Trump branded ‘not serious’ on economy in Harris MSNBC sit-down as Melania gives rare interview: Live

Kamala Harris has hit out at Donald Trump’s approach to the economy, calling him “not serious” in her first one-on-one network interview since she became the Democratic party’s presidential nominee.

The vice president spoke to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle on Wednesday night hours, after she delivered a major policy speech on the economy in Pittsburgh, championing child tax credits, downpayment assistance, and small-business incentives.

“He’s not serious about how he thinks about some of these issues,” she said of Trump’s economic plans.

“And one must be serious and have a plan and a real plan that’s not just about some talking point ending in an exclamation at a political rally.”

She also pushed back on Trump’s claims women are looking to him as a protector on abortion rights and revealed it was a “gut decision” to pick Tim Walz as her running mate.

The interview came as Melania Trump also sat down for her first interview in over two years.

In a clip of the sitdown with Fox & Friends’s Ainsley Earhardt, which airs Thursday morning, Melania recalls the moment she learned about the assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Key Points

• Kamala Harris answers critics with detailed economic plan and sharp criticisms of Trump

• Trump reveals ‘big threats on his life’ from Iran

• WATCH: Kamala Harris says women need ‘trust’ not ‘protection’ from Donald Trump

• New poll: Trump and Harris neck-and-neck nationally among likely voters

• Outrage as Republican tweets racist attack on ‘vudu’-practicing ‘slapstick gangster’ Haitian immigrants

WATCH: Trump says his support for US furniture makers is ‘why people in countries want to kill me’

09:13 , Rachel Sharp

New report reveals how badly the Secret Service botched Trump rally security

08:45 , Oliver O’Connell

The Local police had warned about Crooks acting suspiciously before the rally. Secret Service failed with key lapses in its security plan and not communicating with local and state law enforcement agencies before a gunman opened fire at Donald Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a new report found.

The findings from the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs came via interviews and 2,800 pages of documents. The panel determined the agency tasked with protecting the former president did not take a proper leadership role in planning and securing the site on July 13. About 20 minutes into the Trump’s rally, gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, opened fire, wounding the former president, killing a spectator and injuring two more.

The Secret Service has faced intense criticism for its planning and the investigation into the attempted assassination.

Ariana Baio has the details.

New report reveals how the Secret Service botched security at Trump’s Butler rally

08:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump labels Zelensky ‘greatest salesman on Earth’ in Russia war dig

Biden says Israel-Hezbollah conflict could turn into ‘all-out war’

07:45 , AP

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to become an “all-out war” as his top diplomat and other advisers were working behind the scenes pressing for a temporary cease-fire to calm the escalating conflict that has killed more than 600 people.

Read on…

Biden says Israel-Hezbollah conflict could turn into ‘all-out war’

New ad from George Conway’s PAC has Trump’s alleged assault victims speaking out

07:15 , Oliver O’Connell

The political action committee founded by anti-Trump activist George Conway is running a pair of television advertisements featuring testimonials from two women who allege that former president Donald Trump sexually assaulted them.

The Anti-Psychopath PAC launched the advertisements on Wednesday as part of a $500,000 campaign meant to trigger a reaction from the former president by airing them during his favorite shows and on his favorite channels.

Andrew Feinberg has the story.

Trump’s alleged assault victims speak out in new ad from George Conway’s PAC

Steve Wynn told Trump point-blank that he’s ‘off message’

06:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican megadonor Steve Wynn has told Donald Trump point-blank that he’s “off message” as he joins a growing list of allies warning the former president he should be doing better in the 2024 race.

For the longtime friends, Trump and Wynn share a lot in common. They are both billionaires, both were rival real estate titans in the 1980s and both, at one stage, donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

But more recently, the pair haven’t seen eye-to-eye, according to a report.

James Liddell has the story.

Casino mogul Steve Wynn told Trump point-blank that he’s ‘off message’

ICYMI: Could Mark Robinson’s campaign implosion be a Carolina miracle for Kamala Harris?

05:15 , John Bowden

It’s a four-alarm fire at GOP headquarters in North Carolina, but nobody’s bringing any water.

With the election a little more than a month out, Republicans in the Tar Heel state are facing an unimaginable crisis: a nominee for the highest elected office on the ballot this year (with the exception of the presidential ticket) who is, to put it mildly, a disaster. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee for governor, is undergoing a full-scale campaign collapse triggered by a CNN investigation into his past.

The details of the investigation were made public last Thursday: Robinson, an anti-transgender, anti-gay conservative culture warrior was linked through an email address and screenname to posts on a porn site called “Nude Africa” in which he allegedly described shocking and graphic sexual acts while referring to himself as a “Black Nazi”.

Robinson denied making the comments in a video message. Meanwhile, conservative operatives working in the state say the allegations were floating around as rumors for weeks if not months before being made public — with receipts.

Read on…

Mark Robinson’s campaign implosion could be a Carolina miracle for Kamala Harris

House Democrats highlight abortion horror stories at Project 2025 hearing

04:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Democrats on Capitol Hill took aim at Project 2025 on Tuesday at a special hearing aimed at exposing Americans to the increasingly unpopular conservative policy plan drawn up by a host of right-leaning organizations.

It was a hearing billed as outlining the plan’s “devastating impact on hardworking American taxpayers” and dealing with a wide range of the plan’s proposals — which are extensive in scope and deal with everything from energy policy to education.

But the vast majority of the hearing’s time centered around one issue: abortion access, and the dangerous circumstances which abortion bans across conservatives states around the country can leave women facing.

John Bowden reports from Washington, DC.

House Democrats highlight abortion horror stories at Project 2025 hearing

Trump’s ‘lost touch with reality’: Mental health experts sound the alarm on former president’s potential ‘cognitive decline’

03:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Leading mental health experts, including a former White House doctor, have expressed alarm over Donald Trump’s mental faculties, suggesting he’s showing signs of “cognitive decline.”

Several experts told The Independent their concerns about the Republican presidential nominee are similar to those they had about President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race, warning Trump appears to “have lost touch with reality,” as exhibited by the 78-year-old’s “rambling” speeches and “erratic” debate performance.

They join a growing number of mental health professionals calling for independent and objective cognitive testing as November’s election edges closer.

Rhian Lubin reports.

Mental health experts sound the alarm on Trump’s potential ‘cognitive decline’

Latest poll updates: Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump?

03:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Alicja Hagopian looks at the latest numbers for The Independent.

Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates from the 2024 election

Biden blasts Trump as having little ‘social redeeming value’

02:45 , Oliver O’Connell

President Joe Biden slammed his predecessor and former 2024 election opponent as an anti-democratic demagogue who has no respect for the norms and traditions of democracy during an appearance on the popular ABC News program The View on Wednesday.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Biden blasts Trump as lacking ‘social redeeming value’ on The View

Dramatic campaign exodus as half of Mark Robinson’s staffers leave lieutenant governor’s office

02:15 , Oliver O’Connell

Mark Robinson continues to be battered by staff resignations as the fallout from a CNN investigation into his past continues.

The North Carolina lieutenant governor previously saw the lion’s share of his campaign staff quit over the weekend — resignations which included his campaign manager and deputy campaign manager, leaving him with little more than a spokesman. On Tuesday, it was further reported by WRAL, a local news outlet, that the staff exodus extended to non-campaign staff at his state office in Raleigh.

Just half of his staff remains, according to WRAL, which cited sources familiar with the situation.

John Bowden has the details.

Half of Republican Mark Robinson’s staff leave after dramatic campaign exodus

Trump attacks ‘very boring’ Stephen Colbert in Truth Social rant about late-night show hosts

01:57 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump has branded Stephen Colbert “very boring” as he continues to air his latest grievance: late-night show hosts.

In an irate post on Truth Social, the presidential candidate admitted to watching Colbert’s PBS interview, which aired on Monday, where The Late Show presenter described Trump as “kind of boring” when he once appeared on his show.

“I briefly watched an interview of Stephen Colbert on highly government-subsidized PBS and found it fascinating for only one reason — Why would they be wasting time and the public’s money on this complete and total loser?” Trump fumed.

“He is not funny, which he gets paid far too much to be, he is not wise, he is VERY BORING, and his show is dying from a complete lack of viewers —Gutfeld, on cable, is killing him!”

Madeline Sherratt reports.

Trump attacks ‘very boring’ Stephen Colbert in Truth Social rant

Today’s political news, in pictures

01:47 , Josh Marcus

Harris mocks Trump ideas for economy as ‘just not very serious’

01:25 , Josh Marcus

Donald Trump and Kamala Harris were both in swing states today making their economic pitch.

Trump played up his support for far-reaching tariffs on all imports to the U.S., claiming the idea was so bold it made other countries want to kill him.

In Pennsylvania, meanwhile, Harris told MSNBC that ideas like the tariff, which could raise prices for U.S. consumers, are “just not very serious.”

Trump says support for US furniture makers why foreign nations ‘want to kill me’

Secret Service agent accused of sexually assaulting Kamala Harris staffer

01:10 , Josh Marcus

A Secret Service agent is accused of sexually assaulting a staffer for Kamala Harris in a hotel room.

The alleged incident took place over the last week, as a team of agents and Harris staffers did advance planning and security work for a September 20 event in Wisconsin that was later canceled, reports RealClearPolitics, citing four unnamed sources in the Secret Service community.

The agent in question and the Harris staffers reportedly ate and drank together at a local restaurant, then went back to the female staffer’s room.

There, the agent allegedly forced himself on the woman and groped her, an incident allegedly witnessed by others. Those inside the room allegedly kicked the agent out into the hallway, where he was said to have been so drunk he passed out.

More details in our full story.

Secret Service agent accused of sexually assaulting Kamala Harris staffer at hotel

WATCH: Kamala Harris says women need ‘trust’ not ‘protection’ from Donald Trump

Thursday 26 September 2024 00:58 , Josh Marcus

Outrage as Republican tweets racist attack on ‘vudu’-practicing ‘slapstick gangster’ Haitian immigrants

Thursday 26 September 2024 00:23 , Josh Marcus

A Republican congressman has faced heavy backlash following a “racist” online post, in which he described Haitian immigrants as “slapstick gangsters” who ate pets and practiced “vudu.”

Scores of people, including fellow members of the House, condemned Louisiana representative Clay Higgins over the post, which came in response to news that citizen criminal charges have been brought against Donald Trump and JD Vance in Springfield.

“Lol. These Haitians are wild,” Higgins wrote, in response to an article by the Associated Press about the charges.

“Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters… but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20th.”

Mike Bedigan has the full story.

Outrage as Republican tweets racist attack on ‘slapstick gangster’ Haitian immigrants

Harris contrasts economy plans with Trump ‘taking care of very rich people’

Thursday 26 September 2024 00:19 , Josh Marcus

Kamala Harris has spent this interview so far trying to walk a fine line between populist economic policies and pro-business stances.

The vice president said she’s “not mad at anybody for being rich,” but supports corporations and high-earners paying their fair share of taxes.

The Democrat argued her economic plans, which include boosting housing supplies and giving new families tax relief, are a contrast to Trump’s record, which she described as only “taking care of very rich people.”

Watch: Harris outlines manufacturing agenda in economy speech in Pittsburgh

Kamala Harris sits for rare in-depth interview with MSNBC

Thursday 26 September 2024 00:05 , Josh Marcus

Kamala Harris gave a rare in-depth interview to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle, which is airing now.

We’ll have all the latest news live from the vice president.

This week’s chaos in the House shows us what a second Trump term would look like

Wednesday 25 September 2024 23:55 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia writes:

The 118th Congress will end not with a bang but a continuing resolution, just like it always has. Tonight, the House of Representatives will vote on a clean stopgap spending bill to keep the government open until after the election.

That will allow the House to, once again, avoid a government shutdown. And just like in every other time this past Congress, Democrats will bail out House Speaker Mike Johnson because extremists in his conference will say “Hell no.”

Continue reading…

This week’s chaos in the House shows us what a second Trump term would look like

Watch: Harris promises to offer ‘tax credits for expanding good union jobs’

Wednesday 25 September 2024 23:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump’s alleged assault victims speak out in new ad from George Conway’s PAC

Wednesday 25 September 2024 23:20 , Oliver O’Connell

The political action committee founded by anti-Trump activist George Conway is running a pair of television advertisements featuring testimonials from two women who allege that former president Donald Trump sexually assaulted them.

The Anti-Psychopath PAC launched the advertisements on Wednesday as part of a $500,000 campaign meant to trigger a reaction from the former president by airing them during his favorite shows and on his favorite channels.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

Trump’s alleged assault victims speak out in new ad from George Conway’s PAC

Full story: Harris answers critics with detailed economic plan and sharp criticisms of Trump

Wednesday 25 September 2024 23:05 , Oliver O’Connell

For weeks, Republicans have complained that Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign has skimped on detailed proposal for how she would bring the American economy out of the post-pandemic period that has seen the highest inflation in decades.

On Wednesday, she answered by laying out plans to center her presidency around building and strengthening the American middle class and describing the US election as a choice between what she described as two “fundamentally different” visions of the economy held by her and former president Donald Trump, her Republican opponent.

Andrew Feinberg has the details.

Harris answers critics with detailed economic plan and sharp criticisms of Trump

Watch: Harris pledges US will be global leader in tech sectors with government support

Wednesday 25 September 2024 23:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump has a theory why people want to kill him

Wednesday 25 September 2024 22:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump claimed during a campaign speech in North Carolina that people in other countries want to kill him because of his trade policies.

“All of your furniture makers are going to come back and come back bigger and stronger and better than ever before,” Trump said from the shop floor of the Mosack Group in Mint Hill, a company that makes plumbing components.

“They’re mostly gone. They’re all coming back.

“This is why people in countries want to kill me,” he went on.

Josh Marcus has the story.

Trump says support for US furniture makers why foreign nations ‘want to kill me’

Watch: Mark Cuban reviews Trump’s ‘insane’ economic policies on Fox News

Wednesday 25 September 2024 22:34 , Oliver O’Connell

Mark Cuban is doing double duty today. Having reviewed Kamala Harris’s economic policies on MSNBC, he then appeared on Dox News to talk about Donald Trumpo’s “insane” economic policies.

Watch: Harris promises tough stance on China

Wednesday 25 September 2024 22:20 , Oliver O’Connell

Full story: Mike Johnson defies Trump to pass spending bill without voting provisions

Wednesday 25 September 2024 22:05 , Oliver O’Connell

Eric Garcia reports for The Independent from Capitol Hill:

House Speaker Mike Johnson has rebuffed former president Donald Trump’s overtures by letting the House of Representatives vote to approve a spending bill to keep the government funded until December — despite the fact that it included no provisions to tighten elections.

Trump had previously called on House Republicans to not agree to a continuing resolution without the SAVE Act, which claimed it would would prevent illegal immigrants from voting. This, despite the fact that US law already prohibits such a practice in federal elections.

“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” Trump wrote on Truth Social last week.

Continue reading…

Mike Johnson defies Trump to pass spending bill without ‘illegal immigrant’ provision

Watch: Mark Cuban reacts to Harris’s economic policy speech

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:55 , Oliver O’Connell

The billionaire businessman, investor, Shark Tank presenter and part owner of the Dallas Mavericks, seems impressed with what the vice president had to say.

Meanwhile, in the House…

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:48 , Oliver O’Connell

The House of Representatives has voted to pass the Continuing Resolution to keep the government funded. Joining the 209 Democrats voting in favor were 132 Republicans, with a final tally of 341 voting Yea and 82 voting Nay.

The bill now heads to the Senate

Trump campaign reacts to Harris economic plan

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:45 , Oliver O’Connell

Following Kamala Harris’s major economic policy speech in Pittsburgh today, Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s national press secretary, said:

Full story: House Speaker wants Ukrainian ambassador sacked after Zelensky visits Pennsylvania munitions plant with Democratic governor

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:40 , Oliver O’Connell

House Speaker Mike Johnson is demanding that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky sack the widely respected diplomat who has represented Kyiv in Washington since 2021 after she arranged for him to visit a munitions plant where artillery shells destined for his country are being produced.

In a letter released by Johnson’s office on Wednesday, the Louisiana Republican accused Ambassador Oksana Markarova of interfering in the ongoing US presidential election by helping set up the trip by Zelensky to the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania over the weekend.

During his visit, Zelensky inspected production lines where the 155mm artillery shells used by his country’s forces are being produced.

He did so alongside the state’s governor, Josh Shapiro.

Andrew Feinberg reports.

House Speaker wants Ukrainian ambassador sacked after Zelensky visits Pennsylvania

Biden says Israel-Hezbollah conflict could turn into ‘all-out war’

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:20 , AP

President Joe Biden said Wednesday that fighting between Israel and Hezbollah threatens to become an “all-out war” as his top diplomat and other advisers were working behind the scenes pressing for a temporary cease-fire to calm the escalating conflict that has killed more than 600 people.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the US administration was “intensely engaged with a number of partners to de-escalate tensions in Lebanon and to work to get a cease-fire agreement that would have so many benefits for all concerned.”

The Biden administration has been floating a proposal for a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah to calm the escalating conflict that has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes in northern Israel and southern Lebanon, US officials said Wednesday.

Continue reading…

Biden says Israel-Hezbollah conflict could turn into ‘all-out war’

Harris slams Trump on manufacturing record

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:11 , Oliver O’Connell

Kamala Harris slams Donald Trump over his manufacturing jobs record, noting that in 2016 he promised to bring them back — just as he promised again yesterday: “All told, almost 200,000 manufacturing jobs were lost during his presidency, starting before the pandemic hit, making Trump one of the biggest losers ever on manufacturing.”

Harris commits to doubling apprenticeships

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:09 , Oliver O’Connell

“I will recommit the nation to global leadership in the sectors that will define the next century,” says the vice president.

“We will invest in the industries that made Pittsburgh the Steel City by offering tax credits for expanding good union jobs in steel, iron, and manufacturing communities.”

Harris vows to “double the number of registered apprenticeships” by the end of her first term as president.

“Those are tough duty, man!” she says of apprenticeship jobs. “And women. And everybody.”

“We will eliminate degree requirements while increasing skills development, and let’s do that for half a million federal jobs — and challenge the private sector to a similar commitment.”

Casino mogul Steve Wynn told Trump point-blank that he’s ‘off message’

Wednesday 25 September 2024 21:00 , Oliver O’Connell

Republican megadonor Steve Wynn has told Donald Trump point-blank that he’s “off message” as he joins a growing list of allies warning the former president he should be doing better in the 2024 race.

For the longtime friends, Trump and Wynn share a lot in common. They are both billionaires, both were rival real estate titans in the 1980s and both, at one stage, donated to Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

But more recently, the pair haven’t seen eye-to-eye, according to a report.

James Liddell has the story.

Casino mogul Steve Wynn told Trump point-blank that he’s ‘off message’

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:57 , Oliver O’Connell

Harris touts her economic plan as giving tax breaks for more than 100 million Americans including a $6,000 credit for new parents.

She adds she also wants to give “all working people access to paid leave” to help workers raising children or caring for their aging parents.

Harris shared her own experience caring for her mother:

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:56 , Oliver O’Connell

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:54 , Oliver O’Connell

“I’ve been working with entrepreneurs and business owners my whole career, and I believe companies need to play by the rules, respect the rights of workers and unions and abide by fair competition,” says Harris. “And if they don’t, I will hold them accountable. And if anyone has a question about that, just look at my record as attorney general.”

Harris promises pragmatic economic policy with ‘bold persistent experimentation’

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:46 , Oliver O’Connell

“I have pledged that building a strong middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency. But let me tell you, the reason is not about politics and it’s not about ideology. From my perspective, it’s just common sense. It’s just common sense. It’s actually what works.” says Harris

“As president, I will be grounded in my fundamental values of fairness, dignity and opportunity,” Harris says. “And I promise you, I will be pragmatic in my approach. I will engage in what Franklin Roosevelt called ‘bold persistent experimentation.’”

Harris outlines economic vision to ‘grow middle class’

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:41 , Oliver O’Connell

“In this election, I believe we have an extraordinary opportunity to make our middle class the engine of America’s prosperity, to build a stronger economy where everyone everywhere has a chance to pursue their dreams and aspirations.”

Harris says, “the cost of living in America is still just too high. You know it, and I know it … that was true long before the pandemic hit.”

She says the recent Federal Reserve rate cut “will make it just a little easier for families to buy a home or a car or just pay down the credit card bill”.

“The American people face a choice between two fundamentally very different paths for our economy,” Harris says. “I intend to chart a new way forward and grow America’s middle class. Donald Trump intends to take America backward to the failed policies of the past.”

“For Donald Trump, our economy works best if it works for those who own the big skyscrapers — not those who actually build them, not those who wire them, not those who mop the floors. I have a very different vision for our economy.”

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:40 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump says assassination attempts ‘may or may not involve Iran’

Watch LIVE: Harris outlines manufacturing agenda in economy speech in Pittsburgh

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:33 , Oliver O’Connell

Watch live: Harris outlines manufacturing agenda in economy speech in Pittsburgh

Mark Cuban in attendance at Harris economic speech

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:31 , Oliver O’Connell

Trump campaign confirms return to Butler — site of first assassination attempt

Wednesday 25 September 2024 20:30 , Oliver O’Connell

Donald Trump’s campaign has confirmed the details of his return to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of the first assassination attempt on July 13.

The former president will speak at the Butler Farm Show on Saturday, October 5 at 5pm.

A statement reads:

On Saturday, October 5th, 2024, President Donald J. Trump will return to Butler, Pennsylvania to hold a rally on the very same ground where he came within a quarter of an inch of losing his life less than three months ago.

President Trump’s return to Butler will mark his first visit to the site of the attack since he was struck by an assassin’s bullet on July 13th—but was saved in what the world has recognized as an act of divine providence.

During his visit, President Trump will honor the memory of Corey Comperatore, who heroically sacrificed his life to shield his wife and daughters from the bullets on that terrible day. President Trump will also recognize the two other Americans who were wounded by the shooter, David Dutch and James Copenhaver. He will express his deep gratitude to law enforcement and first responders, and thank the entire community for their outpouring of love and support in the wake of the attack.