Trump wants ‘apology’ from 60 Minutes after dropping out of interview as Harris prepares for media blitz: Live

Donald Trump held a rally in Juneau, Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon at which he demanded that 60 Minutes give him an “apology.”

Trump backed out of the interview on Tuesday, just ahead of the vice presidential debate on CBS, the same network that airs 60 Minutes.

Earlier this week, CBS said that Trump committed to the interview while the Trump campaign told CNN that the interview was never “locked in” and that the network had “insisted on cutting out of the interview to do fact-checking.”

Meanwhile, Kamala Harris will go on a media blitz this week as she sits down for interviews with 60 Minutes, The View, late-night host Stephen Colbert and radio host Howard Stern with just 30 days left until Election Day.

In a preview for her own 60 Minutes interview, Harris was pressed about the US’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nearly one year after Hamas attacks on October 7 — questions she largely dodged.

Trump’s Wisconsin rally came just one day after he held a lie-filled event at the venue in Butler, Pennsylvania where he survived an assassination attempt just three months ago.

At Saturday’s rally, he suggested that his political opponents “maybe tried to kill me.”

Key Points

Trump often touts his economic experience as a successful businessman — but economists worry his plans for a second term would be harmful

05:00 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump’s economic policies are extremely popular with voters and often what supporters cite when asked why they support the former president in his third bid for the White House. But economists beg to differ – and they’re begging the public to differ too.

On the surface, Trump’s vague plans to lower corporate taxes, extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, implement tariffs on imported goods, eliminate taxes on tips and increase domestic employment opportunities sound appealing.

Though the former president has not released a comprehensive economic plan, he has consistently said he will lower costs for Americans and restore the nation’s finances back to a pre-pandemic era.

Read the full story.

Economists say Trump’s jobs and tax plans are dangerous. Better tell the voters

ICYMI: Trump reportedly asked Putin for advice about whether the US should help arm Ukraine

04:00 , Rhian Lubin

Donald Trump reportedly asked Vladimir Putin for his advice on whether the US should help arm Ukraine at their first in-person meeting.

The Republican presidential nominee, who has been vocal in his criticism of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, reportedly asked Putin “what do you think?” when the pair met in Hamburg in 2017, according to The New York Times.

Trump has wildly claimed Putin “would never have gone into Ukraine” if he were president and has touted his “very good relationship” with him several times.

The meeting — which took place three years after Russian forces invaded the Crimean peninsula — was “an opening” for Putin to begin exploiting Trump’s “escalating political grudge” against Ukraine in a bid to weaken US support for the country, officials who were privy to the exchange have shared with the newspaper.

Read the full story.

Trump ‘asked Putin for advice’ about whether the US should help arm Ukraine

How Trump and his allies are spreading false claims about Hurricane Helene relief

03:30 , Alex Woodward

As the southeastern US braces for yet another hurricane, Trump and his loyalists are busy spreading falsehoods about the federal response to the last one

Trump and his allies have spent the week in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene spreading false claims about the federal response to the devastation — misinformation that officials warn could be dangerous to survivors in need of aid.

Kelly Rissman explains:

How Trump and his allies spread false claims about FEMA and Hurricane Helene relief

WATCH: Tim Walz bats down ‘distracting’ Fox News question on abortion

03:00 , Kelly Rissman

Kamala Harris hits back at ‘childless’ attacks on Call Her Daddy podcast: ‘This is not the 1950s anymore’

02:30 , Kelly Rissman

Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said last month that “my kids keep me humble” and that “unfortunately, Kamala Harris doesn’t have anything keeping her humble.”

Harris responded to the Republican governor’s statement on the latest episode of Call Her Daddy, a mega-popular podcast that Spotify calls the “most-listened-to podcast by women.”

“I feel sorry for [her],” Harris told podcast host Alex Cooper.

“I don’t think she understands that there are a whole lot of women out here who, one, are not aspiring to be humble, two, a whole lot of women out here who have a lot of love in their life, family in their life, and children in their life,” she added. ”And I think it’s really important for women to lift each other up.”

Read more:

Kamala Harris hits back at ‘childless’ attacks on Call Her Daddy podcast

VP shares why she became a prosecutor on ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast

02:00 , Kelly Rissman

Kamala Harris opened up about why she became a prosecutor on the mega-popular Call Her Daddy podcast.

“When I was in high school, my best friend, her name is Wanda, I learned was being sexually assaulted by her stepfather. And you know, I knew something was going on because she didn’t want to go home, she just seemed sad. And so she told me, and I immediately said, you have to come and stay with us,” Harris said.

“It upset me so, that someone, where they should feel safe and protected, were being so horribly abused and violated, right? And anyway, I decided at a young age I wanted to do the work of protecting vulnerable people,” the vice president continued.

“I mean, look, I was raised, I’m the eldest of two daughters, I was raised with my mother saying, since practically the day my sister was born, you know, look out for your sister, so maybe it started when I was two, but Wanda and her experience really convinced me and made me realize how this can happen and what we need to do to stand against it,” she added.

“A lot of my career was as a prosecutor. And so it was about really wanting to protect the most vulnerable and where they did not have the power, and it wasn’t of their own choosing, but because they were the subject of abuse, because they were the subject of an imbalance of power, right? And so a lot of the work that I’ve done has been about wanting to restore, to the extent I could play a role in that, their right to have justice, to have a voice.”

Here’s more about her appearance on the hit podcast.

Kamala Harris to appear on ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast

‘Can we try to think of any law that gives the government the power to make a decision about a man’s body?’

01:30 , Kelly Rissman

Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper asked Vice President Kamala Harris during her interview on the podcast: “Can we try to think of any law that gives the government the power to make a decision about a man’s body?”

The vice president asked the same question of Brett Kavanaugh at his 2018 confirmation hearings.

Here is the original exchange.

DeSantis administration threatens local TV station for airing abortion rights campaign ads

01:00 , Kelly Rissman

Ron DeSantis’s administration has appeared to threaten a local TV station with legal action for airing an abortion rights campaign ad.

The features a woman named Caroline who needed to have an abortion and cancer treatments after a brain tumor diagnosis in 2022. She praises Amendment 4, which would enshrine abortion access in the state that currently has a six-week ban on the procedure.

An October 3 letter from the Florida Department of Health sent to WFLA TV’s vice president Mark Higgins claiming the ad is illegal under section 386.01 of Florida law that allows the state to remove any “nuisance” that “threatens or impairs” people’s health.

Rhian Lubin has the full story.

DeSantis threatens local TV stations for airing abortion rights campaign ads

Recap: Harris visited North Carolina after Hurricane Helene ravaged the state

Monday 7 October 2024 00:30 , Kelly Rissman

Vice President Kamala Harris visited the state on Saturday and visited Asheville — a city hit by substantial flooding during the storm.

“We’re here for the long haul,” she told a volunteer leader.

The Democratic nominee’s visit juxtaposes Trump’s false claims that the embattled region hasn’t seen “anybody from the federal government yet.”

The internet is in hysterics over Elon Musk’s jump

Monday 7 October 2024 00:00 , Kelly Rissman

Elon Musk spoke at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania last night.

But the internet — namely users on his own social media platform — are focused less on his speech and more on his vertical.

An animated Musk leaped on the Butler stage, exposing his belly button.

Some users have even gone so far as to call the Space X owner as “the greatest jumper of all time.”

Elon Musk’s jumping photo at Trump’s rally has the internet in hysterics

WATCH: Melania Trump discusses husband’s near-assassination in Pennsylvania

Sunday 6 October 2024 23:30 , Kelly Rissman

ICYMI: ‘Dark MAGA’ Elon Musk rallies onstage with Trump

Sunday 6 October 2024 23:00 , Graig Graziosi

Elon Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla, spoke during Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday, and made the brazenly false claim that Democrats were going to eliminate elections in the US.

Trump — returning to the site where he was nearly assassinated in July— introduced Musk as the man who “saved free speech“ and as a “rocket builder,” claiming his company Space X was the only reason that American astronauts can return to space.

The world’s wealthiest man took the stage in a black “Make America Great Again” hat and told the crowd he was “dark MAGA” — seemingly referencing the fringe far-right meme — before taking a swipe at President Joe Biden.

Read the full story.

‘Dark MAGA’ Elon Musk rallies onstage with Trump in Pennsylvania

North Carolina’s scandal-ridden Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is losing by double digits, poll shows

Sunday 6 October 2024 22:15 , Rhian Lubin

North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson is trailing his opponent by 17 points in the state’s gubernatorial race, according to a new poll.

Robinson faces an uphill battle as Josh Stein, North Carolina Attorney General, has 51 percent support of voters compared to the Republican’s 34 percent, the High Point University poll revealed.

Robinson, who has been rocked by public scandal in recent weeks, is also trailing Stein by double digits in two other polls released last week. The Washington Post poll puts Stein at 54 percent to Robinson’s 38 percent, while a poll from East Carolina University has the Democratic at 50 percent compared to Robinson at 33 percent.

Read the full story.

Embattled Mark Robinson losing by double digits in North Carolina gubernatorial race

Trump returned to Butler three months after an attempt on his life. But since then, has he changed?

Sunday 6 October 2024 21:45 , Kelly Rissman

On Saturday, Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania — the site of his first assassination attempt.

The political landscape has totally shifted since the July 13 attack.

The ear bandage has come off, he has been named the Republican nominee, and he faces a new formidable rival, yet in the three months since the former president has sustained not one but two attempts on his life, shockingly, nothing about him seems to have fundamentally changed.

Read the full story.

Trump is returning to the scene of his assassination attempt. What’s changed?

Melania gives robotic response when asked why Trump returned to Butler

Sunday 6 October 2024 21:15 , Kelly Rissman

Trump’s return to the site of his assassination attempt on Saturday was politically significant.

But when his wife, Melania Trump, was asked about his visit to Butler, Pennsylvania in a Fox News interview, she provided stiff, canned answers and left her interviewer grasping for more.

John Bowden has the full story.

Melania Trump gives robotic response when asked why husband returned to Butler

Donald Trump demands ‘apology’ from 60 Minutes after he backed out of interview

Sunday 6 October 2024 20:58 , Kelly Rissman

In Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon, Trump asked that the program “apologize” after he took issue with the network’s fact-checking about Hunter Biden’s laptop and crime rates.

Kamala Harris will appear on the program for an election special on Monday.

While the Trump campaign denies ever committing to the interview, CBS has insisted that he had committed to it but backed out on Tuesday.

In photos: Trump returns to Butler, the site of his first assassination attempt

Sunday 6 October 2024 20:45 , Kelly Rissman

Donald Trump is speaking in Wisconsin

Sunday 6 October 2024 20:24 , Kelly Rissman

Speaking in Juneau, Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon, Donald Trump is boasting about having the “greatest economy in history” during his term.

While bragging about the crowd size, he said he likes putting the “fake news” reporters to the back of the venues.

He promised a “golden age” should he be re-elected while calling his Democratic rival “a long nightmare.”

Watch here.

Many members of Trump’s party still can’t admit that he lost the last election

Sunday 6 October 2024 20:00 , Rhian Lubin

Many Republicans are still struggling to admit out loud that Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election.

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton and Speaker Mike Johnson are the latest Republicans who can’t bring themselves to say that Trump lost the election.

Cotton was put under pressure by Kristen Welker on Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC, where she gave him multiple opportunities to put the issue “to rest.”

Read the full story.

Republicans still can’t say ‘Trump lost the 2020 election’

ICYMI: Elon Musk claims during Trump rally that ‘this will be last election’ if Republicans lose

Sunday 6 October 2024 19:30 , Kelly Rissman

Thom Tillis confronts Hurricane Helene recovery misinformation

Sunday 6 October 2024 19:15 , Kelly Rissman

North Carolina Republican Senator Thom Tillis took aim at his own party.

Members of the GOP, including Donald Trump, have been pushing false claims about the recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene survivors.

“The last thing that the victims of Helene need right now is political posturing, finger-pointing, or conspiracy theories that only hurt the response effort,” he wrote.

Trump’s politicization of the hurricane response has not only earned the wrath of Tillis, but also the second-largest newspaper in North Carolina.

Read more about that saga here.

North Carolina newspaper condemns Trump for ‘spreading lies’ about Helene

Lara Trump pressed by CNN’s Dana Bash about FEMA misinformation

Sunday 6 October 2024 19:00 , Kelly Rissman

CNN’s Dana Bash pressed Lara Trump after her father-in-law Donald Trump repeated false claims about FEMA aid going toward Hurricane Helene survivors.

Referring to the Biden-Harris administration, the former president falsely claimed at the Butler rally on Saturday evening: “They’re offering them $750, to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of. They’re offering them $750. They’ve been destroyed, these people have been destroyed.”

Earlier this week, the GOP nominee baselessly claimed that Kamala Harris had spent “all of her FEMA” money on “housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country.”

In reality, the White House has clarified that survivors will get an initial $750 after applying to a Serious Needs Assistance program: “$750 is what is immediately available to eligible survivors. In addition, survivors may qualify for more FEMA financial assistance, including to repair storm-related damage to homes and property, find a temporary place to stay, and receive compensation for lost crops and livestock.” Read more here.

Bash asked Lara Trump, who is from North Carolina, whether she is “concerned” about the misinformation about being spread and how it impacts their ability to get help. “Look, Kamala Harris did say $750 per family right now,” she said before comparing the money spent on the “migrant crisis.”

“You are right that FEMA is getting $750. But that is a first step,” Bash explained.

Watch the full clip:

Harris to address Israel relationship in new interview

Sunday 6 October 2024 18:30 , Graeme Massie

Kamala Harris will address the US relationship with Israel in a CBS 60 Minutes interview set to air on Monday.

In a sneak peek, Haris was asked by Bill Whitaker if the White House lacks influence over Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“The aid that we have given Israel allowed Israel to defend itself against 200 ballistic missiles that were just meant to attack the Israelis and the people of Israel,” Harris said.

“When we think about the threat that Hamas Hezbollah presents Iran, I think that it is, without any question, our imperative to do what we can to allow Israel to defend itself against those kinds of attacks.”

Economists have blasted Trump’s jobs and taxes plans as dangerous. Someone better tell the public

Sunday 6 October 2024 18:06 , Graeme Massie

Though Trump often touts his economic experience as a successful businessman, economists worry his plans for a second term would be harmful, writes Ariana Baio.

Economists say Trump’s jobs and tax plans are dangerous. Better tell the voters

ICYMI: Trump falsely suggests at assassination attempt site that his rivals ‘tried to kill me’

Sunday 6 October 2024 17:45 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump returned to the site where he was nearly assassinated this summer, but his brush with death doesn’t appear to have changed him in the slightest.

On Saturday evening, Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania — walking out to a live rendition of “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood — and opened with the words “as I was saying,” referencing the fact that his previous rally at the site ended abruptly when a gunman fired an AR-15 toward the stage, grazing his ear and killing one attendee and injuring two others.

Rather than giving the former president a new perspective on the political temperature in the country, Trump’s rhetoric appears to have become more volatile; during the rally, he suggested that his political opponents “maybe tried to kill me.”

Read the full story.

Trump claims rivals ‘tried to kill me’ as he returns to site of assassination attempt

Howard Stern to interview Harris this week

Sunday 6 October 2024 17:31 , Graeme Massie

Trump falsely suggests his rivals ‘tried to kill me’ as he rallies at site of assassination attempt

Sunday 6 October 2024 17:09 , Graeme Massie

Trump claims rivals ‘tried to kill me’ as he returns to site of assassination attempt

Melania says Trump has always known her views on abortion

Sunday 6 October 2024 16:33 , Graeme Massie

The former first lady gave an interview to Fox News on Sunday in which she said that her views on abortion came as no surprise to her husband.

“Yes, he knew my position and my beliefs since the day we met, and I believe in individual freedom,” she told host Maria Bartiromo.

“I want to decide what I wanted to do with my body. I think I don’t want government in my personal business,” she added.

Melania’s views on abortion have been included in her forthcoming memoir, despite the former president bragging that he brought an end to Roe v. Wade.

Trump insinuates Democrats may have been behind his first assassination attempt

Sunday 6 October 2024 16:28 , Graeme Massie

Trump boasts he does not need teleprompter while flanked by one at Butler rally

Sunday 6 October 2024 16:05 , Graeme Massie

Trump boasts he doesn’t need teleprompter while flanked by one at Butler rally

Can Kamala Harris beat Donald Trump? Latest poll updates

Sunday 6 October 2024 15:32 , Graeme Massie

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

Elon Musk falsely claims Democrats will eliminate elections in US during Donald Trump rally in Butler

Sunday 6 October 2024 15:04 , Graeme Massie

Musk falsely claims Democrats will eliminate elections in US during Trump rally

Trump often touts his economic experience as a successful businessman — but economists worry his plans for a second term would be harmful

Sunday 6 October 2024 23:43 , Ariana Baio

Donald Trump’s economic policies are extremely popular with voters and often what supporters cite when asked why they support the former president in his third bid for the White House. But economists beg to differ – and they’re begging the public to differ too.

On the surface, Trump’s vague plans to lower corporate taxes, extend his 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, implement tariffs on imported goods, eliminate taxes on tips and increase domestic employment opportunities sound appealing.

Though the former president has not released a comprehensive economic plan, he has consistently said he will lower costs for Americans and restore the nation’s finances back to a pre-pandemic era.

Read the full story.

Economists say Trump’s jobs and tax plans are dangerous. Better tell the voters

Butler event site trashed after Trump rally

Sunday 6 October 2024 04:30 , Graig Graziosi

The Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania ended with a lot of cheers, and a lot of trash.

An image posted of the rally site on X showed the area littered with garbage following the event.

X users dunk on photo of Elon Musk jumping for joy at Trump rally

Sunday 6 October 2024 04:15 , Graig Graziosi

A photographer captured an excited Elon Musk leaping into the air after Donald Trump called him on stage to speak to a Butler, Pennsylvania rally crowd.

Another X user shared the photo and likened it to the opening sequence from a “bad 1980’s sitcom.”

Another happy customer of Musk’s X service saw the similiarities between the Tesla CEO and Poochie from The Simpsons.

JD Vance confirms to reporters that second Trump administration would seek to defund Planned Parenthood

Sunday 6 October 2024 04:00 , Graig Graziosi

JD Vance reportedly said that a potential second Trump administration would seek to defund Planned Parenthood.

“On the question of defunding Planned Parenthood…our view is we don’t think that taxpayers should fund late term abortions,” he told Real Clear Politics. “That has been a consistent view of the Trump campaign the first time around, it will remain a consistent view.”

While Planned Parenthood does provide reproductive healthcare services, Vance is lying. The organization does not “fund late term abortions.”

Planned Parenthood does provide women’s healthcare services — like cancer screenings — in addition to abortions.

WATCH: Lara Trump vows to prosecute ‘illegal citizens’ for ‘cheating’ in elections

Sunday 6 October 2024 03:45 , Graig Graziosi

ICYMI: Kamala Harris to appear on ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast

Sunday 6 October 2024 03:15 , Graig Graziosi

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly sat down for an interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast this week, with the episode set to release sometime next week.

The Democratic presidential candidate’s appearance on the mega popular podcast was confirmed by a campaign spokesperson to Axios, the outlet reports.

Call Her Daddy is Spotify’s second-biggest podcast, coming in just behind the Joe Rogan Experience.

Alex Cooper, the creator and host of Call Her Daddy, recorded her episode with Harris on Tuesday, according to Axios. The outlet reports that the episode will focus on reproductive rights and abortion as well as other issues important to women voters.

White House debunks Trump claim that Hurricane Helene survivors were only given $750 payments

Sunday 6 October 2024 02:45 , Graig Graziosi

A spokesperson for FEMA debunked claims made by Donald Trump during his Butler, Pennsylvania rally on Saturday that “they” — Democrats — only gave $750 to victims of Hurricane Helene. Later claims circulating on social media claimed that the funds were only “a loan,” which FEMA denied.

“This is not true. We do not ask for this money back,” FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg wrote on X.

The White House issued a statement on Friday responding to Trump’s claims.

“More than 6,400 Federal personnel are on the ground, and more than $110 million in Federal assistance has been given to survivors, with more to come. We are sparing no resource as we work to ensure communities across the Southeast have prompt access to Federal resources that will enable them to both purchase essential items and begin their road to recovery and rebuilding,” the White House wrote in its statement.

The White House said the $750 figure is just an initial disbursement for people who immediately need financial assistance.

“It is an upfront, flexible payment to help cover essential items like food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies. There are other forms of assistance that you may qualify for to receive, and Serious Needs Assistance is an initial payment you may receive while FEMA assesses your eligibility for additional funds. $750 is what is immediately available to eligible survivors. In addition, survivors may qualify for more FEMA financial assistance, including to repair storm-related damage to homes and property, find a temporary place to stay, and receive compensation for lost crops and livestock.”

Harris, Walz to appear on “60 Minutes” interview that Trump turned down

Sunday 6 October 2024 02:19 , Graig Graziosi

Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz will appear on a special edition of 60 Minutes on Monday.

According to 60 Minutes, the program offered an interview to the Trump campaign, which initially agreed, but then later declined the sit down.

Trump falsely suggests his rivals ‘tried to kill me’ as he rallies at site of assassination attempt

Sunday 6 October 2024 01:55 , Graig Graziosi

Full story: Donald Trump returned to the site where he was nearly assassinated this summer, but his brush with death doesn’t appear to have changed him in the slightest.

On Saturday evening, Trump returned to Butler, Pennsylvania — walking out a live rendition of “God Bless the USA” by Lee Greenwood — and opened with the words “as I was saying,” referencing the fact that his previous rally at the site ended abruptly when a gunman fired at AR-15 toward the stage, grazing his ear and killing one attendee and injuring two others.

Rather than giving the former president a new perspective on the political temperature in the country, Trump’s rhetoric appears to have become more volatile; during the rally, he suggested that his political opponents “maybe tried to kill me.”

READ MORE:

Trump claims rivals ‘tried to kill me’ as he returns to site of assassination attempt

Trump, surrounded by teleprompters, asks “isn’t it nice to have a president that doesn’t need a teleprompter?”

Sunday 6 October 2024 01:51 , Graig Graziosi

Full story: ‘Dark MAGA’ Elon Musk rallies onstage with Trump in Pennsylvania

Sunday 6 October 2024 00:55 , Alex Woodward

Elon Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla, made the brazenly false claim that Democrats were going to eliminate elections in the US as he rallied onstage next to Donald Trump on Saturday night.

Trump — returning to the site where he was nearly assassinated in July — introduced Musk as the man who “saved free speech“ and as a “rocket builder,” claiming his company Space X was the only reason that American astronauts can return to space.

The world’s wealthiest man took the stage in a black “Make America Great Again” hat and told the crowd he was “dark MAGA” — seemingly referencing the fringe far-right meme — before taking a swipe at President Joe Biden and suggesting that Democrats were trying to strip away Americans’ rights to free spech, to bear arms, and to vote.

‘Dark MAGA’ Elon Musk rallies onstage with Trump in Pennsylvania

Trump falsely claims that migrant children are ‘dead, in slavery or just plain missing’

Sunday 6 October 2024 00:20 , Alex Woodward

Trump repeated his false statements that tens of thousands of migrant children are missing or dead or “in slavery.”

He blamed Kamala Harris for children he claims are “dead, in slavery or just plain missing” after crossing the US-Mexico border.

He is radically misrepresenting a report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general that blamed ICE for failing to consistently “monitor the location and status of unaccompanied migrant children” once they are released from federal government custody.

The report noted that more than 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children had not, as of May 2024, received a notice to appear in court. But there are many reasons why that would happen, from missing or not-yet updated paperwork to families who failed to make it to court, among other reasons.

His statement also comes as he faces scrutiny once again for his administration’s own family separation policy, in which federal authorities separated children including infants from thier parents or guardians after entering the US. Thousands had not yet been reunited with their families as of earlier this year.

Trump repeatedly claims Biden-Harris response to Hurricane Helene is ‘worse’ than Katrina

Sunday 6 October 2024 00:14 , Alex Woodward

Thoughout his rally, Trump has repeatedly and falsely claimed that the Biden-Harris administration response to Hurricane Helene is “the worst job ever done on helping people through the ravages of a hurricane” — including Hurricane Katrina.

Trump has falsely claimed that the federal government’s emergency agencies have misspent billions of dollars or not at all.

“This is a Katrina for them,” he said on Saturday. “They say it’s the worst job ever done on helping people through the ravages of a hurricane.”

Photos: Elon Musk joins Trump onstage in Butler

Sunday 6 October 2024 00:04 , Alex Woodward

Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest person, spoke onstage at a campaign rally alongside Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, marking the first time that the billionaire has publicly campaigned with the former president since declaring his support this summer.

“Dark MAGA” Elon Musk rallies onstage with Trump in Pennsylvania, suggests Democrats will eliminate elections in America

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:50 , Graig Graziosi

Elon Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla, made a plea for Americans to vote for Trump during the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

He said he believed that if Trump loses, it would be the last election in America, insinuating that Democrats would eliminate elections under a Kamala Harris administration.

There is no evidence supporting that claim.

Trump calls Elon Musk to the stage

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:47 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump Elon Musk up to the stage during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and claimed that SpaceX was the “only reason” America can still send astronauts into space.

Musk came up tot he stage and took a swipe at Joe Biden, calling him a president who “couldn’t climb a flight of stairs” before comparing him to Trump, praising the former president for taking a bullet.

He then falsely claimed that Democrats were trying to take away Americans’ rights to vote, their right to bear arms, and their right to free speech.

WATCH: Trump recalls ‘as I was saying’ as he speaks in Butler first time since assassination attempt

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:45 , Graig Graziosi

Trump says countries across the globe have released more than “13,000 murderers” into the US

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:41 , Graig Graziosi

Trump said more than “13,000 murderers” have been let into the US during Joe Biden’s administration.

During his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, he said countries “all over the world” were releasing muderers and human traffickers into the US.

There is no evidence supporting Trump’s claim that countries are intentionally “releasing” anyone into the US.

Trump talks about his “beautiful life” before a medical issue in the crowd stalls the rally

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:35 , Graig Graziosi

Trump boasted about his properties and the “beautiful life” he could have if he weren’t running for president during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I could have such a beautiful life,” Trump said, before boasting of his properties. “I could be in Monte Carlo, but I’d rather be in Butler.”

A short time later, someone in the crowd suffered a medical issue, briefly interrupting the rally. Trump stopped, saying “take your time, doctor” and waited for the individual to receive medical care before continuing.

During the downtime, the crowd started singing the national anthem.

Trump suggests the government is paying for “sex change operations for illegal aliens”

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:29 , Graig Graziosi

Trump suggested on Saturday during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania that migrants in “holding bins” were being given government sponsored “sex change operations.”

“Who wants sex change operations for illegal aliens in holding bins?”

The dubious claim has been a frequent talking point among Republicans, who have made both illegal immigration and opposition to transgender individuals a main focus of the 2024 campaign.

Trump insinuates Democrats “maybe tried to kill me”

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:25 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump said that Democrats “maybe tried to kill me” during his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — the site of his attempted assassination by Thomas Matthew Crooks in July — after which the crowd chanted “fight fight fight.”

There is zero evidence that Democrats had anything to do with Crooks’s shooting.

Earlier in the night Trump’s son, Eric, made similar false insinuations.

Conservative campaigner courts Amish voters with “raw milk” before Trump walked out at Butler rally

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:21 , Graig Graziosi

Conservative social media influencer and campaigner Scott Presler made an appeal to the Amish in Pennsylvania on Saturday before Donald Trump appeared at his Butler rally.

He told them Trump’s White House wouldn’t take their “raw milk” and would provide them a country where they could afford to have families with 10 children.

It’s not the first time Republicans have courted the Amish vote in Pennsylvania.

READ MORE:

Republicans are trying to convince a skeptical Amish community to vote for Trump

Trump recognizes those killed and wounded during his July assassination attempt

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:15 , Graig Graziosi

Trump recognized Corey Comperatore, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, the men wounded during the July 13 assassination attempt at his rally in Pennsylvania.

Comperatore was killed in the attack. Trump called him a “folk hero,” a “brave guy,” and a “protector.”

He also noted that Copenhaver could not be at the rally because he was having surgery related to the shooting. Dutch was present at the rally on Saturday.

He then asked the crowd to join him in a moment of silence for Comperatore, during which time bells tolled and a singer sang “Ave Maria.”

Trump thanks Secret Service agents for saving him during Butler assassination attempt

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:08 , Graig Graziosi

Trump thanked the US Secret Service members who “threw their bodies on top of mine,” saying there “was not even a moment of doubt in their mind” when they moved in to assist him.

The Secret Service faced severe scrutiny in the aftermath of the assassination attempt in July. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned in the wake of the assassination attempt.

Trump starts off rally with “as I was saying”

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:04 , Graig Graziosi

Donald Trump started his Saturday rally in Butler, Pennsylvania with the words “as I was saying,” referencing that his last rally in Butler ended abruptly when Thomas Matthew Crooks tried to assassinate him.

“By the hand of providence and the grace of God, that villain did not succeed in his goal,” Trump said.

The former president walked out to the stage to a live rendition of “God Bless the USA” sung by Lee Greenwood.

Trump takes the stage in Butler for the first time since the assassination attempt against him

Saturday 5 October 2024 23:04 , Kelly Rissman

Donald Trump walked onto the stage to a live rendition of “God Bless the USA” sung by Lee Greenwood.

The former president returned to the Butler stage less than three months after a lone gunman tried to take his life. One supporter in the crowd died and two others were injured. Trump suffered a wound to his ear.

Trump started his rally, as promised, right where he left off in July: “As I was saying…”

The July 13 rally was interrupted just a few minutes in when shots rang out. Trump ducked behind a podium and Secret Service rushed to the stage to huddle around the former president, who eventually got up, with blood smattered across his face.

“The vicious monster unleashed pure evil from his sniper’s perch,” he said of the shooter.

Who is Lara Trump’s ‘friend’ Scott Presler?

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:55 , Kelly Rissman

“Donald Trump took a bullet for us. Please use your ballot and have his back on November 5,” Scott Presler told the crowd on Saturday.

The controversial campaigner, who boasts millions of followers across his various social media accounts, has been trying to urge Trump supporters in Pennsylvania to sign up for mail-in ballots — a message that directly contradicts that of the former president, who has repeatedly ragged on mail-in voting.

“Democrats vote for 50 days, Republicans vote for 12 hours. If we are going to be competitive in this election, then we must use an ‘all of the above’ approach to voting,” Presler previously told The Independent.

Presler’s efforts have won the support of Eric and Lara Trump.

Richard Hall has the full story.

Trump is trying to have it both ways with mail-in voting

Lara Trump addresses crowd

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:45 , Kelly Rissman

God “spared Donald Trump’s life because he was not finished with Donald Trump. He did it not once but twice,” said Lara Trump, Eric’s wife and the co-chair of the RNC, referring to the two assassination attempts against the former president in the past two months.

The former president operates with “strength and faith,” he said.

Lara Trump also mentioned the RNC’s efforts toward what she called “transparent elections.”

“If you are a person considering cheating our elections, we will find you, we will track you down, we will prosecute you to the full extent of the law. If you’re an illegal citizen voting in our election, we will prosecute you to the full extent of the law — and you’re leaving this country.”

Her claims come after Trump and his allies have been baselessly claiming that the 2020 election was “stolen” from him.

Eric Trump takes the stage

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:40 , Kelly Rissman

“They tried to kill him. The Democratic party can’t do anything right,” Eric Trump, the former president’s son said as he took the stage on Saturday evening.

“They” have been after his father since he walked down the golden escalator, he said.

He didn’t define “they,” but it seemed to refer to the Justice Department which has been investigating his father, the suspected Butler shooter, and perhaps the Democrats.

“The good news? Help is on the way,” he said, referring to his father.

The younger Trump sparked the crowd to chant: “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

Who is Steve Witkoff?

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:34 , Alex Woodward

Steve Witkoff, an investor and longtime Trump ally, was with the former president at Mar-a-Lago during the last alleged assassination attempt.

He has donated more than $2 million to Trump-connected PACs, and he briefly testified during the fraud trial in Manhattan.

Witkoff called the former president a “dear friend” on the stage of the Butler rally on Saturday.

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:30 , Kelly Rissman

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe said in September that the agency has been providing the “highest levels” of protections for presidential candidates since the July 13 assassination attempt.

The agency has endured intense scrutiny, prompting its chief at the time to resign after the July attack.

The agency’s “failures in planning, communications, security, and allocations of resources… were foreseeable, preventable, and directly related to the events resulting in the assassination attempt,” the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs report said.

A number of security measures have been put in place for Saturday, a law enforcement told The Independent. The Secret Service will work out of a “unified command post” with state, local and federal partners, a source in law enforcement familiar with the plan said. There will be “a large coordinated presence of law enforcement,” the source added.

The agencies have “secured some of the sight lines,” like the rooftop from which the 20-year-old shooter opened fire. Drones will also be on the site; in July, the drone system was experiencing technical difficulties.

Trump has faced two attempts against his life in the past few months. But since the first attack, Trump made it clear that he planned on returning to the Butler site.

A week ahead of the Saturday rally, Trump anticipated the venue would be the “safest place on Earth.” He quipped that he’ll start the Saturday rally right where he left off in July: “I think I’ll start the speech by saying, ‘As I was saying.’”

Investigation into the July 13 shooter, revisited

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:17 , Kelly Rissman

The investigation into the Butler rally shooting suspect is still underway — and a motive has yet to be uncovered.

In August the FBI revealed the suspect, who was shot dead on the scene by Secret Service agents, engaged in “detailed attack planning” leading up to the rampage.

The agency conducted a deep dive into his search history from 2019 until 2024, discovering that the 20-year-old supsect had looked up information related to explosives, like how to make a bomb from fertilizer,” and “how do remote detonators work.”

The investigation led to “valuable insight into his mindset, but not a definitive motive,” an agent said in August.

ICYMI: Bruce Springsteen endorses Kamala Harris for US president

Saturday 5 October 2024 22:00 , Kelly Rissman

Who will be in attendance at Trump’s Butler rally?

Saturday 5 October 2024 21:45 , Kelly Rissman

The 5pm rally at the site of the first assassination attempt against Donald Trump is set to be ‘different’ from the typical Trump rally, his campaign has said.

For one, it will feature a number of “special guests,” according to the campaign.

JD Vance, Trump’s running mate, first took the stage, saying it was “incredible how Trump responded to all of this,” referring to the attempt on Trump’s life.

Elon Musk announced he was speaking at the event.

The former president’s son Eric Trump and his wife Lara, who also co-chairs the RNC, Republican members of Congress, and the family of the man killed at the July 13 rally — Corey Comperatore — will also be present.

You can tune in here.

‘Past his sell-by-date’

Saturday 5 October 2024 21:30 , Kelly Rissman

Best-selling author and vocal Trump critic Stephen King has once again called out the former president — this time for refusing to release his medical records.

In 2015, Trump provided a four-paragraph letter from his doctor, who claimed he would be the “healthiest person ever elected to the presidency.” But now, the 78-year-old who would be 82 at the end of his term, should he be re-elected, has still not released his medical records.

Inga Parkel has the full story.

Stephen King calls out ‘old man’ Trump for refusing to release medical records

Trump touches down in Butler, Pennsylvania just ahead of rally at site of first assassination attempt against him

Saturday 5 October 2024 21:15 , Kelly Rissman