Trump and Melania attend Al Smith dinner together as former president rips Harris’s no-show: Live

One of Donald Trump’s greatest adversaries (at least in New York) will be in attendance at the Al Smith dinner tonight — none other than New York Attorney General Letitia James...

Per the AP:

Trump will be joined at the dinner by his wife, Melania, who has been an infrequent presence on the campaign trail, according to a seating chart shared by organizers.

Expected to be on the stage is New York’s embattled mayor, Eric Adams, along with past mayors and business leaders. Adams was charged last month with accepting illegal campaign contributions and lavish overseas trips from Turkish officials and businesspeople. New York Attorney General Letitia James, who brought a successful civil fraud case against Trump, is also attending.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is getting his own media blitz off the ground with upcoming appearances on The View and The Daily Show, but his most recent interview was with the podcast We Can Do Hard Things with author and queer activist Glennon Doyle, her wife Abby Wambach, and her sister, Amanda.

Walz spent a good chunk of his time on the podcast defending trans people and queer youth and saying that a Harris administration could reshape the federal judiciary to support LGBT+ rights undermined by the judges confirmed under Donald Trump.

“We need to appoint judges who uphold the right to marriage, uphold the right to be who you are, making sure that’s the case, uphold the right to get the medical care that you need. We should not be naive. Those appointments are really, really important. I think that’s what the vice president is committed to.”

“We see it now; the hate has shifted to the trans community. They see that as an opportunity. If you’re watching any sporting events right now, you see that Donald Trump’s closing arguments are to demonize a group of people for being who they are … We’re out there trying to make the case that access to healthcare, a clean environment, manufacturing jobs, and keeping your local hospital open are what people are really concerned about. They’re running millions of dollars of ads demonizing folks who are just trying to live their lives.”

Here’s an excerpt in which Walz discusses reproductive rights:

A policy advisor for JD Vance allegedly made online posts for many years in which he proclaimed his love of drugs including cocaine, weed and opiates.

An investigation by WIRED found that Aaron Kofsky was behind the Reddit account “PsychoticMammal”, which had also posted specific details that matched his resume and education.

Kofsky’s LinkedIn page lists him as a financial policy advisor working in Vance’s office, with prior experience as a senior legislative assistant and banking legislative assistant. According to Politico he has helped Vance flesh out his opposition to some cryptocurrency regulation among other things.

Mike Bedigan has the story.

NBC News reports:

Melania Trump will accompany former President Donald Trump to Thursday’s Al Smith dinner in New York City, two sources familiar with her plans told NBC News.

The former first lady has been noticeably absent on the campaign trail for much of the 2024 race. The Republican National Convention in Milwaukee in July was the last time she appeared alongside her husband at a political event.

One source familiar with the plans said that Melania Trump decided to attend the dinner because “it’s tradition,” adding that, “this could be a precursor to more activity.”

John Bowden writes:

Sometimes, politics is a game of subtlety. Other times, it’s not.

On Wednesday, a series of billboards in a Chicago suburb were “hacked”, according to police, to display a series of shocking anti-Israeli messages, including “death to Israel” and “f**k Israel”.

Even stranger, they featured references to YouTube megastar Mr Beast: “paid for by Mr Beast LLC”, they declared. The YouTuber quickly rejected any suggestion of involvement in a statement.

The billboards were also condemned by a local Democratic congressman in a statement, and quickly deactivated by owner OUTFRONT Media, which told a local news station: “We are aware of this incident. The copy has been removed and the situation is being investigated.”

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The latest edition of The Economist appears to have a very different take on the condition of the US economy to that which former President Donald Trump extols at his rallies.

And earlier today the White House threw a little shade at Bloomberg’s prediction two years ago today that “a US recession is effectively certain in the next 12 months”.

A former porn shop worker who was accused by North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of defamation has asked a court to throw out the lawsuit against him, calling the politician’s allegations “bizarre”.

Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, filed a lawsuit in Wake County court Tuesday against CNN and Louis Love Money, of Greensboro, saying they published “disgusting lies” about him.

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Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said Thursday the killing of Hamas‘ top leader, Yahya Sinwar, by Israel “gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza.”

Speaking from a Wisconsin college campus where she was campaigning, Harris said the war “must end such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom and self-determination.”

“It is time for the day after to begin,” she said.

As she arrived to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, protesters shouted outside “Free, free Palestine.”

Israel says Sinwar was killed in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza. Iaraeli Foreign Minister Katz called Sinwar’s killing a “military and moral achievement for the Israeli army.”

Sinwar was a chief architect of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel that precipitated the war and escalating conflicts across the Middle East.