© Brynn Anderson, Associated Press |
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The biggest names in politics and pop culture will be hitting the trail for the final two weeks leading up to Election Day as campaign politics consumes the nation. - Next week, Vice President Harris will hold separate events with the two most popular Democrats in the country — former President Obama will rally with Harris in Georgia, and former first lady Michelle Obama will join her in Michigan.
Democrats will also be looking to press their celebrity advantage to get out the vote. - Lizzo will appear with Harris in Detroit early Saturday, and Usher will join her that evening for an event in Atlanta.
- The Democratic National Committee is launching a get-out-the-vote event around Taylor Swift concerts this week in Miami.
Republicans don't have the same star power, but Elon Musk, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Tulsi Gabbard have proven popular online. - Musk has been campaigning for Trump in Pennsylvania and says he has at least a half-dozen more events planned in the Keystone State before Election Day. The billionaire inventor has been relentlessly promoting Trump on his social media platform X.
Trump, of course, has no problem with earned media. His edgy address at the Al Smith Catholic fundraiser on Thursday night — captured in The Hill's 12:30 Report by Cate Martel — was all the chatter Friday. - Comedian Jim Gaffigan got some laughs with digs at Harris, who sent in a video featuring "Saturday Night Live" alum Molly Shannon instead of attending in-person.
Will we see Trump's former rival Nikki Haley on the trail for him in the campaign's final days? - The Bulwark reports that there were talks between the two camps about getting her out on the trail. The Harris campaign has been making a direct appeal to Haley voters and other moderate conservatives.
- But Trump seemed to throw cold water on that idea, saying he doesn't need Haley's help.
- "I'll do what I have to do," Trump said on "Fox & Friends" when asked if he would call Haley and ask her to campaign for him.
- "But let me just tell you: Nikki Haley and I fought, and I beat her by 50, 60, 90 points. I beat her in her own state. … I beat Nikki badly. I beat everyone else, too — badly…And they keep talking about Nikki, Nikki. I like Nikki. Nikki, I don't think, should have done what she did, and that's fine that she did it. But even in her own state — in South Carolina, where she was the governor — I beat her by a number. … And then they say, 'Oh when is Nikki coming back in?' Nikki is in. Nikki is helping us already."
One place where Trump won't be getting an assist: The Drudge Report. The Hill's Dominick Mastrangello has the inside story on how the famed Internet provocateur turned his influential website from a conservative media powerhouse into a bastion of anti-Trump sentiment. 💡 Perspectives: The Hill: Trump's closing argument: It doesn't have to be this way. The Washington Monthly: How Harris can finish strong. The Huffington Post: Harris tries to crack Dems' problem with Black men. Vanity Fair: The race is Harris's to lose. The Hill: Harris is underperforming in critical states. The Liberal Patriot: Will Trump be dragged down by reverse coattails? The Guardian: The Electoral College is a gun at the head of U.S. democracy. Read more: - Harris camp features less talk of joy, more straight attacks on Trump.
- Democrats look to quash threat from Green Party's Jill Stein.
- Most say they're worse off than they were four years ago: Gallup.
- Trump earned money from government sources through Washington hotel, Democrats find.
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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- U.S. district judge Tanya Chutkin unsealed nearly 1,900 pages of highly redacted evidence in Special Counsel Jack Smith's election interference case against former President Trump.
- Republican senators are pressing the Small Business Administration for answers after the disaster loan program exhausted its funds following two major hurricanes.
The man charged with trying to assassinate Trump at his golf course last month asked U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon to recuse herself from the case.
Democrats are pressing President Biden to lower housing costs before leaving office.
- Teen tobacco use has fallen to a 25-year low.
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Voting surges across the U.S.
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Nearly 11 million Americans have already cast their ballots for the 2024 election, according to statistics compiled by the University of Florida's Election Lab, with voting getting off to a hot start in battlegrounds such as Georgia and North Carolina. - Georgia passed the 1 million vote mark Thursday after polls opened earlier this week, shattering early voting records in the state.
- In North Carolina, where voting has been hampered by the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, more than 350,000 people cast ballots on the first day of early voting. Former President Trump will visit Asheville on Monday to view hurricane damage and make remarks.
- In Florida, which should should cross the 1 million vote mark by Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) suspended several rules and deadlines to ensure voters impacted by Hurricanes Milton and Helene are able to make it to the polls.
- The early voting surge is seen as an advantage for Harris, although Trump and Republicans have been urging their voters to take advantage this cycle despite stark warnings about it in 2020.
In addition to the presidential race, voters will decide who gets control of the House and the Senate. There are pitched battles happening across the U.S., with both chambers balanced on a knife's edge. - The Hill's Al Weaver has five takeaways from last night's debate between Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), who is the favorite to defeat retired Army Captain Sam Brown (R-Nev.) in a key battleground state.
- Another pivotal debate happens tonight, when Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) squares off against Republican businessman Eric Hovde, who has closed in on her in the polls.
- Republican strategist Brad Todd and Axios reporter Stef Knight noticed an interesting development in several key Senate races. Some Democrats running in swing states, including Baldwin and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), have featured Trump in their ads as they seek to cast themselves as centrist dealmakers.
Meanwhile, conservative Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) is calling on deep-pocketed GOP groups to send money to Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who are caught in tighter-than-expected races in must-win red states for Republicans. "I am worried about it. I think both Ted and Rick are ahead, but it's closer than it should be," Lee told Semafor. "It's also troubling … there's an inequity there. These guys are Republican colleagues, they're in very close races in a general election, they could use the help."
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Compiled by The Hill's Liz Crisp. |
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© Sergio Flores, Yousef Masoud and Ting Shen, Getty Images |
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Hamas leader's death shakes up Middle East
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Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack, has shaken up the Middle East and provoked questions about what's next for a region that's been on the brink of wider war for more than a year. Is it possible that Sinwar's death provides an opening for a peace deal? Axios reports that it could provide the opening U.S. and Israeli leaders need to reignite stalled cease-fire talks, although political leaders from both countries have sent different signals in the early hours after Sinwar's death. - Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said "the mission ahead of us is still unfinished."
- President Biden told Netanyahu in a phone call it's time to "move toward a cease-fire."
- "There is now the opportunity for a 'day after' in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike," Biden said in a statement. "Yahya Sinwar was an insurmountable obstacle to achieving all of those goals. That obstacle no longer exists. But much work remains before us."
The U.S. and Israel are deeply concerned about the fates of the hostages that remain in Hamas's custody. - Netanyahu delivered a message directly to Hamas, offering a way out for fighters if the hostages are released.
- "Your leaders are fleeing and they will be eliminated," Netanyahu said, adding that those who quit fighting and "return our hostages" would be allowed to "leave and live."
Biden was in Berlin on Thursday huddling with European leaders. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to the Middle East in the coming days. Read more: |
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The culture wars are raging across the country… - Abortion is on the ballot in 10 states this November, which could shape the future of access and drive voters to the polls on an issue that divides America. Three states — Missouri, Kansas and Idaho — have renewed efforts to restrict access to the abortion drug mifepristone.
- A judge issued a temporary restraining order against health officials in Florida, siding with a group that brought a lawsuit alleging that its political speech had been censored when it sponsored an ad in support of an abortion rights ballot initiative.
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) is suing a doctor in Dallas, accusing her of providing gender-affirming care to nearly two dozen minors in violation of the state's law.
- Republicans appealed a Georgia judge's ruling that several vote-counting rules passed in recent months by the GOP-led State Election Board are "illegal, unconstitutional and void." A judge said the rules could not be implemented before Election Day, as voting is already underway.
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"The three decisions the next Congress must make on AI policy," by Slavina Ancheva and Paulo Carvao for The Hill. "How our candidates' trade policies could kill the economy," by Bruce Yandle for The Hill. |
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17 days until Election Day.
94 days until Inauguration Day 2025. |
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(all times Eastern) Friday - Harris speaks at a union hall in Lansing at 5:30 p.m., then holds a rally in Oakland County, Mich., at 8:30 p.m.
- Trump holds a rally in Detroit at 7 p.m.
Saturday - Harris campaigns in Detroit and Atlanta.
- Trump holds a rally in Latrobe, Pa., at 6 p.m.
Sunday - Trump holds a town hall in Lancaster, Pa., at 5 p.m.
- Harris turns 60.
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There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: jeasley@thehill.com |
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