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Harris vows action on border, healthcare and prices and hits ‘petty tyrant’ Trump in closing argument speech: Live

Vice President Kamala Harris delivered rousing remarks at the Ellipse in Washington DC, the site of Donald Trump’s notorious ‘fight like hell’ speech on January 6, 2021

Oliver O'Connell
Tuesday 29 October 2024 21:01
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Harris says American patriots did not struggle for us to ‘submit to will of another petty tyrant’

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With just a week left in the 2024 US presidential election cycle, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are making their final pitches to voters across the country, particularly the battleground states.

The vice president delivered a “closing argument” at the Ellipse in Washington DC, the site of his notorious “fight like hell” speech on January 6, 2021.

In her remarks before a crowd of 75,000 people, Harris said American patriots “did not struggle, sacrifice and lay down their lives” only to “see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant”, referring to her political opponent.

Meanwhile, Trump continues to face fallout from his controversial rally on Sunday at New York’s Madison Square Garden, during which comedian Tony Hinchcliffe described Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Speaking in Pennsylvania on Tuesday, Trump told supporters that “no president has ever done more for Puerto Rico.”

At a separate event earlier in the day he described the rally at MSG as “an absolute love-fest.”

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USA Today joins Washington Post, LA Times in not endorsing a presidential candidate

The newspaper has announced that it will not publicly back either Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, with a spokesperson saying it will continue to provide “readers with the facts that matter and the trusted information they need to make informed decisions.”

However, that stance caused particular anger among staff at the Post, who feel their organ is shirking its democratic responsibility, while reportedly more than 200,000 readers have cancelled their subscriptions in disgust.

Such is the extent of the crisis that call has sparked that owner Jeff Bezos felt compelled to take to the paper’s opinion pages to deny that a quid pro quo was in play.

Josh Marcus has more.

Bezos insists no quid pro quo in decision to pull Washington Post Harris endorsement

Amazon founder argued endorsements don’t move voters and end up harming paper’s credibility

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 13:30
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Harris could yet appear on Joe Rogan’s podcast

If the Democrat is concerned about broadening her appeal to younger men, this is surely an opportunity she needs to take.

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 13:10
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Harris doing five interviews on Tuesday ahead of ‘closing argument’ speech in DC

According to a Harris campaign official, the Vice President will be doing five interviews today ahead of her big speech in DC this evening – four battleground state TV interviews to appeal to voters in Detroit, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh – plus a Spanish radio interview with Rumba in Pennsylvania.

The latter will enable her to reach Latino voters, including Puerto Ricans, who may be increasingly interested in what she has to say in light of what was said in Madison Square Garden on Sunday.

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 13:00
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Michael Bloomberg belatedly donating $50m to Harris

The former New York City mayor has reportedly been under “extraordinary pressure” and “months of arm-twisting” from his fellow billionaires like Bill Gates and Reid Hoffman to donate to the Democratic campaign, according to The New York Times, and has now finally done so, paying out to the Future Forward USA Action PAC after speaking privately to Kamala by phone.

“Bloomberg’s decision conforms to a strategy that has become his trademark: Confounding Democratic operatives by refusing to make early investments – only to come in hot and heavy in the homestretch,” the NYT observes.

Michael Bloomberg
Michael Bloomberg (AP)
Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 12:50
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‘Appalled’ Archbishop of San Juan demands apology over comedian’s Trump rally joke about Puerto Rico

One person who is not letting Hinchcliffe off the hook so easily is Roberto Octavio Gonzalez Nieves, who has written an open letter to the Republican presidential nominee expressing his shock and anger at the comic’s cruel joke at his island’s expense.

“I enjoy a good joke. However, humor has it’s limits,” Nieves wrote to Trump.

“It should not insult or denigrate the dignity and sacredness of people. Hinchcliffe’s remarks do not only provoke sinister laughter but hatred. These kinds of remarks do not have a place in society founded upon ‘liberty and justice for all.’”

The archbishop said that Puerto Rico “is a beautiful country” and pointed out that “more Puerto Rican soldiers died in the Vietnam War as part of the United States military than soldiers from any state in the United States.”

He continued: “Hinchcliffe’s remarks do not promote a climate of equality, fraternity and good will among and for all women and men of every race, color and way of life which is the foundation of the American dream. These kinds of remarks should not be a part of the political discourse of a civilized society.”

Nieves then called on Trump to personally “disavow these comments as reflecting in any way your personal or political viewpoints.

“It is not sufficient for your campaign to apologize. It is important that you, personally, apologize for these comments.”

Here’s Io Dodds on how the outcry might have been even worse had Hinchcliffe been allowed to say exactly what he wanted to about Kamala Harris.

The ‘red flag’ joke that was too far for Trump rally comic who insulted Puerto Rico

Reports say campaign staff nixed a foul-mouthed barb aimed at Kamala Harris from the stand-up’s Madison Square Garden routine

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 12:30
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Vance says he’s ‘so over’ people getting offended at racist jokes in defense of MSG rally comedian

Trump’s running mate says the uproar over Tony Hinchcliffe’s Puerto Rico gag is symptomatic of people “getting so offended at every little thing in the United States of America” and advises we all just “take a chill pill”, rather than engage with the hateful rhetoric being spouted on behalf of the campaign he represents.

Rhian Lubin reports.

JD Vance is ‘so over’ people getting offended at racist jokes amid Hinchcliffe row

The Ohio senator weighed in on the widespread backlash to Tony Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 12:10
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Listen: Harris appears to get caught on hot mic admitting campaign struggle

Kamala was in the Trak Houz Bar and Grill in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with that state’s governor Gretchen Whitmer when the leak in question took place, with the VP overheard to admit: “We need to move ground among men.”

Listen: Kamala Harris appears to be caught on hot mic admitting campaign struggle

Kamala Harris appeared to be caught in a hot mic moment admitting a campaign struggle as she spoke to Gretchen Whitmer over the weekend. On Saturday (26 October), the vice president visited Trak Houz Bar and Grill in Kalamazoo with the Governor of Michigan. The pair chatted to patrons before sitting down at the bar together when Ms Harris appeared to say in a low voice: “We need to move ground among men.” Ms Harris and Ms Whitmer then turned to face the camera before the Democratic presidential candidate said: “Oh, we have microphones and listening to everything. “We just told all the family secrets, s***.”

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 11:50
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Watch: Trump tells faith summit why he doesn’t drink

At the same event, the nominee also reflected on his lifelong abstinence from booze, recalling the sad death of his brother Fred, which was dramatised in the recent film The Apprentice.

Donald Trump reveals real reason he doesn’t drink alcohol

Donald Trump has opened up about the real reason he doesn’t drink alcohol. The former US president and Republican presidential candidate revealed his older brother Freddy, who died at the age of 43 in 1981, was an alcoholic. Speaking to the National Faith Advisory Board at the Inaugural National Faith Summit in Powder Springs on Monday (28 October), Trump said: “I had a brother who was a great guy, but he had an alcohol problem. “It’s a hard problem to cure and I’ve never had a glass because of him.” Trump added: “I think I have the type of personality where I probably would have a problem.”

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 11:30
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Watch: Trump bizarrely claims he was shot because God wanted him to win election

The Republican was speaking at the Inaugural National Faith Summit in Powder Springs, Georgia, yesterday, an event compered by his former White House spiritual advisor Paula White (known for speaking in tongues) at which he did his best Elmer Gantry act, pretending to reflect piously on his brush with death this summer in the hope of tying up those Christian votes.

Trump bizarrely claims he was shot because God wanted him to win election

Donald Trump bizarrely claimed he was shot because God wanted him to win the presidential election. The former US president and Republican presidential candidate made his remarks to the National Faith Advisory Board at the Inaugural National Faith Summit in Powder Springs on Monday (28 October). Speaking about the assassination attempt on his life at the Butler rally in Pennsylvania, Trump told the crowd: “I would like to think it’s because he [God] wants our country and maybe the world to be helped. Now we have to win the election.”

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 11:10
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Truth Social: Trump warns of mail-in voting fraud in Pennsylvania, attacks Fox for covering Harris and rebukes sidelining of Biden

Over in the Republican’s seething social media swamp, he’s been getting his election denials in early, attacking Fox News for daring to cover the Democratic ticket and shedding crocodile tears for Joe Biden.

Also in the Magaverse, his son Barron Trump’s closest pal found himself brutally fact-checked on Elon Musk’s X over his false claim about the capacity of Madison Square Garden.

Joe Sommerlad29 October 2024 10:50

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