The latest on the 2024 presidential race

Sen. JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance take the stage during a rally in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on July 27.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance addressed his biracial family and his journey to the Christian faith at a Saturday town hall hosted by evangelist Lance Wallnau in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.

Vance said he often fields questions about his children with his wife, Usha, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants. He also said that only in America, where he was taught not to “see skin color,” could they have fallen in love.

“I think because I’ve got biracial children, and I’m sometimes asked by reporters, they’ll say, ‘Well, do you think your children should be Indian, or do you think they should be White?’ And I’ll say, ‘I think they should be American, because that’s what unites us together as a common family,’” Vance said.

Vance said he didn’t describe himself as a Christian as a young man – and he was skeptical about those who were devout Christians – but he came to his faith through Usha and was eventually baptized in 2019.

“I wanted to be a good husband to this woman I had fallen in love with, and I wanted to be a good father to the babies that I knew we were going to eventually have. And when you start asking yourself, ‘What do I need to do to be not a successful person, but a good person, to be a good husband and father?’ I kept on returning to the faith of Mamaw,” Vance said, referring to his grandmother, who helped raised him through his mother’s addiction troubles.

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance attempted to make a stop at a restaurant near Pittsburgh this morning, but it was moved outdoors after an employee said they did not want a campaign event inside, according to reporters traveling with Vance.

It appeared the campaign did not get permission from the manager to come inside the restaurant with press and cameras. Vance briefly exited his motorcade but was instructed to get back inside while his team talked to staff.

A woman was heard saying, “No cameras. We’re not doing an event here. I’ve explained this a bunch of times. Folks are welcome to come and have lunch. We’re not having a campaign event here. I have explained this multiple times.”

A campaign official said the restaurant didn’t want the media taking video inside, so Vance’s team set up a photo line outside where supporters could meet the Ohio senator.

Sen. JD Vance speaks during a town hall campaign event in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, on September 28.

In the closing months of a crowded Republican primary for a US Senate seat in Ohio, JD Vance found himself stuck in the middle of the pack.

The pollster for a supportive super PAC warned that Vance’s campaign was in “precipitous decline,” arguing that he had failed to convince Republican voters of his conservative bona fides and loyalty to Donald Trump.

“Vance needs a course correction ASAP,” the pollster wrote in a February 2022 memo.

It arrived a month later. With the five main primary contenders meeting onstage for the umpteenth time, the two perceived front-runners nearly came to blows. As they stood nose to nose, one readied to fight while the other uttered a sexist expletive. Vance, seated at the edge of the stage, pounced.

“Think about what you just saw. This guy wants to be a US senator and he’s up here, ‘Hold me back. Hold me back,’” Vance said to loud applause. “What a joke. Answer the question. Stop playing around.”

It was a breakthrough moment for Vance, one that led to a second look from GOP voters in his state and from Trump. Clips of the exchange and other debate moments impressed Trump, sources told CNN, and played a role in Vance securing a race-defining endorsement from the former president.

On Tuesday, that ability will be tested once again. Vance, now the Republican nominee for vice president, will join his Democratic counterpart, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, for the first time on a debate stage in New York.

Vance, at just 40 years old and two years into his political career, is still a largely unproven commodity. Also unknown is whether he can successfully pick apart the Democratic ticket while improving — or at least not further jeopardizing — his likability among voters.

Read more on Vance’s story.

President Joe Biden told union workers Saturday that former President Donald Trump would “rather cross” picket lines than join one while touting his administration’s pro-worker efforts.

“You know, do you think he has any idea about the work you do every day?” he said of his predecessor while speaking via phone to the North America’s Building Trade Unions.

Biden also touted the job creation under the administration as well as efforts to expand affordable child care and protections for pregnant and postpartum workers.

Some background: This isn’t the first time Biden and Trump have thrown shots at each other while discussing union workers.

Biden joined members of the United Auto Workers on the picket line last year in Michigan at a time he was facing consistently low polling numbers on his handling of economic issues.

The visit was slammed by Trump, who claimed Biden “had no intention” of walking the picket line until the former president said he would make a speech in Michigan. Ahead of Trump’s speech to union members in Detroit, Biden’s campaign rolled out an ad criticizing the former president’s treatment of autoworkers.

As former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris race to make their pitches to voters ahead of Election Day, both campaigns are busy on the trail this weekend. Here’s what they’re up to.

Saturday

Trump: The former president will deliver remarks at a campaign event in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Trump will later attend the Alabama-Georgia game in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Vance: Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance will attend a town hall in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, at 1 p.m. ET, before heading to Newton, Pennsylvania, for a campaign rally at 5:15 p.m. ET.

Harris: The vice president will attend a fundraiser in San Francisco.

Walz: Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz will hold a voter registration event with students, organizers and leaders in Superior Charter Township, Michigan. Later in the afternoon, he will attend the University of Michigan vs. University of Minnesota football game. Walz will then travel to Harbor Springs, Michigan, where he will remain through Tuesday to prepare for his debate with Vance.

Sunday

Trump: The former president will hold a campaign rally in Erie, Pennsylvania, at 2 p.m. ET.

Harris: The vice president is expected to attend a fundraiser in Los Angeles, before holding a rally in Las Vegas.

Vice President Kamala Harris visits the US-Mexico border in Douglas, Arizona, on September 27.

Vice President Kamala Harris made an aggressive move to cut into Donald Trump’s polling lead on immigration, traveling to the southern border for the first time as the Democratic nominee on Friday to lay out her plans to tackle what she described as a problem that has languished for decades.

Harris, during her trip to the key swing state of Arizona, lambasted Trump for his role earlier this year in tanking a border security bill that was the product of months of bipartisan negotiations.

It was one of Harris’ more specific policy speeches since becoming the Democratic nominee, attempting to use her past as California’s attorney general to prove that she has what it takes to attack Trump on his signature issue.

“It was the strongest border security bill we have seen in decades. It was endorsed by the Border Patrol union. And it should be in effect today, producing results in real time, right now, for our country,” she said at a rally in Douglas, a town on the US-Mexico border.

“But Donald Trump tanked it. He picked up the phone and called some friends in Congress and said, ‘Stop the bill,’” she said. “He prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem. And the American people deserve a president who cares more about border security than playing political games and their personal political future.”

Read more here.

Vice President Kamala Harris attends a campaign event in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 20.

When former President Donald Trump looks up from his seat in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday night during the Alabama-Georgia football game, he may see more than just 100,000 fans watching a high-stakes college football showdown. That’s because Vice President Kamala Harris plans to troll her opponent over his refusal to debate her for a second time — from the skies.

The Harris campaign has arranged to have a small plane fly over Tuscaloosa during the game with a banner declaring, “Trump’s Punting on 2nd Debate.”

It’s a challenge that won’t just be visible to those cheering on the Crimson Tide or the Georgia Bulldogs from the stands, a campaign official told CNN. The Harris campaign will also air a national ad during one of the most highly anticipated games of college football where she calls on the former president to meet her on the debate stage one more time.

“Winners never back down from a challenge,” the ad’s narrator says. “Champions know it’s any time, any place. But losers, they whine and waffle and take their ball home.”

Read more here.

Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speak on their campaign bus in Rochester, Pennsylvania, during a tour of western Pennsylvania on August 18.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will hit the trail Wednesday immediately after Tuesday night’s VP debate between Walz and Republican vice presidential hopeful JD Vance, the campaign said Friday, making multiple stops during a bus tour through central Pennsylvania.

Per a campaign official, the Wednesday swing will mark the first time the Democratic ticket has campaigned together in Central Pennsylvania. The tour also marks the first joint public appearance for Harris and Walz together since they rallied supporters and sat with CNN’s Dana Bash for a joint interview last month.

“The swing will showcase how the Democratic ticket is unified and working hard to rally voters behind their vision for a new way forward for America – especially Vice President Harris’ economic plan, which will invest in manufacturing in Pennsylvania,” an official said in a statement Friday.

CNN reported earlier this week that Walz will hunker down in Harbor Springs, Michigan, for a “debate camp” ahead of the Tuesday-night showdown with Vance. He is scheduled to attend the University of Michigan Wolverines football game in Ann Arbor on Saturday as well.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson speaks at a conference in Washington, DC, on June 21.

North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson was treated for second-degree burns at Northern Regional Hospital “following an incident at a campaign event” in Mount Airy on Friday night, according to Mike Lonergan, communications director for Robinson’s gubernatorial campaign.

Lonergan added in a statement that Robinson “is in good spirits, appreciates the outpouring of well wishes, and is excited to return to the campaign trail as scheduled first thing tomorrow morning.”

Robinson’s burns stemmed from an accident at an automotive show and no foul play was involved, a law enforcement source told CNN.

Robinson, North Carolina’s Republican nominee for governor, had made several campaign stops around the state on Friday, according to a previously provided schedule and social media posts. His final stop was the Mayberry Truck Show and Parade in Mount Airy, where the incident occurred.

The campaign has not provided any further details about the incident.

NewsNation was first to report his hospitalization, which a source close to his campaign confirmed to CNN earlier Friday night.

Robinson’s hospitalization comes amid continued fallout from CNN’s reporting on the lieutenant governor’s past inflammatory comments on a pornography website’s message board.

Read more about Robinson.

Former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance are responding on social media to Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip to the border on Friday.

Harris, during her trip to the key swing state of Arizona, lambasted Trump for his role earlier this year in tanking a border security bill that was the product of months of bipartisan negotiations.

“It was the strongest border security bill we have seen in decades. It was endorsed by the Border Patrol union. And it should be in effect today, producing results in real time, right now, for our country,” she said at a rally in Douglas, a town on the US-Mexico border.

Trump responded to Harris’ speech and argued the remarks were “too late!”

“Why didn’t Kamala make this speech four years ago? It’s too late! She has damaged our Country beyond recognition. There is no excuse for what she has done. She is guilty of CRIMES! Now she is begging for forgiveness, but our Country will never forgive her for this GROSS INCOMPETENCE at the Border. ONLY I CAN FIX IT. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Vance, meanwhile, weighed in on a post from Harris in which she said: “As your president, I will protect our nation’s sovereignty, secure our border, and work to fix our broken system of immigration. And I will partner with Democrats, Republicans, and Independents to do it.”

Vance’s response: “That’s cool but can you just do it now? You’re the sitting Vice President.”

Harris visited the US-Mexico border on Friday as part of an effort to go on the offensive on an issue that Trump has made central to his reelection bid.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in Douglas, Arizona, on September 27.

During remarks following her first visit to the US-Mexico border as the Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris touted her record as the attorney general of California to argue that she would effectively handle border security as immigration has emerged as a top issue on the campaign trail.

Harris listed that she has “walked through tunnels that traffickers used to smuggle contraband,” broke up a heroin trafficking ring connected to Mexican cartels and was California’s first attorney general to issue an analysis on the threats that transnational criminal organizations pose “to public safety and to the economy.”

The latest polling in the upper Midwest battleground of Michigan finds Vice President Kamala Harris with a narrow lead over former President Donald Trump among likely voters there, while the race is tighter, with no clear leader, in neighboring Wisconsin, according to two new CNN Poll of Polls averages in each state.

Harris leads Trump 49% to 45% in the Michigan average, while in Wisconsin, it’s 49% Harris to 47% Trump, an average within the typical margin of sampling error for most polls. Harris held a lead in three of the four polls included in the Michigan average, while in Wisconsin, Harris held a lead outside the margin of error in just one poll, while the other three suggested no clear leader in the race.

A new batch of polls from the New York Times and Siena College released this morning, which are included in these averages, finds no clear leader among likely voters in Michigan (Harris and Trump even at 46%) or Wisconsin (Harris at 48%, Trump at 46%), with Trump leading Harris in Ohio (Trump at 49% to Harris’ 43%) and Harris ahead by a sizable margin in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District (51% Harris to 42% Trump), mirroring CNN’s recent polling there. These results reflect the presidential matchup including named third party candidates, margins between Harris and Trump were similar in each poll in a two-way matchup.

The Ohio poll finds incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown at 47% to Republican Bernie Moreno’s 43% among likely voters, a margin narrowly within that poll’s margin of error. Democrats have the advantage in the Senate races in Michigan (Democrat Elissa Slotkin holds 47% support to Republican Mike Rogers’ 42%) and Wisconsin (Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin has 50% to Republican Eric Hovde’s 43%).

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event in Walker, Michigan, on September 27.

A driver approached a vehicle checkpoint at former President Donald Trump’s rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday and claimed he had an explosive in his trunk, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The male driver attempted to plow through the checkpoint but was stopped, and no shots were fired, the source said. No explosive device was found, though a federal official told CNN that lawn fertilizer was found in the trunk.

The agents who stopped the driver were Homeland Security Investigations agents who were assisting the Secret Service, the federal official said.

A Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement: “An individual was arrested by the Walker Police Department,” and thanked their support in protecting Trump.

CNN has reached to the Walker Police Department for comment.

Former President Donald Trump speaks at a town hall event in Warren, Michigan, on September 27.

Former President Donald Trump held a relatively brief town hall in Warren, Michigan, on Friday in which he repeated his usual talking points about illegal immigration and the economy.

He fielded a few questions from voters in the town hall that lasted about 40 minutes and was moderated by Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn. He again lied about being named “Man of the Year” in Michigan before he ran for president — something he has falsely claimed since he ran for president in 2016.

Trump, at one point, attempted to tie together rising grocery prices and the influx of migrants at the border.

The town hall in Warren was Trump’s second event of the day in Michigan. The first was in Walker, Michigan.

Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, leaves a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, in 2022.

Ginni Thomas, a conservative activist and wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, was among the prominent political figures that Iranian hackers sought to impersonate as part of their efforts to target people associated with former President Donald Trump, according to court documents and law enforcement officials briefed on the matter.

US federal prosecutors on Friday unsealed criminal charges against three Iranian government-linked hackers in connection with a hacking operation aimed at Trump.

The indictment doesn’t identify Ginni Thomas by name, but it states that between April and May 2024, the hackers used the persona set up in the name of the justice’s spouse to send spearphishing emails to a former homeland security adviser and to a former US president, among other targets.

The hackers had set up a fake email account in Ginni Thomas’ name in April 2020, according to the indictment and law enforcement officials, but it wasn’t until four years later that they used that account in their efforts.

More context: Between June and August 2024, the hackers used access to a Trump campaign official’s personal email account to steal “debate preparation” material and information on potential vice presidential candidates, according to the indictment. The leak of some of that material to US media outlets was part of an Iranian effort to stoke discord during the election, the Justice Department alleged.

Read more here.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are tied among likely voters in North Carolina, while Harris holds a comfortable lead in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, according to two new CNN polls conducted by SSRS.

The North Carolina survey also shows scandal-plagued Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson trailing his Democratic opponent by a wide margin in the state’s gubernatorial race.

Both places could be key to either Harris or Trump winning the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency. Trump faces limited paths to victory should he fail to hold North Carolina – the state where he earned his slimmest margin of victory in 2020 – and a win in Nebraska’s 2nd District would open up a path for Harris through the northern “blue wall” states even if she fails to carry any of the Sun Belt battlegrounds.

In North Carolina, Harris and Trump stand at 48% each among likely voters. In Nebraska’s 2nd District, the so-called blue dot encompassing Omaha, Harris has 53% to Trump’s 42%, the poll finds.

North Carolina, which narrowly supported Barack Obama in 2008 and has gone red in the past three presidential elections, is a state Democrats hope to make competitive again this year. Nebraska, meanwhile, is one of two states, along with Maine, that splits its Electoral College votes – awarding two to the statewide winner, with the other three awarded separately to the winner of each of the state’s congressional districts.

Read more about the poll here.

Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

The network notes it “reserves the right to mute the candidates’ microphones,” however, unlike the presidential debates, mics will be otherwise be hot, according to a release from CBS News.

Walz will appear on the right side of the screen to viewers and Vance on the left side. As the candidate of the incumbent party, Walz will be introduced to the stage first.

The candidate who is asked a question will have two minutes to answer and the other candidate will have two minutes to respond. Candidates will have one minute for additional rebuttals. An additional minute to continue a topic may be given at the moderator’s discretion.

Candidates are not permitted to interact with staff during breaks. They are provided a pen, a pad of paper and a water bottle, but no props or pre-written notes are allowed. There will be two commercial breaks four minutes each.

The debate begins at 9 p.m. ET in New York City and is moderated by Norah O’Donnell and Margaret Brennan.