Trump dismisses concerns about relationship with Laura Loomer: 'She's a free spirit'
The former president dismissed concerns about his close relationship with far-right activist Laura Loomer during a news conference today.
"Laura has been a supporter of mine. Just like a lot of people are supporters, and she’s been a supporter of mine. She speaks very positively of the campaign. I’m not sure why you asked that question," Trump told reporters, after Republicans this week raised questions about his relationship with Loomer.
"I don’t control Laura. Laura — she’s a, she’s a free spirit. Well, I don’t know. I mean, look, I can’t tell Laura what to do," Trump added.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted Loomer this week after she attended the debate and a 9/11 event with Trump. She engaged in social media spats with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga.
Trump rants about migrants in Springfield again
During remarks in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Trump once again spoke about immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying that the migrants are "destroying the way of life. They’ve destroyed the place."
He did not repeat the baseless claims he made on the debate stage about immigrants eating pets, but he still used anti-immigrant rhetoric familiar to anyone who watches his campaign rallies.
"Illegal aliens are now coming in from all over the world, from prisons, jails, mental institutions," he said. "They’re coming in at levels that we’ve never seen before. We cannot let this happen to our country."
Trump promised that if elected, "I will be your border president, and I hope you call me a border president."
Nebraska Supreme Court allows abortion-rights amendments to stay on November ballot
The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled today to allow two dueling constitutional amendments to appear on the November ballot.
One of the ballot measures, known as “Protect the Right to Abortion,” would amend the state’s constitution to state that “all persons shall have a fundamental right to abortion until fetal viability, or when needed to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient.”
The other, called “Protect Women and Children,” would bar abortions in the second and third trimesters, except in the case of a medical emergency or when the pregnancy is a result of sexual assault or incest.
Nebraska law currently bans abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest and saving the mother’s life. The pro-abortion-rights measure would effectively undo that law, while the other would essentially codify it in the state's constitution.
Abortion opponents had argued in a pair of lawsuits that the proposed amendment that would expand abortion rights violated a state rule that a ballot proposal must only address one subject.
But the state Supreme Court ruled that the proposed amendment did not violate the state's single-subject rule.
Nebraska is one of 10 states where constitutional amendments that would protect or expand abortion rights are officially set to appear on the November ballot.
Sen. Thom Tillis says Laura Loomer is hurting Trump's chance at re-election
In a post on X, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said Laura Loomer is hurting Trump's re-election bid, referring to her as a "crazy conspiracy theorist."
“Laura Loomer is a crazy conspiracy theorist who regularly utters disgusting garbage intended to divide Republicans,” he wrote. “A DNC plant couldn’t do a better job than she is doing to hurt President Trump’s chances of winning re-election. Enough.”
Loomer is a far-right activist who traveled alongside Trump to the debate and to 9/11 memorial services this week. Her access to the former president has drawn criticism from prominent Trump allies including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
In a social media post Thursday that drew condemnation from the White House, Loomer baselessly claimed that Haitian immigrants were eating "humans."
Loomer hit back at Tillis in another post on X, calling the GOP senator a "DNC Plant" and saying he should be condemned for his "record of working against Donald Trump."
White House is in touch with both parties about Boeing strike
In a statement, White House spokesperson Robyn Patterson said that Biden administration officials "are in touch with Boeing and the Machinists. We encourage them to negotiate in good faith — toward an agreement that gives employees the benefits they deserve and makes the company stronger."
The statement comes after Boeing union workers walked off the job at midnight Friday after 94.6% of workers in Oregon and the Seattle area voted against a tentative agreement that Boeing and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers unveiled earlier this week.
Vance to deliver remarks in Raleigh next week
Vance will head to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Wednesday to deliver remarks at a rally as the Trump and Harris campaigns target the critical swing state. Harris was in North Carolina this week, holding rallies in Charlotte and Greensboro, while Trump visited the state last week, where he received the endorsement of the Fraternal Order of Police.
Vance has been attacking Harris and Biden on the administration’s economic policies, which the campaign highlighted in the announcement, saying Covid-era spending and Democratic health care, energy and tax policies contributed to high inflation rates.
Travel writer Rick Steves endorses Harris
Travel writer and television host Rick Steves endorsed Harris today, writing on X, "This election is deeper than partisanship. It’s far more than Republican versus Democrat."
"The world needs not American isolation, but American leadership. Not the chaos of Trump, but the stability of @KamalaHarris," Steves added.
This isn't Steves' first time wading into a presidential election. The travel author also endorsed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
Walz blasts Vance for wanting to shut down the government
During a stop at a campaign field office in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Walz directly attacked Vance for wanting to shut down the government rather than work in a bipartisan way to get things done.
In a podcast taped Wednesday, Vance asked, “Why shouldn’t we be trying to force this government shutdown fight to get something out of it that’s good for the American people?”
"It probably would be good for [Republicans]. Of course it would be good for them," Walz said Friday. "It would not be good more so if they do such a thing."
Trump said yesterday that he won both presidential debates and will not do a third, as Harris is calling on him to do more. It comes as the Harris campaign is targeting North Carolina, where a Democratic presidential candidate has not won since 2008. NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez has the latest.
Vance repeats claims, without evidence, that there's a rise in crime and disease in Springfield
Vance took to X this morning to repeat claims he has been making in recent days about what he says is the negative impact of an influx of Haitian immigrants into Springfield, Ohio.
"In Springfield, Ohio, there has been a massive rise in communicable diseases, rent prices, car insurance rates, and crime. This is what happens when you drop 20,000 people into a small community," he said in one of a series of posts on the issue of immigration, without citing evidence for his claims.
Trump, Vance and Republican officials and commentators have focused on Springfield as an example of what they say are the problems being caused by the Biden administration's immigration policies. In his posts today, Vance did not repeat the lie he helped spread — which Trump also repeated during Tuesday's presidential debate with Harris — that the Haitian immigrants have been eating residents' pets.
NBC News has reached out to Springfield's police department and mayor's office for comment on Vance's statements today.
Asked to comment on Vance's comment, Chris Cook, the Clark County health commissioner, replied in part: “Overall, we have not seen a substantial increase in all reportable communicable diseases. In fact, if you look at all reportable communicable diseases together (minus COVID) for the year ending 2023 you will see that we are at our lowest rate in Clark County since 2016.”