The running mates of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are coming under greater scrutiny as the presidential election heats up.
Republican Ohio Sen. JD Vance winds down several unsuccessful charities that he started after the successful publication of “Hillbilly Elegy,” while the DUI arrest of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, from nearly 30 years ago has attracted attention, particularly from his detractors.
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Meanwhile, members of Congress are pressing Pentagon leaders to ensure the military is not swept up in politics during the presidential election and that active-duty troops are not used illegally as a domestic police force.
The 2024 presidential race is the first since the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 aimed at preventing President Joe Biden’s victory from being certified.
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here's the Latest:
Vance's plane forced to land after an issue with door
Vance’s campaign plane had to return to the Milwaukee airport on Friday after its initial takeoff because of an issue with one of the doors.
Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport officials said that a chartered aircraft had reported a problem after takeoff but was able to land and taxi normally.
Campaign spokesperson Taylor Van Kirk confirmed to AP that the aircraft was the Vance campaign plane, which she said had a problem with a door seal.
Van Kirk says the issue was resolved, and the plane took off again for Cincinnati.
Vance held a campaign event at the Milwaukee Police Association earlier Friday.
Harris unveils economic proposals
Vice President Kamala Harris announced a sweeping set of economic proposals on Friday meant to cut taxes and lower the cost of groceries, housing and other essentials for many Americans, declaring, “Look, the bills add up.”
During a speech in the battleground state of North Carolina, Harris said “building up the middle class will be a defining goal of my presidency” while promoting her plan for a federal ban on price gouging on food producers and grocers. She also proposed $25,000 in down payment assistance for certain first-time homebuyers and tax incentives for builders of starter homes.
She stressed tax breaks for families, as well as middle- and lower-income people, and lower health insurance premiums through the Affordable Care Act.
A spokesman for Republican Donald Trump’s campaign called Harris’ plans representative of a “socialist and authoritarian model.”
In her speech, Harris offered stark contrasts with Trump’s economic proposals, including his call for steep tariffs on foreign goods. She said her opponent “wants to impose what is, in effect, a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities that we import from other countries.”
Progressive activist Cornel West disqualified from Michigan ballot
Progressive activist Cornel West has been disqualified by Michigan’s Department of State as a U.S. presidential candidate and will not appear on the state's ballot in the upcoming general election.
West was informed Friday by letter that Michigan will not certify him as a candidate following a challenge and review of the affidavit he submitted on June 17. West failed to submit a response to the challenge by an Aug. 2 deadline, Elections Director Jonathan Brater wrote.
West is running as an Independent. Michigan election law requires affidavits of identity for candidates filing to run for president and vice president without party affiliation by submitting petition signatures. West’s affidavit was notarized in Colorado but did not conform with that state’s law.
Michigan says the affidavit contained unfilled blanks, the notary certificate failed to identify where it was notarized and didn't include the notary public’s title of office. The notary public’s stamp also was on a separate sheet of paper and not included on the notary public’s certificate.
“Your affidavit of identity was not notarized in compliance with the laws of the state where it was notarized (Colorado), and therefore is not a valid notarization under the Michigan Law on Notarial Acts,” Brater wrote to West.
West’s campaign called charges of procedural errors in its filings, including notarization “trivial technicalities being weaponized to distract from substantive policy debates.”
His campaign told The AP Friday in an email that it was committed to fighting “these legal maneuvers in court.”
“We are confident that these accusations will be seen for what they are — frivolous and unfounded attempts to stifle opposition and debate,” said Edwin DeJesus, campaign spokesman.
— This post has been updated to include a statement from West's campaign.
Harris receives big welcome from North Carolina Democrats
Harris received a large welcome party of North Carolina Democrats as she arrived in Raleigh for a rally on her emerging economic platform.
The welcome party included North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein, as well as members of the state’s congressional delegation including Reps. Alma Adams, Kathy Manning, Valerie Foushee and Wiley Nickel.
The mayors of Raleigh, Morrisville and Durham and chair of Durham County’s board of commissioners were also present.
Harris hugged Cooper upon touching down in the Tar Heel State and chatted with each member of the welcome party. He then introduced her to the crowd.
“I have that 2008 feeling,” the governor said of the presidential race. “We in North Carolina know what that means, because that’s the last time we voted for a Democratic nominee for president, Barack Obama. It is time North Carolina makes history again.”
Trump campaign says Harris economic policy is 'socialist and authoritarian'
In a media call on Friday, some of Trump’s economic advisers warned against Harris’ coming economic policy.
Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes calling her plans representative of “the most socialist and authoritarian model.”
Kevin Hassett, a former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, called it “completely preposterous” for the government to play a role in setting food prices, a reference to Harris’ proposed federal ban on “corporate price-gouging” in food and groceries.
Stephen Moore, who has advised Trump on economic issues, argued that inflation increases under Biden administration have been “catastrophic.”
He added the situation is “one of the problems that has been created by Biden and Harris that couldn’t possibly be blamed on Trump, although they try to blame a lot of the problems that they’ve created on Trump.”
Vance tells Milwaukee officers that veterans are behind Trump
Speaking to the Milwaukee Police Association on Friday, Vance was asked about criticism that Trump has received for characterizing the Presidential Medal of Freedom as “better” than the military’s top honor, the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Vance, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps, said that “the veteran community is very much behind Donald Trump.”
During an event at his New Jersey golf club on Thursday, Trump said the Medal of Freedom is “much better” than the top military honor because the servicemen and women who receive it have “been hit so many times by bullets or they’re dead.”
Trump was talking about the award after an introduction from GOP mega donor Miriam Adelson, to whom he gave the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2019.
Trump went on to call Adelson “a healthy, beautiful woman, and they’re rated equal.”
“I don’t think him complimenting and saying a nice word about a person who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom is in any way denigrating those who received military honors,” Vance said Friday.
Vance says voters know Trump ‘just is who he is.’
Vance says he doesn’t feel that Trump needs to pivot away from making personal critiques of political opponents.
Speaking at the Milwaukee Police Association on Friday, Vance was asked if Trump should instead focus more on policy than making pointed criticism of foes, such as Harris.
“I don’t think the president needs to pivot, and if I told him that, I can guess what he’d say,” Vance said.
“I think that the reason that President Trump has been so successful connecting with Americans is, even when they disagree with something that he might say, they know that he just is who he is,” Vance said.
Much of Vance’s remarks focused on Harris’ record on crime, saying that her policies make the job of police officers “harder” and that the vice president is “trying to redefine her record as a tough-on-crime prosecutor” but that her actions are “the opposite of tough on crime.”
Before serving in the U.S. Senate and as vice president, Harris was a prosecutor in San Francisco and California’s attorney general.
ABC News announces details for next month’s presidential debate.
ABC News says it will host the debate between Trump and Harris on Sept. 10 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
“World News Tonight” anchor David Muir and ABC News Live “Prime” anchor Linsey Davis are slated to serve as moderators.
In terms of qualifying for the debate, ABC News says participants must reach at least 15% support in four separate national polls of registered or likely voters that meet the network’s standards.
Polls must be conducted between Aug. 1 and Sept. 3 for candidates to qualify.
ABC News announced last week that both Harris and Trump had accepted its invitation to participate in the Sept. 10 debate. Other debates have been proposed on other networks, but Harris has said she’ll consider others after she faces off with Trump on Sept. 10.
Harris debuts new fundraising email
Harris is recalling her post-2016 election vibes — and snacks — in a new fundraising email.
In a message sent to supporters on Friday, Harris recalled the “bittersweet” feeling of winning her Senate seat representing California, but learning that Trump had defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in the presidential race.
Relating a story she’s told before, Harris said she ripped up her acceptance speech and instead told supporters, “We will fight.”
Afterward, Harris said she went home, sat on her couch, opened up a family-size bag of Doritos and “watched the TV with utter shock and dismay.”
Of the current moment, Harris noted in the email, “Two things are true eight years later: I still love Doritos, and we still have not stopped fighting.”
Harris to kick off hundreds of events in battleground states
Ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention, the Harris campaign is kicking off hundreds of events across battleground states.
Campaign officials say they’ll be hosting more than 2,800 events across the country in what they’re terming a “Weekend of Action” with organizers, surrogates and supporters making their case to voters.
The campaign says it will offer traditional events like phone banking and canvassing, a well as organizing booths at cultural events. Along with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, officials say more than 10,000 volunteers have signed up for shifts across the weekend.
Maine Democrat who is up for reelection won't endorse in presidential race
A Democratic congressman from Maine who is fighting to retain his seat in a Trump-friendly district said he will not endorse any candidate in this year’s presidential race.
Rep. Jared Golden is a moderate Democrat who has a history of breaking from his party. He is seeking a fourth term and faces a challenge from Republican Austin Theriault, a state lawmaker.
Golden issued a statement on Thursday that he said followed “persistent requests” for a comment on the presidential race. He said he will not issue an endorsement because he is “running to represent all the people of this district, regardless of who they vote for at the top of the ticket.”
Golden represents Maine’s mostly rural 2nd Congressional District, in which former President Donald Trump has twice won an electoral vote. Maine’s other district is heavily democratic, and the state at large has gone blue in every presidential election since 1992.
Trump, anticipating second term, forms transition committee
Trump has formed his official transition committee, which will oversee preparations for a possible second term.
The work will be overseen by Linda McMahon, who formerly led the U.S. Small Business Administration, and now works for America First Policy Institute, and Howard Lutnick, the CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald.
Assisting the effort will be Trump’s vice presidential pick, JD Vance, as well as his two eldest sons: Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.
Trump says in a statement that he has “absolute confidence the Trump-Vance Administration will be ready to govern effectively on Day One.”
The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 lays out steps the federal government must take to prepare for a potential transfer of power, including things like providing office space to campaigns.
Prominent 2020 election denier seeks GOP nod for Michigan Supreme Court race
A Donald Trump ally who faces felony charges of trying to illegally access and tamper with voting machines is seeking the Republican nomination for the highest court in Michigan, an epicenter of efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
In June, attorney Matthew DePerno announced his intent to run for the state Supreme Court, almost one year after he was charged and arraigned.
Delegates will vote on nominees Saturday, Aug. 24, at the Michigan GOP party convention for two state Supreme Court seats in a battleground state where the court has the potential final say in Michigan election matters.
Michigan Supreme Court races are officially nonpartisan — meaning candidates appear on the ballot without party labels — but candidates are nominated at party conventions. Democratic-backed justices currently hold a 4-3 majority. Republican nominees would have to win both seats to take back majority control while Democrats stand to gain a 5-2 favorability.
Why the progressive ‘Squad’ is getting smaller after defeats this primary cycle
The “Squad,” a group of progressive lawmakers in the House, is set to shrink next year after two members suffered primary defeats this election cycle following an unprecedented deluge of special interest spending.
The primary losses for Reps. Cori Bush in Missouri and Jamaal Bowman in New York came over the summer and dealt a blow to the progressive faction, which had amassed considerable clout within the Democratic Party since its initial rise in 2018.
The cohort of Black and brown lawmakers — including Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez of New York and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania — became the target of pro-Israel PACs like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, late last year after members criticized Israel’s response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
Eight months later, AIPAC’s super political action committee, United Democracy Project, helped unseat Bush and Bowman after pouring nearly $25 million combined into those races.
A look at claims made at Trump’s rambling NJ press conference
Yesterday, Trump gave his second news conference in as many weeks as he adjusts to a newly energized Democratic ticket ahead of next week’s Democratic National Convention.
At his New Jersey golf club, he blended falsehoods about the economy with misleading statements and deeply personal attacks about his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
“As a result of Kamala’s inflation, price hikes have cost the typical household a total of $28,000. ... When I left office, I left Kamala and crooked Joe Biden a surging economy and no inflation. The mortgage rate was around 2%. Gasoline had reached $1.87 a gallon. ... Harris and Biden blew it all up.”
However, the claims were either exaggerated or misleading. Prices did surge during the Biden-Harris administration, though $28,000 is far higher than independent estimates. Moody’s Analytics calculated last year that price increases over the previous two years were costing the typical U.S. household $709 a month. That would equal $8,500 a year.
Marijuana, the death penalty and fracking: A look at Harris’ shifted positions
Politicians often recalibrate in the face of shifting public opinion and circumstance. Across two decades in elected offices, Vice President Kamala Harris is no exception.
She has staked out expedient and – at times — contradictory positions as she climbed the political ladder.
In addition to reversing course on fracking and cash bail, Harris has changed tack on issues including health care (she supported a plan to eliminate private health insurance before she opposed it), immigration and gun control.
JD Vance to dissolve last vestige of mothballed charity
The Trump-Vance campaign says the Republican vice presidential nominee is preparing to dissolve what’s left of the modest charitable effort he launched to help people in Appalachia after writing “Hillbilly Elegy.”
Vance formed two nonprofits starting in 2016 to address problems in Ohio and other “Rust Belt” states.
They were primarily supposed to focus on boosting job opportunities, improving mental health treatment and combating the opioid crisis.
The original organization folded within five years and Vance put the other on hold when he ran successfully for the Senate in 2022.
What to know about Tim Walz’s 1995 drunken driving arrest
Now that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is Vice President Kamala Harris ′ running mate, his drunken driving arrest from 1995 in Nebraska — long before he entered politics — is getting renewed scrutiny.
Walz was a 31-year-old teacher when he was stopped the night of Sept. 23, 1995, near Chadron, Nebraska. He pleaded guilty in March 1996 to a reduced charge of reckless driving.
Lawmakers ask Pentagon leaders to commit to keeping the military out of presidential election
Members of Congress are pressing the Pentagon’s top two leaders to ensure the military is not swept up in politics during the presidential election and that active-duty troops are not used illegally as a domestic police force.
In a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Gen. CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lawmakers asked the defense leaders to reaffirm that U.S. law prohibits forces from being used for civilian law enforcement and that they should not carry out unlawful orders.
The concerns come as the campaign heats up — the first presidential vote since the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, aimed at preventing Joe Biden’s victory from being certified.
Trump continues to claim that fraud cost him the 2020 election even though his own attorney general, recounts and investigations found no evidence of that. And he still faces charges of illegally conspiring to undo the results of the election.