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Trump says he ‘won’t pay the bill’ for audio company after his rally mic went out for 15 minutes: Live

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both speaking in Michigan this evening as former president Barack Obama campaigns for the vice president in Arizona

Oliver O'Connell,Joe Sommerlad
Friday 18 October 2024 20:19
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Kamala Harris calls out Trump for devaluing autoworkers

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Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are both holding rallies in Michigan this evening as they try to win voters in the key swing state.

Trump is speaking in Detroit, where his microphone has malfunctioned. The former president was forced to pace the stage for over 15 minutes, occasionally waving at attendees.

“I won’t pay the bill for the stupid company that rented us this crap,” he said.

Before the audio error, Trump was telling supporters that his Democratic opponent is “grossly incompetent” and he will “save” the city. Meanwhile, Harris is speaking in Oakland County. The latest Emerson College poll shows the two candidates are tied in the key swing state with just over two weeks until Election Day.

Also tonight, former President Barack Obama is campaigning on the vice president’s behalf in Tuscon, Arizona.

Ahead of tonight’s rally, the former president called Judge Tanya Chutkan “the most evil person” and labeled special counsel Jack Smith a “sick puppy” after new evidence was released in the January 6 case against him.

Trump has called the case against him “a terrible thing” and “election interference” as he navigates indictments in Washington and Georgia for his efforts to subvert his 2020 loss.

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Judge overseeing Trump’s 2020 election interference case rules evidence can be unsealed today

Judge Tanya Chutkan, overseeing the Washington DC election interference case against Trump, moved yesterday to deny the former president’s request to delay the unsealing of court records and evidence until after Election Day, meaning the court can release evidence submitted by the government today.

Judge Chutkan wrote in her five-page order that there was a presumption that the public should have access to “all facets of criminal court proceedings” and said that the Republican presidential nominee had not submitted arguments relevant to any of the factors that would be considered to keep the material in question under seal.

She went on to reject Trump’s lawyers’ appeal as not “persuasive”.

We’ll bring you all the very latest as and when the documents are made available later today right here.

US District Judge Tanya Chutkan
US District Judge Tanya Chutkan (AP)

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 12:00
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Harris roasts Trump with help from SNL icon in pre-recorded speech at Al Smith dinner

Rhian Lubin has more below on the VP’s skit with Molly Shannon.

Harris roasts Trump with help from SNL icon in pre-recorded speech at Al Smith dinner

The vice president skipped the star-studded charity dinner in New York to campaign in Wisconsin

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 11:40
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Top fact-checker finally reveals which party lies more: Democrats or Republicans

Bill Adair, who started the Pulitzer Prize-winning website PolitiFact, has admitted that – despite his claims over the years – he has, in fact, been keeping tabs and determined which side is the most liberal with the truth.

Here’s James Liddell with the answer.

Top fact-checker finally reveals which party lies more: Democrats or Republicans

Trump has twice earned the title of PolitiFact’s liar of the year, with 76 percent of his claims rated ‘mostly false,’ ‘false,’ or ‘pants on fire’

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 11:20
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Fox News host applauds Trump’s rebranding of deadly Capitol riot as ‘day of love’

Jesse Watters has been at it again, sane-washing the Republican nominee’s mad attempt to spin January 6 at his Univision town hall on Wednesday.

But, as always, Jessica Tarlov was the one really paying attention.

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 11:00
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Bill Clinton roasts Trump’s bizarro dance party

The 42nd president joined Walz in Durham yesterday and roasted Trump for his musical breakdown in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Monday night when he parped out “Ave Maria”, “YMCA”, “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “Time to Say Goodbye” while two unwell audience members received medical attention.

“I will not clap offbeat” is somehow particularly devastating.

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 10:40
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Impassioned Tim Walz swears before immediately apologising to ‘the little ones’

Harris’s running mate was on fiery form in Durham, North Carolina, yesterday, taking Trump to task before quickly correcting himself when his Midwestern manners kicked back in.

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 10:20
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Trump blames Zelensky and Biden for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The Republican told a podcast yesterday he holds Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his own successor Joe Biden responsible for the Russia-Ukraine war, making no reference to a certain Vladimir Putin.

Two-and-a-half years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trump pinned the blame squarely on Zelensky and Biden for the conflict during his interview with Patrick Bet-David.

“I think Zelensky is one of the greatest salesmen I’ve ever seen,” Trump said, grumbling about how much aid the US has given Ukraine.

Here’s what an expert on fascism had to say about that…

…and here’s a full report from Kelly Rissman.

Trump blames Zelensky and Biden – but not Putin – for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

President Biden ‘instigated that war,’ Trump claimed during a podcast interview that aired Thursday

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 10:00
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Harris and Trump heading to Michigan on Friday

Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump are heading north to Michigan today, hoping to shore up support in a key state.

Harris will be swinging through Grand Rapids, Lansing and Oakland County while Trump will be delivering a rally in Detroit, a city he trashed as “a mess” last week, which, as we’ve just seen, his rival ruthlessly mocked him for in her video message to the Al Smith crowd last night.

“Our whole country will end up being like Detroit if she’s your president,” Trump said during his speech to the Detroit Economic Club, a pronouncement not likely to sit well with residents of a city fighting back hard against post-industrial decline.

Harris, by contrast, has talked about the Motor City in reverent tones, recalling making friends with local students while attending Howard University.

“I just feel a kindred spirit whenever I come to Detroit,” she has said.

The Democrat is currently concentrating her efforts on the supposed “blue wall” states Hillary Clinton overlooked in 2016 in the hope of avoiding repeating her predecessor’s historic mistakes.

Harris was last in Detroit on Tuesday when she visited an art gallery with actors Don Cheadle, Delroy Lindo and Cornelius Smith Jr before recording a radio town hall with Charlamagne tha God.

She will be back there tomorrow for a rally.

But her campaign insists she’s not giving up on Sun Belt battlegrounds like North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada either and will return there soon.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump (Getty)
Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 09:40
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Kamala Harris says Trump has ‘no idea what he is talking about’ and voters are ‘exhausted by his gaslighting’

The Democrat spent her evening on the campaign trail in Wisconsin and was in rare form, issuing a few zingers at her rival’s expense.

She also reacted quickly to send a couple of Trump supporters packing.

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 09:20
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Donald Trump comes face-to-face with friends and foes at Al Smith dinner in New York

The Republican presidential nominee and his wife Melania made a rare public appearance together at the Al Smith charity dinner in New York City on Thursday evening.

Trump had expressed his annoyance in advance that election rival Kamala Harris had decided not to attend the event and been allowed to submit a short comedic video instead, in which she mocked him for calling Detroit “a mess”, which was aired at the Catholic gala and was well received in the room.

Before he spoke, Trump was roasted by host Jim Gaffigan (who has been playing Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live lately) and found himself in the same room as New York Attorney General Letitia James, who successfully prosecuted him for business fraud earlier this year.

Awkward.

When his own keynote speech got underway, Trump made jabs about Harris, promoted his spouse’s new memoir, repeated his ancient birtherism smear against Barack Obama, roasted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and made light of city mayor Eric Adams’s recent indictment, all of which was received with a smattering of boos as well as applause at the close.

Katie Hawkinson reports on an eventful evening.

Melania and Dona make rare public outing together at Al Smith dinner in NYC

Melania Trump has been notably absent from the campaign trail this year

Joe Sommerlad18 October 2024 09:00

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