroom where he accused the Democratic Party of using “lawfare to narrow the choice” in the election.
He said, “[New York] is where I’ve always voted. I had no choice but to use this address.” He compared the case to tactics used by Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He got rid of his opponents; the same thing is happening in this country,” Kennedy told reporters.
Judge Christina Ryba did not indicate when she would issue a ruling or in what direction she might be leaning before adjourning court.
Pelosi discusses role in Biden dropping out, trashes his political operation
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., discussed her role in encouraging Biden to drop out of the 2024 race in a new podcast interview with The New Yorker’s David Remnick.
Pelosi explained that the Biden campaign wasn't "facing the fact of what was happening" in the weeks following the presidential debate and the president's weak performance. The former speaker said Democrats couldn't see it all "go down the drain" if Trump became president again.
“I’ve never been that impressed with his political operation,” Pelosi said about Biden's campaign. “They won the White House. Bravo. But my concern was: This ain’t happening, and we have to make a decision for this to happen. The president has to make the decision for that to happen."
The former speaker didn't elaborate about whom she was referring to.
Not much has changed at the top of the campaign: Jen O'Malley Dillon, who had been Biden's campaign chair, is still running Harris' campaign and Biden's campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, is still campaign manager and will focus on Latino voters in states such as Arizona and Nevada.
"The thing is what we had to win," she said, adding that Biden's "whole legacy was at stake."
NBC News reached out to Pelosi's office and Harris' campaign for comment.
Trump reconsidering ABC debate with Harris
A person close to Trump said the former president may be softening his opposition to debating Harris on ABC News next month and indicated that he might have no choice if she declines other counteroffers because “he has to get her to speak.” Trump is also talking to other networks, per this source.
Trump had agreed to a debate with President Joe Biden on Sept. 10 on ABC but backed out of it after Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee. Trump proposed a debate on Fox News instead.
“The Vice President will be there one way or the other to take the opportunity to speak to a prime time national audience,” Michael Tyler, the Harris campaign communications director, told NBC News in a statement.
Abandon Biden campaign blasts Harris for telling protesters: 'I'm speaking'
The Abandon Biden campaign blasted Harris in a new statement this morning for telling pro-Palestinian protesters who interrupted her event last night, "If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that — otherwise I’m speaking.”
The group, which launched to protest Biden's handling of Gaza, said in a statement, "What Harris did show us last night, with her actions, was disdain for citizens of this country who are pleading for an end to a genocide. The Vice President could have taken it as a moment of empathy and acknowledgment of grievances but instead chose to conflate being anti-genocide with supporting Donald J. Trump."
The group's statement differed in tone from that of the Michigan Uncommitted movement, which urged Democratic primary voters earlier this year to vote "uncommitted" instead of for Biden in a show of protest against the president's approach to the war in Gaza.
In a statement from the Michigan Uncommitted group, co-founders Layla Elabed and Abbas Alawie, said, "It’s clear to us that Vice President Harris can lead our country’s Gaza policy to a more humane place. We hope she will meet with us so we can move forward to discuss an arms embargo." The Michigan Uncommitted founders briefly spoke with Harris in Detroit yesterday.
Rep. Debbie Dingell says she's worried about peaceful transition of power if Trump loses
Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said she shares President Joe Biden's concern that Trump may not accept the election results if he loses.
Dingell, who attended Harris' rally in Detroit yesterday, told CNN this morning, “I am very concerned about what will happen if the numbers are close, will the results be accepted? You won’t have that problem on the Democratic side, but I do believe what we saw on January 6th is something that there are some people that are talking about it."
She added, "I would hope we could all work together, my Republican colleagues as well, on the other side to ensure that there is a peaceful transition of government, one of the core strengths of our democracy.”
‘Not right, not ready, not real’: Harris campaign co-chair slams JD Vance
Harris-Walz campaign national co-chair Mitch Landrieu discusses the state of the campaign, why he says the election will be close and his thoughts about JD Vance.
Trump campaign defends comments he made praising Walz in 2020
Trump's campaign defended comments Trump made in 2020 praising Walz for his handling of riots in Minneapolis even though the former president has been criticizing the Minnesota governor on the issue since he was named Harris' running mate.
Trump campaign's communications director, Steven Cheung, said in a statement, "In this daily briefing phone call with Governors on June 1, days after the riots began, President Trump acknowledged Governor Walz for FINALLY taking action to deploy the National Guard to end the violence in the city.”
Cheung still blasted Walz for his response to the 2020 riots in Minneapolis after George Floyd's death, saying Walz "allowed Minneapolis to burn for days, despite President Trump’s offer to deploy soldiers and cries for help from the liberal Mayor of Minneapolis."
In the audio, obtained by NBC News, Trump called Walz an "excellent guy" on a routine phone call with governors on June 1, 2020. ABC News was first to report on the audio.
"I know Gov. Walz is on the phone, and we spoke, and I fully agree with the way he handled it the last couple of days,” Trump also said on the call.
Buttigieg appears to compare attacks on Walz' military service to Vance's 'childless cat ladies' remark
In a post on his personal account on X last night, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg appeared to liken attacks on Walz's military service to Vance's criticism of people without children.
"Come to think of it, denigrating the worth of a soldier’s service based on whether he deployed to a war zone is… kind of like denigrating the worth of a woman’s citizenship based on whether she happens to have children," Buttigieg tweeted.
In recent days, Republicans have criticized Walz for his military record, which didn't include time in combat. Separately, Vance, Trump's running mate, has been under fire for comments he made about people without children. In a 2021 interview, Vance said that Harris, Buttigieg and other "childless cat ladies" don't have as much of a stake in the country's future as those who do.
Harris is the stepmother to Doug Emhoff's two children.
Michigan uncommitted leaders spoke briefly with Harris and Walz
The leaders of the Uncommitted National Movement met briefly with Harris and Walz at their Detroit campaign rally last evening, the group said.
The group said the two leaders, Layla Elabed and Abbas Alawieh, presented their concerns "about the U.S. supplying weapons for Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians." They also requested a formal meeting with Harris "to further discuss their demands of an arms embargo and a permanent ceasefire."
Harris campaign spokesperson confirmed the meeting, saying in a statement that the vice president has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim and Palestinian communities since Oct. 7 over the war in Gaza.
"In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities," the spokesperson said. "The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table. As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination.”
Harris' rally yesterday was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters.
Jan. 6 officers hit the road for Harris, hoping to make Trump lose another election
Police officers who protected the U.S. Capitol during the hourslong onslaught by Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, are hitting the road for Harris in hopes of keeping the former president, who is facing criminal charges for his efforts to stay in office by lying about the last election, from winning back the White House.
Former Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, former Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell, and current Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel “Danny” Hodges will be showing their support for Harris and Walz in the coming days, joining up with the Democratic campaign for the first time since President Joe Biden dropped off the top of the ticket less than three weeks ago.
Dunn and Hodges will be in Michigan this week, visiting Grand Rapids, Flint and Detroit, and the members of the group will travel elsewhere soon, including to North Carolina and Georgia, the Harris campaign told NBC News. During the trips, the Biden-Walz campaign said, the officers would meet with elected officials as well as community leaders to underscore what they call the urgent and immediate threat that Trump poses to democracy.