September 4, 2024, presidential campaign news

Law enforcement and first responders work as students wait to be picked up after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4.

Vice President Kamala Harris called a deadly school shooting in Winder, Georgia, a “senseless tragedy” in her first public comments on the incident.

On Wednesday, at least four people were killed at Apalachee High School, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Another nine people have been taken to hospitals with injuries, the bureau said.

“It does not have to be this way, and this is one of the many issues that’s at stake in this election,” Harris said.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, also reacted to news of the shooting Wednesday.

He called the incident “tragic” and “a situation that’s all too common.”

“Our hearts are out there right now, but our work needs to do to prevent these in the future, as we know,” Walz said during a visit to a Lancaster, Pennsylvania Democratic field office.

Follow live updates about the shooting here.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks in North Hampton, New Hampshire, on September 4.

Vice President Kamala Harris proposed a smaller increase in taxes on capital gains during an economic speech in New Hampshire on Wednesday, breaking with the policy laid out by President Joe Biden in his 2025 budget.

The current capital gains tax rate – 23.8% for higher earners – is paid when an investment is sold, or gains are realized. The Biden budget proposes raising that rate to the top rate he wants to levy on ordinary income – 39.6% – for households with taxable income over $1 million. Harris, the people familiar with the matter say, believes 39.6% is too high and outlined her proposal in New Hampshire.

While Harris still supports taxing the wealthiest individuals and corporations at higher rates – as Biden’s budget also calls for – she believes that a lower capital gains rate would incentivize investors to put more money into startups and small businesses. Advisers said Harris supports allowing many Trump-era tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations to lapse in favor of funding more targeted programs for families and small businesses.

Biden’s budget proposal also contains other tax increases on the wealthy, including raising the top marginal income tax rate to 39.6%, up from the 37% rate established by the 2017 Trump tax cuts law, and levying a 25% minimum income tax on households with more than $100 million in net worth.

The move comes as Harris attempts to establish herself as more moderate in some areas of economic policy while still embracing some elements of a more populist platform, like a $25,000 credit for first-time homebuyers, a $6,000 child tax credit for newborns and federal investigations into retail grocery pricing.

Read more about Harris’ proposal.

This post has been updated with a quote from Harris’ speech Wednesday.

Former President Donald Trump arrives at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on March 2.

Former President Donald Trump posted a short video on TikTok and his social media platform, Truth Social, ahead of North Carolina’s early voting.

North Carolina is the first battleground state to begin the voting process, sending out absentee by mail ballots on Friday.

“So whether it’s mail-in ballots, early voting, or voting on Election Day, you’ve got to get out and vote.” Trump added.

“We’ve got to save our country, we’re the only ones that are going to save it. That other group of people, they’re going to destroy our country. We can’t let that happen.” Trump continued. 

This comes as Trump has recently stated in an interview with Dr. Phil, and repeatedly during some of his rallies, that mail-in ballots “shouldn’t be allowed.”

The battle for control of the House of Representatives will come down to a few dozen of the most competitive races, and the parties and their allies are honing in on those battleground districts, booking tens of millions worth of ad time over the coming weeks.

These top battleground districts are spread across the country. But a few states, like California and New York – which typically see little competitive action at the presidential or senate level – are home to buckets of key races that could be decisive. On the frontlines are several freshman GOP members, many facing rematches of extremely close 2022 contests.

Five districts from California and three from New York populate the list of the 20 House races with the most ad buys remaining between this week and Election Day, while a fourth New York district makes the top 30. 

Here’s a snapshot of some of the key races in California and New York:

California: Top California House races feature several freshman or second-term GOP incumbents, multiple rematches, and an open seat race in a competitive district formerly held for Democrats by Katie Porter, who left to unsuccessfully run in the Senate primary earlier this year.

Voters in the 22nd District are set to see $16.9 million worth of advertising as GOP Rep. David Valadao looks to fend off repeat challenger Rudy Salas, and Republicans have more future ad bookings there, about $10.2 million to $6.7 million. The parties are placing similar bets on the 27th District, where another Republican, Rep. Mike Garcia, is seeking reelection, and Republicans have about $10.1 million booked here, while Democrats have $6 million reserved. 

New York: In New York, a trio of freshmen Republican incumbents are also on the frontline of their party’s effort to retain its slim House majority. Rep. Marc Molinaro in the 19th District, Rep. Mike Lawler in the 17th District, and Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in the 4th District are all among the 20 races set to see the most ad spending through Election Day.

In the 19th, Molinaro’s district, Republicans have about $10.3 million booked, while Democrats have about $8.9 million reserved, hoping to lift challenger Josh Riley after his extremely narrow loss to Molinaro in 2022. It’s currently ranked third overall among House races set to see the most ad spending through Election Day.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks during a campaign rally in Philadelphia on August 6.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s brother said in an interview Tuesday he doesn’t agree with his sibling’s policies but expressed some remorse for inserting himself into the spotlight after making political comments on social media last week.

Jeff Walz, the older brother of Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, told NewsNation he didn’t intend to “influence the general public” with his social media posts. He said he has no plans to be campaigning “for him or against him” ahead of November’s election.

Jeff Walz’s comments come after he wrote in the comment section of an old Facebook post on Friday that he hasn’t spoken to his brother in eight years, but is “100% opposed to all his ideology.” 

In another comment Friday, he responded to someone suggesting he “get on stage” with Trump and offer his official endorsement.

“I’ve thought hard about doing something like that!,” he wrote in response to the idea of formally endorsing Trump. “I’m torn between that and just keeping my family out of it. The stories I could tell. Not the type of character you want making decisions about your future,” he said of his brother.

He has since said he regrets sharing his views on Facebook, and explained he made the posts to clarify his views to people in his life who thought he was aligned with his brother politically.  

Jeff Walz lamented the distance between him and his brother, saying “it’s too bad” they’ve grown apart and expressed hope for the possibility they can “disagree and still be civil brothers.” He added that any “stories” he had to share about Tim Walz wouldn’t reveal anything “hidden” about him. 

Jeff Walz declined to share with NewsNation who he would be voting for in November. But he has a history of supporting Trump dating back to his first presidential campaign in 2016. 

CNN has reached out to the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.

Attorney General Merrick Garland hosted a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force on Wednesday, September 4, in Washington, DC.

The Biden administration announced a sweeping set of actions to tackle a major Russian government-backed effort to influence the 2024 US presidential election on Wednesday, including unveiling criminal charges against two Russian nationals, sanctions on ten individuals and entities, and the seizure of 32 internet domains.

At Russian President Vladimir Putin’s direction, three Russian companies used fake profiles to promote false narratives on social media, US Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.

Two employees of RT, the Russian state media network, were indicted in a US court for allegedly being part of a scheme that funneled nearly $10 million to set up and direct a Tennessee-based front company to produce online content aimed at sowing divisions among Americans, according to the Justice Department.

Taken together, the actions represent the Biden administration’s most significant public response yet to alleged Russian influence operations targeting American voters. After the US accused Iran of trying to hack both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns last month, Wednesday’s expected actions are a reminder that US officials continue to see Russia as a prominent foreign influence threat to November’s election, the sources said.

CNN first reported on the pending US actions earlier Wednesday. The Russian disinformation operation is being laundered through both Americans and non-American voices, four of the sources said.

On Wednesday afternoon, Attorney General Merrick Garland hosted a meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force that was attended by senior law enforcement leaders, including FBI Director Christopher Wray.

Read more about these developments here.

This post has been updated with more details on the US actions.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited a produce market before meeting volunteers in the first stops on his two-day swing through battleground Pennsylvania on Wednesday, his first solo visit to the state since joining the Democratic ticket.

Walz and his daughter Hope purchased some baked goods at the Cherry Hill Orchards Outlet produce market in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, including some “whoopie pies” and apple cider donuts, according to pool reports. 

Walz then brought the baked goods to campaign volunteers at a “volunteer appreciation” event in Lancaster, where he thanked them for working on behalf of the Harris-Walz campaign, according to pool reports.

Why Pennsylvania is key: The destiny of the White House may hang on a deadlocked fight between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for Georgia and Pennsylvania, two battlegrounds that have been decisive in crowning the last two presidents.

The evolving electoral map is revealed in new CNN/SSRS polls out Wednesday of six swing states that captured the transformation in the race since the vice president replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.

The polling data suggests that Harris is two-thirds of the way to consolidating, at least for now, the critical midwestern “Blue Wall” states of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania that have long been the most credible route back to the White House for a Democratic nominee. But the tied race at this point in Pennsylvania suggests that Harris still faces a massive task in putting away a state that Biden won by only 1.2% of the vote four years ago.

CNN’s Stephen Collinson contributed reporting to this post.

The 2024 presidential race has entered a critical stretch, with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump preparing to debate in less than a week and the first ballots going out Friday in North Carolina.

Read about other upcoming campaign events here.

CNN’s Annette Choi and Zachary B. Wolf contributed reporting.

Former President Donald Trump continues to juggle his campaign and the multiple legal challenges he faces.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday again expressed its opposition to Trump’s request to pause the proceedings in his New York state criminal case. 

After filing a petition to remove Trump’s hush money case to federal court last week, his lawyers asked Judge Juan Merchan to let that litigation play out before ruling on Trump’s pending motion to vacate the conviction over the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling.  

But a federal judge denied Trump’s request to move the case to the Southern District of New York Tuesday evening. Trump’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal of that decision hours later. 

In a letter filed with the state court Wednesday the DA’s office says Trump now has no basis for his request to pause the state proceedings because of that federal ruling. 

The letter does not reference Trump’s notice of appeal filed late Tuesday night.  

Judge Merchan has not ruled on Trump’s separate request to delay the sentencing until after the election. Merchan could issue a decision as soon as this week.

Trump could face as much as four years in prison when he is sentenced. He was convicted earlier this year of 34 counts of falsifying business records.

This is one of four criminal cases the former president faces while running again for president.

Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech in New Hampshire today where she is expected to unveil the next tranche of her economic plan. 

High prices are a top concern for many Americans who are struggling to afford the cost of living after a spell of steep inflation. Many voters give President Joe Biden poor marks for his handling of the economy, and Harris may also face their wrath.

In new CNN polling of six swing states, economic issues remain the topic most often chosen by voters when asked what matters in their choice for president. Harris now trails Trump on trust to handle the economy by relatively smaller margins than Biden did; across the current polls, former President Donald Trump is more trusted than Harris on the economy by 8 points on average.

Harris spoke last month about some of her economic proposals, including enhanced tax credits for kids, housing assistance and efforts to stop price gouging. She described her forward-looking agenda as “an opportunity economy,” where Americans are given a real chance to succeed.

Highlights of Harris’ economic promises

Highlights of Trump’s economic promises:

Read more about Harris’ and Trump’s economic plans.

You know the feeling you have the second you step off a Tilt-A-Whirl? That moment when your foot finally hits terra firma after your body’s been through a spin cycle?

That’s kind of where the US economy lives right now — a little dizzy from the ride, vision blurry, feet stepping cautiously forward and trying not to take a tumble.

Meanwhile, everyone at the fair is watching to see what happens next.

Here’s the deal: The next two weeks will bring unusually close attention to the US monthly jobs report (due Friday morning) and the Federal Reserve policy decision (streaming live from Washington, DC, on September 18).

Those two events are the kind of thing that, in normal times, are tracked mostly by economists and Wall Street types.

Of course, we’re not in a normal time — we’re in election time. That means even the stodgiest of reports could force the presidential candidates to recalibrate their message on the issue voters have repeatedly told pollsters is their top concern.

For former President Donald Trump and the Republicans, the narrative is simple: Anything bad you’re feeling about inflation or the job market? That’s the Biden administration’s fault.

For Vice President Kamala Harris, who moved to the top of the Democratic ticket in late July, the message about the economy has had to be more nuanced, recognizing consumers’ legitimate frustrations about high prices and inflation, while touting Democrats’ success in keeping the labor market afloat and avoiding a recession.

Keep reading here.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have a busy schedule today as they prepare for next week’s presidential debate and hit the trail in this last critical stretch of the 2024 campaign.

Harris and Trump, along with their respective running mates Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Sen. JD Vance, are visiting multiple states to make their case.

Here’s a look at what the candidates are up to today:

A sign directs people to the voting site at Bronx County Supreme Court House during the Democratic primary on June 25 in New York City.

The Biden administration on Wednesday plans to accuse Russia of a sustained effort to influence the 2024 US election by using Kremlin-run media and other online platforms to target US voters with disinformation, six sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

It’s expected the US will make a series of moves on Wednesday aimed at addressing the Kremlin’s efforts including the White House publicly condemning the actions and the Justice Department announcing law enforcement action targeting the covert Russian, the sources said.

RT, the Russian state media network, is a major focus of the US announcement, the sources said. US officials see the Russian outlet as a key piece of Kremlin propaganda efforts.

The Russian disinformation operation is being laundered through both Americans and non-American voices, four of the sources said.

Taken together, the actions would be the Biden administration’s most significant public response yet to alleged Russian influence operations targeting American voters. After the US accused Iran of trying to hack both the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns last month, Wednesday’s expected actions are a reminder that US officials continue to see Russia as a prominent foreign influence threat to November’s election, the sources said.

Read more about these developments here.

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked Vice President Kamala Harris’ intelligence and claimed Democrats coalesced around Harris — who is the first Black woman and first Asian American to lead the ticket of a major political party — because they “wanted to be politically correct.” 

Trump’s call into a New Hampshire radio show comes as Harris is expected to campaign in the state on Wednesday. It also comes the day after he posted on Truth Social urging his supporters to turn out for him in that state after the Boston Globe reported that a top Trump volunteer wrote in an email to other volunteers in the state that “the campaign has determined that New Hampshire is no longer a battleground state,” and to instead focus on Pennsylvania. 

Trump said he’s having meetings in preparation for next week’s debate with Harris but said “there’s not a lot you can do.”  

“I’ve been preparing all my life for this debate,” Trump said. 

New CNN polls conducted by SSRS in six battleground states show a mixed outlook on the upcoming presidential election, with voters chiming in on how they view each candidate’s policies and how they would handle important issues.

Across nearly all of these states, likely voters are more apt to describe former President Donald Trump than Vice President Kamala Harris as having clear policy plans to solve the country’s problems (voters split about evenly on this question in Wisconsin and Michigan), but voters in these swing states largely describe Harris’ views and policies as mainstream and Trump’s as too extreme.

About half in each state (between 46% and 51%) say Trump’s views and policies are so extreme that they pose a threat to the country, while around 4 in 10 (between 37% and 42%) say the same about Harris’ positions.

Focus on the economy and democracy: An average of 39% of likely voters across states choose the economy as their top issue, with protecting democracy next at an average of 25%. But Harris now trails Trump on trust to handle the economy by relatively smaller margins than President Joe Biden did; across the current polls, Trump is more trusted than Harris on the economy by 8 points on average. (In New York Times/Siena College polls of the same six states this spring, the same calculation yielded a 20-point Trump advantage over Biden.)

Trump maintains a broad advantage as more trusted to handle immigration, while Harris has built on Biden’s lead as more trusted to handle abortion and reproductive rights, with women across these six states preferring her by an average of 27 percentage points on the issue.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at Laborfest on September 2 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will deliver the keynote address at the Human Rights Campaign’s National Dinner in Washington, DC on Saturday

Former President Donald Trump participates in a question and answers session at the National Association of Black Journalists convention at the Hilton Hotel on July 31 in Chicago.

Former President Donald Trump will continue to fight to move his New York hush money case into federal court — and delay his sentencing on that conviction — now appealing to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a notice of appeal filed Tuesday night. 

A federal judge in Manhattan denied his initial request to move the case to the Southern District of New York on Tuesday. Trump’s attorneys filed a notice of appeal of that decision later that night.  

Trump’s legal team filed the petition last week to move the state case to federal court in the wake of the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity decision. They also asked the federal judge to postpone Trump’s sentencing, currently set for September 18.

Judge Juan Merchan still has not ruled on Trump’s separate request to delay the sentencing until after the election.

The judge could issue a decision as soon as this week.

When former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris walk onstage at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, it will be their first in-person encounter — a moment each has been mulling as they prepare with advisers for the high-stakes moment.

For Harris, a stand-in for the former president — wearing his signature red tie — has helped her visualize the scene ahead of time. Trump, meanwhile, has eschewed a sparring partner in the role of Harris, choosing instead to replicate the informal “policy time” that formed his preparation ahead of June’s debate with President Joe Biden.

That debate ended in disaster for the incumbent president, who ended his reelection bid three weeks later and thrust the presidential race into uncharted waters. Sources close to Trump insist not much had changed in terms of how he will prepare for upcoming debate, despite a switch at the top of the Democratic ticket.

One difference: the enlisting of one of the vice president’s ex-rivals, Tulsi Gabbard, the former representative from Hawaii who ran for president as a Democrat in 2020 in a crowded field that also included Harris.

The addition of Gabbard is particularly notable given the tense exchanges she had with the vice president during their 2020 race that left Harris rattled.

Whether Trump’s approach with a new, younger candidate will prove as effective remains an open question. Harris’ team, for its part, views her as an underdog given Trump’s lengthy experience in general election debates — this will be his seventh in total, more than any candidate in history.

Find out more about Harris’ and Trump’s preparations ahead of the Tuesday face-off.

The destiny of the White House may hang on a deadlocked fight between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris for Georgia and Pennsylvania, two battlegrounds that have been decisive in crowning the last two presidents.

The evolving electoral map is revealed in new CNN/SSRS polls out Wednesday of six swing states that captured the transformation in the race since the vice president replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee.

The surveys show Harris has vastly improved her party’s chances in November and could open several paths to the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win. But they suggest any stalling of her momentum could be disastrous to her hopes.

Trump, despite weeks of failing to find a coherent anti-Harris message, still has a serious chance nine weeks out of pulling off one of the most stunning political comebacks in US history. Strong showings in a few key states could land him back in the Oval Office.

More broadly, the new polls show that Harris has at least made a strong start on her extraordinary task of turning around an election that looked lost within the space of a few months. But they also reflect Trump’s stunning and enduring strength among millions of Americans in his third presidential election — eight years after he won his first.

Continue reading Collinson’s analysis.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to the Aliquippa High School football team during a stop on her campaign bus tour in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, on August 18, 2024.

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Pittsburgh on Thursday to prepare for next week’s presidential debate, according to two sources familiar with the planning. 

Harris will remain in the city until the debate takes place on September 10, sources say.

It’s the second time the vice president will visit the city this week after campaigning with President Joe Biden on Labor Day. CNN previously reported that Harris would pare back her travel leading up to the debate to dedicate time to preparation.  

She plans to make community stops over the week while she’s in Pittsburgh and stay on the campaign trail in a critical battleground state, while also preparing for the presidential debate, according to one of the sources.  

The September 10 debate, which has been the subject of much back and forth, will provide Harris another opportunity to speak to a large audience and draw a stark contrast with former President Donald Trump. ABC, the host network, previously announced it will be held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.

The Harris and Trump campaigns remain in ongoing discussions about the debate rules, according to sources. The Harris campaign has been pushing for microphones to remain on for the duration of the debate, while the Trump campaign wants the microphones turned off while the other candidate is speaking like the CNN debate in June. 

Biden went to Camp David to prepare for his June debate.

Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens urged the Harris campaign to “not take anything for granted” in her home state of Michigan, even as new CNN polling shows the Democratic presidential nominee leading former President Donald Trump there. 

Calling Vice President Kamala Harris “the underdog,” Stevens said, “we’re not leaving anyone behind.”

Stevens — who represents Oakland County — said that her Michigan district previously backed Republicans two decades ago, but that the area has since “turned” — a positive sign for the Harris campaign. She pointed to the district’s “trajectory of strong, Democratic female leadership” along with “incredibly exercised volunteers.”

Asked about the vice president’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war, Stevens called it an “incredibly painful issue” and noted that she spoke with Harris about the recent killing of six Israeli hostages during her visit to Michigan on Labor Day. The congresswoman emphasized that the Biden-Harris administration is focused on reaching a ceasefire deal and remembering the hostages.

Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday appeared supportive of former President Donald Trump’s proposal for the federal government or insurance companies to cover the cost of in vitro fertilization.

Abbott also spoke about Texas resident Amanda Zurawski, who nearly died when she was denied an abortion and went into septic shock. Zurawski has now been campaigning on behalf of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign against restrictive abortion measures. Abbott said her medical case was a “a complete false application of the Texas law.”

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to propose a handful of new benefits to entrepreneurs and small business owners to spur the creation of millions of new businesses, as part of a second wave of economic proposals set to be unveiled today.

In an economic speech in New Hampshire today, Harris plans to call for expanding a tax deduction for costs associated with starting a business and removing regulatory hurdles — like filing requirements and operational licenses — for businesses of a certain size, according to a Harris campaign official. It’s an attempt by the Harris campaign to appeal to a critical middle-class constituency that could help boost her chances in November.

Harris also alluded to the forthcoming tax credit during a stop in Savannah, Georgia, last week. Small businesses are currently granted a $5,000 deduction for expenses related to their first year of operation, according to the Congressional Research Service. Harris will propose raising that to $50,000, the official said, citing the average business’ outlays of $40,000 to get off the ground.

And, advisers say Harris is expected to borrow another page from a playbook that’s traditionally been used by conservatives: Branding herself as fiscally disciplined.

Read more about Harris’ plan.

Mark Meadows and Jeffrey Clark.

While former President Donald Trump faces a fresh indictment over efforts to overturn the 2020 election, some of his biggest allies are hoping the revised charging document helps them evade professional consequences and criminal prosecution for their roles nearly four years ago.

Special counsel Jack Smith rewrote Trump’s federal indictment after the US Supreme Court ruled this summer that the president can’t be prosecuted for “official acts” taken while president. Smith not only narrowed the allegations against Trump but also removed references to communications between Trump and federal government officials.

Now former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and former Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark are trying to use their onetime boss’ winnowed indictment to their advantage.

Trump is the only one charged in the federal case, but several of his allies and members of his administration are facing state-level criminal charges over their meddling after the last election, including Clark and Meadows. Clark and others also are facing professional disciplinary proceedings that could disrupt their ability to practice law.

Meadows, in particular, could stand to benefit from the new Trump indictment handed up in federal court last week. Meadows was cut from much of the document, except for some interactions he had with Trump as the then-president sought to reach the secretary of state in Georgia on the phone to pressure him into aiding his election reversal gambit.

Keep reading.

The 2024 presidential race has entered a crucial stretch, with Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump set to debate and the first swing state ballots hitting mailboxes shortly after the Labor Day holiday weekend.

As the calendar gets into September, both campaigns are focusing on key battleground states — with Harris eyeing an expanded map and Trump digging in across the upper Midwestern states that delivered him the presidency in 2016 and ousted him from office in 2020.

Here are headlines you should know:

Upcoming events:

Upcoming debate:

Advertising:

More headlines:

A gala at former President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club for those who were incarcerated for their participation in the January 6 attack on the US Capitol has been postponed indefinitely, according to the event’s website.

The “J6 Awards Gala,” hosted by First Class Label Group and Vote Your Vision, was initially scheduled for Thursday at Trump National Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey. The event date is now “postponed” and the location and time are “to be announced,” the event’s website says.

Trump was invited to the event but has not confirmed whether he plans to attend. 

Some background: Trump said if he becomes president, he would pardon January 6 rioters who were convicted in an interview in July at the National Association of Black Journalists conference.

“Oh absolutely, I would. If they’re innocent, I would pardon them,” Trump said. “They were convicted by a very tough system.”

Trump has regularly referred to those jailed for their role in the riot on the Capitol on January 6 as “hostages.”

Yard signs with blue dots are seen in Omaha, Nebraska.

The battlegrounds of Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania may be pivotal in the race for the White House, but winning those blue wall states alone does not guarantee a campaign victory without something else: Omaha’s blue dot.

Yard signs with blue circles have begun appearing on lawns across town here, a hopeful symbol for Democrats in a sea of Nebraska red, with one of the state’s lone electoral votes likely critical for Kamala Harris or Donald Trump in the closing two months of the campaign.

Nebraska and Maine are the only states that award electoral votes by congressional district rather than statewide winner. Republicans have long sought to change the law here, but for Democrats, it’s a point of pride. Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020 are the party’s only two candidates to reap a single electoral vote reward.

The Harris campaign and its Democratic allies are investing millions to follow suit.

For all of the pathways for Harris and Trump to reach the White House, the race for 270 electoral votes could come down to Nebraska’s sprawling 2nd District covering Omaha and parts of two nearby counties, which hold many similarities to suburban areas across the country.

Here’s why: If Harris carries the three “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin and Trump wins the sunbelt states of North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, the race could become a 269-269 tie, decided by the House of Representatives. A single electoral college vote in Nebraska could change that, providing no other states deliver surprising results.

Read the full story.

Both Georgia and Pennsylvania remain thoroughly up for grabs, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS in each state, with tight margins overall and double-digit shares of likely voters — 12% in Georgia and 16% in Pennsylvania — saying they haven’t yet decided on a candidate, or that they might change their minds.

Black voters are a key bloc in both states, particularly in Georgia, and according to these polls, Harris stands at 85% among Black likely voters in Georgia and at 84% in Pennsylvania. In both states, though, Black registered voters express less motivation to vote in this year’s election than White voters do.

In Georgia, 61% of Black registered voters say they are extremely motivated to vote compared with 70% among White voters, and in Pennsylvania, just 56% of Black voters say they are deeply motivated to vote compared with 72% of White voters.

Both states see significant gender gaps in presidential preference, with Harris ahead by double-digits among female likely voters in both states while Trump has similarly large leads among male likely voters. Harris widens her margin slightly in both states among suburban women, topping Trump by 16 points with that group in Georgia and 18 points in Pennsylvania.

Harris carries a majority of likely voters younger than 35 in both states, leading 59% to 36% in Pennsylvania, and 54% to 41% in Georgia.

White likely voters without college degrees in both states break broadly for Trump, particularly in Georgia, where roughly 7 in 10 support him. White likely voters who do have four-year college degrees, though, split in opposite directions across the two states. In Pennsylvania, they broadly favor Harris, 59% to 37%, while in Georgia, they are solidly in Trump’s camp, 65% to 32%. That dynamic is similar to the divide seen in 2020 exit polling.

Read more here.

The 2024 presidential campaign’s home stretch kicks off with a mixed outlook across six key battlegrounds, according to new CNN polls conducted by SSRS in each state. 

Vice President Kamala Harris holds an advantage over former President Donald Trump among likely voters in Wisconsin and Michigan, while Trump has the edge in Arizona. The two split likely voters almost evenly in Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania, the state with the largest electoral vote prize that’s widely seen as up for grabs.

Across each of them, an average of 15% of likely voters say they have not yet firmly decided their choice, suggesting a sizable share of voters could shift their views on the race as attention to the campaign rises and campaign activity, especially in these states, hits a fever pitch in the final nine weeks before Election Day.

Likely voters in Wisconsin break 50% for Harris to 44% for Trump, and in Michigan, it’s 48% Harris to 43% Trump. In Arizona, Trump lands at 49% to Harris’ 44%. In Georgia and Nevada, 48% back Harris to 47% for Trump, and in Pennsylvania, the candidates are tied at 47%.

The polls, conducted after the Democratic National Convention in August, reflect results among likely voters determined through a combination of past vote behavior and current intention to vote.

Read more here.