Biden and Harris spoke to Netanyahu in wake of Iran's missile attack on Israel
Biden spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this morning, according to the White House, following Iran's missile attack on Israel last week.
The call, which Harris also joined, was the first time Biden and Netanyahu spoke since Aug. 21 as their relationship has been strained over how Israel has handled the fallout of Hamas' Oct. 7 terror attack.
Separately, Trump spoke to the Israeli prime minister following the missile attacks from Iran on Israel, according to two Trump campaign officials.
Israel was able to prevent fatalities during the attack, which involved 180 missiles fired from Iran, because of its aerial defense system.
DNC to fly banner over Tigers game calling Trump 'an anti-union scab'
A day before Trump is scheduled to visit Detroit to deliver remarks about his economic agenda, the Democratic National Committee is flying a banner over the Detroit Tigers home playoff game today at Comerica Park that reads: “Trump is an anti-union scab. Vote Kamala!”
“Detroit workers lived through the consequences of Trump’s catastrophic policies and have made a comeback under the Biden-Harris administration,” DNC spokesperson Stephanie Justice said in a statement.
She referred to Trump as an "anti-union scab who weakened the rights of workers, and he’ll push them to the bottom of his priority list once again to give handouts to his billionaire friends.”
The Democrats have sought to paint Trump as anti-union throughout the campaign, pointing to his policies as president and remarks he made to Elon Musk in August praising the SpaceX founder's firing of striking workers.
Harris campaign launches ‘Hombres con Harris' in effort to mobilize Latino men in battleground states
The Harris-Walz campaign launched “Hombres con Harris,” an effort to expand the campaign’s outreach to Latino men in battleground states across the country.
The initiative comes as Walz is scheduled to join Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who is running for an open Senate seat in the state, and actor Jaime Camil for a campaign event in Chandler this afternoon.
Other events for the initiative includes stops in Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Nogales in Arizona; Sparks, Reno and Las Vegas in Nevada; Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania.
Each stop is set to feature members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, digital creators and celebrities including Aaron Dominguez, Guillermo Diaz, Nick Gonzales, Al Madrigal and more, the campaign said in a news release.
“At Latino-owned small businesses, sports bars, carnes asadas, union halls, and other community centered venues, the travel blitz will be focused on meeting Latino men where they are, in environments to discuss the issues that matter most to them and mobilize them to reach out to other Latino men, encouraging them to vote for Kamala Harris,” the campaign said.
Attendees at the events will discuss key issues to Latino communities, including health care, lower costs and an economy that gives people the opportunity to succeed, the campaign said.
Harris warns against price gouging and fraud during Hurricane Milton and Helene recovery
Harris warned in a statement released by the White House this morning against price gouging and fraud during Hurricane Milton and in the wake of Hurricane Helene as states continue to recover from the destruction.
The Biden administration is monitoring for allegations of price gouging and fraud and will hold people accountable for taking advantage of the natural disasters, Harris said.
"I have seen firsthand the devastating impact of price gouging during an emergency," Harris said. "As Attorney General of California during devastating wildfires that displaced thousands of residents, I took on those attempting to take advantage of the situation by raising hotel prices. As Senator, I worked to stop price gouging during the pandemic."
The vice president has been proactive in weighing in on current events as she tries to emulate the position of the president ahead of the presidential election.
"Those evacuating before Hurricane Milton or recovering from Hurricane Helene should not be subject to illegal price gouging or fraud — at the pump, airport, or hotel counter," she said.
Biden called on airlines and other companies yesterday not to engage in price gouging.
Trump slams Harris' plan to raise taxes on the wealthy: 'You don't tax the rich'
Trump bashed Harris' plan to raise taxes on the wealthiest Americans last night, telling Newsmax, "You don't tax the rich."
"You don’t tax the rich, because the rich are going to — look the rich pay most of the tax in the country. First of all, you know, people hate to say it, they hate to hear it, but you take a certain very small percentage and most of the tax is paid by the rich," Trump said, predicting the wealthy would leave the country to avoid paying higher tax bills.
"The problem that she has is, she’s going to the communist method. Take all incentive," Trump said, claiming — as he did when he was running against Biden in 2020 — that the country would enter a financial depression if he loses.
Trump was the first major presidential candidate in decades not to make his tax information public after he first clinched the Republican nomination in 2016. The then-Democratic-controlled House Ways and Means Committee released six years of his tax returns in 2022, which showed he paid relatively little in federal taxes in the years before and during his presidency.
Trump criticized Democrats for releasing the information, but said at the time the returns “show how proudly successful I have been and how I have been able to use depreciation and various other tax deductions as an incentive for creating thousands of jobs and magnificent structures and enterprises.”
GOP Rep. Carlos Giménez of Florida lashes out at Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene
GOP Rep. Carlos Giménez of Florida lashed out at his fellow Republican colleague, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, on X this morning, implying that she should have her "head examined" after suggesting people can control the weather.
Giménez represents Florida's 28th Congressional District, which covers the Florida Keys and many of Miami's suburbs. His comment comes as his state is preparing for Hurricane Milton, a dangerous Category 4 storm expected to hit the west coast of Florida tonight.
"[NEWS] FLASH —> Humans cannot create or control hurricanes," Giménez wrote on X. "Anyone who thinks they can, needs to have their head examined."
He was responding to Greene's post on X from Oct. 3 in which she peddled a conspiracy theory, suggesting people, whom she identifies only as "they," can control the weather.
"It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done," she wrote. NBC News has reached out to Greene's office for comment.
Trump to hold campaign events in Pennsylvania while Vance campaigns in Arizona
Trump heads to the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania today, delivering remarks in Scranton at 3 p.m. and a campaign rally in Reading at 7 p.m.
Vance will hold a rally in Tucson, Arizona, at 3 p.m. ET, setting up split-screen appearances between him and Walz, who's holding a rally there tonight. Vance will also deliver remarks at a CPAC town hall in Mesa at 5:30 p.m. ET
During an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Harris accused Trump’s campaign of spreading misinformation on hurricane relief. She added, “Have you no empathy, man?” and insisted that a “leader means lifting people up.”
Trump suggests CBS News broke the law with Harris' '60 Minutes' interview
Trump suggested in a post on Truth Social this morning that CBS News broke the law in its "60 Minutes" interview with Harris, which aired in an election special Monday night.
The former president claimed that the show's producers "sliced and diced" Harris' answers to their questions "over and over again," though there's no evidence that they did so.
He said it seemed to be "all in an effort, possibly illegal as part of the 'News Division,' which must be licensed, to make her look 'more Presidential,' or a least, better."
"It may also be a major Campaign Finance Violation," he continued. "This is a stain on the reputation of 60 Minutes that is not recoverable — It will always remain with this once storied brand. I have never heard of such a thing being done in 'News.' It is the very definition of FAKE NEWS! The public is owed a MAJOR AND IMMEDIATE APOLOGY! This is an open and shut case, and must be investigated, starting today!"
It's unclear exactly what would have been considered a campaign finance violation. NBC News reached out to the Trump campaign for clarification. NBC News has also reached out to CBS News for comment.
Trump's campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt called last night for CBS to release an unedited transcript of the interview with Harris, saying in a statement that it was "deceptively edited to lessen Kamala's idiotic response."
Harris' interview was part of the same election special in which Trump was invited to participate in a separate interview but ultimately pulled out. CBS host Scott Pelley said that the Trump campaign gave "shifting explanations" for pulling out of the interview, including that CBS wanted to fact-check the interview and that Trump needed an apology for an interview CBS did with him in 2020.
N.C. Republican debunks Helene weather conspiracy pushed by Marjorie Taylor Greene
Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C., who represents parts of western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene, called out “outrageous rumors” pushed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., suggesting that government officials control the weather.
“Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done,” Greene wrote in a post on X last week after Hurricane Helene devastated parts of southeastern states.
In a statement yesterday, Edwards condemned “an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay” about response efforts in the aftermath of the hurricane, without naming Greene.
“While it is true, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Helene has had its shortfalls, I’m here to dispel the outrageous rumors that have been circulated online,” he said. “Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock. Nobody can control the weather.”
Edwards noted that Charles Konrad, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Regional Climate Center, has confirmed that it is impossible for someone to geoengineer a hurricane.
“Current geoengineering technology can serve as a large-scale intervention to mitigate the negative consequences of naturally occurring weather phenomena, but it cannot be used to create or manipulate hurricanes,” he said.
NBC News has reached out to Greene’s office for comment.