(WASHINGTON) — Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office requested a delay Thursday in responding to a scheduling order from the judge overseeing former President Donald Trump’s federal election subversion case, citing issues related to the Supreme Court’s decision that granted presidents immunity from prosecution for certain acts taken while in office.
In a joint status report filed Thursday evening, Smith’s office said they continue “to assess the new precedent set forth last month” by the Supreme Court in tandem with “other Department of Justice components.”
“Although those consultations are well underway, the Government has not finalized its position on the most appropriate schedule for the parties to brief issues related to the decision,” Smith’s office said. “The Government therefore respectfully requests additional time to provide the Court with an informed proposal regarding the schedule for pretrial proceedings moving forward.”
The filing further notes former President Trump’s team did not object to the Special Counsel’s request for a three-week extension, which would also call off a status conference set for Friday of next week and reschedule it at District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s choosing for any time “convenient” after the government’s filing.
The filing is the first clear indication Special Counsel Smith’s office continues to face difficulties in determining how to move forward with its Jan. 6 case against Trump after the Supreme Court’s decision granting immunity for “official acts” taken by a president, while declining to grant immunity for so-called “unofficial acts.”
While Chutkan resumed her control of the case last Friday and set forth a quick briefing schedule, Smith’s team has had more than a month since the Supreme Court handed down its July 1 decision to deliberate on the path forward.
The delay request follows many legal experts’ exasperation over the ambiguity and lack of clarity in the high court’s immunity ruling. They say this could make it difficult for any criminal prosecution of a president to move forward — even separate from Trump’s alleged criminal efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
Trump last year pleaded not guilty to charges of undertaking a “criminal scheme” to overturn the results of the 2020 election by enlisting a slate of so-called “fake electors,” using the Justice Department to conduct “sham election crime investigations,” trying to enlist the vice president to “alter the election results,” and promoting false claims of a stolen election as the Jan. 6 riot raged — all in an effort to subvert democracy and remain in power.
(NEW YORK) — A new study suggests a popular artificial sweetener found in everything from drinks and baked goods to gum and candy could be linked to a higher risk of blood clots, but the researchers themselves say their findings are preliminary and more research is needed to understand any potential health risks.
Erythritol, a zero-calorie sweetener widely used in sugar replacement or reduced-sugar products, was found to increase levels of proteins associated with blood clotting compared to regular sugar, according to a new study published Thursday in the medical journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
“This research raises some concerns that a standard serving of an erythritol-sweetened food or beverage may acutely stimulate a direct clot-forming effect,” the study’s co-author, Dr. W. H. Wilson Tang, research director for Heart Failure and Cardiac Transplantation Medicine at Cleveland Clinic, said in a statement announcing the study’s findings. “Erythritol and other sugar alcohols that are commonly used as sugar substitutes should be evaluated for potential long-term health effects especially when such effects are not seen with glucose itself.”
For the study, 10 people were randomly assigned to drink water mixed with 30 grams of erythritol, while another 10 individuals were randomly assigned to drink water mixed with 30 grams of glucose.
The amount of 30 grams was chosen because it is the quantity commonly found in erythritol-containing foods, according to the Cleveland Clinic researchers who led the study.
The people who drank water mixed with erythritol were found 30 minutes later to have a higher level of proteins involved in platelet clumping in their bloodstream compared to those who drank glucose.
Erythritol is a sugar alcohol that is naturally found in fruits such as watermelons, pears and grapes, but has since been processed as a food additive used to sweeten and enhance the flavor of foods, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to Cleveland Clinic researchers, erythritol is produced through fermenting corn.
Consuming high amounts of sugar carries its own risk.
Due to a growing obesity epidemic, artificial sweeteners are becoming increasingly common ingredients found in soft drinks, “diet” foods and other processed products. Although federal regulatory agencies like the FDA have deemed most artificial sweeteners as safe, studies are ongoing about the long-term health effects.
A previous study on erythritol from researchers at Cleveland Clinic found that higher levels of erythritol were found among patients who experienced a major adverse cardiovascular event — which includes stroke, heart attack, blood clots and cardiovascular death — over three years of observation.
Last year, the World Health Organization issued a new recommendation that people who are trying to lose weight should avoid using zero-calorie non-sugar sweeteners.
Zero-calorie non-sugar sweeteners have not been shown to help with weight loss long-term in children or adults, and their use may bring side effects like increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, Type 2 diabetes and death in adults, the WHO said at the time.
(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump says he has agreed to an offer from ABC News to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10.
Trump said so during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago Club on Thursday.
“I look forward to the debates because I think we have to set the record straight,” he said.
Harris also confirmed her participation in the debate and told reporters Thursday evening that she’s looking forward to the matchup.
“Well, I’m glad that he finally agreed to a debate on Sept. 10. I’m looking forward to it and I hope he shows up,” she told reporters on a tarmac in Detroit.
Trump previously said he had been willing to go toe-to-toe with President Joe Biden and agreed to ABC’s first invitation issued in May.
However, after Biden dropped out of the race last month and Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Trump had implied he would not debate Harris on ABC.
Harris has accused Trump of “running scared” and trying to back out of the debate.
Customers wait in line to check out purchases at Costco store on June 28, 2023 in Teterboro, New Jersey. (Kena Betancur/VIEWpress/Corbis via Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — When customers walk in to shop at Costco Wholesale, they flash a membership card to an employee who typically gives a smile and a nod before they can glide their XL cart into the big box retailer. But now, the warehouse store is cracking down on its entry parameters to avoid non-members from slipping inside under a false pretense.
The company has caught on to friends utilizing someone else’s membership card to access the big box store, so to combat the issue, its adding a new system upon arrival.
“Over the coming months, membership scanning devices will be used at the entrance door of your local warehouse. Once deployed, prior to entering, all members must scan their physical or digital membership card by placing the barcode or QR Code against the scanner,” Costco said in a statement online. “Guests must also be accompanied by a valid member for entry.”
The warehouse retailer said an attendant will be at the door to assist any customers with questions or concerns.
“If your membership is inactive, expired, or you would like to sign up for a new membership, the attendant will ask that you stop by the membership counter prior to entering the warehouse to shop,” the statement continued. “Additionally, if your membership card does not have a photo, please be prepared to show your valid photo ID.”
Members without a photo on their card can also go to the membership counter and get their photo taken to add to the card.
(NEW YORK) — CosMc’s, a new small-format beverage-led concept from McDonald’s, has officially opened in San Antonio, Texas.
Starting Thursday, patrons in the Alamo City will be among the first to try the new “out-of-this-world beverage experience” from the McDonad’s universe.
“The extraterrestrial experience will continue August 10-11 for the CosMc’s San Antonio official grand opening from 10 am – 4 pm where fans will have the opportunity to try free samples of menu items and receive exclusive merch for the first 100 customers each day,” the company said in a press release.
The first CosMc’s restaurant features “an outdoor patio with eye-catching elements that come alive at dusk.”
There will be a CosMc’s drive thru, kiosks, counter service, walk-up and in-app ordering available to customers at the new location.
With four locations open at launch — in Bolingbrook, Illinois, and Arlington, Dallas and Watauga, Texas — another six are set to open across the Dallas and San Antonio metro areas in the coming months, according to the company.
The expansive menu of drink offerings, all of which can be personalized, includes the Sprite Moonsplash, a sparkling Sprite plus citrus and sweet vanilla flavors that’s served with dried blueberries and a lemon wheel over ice, as well as other items like the Sour Cherry Energy Burst and Churro Cold Brew Frappé.
Customers can opt for add-ons like fruity popping boba or energy shots to an array of menu items.
Other fan favorite options available at CosMc’s include Hazelnut Mocha Cold Brew, Popping Pear Slush, Sour Tango Lemonade and small bites.
Democratic Presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers remarks during the Sigma Gamma Rho’s 60th International Biennial Boule at the George R. Brown Convention Center on July 31, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Fresh off a newly minted Democratic ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are set to go on tour, hitting several battleground states in five days — alongside them and mirroring their schedule state by state is Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance.
On Monday, Harris introduced Walz to a fired-up crowd in Philadelphia; Vance was also in Pennsylvania on Monday. The candidates will campaign next in Wisconsin and Michigan.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Harris will not agree to Fox News debate with Trump, campaign official says
Vice President Kamala Harris will not be joining former President Donald Trump on Fox News’ debate stage on Sept. 4, a Harris campaign official told ABC News.
The official said Harris agreeing to future debates is contingent on Trump showing up and “keeping his word” to the Sept. 10 debate, hosted by ABC News.
Harris’ campaign is willing to have conversations about future debates, but they must be scheduled after Sept. 10, according to the official.
Harris and Walz court union members at United Auto Workers campaign stop
Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz gave remarks at a local United Auto Workers office in Wayne, Michigan, on Thursday, championing “the collective.”
Walz praised Harris’ leadership, saying, “She stands on the side of the American people and the American worker. She’s the one who took on the predators, the fraudsters, the transnational gangs.”
“And she’s the one that stands up against the billionaires and the corporate greed — it’s who Kamala Harris is,” he added.
Harris took the stage largely repeating her newly tested stump speech, letting the audience know her campaign is for everyone.
“We believe in the collective,” Harris said. “We’re not falling for these folks who are trying to divide us trying to separate us, trying to pull us apart. That’s not where the strength lies.”
She ended her remarks by reminding the crowd of how many days were left until voting day and how much hard work was left to win the election.
“We’ve got 89 days to get this done. You know, the one thing about all of us is we like hard work. Hard work is good work,” she said.
Biden says he’s confident in VP Harris debating Trump
President Joe Biden said that he has confidence in Vice President Kamala Harris in her upcoming debate with former President Donald Trump.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews Thursday, Biden assured he was undoubting of Harris while also making a dig at Trump.
“Yes, I am,” Biden said of his confidence in Harris.
“As long as he keeps talking,” he added of Trump.
On Thursday, Trump agreed to join Harris on the debate stage hosted by ABC News on Sept. 10.
‘I hope he shows up’: Harris reaffirms ABC News debate
Vice President Kamala Harris commented Thursday evening about former President Donald Trump’s announcement that he would debate her on ABC News next month.
“Well I’m glad that he finally agreed to a debate on September 10th. I’m looking forward to it and I hope he shows up,” she said.
When asked if she is open to more debates, she said, “I am happy to have that conversation, after … September 10th.”
Harris responds to GOP criticism of Walz’s military service
Vice President Kamala Harris has addressed criticism from Sen. JD Vance on her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, and his military record.
Speaking with reporters in Detroit, Michigan, Harris said, “Listen, I praise anyone who has presented themselves to serve our country. And I think that we all should.”
Harris’ comments come after Vance, the running mate of former President Donald Trump, accused Walz of “stolen valor,” saying he lied about his military service when he never saw active combat.
The Harris-Walz campaign issued a statement Wednesday saying that “in his 24 years of service, the Governor carried, fired and trained others to use weapons of war innumerable times. Governor Walz would never insult or undermine any American’s service to this country — in fact, he thanks Senator Vance for putting his life on the line for our country. It’s the American way.”
VP contenders’ incomes, finances examined
The major party vice presidential nominees — Democrat Gov. Tim Walz and Republican Sen JD Vance — sharply disagree on a range of issues, but the differences in their personal finances are just as stark.
Walz, a former teacher and member of the U.S. House of Representatives, earns about $127,000 in salary per year, retains no stock holdings and relies on a pension account as his primary asset, financial disclosures show.
Vance, a former venture capitalist, brought in roughly $221,000 in 2022 from salary and book royalties, as well as hundreds of thousands in investment income, a U.S. Senate financial disclosure showed. He also held significant wealth in brokerage accounts and dozens of business investments, according to the financial disclosure.
Trump says he has agreed to offer from ABC News to debate Harris
Former President Donald Trump said he has agreed to an offer from ABC News to debate Vice President Kamala Harris on Sept. 10.
He said so during a news conference at his Mar-a-Lago Club on Thursday.
Trump previously said he had been willing to go toe-to-toe with President Joe Biden and agreed to ABC News’ first invitation in May.
However, after Biden dropped out of the race last month and Harris became the presumptive Democratic nominee, Trump had been noncommittal about whether or not he would debate Harris.
Harris has accused Trump of “running scared” and trying to back out of the debate.
-ABC News’ Katherine Faulders and John Santucci
Harris, Walz to meet with UAW in Michigan
Harris and Walz will attend a campaign event with United Auto Workers members in Wayne, Michigan, which represents Ford’s Michigan Assembly Plant Thursday afternoon, the campaign said.
Upon arrival, they will be greeted by President Shawn Fain and UAW board members, according to the campaign, before they deliver brief remarks.
The union endorsed Harris for president on July 31 after it had previously endorsed Biden.
This stop is their only campaign stop before heading to Phoenix, Arizona, for a rally on Friday.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
House Democratic armed service veterans defend Walz’ record
Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., and Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who are all veterans, defended Gov. Tim Walz Thursday following attacks on his service by Sen. JD Vance and other Republicans.
Crow said the attacks coming from Republicans are “old and tired.”
“They have no options but to try to do one of the worst things you can do in America, that is to attack a veteran for their service,” he said adding, “We’re not going to put up with it.”
Auchincloss said the Trump and Vance ticket doesn’t represent the values of veterans.
“I thank JD Vance for his service, but his political career and his political positions are antithetical to the values of veterans, and Donald Trump has a long track record of disparaging veterans,” he said.
Sherrill said the Harris-Walz ticket is “fantastic” and one that “veterans can get behind, because we know they will continue to fight to support our veterans with legislation like the PACT Act.”
Thursday marked the second anniversary of the PACT Act, which provides health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Trump announces Mar-a-Lago news conference on Thursday afternoon
Former President Donald Trump announced via social media that he would hold a “general news conference” slated for Thursday afternoon.
The announcement comes as Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are campaigning in Michigan amid a battleground state blitz.
Trump’s last outing on the campaign trail was in Georgia on Saturday, although he has done media interviews this week.
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance — also campaigning in battleground states this week — has been critical of Harris for not talking to the media since becoming the Democratic nominee. During his battleground state visits, he’s taken several questions from the press, attempting to draw contrast with Harris.
Trump also mentioned Harris’ lack of media appearances, suggesting it’s because “she is unable to answer questions.”
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh
Harris leads Trump among likely voters nationally: Poll
A poll from Marquette University Law School of voters nationally found Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump among likely voters in a 2024 general election head-to-head matchup.
Among two-way registered voters, Harris leads Trump by four points, 52% to 48%. Yet among two-way likely voters, the vice president leads the former president by six points, 53% to 47%.
The poll, taken from July 24 to Aug. 1, has a margin of error of +/-4.1 percentage points among registered voters; and +/-4.7 percentage points among likely voters.
The poll was taken entirely after the assassination attempt on Trump and President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race, and entirely before Harris announced her running mate.
Uncommitted leaders say they brought up arms embargo to Harris in Michigan
Uncommitted leaders say they spoke quickly with Vice President Kamala Harris before her rally in Detroit, Michigan, on Wednesday after they reached out to her team to meet, they told ABC News.
Layla Elabed, the sister of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and Abbas Alawieh, an Uncommitted delegate, say they were in the welcoming line for Harris and Gov. Tim Walz where they communicated to Harris that they wanted to support her but that voters wanted her to consider an arms embargo.
According to the group, the two asked to meet with her about the arms embargo request, and they said she indicated she was open to it and introduced the two leaders to her staff.
According to a campaign official, during the “brief” interaction, Harris “reaffirmed” that the campaign will continue to “engage with those communities.”
“Since October 7, the Vice President has prioritized engaging with Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian community members and others regarding the war in Gaza. In this brief engagement, she reaffirmed that her campaign will continue to engage with those communities,” read a statement from the campaign.
“The Vice President has been clear: she will always work to ensure Israel is able to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups. The Vice President is focused on securing the ceasefire and hostage deal currently on the table. As she has said, it is time for this war to end in a way where: Israel is secure, hostages are released, the suffering of Palestinian civilians ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, freedom, and self-determination,” the statement concluded.
Harris has noticeably tried to thread the needle on the war in Gaza in an attempt to bridge divides within the party over the Israel-Hamas war. However, she has been aligned with President Joe Biden in vowing unwavering support for Israel and stressing that the way Israel carries out its war against Hamas matters specifically in regards that to civilian safety.
Pro-Palestinian protesters were present at the Harris-Walz rally on Wednesday, a fairly normal citing at her events. They chanted “Kamala, Kamala you can’t Hide, we won’t vote for genocide.” The crowd booed and drowned out the protesters with chants of “Kamala.”
She quipped her usual line “I’m here because we believe in democracy. Everyone’s voice matters, but I am speaking now. I am speaking now,” but added a more blunt reply: “You know what, if you want Donald Trump to win then say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking.”
Members of the Uncommitted movement have indicated to ABC News that Harris’ language regarding Gaza in the coming months is crucial to gaining their support, something they’ve said they would not have been able to give to President Biden.
At the end of their Zoom call earlier, before meeting Harris, the leaders acknowledged that former President Donald Trump was actively attacking Palestinians and that they’re “movement will be mobilizing to make sure that … our community understands how dangerous Donald Trump is.”
Alawieh expressed the belief that Harris will “do the right thing” and unite their party around “a more humane Gaza policy.”
The New York Times was first to report on the interaction.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
‘I’m speaking’: Kamala Harris responds to cease-fire protesters during Detroit rally
Vice President Kamala Harris flew into an airport hangar with 15,000 spectators on Wednesday, where she continued a campaign blitz with her newly-minted running mate, Gov. Tim Walz.
The Detroit, Michigan event, in the critical battleground state, was a massive event with frequent applause and roars from the energetic crowd, with one notable interruption.
During her remarks, Harris was met with a small group of pro-Palestinian protesters; however, the crowd tried to drown out the noise, chanting, “Kamala!”
Harris grew increasingly animated, speaking louder with her prepared remarks — at the time focused on Project 2025 — before addressing the persistent protesters directly saying, “Everyone’s voice matters. But I am speaking now. I am speaking now.”
“If you want Donald Trump to win, say that. Otherwise, I’m speaking,” Harris continued.
Harris made headlines when she used the same phrase to shut down then Vice President Mike Pence when the two debated in 2020 and he interrupted her.
Harris, who wrapped the day’s rally following a lengthy slate of prominent Michiganders, acknowledged the importance of the battleground state ahead of November.
“So, it is so good to be back in Michigan. Listen, I am clear, the path to the White House runs right through this state. And with your help, we will win in November. We will win,” Harris said.
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh
Biden says he’s ‘not confident’ there would be a peaceful transfer of power if Trump loses
President Joe Biden said in an interview with CBS News that he’s “not confident” there would be a peaceful transition of power after the election if former President Donald Trump loses.
“Are you confident that there will be a peaceful transfer of power in 2025?” Robert Costa asked the president.
“If Trump loses, I’m not confident at all,” Biden said in a roughly 30-second clip of the interview released Wednesday by the network.
The full sit-down interview is slated to air Sunday.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
‘I know bullies,’ Walz says as he, Harris tout campaign in Wisconsin rally
At their second joint rally since becoming a ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday ripped former President Donald Trump and sought to project a positive vision for their potential administration.
“Understand in this fight, as Tim Walz likes to point out, we are joyful warriors,” Harris told the crowd in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
Walz contrasted the approach with that of former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance, saying that as a former teacher, he understands “bullies.”
“What I am is a teacher, I observe things. So, I want to tell you what I observed and you’ve observed … about these guys when you see them, that it’s a very clear thing. Yes, they are creepy and weird as hell. You see it,” he said. “This is not normal. This is not normal behavior. Nobody’s asking for this crazy stuff.”
Walz, who joined the Army Reserve as a teenager, knocked Trump for having “no understanding of service.”
“I’ll tell you what, Donald Trump, he sees the world differently than we see it. He has no understanding of service because he’s too busy servicing himself again and again and again,” he said. “This guy weakens our country to strengthen his own hands.”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Isabella Murray
Harris HQ posts TikTok after Vance’s plane, Air Force Two on same tarmac
The Harris-Walz campaign posted a video on its TikTok account responding to earlier in the day when Sen. JD Vance’s plane and Air Force Two were on the same tarmac in Wisconsin.
The post used sound from the show “Dance Moms” where instructor and choreographer Abby Lee Miller says, “I just want to sit back and relax and enjoy my evening. When all of a sudden, I hear this agitating, grating voice.”
The video shows the vice president stepping off Air Force Two with Gov. Tim Walz while shaking hands and speaking with local children before panning to Vance’s plane as it pulled up on the tarmac.
-ABC News Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
Trump previously told Walz he was ‘very happy’ with his handling of George Floyd protests
In the hours after Vice President Kamala Harris announced Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, allies of former President Donald Trump rushed to denigrate the Minnesota Democrat, seizing on criticism of his handling of the riots in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020.
But at the time, Trump expressed support for Walz’s handling of the protests, according to a recording of a phone call obtained by ABC News — telling a group of governors that Walz “dominated,” and praising his leadership as an example for other states to follow.
“I know Gov. Walz is on the phone, and we spoke, and I fully agree with the way he handled it the last couple of days,” Trump told a group of governors on June 1, 2020, according to a recording of the call, in which he also called Walz an “excellent guy.”
“I was very happy with the last couple of days, Tim,” Trump continued. “You called up big numbers and the big numbers knocked them out so fast it was like bowling pins.”
Trump also suggested on the call that it was his encouragement that sparked Walz to call in the National Guard: “I said, you got to use the National Guard in big numbers,” Trump said. A spokesperson for the Harris-Walz campaign said Wednesday that was untrue.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said Trump lauded Walz only after the governor heeded his advice to enlist support from the National Guard.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman and Katherine Faulders
Harris, Vance planes on same tarmac at same time in Wisconsin
A rare moment took place Wednesday when the respective planes flying Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. JD Vance to separate campaign events in Wisconsin were on the same tarmac.
Vance took the opportunity to rib the Harris-Walz campaign when he walked over to Air Force Two to “check out” what he called his “future plane.”
Vance said he saw Harris’ car, but he didn’t see her because her windows were tinted.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Harris, Trump tied among Wisconsin voters, poll finds
A poll from Marquette University Law School published Wednesday of voters in Wisconsin found that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are closely matched among registered voters in a 2024 general election head-to-head matchup.
Among registered voters, Trump and Harris were split 50% to 49%, respectively, and among likely voters, they were split 49% to 50%, according to the poll.
The poll shows virtually no change from the split between President Joe Biden and Trump in a Marquette poll that was conducted in June.
When a few third-party candidates are added in, Harris and Trump are still about even among registered voters, with Harris netting 45%, Trump netting 43% and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. getting 8%, the poll found.
The survey was conducted between July 24 to Aug. 1. It has a margin of error of +/- 4.6 percentage points among registered Wisconsin voters and +/- 4.8 percentage points among likely Wisconsin voters.
-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim
Walz greeted with ‘Let’s go coach’ chants as he visits campaign HQ
Gov. Tim Walz visited the campaign’s Wilmington headquarters Wednesday morning to a cheering crowd.
“I wanted to say thank you myself to the people who have put everything into helping us win. Holy smokes, this team,” he said in a post on X.
Several volunteers and staffers were outside holding signs and shook the governor’s hand as he greeted them, according to a video of the visit on his X account.
The crowd engaged in a chant of “Let’s go coach,” referencing Walz’s time as a high school football coach.
“It’s Friday night lights,” Walz responded.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim Isabella Murray and Fritz Farrow
Walz greeted with ‘Let’s go coach’ chants as he visits campaign HQ
Gov. Tim Walz visited the campaign’s Wilmington headquarters Wednesday morning to a cheering crowd.
“I wanted to say thank you myself to the people who have put everything into helping us win. Holy smokes, this team,” he said in a post on X.
Several volunteers and staffers were outside holding signs and shook the governor’s hand as he greeted them, according to a video of the visit on his X account.
The crowd engaged in a chant of “Let’s go coach,” referencing Walz’s time as a high school football coach.
“It’s Friday night lights,” Walz responded.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim Isabella Murray and Fritz Farrow
Harris-Walz campaign boasts ‘explosion of volunteer interest’
The Harris-Walz campaign issued a memo on Wednesday touting its ground game in battleground states, specifically Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania.
The memo boasted of a “formidable door-knocking operation” in Wisconsin with more than 160 full-time coordinated staffers on the ground, an “explosion of volunteer interest” in Michigan, with more than 9,000 new volunteer sign-ups, and “unprecedented enthusiasm” in Pennsylvania, citing Tuesday’s rally in Philadelphia that the campaign claims brought in more than 14,000 people.
The campaign said it has more than 600 coordinated staff members on the ground in those three states and plans to add 150 more in the first two weeks of August.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Harris-Walz campaign says it raised $36M in 24 hours since VP announcement
In the first 24 hours since Vice President Kamala Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, the Harris-Walz campaign has raised $36 million, according to a campaign official.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
22 Democratic governors, including Shapiro and Beshear, praise Harris’ selection of Walz as VP
Twenty-two Democratic governors are lauding the fact that their colleague, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has joined the 2024 Democratic ticket.
In a statement released on Wednesday, they stressed as a group of leaders — which includes some they said were “elected in very challenging races in battleground and red states” — that they were “thrilled” with Harris’ selection.
The joint statement was notably signed by Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who themselves were on the shortlist of potential Harris vice presidential picks. All three had submitted materials to the Democratic nominee’s vetting team, though only Shapiro had traveled to Washington, D.C., on Sunday for an in-person interview with Harris.
“As America’s Democratic governors, we represent a broad and diverse set of 23 states that make up more than half the U.S. population. Many of us were elected in very challenging races in battleground and red states. We make tough decisions as state executives every day, and know what it takes to win. We couldn’t be more thrilled that Vice President Kamala Harris has selected Governor Tim Walz as her running mate, and will do everything in our power to ensure their success this November,” the statement, first shared with ABC News, reads.
“Overall, there’s no doubt the Harris-Walz ticket is the perfect one-two punch to knock out the GOP’s dangerous agenda and failure to deliver for the American people,” the statement continues.
Other governors who signed on to the letter include California’s Gavin Newsom, Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Colorado’s Jared Polis, Maryland’s Wes Moore and North Carolina’s Roy Cooper.
Vance targets Harris’ ‘policy choices’ during Michigan stop
GOP vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance delivered remarks following a briefing with the Shelby Township, Michigan, Police Department on Wednesday, where he went after Vice President Kamala Harris on her “policy choices.”
Vance’s remarks at the event focused on supporting law enforcement and combating undocumented immigration.
“We’ve got to throw Kamala Harris out of office, not give her a promotion, and that’s what our law enforcement needs,” he said.
When asked by reporters about how a Trump administration would actually deport undocumented immigrants (Trump has repeatedly vowed to deport millions of migrants), Vance gave no real plan on how that would happen but stated: “We are going to deport people now.”
Vance also took aim at his Democratic VP opponent, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a retired National Guardsman, questioning his military service while providing no facts to back up his claim. Vance also called out Walz for his comment during Tuesday’s rally in Philadelphia, where the governor called out the senator’s Ivy League education and support from tech billionaires.
“And if he wants to criticize me for getting an Ivy League education, I’m proud of the fact that my mama supported me, that I was able to make something of myself,” Vance said.
Vance was again asked his thoughts about Trump falsely questioning Harris’ racial identity. Vance said he viewed Trump’s attack on the vice president as her being “a chameleon.”
“I think he was observing the basic foundational reality that Kamala Harris pretends to be something different depending on which audience she’s speaking to,” the senator said.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Trump says he ‘could not be more thrilled’ about Walz as Harris’ VP pick
Former President Donald Trump said he “couldn’t believe” Vice President Kamala Harris picked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, adding he “could not be more thrilled,” when he called into Fox and Friends Wednesday morning.
“I would say my reaction is, I can’t believe it. I never thought this was going to be the one that was picked,” Trump said. “He’s a very, very liberal man, and he’s a shocking pick, and I’m thrilled. I could not be more thrilled.”
Asked if his campaign thought Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was going to be the VP pick, Trump said he thought Shapiro would’ve been a better choice.
“I would have said it would have been a better choice,” Trump said of Shapiro. “I would have said others were the better, better choice.”
Harris and Walz to hold rallies in Wisconsin, Michigan Wednesday
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are scheduled Wednesday to hold rallies in Wisconsin and Michigan, bringing their “vision for the future” to two battleground states on their first full day of campaigning together.
“Together, they will highlight the choice facing Blue Wall voters between the Trump-Vance agenda to weaken unions and give tax cuts to the wealthy on the backs of the middle class, and the Harris-Walz vision for the future, where everyone has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead,” the Harris campaign said.
At their midday stop in Wisconsin, the pair will be joined by Gov. Tony Evers and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
The pair will then travel to Wayne County Airport in Michigan for an evening rally, the campaign said. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan will join them, the campaign said.
“Their visits come on the heels of over a dozen labor endorsements, including last week’s endorsement from UAW — which represents more than 130,000 members in Michigan alone,” the campaign said.
JD Vance cancels North Carolina rallies due to Tropical Storm Debby
Sen. JD Vance will not be making appearances in North Carolina Thursday, due to the forecast of Tropical Storm Debby in the state, the Trump-Vance campaign said in a statement Tuesday.
Vance had two scheduled rallies in Raleigh and Oakboro.
“The Trump-Vance campaign will be rescheduling these events in North Carolina as soon as possible,” the campaign said.
Harris-Walz campaign says it raised over $20 million since running mate announcement
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s campaign announcement has proven to be a fundraising success, according to a statement from the campaign Tuesday.
The Harris-Walz campaign says it has raised more than $20 million since this morning’s announcement of Walz joining Harris on the Democratic ticket in November.
Walz says he ‘can’t wait’ to debate JD Vance: ‘These guys are creepy’
Gov. Walz came out hard against former President Donald Trump and his running mate Sen. JD Vance during his first campaign rally speech as Harris’ vice presidential pick.
“Donald Trump’s not fighting for you or your family,” Walz said. He never sat at that kitchen table, like the one I grew up at, wondering how we were going to pay the bills. He sat at his country club in Mar a Lago wondering how he can cut taxes for his rich friends,” Walz added.
Turning his attention to Vance, Walz said, “His running mate shares his dangerous and backward agenda for this country.”
“I got to tell you, I can’t wait to debate the guy,” Walz continued, quipping, “That is, if he’s willing to get off the couch and show up.”
Calling out the Republican ticket, Walz added, “These guys are creepy. And yeah, it’s just weird as hell.”
Harris and Walz are officially the Democratic nominees: DNC
As Harris and Walz took the stage in Philadelphia, the Democratic National Committee announced they are officially the Democratic nominees for president and vice president.
“Vice President Harris and Governor Tim Walz officially accepted the nominations today, following the close of delegate voting on Monday, August 5th and the official certification of the roll call by Convention Secretary Jason Rae. Convention Chair Minyon Moore then certified Governor Walz as her running mate,” according to the statement from DNC Chair Jaime Harrison and DNCC Chair Minyon Moore.
Harris addressed the nomination at the campaign rally, saying, “I stand before you today to proudly announce I am now, officially, the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.”
Harris praises Walz’s background in politics and teaching: ‘Our values are the same’
During their first joint campaign rally, Vice President Kamala Harris introduced her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and touted his progressive record as state governor, his background as a high school teacher and football coach and a U.S. military sergeant.
“Since the day that I announced my candidacy, I set out to find a partner who can help build this brighter future. A leader who will help unite our nation and move us forward. A fighter for the middle class. A patriot who believes as I do in the extraordinary promise of America,” Harris of her search for a VP pick.
“Tim is more than a governor. To his wife, Gwen, he is a husband. To his kids, Hope and Gus, he is a dad. To his fellow veterans, he is Sgt. Major Walz, to the people of Southern Minnesota for 12 years, he was congressman. To his former high school students, he was Mr. Walz. And to his former high school football players, he was coach,” Harris said.
“Coach Walz and I may hail from different corners of this great country,” Harris continued, “But our values are the same.”
Harris and Walz take the stage in Philadelphia in first joint campaign rally
Vice President Kamala Harris and her newly announced running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, were met with loud applause and cheers in Philadelphia as they made their first joint appearance.
That massive crowd gave Harris and Walz a long standing ovation as they took the stage to the song “Freedom” by Beyoncé.
Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks ahead of 1st joint Harris-Walz rally
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has taken to the stage and is speaking in Philadelphia ahead of the first joint Harris-Walz rally.
Walz to tout his record, Harris’ strengths as prosecutor during campaign rally: Excerpts
Gov. Tim Walz will tout Vice President Kamala Harris’ history as a prosecutor, senator and vice president at their joint rally tonight in Philadelphia, according to excerpts from his speech that were released ahead of the event.
“She took on predators and fraudsters, took down transnational gangs, stood up against powerful corporate interests, she’s never hesitated to reach across the aisle if it meant improving people’s lives. And — she brings joy to everything she does,” the excepts read.
The governor is also expected to speak about his experiences from his days as a teacher to legislating as an elected official.
“These same values I learned on the family farm and tried to instill in my students, I took to Congress and the state capital, and now, Vice President Harris and I are running to take them to the White House,” the excerpts read.
“Donald Trump — he sees the world differently. He doesn’t know the first thing about service — because he’s too busy serving himself,” the excerpts read.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim
Walz, during vetting process, said he never used a teleprompter before: Source
Tim Walz said during the VP vetting process that he had never used a teleprompter before, according to source familiar.
The governor practiced using one before his remarks tonight to be comfortable using it during the joint rally with Kamala Harris in Philadelphia, according to the source.
CNN first reported the teleprompter detail.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Walz arrives in Philadelphia: ‘Hello Philly!’
Minnesota Gov. Tim Waz has arrived in Philadelphia ahead of his rally tonight with Vice President Kamala Harris.
He posted a video to X and wrote, “Hello Philly!”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Isabella Murray
Harris campaign says it raised more than $10M since Walz announcement
The Harris-Walz ticket has raised more than $10 million since this morning’s reveal of Tim Walz as the vice president’s running mate, the campaign said in a release, making it “one of the campaign’s best fundraising days this cycle.”
Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman, added that Pennsylvania’s top elected officials will join the pair at their Philadelphia rally tonight.
Sens. John Fetterman and Bob Casey are expected to speak, as is Gov. Josh Shapiro, who had been one of the contenders to be Harris’ running mate.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
DNC calls Walz the ‘presumptive nominee for vice president’
The Democratic National Committee, in a post on X, called Tim Walz the “presumptive nominee for Vice President.”
“Kamala Harris has selected Governor Tim Walz to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for vice president of the United States,” the party wrote, with a graphic of it’s “official Democratic ticket.”
-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim, Isabella Murray and Brittany Shepherd
Harris releases video of phone call with Walz
Vice President Kamala Harris released a video showing her speaking with Gov. Tim Walz about being her running mate.
Harris is seen speaking on a cellphone with Walz, who is dressed in a T-shirt, khakis and a camouflage-colored baseball cap, alerting him that he would be her pick.
“The joy that you’re bringing back to the country, the enthusiasm that’s out there it will be a privilege to take this with you across the country,” Walz says in the video.
Bill Clinton: ‘Tim Walz has walked the walk’
Former President Bill Clinton praised Gov. Tim Walz’s record on Tuesday afternoon.
“Kamala Harris made a terrific choice with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. His resume speaks for itself,” he said in a statement posted on X.
“Tim Walz has walked the walk, and he’ll be a great vice president,” Clinton added.
Harris’ VP decision ‘stark contrast to Donald Trump’s choice’, Jeffries says
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries released a statement Tuesday praising Gov. Tim Walz after he was picked by Vice President Kamala Harris as her running mate, commending his years of work as a National Guardsman, teacher, House member and governor.
“Throughout his years of public service, including as the top Democrat on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Tim has been a consistent champion on the issues that matter most for everyday Americans,” Jeffries, D-N.Y., said.
“Vice President Harris’ decision is a stark contrast to Donald Trump’s choice,” Jeffries added.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Vance says he wants to debate Walz after he is officially VP nominee
When asked if he’s willing to debate Gov. Tim Walz, Sen. JD Vance said he wants to but is going to wait until Walz is the official vice presidential nominee.
“I absolutely want to debate Tim Walz, but I want to debate him, actually, after he’s actually officially the nominee, and I did call him and congratulate him and offered him my best wishes. I think that’s the polite thing to do,” he said.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Clyburn says Walz will be a ‘strong partner’ for Harris
Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., said in a statement that Gov. Tim Walz has “unparalleled experience” and will be a “strong partner for Kamala Harris.”
“My former House colleague [Tim Walz] will be a strong partner for [Kamala Harris],” he wrote on X.
“As a Governor, veteran, and former public school teacher, his unparalleled experience informs a deep understanding of the issues that matter most to the American people.”
“I look forward to working with this outstanding team toward victory in November,” he added.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Manchin says Walz ‘will bring normality back to the most chaotic political environment’
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin wrote in a statement on X that “I can think of no one better than Governor Walz to help bring our country closer together and bring balance back to the Democratic Party.”
“My friend Governor Tim Walz will bring normality back to the most chaotic political environment that most of us have ever seen,” he said, in part, also calling him “the real deal.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
RFK Jr. criticizes Walz as VP pick
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrote on X that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz being picked as Harris’ running mate means that “America’s political divide sharpens.”
“He called Trump supporters ‘fascist’ and ‘weird,’ and they in turn are calling him worse than that,” he said.
-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim
Walz ‘going to bring something else to this ticket in a big way,’ Klobuchar says
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar spoke to ABC News Live about her reaction Gov. Tim Walz being selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
The senator called Walz a “close friend,” and said Harris chose the governor for several major reasons.
“She had someone in Tim Walz that one, she trusted, [and] two, she saw as someone that is going to bring something else to this ticket in a big way,” Klobuchar said.
The Minnesota senator, who describes Tim Walz as a “close friend,” gave her thoughts on Vice President Kamala Harris picking the Minnesota governor as her running mate.
The senator said Walz’s experiences as a veteran, teacher, Congress member and governor help the ticket.
“I just like Tim Walz. He is a good leader, he has shown he can get things done across the aisle,” she said.
When asked about the criticism Walz received over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Klobuchar said, “We came out of it strong.”
Klobuchar also addressed the criticism Walz received over the 2020 George Floyd protests, reiterating that the governor embraced peaceful protests but called in the National Guard when they got violent.
“I would like to add, he was someone when the ‘defund the police’ ballot measure was on the ballot in the city of Minneapolis, both of us strongly opposed the measure. He added funding for the police,” she said. “You will see someone who has actually stood with law enforcement and made some tough decisions.”
Vance says he left Walz a voicemail, claims Harris’ pick highlights how ‘radical’ she is
Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. JD Vance responded to the news of Gov. Tim Walz being tapped as Kamala Harris’ running mate, claiming the decision highlights how “radical” Harris is.
“Obviously, the big news of the day is that Tim Walz has been nominated as the VP or is now the presumptive nominee, I should say, for Kamala Harris … My view on it is it just highlights how radical Kamala Harris is,” Vance said.
Vice presidential candidate JD Vance spoke to reporters in Philadelphia about Kamala Harris’ choice for running mate.
When asked by ABC News’ Hannah Demissie if he had been in contact with Walz, Vance said he called Walz but the governor didn’t answer, so he left a voicemail.
“I didn’t get him, but I just said, ‘Look, congratulations. Look forward to a robust conversation and enjoy the ride,’ And maybe he’ll call me back, maybe he won’t,” Vance said.
-ABC News Lalee Ibssa
Biden spoke with Harris, Walz separately today, White House says
President Joe Biden spoke with Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday morning before she announced that Gov. Tim Walz would be her running mate, the White House said in a statement.
“The President also spoke with Governor Walz to congratulate him on his selection,” White House Senior Deputy Press Secretary Emilie Simons said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Harris told Walz they are ‘underdogs’ but is confident they have winning message: Source
Vice President Kamala Harris told Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in a phone call this morning that they are the “underdogs” in this race, but she’s confident that together they have a winning message on reducing costs for the middle class and protecting freedom, a source close to the process told ABC News.
The source added that chemistry was a big piece of Harris’ decision to select Walz.
Harris notified her team this morning that she wanted to inform Walz and the other candidates, the source said, adding that the final decision and execution was done Tuesday morning.
-ABC News’ Selina Wang
Obama praises Tim Walz as VP pick
Former President Barack Obama released a lengthy statement on X congratulating Gov. Tim Walz for being selected as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate.
“[Tim Walz] believes that government works to serve us. Not just some of us, but all of us. That’s what makes him an outstanding governor, and that’s what will make him an even better vice president,” he wrote.
“By selecting Tim Walz to be her vice president from a pool of outstanding Democrats, Kamala Harris has chosen an ideal partner — and made it clear exactly what she stands for,” Obama said.
Pete Buttigieg praises Tim Walz as VP pick
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who was considered as a potential Harris running mate, praised Tim Walz in a statement posted on X, calling him an “effective governor — and also great to work with.”
“I’m excited for what his Midwestern voice, military experience, and common-sense values will bring to our winning ticket, and for everything the Harris-Walz administration will deliver for Americans,” he said.
-ABC News’ Tommy Barone
Gov. Andy Beshear throws full support behind Harris-Walz ticket
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who was also a vice presidential contender, said it was an honor to be considered for the 2024 ticket but threw his full support behind his “great friend” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
“I fully support this new ticket and will work to elect [Kamala Harris] as our next President of the United States,” Beshear said in a statement on X.
-ABC News’ Minnie Noah
Minnesota senators react to Walz as VP pick
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar wrote on X that Walz has been an “incredible leader.”
“Minnesota is known as the land of Vice Presidents, and we’ve got another great one on the way! As a veteran, a high school teacher and football coach, and our Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz has been an incredible leader (and on top of that, a good friend). Let’s go win this!” Klobuchar wrote.
Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith posted a photo of her and Walz eating donuts together, writing: “DONUT count Minnesota out. Congratulations, Governor Walz!”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly reacts to Harris-Walz ticket
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who made the veepstakes short list, wrote on X that Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz “are going to move us forward.”
“They’re already building a campaign to unite our country — and [Gabby Giffords] and I are ready to do everything we can to help them win.”
-ABC News’ Tommy Barone
Walz says it’s ‘the honor of a lifetime’: ‘I’m all in’
Gov. Tim Walz posted on X on Tuesday, saying he’s “all in” on his new role as Harris’ VP pick.
“It is the honor of a lifetime to join [Kamala Harris] in this campaign. I’m all in. Vice President Harris is showing us the politics of what’s possible. It reminds me a bit of the first day of school. So, let’s get this done, folks! Join us,” he wrote, also linking to a donation page.
-ABC News’ Brittany L. Shepherd and Fritz Farrow
Shapiro expresses support for Harris-Walz ticket
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro posted on X about Vice President Harris’ choice of Tim Walz as a running mate, saying it was “a deeply personal decision for the Vice President — and a deeply personal decision for me.”
“Pennsylvanians elected me to a four-year term as their Governor, and my work here is far from finished — there is a lot more stuff I want to get done for the good people of this Commonwealth,” he wrote, in part, in a statement.
“Over the next 90 days, I look forward to traveling all across the Commonwealth to unite Pennsylvanians behind my friends Kamala Harris and Tim Walz and defeat Donald Trump,” he said. “See you tonig
Harris announces Walz as VP pick on Instagram
Vice President Kamala Harris took to Instagram to announce Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate. Her X page was also updated with a new social wrap that highlights her vice presidential pick, along with a new poster that features the two.
“I am proud to announce that I’ve asked [Gov. Tim Walz] to be my running mate,” Harris wrote on Instagram.
“One of the things that stood out to me about Tim is how his convictions on fighting for middle class families run deep. It’s personal,” she continued.
“He grew up in a small town in Nebraska, spending summers working on his family’s farm. His father died of cancer when he was 19, and his family relied on Social Security survivor benefit checks to make ends meet. At 17, he enlisted in the National Guard, serving for 24 years. He used his GI Bill benefits to go to college, and become a teacher. He served as both the football coach and the advisor of the Gay-Straight Alliance,” Harris wrote.
“I share this background both because it’s impressive in its own right, and because you see in no uncertain terms how it informs his record. He worked with Republicans to pass infrastructure investments. He cut taxes for working families. He passed a law to provide paid family and medical leave to Minnesotan families,” she continued. “He made Minnesota the first state in the country to pass a law providing constitutional abortion protections after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, and as an avid hunter, he passed a bill requiring universal background checks for gun purchases.”
“But what impressed me most about Tim is his deep commitment to his family: Gwen, Gus, and Hope. Doug and I look forward to working with him and Gwen to build an administration that reflects our shared values,” she said.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
Trump campaign fundraising email from JD Vance says ‘I will wipe the floor with Tim Walz’
The Trump campaign sent a fundraising email from Sen. JD Vance on Tuesday with the subject line, “I will wipe the floor with Tim Walz.”
“I have three words for Tim Walz: Bring. It. On,” the fundraising email says.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa
Josh Shapiro to attend Harris rally in Philadelphia tonight
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro will attend tonight’s rally in Philadelphia and “will do everything he can” to support the Harris-Walz ticket, someone familiar with the campaign’s thinking told ABC News.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie
Rep. Dean Phillips, Biden primary opponent, said he’s ‘thrilled’ by Walz news
Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, who was one of President Joe Biden’s few primary challengers this cycle, said in a post on X on Tuesday morning that he was “thrilled” by the reports that his “friend” Tim Walz would be Kamala Harris’ VP pick.
“I’m thrilled by reports that my friend and governor will be America’s next Vice President,” Phillips posted, along with a photo of them together.
“Tim is a common-sense, competent and experienced leader whose refreshing normal-ness will be a great contrast to the tiresome weirdness. Let’s go!” he wrote.
Walz and Phillips never served in the House of Representatives together. Walz left his 1st Congressional District seat in 2019, when Phillips was coming in to serve the 3rd District.
Phillips has endorsed Harris’ White House bid.
-ABC News’ Isabella Murray
Rep. Ilhan Omar congratulates Walz
Progressive Minnesota Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar congratulated her state’s governor on Tuesday.
“Our North Star state Governor has signed universal school meals, paid family and sick leave, marijuana legalization, and protections for reproductive rights into law,” she wrote on X, also sharing a photo of the two.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Pelosi applauds Walz, but says ‘to characterize him as left is so unreal’
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reacted on “Morning Joe” to the news that Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate, saying: “Tim Walz is wonderful, and she had many good choices.”
“Tim Walz, I know very well. He served in the House. To characterize him as left is so unreal. It’s just not — he’s right down the middle. He is a heartland of America Democrat. He was the chair of our Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and I don’t want anybody to forget that — he made tremendous, tremendous gains for our veterans,” Pelosi said.
“We made more progress that has ever been made in the history of our country since the GI Bill under his leadership,” she continued.
Pelosi complimented his background and credentials, including serving in the National Guard.
“So, he brings the security credential. He brings the rural credential. And he will do in rural America,” Pelosi said.
“So it’s really mystifying to me to see someone that I worked with, shall we say, right down the middle characterized on the left in his regard. He has [Harris’] confidence obviously,” she added.
“[Walz] has a great vision for our country. It is about working-class families, about rural America, about our veterans. He has won for governor two times in Minnesota,” Pelosi added.
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum calls Walz a ‘rock-solid Democrat’
Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., praised Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday, calling him a “rock-solid Democrat.”
“Tim Walz is my friend and a former colleague whose Midwest values are rooted in selfless service to our nation, caring for his neighbors, and inspiring students, soldiers and citizens to stand together, dream bigger and never give up,” she said in a statement, reacting to the news that Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to pick the Minnesota governor as her running mate.
“Tim is a rock-solid Democrat, a teacher, a football coach, a veteran and a leader who will defend our freedoms and will work to improve the lives of all Americans in every corner of our country,” she said.
-ABC News’ John Parkinson
Trump reacts to news Harris is poised to pick Tim Walz
Donald Trump on Tuesday reacted to the news that Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate.
Trump, in a campaign email, claimed Walz “would be the worst VP in history” and said the governor was “even worse” than Harris.
The pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc., a separate entity from the Trump campaign, also released a statement, claiming Walz and Harris are “both far-left radicals that don’t know how to govern.”
-ABC News’ Rick Klein, Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa and Kelsey Walsh
Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Republican, reacts to Walz poised to be Harris’ VP pick
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota, a Republican, criticized Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who is poised to be Harris’ pick for vice president.
In a post on X, Emmer said, “It’s not surprising @KamalaHarris picked Tim Walz to be her running mate — he embodies the same disastrous economic, open-borders, and soft-on-crime policies Harris has inflicted on our country the last four years.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Peller
Harris poised to pick Tim Walz as vice presidential running mate
Vice President Kamala Harris is poised to pick Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her vice presidential running mate to help her challenge Donald Trump and JD Vance in November.
Harris grows Pennsylvania volunteers
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is touting its robust ground game in Pennsylvania, saying it’s taking “nothing for granted” in the state, ahead of her running mate reveal, which is expected on Tuesday.
About 33,000 people signed up to volunteer for the campaign in Pennsylvania in the last 15 days, according to a campaign memo. The campaign boasts nearly 300 staffers across three dozen offices in the state, the memo said.
The campaign also said it was “doing the work to make inroads in historically-safe Republican areas.”
The campaign sought to contrast Harris’ record with former President Donald Trump’s, citing the vice president’s time as a prosecutor and saying she “is committed to keeping our communities safe and locking up dangerous crooks, criminals, and predators.”
“With only three months until Election Day, Trump’s campaign still lags far behind in the infrastructure needed to win with just three offices in Pennsylvania,” the Harris campaign memo said. “He’s shown he doesn’t want these voters.”
Kamala Harris earns majority of Democratic roll call votes
Vice President Kamala Harris has officially gotten the vast majority of delegate votes in the virtual roll call that nominates her as the Democratic presidential nominee, the Democratic National Committee said in a statement released late Monday.
The roll call, which concluded on Monday evening, still needs to be certified by Convention Secretary Jason Rae, according to the statement, but the announcement makes Harris’s historic nomination effectively official.
Sens. Sanders, Warren join Progressives for Harris Call: ‘We have to beat Trump in November’
On a three-hour organizing call with over 100,000 attendees, numerous high-profile progressive democrats came out to support Vice President Kamala’s Harris’ presidential bid.
Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Reps. Joaquin Castro, Ro Khanna, Ilhan Omar and Jamie Raskin and UAW President Shawn Fain all showed up as well as members of the uncommitted movement who had not yet endorsed Harris but strongly hope she’ll win them over in the next few months.
“The energy and the momentum in this election is on our side. And I am so inspired by the organizing in support of Vice President Harris, starting with the win with black women that mobilized a massive zoom call. And now here tonight, we have progressives coming together,” Warren said on the call.
Sanders, who has not officially said he endorses Harris — although he has encouraged voters to go out and support the candidate — told attendees that “Trump must be defeated” and Harris “must be elected.” He noted that it’s “imperative that Democrats gain control over the House and the Senate.”
“And we in the progressive movement must do all that we can to make that happen,” he added.
“I don’t know if I can add to what has already been said tonight, but my message is pretty clear, and that is all of us together must do everything that we can to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris as our next president,” said Sanders.
Harris campaign selling yard signs without revealing running mate’s name
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign is promoting pre-orders for a campaign yard sign with a mockup image featuring her last name and tape and question marks over where her yet-to-be-announced running mate’s last name would be.
“Be one of the first to proudly display your support for Kamala Harris and her running mate,” the campaign said on its website.
JD Vance to also give remarks in same states as Harris this week
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance is scheduled to give remarks in the same states on the same days as Vice President Kamala Harris this week, the Trump-Vance campaign announced, as Harris embarks on a battleground state tour.
Vance is scheduled to speak at noon ET in Philadelphia on Tuesday. The event comes as Harris is set to hold a rally with her yet-to-be-announced running mate Tuesday night in the city.
On Wednesday, he is scheduled to deliver remarks in the Detroit suburb of Shelby Township, Michigan, and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, as Harris also campaigns in those states then.
Then on Thursday, he is set to speak in Raleigh and Oakboro in North Carolina, aligning with Harris’ scheduled visit to the state.
-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie
Bon Iver to campaign with Harris in Wisconsin
Bon Iver will join Harris and her running mate on Wednesday in Eau Claire, Wisconsin — where the Grammy-winning indie folk band was founded — for a “special performance” as part of the campaign’s battleground state tour, the Harris campaign announced on Monday.
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Will McDuffie and Isabella Murray
Harris still deliberating on VP pick: Source
At this moment, Vice President Harris has not decided on a running mate and is still deliberating, according to a source.
More than 10K people expected at Harris’ Philly rally: Source
More than 10,000 people are expected to attend Harris’ rally Tuesday night in Philadelphia, where she’ll be joined by her new running mate, according to a source familiar with the plans.
That would make this the biggest event yet for the Harris campaign.
Harris is looking to build off her momentum. Pennsylvania kicks off her swing through seven battleground states in five days.
The pace of her campaign is in stark contrast to Trump’s, which has only one rally scheduled this week — in Montana on Friday.
Usha Vance says husband’s ‘childless cat ladies’ comment was a ‘quip’
In her first interview since her husband was named former President Donald Trump’s running mate, Usha Vance sat down with Fox & Friends where she discussed her husband’s “childless cat ladies” comment that has gained attention recently — calling it a “quip.”
“The reality is, JD made a quote – I mean, he made a quip, and he made a quip in service of making a point that he wanted to make that was substantive,” Usha Vance said of the comments her husband made in 2021. “And I just wish sometimes that people would talk about those things and that we would spend a lot less time just sort of going through this three-word phrase or that three-word phrase.”
She continued, “What he was really saying is that it can be really hard to be a parent in this country, and sometimes our policies are designed in a way that make it even harder.”
She added that her husband “would never ever ever want to say something to hurt someone who was trying to have a family who really was struggling with that.”
JD Vance has called the comments “sarcastic.”
“Let’s try to look at the real conversation that he’s trying to have and engage with it and understand for those of us who do have families, for the many of us who want to have families, and for whom it’s really hard,” Usha Vance said on Monday. “What can we do to make it better? What can we do to make it easier to live in 2024?”
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Hannah Demissie, Lalee Ibssa and Soorin Kim
Pelosi says she spoke with Biden ahead of his withdrawal ‘asking for a campaign that would win’
Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, in an interview with Good Morning America anchor George Stephanopolous on Monday morning, said that she spoke with President Joe Biden ahead of his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race “asking for a campaign that would win.” She also said Biden was “the only person that I spoke to” about Biden possibly withdrawing.
“The only person that I spoke to about this was the president. Other people called me about what their views were about it, and — but I rarely even returned a call, much less initiated one,” Pelosi said.
Later, she added, “I wasn’t asking him to step down. I was asking for a campaign that would win, and I wasn’t seeing that on the horizon.”
Vice President Kamala Harris’ choice for her running mate is a the “most important” decision she has to make as her campaign gets started, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said.
All of her choices appear to be good, Pelosi added.
“It’s a difficult decision because they are all so great,” she told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos on Good Morning America on Monday. “It is the most important decision for her to make. Not just about who can help win, but who can help serve and lead and whose confidence she trusts.”
Harris and to-be-announced running mate to launch seven-state tour Tuesday
Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, who is yet to be named, will go on tour, hitting seven battleground states in five days, the Harris campaign said Monday.
The tour will be an effort to “introduce the new Democratic ticket” and “speak directly with voters in their communities and cement the contrast between our ticket and Trump’s,” campaign said.
The tour, which kicks off Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, will feature rallies in cities and stops at college campuses, including HBCUs, union halls, family-owned restaurants and their field offices, the campaign said.
The tour will continue through Eau Claire, Wisconsin; Detroit, Michigan; Durham, North Carolina; Savannah, Georgia; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada, the campaign said.
Harris interviewing top VP contenders today at her residence: Source
Vice President Harris is meeting with top running mate candidates Sunday at her residence at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C., according to a source familiar with the matter.
Harris is meeting with at least three leading contenders — Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, according to the source.
The meetings were earlier reported by The New York Times.
Sen. JD Vance says he wears VP pick criticism as a ‘badge of honor’
In a Fox News interview Sunday, Sen. JD Vance responded to criticism of him being picked as former President Donald Trump’s running mate, saying he takes it as a “badge of honor.”
“All I can do is go out there and prosecute the case against Kamala Harris to remind people that things were more prosperous and more peaceful when Donald Trump was president,” Vance said. “Look, I recognize there are a lot of folks even in the GOP establishment and certainly on the far left who don’t like the fact that Donald Trump picked me, I actually take their criticism as a badge of honor.”
Vance also hit back at Democrats who’ve called him “weird,” calling it “a lot of projection.”
“They can call me whatever they want to. The middle school taunts don’t bother me,” he said. “What offends me is what Kamala Harris has done to this country over three and a half years.”
Harris campaign launches ‘Republicans for Harris’ outreach program
Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign announced Sunday that it would be launching a “Republicans for Harris” program aimed at reaching Republican voters who could be convinced to vote for Harris. The program will include digital advertising, phone banking, events and other initiatives, according to the campaign.
The program — and Harris herself — have been endorsed by a number of Republican figures, including former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham.
“I might not agree with Vice President Kamala Harris on everything, but I know that she will fight for our freedom, protect our democracy, and represent America with honor and dignity on the world stage,” Grisham wrote in a statement released by the Harris campaign.
The “Republicans for Harris” program will hold kickoff events starting this week, per the campaign.
(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Debby is slamming the Southeast with heavy rain after making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday.
At least six people have been killed in Florida and Georgia.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Tornado watch extends in Washington-Baltimore area
A Debby-related tornado watch has been extended through 7 a.m. Friday ET for the Washington, D.C.-Baltimore area.
Latest forecast
Rain is ongoing in North Carolina and Virginia. The highest risk for flash flooding on Thursday is across central North Carolina and into western Virginia, where rainfall rates could reach 2 inches per hour.
Overnight, major flooding will be possible in western Virginia and western Maryland.
On Friday, the heavy rain will target Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and western New York. There’s a significant risk for flash flooding across the interior Northeast, from western Maryland to central Pennsylvania to upstate New York.
By Friday evening, the rain will reach Philadelphia and New York City, where flash flooding is possible.
Debby weakens to tropical depression
Debby weakened from a tropical storm to a tropical depression Thursday afternoon as the system continues to bring rain and flooding to the East Coast.
Over 80,000 without power in North Carolina
More than 80,000 customers are without power in North Carolina as Tropical Storm Debby rips through the state.
Gov. Roy Cooper said he’s activated 374 National Guard members and swift water rescue teams throughout the state.
Flooding has been reported on major roads, including Interstate 95.
Man found dead in tornado-leveled home in North Carolina
A man was found dead in his home Thursday morning after a tornado tore through overnight, according to the fire chief in Rock Ridge, North Carolina.
“The tornado had completely leveled the house. … We were initially unable to locate the victim,” Fire Chief Walt Williamson said. “We called in the FEMA rescue team, which brought in a canine unit to help us find and locate the individual.”
“The victim was likely asleep in his bedroom when the tornado struck,” Williamson said.
“This was an incredibly challenging task, both logistically and emotionally. It’s a lot of destruction to witness,” he said.
The tornado also caused major damage to a school in the area, Williamson said.
“The school’s roof was torn off,” Williamson said. “Thankfully, this happened in the middle of the night when no one was there. If it had been during school hours, it could have been much worse.”
Four tornadoes have been reported Thursday morning. A tornado watch is in effect in North Carolina and Virginia until 1 p.m. ET as Debby moves inland.
-ABC News’ Matt Foster and Jason Volack
Latest forecast
Tropical Storm Debby made a second landfall overnight in South Carolina.
The storm has brought more than 18 inches of rain to South Carolina and another 3 to 6 inches is possible in the state on Thursday.
A rare “high risk” for flash flooding has been issued from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Roanoke, Virginia, where up to 6 inches of rain is possible on Thursday.
On Friday morning, the heavy rain and flash flooding will move into the Mid-Atlantic. By late Friday afternoon, the heavy rain will target upstate New York, Philadelphia and New York City. Flash flooding is possible in New York City on Friday night.
More than 120,000 customers are without power in North Carolina as Tropical Storm Debby rips through the state.
Gov. Roy Cooper said he’s activated 374 National Guard members and swift water rescue teams throughout the state.
Flooding has been reported on major roads, including Interstate 95.
Debby makes 2nd landfall in South Carolina
Tropical Storm Debby made a second landfall early on Thursday, moving over South Carolina after regaining some strength over the Atlantic.
The storm made its landfall near Bulls Bay, a coastal about 20 miles northeast of Charleston, bringing with it a major flood treat, the National Hurricane Center said.
Maximum sustained winds were at about 50 mph as the storm hit land, weather officials said.
Storm still 60 mph as it crosses South Carolina coast
As of 11 p.m. ET, the center of Tropical Storm Debby is about to cross the coast of South Carolina. It will likely cross in the next few hours.
The storm’s strength has remained unchanged, with maximum sustained winds remaining at 60 mph.
A Tropical Storm Warning continues from Edisto Beach, South Carolina, to Surf City, North Carolina.
Debby is currently located 25 miles east-northeast of Charleston, South Carolina and crawling at 3 mph toward the north-northwest.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect for parts of coastal North Carolina.
-ABC News Meteorologist Melissa Griffin
Debby’s winds at 60 mph as it drifts off South Carolina coast
Debby has sustained winds of 60 mph as it drifts roughly 85 miles off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, moving at 3 mph.
The tropical storm is expected to make landfall again late Wednesday into early Thursday morning near Myrtle Beach.
The storm is expected to bring significant to catastrophic flooding, with flood watches and warnings covering much of the Carolinas. The high risk for excessive rainfall stretches from North Carolina into southern Virginia on Thursday.
A tornado watch is also in effect until 11 p.m. ET Wednesday for eastern North and South Carolina, where spin-up tornadoes are possible.
-ABC News’ Daniel Amarante
Latest forecast
Tropical Storm Debby — currently sitting off shore of Charleston, South Carolina — is forecast to make a second landfall Wednesday night between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, bringing more heavy rain.
A rare “high risk” for flash flooding is ongoing for the Carolinas, including the cities of Myrtle Beach, Wilmington and Raleigh. Flooding could be catastrophic. Rain totals could reach 20 to 25 inches in South Carolina and 15 inches in North Carolina before Debby moves north.
By Thursday afternoon and evening, the heaviest rain will be targeting North Carolina and Virginia. Click here to read more.
When Debby is forecast to make its 2nd landfall
Tropical Storm Debby — currently sitting off shore of Charleston, South Carolina — is forecast to make a second landfall Wednesday night between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Another 6 inches of rain is possible for the Carolinas over the next 24 hours before Debby exits the region. A rare “high risk” for flash flooding is ongoing for the Carolinas, including the cities of Myrtle Beach, Wilmington and Raleigh.
By Thursday afternoon, Debby will begin to move north. By Friday, the storm will bring heavy rain and potentially flooding to Virginia, and then will reach the Northeast and New England.
-ABC News’ Melissa Griffin
Curfew lifted in Charleston
A city-wide curfew was lifted Wednesday morning in flood-prone Charleston, South Carolina.
No rescues were needed due to the curfew, Mayor William Cogswell said.
“After assessing overnight conditions, officials have determined that it is safe to return to normal activities,” the mayor said in a statement, but he added that the ongoing storm may still lead to downed trees and power lines.
“Several roads remain closed and are barricaded,” the mayor said. “Please avoid driving around barricades or entering flood waters.”
Debby’s winds at 45 mph ahead of expected second landfall Thursday
Tropical Storm Debby’s winds slightly strengthened early Wednesday, rising to about 45 mph, as the storm moved over warm water in the Atlantic about 65 miles from the coast of Charleston, South Carolina.
Debby is expected to remain a tropical storm into Thursday, when it’s forecast to make a second landfall in South Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center said it expects the storm to not strengthen much more, maybe rising up to about 50 mph ahead of that landfall.
The storm is then forecast to continue inland overnight into Friday, with its winds slowing as it travels through North Carolina and into Virginia.
Debby is slowly moving eastward offshore
Tropical Storm Debby is slowly moving eastward offshore the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina.
Debby is moving east at 5 mph while max sustained winds remain at 40mph, with its center currently about 50 miles east of Savannah, Georgia, as of 11 p.m. ET.
Tornado Watch remains in effect across eastern South Carolina and North Carolina, from Myrtle Beach to Morehead City until 1 a.m. ET.
Flood Watches remain in effect from Georgia to Virginia as bands of heavy rain will continue through the night.
Debby will be back over open water tonight and could gain a bit more strength over the next 24 hours, but is forecast to remain at tropical storm intensity.
A second landfall is expected in South Carolina Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.
Six killed including two kids
At least six people have been killed from Debby, authorities said.
A 13-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a mobile home Monday morning in Levy County, Florida, which encompasses Cedar Key, according to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to use extreme caution as they begin to assess and clean up the damage. Downed powerlines and falling trees are among the many hazards.”
In Hillsborough County, Florida, which encompasses Tampa, a driver of a semi was killed when the truck went into a canal off Interstate 275 Monday morning, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies recovered the semi and found the driver dead inside the cab, authorities said.
In Dixie County, Florida, a driver “lost control due to the inclement weather and wet roadway” on Sunday night, crashing into the center median guardrail and then overturning the car, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The driver, a 38-year-old woman, and a passenger, a 12-year-old boy, were killed, authorities said.
Another passenger, a 14-year-old boy, was seriously injured, the highway patrol said.
In Gulfport, Florida, a 48-year-old man died after he tried to ride out the storm on his sailboat which was anchored off Gulfport’s Veteran’s Park, police said, according to ABC Tampa affiliate WFTS-TV.
In Moultrie, Georgia, a 19-year-old man was struck and killed by a fallen tree while he was inside a home on Monday, according to Moultrie police.
What to expect Tuesday evening
Debby is moving at just 3 mph, with its center located about 10 miles east of Savannah, Georgia, as of 5 p.m. ET.
Tornadoes are possible in South Carolina and North Carolina on Tuesday night.
After a day of heavy rainfall, the coastal cities of Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina, could see a few more inches of rain this week. Both cities are under flash flood warnings.
But going forward, the worst of the rain will be focused further north. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina; and Lumberton, North Carolina, are forecast to get hit the hardest over the next 24 to 36 hours.
More than 1,000 flights canceled
More than 1,000 flights have been canceled within, into or out of the U.S. on Tuesday as Debby slams the Southeast and thunderstorms strike the Northeast. Ground stops are in place at the New York City area’s three airports.
South Carolina braces for severe flooding
The threat of severe flooding is very high across South Carolina with Tropical Storm Debby “creeping across our state,” South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster warned on Tuesday.
More than 90,000 customers without power in Florida
More than 90,000 customers remain without power in Florida, more than 24 hours after Debby tore through the state.
“Restoration is taking longer in areas with flooding and heavy vegetation, as crews must wait for the water to recede and clear through debris before they can restore power,” Florida Power & Light said Tuesday morning. “Rest assured, we’ll continue working until everyone who can safely receive power is restored. Avoid these flooded areas and stay away from downed power lines.”
Charleston’s curfew extended as city faces flash flood warning
A curfew in Charleston, South Carolina, has been extended to 7 a.m. Wednesday as the flood-prone city braces for potentially life-threatening flooding.
“Residents are advised to stay off the roads unless there is an urgent emergency,” the Charleston Fire Department said.
Charleston is under a flash flood warning. Up to 1 foot of rain has already fallen in the city, with more to come.
Five killed including two kids
At least five people have been killed from Debby, authorities said.
A 13-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a mobile home Monday morning in Levy County, Florida, which encompasses Cedar Key, according to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to use extreme caution as they begin to assess and clean up the damage. Downed powerlines and falling trees are among the many hazards.”
In Hillsborough County, Florida, which encompasses Tampa, a driver of a semi was killed when the truck went into a canal off Interstate 275 Monday morning, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies recovered the semi and found the driver dead inside the cab, authorities said.
In Dixie County, Florida, a driver “lost control due to the inclement weather and wet roadway” on Sunday night, crashing into the center median guardrail and then overturning the car, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The driver, a 38-year-old woman, and a passenger, a 12-year-old boy, were killed, authorities said.
Another passenger, a 14-year-old boy, was seriously injured, the highway patrol said.
In Moultrie, Georgia, a 19-year-old man was struck and killed by a fallen tree while he was inside a home on Monday, according to Moultrie police.
19-year-old hit by tree dies in Georgia
A 19-year-old died after being hit by a tree in Moultrie, Georgia, a local coroner told ABC News affiliate WALB-TV, bringing the storm’s death toll to five.
More than 150,000 customers without power, tracker says
More than 150,000 customers were without power early Tuesday in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us, a tracker of energy providers.
Florida had the highest number of outages, with more than 116,000, followed by more than 26,000 in George and almost 12,000 in South Carolina.
Debby to bring historic 10-20 inches of rainfall: Forecast
Despite weakening since moving over land, Debby is still maintaining its tropical storm status, producing maximum sustained wind speeds of 45 mph.
As of 11 p.m. ET, over 150,000 customers in Florida and Georgia are still without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
With Debby’s center about 35 miles west of Brunswick, Georgia, much of the heavy rain and showers have since moved out of Florida (except for the extreme northeastern corner of the state closer to the Georgia border). However, with the storm slowing down even more, Debby will stay stuck over the Southeast for the better part of this week, meandering over Georgia and the Carolinas.
Even though the storm is expected to weaken a bit more overnight, Debby is still expected to bring historic rainfall and life-threatening flooding to portions of southeastern Georgia and the coastal areas of the Carolinas over the next few days. Rainfall totals from this event are expected to reach between 10 and 20 inches.
Already, portions of southeastern Georgia and South Carolina have seen between 3 to 6 inches of rainfall, but with rainfall rates of 1.5 to 3 inches per hour possible, flood alerts remain in effect.
A Flash Flood Warning was issued for Charleston, South Carolina, where rainfall rates between 1.5 and 2.5 inches are expected. Ongoing or new flooding is expected, with an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain possible over the next few hours.
As onshore flow continues, storm surge remains an issue in Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina. Storm surge alerts remain in effect up the Georgia and Carolina coastlines.
Rainfall aside, Debby could also generate some spin-up tornadoes as it swirls over the Georgia-South Carolina border tonight. As a result, a Tornado Watch also remains in effect for parts of southeastern Georgia and South Carolina until 1 a.m. ET.
Over the next 48 hours, Debby is expected to meander back over the Atlantic but will continue to hug the coastline before heading back inland over the Carolinas again. Slight strengthening can’t entirely be ruled out as it moves back over water, but ultimately, Debby is expected to weaken once it moves back inland. Strength aside, it will still bring significant rainfall to portions of the Southeast, which will likely lead to catastrophic flooding in some areas.
Debby is expected to eventually drift toward the north/northeast by the end of the week into the weekend. As it heads north, it will likely weaken to a tropical depression or remnant low. Regardless, heavy rainfall is still expected up the I-95 corridor heading into this weekend.
Power returns to some Florida customers as Debby moves northeast
As of Monday evening, 146,034 customers are without power in Florida, according to the latest update from a U.S. power outage map.
This marks an improvement from Monday morning, which saw nearly 300,000 customers without power at 9:50 a.m. ET, the height of outages across the state.
During a press conference in Tallahassee Monday morning, Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state’s emergency department had 17,000 linemen working to restore power in the wake of the storm.
“We have a lot of restoration personnel ready to go,” DeSantis said.
Debby weakening, but threats of tornadoes, heavy rain continue
Tropical Storm Debby continues to weaken, with maximum sustained winds down to 45 mph as of 8 p.m. ET. The weather pattern is moving very slowly to the northeast at 6 mph, and the center is currently about 50 miles east of Valdosta, Georgia.
Even though Debby is now inland and continues to weaken, many of the impacts — especially the heavy rainfall and dangerous flash flood threat — will not abate for several days. For many locations in coastal Georgia and South Carolina, the worst is yet to come.
The tornado threat continues along portions of the Georgia and South Carolina coasts this evening and into tonight. A Tornado Watch remains in effect from Savannah, Georgia, to Charleston, South Carolina, until at least 1 a.m. ET.
Parts of Florida, including Sarasota and Lakewood Ranch, are reporting over a foot of rain from Debby, and portions of Suwannee County, including Live Oak, are getting around a foot as well.
So far, parts of Georgia, including Savannah, are reporting nearly 4″ of rain. The same can be said for Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Conditions will continue to deteriorate across much of South Carolina overnight Monday into Tuesday, with widespread areas of heavy rain and the potential for dangerous, significant flash flooding during nighttime hours.
Coastal flooding and storm surges will continue to increase in the coming hours as winds increase and more persistent heavy rain moves in, heading into high tide along the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.
By late Tuesday afternoon or early evening, the center of Debby will likely be moving off the Southeast coast and into the Atlantic, where it will meander for about 24 hours before likely turning back toward the coast and potentially making another landfall as a tropical storm somewhere along the South Carolina coast by Thursday morning or afternoon.
More than 163,000 customers without power in Florida
More than 163,000 customers are without power in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks energy outages.
Curfew set for Charleston, South Carolina
A curfew will go into effect overnight for Charleston, South Carolina, due to Debby, city officials said Monday.
Thoroughfares leading into the peninsula will be closed from 11 p.m. ET Monday to noon ET Tuesday, the city said, as the region braces for potential impacts such as tropical storm-force winds, heavy rain and isolated tornadoes.
“We urge everybody to stay inside, stay indoors and do not travel,” Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said at a press briefing Monday evening.
Biden approves emergency declaration request from South Carolina
President Joe Biden has approved a request from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster for an emergency declaration in the state due to Debby, the White House said.
The declaration allows the Federal Emergency Management Agency to mobilize and provide equipment and resources necessary.
“The President continues to urge residents to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of State and local officials,” the White House said in a statement.
North Carolina governor declares state of emergency
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of severe weather, including life-threatening flash flooding, expected across the state due to Debby.
“This weather has the potential to bring intense rain and flooding to North Carolina and we are preparing for it,” Cooper said in a statement. “As the weather becomes more severe, I urge everyone to take precautions and stay safe.”
The emergency declaration will allow for the state to mobilize resources to respond to the storm.
Tropical Storm Debby slowing down as it moves across US
Tropical Storm Debby continues to weaken and slow down in forward speed as the center moves near the Florida-Georgia state line as of 5 p.m. ET.
Maximum sustained winds are down to 50 mph, and Debby is moving to the northeast at 6 mph. The center is currently about 30 miles southeast of Valdosta, Georgia.
As of Monday afternoon, all tropical weather and storm surge alerts have been canceled across Florida’s Gulf Coast as conditions improve across much of the state.
Debby will move across southeastern Georgia through Monday evening, with the worst impacts focused there and into the Jacksonville, Florida, area. Heavy rain continues to overspread southern South Carolina as well.
-ABC News meteorologist Daniel Peck
More than 199,000 customers without power in Florida
More than 199,000 customers are without power in Florida, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks energy outages.
Latest forecast
Debby is moving inland across north Florida Monday afternoon after dumping more than 1 foot of rain in the state.
Tornadoes are possible Monday afternoon in Florida, including in Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville, as well as in the coastal cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Beaufort, South Carolina.
The biggest concern this week is flash flooding from the widespread, relentless rain. A flash flood emergency remains in effect in Suwannee County, Florida, northwest of Gainesville, where 10 to 15 inches of rain has fallen so far.
Debby will slowly churn into southeastern Georgia throughout Monday afternoon and evening. Conditions will deteriorate in Savannah, Georgia, throughout the day.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
4 killed including 2 kids
At least four people have been killed from Debby, authorities said.
13-year-old boy was killed when a tree fell on a mobile home Monday morning in Levy County, Florida, which encompasses Cedar Key, according to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to use extreme caution as they begin to assess and clean up the damage. Downed powerlines and falling trees are among the many hazards.”
In Hillsborough County, Florida, which encompasses Tampa, a driver of a semi was killed when the truck went into a canal off Interstate 275 Monday morning, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies recovered the semi and found the driver dead inside the cab, authorities said.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told ABC News Live. “We really ask everyone, one, to be aware of the weather situations in your area, and then heed the warnings. Especially the high wind and the water.”
In Dixie County, Florida, a driver “lost control due to the inclement weather and wet roadway” on Sunday night, crashing into the center median guardrail and then overturning the car, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
The driver, a 38-year-old woman, and a passenger, a 12-year-old boy, were killed, authorities said.
Another passenger, a 14-year-old boy, was seriously injured, the highway patrol said.
Flash flood emergency issued in Suwannee County, Florida
A flash flood emergency has been issued in Suwannee County in north Florida, northwest of Gainesville, where officials are reporting that water is entering structures.
Ten to 15 inches of rain has inundated the county so far and another 3 to 6 inches of rain is expected.
-ABC News’ Dan Peck
More than 1,600 flights canceled
More than 1,600 flights have been canceled within, into or out of the U.S. on Monday, and that number is expected to continue to climb.
American Airlines is seeing the biggest impacts because of its hubs in Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina.
American Airlines said it canceled operations at airports in Gainesville, Sarasota and Tallahassee until noon on Monday.
Sunday was one of the worst air travel days of the year with more than 2,400 cancellations.
Biden briefed on storm
President Joe Biden was briefed Monday morning on the administration’s ongoing response to Debby, according to a White House official.
On Saturday, Biden approved Florida’s request for an emergency declaration and deployed rescue personnel, meals and water, the official said.
The Biden administration is in touch with officials from Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed staff to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina as the storm moves north, the official said.
More than 300,000 customers without power in Florida
More than 300,000 customers are without power in Florida Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks energy outages.
More than 1,200 flights canceled
More than 1,200 flights have been canceled within, into or out of the U.S. on Monday, and that number is expected to continue to climb.
American Airlines is seeing the biggest impacts because of its hubs in Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Sunday was one of the worst air travel days of the year with more than 2,400 cancellations.
Storm surge, flooding major threats
Storm surge and flooding are major threats to Florida as Hurricane Debby slams the state, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Monday.
Significant flooding has already impacted the Bradenton and Sarasota County area up to North Florida, he said.
More than 250,000 customers without power in Florida
More than 250,000 customers are without power in Florida Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks energy outages.
Debby makes landfall in Florida
Hurricane Debby made landfall near Steinhatchee, Florida, on Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.
More than 135,000 customers without power in Florida, tracker says
More than 135,000 customers were without power in Florida early Monday, according to PowerOutage.us, which tracks energy outages.
Debby approaches landfall with 80 mph winds
Hurricane Debby is “very near” landfall along Florida’s Gulf Coast, the National Hurricane Center said at 5 a.m. ET.
“Expected to bring life-threatening storm surge in portions of Florida and major flooding in the southeastern United States,” the center said in an update.
The Category 1 storm had maximum sustained winds of an about 80 mph as it approached Big Bend, a northern area near the Panhandle, the center said.
Debby strengthens, with maximum sustained winds up to 80 mph
Hurricane Debby continued to strengthen, with maximum sustained winds rising to 80 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center.
More than 10 inches of rain fell on the west coast of Florida, around the Tampa Bay area, where water rescues have been on going near Clearwater. Significant flooding also has been reported in Fort Myers area.
Storm surge has been rising quickly now along the Big Bend area in Florida, from Cedar Key to Keaton Beach, where up to 10 feet of Gulf water could inundate the coastline. The storm is forecast to make landfall in that area on Monday morning.
Coast Guard rescues two adrift in sailboat off Florida coast
Two people were rescued Sunday from a boat that was adrift in about 20-foot seas off the coast of Boca Grande, Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The boaters were airlifted from their 34-foot sailboat after the vessel lost its sail about 73 miles off shore, the guard said.
The sailboat had been on course for Tarpon Springs from Key West, officials said. A friend of the boaters contacted the Coast Guard at about 5 p.m. Saturday, telling officials they had missed their check-in.
“We received an updated satellite position from the boaters’ friend, which led to them being successfully located,” Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator, said in a statement.
The boaters were rescued by a crew on an Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter at about 11 a.m. on Sunday, the Coast Guard said. They had been adrift in seas that were between 15 and 20 feet, with wind speeds at about 50 knots. Visibility was low.
The names of the people on the boat were not released.
Debby strengthens into a hurricane
The National Hurricane Center has upgraded Tropical Storm Debby to a Category 1 hurricane with winds of 75 mph.
The forecast is still on track for more strengthening overnight as Debby feeds off the warm water in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Water temperatures running 3 to 5 degrees above average are providing plenty of fuel for this storm to intensify before landfall, which will happen around 7 a.m. ET along the Big Bend region of Florida.
Tropical Storm Debby nearing hurricane strength at 70 mph
While still a tropical storm, Debby is nearing hurricane strength, producing maximum sustained wind speeds up to 70 mph.
Debby will continue to intensify rapidly overnight as it travels northward over the Gulf’s warm waters. It is forecast to become a hurricane tonight. It is expected to strengthen to at least a strong Category 1 hurricane before making landfall along Florida’s Big Bend region Monday morning (around 7 a.m. ET), producing sustained wind speeds near 85 mph and wind gusts reaching over 100 mph possible.
Located about 90 miles southwest of Cedar Key, Florida, the storm continues to impact the Florida Gulf Coast with heavy rainfall, storm surge, powerful winds and even spin-up tornadoes.
A reported wind gust of 56 mph was reported in St. Petersburg, with two tornadoes reported in central Florida.
A 60-mph wind gust was also reported near Sarasota, Florida.
Numerous reports of flooding from heavy rainfall and surges have also been submitted up Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The Tornado Watch covering much of northern and central Florida and southern Georgia has been extended until 6 a.m. ET on Monday.
Once Debby moves over land, it will weaken. However, the lack of a steering current will cause the storm to slow down considerably. While its exact track remains questionable, model guidance suggests the storm will drift over the Atlantic or Southeast coastline late Monday night into Tuesday before meandering back over Georgia and the Carolinas. Interaction with the Atlantic could reenergize Debby, but that will greatly depend on the storm’s path.
Even though Debby’s track and timing remain uncertain later this week, there is high confidence that it will bring historic rainfall and significant flooding across portions of the Southeast.
Rainfall ranging between 6 to 12 inches is possible from Florida’s Big Bend region through southeastern Georgia and into the Carolinas. Parts of coastal Georgia and South Carolina will be in the bullseye for the heaviest rainfall. There, widespread totals between 10 to 20 inches are possible, with some places even seeing up to 30 inches locally. Because of this, significant urban and river flooding is anticipated.
Rainfall aside, hurricane and tropical storm force winds will continue to whip across Florida and will likely intensify Sunday night into Monday as the storm moves closer to the coast — with areas just south and east of the storm’s eyewall seeing the strongest gusts early Monday morning.
Storm surge will also worsen along Florida’s northern and central Gulf coast tonight into Monday morning, with the highest surge expected between Suwannee River and Ochlockonee River (6 to 10 feet).
All tropical alerts remain unchanged from the last update.
Tropical Storm Debby on track to become a hurricane overnight
As of 5 p.m. ET on Sunday, Tropical Storm Debby still has winds of 65 mph and is forecast to undergo rapid intensification into a hurricane overnight, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Debby is expected to make landfall as a hurricane in Florida’s Big Bend region on Monday morning around 7 a.m.
Rain is expected to be the most impactful element from this storm, affecting a wide area over an extended period of time.
“Across portions of southeast Georgia and South Carolina, 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with local amounts to 30 inches, are expected through Friday morning,” the National Hurricane Center said. “This potentially historic rainfall will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding.”
Evacuations ordered in Alachua County, Florida, as Debby set to make landfall
An evacuation order was issued Sunday for residents of Alachua County, Florida, residing in mobile homes, manufactured homes and recreational vehicles ahead of the arrival of Debby, which is forecast to be a hurricane when it makes landfall on Monday.
People living in areas close to rivers and lakes, and low-lying areas that tend to flood in Alachua County are also encouraged to evacuate, according to a statement issued by county officials.
Gainesville is the largest city in Alachua County.
“We encourage residents affected to find alternative housing with friends, family or short-term rentals,” according to the county’s statement.
Alachua County is opening three shelters for residents in need.
Tornado watch issued as Debby runs parallel to Florida’s Gulf Coast
A tornado watch was issued Sunday afternoon by the National Weather Service as Tropical Storm Debbie moved northward in the Gulf of Mexico parallel to Florida’s Gulf Coast.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said Debby was still a tropical storm with winds of 65 mph and forecasted to bring severe weather, including heavy rain, to coastal communities Sunday afternoon.
A tornado watch is in effect for much of Florida through Sunday evening.
Debby is expected to become a hurricane Sunday evening and will likely make landfall sometime between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Panhandle.
Once Debby makes landfall, the storm is expected to slow down and essentially stall over the Southeast, dropping potentially historic amounts of rainfall as it moves into Georgia and South Carolina.
A hurricane warning is in effect for the west coast of Florida from the Ochlockonee River southwest of Tallahassee to the Suwannee River northwest of Gainesville.
More than 1,600 flights canceled due to Debby and Northeast thunderstorms
Tropical Storm Debby and thunderstorms in the Northeast were causing airlines to cancel or delay flights on Sunday.
American Airlines said it canceled 601 flights, or about 16% of its flights, on Sunday, the most of any airline.
Debby, now a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, is expected to make landfall around the Big Bend area of the Florida Panhandle on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
Also causing delays and cancellations were severe thunderstorms moving up the East Coast. Parts of the mid-Atlantic states are under a severe thunderstorm watch until 9 p.m. ET Sunday, including the cities of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.
The most flights canceled on Sunday were at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, where 214 flights were canceled and another 172 were delayed, according to FlightAware.
In New York City, LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy international airports reported a combined 363 flights canceled and 258 delayed on Sunday.
Miami International Airport reported 209 canceled flights and 151 delayed fights. Airports in Orlando, Tampa, Philadelphia, Newark, Washington, D.C., and Dallas-Fort Worth all reported more than 100 flight cancellations on Sunday.
Ten million people under tropical storm alert on Florida’s Gulf Coast
About 10 million people along Florida’s west coast and up through Georgia and South and North Carolina were under a tropical storm alert Sunday as Debby took aim at the area and is forecast to make landfall in the Panhandle region on Monday.
Debby, now a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico about 190 miles southwest of Tampa, is expected to make landfall sometime between 7 and 8 a.m. in Big Bend on the Florida Panhandle as a Category 1 hurricane, state emergency officials said.
Debby is expected to create a storm surge of 4 to 7 feet in Cedar Key and Crystal River on the Florida west coast and a 2- to 5-foot storm surge farther south in Tampa and Sarasota.
The storm is forecast to move into the cities of Tallahassee and Jacksonville, bringing up to 20 inches of rain to some parts, before causing potential flooding in Georgia and the Carolinas on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
National Guard put on alert for search and rescue: DeSantis
Members of the Florida National Guard have been advised to be prepared to conduct search-and-rescue missions once Tropical Storm Debby makes landfall on Monday, according to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Widespread flooding is expected for the Florida Panhandle region, particularly in the Big Bend area where Debby is expected to make landfall Monday morning as a category 1 hurricane, DeSantis said during a news conference Sunday morning.
DeSantis said the Florida National Guard and the state’s Emergency Response Team are prepared to conduct search-and-rescue and provide humanitarian assistance.
“The Florida National Guard is standing by with 3,000 service members ready to assist the state Emergency Response Team, which includes search-and-rescue, route clearance, commodity distribution and protection of critical infrastructure,” DeSantis said.
The governor said at least 12 swift boat crews and flat-bottom jon boat crews are also standing by to help with rescues.
He said that more than 30,000 bottles of water, more than 160,000 meals and nearly 14,000 tarps have been pre-staged in parts of Florida that are expected to be hit hard by the storm.
DeSantis said Florida utility companies have notified up to 17,000 linemen to be ready to spring into action once it is safe to repair any damage.
Flooding forecast as Debby expected to bring up to 20 inches of rain
Florida residents in the Big Bend region of the Panhandle were warned Sunday that Debby is going to bring “catastrophic rain to the area” that will cause flooding and power outages.
Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said during a news conference on Sunday that once the Debby makes landfall as a possible Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning, winds will subside quickly, but the slow-moving storm will produce an abundance of rain.
“We’re going to be in a catastrophic rain situation where we have situations in Florida that will receive 15, maybe as high as 20 inches of rain,” Guthrie said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told residents who are in the path of the storm to expect widespread power outages.
“It’s possible that you could have serious intensification between now and landfall. It could get up to 85, 90 and 95 mph sustained winds. That is absolutely possible, particularly in parts of the state like here in Tallahassee. There’s going to be a lot of trees that are going to fall down and you’re going to have debris. You are going to have power interruptions,” the governor said.
Gov. DeSantis advises residents to make final preparations for Debby
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis advised residents of the state’s Panhandle region on Sunday that they should be finalizing preparations for when Tropical Storm Debby makes its anticipated landfall Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.
“Now this is a storm that is potentially dangerous. Residents should be finalizing all of their preparations now,” DeSantis said during a news conference at the state’s Emergency Operation Center in Tallahassee.
DeSantis said Tropical Storm Debby was in the Gulf of Mexico about 190 miles southwest of Tampa as of Sunday morning with sustained winds of about 50 mph.
“But those are expected to increase,” DeSantis said. “Tropical Storm Debby is likely to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida.”
He said the storm was on a similar track taken by Hurricane Idalia in 2023. Idalia made landfall in Big Bend on Aug. 30, 2023, as a Category 3 hurricane and caused a devastating storm surge of 7 to 12 feet across the coastal Big Bend region in Levy, Dixie and Taylor counties.
“This storm is a similar track,” DeSantis said. “It may be a tick to the west of that. It very well may have greater impacts here in the Tallahassee region than Hurricane Idalia did. Once it crosses landfall and enters the Florida Panhandle/Big Bend Region, wherever it does, it’s going to move very slowly across northern Florida and southeast Georgia.”
(NEW YORK) — The next great sky show is coming soon, and it is forecast to be one of the most awe-inspiring shooting star displays of 2024.
Appearing annually between late July and mid-August, the Perseid meteor shower is expected to reach its peak on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 11, and before dawn on Monday, Aug. 12, according to NASA.
Marking one of the most plentiful meteor showers in the Northern Hemisphere, the Perseids showcase approximately 50 to 100 meteors per hour, NASA reports.
In addition to the plentiful showcase, the Perseids — which get their name from the constellation Perseus — are famous for bringing fireballs, bright colors and long meteor tails to the night sky.
“Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak,” according to NASA.
Skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere, from the equator to mid-latitudes, will still get a glimpse of the shower, though it will be less pronounced than in the north.
Unfortunately, the agency notes that viewing the meteor shower this year will be “slightly impacted” by the Moon, which will be waxing at 53% in its cycle, lending more brightness in the sky to take away from the view.
The best time to view the Perseids will be past Midnight and it will become more pronounced as the sky darkens, according to NASA.
Additionally, those viewing the shower in remote locations, away from city lights, will have the best chance at a clear view, NASA says.
So, where do the Perseids come from and why do they appear annually?
Meteors are produced from comet particles and debris from broken asteroids. When comets and asteroids navigate around the Sun, they create a train of dust and debris in their wake.
Each year, the Earth rotates through the trail of debris, allowing it to impact the atmosphere and become visible to the naked eye.
(NEW YORK) — As the Israel-Hamas war continues, tensions are escalating after the assassinations of two Hamas and Hezbollah leaders this week.
Here’s how the news is developing:
Palestinian death toll climbs to 39,755
At least 39,755 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
On Oct. 7, about 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.
IDF soldiers accused of abusing Palestinian prisoners denied release
Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers who are in custody under suspicion of aggravated abuse of a Palestinian prisoner have been denied release by a military court on Thursday, according to the IDF.
The Military Court of Appeals approved the detention of the suspects until Sunday, stating that from the evidence presented, there is “reasonable suspicion of the commission of the acts attributed to them. The military court also determined that there was a clear cause of danger from the attributed acts,” the IDF said.
United Nations experts have called the reported widespread torture of Palestinian detainees a “preventable crime against humanity.”
“Reports of alleged torture and sexual violence in Israel’s Sde Teiman prison are grossly illegal and revolting, but they only represent the tip of the iceberg, independent human rights experts warned,” U.N. experts said on Tuesday.
Around 9,500 Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently imprisoned — about one-third of them without charge or trial, according to the U.N.
27 killed in Gaza, IDF says Hamas weapons workshop found in Khan Younis
At least 27 people were killed in different parts of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health. Of those killed, 18 Palestinians were killed in eastern and central Khan Yunis.
The Israeli Defense Forces said they found a Hamas weapons manufacturing workshop in a tunnel below Khan Yunis in a statement Wednesday.
-ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz and Jordana Miller
Egypt advises airlines to avoid Iranian airspace
Egypt has issued a notice to all Egyptian airlines to not fly over Iranian airspace at times when Iran is conducting military exercises on Wednesday and Thursday.
59.3% buildings in Gaza Strip damaged or destroyed, CUNY analysis shows
A new map based on open-access satellite data shows the damage across the Gaza Strip through July 27, where an estimated 59.3% of buildings have been damaged or destroyed since Oct. 5, 2023.
According to the analysis, most of the destruction in July was in Rafah, where 750 additional buildings were damaged or destroyed last month, bringing the total infrastructural damage in the southernmost city of Gaza to 45.4%.
The damage analysis of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite data was done by Corey Scher of CUNY Graduate Center and Jamon Van Den Hoek of Oregon State University.
-ABC News’ Camilla Alcini
2 killed, 6 injured in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon
At least two people were killed and six others were injured in an Israeli drone raid on the town of Joya in southern Lebanon Wednesday.
The attack comes as Israel awaits a military response from Hezbollah or Iran after it assassinated leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas.
Hezbollah said it carried out three retaliatory strikes on northern Israel on Wednesday — attacking the Al-Raheb site with artillery shells, the Jal Al-Alam site with artillery shells and the Al-Malikiyah site with rockets.
IDF calls Sinwar terrorist following appointment, remains committed to killing him
Shortly after Hamas announced it appointed Yahya Sinwar as a the head of its political bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, a spokesperson for the IDF said Israel remains committed to killing him.
“Yahya Sinwar is a terrorist, who is responsible for the most brutal terrorist attack in history – October 7th. There is only one place for Yahya Sinwar, and it is beside Mohammed Deif and the rest of the October 7th terrorists. That is the only place we’re preparing and intending for him,” Daniel Hagari said in an interview with Al-Arabia.
Last Israeli designated missing after Oct. 7 attack confirmed dead
Bilha Yinon, the last hostage who was unaccounted for by the Israeli government, has now been confirmed dead.
Yinon was killed on Oct. 7, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
Yahya Sinwar will replace Haniyeh as head of Hamas political bureau
Hamas has announced that Yahya Sinwar will replace Ismail Haniyeh as the head of the group’s political bureau after Israel’s assassination of Haniyeh. Sinwar was the head of Hamas in Gaza.
Sinwar has a $400,000 bounty on his head following the group’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Sinwar was chosen unanimously in negotiations managed by leadership, according to a top Hamas official.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Ghazi Balkiz
‘Hezbollah is obligated to respond’ to Israel, Nasrallah says
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has vowed to respond to the Israeli assassination of senior official Fouad Shukr, and predicted a response from Iran after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Tehran last week.
“After the assassination of Commander Sayyed Fouad Shukr, Hezbollah is obligated to respond, and the enemy is waiting, anticipating, and calculating that every shout at him is a response. This Israeli weeklong waiting in anticipation — for a Hezb response — is part of the punishment, part of the response,” Nasrallah said in a speech Tuesday.
Multiple IDF troops injured in Rafah, humanitarian road closed
Several Israeli troops were injured and a humanitarian road was shut down after anti-tank missiles were fired toward them during operations in Rafah.
Injured troops have been evacuated to a hospital for medical treatment.
The Kerem Shalom Crossing and the other entry routes for humanitarian aid are operating, according to the IDF.
Lebanon aims to prevent Hezbollah response to avoid wider war, says foreign minister
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said the country is working to ensure that Hezbollah’s response to Israel does not trigger a total war, saying, “It would not benefit any of the countries involved.”
“Only those who want to incite conflict would gain from such a situation. We, as officials, do not want any war. Therefore, if a response is necessary, it should not be collective or so severe that it escalates into a broader conflict,” Bou Habib said.
At least 8 Palestinians killed during Israeli military raids in occupied West Bank
At least eight Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during military raids in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian health authorities said.
Five were killed in the city of Jenin, two in the nearby village of Khafer Dan and one in the city of Bethlehem, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the West Bank.
Earlier, the Palestine Red Crescent Society said at least 15 people were injured during the raid in Jenin on Tuesday. A spokesperson for PRCS told ABC News that the organization’s medical teams were stopped by Israeli troops from reaching the wounded.
ABC News has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
-ABC News’ Nasser Atta and Camilla Alcini
Palestinians in West Bank being blocked from medical care: New report
Palestinians in the West Bank are being restricted access to medical care, including for physical injuries and mental trauma, according to a new report from Doctors Without Borders.
“Access to medical care for Palestinians in Hebron is rapidly deteriorating because of restrictions imposed by Israeli forces and violence perpetrated by Israeli soldiers and settlers,” Doctors Without Borders said.
Ministry of Health clinics across Hebron, in the West Bank, have been forced to close, pharmacies have run short of medications and ambulances transporting the sick and wounded have been obstructed and attacked. Faced with restrictions on their movements and the threat of violence, many sick people delay seeing a doctor or have no choice but to stop medical treatments altogether, according to data collected by Doctors Without Borders between June 2023 and April 2024.
“The movement restrictions, and harassment and violence by Israeli forces and settlers, is inflicting immense and unnecessary suffering on Palestinians in Hebron,” said Frederieke van Dongen, the group’s humanitarian affairs manager.
Israeli prisons are ‘network of torture’ for Palestinians: Human rights group
B’tselem, a major Israeli human rights group, published a report alleging that the Israeli prison system has become a “network of torture camps” for Palestinians arrested since Oct. 7.
The group reported abuse including “frequent acts of severe, arbitrary violence; sexual assault; humiliation; deliberate starvation and sleep deprivation.”
The number of Palestinians in Israeli jails and detention centers stands at 9,623, the rights group said, including, 4,781 held without charge. An estimated 60 Palestinians have died in Israeli custody.
The Israeli army and government have denied allegations of systematic abuse, and the prisons service said it is are not aware of the claims in the report.
But, Itamar Ben-Gvir, the far-right minister for national security who is in charge of the prisons service, has long championed the deteriorating conditions in prisons for Palestinian prisoners, who he said are “terrorists,” as a matter of policy.
“Since I assumed the position of Minister of National Security, one of the highest goals I have set for myself is to worsen the conditions of the terrorists in the prisons, and to reduce their rights to the minimum required by law,” he said in July. “Everything published about the abominable conditions of these vile murderers in prison was true.”
In response to claims of overcrowding, Ben-Gvir has advocated the death penalty as a response.
Israel, Hezbollah exchange fire, killing at least five in Lebanon and injuring two in Israel
Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets and drones toward northern Israel on Tuesday morning and afternoon, injuring at least two people, after an earlier Israeli airstrike killed at least five people in southern Lebanon, according to authorities on both sides.
The Lebanese militant group said in separate statements that Tuesday’s attacks against Israel — at least four so far — were carried out both in support of the Palestinian people in the war-torn Gaza Strip and in response to recent Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon.
One of those drones was intercepted by Israeli air defense and the falling shrapnel injured “several civilians” south of Nahariya, the northernmost coastal city of Israel, according to the IDF.
Israel’s Magen David Adam rescue service said its first responders were deployed to the scene and treated a 30-year-old man in serious condition and a 30-year-old woman in mild-to-moderate condition with shrapnel injuries to the lower limbs. Both patients were transported to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.
“We saw the male unconscious in the car with a severe head injury from shrapnel. A female who was fully conscious with shrapnel injuries to her lower limbs was in a parking lot nearby,” paramedic Roi Vishna and senior EMT Noam Levi said in a joint statement released by MDA.” We treated the male including ventilating him and providing medications, and evacuated him by MICU in very serious condition to hospital. The female casualty was evacuated in mild to moderate condition.”
Hezbollah launched the counterattacks after an Israeli airstrike on the town of Mifdoun in southern Lebanon killed at least five people on Tuesday morning, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. It was not immediately clear whether civilians were among the casualties.
Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily strikes for the past 10 months amid the ongoing war in Gaza. But regional tensions have soared following last week’s assassinations of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran’s capital and Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur in Lebanon’s capital.
Israel kills another Hezbollah commander
The Israel Defense Forces confirmed on Monday they had killed another Hezbollah commander in a strike on Lebanon. Ali Jamal Aldin Jawad, a commander in Hezbollah’s Radwan Force, was killed in the strike.
The death was also confirmed by Hezbollah.
“His elimination significantly degrades the capabilities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization to promote and carry out terror activities from southern Lebanon against northern Israel,” the IDF said.
Israel’s killing of a Hezbollah official in Beirut, Fuad Shukr, and a Hamas official in Iran, Ismail Haniyeh, has pushed the Middle East to the brink of further war.
Remains of about 80 deceased Palestinians returned after being taken by IDF
The deceased remains of an estimated 80 Palestinians — which Israeli forces took from Gazan cemeteries to identify whether hostages had been buried there — were returned by the Israel Defense Forces.
The bodies were decomposed beyond recognition, with Gazan officials saying between three and four bodies were in each bag. They will be reburied in a mass grave in Khan Younis.
A Gazan civil defense official on the ground said there is no data as to who these individuals were.
“I wished I could find him, to be at peace,” Suwa Abu Rajilah, a mother who traveled to the site to see if her son, killed in the war, was there. “To say I buried him, but I couldn’t find him.”
-ABC News’ Dia Ostaz
9 UN employees fired after investigation into ties to Oct. 7 attack
The U.N. has fired nine employees following a lengthy investigation into ties to the Oct. 7 attacks, the organization said.
The U.N.’s Office of Internal Oversight Services investigated 19 staff members with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East as part of the probe.
For nine of the staffers, evidence was found that they “may have been involved in the armed attacks,” the U.N. said.
“The employment of these individuals will be terminated in the interests of the Agency,” the organization said in a statement.
There was no evidence or insufficient evidence that the other investigated staffers had been involved, they added.
At least 7 Hezbollah attacks Monday
In another active day on the northern Israeli border, Hezbollah launched at least seven attacks on Monday.
The IDF said they “successfully intercepted” the projectiles, and no injuries were reported.
Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying in a statement they had launched them “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in support of their valiant and honorable resistance.”
The IDF also said Monday that they had “identified a terrorist cell operating a drone in the area of Meiss El Jabal in southern Lebanon.”
“Shortly following the identification, the IAF struck and eliminated the terrorists,” they said.
Israeli officer and soldier injured in aerial attack from Lebanon: IDF
An Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer and a soldier were injured after an aerial attack in northern Israel’s upper Galilee region near Ayelet HaShahar early Monday morning local time, the IDF said in a statement.
The aerial targets crossed from Lebanon, the IDF said.
“Israel Fire Services are currently operating to extinguish a fire that was ignited in the area as a result of the attack,” the IDF said.
Netanyahu says Israel will strike wherever necessary
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is prepared to stand against attacks from Iran and its proxies.
“Iran and its detractors seek to surround us with a choke ring of terrorism on seven fronts. Their open aggression is insatiable,” Netanyahu said during a state memorial service commemorating the death of Revisionist Zionist leader Ze’ev Jabotinsky in 1940.
Netanyahu added, “We are determined to stand against them on every front, in every arena, far and near. “
Netanyahu’s comments came just days after the assassination in Iran of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh. He was killed in an explosion on Wednesday at a guest house in Tehran that he was staying in while attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for “revenge” against Israel.
Haniyeh’s assassination followed the death of Mohammed Deif, commander of Hamas’ military wing, in a “precise, targeted strike” in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis on July 13. Deif was allegedly one of the masterminds of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
IDF officials also announced that they killed top Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr in a precision missile strike Tuesday in Beirut, Lebanon. Officials claim he had been orchestrating drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel, including one on July 27 in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights that killed 12 children and teenagers playing soccer.
“Anyone who murders our citizens, anyone who harms our country, will not be cleared of responsibility,” Netanyahu said Sunday. “He will pay a very heavy price. Our long hand strikes in the Gaza Strip, in Yemen, in Beirut, wherever necessary.”
Netanyahu said Israel’s goals are to “secure our future” and the ensure that hostages taken by Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack in Israel are returned home.
“We will continue to press the pedal,” Netanyahu said. “We did not let up from the pressure in all combat areas. We will take an offensive, creative, persistent initiative — until victory comes.”
LONDON — Ukrainian forces are continuing to advance deeper into Russia’s Kursk region, expanding their area of control on the third day of their major incursion, with the situation worsening for Russian forces, according to a key pro-Kremlin Russian military blogger.
Rybar, a blog closely linked to Russia’s defense ministry, reported Thursday that Ukrainian armored units have reached the village of Bolshoe Soldatskoe, roughly 18.5 miles inside Russia’s border.
Heavy fighting is now also reported only 9 miles from the town of Lgov, which straddles a crucial highway.
“Despite the attempts of the Russian joint forces group to stop the advance of Ukrainian mobile groups, the scale of the crisis is widening,” Rybar wrote on Telegram.
Rybar and other pro-Kremlin military bloggers are contradicting the claims of Russia’s defense ministry that the Ukrainian advance has been stopped.
Ukraine’s attack appeared to be a large-scale offensive operation, involving at least two Ukrainian brigades, rather than a less significant cross-border raid. As the scale of the attack was becoming clearer on Thursday, it appeared to be one of the most significant military developments in the war in months.
At least 66 people have been injured as a result of shelling in the Kursk region since Tuesday, the Russian Ministry of Health reported Thursday.
The railway stations in three settlements in the Kursk region — Sudzha, Korenevo and Psel — are closed amid the invasion, the press service of the Moscow Railway reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for “courage” in the region.
“This requires you, and the current situation requires a certain amount of courage and concentration on ways to solve these complex, difficult, extraordinary tasks that are now facing all branches and all levels of government,” Putin said at a meeting with the acting governor of the region, Alexei Smirnov, on Thursday.
Mykhailo Podolyak, a Ukrainian adviser to the head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office, commented Thursday for the first time on the operation, saying one goal was to alter the Russian perception of the war, a shift that could potentially affect any eventual negotiations.
“This increases the cost of the war for Russia quantitatively. More armored vehicles have been destroyed, the Russian Federation has lost territories, and there have been more casualties. Will this affect how they perceive this war? Undoubtedly,” Podolyak said in a live discussion on Ukrainian TV.
Zelenskyy praised the Ukrainian army on Thursday for its ability “to surprise” and achieve results, though made no direct reference to the situation in Kursk.
“Everyone can see that the Ukrainian army knows how to surprise. And knows how to achieve results,” Zelenskyy said at an event in Kyiv. “This is demonstrated by the battlefield, where our soldiers not only withstood the overwhelming force of the occupiers, but also are destroying it in the way necessary to protect Ukraine — our state and independence.”
The Ukrainian incursion began on Tuesday when a Ukrainian force numbering in at least the hundreds crossed over the border near the village of Sudzha, with tanks and heavy weapons, according to official and unofficial Russian public sources. Catching Russia off-guard, Ukrainian soldiers quickly seized a handful of villages, advancing up to 6 to 9 miles, according to the pro-Kremlin Russian military bloggers.
Since then, Ukraine has moved in significant reinforcements and its forces were continuing to try to press forward but were being held on Thursday at the village of Korenovo, according to multiple pro-Kremlin bloggers, who are close to Russia’s military. Heavy fighting was also focused on Sudzha, which Ukrainian troops were reported to have largely surrounded.
Russia’s defense ministry on Thursday claimed to have halted the Ukrainian advance and to have inflicted hundreds of casualties on Ukrainian troops. But reports from the Russian military bloggers suggested a far more chaotic situation, with unconfirmed reports that Ukrainian forces had continued to reach deeper in some places into the Kursk region.
One of the best-known pro-Kremlin military bloggers, Two Majors, reported that six or seven Ukrainian tanks were fighting in the village of Ivnitsa, roughly 18.5 miles from the border.
He also reported gunfire, likely from Ukrainian reconnaissance special forces units, in the village of Anastasevka, more than 18.5 miles from the border and about 28 miles from the Kursk nuclear power station.
Multiple military bloggers also reported gunfire, likely from Ukrainian reconnaissance special forces units, in the village of Anastasevka.
They also reported Ukraine engineering equipment to try and dig in and hold ground.
Ukrainian officials have been almost entirely silent on the operation, with speculation swirling around its possible goals. Ukraine may be seeking to pull Russian forces from elsewhere in Ukraine, as Ukrainian troops are under intense pressure in the Donbas region near the key city of Pokrovsk, although most analysts believe Russia likely has sufficient forces to continue its operations there unchanged.
Russian analysts have also suggested that Ukraine could be seeking to seize the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, which is located roughly 50 miles from the border, but most analysts were deeply skeptical that the Ukrainian force is large enough to reach it.
Podolyak’s comments on Thursday appeared to perhaps support another theory that Ukraine could be seeking to capture Russian territory with the goal of trading it for Ukrainian-occupied land in potential future peace negotiations. Podolyak said he expects the Kursk attack to impact Russian society, bringing clear signals of the ineffectiveness of Putin’s strategy closer to home, at the same time as potentially strengthening Ukraine’s position in negotiations.
“Do they respond to anything other than fear?” he told Ukrainian television. “No, we need to finally realize this. Any compromise is perceived by Russia as your weakness and readiness to kneel before them. When can they sit at the negotiating table, and can something be achieved? Only if they understand that the war is not going according to their plan.”
Some Ukrainian and independent military analysts have expressed doubts about the wisdom of such a risky operation when Ukraine is suffering from severe manpower shortages in Donbas, where Russia in recent weeks has been making rapid advances towards Pokrovsk, prompting fears Ukrainian lines near there are in danger of cracking. Russian forces overnight reportedly again made advances in that area, capturing another small village, according to Ukrainian military analysts.
ABC News’ Natalia Popova contributed to this report.
