Walz clarifies that his view on the Electoral College is 'not the campaign's position'
Walz said in an interview that aired on ABC News' "Good Morning America" this morning that his earlier statement that the Electoral College should be eliminated is "not the campaign's position."
"And the point I’m trying to make is that there’s folks that feel every vote must count in every state, and I think some, some folks feel that’s not the case," he said.
He continued, "We’re out there making the case that the campaign’s position is clear, that that’s not their position," he said. "Their position, and my position, is to make sure that everybody understands their vote, no matter what state they’re in, matters."
At a fundraiser at California Gov. Gavin Newsom's house earlier in the week, Walz said, "I think all of us know the Electoral College needs to go. We need a, we need a national popular vote, but that’s not the world we live in.”
Walz has supported the elimination of the Electoral College as governor of Minnesota, signing the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact into law in May 2023, making it the 17th state to join the effort.
Jon Tester pushes for ticket-splitters in a Montana Senate race that appears to be slipping away
BUTTE, Mont. — Tim Combo arrived at the second-floor union hall of the Western States Carpenters in Butte covered in dust and grime from a day spent on the job Wednesday. Combo, a 27-year union carpenter, feels deeply that the election will directly affect his life — and he has made his choice.
“I came up here to vote for Jon Tester, and I am going to vote for Donald Trump, as well,” Combo said at the hall, where Tester was speaking.
Combo represents the best hope for Tester, a three-term Democrat, to win another election for the Senate — and with it, the possibility that Democrats will maintain a slim majority in the chamber, which is split 51-49. But ticket-splitters like him are becoming less common with every passing election in a polarized U.S., giving Republicans a very good chance of capturing the majority this fall.
Maryland Senate candidates Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks and former Gov. Larry Hogan sparred over the issue of abortion during their debate.
Cities seek more than $750K in unpaid bills for Trump campaign events since 2016
Trump held a third rally last month in Erie, Pennsylvania, which sits in the northwest corner of a swing state that could decide who wins the White House.
Like the two other times Trump has been to Erie to rev up his supporters, he left without paying the bill.
City officials haven’t yet tallied up what the Trump campaign owes Erie for public safety costs for his most recent rally in September. But according to a city official, Trump owes the city more than $40,000 for the rallies he held there in 2018 and 2023.
Erie, whose bills were previously reported by the Erie Times-News, isn’t the only city that has hosted Trump rallies and not been paid by the campaign. Including Erie, four cities and a county confirmed to NBC News that they’re still waiting for the Trump campaign to pay bills often associated with reimbursements for the costs of local law enforcement and other first responder personnel.
The final price tag is more than $750,000 for those five jurisdictions, with some bills dating back eight years. At the same time, it’s not always clear cut whose legal responsibility it is to foot the bill.
Trump has kept in touch with more foreign leaders than Putin since leaving office
Trump has kept a toe in foreign policy since he left the White House, talking not just to Russian President Vladimir Putin — whom he reportedly has spoken to seven times since he left office, a revelation that has raised eyebrows.
At his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, foreign delegations from Israel and Ukraine have sat opposite Trump and his campaign staffers as if they were holding a bilateral meeting — then shared remarks before a bank of news cameras, a set-up that evokes some of the trappings of a state visit.
Staying tapped into foreign policy allows Trump to argue that he could easily slide back into office, but it also carries risk for Trump, who faced criticism while he was in office for his close ties to Russia and complaints about how talkative he was with other leaders.
In office, Trump reveled in his one-on-one interactions with other leaders, and he argued in a speech at a rally Wednesday that having an open dialogue helped cut bring hostile adversaries down to size. Asked about those relationships in a podcast interview, Trump said, “The tougher they were, the better I did with them,” adding that it was a good thing he got along with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping. “The other ones are easy to handle,” he said.
Obama tells men Trump doesn’t represent ‘real strength’
PITTSBURGH — Rallying for Harris, former President Barack Obama spoke directly to American men and characterized Trump as mendacious and self-centered, saying he doesn’t represent “real strength.”
“I’m sorry, gentlemen, I’ve noticed this especially with some men who seem to think some of Trump’s behavior — the bullying and the putting people down — is a sign of strength. And I am here to tell you: That is not what real strength is. It never has been,” Obama said, drawing heavy applause from the Democratic crowd.
“Real strength is about working hard. And carrying a heavy load is about complaining. Real strength is about taking responsibility for your actions and telling the truth even when it’s inconvenient,” he said. “Real strength is about helping people who need it and standing up for those who can’t always stand up for themselves. That is what we should want for our daughters and our sons, and that is what I want to see in a president of the United States of America.”
Obama said Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, represent the “character” and “values” a president should have.
Election surveys suggest a wide gender gap, showing Harris winning women by large margins while struggling with men. Some Democratic strategists worry they risk losing slices of young men, Latino men and even Black men, who have expressed openness to Trump or low enthusiasm about voting.
Hurricane Helene upends Trump’s and Harris’ plans for one of the biggest swing states
The unprecedented destruction Hurricane Helene has wreaked on western North Carolina could take months, if not years, to rebuild. Entire communities are destroyed and scores of residents are displaced. With the presidential election in less than 26 days, both parties are scrambling to contend with the unpredictable political fallout.
For Harris, who became the Democratic nominee only 2½ months ago, the hurricane’s aftermath had meant the suspension of campaign rallies. That’s lost time when, in Harris’ world, every hour has counted, especially when the onus is on Democrats to flip a historically red state.