Two members of The Washington Post editorial board step down amid non-endorsement furor
Two members of the editorial board at The Washington Post are exiting amid outcry over the storied newspaper's decision to stop endorsing presidential candidates.
Molly Roberts, an editorial writer who covers technology and society, said in a statement on X that she is resigning from the board "because the imperative to endorse Kamala Harris over Donald Trump is about as morally clear as it gets."
David Hoffman, a contributing editor and veteran of the Post, confirmed in an email that is he "stepping down" from the board, too — but not quitting the paper. "I believe we face a very real threat of autocracy in the candidacy of Donald Trump," Hoffman wrote in a letter to David Shipley, the editor of the editorial page. "I find it untenable and unconscionable that we have lost our voice at this perilous moment."
Will Lewis, the publisher and CEO of the Post, announced Friday that the newspaper would not make a presidential endorsement this year or "in any future presidential election," breaking with decades of tradition. The decision drew immediate outcry from readers, former staffers and Democrats who oppose Trump.
Post editorial page staff members had drafted an endorsement of Harris that had yet to be published, two sources briefed on the sequence of events told the Post. The decision not to publish the Harris endorsement was made by the Post’s owner, billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, according to the sources. NBC News has not independently verified that account.
In a subsequent statement on Saturday, Lewis said that the newspaper’s owner was not involved in the decision, and he, as publisher, believes that endorsements are unnecessary.
Nevada Supreme Court allows late-arriving mail ballots without postmark to count
The Nevada Supreme Court ruled today to allow officials to count mail ballots without postmarks that are received up to three days after Election Day, upholding a lower court’s ruling and siding against Republicans.
Republicans had sued to block such ballots from being counted in the key battleground state. Specifically, the Republican National Committee, the Trump campaign and state Republicans had said in a suit filed in May that Nevada's deadline for mail ballots was unconstitutional. A lower court ruled against the group of Republicans, who then appealed to the state Supreme Court.
The latest ruling is a defeat for Republicans, who have filed a mountain of litigation in Nevada and other battleground states ahead of the election seeking to change the way certain ballots are cast and counted.
Trump Media stock surges going into final week before election
Shares of Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent company of Truth Social, jumped about 20% today as the presidential campaign heads into its final week.
The stock has climbed steadily to above $45 a share, good for a market value of over $9 billion, from its sub-$12 lows in September. That reversal has lifted Trump's net worth by billions of dollars, as he owns 57% of the shares. As of Monday afternoon, the stock, which trades as DJT, had eclipsed its most recent peak of July, which came just after Trump was nearly assassinated in Pennsylvania.
Trump Media's performance on the stock market doesn't reflect business fundamentals. In August, the company reported a quarterly loss of $16 million with total revenue of under $1 million. Instead, market watchers see the stock's performance as a proxy for Trump's own status, particularly as the campaign has progressed.
The stock's recent surge has coincided with a shift toward Trump on political betting markets, even as polls have shown a close race between the former president and his rival, Vice President Kamala Harris. (Odds and gambling platforms don't use the same methodologies as traditional polling outfits, and are therefore not a substitute for polls.)
Mike Johnson on Trump's 'secret' claims: 'A secret is not to be shared'
House Speaker Mike Johnson released a statement responding to questions about a "secret" Trump alluded to at his rally last night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“I think with our little secret we are going to do really well with the House, right?” Trump said. “He and I have a secret. We will tell you what it is when the race is over.”
Johnson’s office refused to offer any specifics about the secret.
“By definition, a secret is not to be shared — and I don’t intend to share this one,” he said in a statement.
Julia Roberts narrates new pro-Harris ad reminding women their vote is secret
In a new television ad from the progressive evangelical group Vote Common Good, Oscar-winning actor Julia Roberts offers a timely reminder to women across the country: You don't need to tell your husband you voted for Kamala Harris.
"In the one place in America where women still have the right to choose," Roberts says in the ad's voiceover, "you can vote any way you want, and no one will ever know."
The ad depicts a woman in a Stars and Stripes baseball cap casting her ballot for Harris. When she leaves the voting booth, a man who appears to be her husband asks: "Did you make the right choice?" She replies: "Sure did, honey."
The message of the ad echoes comments made by former first lady Michelle Obama during a weekend rally in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
"If you are a woman who lives in a household of men that don't listen to you or value your opinion, just remember that your vote is a private matter," Obama said to loud cheers.
"Regardless of the political views of your partner, you get to choose, you get to use your judgment, and cast your vote for yourself and the women in your life," she added.
Biden says voting today is not bittersweet
As he exited the polling place in Delaware alongside first-time voters, Biden was asked if voting today was bittersweet. He replied, "This is just sweet," and said he thinks they will win.
Biden calls Trump's New York rally 'embarrassing'
After voting in Delaware, Biden commented on Trump's rally yesterday at Madison Square Garden, calling it "simply embarrassing." He emphasized the importance of voting, saying that "this election is so important."
In response to Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, Harris says he's 'fixated' on dividing the country
Harris reacted this morning to Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, saying that Trump is "focused and fixated on the grievances on himself and on dividing the country."
She told reporters before boarding a flight to Michigan that Trump is "fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country."
Asked if she agrees with comparisons to the Nazi rally of 1939 at Madison Square Garden, she said, “This is not new about him” but “it may be more vivid than usual.”
The vice president again said that Trump stirs division and “that’s why people are exhausted with him.”
NBC News reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
Vance claims 'the gross majority' of D-Day veterans would be voting for Trump
In a new post on X this morning, Vance dismissed comparisons of the Trump campaign to Nazis by saying that "the gross majority of the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy" would have voted for Trump.
Megan Hunt, a Nebraska state lawmaker, said on X that it was "100% on purpose" that the campaign held a rally in the same location that the Nazis did in 1939 in support of Adolf Hitler. After another X user replied and said that her "comparison of Republicans and Nazis is atrocious," she shot back that "we used to fight nazis not vote for them."
Vance responded to the last tweet by saying, "There are so many reasons this is ridiculous, but here’s one: Who do you actually think the gross majority of the men who stormed the beaches at Normandy would vote for? The answer is obvious: Donald J. Trump."
Vance heads to Wisconsin
Vance will campaign in the key battleground state of Wisconsin today, speaking in Wausau and then Racine.
Wisconsin is among the swing states where both campaigns have been spending the final days of the race. Biden won Wisconsin in the 2020 presidential election, while Trump won the state in 2016.
Vance will deliver remarks at 2 p.m. CT in Wausau, a city in the central part of the state, and at 5:30 p.m. CT in Racine, a city on the shore of Lake Michigan.