Flanked by more than 100 Republican backers, Harris to project a message of unity and patriotism
Harris is set to deliver a message of unity and patriotism today in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, flanked by more than 100 Republicans who have endorsed her for president.
The vice president plans to spotlight how Trump violated his oath to uphold the Constitution when he refused to accept the 2020 presidential election results and engaged in a peaceful transfer of power, a senior Harris campaign official said.
Harris plans to emphasize what she says is the threat of a second Trump term to the nation's military, especially after he said he would turn the troops against Americans he considers "the enemy from within," the official said.
Harris will deliver the speech in Washington Crossing, which the official noted is not far from where George Washington and thousands of troops crossed the Delaware River before a major victory in the Revolutionary War.
Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of two Republicans who served on the House Jan. 6 committee, will speak at the event, the official said.
In new TV ad, congressional candidate invokes Texas abortion ban
A new ad from Democrat Michelle Vallejo, who is challenging GOP Rep. Monica de la Cruz in Texas's 15th district, features a woman who had to leave the state for emergency abortion care.
“I was 13 weeks pregnant when doctors told us one of my twins wouldn’t survive. I was devastated, but because of Texas’ abortion ban, I had to leave the state to save my healthy baby’s life—and my own," Lauren Miller says in the ad.
After sharing her story, a narrator tells viewers, "Monica De La Cruz supports this cruel abortion ban."
Vallejo's campaign is one of many Democratic campaigns in Texas this year trying to tie their opponents to the state's six-week abortion ban, a move they hope will move the needle among voters who may not usually vote for Democrats.
Small Business Administration disaster loan program exhausts funds after Hurricane Helene
The Small Business Administration says it has exhausted funds for its disaster loan program following increased demand from Hurricane Helene, with Congress being in recess.
“Until Congress appropriates additional funds, the SBA is pausing new loan offers for its direct, low-interest, long-term loans to disaster survivors,” the SBA said in a statement yesterday.
“However, SBA is encouraging individuals and small businesses to continue to apply for loans given assurances from congressional leaders that additional funding will be provided upon Congress’ return in November.”
The devastating Hurricane Helene killed more than 200 people in six U.S. states, almost half of the victims in North Carolina alone.
President Joe Biden has said he believes Congress, whose members are currently in recess, should come back into session to address disaster relief funding needs.
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate are not scheduled to return to Washington until after the Nov. 5 election.
Analysis: Will Biden cost Harris the election?
For a country that seems evenly divided over politics and polarized about many cultural issues, a durable majority does agree about one thing: They don’t like the Biden presidency.
And despite the machinations that resulted in President Joe Biden not being on the ballot this election season, his unpopularity is still the mood music of this election.
From his border policy to the economy he has been presiding over to turmoil overseas, there isn’t a lot about the Biden years that voters love in this moment. It’s why Trump has basically a 50-50 chance to return to the White House, just four years after voters fired him.
Despite her call to ‘do something’ for Harris, Michelle Obama has yet to hit the campaign trail
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama has begun stumping for Vice President Kamala Harris. Bill Clinton is holding a series of campaign events for her in battleground states.
Yet the Democratic superstar many members of the party would like to see helping Harris has been absent from the campaign trail so far.
With just 20 days until the election, Michelle Obama has worked behind the scenes to boost turnout in key swing states, but she has yet to schedule an official appearance for Harris since the Democratic National Convention. Two people familiar with the matter said she has expressed fresh concerns about security following two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump.
Elon Musk has given almost $75 million to his pro-Trump super PAC
Elon Musk has given nearly $75 million to America PAC, the super PAC he created to support Trump, according to a campaign finance filing from the group late yesterday.
The filing with the Federal Election Commission was the first public look at Musk’s political giving this year after months of speculation about how much money he would contribute to pro-Trump efforts. It shows that he has vaulted into the top ranks of Republican donors.
Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is the world’s wealthiest person, with a net worth of $241 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
He established America PAC in May to support Trump’s campaign to return to the White House. The super PAC is focused on voter turnout efforts in potential swing states such as Pennsylvania, where Musk recently appeared onstage with Trump.
Harris attacks Trump for allegedly sending Covid tests to Putin ‘when Black people were dying every day by the hundreds’
As she steps up her appeals to Black voters, Harris appeared on a popular Black radio program yesterday, saying she is still open to slavery reparations and slamming Trump for allegedly sending Covid tests to Russia “when Black people were dying” back home.
In a wide-ranging live radio town hall in Detroit hosted by syndicated radio host Charlamagne Tha God, Harris faced pointed questions from the host and his guests, some of whom said they felt Black voters have been taken for granted by Democrats while getting “very little in return.”
Harris, who has been trying to stem Democrats’ small but steady erosion of support from voters of color, spoke about her upbringing in Oakland, California, in the Black church and at Howard University, but said she knew she had to “earn every vote.”
While she often tells supporters on the campaign trail that she is the underdog, she said yesterday: “I’m going to win, but it’s tight.”
Abortion rights group endorses Bob Casey in Pennsylvania Senate race
Reproductive Freedom For All endorsed Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., for re-election today in a statement first shared with NBC News.
Mini Timmaraju, president of the nonprofit organization, which advocates for reproductive rights, said Casey is “meeting the moment” and “recognizes that action is needed to protect abortion rights and access nationwide.”
“With anti-abortion Republicans like David McCormick more focused than ever on a national ban, we need Sen. Casey in the Senate to defend our rights,” Timmaraju said.
“Pennsylvanians are ready to vote their values again this November—and our members in the state are ready and mobilizing in their communities to help send Sen. Casey back to Washington.”
The Casey campaign has accused McCormick, the GOP nominee, of backing a “dangerous anti-choice agenda.”
McCormick believes abortion laws should be left up to the states.
During the second Pennsylvania Senate debate last night, McCormick and Casey were asked about their positions on reproductive rights.
“I do think the people should decide, and that’s what’s happened in Pennsylvania,” McCormick said. “I think that Pennsylvania has got a law that people believe in, support, and I support that as well.”
A Pennsylvania state law signed by Casey’s father, former Gov. Bob Casey Sr., allows abortions up until the 24th week of pregnancy with exceptions for life of the mother.
During the debate, Casey said that McCormick “does not support restoring Roe. He doesn’t support the vehicle to do that, the only vehicle right now, which is the Women’s Protection Act. And it’s a big difference in this race.”
DCCC pumps $3 million into Project 2025 digital ads in nonpresidential battlegrounds
The House Democratic campaign arm is shelling out $3 million for digital ads in nonpresidential battleground states, meant to boost the party's voter turnout efforts with a message focused on Project 2025.
The ad buy, details of which were shared first with NBC News, will run in seven states — including California, Iowa, Colorado and Oregon — on streaming and social media platforms. While those states are far from front of mind at the presidential level, they are the places that could make or break Democratic efforts to retake control of the House of Representatives this fall.
Democrats have targeted several red districts up and down California, while Oregon’s 5th District, Iowa’s 1st District and Colorado’s 8th District are also seen as battlegrounds at the House level. Democrats need to net four seats in order to take control of the chamber.
One of the ads that’s part of the DCCC’s buy features a door-to-door salesman, hocking Project 2025 books out of the back of his van. “Total abortion ban, eliminate the Department of Education, privatize Social Security, no overtime pay,” the salesman says as doors close in his face. A narrator then instructs people to “turn out to vote for Democrats in the House of Representatives.”
Top Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, have campaigned hard on a Project 2025-centric message in the waning weeks of the campaign. Polls show the conservative policy plan is viewed negatively by voters.