What’s happening today on the campaign trail
- Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison announced that Vice President Kamala Harris has won enough delegate votes to secure the party’s nomination. The DNC will make an official announcement when delegate voting concludes on Monday evening.
- Former President Donald Trump is attending a dinner fundraiser in Bridgehampton, New York, as he trails Harris in the money race, according to figures released by each side this week. Harris’ team said today that it raised $310 million in July, while Trump’s team said it brought in $138.7 million. The amounts cannot be verified until Federal Election Commission reports for July are released.
- Harris is nearing a final decision on her running mate and intends to meet with some of the top contenders in person over the next 72 hours. Her vetting team has already met with six potential picks: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
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Trump says he agreed to debate Harris on new terms
Former President Donald Trump said in a late-night post online that he “terminated” a previously set debate on ABC, and that he would instead debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Fox News.
Trump has been criticized by Harris and other Democrats for refusing to commit to the previously agreed-upon debate on ABC, which was made before President Joe Biden said he was no longer seeking the Democratic nomination.
The ABC debate was scheduled for Sept. 10. There have been days of questions about whether Trump would participate in the ABC debate.
“I have agreed with FoxNews to debate Kamala Harris on Wednesday, September 4th. The Debate was previously scheduled against Sleepy Joe Biden on ABC, but has been terminated in that Biden will no longer be a participant,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Harris’ presidential campaign’s rapid-response social media account has not publicly addressed Trump’s proposal as of early Saturday.
After Biden decided to not seek the nomination and the presidential race dramatically changed with Harris as the de facto Democratic nominee, Trump said he did not like ABC and suggested a debate on Fox News instead. Some Democrats have said that Trump is afraid of debating Harris.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, made that claim Thursday. “He’s afraid to debate her,” Schumer said.
Trump also said in the post that because he is in litigation against ABC and George Stephanopoulos, there is “a conflict of interest.”
The agreed-upon ABC debate between Trump and Biden was announced in May. Trump sued ABC and Stephanopoulos in March, as Reuters reported at the time.
Trump said in his Truth Social post the Fox debate was to be held in Pennsylvania, an important state in the presidential election, and would have a “full arena audience.”
A spokesperson for Fox did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment early Saturday.
Elizabeth Allen to serve as chief of staff to Harris’ running mate
State Department official Elizabeth Allen will be joining the Harris campaign to serve as the chief of staff to Harris’ running mate, the campaign shared.
She previously served as under secretary for public diplomacy.
In a statement about her departure from the State Department, Secretary Antony Blinken said she was an “indispensable advisor and sounding board to me and so many others across the Department.”
Allen is one of several high-profile additions to the Harris campaign team.
As concerns of a potential recession rise, NBC News’ Brian Cheung details the next president’s challenges and what each candidate proposes to handle inflation.
Republicans have been attacking Harris for her handling of border issues, calling her a failed “border czar.” NBC News Homeland Security Correspondent Julia Ainsley takes a deep dive on the vice president’s record.
Judge OKs deal to dismiss Rudy Giuliani bankruptcy case in step toward collection of $146M defamation verdict
A New York bankruptcy judge today approved a deal that would dismiss Rudy Giuliani’s attempt to secure bankruptcy protections, putting two former election workers he repeatedly defamed after the 2020 race closer to collecting on their $146 million verdict against him.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Sean Lane of the Southern District of New York had initially ruled last month that he would dismiss Giuliani’s case, but said last week he might have to reconsider doing so because of the former New York City mayor’s failure to pay about $400,000 in administrative and accounting expenses in the case.
The former personal lawyer to Trump reached an agreement with his creditors this past week to pay $100,000 of those expenses now, with the rest of the cash to be paid when he sells one of his homes in New York or Florida. If that does not happen within the next six months, action can be taken to collect on the rest of the money, according to the agreement.
Former Republican representative: Harris-Shapiro would be a ‘formidable ticket’
Former Rep. Charlie Dent, a Republican who represented Pennsylvania from 2005 to 2018, told CNN if Harris chooses Gov. Josh Shapiro, it would be a “very formidable ticket.”
“Kamala Harris needs to be ruthlessly pragmatic right now, and she cannot win this election without winning Pennsylvania,” he said. “She can lose Arizona and win the election. She cannot lose Pennsylvania and win the election, so that really accrues to Josh Shapiro’s benefit.”
“If you’re asking my advice, I’d say you go with Shapiro in a heartbeat,” he continued. “That’s not to say she doesn’t have other good folks to select from, but he brings something that none of the other candidates bring, and that’s Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 19 electoral votes.”
Despite being a Republican, Dent endorsed Shapiro back in 2022 when he was running for governor.
‘This is the A-team’: Harris campaign brings on big new hires as it sprints to Election Day
Quickly flush with cash, flooded with volunteers and greeted by jubilant crowds, Harris’ newly minted campaign has now made a major move to help manage it all, bringing on some of the biggest names in Democratic politics.
A flurry of high-profile hires announced today — including David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama’s first White House run, and veteran Democratic operatives Stephanie Cutter and Jennifer Palmieri — comes as the Harris campaign rushes to transform away from Joe Biden’s operation and make a mad dash to November.
“This is, let’s take Trump down once and for all,” said a person with close knowledge of the process around Harris. This person, like others in this story, requested anonymity to speak candidly.
Minnesota Democrats urge Harris to pick Gov. Tim Walz as VP
Dozens of Minnesota Democrats sent a letter to Harris saying they “strongly support” Gov. Tim Walz as a potential vice presidential pick.
“Governor Walz is a true leader. With full Democratic control of state government and a once-in-a-generation opportunity before us, he set an inspirational vision of building a Minnesota that is the best state in the nation for children and families,” they wrote in the letter.
“We are thrilled about your candidacy, and we believe Governor Walz would bring tremendous value to the ticket and be an exceptional Vice President,” they added.
The group, which includes House Speaker Melissa Hortman, House Majority Leader Jamie Long, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and 90 others, referred to achievements under Walz’s leadership — protections for reproductive rights, paid family and medical leave, and gun violence prevention — which they said were accomplished despite “narrow majorities” in the Legislature.
Philadelphia’s mayor posts video expressing support for Josh Shapiro
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker posted a video on social media this afternoon with the caption, “Proud to be standing with so many leaders for @kamalaharris for President and @joshshapiropa for VP!”
While many are interpreting this video as evidence Harris has chosen Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate, a Pennsylvania source familiar with the matter told NBC News, “This video is just part of the continued advocacy on behalf of some PA Democrats for Gov Shapiro to be VP Harris’ choice for a running mate.”
The source strongly emphasized that one should not read into this as evidence that Shapiro has been selected.
A Harris campaign official also told NBC News, “I would not read into it.”
This is not the first time Parker has shown her support for Shapiro.
Last week during an event where the Philadelphia Building Trades announced its endorsement of Harris’ presidential bid, Parker told the crowd, “I can’t think of a better partner to be her vice president than our governor, Josh Shapiro.”
This clip is included in the video she posted.
During the event, Parker also said, “If you want to win Pennsylvania, there is no other candidate in this nation positioned to help us win the White House then our governor Josh Shapiro.”
North Carolina GOP candidate Mark Robinson, a harsh abortion critic, reveals his wife once had the procedure
The Republican nominee for governor of North Carolina is out with a new TV ad in which he and his wife reveal that she had an abortion 30 years ago.
In the ad, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and his wife talk directly to the camera, revealing few details about the procedure beyond his telling viewers, “Thirty years ago, my wife and I made a very difficult decision. We had an abortion.”
Later in the ad, Robinson says he agrees with the current abortion restrictions in North Carolina, which limit the procedure after 12 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest or the life of the mother, and says “that’s why I stand by our current law.”
A ‘unique’ command setup contributed to security failure at Trump shooting: Secret Service
Roughly 30 seconds before shots were fired at former President Donald Trump last month, a local police officer radioed that he spotted a man with a gun. But that information never made it to the Secret Service because the agents were stationed in a different command post from their local partners and did not have access to the same radio traffic.
“That was unique,” Ronald Rowe Jr., the acting director of the Secret Service, said today.
“We have to rethink where we put our security rooms and we are in fact doing that now moving forward,” he said.
‘Kind of a weird insult’: Shapiro responds to Vance saying he sounds ‘like Barack Obama’
In a podcast appearance recorded earlier this week and published this morning, Vance was asked to size up those under consideration to join Harris’ ticket.
Minn. Gov. Tim Walz, he said, “seems really angry.” But in his most extensive and direct comments about Harris’ VP contenders yet, Vance mocked Shapiro for speaking “like Barack Obama.”
“It’s like if I did try to do a really bad impression of Barack Obama, that’s what it would sound like,” he said.
Asked to respond to the comment, Shapiro said “I don’t know. Barack Obama was probably our most gifted orator of my time, so it’s kind of a weird insult.”
Shapiro then went on to criticize Vance saying, “It is real hard being honest with the American people, when you’re not being honest with yourself. JD Vance is a total phony baloney. He is the most inorganic candidate I think I have ever seen on the national stage.”
“If he wants to sling insults in my direction, which I’m not even sure is an insult. Let him do it. That’s fine. Bring it on. I’ll be ready for whatever the hell JD Vance throws my direction,” Shapiro added.
Hunter Biden’s sentencing in firearms case set for Nov. 13
The sentencing for Hunter Biden’s firearms case, in which he was found guilty of three felonies is set for Nov. 13, just eight days after the presidential election.
The first trial involving the child of a sitting president wrapped up in June, when the jury found Biden guilty on three felony counts of possession of a gun while using narcotics.
Supreme Court’s ruling on Trump immunity goes into effect
Lower court proceedings in Trump’s election interference case can resume after the Supreme Court’s ruling from last month — saying he had immunity for some of his actions — went into effect.
The case is now back before U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who has the job of determining to what extent the four-count indictment survives the Supreme Court ruling.
The decision, in which the court for the first time said that certain presidential acts are off-limits for criminal prosecution, significantly delayed the case, meaning that a trial is almost certain not to even start, let alone finish, before November’s election.
Prosecutors urge hush money judge to deny Trump recusal request
Prosecutors from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office are urging the judge in the Trump hush money case to deny the former president’s request that he step down from the case.
Attorneys for Trump had argued in a court filing to Judge Juan Merchan this week that the ascension of Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee should result in his recusal, citing work the judge’s daughter’s digital fundraising firm has done for Harris in the past.
In a filing made public today, the DA noted that Trump has made those arguments twice before, and the judge has rejected them. They called the latest attempt “vexatious and frivolous.”
“No amount of overheated, hyperbolic rhetoric can cure the fatal defects in defendant’s ongoing effort to impugn the fairness of these proceedings and the impartiality of this Court. This motion for recusal should be denied for a third time,” the DA’s filing said.
Gov. Josh Shapiro calls Trump’s attacks on Harris’ racial identity ‘shameful’
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a top contender to be Harris’ running mate, called Trump’s recent attacks on her racial identity “shameful” after an event in Cheney.
“I think it’s offensive,” Shapiro said. “And it is more of the same from Donald Trump. He attacks other people based on what they look like, or who they pray to, who they love, the way they were raised. He tries to divide Americans, because quite frankly, he struggles with uplifting all Americans.”
During an appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists’ annual convention earlier this week, Trump falsely suggested Harris “happened to turn Black.”
NBC News previously reported that Harris is expected to make her running mate selection by Tuesday, when she is set to appear with her VP choice for the first time, according to a source familiar with the decision.
Shapiro, who met with Harris’ vetting team on Wednesday, also told reporters he hopes to be in attendance at Harris’ Philadelphia rally next Tuesday, as the de facto Democratic nominee kicks off a full slate of campaign events in battleground states.
Vance says Harris ‘sounds like a third grader’ in a post on X
In a post to X, Sen. JD Vance said, “Kamala sounds like a third grader giving a book report on a book she didn’t read.”
The post, a reply to a Trump War Room video of Harris discussing the Russian prisoner swap and applauding him for his understanding of diplomacy, comes as Trump ha s gone after Harris’ race and gender in the days since Biden dropped out of the race.
In one post the day after Biden endorsed Harris, Trump called the vice president ” Dumb as a Rock” and at a bitcoin conference in Tennessee, he said, “I’m running against a low-IQ individual.”
Harris campaign to add additional staff members to team
The Harris campaign will announce the addition of a number of staff members to their team, two sources familiar with the Harris campaign’s hiring told NBC News.
The team will retain the entire leadership team from the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign, while also adding additional members who will serve as consultants and resources for campaign leadership. The changes come as the intensity and volume of the work being done have increased dramatically as the election draws closer.
New staff members will also include David Plouffe, President Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign manager and former senior adviser, as well as Brian Nelson.
A Harris campaign official said these staff picks are about “tailoring the campaign to Harris, getting ready for the final stretch, and staffing for her running mate.” It’s going to be an “intense 90 days” and we are staffing up for that, the person said.
“We’re thrilled to expand her team with these battle-tested leaders that know her and know how to win close elections,” Harris campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon said. “Together, we will harness the historic enthusiasm and support we’re seeing to do the work in reaching the voters who will decide this election.”
DNC Chair Jaime Harrison announces Harris secures support of more than a majority of delegates
In an update to members on the Democratic National Committee’s virtual roll call to nominate Harris for president, DNC Chair Jaime Harrison announced that she has secured the support of more than a majority of delegates.
“I am so proud to confirm that Vice President Harris has earned more than a majority of votes from all convention delegates and will be the nominee of the Democratic Party following the close of voting on Monday,” Harrison said in Chicago where he was at the venue for the Democratic National Convention later this month.
“The fact that we can say today, just one day after we opened voting that the vice president has crossed the majority threshold and will officially be our nominee next week — folks that is simply outstanding,” he continued.” You returned your nomination petitions at lightning speed. You made your voices heard and what you said was clear: We are not going back. We have to send Kamala Harris to the White House.”
Harris herself called in afterward and thanked the delegates for their support and said she will officially accept their nomination next week.
“Later this month, we will gather in Chicago, united as one party…we’re going to have an opportunity to celebrate this historic moment together,” she said. “We are going to win this election.”
The DNC will not make an official announcement of results until Monday evening, when the virtual voting process closes for delegates to next month’s Democratic National Convention.
Virtual voting began Thursday at 9 a.m., taking just over a day for Harris to reach the threshold.
FEC complaint says Cornel West broke campaign finance laws
Cornel West and his campaign broke campaign finance laws while attempting to qualify for the ballot, a new complaint to the Federal Election Commission alleges.
The complaint, filed by End Citizens United, a progressive group that advocates for campaign finance reform, points at “brazen and clear patterns of activity” of Republican-linked firms providing “millions of dollars” worth of in-kind donations, in the form of paid signature gatherers and other assistance qualifying for the ballot.
NBC News reported earlier this year that Republican-linked firms were paying signature gatherers to try to help West qualify for the ballot in North Carolina and Arizona, key states in the presidential contest where Democrats fear third-party candidates could siphon off votes from Vice President Kamala Harris.
It’s unclear who is footing the bill for the million-dollar signature gathering operation, but the complaint argues it is clearly not the West campaign, which is functionally broke and did not respond to a request for comment.
“The sheer scale of this operation, spanning multiple states, involves millions of dollars being illegally spent to get West on the ballot. This level of collusion sets an incredibly dangerous precedent for election interference,” said End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller. “With less than 100 days until the election, the FEC must immediately investigate Cornel West and every GOP group involved in this scheme and hold them accountable for these egregious violations.”
Harris campaign says Trump is ‘too scared’ to debate
In a statement, the Harris’ campaign called out Trump for his hesitancy to debate the de facto Democratic nominee.
“Donald Trump needs to man up. He’s got no problem spreading lies and hateful garbage at his rallies or in interviews with right-wing commentators. But he’s apparently too scared to do it standing across the stage from the Vice President of the United States,” said campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond.
Richmond added, “Since he talks the talk, he should walk the walk and — as Vice President Harris said earlier this week — say it to her face on September 10. She’ll be there waiting to see if he’ll show up.”
In an interview with Fox Business that aired today, Trump said that he wants to debate Harris, but has been elusive when asked about it in the past.
DNC launches digital ads in newspapers where Trump plans to campaign
The Democratic National Committee announced it will run digital ads in the local newspapers of the cities where Trump plans to campaign in the coming days and weeks.
Starting this weekend in Atlanta, the ads will call on Trump to debate Harris, blaming his ties to Project 2025 as the reason why he won’t debate.
“Trump is a convicted felon whose Project 2025 agenda would ban abortion nationwide. No wonder he’s afraid to debate,” the ad reads.
Trump says he wants to debate Harris
Trump said in a new interview with Fox Business that he would be interested in participating in a presidential debate against Harris.
“Well, I want to,” Trump said.
He said that he thinks Harris will be better than Biden, but then said he thinks she’ll ultimately be worse than the president.
Asked later if he regretted debating Biden in June, Trump said, “If I didn’t do the debate, they’d say, ‘Oh, Trump’s you know, not doing the debate.’ It’s the same thing they’ll say now.”
“I mean, right now I say, why should I do a debate? I’m leading in the polls, and everybody knows her,” the former president added. “Everybody knows me.”
Trump has suggested multiple times in recent days that he doesn’t want to debate Harris, and his campaign said it won’t commit to one until after the Democratic National Convention later this month.
Trump says that Harris would ‘lose the Palestinian vote’ if she picks Shapiro
Trump suggested in a new interview with Fox Business that Harris would lose the support of voters sympathetic to Palestinians if she picks Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro as her running mate.
“If she picks Shapiro, she’s going to lose the Palestinian vote. And that’s fine. Everybody has their liabilities,” he said. “I think if she picks Shapiro, who happens to be Jewish, she loses her little Palestinian base because she has, because they like me because they think I’m going to bring peace to the Middle East. Even though I’m very strong for Israel. Israel loves me.”
Shapiro has a record of being pro-Israel while being critical of the Netanyahu government. After Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Democratic governor said that the Jewish nation had a right to defend itself. He’s in favor of a two-state solution and has also expressed sympathy for what has unfolded in Gaza, calling the images “disturbing.”
Trump says there was a ‘coup’ to replace Biden
In a new interview with Fox Business, Trump said there was a “coup” to replace Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket, although he first said that he and his campaign “knocked out Joe Biden.”
“He didn’t do too well in the debate, but that sort of ended it. And then he went through a series of problems,” Trump said. “So it was actually a coup of a president, if you think of it. He’s got 14 million votes. He campaigned for a year. And he ended up winning and they threw him out, they said either you get out now or we’re gonna get you out the hard way. They said there’s an easy way and there’s a hard way, Joe, and you’ll get out and they got out and they put this woman in who’s a failed candidate.”
During the primary process that Trump referred to, Biden ran as part of a ticket with Harris.
Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential race last month after deciding he wanted to pass the torch to Harris, his vice president, amid rising pressure from Democrats following his disastrous debate performance in June.
Trump Media rolls out streaming service
Donald Trump’s media company said Friday it was rolling out its long- promised streaming service, as the firm’s volatile stock regained some footing.
Trump Media and Technology Group said its Truth+ service aims to stream “neglected” content, including news, commentary, weather and lifestyle and entertainment channels. It also plans to expand with Christian- and family-focused programming. Users will be able to access the programming through the company’s Truth Social platform.
Trump Media’s shares rose Friday while the broader market fell. Yet, the stock, which trades under the symbol DJT, had been going through a rough patch of late. Since immediately after the shares surged following the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump, DJT had fallen by about 33% heading into Friday morning.
Trump himself owns more than half the shares of Trump Media.
Trump campaign attacks Harris over jobs report
In a statement, the Trump campaign assailed the Biden administration over this morning’s weaker-than-expected jobs report, calling out Harris by name.
“The basic necessities of food, gas and housing are less affordable, unemployment is rising, and Kamala doesn’t seem to care,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
The jobs report showed that the U.S. unemployment rate rose to 4.3% in July and hiring slowed, adding to indicators of a wider downturn in what has been a solid U.S. economy under Biden.
Jobs report, stock declines put the economy back into the spotlight ahead of the election
The weaker-than-expected July jobs report helped trigger a sell – off on Wall Street this morning as worries about an economic slowdown grew.
The U.S. added 114,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate climbed to 4.3%. While both numbers indicate there is still strength in the labor market, they reflect a cooling that have many on Wall Street calling for the Federal Reserve to cut its key interest rate more than initially expected at its September meeting.
The economy was already one of the big focuses in the 2024 presidential campaign, namely because of inflation, which has cooled significantly. Today, pro-Trump voices seized on the jobs report, with the MAGA Inc. PAC, declaring it “devastating.”
However, the White House pointed to Biden’s economic record, noting that wages are rising faster than prices these days, average unemployment is the lowest it’s been in decades under his administration, and that he and Harris have overseen the creation of almost 16 million jobs during the Covid recovery.
How an Elon Musk-backed PAC is gathering data to boost Trump
If a voter in Michigan performs a search on Google, a somewhat shocking ad might pop up.
The ad shows a young man lying in bed late at night when someone else texts him, “Hey you need to vote,” and then sends the man a video of the assassination attempt on Trump. The man can hear the gunshots and people screaming in the background.
As Trump is rushed off stage with blood pouring down his face, the man watching the video types in response, “This is out of control. How do I start?”
The ad then displays a website for a group called America PAC.
The website says it will help the viewer register to vote. But once a user clicks “Register to Vote,” the experience he or she will have can be very different, depending on where they live.
Biden says he’s spoken with Harris about her VP pick
As Biden was departing the White House this morning, he confirmed that he’d spoken with his vice president about her running mate.
Asked further about what qualities the president hopes to see in the future vice presidential nominee, Biden said, “I’ll let [Harris] decide.”
Harris to meet with final vice presidential contenders in coming days
Reporting from Washington
Harris is nearing a final decision in choosing her running mate and plans to meet with some of the top contenders in person over the next 72 hours, a source familiar with the process said.
Harris is expected to be in Washington, D.C., today and this weekend, with no public events currently scheduled.
Several candidates on the shortlist have already reshuffled or postponed plans over the next few days, suggesting they needed to clear some time for a face-to-face interview.
It’s JD Vance’s 40th birthday
Vance, Trump’s running mate, is one year older — he turns 40 years old today.
As for how he will spend his birthday, Vance told Newsmax yesterday: “I turn 40 tomorrow, I’m not excited about it. My wife is taking me out to dinner, our favorite Italian spot back home in Cincinnati, and then we’re going swimming afterwards, so it’ll be fun.”
Harris campaign announces record-breaking grassroots fundraising
A senior Harris campaign adviser touted the $310 million the campaign said it raised in July an interview with MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” emphasizing that two-thirds of the money came from first-time donors.
That made July “the largest grassroots fundraising month in Democratic fundraising history,” the adviser and spokesperson, Adrienne Elrod, said.
More than 3 million people made over 4.2 million contributions in July, and 94% of donations were under $200, with teachers and nurses among the most common contributor occupations, the campaign said in a release this morning.
“Grassroots donations fund this campaign,” Elrod said. “It shows the excitement and enthusiasm from all corners of the United States.”
Jake Sullivan defends Biden admin’s work on releasing U.S. prisoners around the world
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has said he will continue to fight to release more U.S. citizens detained in Russia after complaints from their families that their loved ones weren’t part of this week’s deal.
Speaking to NBC’s “TODAY” show this morning from the White House, Sullivan defended the administration’s record and said there were now fewer Americans detained abroad than when Biden came to power in 2020.
“These are very tough decisions and the president has to weigh, as do the other leaders, giving up criminals to get Americans and other citizens home,” he said.
“But at the end of the day, the president asked this question: ‘Am I going to let these people rot for life in a Russian jail?’ And his answer to that question was no.
Sullivan was asked about a statement from the family of school teacher Marc Fogel, who said they were “heartbroken” that he remained detained after the current prisoner release. They argued that Fogel is not rich, doesn’t have powerful connections, and has been left to die in prison.
“Paul Whelan, a former Marine who we got out of Russia is not powerful and politically connected, Trevor Reed, another former Marine who we got out of Russia, is not powerful or politically connected,” Sullivan responded.
Sullivan said the administration was working daily “to get more than 70 Americans out of prison or out of hostage-taking situations around the world,” adding that he personally continues to work on the Fogel case.
Simone Biles swipes at Trump over her ‘black job’
Olympic superstar Simone Biles took what appears to be a dig at Trump, tweeting ” I love my black job” this morning after winning another gold medal in the gymnastics all-around competition yesterday at the Paris Olympics.
The quip appears to be a reference to Trump’s claim that immigrants are taking ” Black jobs” from African Americans, made most recently during an onstage interview at the National Association of Black Journalists.
Biles became the target of ridicule from some on the right, including Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, who is now Trump’s running mate, and others when she withdrew from competition in Tokyo Olympics.
Harris is nearing a decision on her VP pick and will meet with final contenders
Harris is nearing a final decision on a running mate and plans to meet with some of the top contenders in person in the next 72 hours, a source familiar with the process said.
Harris is expected to be in Washington, D.C., today and this weekend, with no public events scheduled at this time.
Several candidates on the shortlist have already reshuffled or postponed plans over the next few days, suggesting they needed to clear some time for a face-to-face interview.
The formal vetting process by a law firm has concluded, and the in-person meetings are among the last steps before Harris makes her pick, two sources familiar with the matter said.
NBC has previously reported that Harris is expected to appear with her running mate Tuesday evening at a Philadelphia rally, so an announcement will come sometime before then.
Chuck Schumer calls Harris a ‘strong Black woman’ whom Trump is scared to debate
A day after Trump falsely said Harris only recently “became Black,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck back yesterday and defended the vice president as “a strong Black woman” whom Trump is scared to debate.
“Every day either Donald Trump or [running mate JD] Vance make some kind of crazy statement, and it’s catching up to the American people. The more his poll numbers go down, the more Donald Trump is unhinged, and he’s afraid to debate even Kamala Harris,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said in an interview right before the Senate left town for its five-week summer recess.
“She’s a strong Black woman — Donald Trump may not want to say that, but it’s true, and everyone knows it’s true,” he added. “He’s afraid to debate her.”
It’s a line Harris, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee and former senator from California, has been using herself on the campaign trail, saying Trump is too afraid to debate her. “If you got something to say, say it to my face,” she said at a raucous campaign rally in Atlanta this week.
A ‘prosecutor’ vs. ‘weak’: The battle intensifies to define Harris
The race is on to define Kamala Harris.
Harris’ campaign rallies are a clear change from those held by Biden, the man she is replacing at the top of the Democratic ticket. The soundtrack is Beyoncé’s “Freedom” and songs like the “Cupid Shuffle.” Megan Thee Stallion performs. They’re brat — or at least trying to be. The vice president likes to say she’s running a “people-powered campaign” and would oversee “a people-first presidency.”
While the atmospherics are meant to bring some energy back to the Democratic Party, she has also introduced herself to the country as a prosecutor out to press the case against Trump.
“I was elected a United States senator. I was elected attorney general of the state of California. And I was a courtroom prosecutor before then,” she said at her first campaign rally, in Wisconsin on July 23. “And in those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds — predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type.”
But the Trump campaign is rushing to define Harris differently.
“Weak, failed, too liberal,” Trump senior adviser Brian Hughes said. “The agenda that brought a border invasion when she was border czar.”
The Trump campaign’s overall messaging strategy that will play out in the coming weeks can largely be seen as multipronged: tying Harris to Biden administration policies, questioning her authenticity and race, focusing on the fact she was in charge of trying to fix the flow of migrants coming across the southern border, and what the Trump campaign will frame as a record in the Senate that is much more liberal than the records of her Democratic colleagues.
‘Crazy’ and ‘not Black’: The ways Trump has gone after Harris’ race and gender
In the roughly two weeks since Biden dropped his re-election bid and endorsed his vice president, Harris, to take his spot at the top of the ticket, Donald Trump has increasingly gone after his new opponent’s race and gender.
Harris, whose mother was Indian and father is Jamaican, would make history if she is elected president. She’d be both the first female president and the first Asian American president.
Trump no longer has another older white man to run against. At 59, Harris is roughly 20 years younger than Trump and has already been trying to reach the younger voters, and voters of color, who were unenthusiastic about Biden.
It’s a demographic Trump has also been trying to chip away at. His response to running against Harris has been to lash out with gender- and race-centered attacks — attempts to undermine her credibility with some of those groups — while questioning whether she’s qualified to be president and reinforcing his base.
The Black Muslim Leadership Council has endorsed Harris, an endorsement Biden failed to receive. NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor sits down with Salima Suswell, the founder and chief, on the decision to support Harris.
Harris team says it raised $310 million in July, announces $377 million war chest
Harris’ team said today that it raised $310 million in July, which would be the biggest haul of the 2024 cycle. NBC News cannot confirm the sum as FEC filings for July are not yet available.
That figure is more than double what the Trump team said it raised in July, with the Trump campaign announcing yesterday, “President Donald J. Trump and authorized committees raised $138.7 Million in the month of July providing a Cash on Hand total of $327 Million.”
Democrats had been leading in the cash race for a long time before Trump’s team caught up and overtook them after his fundraising exploded following his conviction in the New York hush money case. Now, the Democrats’ advantage in cash on hand seems to be restored.
Is the New Mexico Senate seat in play this fall?
Democratic Sen. Martin Heinrich, running for a third term, appears to believe he has a race on his hands.
Heinrich today launched a TV and digital ad called “Not Ours,” hitting Republican rival Nella Domenici, the multimillionaire daughter of longtime former Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M. It attacks Nella Domenici, the former CFO of Bridgewater Associates, over her hedge fund’s investments in China and links them to China’s military. The ad accuses her of putting “personal gain” over U.S. security.
The ad, first reported by NBC News, is a six-figure buy airing statewide in New Mexico, Heinrich’s campaign said.
The contest has gotten little attention because Democrats have a slew of seats to worry about in tougher states than New Mexico, where they’ve been on a winning streak.
But the margin in the last Senate race, in 2020, was tight: Democratic Sen. Ben Ray Lujan defeated a Republican political newcomer by just 6 points.
And this year, GOP operatives have encouraged donors and strategists to make a serious play for Heinrich’s seat, seeing it as winnable.
Heinrich’s team is warning Democrats that holding the seat is no sure thing.
“The Senate majority is at stake, and we can’t take New Mexico for granted,” a Heinrich aide told NBC News. “This race is already closer than expected, and it’s a cheap date for Republicans, who have a self-funding candidate worth up to $94 million.”
Biden travels to Delaware today
Biden is traveling this morning to Delaware, where he often spends his weekends.
Harris has no public events on her schedule.
Biden and Harris met late last night with the three Americans released in the prisoner swap yesterday.
