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What to know about Trump's Butler rally
- Former President Donald Trump spoke at a rally in Butler, the Pennsylvania city where he was shot at a rally in July. Trump discussed the assassination attempt throughout his remarks, marking the minute shots rang out at the prior Butler rally with a moment of silence.
- Among those joining Trump at the Butler event were his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio; his son Eric Trump; and billionaire SpaceX owner Elon Musk. Family members of Corey Comperatore, the Pennsylvania fireman who was killed in the July shooting, are also in attendance at the rally.
- Meanwhile, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to North Carolina, which has been ravaged by Hurricane Helene. She met with volunteers and received a briefing from officials on the ground on the storm response.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court to decide whether voters must be notified if their ballots are rejected
Pennsylvania's Supreme Court said today it will decide whether election officials have to notify voters whose mail-in ballots are disqualified, allowing them to challenge the decision or vote provisionally on Election Day.
The court will review a lower court's decision that said officials must notify voters of paperwork errors. The Republican National Committee and the Republican Party of Pennsylvania appealed the ruling.
Pennsylvania's Washington County Board of Elections passed a policy before the April primary saying officials did not have to inform voters if their ballots were not counted. Voting rights groups challenged the policy before a Washington County judge who granted an injunction on the policy. An appellate court upheld the injunction.
With only one month until Election Day, the state's high court must rule swiftly and requested petitioners to file a brief by Wednesday, Oct. 9.
Tim Walz to appear on 'Fox News Sunday'
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is slated to appear on "Fox News Sunday" tomorrow, the show announced this afternoon.
It will be the governor's first Sunday show appearance since he became the Democratic vice presidential nominee in August.
Trump mixes somber remembrance with heated rhetoric in his return to Butler
Former President Donald Trump set the stage for a bruising final month of the presidential campaign during a return visit to the Pennsylvania venue where a gunman attempted to assassinate him this summer.
The trip was Trump’s latest to the Keystone State, which is shaping up to be the most pivotal in this election cycle. As the rally was ongoing, Trump’s campaign announced two additional Pennsylvania events the president would appear at in the coming days.
Vance says his criticism of Hurricane Helene response is targeted at the Biden administration
Vance told reporters after today's Butler rally that his criticisms of the federal response to Hurricane Helene were not jabs at FEMA workers on the ground, but rather criticisms of the administration's planning ahead of the storm.
Several Republican governors have praised the federal response to the storm.
"I actually agree with the governors that in the way that, look, the governors have said the FEMA response, the people they’ve been dealing with at the ground level of FEMA, have been responsive to their concerns. But look, there were not enough resources that were pre-stationed, especially in western North Carolina," Vance said.
Vance also responded to a question about voters casting ballots based on candidates' positions on abortion.
"I think that for those of us who want to protect the vulnerable, what we have to do is create more options for young people, for young families to choose life to begin with," he said.
Vance added, "We have to understand as Republicans that we have lost a lot of people’s trust on this issue."
Trump recalls violent images from assassination attempt
Trump throughout today's rally recalled the July assassination attempt, sometimes using metaphors of the day's violence to the political landscape.
"Right here in Pennsylvania, we have bled together," he said.
He connected the assassination attempt to his pitch for the presidency, saying, "I will never quit. I will never bend. I will never break. I will never yield, not even in the face of death itself."
Trump also ran through a brief history of Pennsylvania's role of American politics, connecting it to the Butler shooting.
"From Gettysburg to Germantown and Philadelphia to Barren Hill, and from Brandywine to right here in Butler, this is the place where Pennsylvania patriots poured out their blood with the love of their country," he said.
Elon Musk says Democrats are trying to take away people's right to vote
During brief remarks at the Butler rally, Elon Musk said Democrats "want to take away your right to vote."
"And I think this, this, this election, I think it’s the most important election of our lifetime. This is, this is no ordinary election. The other side wants to take away your freedom of speech. They want to take away your right to bear arms that they want to ... they want to take away your right to vote," he said.
Harris thanks volunteers helping with N.C. disaster relief
Harris visited North Carolina today to survey damage from Hurricane Helene. She thanked private citizens affected by the storm who volunteered their efforts to help others affected in the state.
“I have always found in my life and career that some of the people who are most generous have the least to give and give everything they can to take care of each other, and so we are saying the heroes among us, and I’m very grateful for all the folks who are doing this work on the ground," Harris said.
The vice president helped pack donations, putting deodorants into Ziploc bags and passing them down the line. Harris spoke to a volunteer organizing the efforts, asking how her family was doing and saying "all hands [were] on deck" to help those affected.
Harris pledged that she and President Joe Biden were in it for the long haul, promising to aid recovery and rebuilding efforts for as long as necessary.
Elon Musk takes the stage
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and owner of X, has taken the stage at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Musk previously backed Democratic candidates but endorsed Trump this cycle.
Trump pauses remarks as first responders tend to apparent medical incident in the crowd
Trump paused his speech and called for a doctor to attend to an apparent medical incident in the crowd. Details of the incident are unclear.
"You doing okay?" Trump said in the direction of the incident. "Take your time."
He turned to the crowd: "We've got to protect our people, right?"
Moments later, the crowd began singing the national anthem. Trump then resumed his remarks.
Trump leads moment of silence at 6:11 p.m., marking the moment the shooting started at the prior Butler rally
Trump asked for his supporters to hold a moment of silence at 6:11 p.m., marking the time that the July shooting began.
The sound of a bell chimed, and an opera singer performed "Ave Maria."