(Delphi, IND.) — Delphi, Indiana, murder suspect Richard Allen allegedly confessed to the crime in multiple jail phone calls to his wife, which were played for the jury on Thursday.
In one call, Allen told his wife, Kathy, “I did it. I killed Abby and Libby.”
“No, you didn’t,” she said. Allen replied, “Yes, I did.”
“Why would you say that?” Kathy said. “I know you didn’t. There’s something wrong.”
In another call, Allen told his wife, “I think maybe I’ve lost my mind. … I need you to know I did this.”
She replied, “No, you haven’t. You’re unwell.”
Allen is accused of killing Libby German, 14, and Abby Williams 13, on a hiking trail in February 2017. He’s pleaded not guilty to murder.
In a separate call, Allen said to his wife, “If I get the electric chair or the death penalty, will you be there for me? I killed Abby and Libby.”
In another call, Allen said, “I did it, Kathy. I did it. Do you still love me?”
She replied, “Yes, I do. But you didn’t do it.”
“I don’t want to upset you. I’m sorry,” Allen told his wife. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know if I’ve lost my mind.”
“I feel like I’m already in hell,” he told her later in the call. “I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Allen also allegedly confessed to corrections officers and a prison psychologist, according to their testimonies. But Allen’s mental state while in custody has come into question.
A psychologist testified this week that Allen could be classified as having serious mental illness. Allen was in solitary confinement for 13 months, which she said can be detrimental to a person’s mental health.
The psychologist said she believed Allen suffered from “situational psychosis” in jail. She said Allen would have episodes of psychosis and then it would go into remission.
Allen’s strange behavior in custody included hitting his head on the wall, washing his face in the toilet, refusing food, eating paper, smearing feces in his cell and putting feces on his face for two hours, according to testimony from corrections officers.
On the day of the murders, Libby and Abby saw a man behind them on the bridge, and Libby started recording on her phone, prosecutors said. The man — known as “bridge guy,” from the video of his voice released to the public — pulled out a gun and ordered the girls to go “down the hill,” prosecutors said.
Indiana State Police trooper Brian Harshman, who said he listened to 700 of Allen’s calls and monitored his texts and video chats, testified Thursday that after listening to the calls, he believes Allen is the voice on Libby’s “bridge guy” video.
The psychologist testified that Allen told her he ordered the girls “down the hill” and intended to rape them, but then he saw something — either a person or a van — and was startled.
Harshman told the jurors he believed Allen was startled by a van belonging to resident Brad Weber. Weber, who lives near the crime scene, owns a 2000 Ford Econoline van. Harshman said the time it would’ve taken Weber to drive home from work fits with the timing of the murders.
Defense attorney Brad Rozzi said police never investigated how many vans were registered in the county at the time of the murders. Rozzi also noted that numerous people were suspected of being the man in the “bridge guy” video, including Weber.
(WASHINGTON) — A “zombie star” could possibly rise from the dead on Halloween night, according to space experts.
T Coronae Borealis, also known as the “Blaze Star,” is expected to explode violently in the near future, illuminating a long-dead binary star system for the first time in 80 years, according to NASA.
The Blaze Star has become a white dwarf, which happens when stars have exhausted their nuclear fuels.
“It’s basically a dead star,” NASA astrophysicist Padi Boyd told ABC News. “It’s not burning anything.”
The dead star has a comparable mass to Earth’s sun, according to NASA. By contrast, Earth’s sun is constantly burning elements such as hydrogen and helium, Boyd said.
The Blaze Star is part of a binary system; it has a companion star — a red giant star — that it “gobbles” material from, Boyd said. Material such as hydrogen is transferred by a strong gravitational pull, according to NASA.
“Like a vampire,” the white dwarf sucks material from its companion star, Boyd said. The material sits on the surface of the white dwarf until there is enough material to ignite a thermonuclear runaway explosion — a buildup of pressure and heat. This allows the “dead” star to become “very, very bright,” she added.
Every eight decades, when the Blaze Star system bursts into a bright light, it becomes visible to the naked eye, Boyd said.
“It’ll become as bright as some of the stars we see on the constellations at night,” she said.
The first recorded sighting of the Blaze Star was in the autumn of 1217, when a German priest and chronicler named Burchard of Ursperg observed “a faint star that for a time shone with great light,” according to NASA.
It was last seen from Earth in 1946, according to the space research agency.
It is difficult to predict when a nova — a process in which a star shows a sudden large increase in brightness — will occur, Boyd said.
“This explosion, it could happen tonight; it could happen a year from now or six months or a couple of weeks,” Boyd said. “We know it’s coming soon.”
The Northern Crown is a horseshoe-shaped curve of stars west of the Hercules constellation, according to NASA. In the Northern Hemisphere, it can be identified by finding the two brightest stars — Arcturus and Vega — and tracking a straight line from one to the other, leading stargazers to Hercules and the Corona Borealis.
The outburst is expected to be brief. The nova, when a star shows a sudden large increase in brightness, will only be visible to the naked eye for less than a week, according to NASA.
To astronomy enthusiasts, it will appear as if a new star appeared in the sky, Boyd said.
“It’ll look like the jewel in the crown of the corona,” she said.
Scientists are hoping to study the nova to discover what happens when the material is blasted from the white dwarf and distributed into neighboring galaxies, Boyd said.
The material includes elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and neon. Other stars will gather this material as they are forming their own solar systems, Boyd added.
“This is where that material in our own solar system — in our planet, in the oceans, in our bones, in our blood — those materials come from stellar explosions,” Boyd said.
The excitement surrounding the event is expected to “fuel the next generation of scientists,” Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist specializing in nova events at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement earlier this year.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime event that will create a lot of new astronomers out there, giving young people a cosmic event they can observe for themselves, ask their own questions, and collect their own data,” Hounsell said.
(LOS ANGELES) — Lyle and Erik Menendez may become free men after spending decades behind bars for killing their parents.
Here’s a look at life in prison for the notorious brothers and three paths to potential freedom:
The case
Lyle Menendez, then 21, and Erik Menendez, then 18, admitted to buying shotguns and firing 16 rounds at Jose and Kitty Menendez inside the family’s Beverly Hills home in 1989.
Prosecutors alleged they killed their wealthy parents for money, but the defense argued they acted in self-defense after enduring years of sexual abuse by their father.
The first trial, which had separate juries for each brother, ended in mistrials. In 1996, after the second trial — during which the judge barred much of the sex abuse evidence — Lyle and Erik Menendez were convicted and both sentenced to two consecutive terms of life without parole.
Life in prison
Nery Ynclan, an ABC News freelance producer and an executive producer of “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” has visited Lyle Menendez multiple times at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego.
She stressed that Lyle and Erik Menendez have spent their decades in prison rehabilitating themselves, as well as helping other inmates.
“[Lyle] and his brother spent their whole adult lives trying to counsel other victims of sexual abuse and start programs at the prison,” she said. “Even though they had no chance of parole, they really felt that the prison system could be improved.”
Erik Menendez has provided hospice care to inmates, their attorney said, while for the last 20 years, Lyle Menendez’s fellow inmates have elected him as their representative with the prison administration, Ynclan said.
“He’s like a soft-spoken CEO who is very busy with multiple projects,” Ynclan said of Lyle.
“He wants to talk about prison reform,” Ynclan said. “He would talk to me about the college courses he was taking. … I was really impressed that someone in their early 50s, in prison without any chance of parole … would want to take calculus and statistics to continue bettering themselves.”
With freedom now a possibility, Ynclan described this as an “emotional and tense time” for Lyle Menendez.
“For the first time in decades, he actually feels like there’s a glimmer of hope that the two of them might get home to their families one day,” Ynclan said.
Path 1: Habeas corpus petition
One track to freedom is the brothers’ habeas corpus petition, which was filed last year for a review of new evidence not presented at trial.
One piece of evidence is allegations from Roy Rosselló, a former member of the boy band Menudo, who revealed in the 2023 docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed” that he was raped by music executive Jose Menendez.
The second piece of evidence is a letter Erik Menendez wrote to his cousin eight months before the murders detailing his alleged abuse. The cousin testified about the alleged abuse at trial, but the letter — which would have corroborated the cousin’s testimony — wasn’t unearthed until several years ago, according to the brothers’ attorney, Mark Geragos.
Through this petition, the court could change their convictions. The next hearing is set for Nov. 25.
Path 2: Resentencing recommendation goes before judge, parole board
A second path is through resentencing.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced in an Oct. 25 court filing that he was recommending the brothers’ sentence of life without the possibility of parole be removed, and they should instead be sentenced for murder, which would be a sentence of 50 years to life.
Because both brothers were under 26 at the time of the crimes, with the new sentence, they would be eligible for parole immediately, Gascón said.
The DA’s office said its resentencing recommendations take into account factors including the defendants’ ages, psychological trauma or physical abuse that contributed to carrying out the crime and their rehabilitation in prison.
“We appreciate what they did while they were in prison,” Gascón said at a news conference. “While I disapprove of the way they handled their abuse, we hope that they not only have learned — which appears that they have — but that if they get reintegrated into our community, that they continue to do public good.”
Gascón’s recommendation next goes in front of a Los Angeles Superior Court judge who will weigh factors including the crime, the brothers’ records while incarcerated and the positive impact they’ve had in prison, ABC News legal contributor Brian Buckmire said.
The judge will also review facts that were not available at the time of the brothers’ 1996 conviction, Buckmire said.
The judge might also consider “the science of young boys and young men being sexually assaulted,” Buckmire said. “How they respond, how they react to that abuse, and how that might not have been information that was readily available at the time of sentencing that could’ve changed the sentence.”
A hearing is set for December. If the judge agrees to resentencing, the case next goes to the parole board.
Even though the judge would have already evaluated the facts and factors, “the parole board is going to do their own investigation,” Buckmire said.
The brothers and their relatives will also get the opportunity to address the parole board, Buckmire said. In this case, the relatives are not just the family of the perpetrators, but also the family of the victims, “so they have their own rights based on both capacities,” Buckmire said.
One relative, their uncle, Milton Andersen, wants the brothers to stay behind bars, stating that he doesn’t believe they were abused and instead killed their parents out of greed.
“They are survivors and deserve a chance to rebuild their lives,” their cousin, Brian Andersen Jr., told reporters in October. “They’re no longer a threat to society.”
“If they were to come to my house, knock on my door, I would answer that door, I would welcome them in with huge hugs, my wife would make them a dinner and I’d give them a pillow and a place to sleep,” Andersen said.
A hearing before the parole board would likely take at least six months to schedule, according to the California Department of Corrections.
If the parole board recommends release, the final decision then goes to California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Buckmire said.
If released on parole, the brothers would be subjected to monitoring and check-ins, Buckmire said. Parole often comes with conditions like maintaining a job and avoiding drugs, he said.
The district attorney announced days later that he supports the brothers’ bid for clemency, which would commute their sentence or grant a pardon.
Newsom is first eligible to weigh in on the clemency application on Nov. 7. The governor’s office said this is a confidential process, Newsom is not required to review the application and there is no timeline for the review.
If the governor approves clemency, the case would still likely go before the parole board.
The governor’s office intends to treat this application “like any other case,” an official at the office said. “Nobody is getting special treatment.”
ABC News’ Matt Gutman and Ashley Riegle contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — With five days until Election Day, Kamala Harris is attacking Donald Trump for saying Wednesday night in Wisconsin that, against his advisers’ advice, he is going to keep saying he will “protect the women” “whether the women like it or not.”
Both candidates continue their whirlwind campaigns in the West.
Harris using Trump’s words to shore up Arab-American support in Michigan
Harris and her allies in battleground Michigan are launching a new turnout campaign to assertively shore up support among Arab Americans, sending out mailers using Trump’s own words about reimplementing a Muslim ban.
“Just last month, Donald Trump said he would ban Muslims from traveling here, and also ban refugees from Gaza,” one of the mailers obtained by ABC News reads. Further down, the mailer says the former president “is no friend to Arab Americans,” with one of their examples being his comment that he would let Israel “finish the job” in Gaza.
Another is a full-page black-and-white photo of Trump with “FINISH THE JOB” written above him. “That’s what Trump said he would let Israel do in Gaza.” The mailers, which come on the heels of a six-figure digital ad push, also points to the Arab American group Emgage Action’s endorsement of Harris. (A number of other Arab leaders have backed Harris.)
Michigan, a state that was narrowly won in 2016 and 2020, is a target of both Harris and Trump’s campaigns and has the largest Arab-American population among the states that will help decide the election. And Trump is making a play for them, too. Over the weekend, in Novi, Michigan, Trump invited Muslim leaders to the stage who are backing him, including Hamtramck, Michigan, Mayor Amer Ghalib.
Pro-Palestinian protestors who take issue with the U.S. response have demonstrated at Harris’ rallies, including on Tuesday night as she delivered her “closing argument” speech outside the White House and Wednesday at a rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
“Look, I’ll repeat: We are fighting for our democracy. We love our democracy. It can be complicated at times, but it is the best system in the world,” Harris said after several interruptions from demonstrators.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Harris, Trump swipe at each other over the Affordable Care Act
Harris, at a news conference on Thursday, swiped at House Speaker Mike Johnson’s comments about making “massive reform” to gut the Affordable Care Act.
“I’ve been saying throughout this campaign, be very clear that among the stakes in this election are whether we continue with the Affordable Care Act or not,” she said. “It has been a part of Donald Trump’s agenda for a very long time. He has made dozens of attempts to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, and now we have further validation of that agenda from his supporter, the speaker of the House.”
“What that would mean for the American people is that pharma — that insurance companies could go back to a time when they would deny you coverage for health insurance based on pre-existing conditions, pre-existing conditions such as being a survivor of breast cancer, asthma, diabetes,” she added.
The Trump campaign is trying to distance itself from Johnson’s comments, telling The New York Times they are “not President Trump’s policy position.”
Trump is also seeking to separate himself from the remarks, despite saying numerous times this campaign that he would replace the ACA without offering a clear alternative.
Trump called Harris a “liar” and said her comments were a “desperate” attempt.
More than 59 million Americans have voted early
As of 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, more than 59 million Americans have voted early, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
Of the total number of early votes, 31,018,125 were cast in person and 27,952,363 were returned by mail.
Harris pushes inclusivity in final days of campaign
Harris, while speaking to reports before departing Wisconsin, said she found Trump’s comments about women “offensive to everybody” and that, in contrast, her campaign is about unifying people.
“You’ve been following me and you will see that in the tens of thousands of people who attend our rallies … there are men, women, young people, people of every race, every background,” she said.
Harris said her campaign is “about bringing people together, people of very different and diverse backgrounds, around a common theme that is about love of country, defending the Constitution of the United States, investing in our future and rejecting the notion that we are divided.”
Harris rips Trump over his comments about women
Harris, speaking with reporters before departing Wisconsin, continued to slam Trump for his comments that he will protect women “whether they like it or not.”
“It actually is, I think, very offensive to women in terms of not understanding their agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies,” Harris said.
“He does not prioritize the freedom of women and the intelligence of women to make decisions about their own lives and bodies and health care for all Americans is on the line in this election,” she added.
Elon Musk not in attendance at hearing on his controversial giveaway
Musk is a no show in court in Pennsylvania for a hearing over the legality of his $1 million a day giveaway.
The hearing has been derailed after Musk late Wednesday sought to remove the civil case to federal court. While discussions in court are ongoing, all parties essentially agree the hearing can’t go forward until federal court decides on the issue.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Philadelphia hearing today on Elon Musk’s $1 million voter giveaway
Elon Musk in a filing late Wednesday sought to have the civil lawsuit against his $1 million giveaway moved into federal court, arguing the claims “turn principally on the allegation that Defendants are somehow unlawfully interfering with a federal election.”
Though District Attorney Larry Krasner has accused Musk and his political action committee of running an illegal lottery and violating state consumer protection laws, Musk’s court filing notes the repeated references to the upcoming presidential election in the lawsuit.
The filing comes before a 10 a.m. ET hearing scheduled in Philadelphia on the issue.
Where the candidates are campaigning 5 days out from Election Day
Vice President Harris will hold events at 4:20 p.m. ET in Phoenix, Arizona, and at 8:25 p.m. ET in Reno, Nevada.
Her final event of the day in Las Vegas will include remarks by Jennifer Lopez and a performance by Maná.
Trump is holding a 2:00 p.m. ET rally in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a 6:30 p.m. ET rally in Henderson, Nevada, before joining Tucker Carlson for a hurricane relief benefit in Arizona.
Elon Musk not in attendance at hearing on his controversial giveaway
Musk is a no show in court in Pennsylvania for a hearing over the legality of his $1 million a day giveaway.
The hearing has been derailed after Musk late Wednesday sought to remove the case to federal court. While discussions in court are ongoing, all parties essentially agree the hearing can’t go forward until federal court decides on the issue.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Philadelphia hearing today on Elon Musk’s $1 million voter giveaway
Elon Musk in a filing late Wednesday sought to have the lawsuit against his $1 million giveaway moved into federal court, arguing the claims “turn principally on the allegation that Defendants are somehow unlawfully interfering with a federal election.”
Though District Attorney Larry Krasner has accused Musk and his political action committee of running an illegal lottery and violating state consumer protection laws, Musk’s court filing notes the repeated references to the upcoming presidential election in the lawsuit.
The filing comes before a 10 a.m. ET hearing scheduled in Philadelphia on the issue.
Harris seizes on Trump’s comment about protecting women ‘whether the women like it not’
Harris seized an opportunity to criticize Trump on abortion after for his comments at his rally Wednesday night in which he said he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.”
“Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body,” Harris posted on X. “Whether you like it or not.”
Harris’ campaign clipped Trump’s comments and edited it into a loop with a split screen of headlines about Trump saying “he could prosecute women for abortions,” “might monitor pregnancies,” and other abortion-related headlines.
Musk asks for $1 million lottery case to be moved to federal court
In a filing late Wednesday evening, Elon Musk sought to have the lawsuit against his $1 million giveaway moved into federal court, arguing the claims “turn principally on the allegation that defendants are somehow unlawfully interfering with a federal election.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has accused Musk and his America PAC of running an illegal lottery and violating state consumer protection laws.
The filing specifically states “this is not a case” about whether or not Musk violated state or federal laws that prohibit vote buying.
But Musk’s Wednesday filing notes the lawsuit’s repeated references to the upcoming presidential election. That includes Krasner’s claim that Musk and his PAC “hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election.”
“The complaint, in truth, has little to do with state-law claims of nuisance and consumer protection,” Musk’s attorney wrote in his filing.
“Rather, although disguised as state law claims, the complaint’s focus is to prevent defendants’ purported ‘interference’ with the forthcoming federal presidential election by any means.”
The filing argues any order in the case would “require judicial intervention into the progress of an ongoing federal election” — a move they say is not allowed.
The filing comes before a Thursday morning hearing in Philadelphia on the issue.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Harris responds to Trump’s comments on protecting women
Vice President Kamala Harris seized an opportunity to criticize former President Donald Trump on abortion after the Republican presidential nominee told a rally Wednesday night that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.”
“Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body,” Harris wrote on X. “Whether you like it or not.”
Harris’s campaign clipped Trump’s comments and edited it into a loop with a split screen of headlines about Trump saying “he could prosecute women for abortions,” “might monitor pregnancies” and other abortion-related headlines.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Harris slams Trump after reports he promised RFK Jr. public health role
Vice President Kamala Harris commented late Wednesday night on the promises former President Donald Trump has allegedly made to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Putting an anti-abortion conspiracy theorist in charge of our public health agencies says everything you need to know about how Donald Trump would govern,” Harris wrote on X.
“He is more unhinged than ever, and if he wins, he’ll have no one to hold him back.”
Trump said Sunday of RFK Jr.: “I’m going to let him go wild on health, I’m going to let him go wild on the food, I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.”
In response, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “No formal decisions about cabinet and personnel have been made, however, President Trump has said he will work alongside passionate voices like RFK Jr. to make America healthy again.”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh, Soo Rin Kim and Lalee Ibssa
Harris woos 1st-time voters during Wisconsin concert series
Vice President Kamala Harris held another get-out-the-vote rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Wednesday, joined by musical stars including Mumford and Sons, The National’s Matt Berninger, Gracie Abrams and Remi Wolf.
Harris applauded the audience — many of whom were young first-time voters — for using their “power.”
“You grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe,” Harris said. “You will now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers,” the vice president added.
“What I know about you is these issues are not theoretical,” Harris continued. “This is not political for you. This is your lived experience. And I see you and I see your power. I see your power, and I am so proud of you.”
Harris largely stuck to her usual stump speech, contrasting herself to former President Donald Trump by pledging that as president she won’t be looking to “score political points,” but to “make progress.”
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
‘Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them,’ Trump says during rally
Following his press conference in a garbage truck, former President Donald Trump held a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin – still opting to sport his new orange safety vest.
He stuck to his stump speech heavily focused on immigration and the economy, he also made an appeal to women repeating he will be their “protector.”
Trump suggested that his campaign advised him to not say he’ll protect women, but he disagreed.
“We think it’s very inappropriate for you to say,” Trump said his campaign told him.
“I said, ‘Why, I’m president. I want to protect the women of our country.’ They said, ‘Sir, I just think it’s inappropriate for you to say,'” Trump explained.
“Well, I’m going to do it. Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them,” Trump told the crowd. “I’m going to protect them from migrants coming in. I’m going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit it, hit us with missiles and lots of other things.”
“I’m going to defend and I’m going to protect women. I’m not going to let people go up to the suburbs or go into places where they live, whether it’s suburbs or cities or farms. We’re going to protect our women, at the border, we’re going to protect our women, and also we’re going to protect our men and our children. We’re going to protect everybody.”
Trump then asked the crowd: “Is there any woman in this giant stadium who would like not to be protected? Is there any woman in this stadium that wants to be protected by the president?”
The moment was met with a large applause.
‘We all want the war in Gaza to end,’ Harris responds to ‘cease-fire now’ chants
A few chants of “cease-fire now” broke out as Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage during a rally at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Wednesday night.
“Listen, we all want the war in Gaza to end and get the hostages out as soon as possible,” Harris said in response to the chanting. “And I will do everything in my power to make it heard and known.”
As the chants continued, she said, “And everyone has a right to be heard. But right now I am speaking.” The remark garnered loud cheers.
The event was billed as a “Get Out the Vote” rally and took place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison featuring performances by Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.
With less than a week before Election Day, Harris is taking her “closing argument” to voters on the road after a big speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night. (Pro-Palestinian protesters were also escorted out of that speech)
Harris’ remarks in Wisconsin lasted about 25 minutes. In them, she did not address President Joe Biden’s controversial comments Tuesday that seemed to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage.”
Trump’s final campaign stop ahead of Election Day scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids: Sources
Former President Donald Trump’s final campaign stop of the 2024 election is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday, Nov. 4, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Grand Rapids was where Trump concluded his 2020 campaign and 2016 campaign as well.
In addition to Grand Rapids, he’s expected to make multiple campaign stops in battleground states on the eve of the Election Day, including in Pennsylvania.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh and Lalee Ibssa
Trump rides to WI campaign stop in garbage truck
Days after a comedian labeled Puerto Rico a “pile of garbage” at Donald Trump’s MSG rally, the former president rode to a Green Bay, Wisconsin, rally in a Trump-marked garbage truck Wednesday.
Trump continued to bash President Joe Biden’s response to the controversial moment from the MSG rally in which he said that Trump’s supporters were garbage.
Biden clarified his comments and Vice President Kalama Harris told reporters, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
Trump, however, told reporters while riding in the garbage truck that “250 million people are not garbage.”
“I can tell you who the real garbage is but I will not say that,” he continued.
Trump falsely claimed there was corruption in Pennsylvania.
Later pressed if he would accept election results if there’s no evidence of fraud, Trump reiterated claims about Pennsylvania, and then said, “If they find no evidence of cheating anywhere, I’ll accept it.”
Pressed on a potential role Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could play in his administration, Trump vaguely said he would work with him but while not confirming that he’d be given the top Health and Human Services job.
“We’ll work with him, and he’s a very talented guy. He wants women’s health. He wants health for people, and we’re going to work with him. He’s a very, very talented guy,” Trump said.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soo Rin Kim
Philly hearing on Musk lawsuit moved up to Thursday
The judge overseeing the lawsuit against Elon Musk and his $1 million dollar giveaway to registered voters who sign a petition supporting the First and Second amendments has moved up a hearing in the case to Thursday at 10 a.m., bumping it up from Friday, according to a new order.
The order from Judge Angelo Foglietta states that “all parties must be present.”
Earlier Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked the court to “enhance its security” for the hearing.
Krasner said Musk’s post about the case on X has “triggered an avalanche of posts.” including “antisemitic attacks” against the prosecutor.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Thank you cookies to NC election workers prompts hazmat response
A thank you present of pineapple-shaped cookies delivered to the Wake County Board of Elections in North Carolina prompted a hazmat response on Tuesday after election workers raised concerns about a suspicious package mailed from Hawaii.
“We are just on high alert with these things automatically,” said Wake County elections specialist Danner McCulloh, who cited recent incidents of suspicious packages containing powder sent to election offices across the country.
The Raleigh Police and Fire Departments quickly responded to the incident and bomb technicians x-rayed the package, according to Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department.
After the package was deemed to not be a threat, emergency responders opened the package to learn it was full of cookies shipped from the Honolulu Cookie Company. The operations at Wake County Board of Elections were not impacted during the incident, a county spokesperson said.
According to McCulloh, a person who heard a radio story about Wake County decided to send the cookies unannounced to thank election workers.
“It was a kind gesture,” McCulloh said, though he recommended against others sending cookies to his office.
-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous
Harris brings her closing argument to Pennsylvania: ‘Turn the page’
Harris brought her “closing argument” to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, highlighting what she said is a clear contrast between her and Trump, and encouraging voters to cast their ballots in the election’s final days.
“We know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. That is who he is. But Pennsylvania, that is not who we are,” Harris said, swapping out “America” for “Pennsylvania” from her speech at the Ellipse the night before.
Harris was interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian protesters.
“We are six days out of an election. We are six days away from an election. And ours is about a fight for democracy. And your right to be heard. That is what is on the line in this election. That is what is on the line in this election,” Harris said as she was being jeered by a protestor holding up a large Palestinian flag.
“Look, everybody has a right to be heard. But right now, I am speaking. And one of the biggest issues that folks around the country want to talk about and hear is about how we are going to bring down the price of living for working people,” she said.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Voters, Dems ask Supreme Court to reject RNC appeal of Pennsylvania ballot case
Two Pennsylvania voters and the state’s Democratic Party asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject a Republican request to block counting of provisional in-person ballots cast by people whose mail-in ballots were not put into a required security envelope.
The Democrats argued the Pennsylvania Supreme Court delivered a “straightforward” decision that state law permits voters whose mail ballots were not counted to “exercise their statutory right to vote provisionally rather than be disenfranchised altogether.”
The party contends that the RNC has no standing to bring a challenge in the case because it involves two ballots from the 2024 Democratic primary in which the Republican Party could not have been “injured.”
They also argued that the so-called Purcell principle — of nonintervention by courts close to a voting period — does not apply to state courts.
The Democrats also said the Republicans’ request for segregation and non-counting of provisional ballots would be a “sweeping” intervention and imposition on county boards of election which are not even parties to the case.
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer‘It’s invaded our home,’ PA nuns swept up in misinformation campaign
‘It’s invaded our home,’ PA nuns swept up in misinformation campaign
A nun in Pennsylvania who was swept up in a misinformation campaign boosted by a Republican activist said she’s praying to be left alone.
Cliff Maloney, who runs a door-knocking organization, claimed in an X post one of his staffers visited an address in Erie, Pennsylvania, last week and was told none of the 53 registered voters who used that address actually lived there.
However, the address is home to 55 resident nuns of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie. All but two of the nuns are registered to vote.
“It’s invaded our home, if you want to describe it that way,” Sister Stephanie Schmidt, the prioress, told ABC News.
Maloney also posted the names and political affiliations of each nun on his X account, something Schmidt said made her empathize with countless other Americans caught up in misinformation on social media.
“It was very concerning, because this was a blatant lie, putting out to the public information that was just wrong,” she said.
“This campaign is filled with so much deceit, so much misinformation, and we have to wake people up, which is another reason why we’re going public with this, to alert people to not believe everything you read,” Schmidt added.
Maloney has not responded to repeated requests to answer questions from ABC News.
He later posted an update claiming his team was “analyzing” the new information about the nuns’ residence and said, “Once we have proof, we will be content.”
Schmidt says one of the things she’s praying for most is for this misinformation to leave them alone.
-ABC News’ Jay O’Brien
Trump slams Biden over ‘garbage’ comments, calls opponents ‘lowlifes’
Trump again responded to President Joe Biden’s Tuesday comments in which he appeared to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage.”
During his rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Wednesday, the former president claimed, “Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them ‘garbage.’ And they mean it.”
“Frankly, they’ve treated you like garbage,” Trump added.
Although Biden later clarified his comments, in which he was responding to the derogatory comments about Puerto Rico made during Trump’s New York rally on Sunday, Trump labeled his opponents as “lowlifes” and claimed the current administration has “virtually destroyed” America.
“Kamala Harris, a low-IQ individual, is running a campaign of hate, anger and retribution. See, I’m very nice to them. They’re not nice,” he said.
Trump responded to a supporter who shouted, “She’s an idiot!” referring to Harris, sarcastically saying, “I didn’t say it. I didn’t say it. In fact, I’d like to admonish you, sir. You should not say that, please.”
Although Trump disavowed the supporter, his body language told a different story as he stood on stage laughing.
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soorin Kim
Michigan authorities charge ‘non-US citizen’ with illegal voting
Authorities in Michigan charged an unidentified non-U.S. citizen with allegedly illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot.
More specific details about the case, which took place in Ann Arbor on Sunday, were not immediately available.
The case was referred to law enforcement by a clerk, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.
“We are grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement. We are also grateful to law enforcement for swiftly and thoroughly investigating this case,” they said in a joint statement.
“Noncitizen voting is an extremely isolated and rare event. Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot,” they added.
-ABC News’ Mike Levine
Nicky Jam walks back Trump endorsement following MSG rally
Last month, Reggaeton music artist Nicky Jam, who is half Puerto Rican, stood on stage with a MAGA hat and endorsed Trump in Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, he announced he was rescinding that endorsement, citing the offensive comments about Puerto Rico made at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
In an Instagram video to his 43 million fans, Nicky Jam told his fans in Spanish he couldn’t overlook the inflammatory language in recent days.
“The reason why I supported Donald Trump was because I thought it was the best thing for the economy in the United States, where many Latinos live … I thought it was the best move. Never in my life did I think that a month later a comedian was going to come to criticize my country and talk bad about my country and therefore, I renounce any support to Donald Trump and I throw my sides to any political situation,” he said.
During the Vegas rally, Trump thought Nicky Jam was a woman and said, “She’s hot,” before bringing him on stage.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Judge grants Trump campaign request to extend early voting deadline for PA county
A Pennsylvania judge swiftly granted a request from the Trump campaign to extend the in-person mail-in-ballot deadline in Bucks County by three days — extending it to the end of the day on Friday.
The campaign had asked for one-day extension.
In his one-page order, Judge Jeffrey Trauger wrote that the county violated the Pennsylvania Election Code after “turning away voters who sought to apply for a mail-in ballot and receive one in person before the deadline.”
He ordered the county to allow anyone who wishes to “apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot” to be able to do so before the close of business on Friday.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Philly DA asks for more security for Elon Musk hearing
DA Larry Krasner said in a new court filing Musk’s post about the case on X has “triggered an avalanche of posts.” including “antisemitic attacks” against the prosecutor.
One account was “inviting political violence” and posted Krasner’s home address, according to the filing.
“These posts, which unquestionable are criminal…. and remain posted on Musk’s X website today,” the filing states.
Another post read “Krasner loves visitors. Mask up and leave all cellphones at home,” according to the filing.
“The directives to ‘mask up’ and to ‘leave all cellphones at home’ are to prevent identification of illegal actors by video, by eyewitnesses, and by cellphone geolocation,” the filing states.
Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment.
The hearing in the case is set for Friday at 10am.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Harris stresses unity in Raleigh speech
Vice President Kamala Harris held her first of three Wednesday rallies in Raleigh, hammering a message of unity.
Harris encouraged North Carolinians to take advantage of early voting, which ends Saturday in the state.
“We have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do,” she said.
“It is time for a new chapter where we stop … pointing fingers at each other and instead let us lock arms with one another, knowing we have so much more in common than what separates us,” she said.
When a protestor began shouting, Harris spoke about bringing people with opposing views into her tent.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table, and I pledge to be a president for all Americans and to always put Americans before myself,” she said.
Harris also gave a shoutout to Gen-Z supporters.
“I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time,” she said.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Cheyenne Haslett, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Trump campaign sues Pennsylvania county
The Trump campaign sued Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Board of Elections and others Tuesday night over claims the county “turned away voters,” according to a filing in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.
The campaign filed a writ of summons, which contained no allegations or specific claims.
A spokesperson for Bucks County told ABC News in a statement Tuesday evening that the county “has been made aware that litigation may be filed tomorrow. We have no comment at this time.”
Lawyers for the county entered an appearance on Wednesday, according to the docket.
The county was previously accused of “suppressive and intimidating” tactics, including claiming voters were turned away and lines were closed early.
However, the county pushed back on any suggestion that what occurred in Bucks County amounts to intentional voter suppression.
“Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot,” the county said in a statement.
The county did acknowledge that there was indeed some “miscommunication” from officials on site.
Those in line applying for on-demand ballots were “briefly told they could not be accommodated,” the county said, but added that those individuals were ultimately allowed to submit their applications, according to officials.
In a post on X, the secretary of state’s office echoed that sentiment, asking for voters to “be patient.”
“Earlier today, we spoke with Bucks County election officials who assured us that every registered voter who goes to their county election office by 5 p.m. today will be provided an opportunity to apply for their mail ballot,” the post said. “Please be patient with all county election office staff as they work hard to ensure every registered voter is able to vote in this election,” he said.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge 1,600 voters
The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing Virginia to move forward with its purge of 1,600 alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls ahead of Election Day.
The conservative majority’s decision — which was not explained — reverses rulings by a federal district court judge and a unanimous appeals court panel.
Both had said that Virginia’s purge, initiated by an executive order from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, violated federal law prohibiting the “systematic” removal of voters from registration lists within 90-days of an election.
The Supreme Court’s decision suggests that the justices acted either under the Purcell principle — to keep federal courts from intervening in state election administration too close to voting — or under the belief that Virginia had compellingly argued that the federal law’s “quiet period” didn’t apply here.
The state advanced the idea that noncitizens — who were never “eligible” to vote in the first place — can be removed at any time. It also emphasized in court briefs that anyone erroneously removed as an alleged noncitizen is given two opportunities to correct his or her registration status.
The three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — indicated they would have kept the purge on hold.
Noncitizen voters are already prohibited from registering to vote for federal and state elections.
The Virginia voters who were purged, however, can still have a chance to vote if they use Virginia’s same-day registration option at the polls.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares tweeted on Wednesday “I am pleased to announce that the US Supreme Court granted Virginia’s emergency stay to keep noncitizens off our voter rolls.”
Damon Hewitt, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law which led the efforts in Virginia, blasted the decision.
“None of this activity is random. It’s all highly orchestrated, but it’s also orchestrated with a purpose,” he said in a statement,
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer and Beatrice Peterson
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former GOP governor, endorses Harris
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he was going to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The Terminator” actor and longtime Republican said in lengthy X post that he didn’t like either party now given the divisions and lack of progress from leaders in Washington, D.C.
However, Schwarzenegger said he was “furious” over Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election, anti-immigrant rhetoric, economic policies and actions on Jan. 6.
“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger,” he said.
“That’s enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz,” he said.
Will Nikki Haley campaign for Trump?
Nikki Haley recently said she is ready to campaign for Trump, despite not talking to him since June.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, when asked about whether Haley will make an appearance, said Tuesday he would “love” to see her on the trail, but said it was up to her schedule.
Haley was Trump’s last major challenger in the Republican primary. Despite hitting him hard in the final weeks of her campaign, she later endorsed him at the Republican National Convention.
And she’s continued some criticism of his campaign strategy. During an appearance on Fox News, she said the racist remark about Puerto Rico by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally was “harmful” and that the campaign “need[s] to go and tell Puerto Ricans how much, you know, they do value them.”
She also said the Trump team had to improve its messaging to women.
“I mean, that this bromance and this masculinity stuff,” she said. “I mean, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable. You know, you’ve got affiliated PACs that are doing commercials about calling Kamala the ‘C-word,’ or you had speakers at Madison Square Garden, you know, referring to her and her pimps.”
“That is not the way to win women. That is not the way to win people who are concerned about Trump style,” Haley added.
Harris responds to Biden’s ‘garbage’ comments
On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews about to depart for a day of campaigning, Harris was asked about President Joe Biden’s “garbage” comment seeming to refer to Trump supporters. The White House and Biden have said he was specifically referring to the racist remarks made by some speakers at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
“Listen I think that first of all, he clarified his comments,” Harris said. “But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
“You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career, I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not,” she said. “And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not.”
Trump escalates baseless rhetoric on Pennsylvania’s election system
It’s a state that could tip the result of the 2024 election.
And Trump is ramping up rhetoric sowing doubt on the state’s voting process.
In a post on his social media site on Wednesday morning, Trump claimed there’s “cheating” happening at “large scale levels.” He did not elaborate or provide evidence for his claims.
Some isolated incidents have emerged, including approximately 2,500 potentially fraudulent voter registration applications being investigated in Lancaster County, though officials stressed the system worked and that voters can be confident in the election.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim and Olivia Rubin
Harris hits the road with her closing pitch
Harris will take her closing argument to voters on the road after a big speech at the Ellipse in Washington on Tuesday night. She holds a 12:30 p.m. ET rally in North Carolina, a 4:35 ET event in Pennsylvania and a 9:30 p.m. ET rally in Wisconsin.
Trump will also be in North Carolina for a 1 p.m. ET rally before a 7 p.m. ET rally in Wisconsin.
Looming large over the campaign trail are President Joe Biden’s comments from a Vote Latino campaign call Tuesday night. His wording angered Republicans, who saw him as referring to the supporters of Trump as “garbage.” The White House and Biden himself, seeking to clarify the remark, argued he was referring to the racist rhetoric made by a speaker at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.
(WASHINGTON) Former President Donald Trump has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks for an escalation of rhetoric threatening political opponents with retribution if he’s elected to a second term. The comments have triggered alarm from some officials who served with him the first time around, such as former Chief of Staff John Kelly.
Earlier this month, Trump described Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi each as “an enemy from within.”
“These are bad people. We have a lot of bad people. But when you look at ‘Shifty Schiff’ and some of the others, yeah, they are, to me, the enemy from within,” Trump told Fox News on Oct. 20.
While Trump’s comments prompted a renewed focus on the issue of democracy, a Gallup poll earlier this month showed that the economy still ranks as the top issue of concern for voters.
However, a strong separation between issues of democracy and the economy is misguided, some academics who study the tie between political systems and economic performance told ABC News.
“People interested in making a large investment will be less likely to do it unless they can curry favor with the president himself,” Thomas Pepinsky, a professor of government and public policy at Cornell University, told ABC News. “There will be some who stand to benefit but the average American will lose.”
If Trump makes good on his threats to crack down on political adversaries, media outlets and some government agencies, he risks spooking investors, saddling businesses with uncertainty and driving away workers, experts said. That in turn could diminish economic growth, increase the likelihood of an economic downturn and harm the finances of everyday people, they added.
The impact may prove to be minimal in the short term but could grow substantially over time, some experts said, while also acknowledging the difficulty of predicting to what extent existing checks and balances might constrain Trump.
“If Trump suddenly threatens the rule of law, you won’t have an immediate recession,” Daron Acemoglu, a professor of economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-author of the book “Why Nations Fail,” told ABC News.
“But you get a huge amount of uncertainty and that has economic implications,” Acemoglu added. “If companies favored by Trump can expect to get a special deal and others can’t compete, that’s a slippery slope.”
Stephen Moore, an economic advisor to Trump, rebuked the notion that democracy would weaken during a second Trump term. Instead, he added, the economy would perform well, just as it did over Trump’s first term.
“I’d be much more prone to look at his track record in office than speculation about how he might undermine democracy,” Moore told ABC News. “We had a booming economy.”
“If Trump wins, I think the markets will react in a very, very positive way,” Moore added.
In response to ABC News’ request for comment, the Trump campaign shared a statement from a representative of the Republican National Committee (RNC).
“Kamala is a continuation of Biden’s failed economic policies, and they’ve left our economy in shambles. Kamala Harris broke America’s economy, our national security, and world peace, but President Trump will fix it through his America first policies,” RNC spokesperson Anna Kelly told ABC News.
Trump has threatened to use the Department of Justice to prosecute political opponents, including Vice President Kamala Harris. Harris “should be impeached and prosecuted,” Trump said at a rally last month. He also has suggested rescinding the licenses of media outlets that he dislikes.
Trump continues to make false claims in denying the outcome of the 2020 presidential election and has repeatedly attempted to sow doubt regarding the validity of the impending one, should he lose.
The potential erosion of government and civic institutions under a Trump presidency could cause investors to second-guess whether they want to do business in the U.S., the experts said. Trump has hinted at taking away some of the independence of the Federal Reserve, which could introduce further uncertainty surrounding the nation’s interest rates. Meanwhile, the experts added, Trump may treat more favorably companies that stay in good standing with his administration, putting other entities at a disadvantage even if they’re more competitive.
“It would simply create a huge amount of uncertainty about which rules apply and who they apply to,” Steven Hahn, a professor of history at New York University and author of “Illiberal America: A History,” told ABC News. “It would just have enormous consequences for the economic life of the country.”
Uncertain U.S. politics have already negatively affected the nation’s financial foundation, according to some financial measures. Last year, the rating agency Fitch Ratings downgraded U.S. credit for the second time in the nation’s history, citing the ballooning U.S. debt load and a weakening of governance, as well as the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as factors in their decision.
After studying more than 50 populist leaders going back to 1900, German researchers Manuel Funke, Moritz Schularick and Christoph Trebesch found that after a populist leader took office, a nation’s economy grew at a 10% slower pace over the ensuing 15 years than it would have otherwise, according to an article published in the American Economic Review in December.
A separate study in 2019 found that democratization boosted a nation’s gross domestic product by about 20% over the long run, according to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University, among others.
“The evidence is pretty clear,” Vanessa Williamson, a senior fellow in governance studies at the left-leaning Brookings Institution, told ABC News. “Democracy is pretty good for an economy, and authoritarian regimes do worse than they otherwise would.”
There are exceptions, however. India, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, has seen its ranking in the global Democracy Index fall since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014. The Chinese economy grew rapidly over the past three decades under authoritarian rule, though that economic expansion has slowed in recent years.
“Sometimes undemocratic countries have had amazing growth, but those examples are rare,” Williamson said.
What’s unknown, of course, is whether Trump, if elected, would implement his proposed agenda. Also unknown is to what extent such actions could or would be resisted by others, including Congress, the courts and other institutions.
“Even if Republicans win Congress, they won’t have 60 votes in the Senate,” Moore, the economic advisor to Trump, said, pointing to the threshold of support necessary to overcome a Senate filibuster.
Some experts also acknowledged that the economy performed fairly well under Trump during his first term, despite his administration taking steps that those experts perceived as testing democratic norms.
“Trump’s first term was chaotic, disorganized and bad for some institutions, but I fear his second term would be worse,” Acemoglu said.
In theory, the market itself could act as a check on Trump’s plans, experts said. A negative market response helped unseat then-UK Prime Minister Liz Truss In 2022.
Fiscal plans put forward by Truss caused the nation’s currency to plummet in value while bond yields spiked. Within weeks of her taking office, and amid heated criticism from both her opponents and members of her own party, Truss resigned.
A dramatic market reaction could limit Trump’s plans, but he could instead prioritize the consolidation of power, in turn diminishing the impact of a financial response, Pepinsky said.
“For most politicians, they change course if the market signals to them that something won’t work,” Pepinsky added. “Trump isn’t a normal politician.”
The weather is forecast to be disguised as summer for Halloween in most of the Northeast.
As ghosts and goblins prepare to go trick-or-treating on Thursday, temperatures are expected to feel more like Labor Day than All Hallows’ Eve as an autumnal U.S. hot spell continues.
Potential high temperature records for the last day of October are forecast to be broken in several cities in the Northeast.
In New York City, temperatures Thursday could possibly reach 80 degrees, which would set a new record for the day. Records are also expected to fall in Philadelphia, Boston, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., as those cities are also expected to breach the 80-degree mark.
Even the far Northeast will experience a warm Halloween as Burlington, Vermont, and Bangor, Maine, are forecast to heat up to 76 degrees. Down south, Charleston, South Carolina, could hit 84 degrees, while Raleigh, North Carolina, is forecast to get up to 81.
Temperatures in the Northeast are forecast to be around 30 degrees higher than last year’s Halloween, when New York City, Philadelphia and Boston were in the low 50s.
The balmy weather, however, will be short-lived.
A strong cold front is expected to move through the Northeast on Friday afternoon, bringing an end to record heat.
For the New York City Marathon on Sunday, the high temperature for the day is forecast to be 57, according to the National Weather Service.
The cold front is also expected to bring chilly temperatures, rain and snow to parts of the Great Lakes and upper Midwest. A winter weather advisory issued for Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan includes the chance of measurable snow.
Elsewhere in the nation, a cold front responsible for severe weather from Oklahoma to Illinois on Wednesday is forecast to move east, producing strong to severe storms from western Texas to Little Rock, Arkansas and Memphis, Tennessee, all the way to Louisville, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio.
As people across the Northeast were breaking out T-shirts and shorts amid record-breaking high temperatures this week, several inches of snow blanketed the mountaintops of Hawaii.
As firefighters in Colorado battled wildfires and meteorologists issued red-flag fire danger warnings, high elevations of Hawaii’s Big Island resembled the Rocky Mountains in winter.
Several inches of snow blanketed the summits of Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea, the tallest peaks in Hawaii and part of the state’s Volcanoes National Park.
“Due to winter weather conditions, the summit is currently closed for both day and overnight use, and permits for Mauna Loa Summit Cabin are temporarily on hold,” the Volcanoes National Park said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Meanwhile, in the actual Rockies, a major storm system moving in is expected to bring up to a foot of fresh snow. But elsewhere in Colorado, firefighters were dealing with what investigators suspect is a “human-caused” wildfire that spread to 166 acres near the town of Divide and was 80% contained on Wednesday.
The wintry weather expected for the Rockies was countered by record-breaking temperatures this week across a large part of the nation from Detroit, where it got up to 77 degrees on Wednesday, to Laredo, Texas, where the temperature was expected to hit 94, tying a daily record.
(MEMPHIS, Tenn) — Graceland, the iconic Memphis home of the late Elvis Presley, is one of America’s most recognized residences, only second to the White House. That’s why the announcement of its public auction in May caused shock and confusion among the legendary musician’s fans.
Ultimately, this incident highlighted the rising issue of alleged deed fraud.
The scandal began last spring when Naussany Investments & Private Lending LLC filed a lawsuit and announced a foreclosure sale for Graceland, claiming that Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis’ daughter who died in 2023, had borrowed $3.8 million and used the property as collateral.
The actor Riley Keough, Lisa Marie’s daughter, responded by filing a countersuit, seeking to enjoin the auction alleging fraud and claiming that Naussany Investments was nonexistent and had no rights to the property. This allegedly criminal plot to steal Graceland from under America’s nose caused outrage among Elvis fans.
The Memphis mansion is significant and widespread because it has been hallowed ground for generations of Elvis fans, from lovestruck teenagers in the 1950s to those inspired by his legacy today.
“People have been trying to take from Elvis since Elvis was Elvis,” Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, told “GMA3” co-anchor Eva Pilgrim. “Elvis was a human being. He was a really good human being. He treated people really well. He lived here. He loved it here. He died here. He’s buried here. His parents are buried here. His daughter is buried here. Pick on somebody else. Have a heart, have a conscience. And even if you don’t have a heart or have a conscience — know that you won’t get away with it.”
The mansion was also home to Lisa Marie, Elvis’ only child. Her life in the spotlight and tragic death have fascinated the public since the day she was born — as the King of Rock and Roll’s princess.
Shortly after Elvis died in 1977, Lisa Marie became the sole heir to her father’s financially troubled estate, which at the time included only a few million dollars in cash and Graceland. Lisa Marie’s life seemed to stabilize when she married musician Danny Keough at the age of 20.
They had two children, Riley and Benjamin Keough. However, that stability didn’t last. She struggled with drug addiction, marriages to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage, and the tragic 2020. suicide of her son Benjamin.
“We could all feel it coming,” Riley Keough said in Lisa Marie memoir “From here to the Great Unknown.” “We all knew my mom was going to die of a broken heart.”
Lisa Marie fiercely defended her family’s legacy. One of her last actions was to approve director Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-nominated 2022 film “Elvis,” insisting that it highlight how her father’s musical success was rooted in his appreciation for Black culture.
“He loved gospel music and would sit outside of the blues bars,” Lisa Marie said in an interview with ABC News. “He was influenced by and raised by this. We had this conversation with Baz that it was, you know, shown that that is — that’s where he got his influence from, that’s where it started for him.”
Lisa Marie made her final public appearance at the Golden Globes on Jan. 10, 2023, when Austin Butler won the best actor award for his portrayal of Elvis. Two days later, she died. Her cause of death was reported as complications from bariatric surgery she had undergone several years earlier.
Her funeral was held at Graceland with fans lining the streets, hauntingly reminiscent of how they grieved her father more than 45 years earlier.
“She was buried alongside her father and alongside her son at Graceland,” ABC’s Chris Connelly said. “You know, the home that she loved best.”
In a shocking revelation last May, a secret entity known as Naussany Investments claimed that Lisa Marie used Graceland as collateral to take out a $3.8 million loan and had not repaid it.
Consequently, the mysterious company announced its intention to auction the property off.
“It was not thoroughly implausible to imagine that Graceland might be on the block because of something that Lisa Marie had done when she was in arrears,” Connelly said.
Keough took her role as trustee of the estate seriously, with her lawyer Bradley Russell who filed a countersuit.
In the countersuit, Riley claimed that her mother did not borrow anything and that the loan documents are forgeries.
The investigation into the alleged fraud ranged far from the iconic mansion to Florida, where they an unlikely savior in notary Kimberly Philbrick lives. An alleged fake notary seal emerged as the potential smoking gun.
“We sent our private investigator out to find the notary public who allegedly notarized these documents in 2018 to interview her and to get an affidavit from her saying that this never happened, she never notarized anything,” Russell said.
When a private investigator approached Philbrick at her workplace in Holly Hill, Florida, Philbrick said she was shocked to discover fraud had been committed in her name. She alleged that she knew right away something was off; she swore in an affidavit that it wasn’t her signature.
“Had I ever met Lisa Marie Presley? Did I sign the document? Did I notarize it? No, no, no,” Philbrick said.
Based on Philbrick’s affidavit, Keough’s lawyers hurried into court to prevent the sale of Graceland. A judge issued a temporary injunction the day before it was scheduled to be auctioned.
It took nearly three months longer to locate the alleged mastermind. In mid-August, Lisa Findley was arrested in the Ozarks. She was apprehended on Aug. 16, the 47th anniversary of Elvis’ death. Federal prosecutors charged the Missouri woman with mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
They alleged that Findley exploited the public and tragic events in the Presley family for her personal gain.
Investigators allege that Findley used aliases to create fraudulent loan documents and that she published a fake foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper, announcing plans to auction off Graceland to the highest bidder. Findley has pleaded not guilty and is in jail awaiting trial. She and her attorneys did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Keough expressed her intention to preserve Graceland as both a museum and a home, just as her mother would have wanted.
“Still to this day, people going through the house, and there’s just this, like sort of love that just doesn’t stop,” Keough said on WABC’s Live with Kelly and Mark in 2023. “And I really love that.”
ABC News Studios’ “IMPACT x Nightline: Stealing Graceland” streams on Hulu beginning Thursday, Oct. 31.
ABC News’ Ely Brown, Sasha Pezenik, Jared Kofsky and Josh Margolin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The climate crisis is not a distant threat; it’s happening right now and affecting what matters most to us. Hurricanes intensified by a warming planet and drought-fueled wildfires are destroying our communities. Rising seas and flooding are swallowing our homes. And record-breaking heatwaves are reshaping our way of life.
The good news is we know how to turn the tide and avoid the worst possible outcomes. However, understanding what needs to be done can be confusing due to a constant stream of climate updates, scientific findings, and critical decisions that are shaping our future.
That’s why the ABC News Climate and Weather Unit is cutting through the noise by curating what you need to know to keep the people and places you care about safe. We are dedicated to providing clarity amid the chaos, giving you the facts and insights necessary to navigate the climate realities of today — and tomorrow.
Compost your pumpkin and do a gourd thing for the planet
From carving jack-o-lanterns to baking pies, pumpkins are a staple of fall festivities and Halloween. According to the USDA, American farmers produced more than 1.6 billion pounds of pumpkins last year.
But what happens to all those pumpkins after the trick-or-treating and hayrides are done? The ones that aren’t turned into food end up at a local landfill and decompose into methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is contributing to climate change.
In the U.S., food is the most common material sent to landfills, making up 24% of municipal solid waste. The EPA estimates that food waste, including pumpkins, is responsible for 58% of fugitive methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.
There are alternatives, however, to throwing out your pumpkins and other organic decorations like hay, cornstalks and leaves. But before you get started, make sure these materials are free of paint, coating and any nonorganic compounds. Those should be discarded in the trash.
Composting is an excellent option if your pumpkin doesn’t have any of those alterations. This can be done in your backyard or at a local community-based composting program. Just make sure you remove the seeds or your compost could turn into a pumpkin patch. To speed up the composting process, you can break your pumpkin into little pieces before spreading it into your garden. Unlike landfills that trap waste, bacteria in your backyard release very little methane when they break down organic material.
If you don’t want to compost it at home, look for local events and nonprofits, like Pumpkins for the People, that collect used pumpkins for farms and community composting. Some zoos and local farms also accept pumpkins and use them to feed their animals.
Besides composting, you can also chop up your pumpkin and leave it out for local wildlife to enjoy. The Nature Conservancy says that many animals, from squirrels to porcupines, enjoy feasting on this fall treat. But you should ask for permission before leaving it at a park or a managed open space like a state or national park, as some discourage this practice.
You could turn your pumpkin into a temporary bird feeder and leave the pumpkin seeds for birds completing their migration journey. You can also plant the pumpkin seeds. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the blooming flowers of the pumpkin plant provide a great source of nectar for certain bee species and insects.
-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck and ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
What caused the extreme flooding in Spain that killed more than 90 people?
The weather phenomenon responsible for the extreme rainfall and flooding in Valencia, Spain, isn’t rare or even uncommon. It was also well forecasted in the days leading up to the storm.
The Mediterranean region, including parts of eastern Spain, is frequently affected by heavy rainfall and significant flash flooding events. This recent disaster saw a year’s worth of rainfall in just eight hours. In September 2019, the same region saw 12 to 18 inches of rain in 48 hours.
What’s responsible for these events is a weather system known as a cut-off low. This happens when a low-pressure area is separated from the primary airflow.
Cut-off lows are common and can happen at any time of the year, anywhere in the world. When there is an extended stretch of cloudy, damp, and dreary weather, this is often related to a cut-off low.
However, the slow-moving nature of a cut-off low can set the stage for devastating extreme rainfall events when it interacts with other favorable factors, like the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and nearby mountains. Because it is slow-moving, it can quickly pound areas with relentless rounds of heavy rain, resulting in significant flooding.
In Spain, these weather events are often called a “gota fría,” which translates to “cold drop.” But that term doesn’t tell the whole story. What happened in Valencia wasn’t caused by a sudden cold blast sweeping across the region but by the unique characteristics of a cut-off low.
That’s not to say that cold air in the atmosphere doesn’t play a role in enhancing the precipitation. It does bring more frequent rounds of heavy rain. As the system pushes the colder air over the very warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea, it helps trigger and enhance areas of heavy rain.
Because the low-pressure system moves very slowly, it keeps sending waves of heavy rain over the same areas for an extended period, bringing extreme rainfall totals and catastrophic flash flooding.
The nearby mountains also likely enhanced the precipitation and impacts. Plus, the infrastructure in the Valencia region, like many municipalities, isn’t built to handle this amount of rainfall. Add in all of those factors, and you get catastrophic flash flooding.
What role, if any, does climate change play in these extreme weather events?
Climate attribution science will look at how much worse the rain was because of human-caused emissions, but we know that human-amplified climate change is supercharging the water cycle, bringing heavier rainfall and related flood risks. More intense extreme rainfall events increase the frequency and scale of flash flooding as the influx of water is more than the infrastructure of many municipalities was built to handle.
According to the U.S. Government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment, human-amplified climate change is contributing to increases in the frequency and intensity of the heaviest precipitation events. So, in a way, we are all making it rain more.
-ABC News meteorologist Dan Peck and ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
Reducing food waste is good for your budget and the planet
We waste a lot of food. According to the U.N., over a billion tons of it are wasted each year globally, most of it from households. Not only does wasting all this food cost the average American family $1,200 a year, but it’s a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The EPA says food waste in the U.S. is equivalent to the greenhouse gas emissions of more than 50 million passenger cars and is responsible for 58% of methane emissions from municipal landfills.
Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas because it traps more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. The U.N. Environment Programme says methane is “responsible for more than 35 percent of the global warming we are experiencing today.”
How does our food waste become methane?
Landfills act like big diaper linings on the ground, so nothing we throw away decomposes into the soil. There’s a barrier preventing it. Our food waste gets sandwiched between all the plastic, metal and non-organic trash, and without oxygen, it mummifies and releases methane. So, every time we throw away leftover food, we create methane and speed up climate change.
There are, however, ways to curb food waste at home. Composting can turn leftovers into fertilizer for your plants and homegrown produce. If you don’t have a garden, you can use a product like the Mill Kitchen Bin to turn your food waste into clean, dry grounds that don’t smell. Those grounds can then be used as part of the composting process at home or given to a local community garden or farm.
The Too Good To Go app is another way of keeping food out of landfills. The service allows people to purchase surprise bags of surplus food from nearby restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores, preventing perfectly edible items from being thrown away. The bags, priced between $5 and $10, are packed with various items that are still good to eat but would have been thrown away.
Understanding food labels can also significantly reduce your waste. The often confusing terms “use by,” “best by,” and “expiration dates” sound similar but mean different things.
A “use by date” is the last date recommended for eating a product while it’s still at its peak quality. After this date, the food might still be safe, but the quality may decline. For perishable items like dairy or meats, it’s often best to follow this date closely, but use your nose and eyes to help determine whether it’s still good.
“Best by” or “best before” dates are about the product’s quality, not safety. It indicates when the food will be at its best flavor or texture. After this date, the food is usually still safe to eat, but it might not taste as good or have the same texture. Often, you won’t even notice a difference.
“Expiration dates” are dates found on products where safety is a concern, like baby formula or certain medications. After this date, the product should not be consumed, as it may not be safe or effective.
-ABC News Chief Climate Correspondent Ginger Zee and ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
Greenhouse gas concentrations reach new record high in 2023
Our planet is facing another unfortunate climate milestone.
According to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), carbon dioxide concentrations have increased by more than 11% in just two decades, making 2023 a record for the amount of the greenhouse gas currently in our atmosphere.
The WMO says CO2 is now building up in the atmosphere faster than at any time in human existence. They say massive vegetation fires, which emit greenhouse gases, and El Niño, which can reduce our forests’ ability to absorb CO2 due to drought, contributed to the recent surge. However, the U.N. agency also points out, “The reason behind this decade-long significant increase in CO2 is historically large fossil fuel CO2 emissions in the 2010s and 2020s.”
The WMO began reporting on greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. That year, they found that atmospheric CO2 levels for 2004 were at 377.1 parts per million. Last year, they were recorded at 420 parts per million. That puts CO2 concentrations at 151% above the preindustrial era.
Methane, one of the worst greenhouse gases in terms of global warming, also reached a record level for atmospheric concentrations. It is now 265% higher than preindustrial readings at 1,934 parts per billion.
Because CO2 stays in the atmosphere for 300 to 1,000 years, according to NASA, the WMO is warning that these high levels of greenhouse gases “lock in future temperature increase” even if emissions are cut to net zero.
-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
October record heat made more likely because of climate change
It may be fall, but it feels a lot like summer in much of the country. That has some people wondering: Is climate change responsible for these record-high temperatures? With climate attribution science, we can now answer that question and determine when human-amplified climate change is responsible for extreme weather events and the significance of that impact.
Using advanced computer models, climate attribution science takes a real-world weather event, such as a record high-temperature day or a hurricane, and compares it to the world where human-caused, post-industrial greenhouse gas emissions don’t exist. By comparing what is actually happening with what would have happened without human intervention, science can estimate how likely or severe a weather event has become due to climate change.
Climate Central, a nonprofit climate research and communications organization, uses climate attribution science to provide real-time data that shows “how much climate change influences the temperature on a particular day.” The information is displayed on a global interactive map called the Climate Shift Index.
For example, the Index showed that human-amplified climate change made Sunday’s record high in Tucson, Arizona of 98 degrees at least three times more likely. The same was true for Waco, Texas, which broke a record with 92-degree heat, and Mobile, Alabama, which hit a record 90 degrees.
Extreme heat is the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., with children and adults over 65 being among the most vulnerable to heat-related illnesses and death. And the average number of heat waves that major U.S. cities experience each year has doubled since the 1980s, according to the federal government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment.
-ABC News Climate Unit’s Matthew Glasser
How crops will fare with 45% of the US experiencing drought
The U.S. is experiencing the driest fall on record, which could potentially impact the quality of upcoming autumn harvests, experts told ABC News.
About 77% of the mainland U.S. is abnormally dry, and almost half of the country is experiencing drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The spatial pattern of the dry conditions varies widely across the continent, Josue Medellin-Azuara, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of California Merced, told ABC News.
Improvement in the drought is not expected for most of the South, the Plains and parts of the Upper Midwest due to expected La Nina conditions this winter that would further reinforce the dryness, according to forecasts by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
However, a lot of the crops in these regions that harvest in the fall had good growing conditions throughout the summer and are in the process of being harvested, meaning overall output should not be heavily impacted, Joseph Glauber, senior research fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute and former chief economist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, told ABC News.
EPA cancels toxic pesticide used in growing produce
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it’s canceling any product containing the pesticide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA), also known as Dacthal.
According to the EPA, their decision is based on comprehensive scientific studies that indicate potential thyroid toxicity linked to DCPA. The agency says research suggests that exposure to this pesticide during pregnancy can lead to changes in thyroid hormone levels in unborn children. Studies cited by the EPA indicate that these hormonal changes could be associated with various health concerns, including low birth weight, impaired brain development and reduced IQ. That research suggests that these developmental challenges may also have long-term effects on motor skills.
DCPA is used in the industrial farming of broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and onions. While pregnant women working in agriculture are most at risk, pesticides can travel into neighboring communities via the air and runoff, putting non-agricultural workers at risk as well.
In a press release, EPA’s assistant administrator for the office of chemical safety and pollution prevention, Michal Freedhoff, wrote, “With the final cancellation of DCPA, we’re taking a definitive step to protect pregnant women and their unborn babies. The science showing the potential for irreversible harm to unborn babies’ developing brains, in addition to other lifelong consequences from exposure, demands decisive action to remove this dangerous chemical from the marketplace,” Freedhoff added.
(LONDON) — The Israel Defense Forces conducted what it called “precise strikes on military targets” in Iran on Friday in response to the Iranian missile strikes earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting continued in Gaza — particularly in the north of the strip — and in Lebanon, with renewed Israeli attacks on Beirut.
IDF issues further Baalbek airstrike warning in east Lebanon
For the second consecutive day, the Israel Defense Forces ordered residents of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon to flee their homes ahead of imminent airstrikes.
“You are in a combat zone where the IDF intends to attack and target Hezbollah infrastructure, interests, installations and combat means and does not intend to harm you,” IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X.
“Staying in the red zone puts you and your family at risk,” he added, alongside a map on which most of the city was marked red.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said at least eight people were killed by Israeli strikes in Baalbek on Thursday.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
Israeli bombs besiege Gaza hospital again
Israeli aircraft bombed the third floor of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza Thursday morning, destroying the hospital’s remaining medicines as well as medical supplies brought by the World Health Organization a few days ago, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital said that continuous bombing had targeted the hospital’s surroundings throughout the night.
The hospital, which was the last functioning medical center capable of performing surgeries in northern Gaza, has 120 patients and has been targeted several times by Israeli forces in the past 13 months.
Palestinian media, citing medical sources, reported that surgical operations have completely stopped at Kamal Adwan Hospital due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.
-ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz, Samy Zyara and Joe Simonetti
CIA chief in Egypt for cease-fire push
CIA Director William Burns and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi discussed efforts to push for progress on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal during a meeting in Cairo, the Egyptian presidency said Thursday.
The talks focused on “joint efforts to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip, ways to advance negotiations to reach a cease-fire and the exchange of detainees, as well as immediate and full access to humanitarian aid” in the territory, El-Sisi’s office said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy and Joe Simonetti
Israeli troops launch new West Bank operation
The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a “counter-terrorism” operation in the West Bank alongside Israel Border Police and the Israel Security Agency.
The operation focused on the area of Nur Shams, east of the city of Tulkarm, which has been a focus of intense and deadly Israeli security forces raids in recent months.
During the operation, the Israeli air force “struck an armed terrorist cell that fired at the forces,” the IDF said.
The IDF said the operation was launched hours after counter-terror and intelligence personnel killed Hussam Mallah, who the force described as a “significant” member of Hamas’ network in the area, “who was involved in the planning of terrorist attacks within an immediate time frame.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israel to deploy forces along eastern border with Jordan, IDF says
Israel will deploy forces along its eastern border with Jordan to “protect the eastern border” — a border that was quiet for decades — the Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday.
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi approved the establishment of a regional division after they “examined the operational needs and defense capabilities in the region,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The division’s mission is to strengthen defense in the border area, Highway 90 and the settlements, and to respond to dealing with terrorist incidents and the smuggling of weapons, while maintaining a peaceful border and strengthening cooperation with the Jordanian army,” the IDF said in a statement.
UN reports over 30 ‘incidents’ from IDF against peacekeepers in Lebanon, some ‘deliberate’
The United Nations has documented over 30 incidents of attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, some of which were deliberate.
“Since the 1st of October, UNIFIL has recorded over 30 incidents resulting in damage to U.N. property or premises or injury to peacekeepers. About 20 of those we could attribute to IDF fire or actions, with seven being clearly deliberate,” a spokesperson for UNIFIL said.
“In an incident yesterday, a rocket, likely fired by Hezbollah or affiliated group hit UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and setting a vehicle workshop on fire with some peacekeepers suffering a minor injuries,” a spokesperson for UNIFIL said.
UNIFIL also said there are thousands of people stuck in villages without having access to the most basic needs.
Israel gave residents 4 hours to get out of Baalbek before beginning strikes
Baalbek’s 80,000 residents were given just under four hours to leave the city before Israeli strikes on the region began.
Residents received a message in Arabic telling them to evacuate their homes and move outside the city and villages “immediately.”
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck a fuel depot in Baalbek “located inside military compounds” belonging to Hezbollah.
“These fuel depots supplied fuel for Hezbollah’s military vehicles and were critical to the operation of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. The fuel at these sites was supplied by Iran as part of its military support for Hezbollah,” the IDF said in a statement.
WHO evacuates more patients from Kamal Adwan
The World Health Organization has continued to evacuate patients from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, as the hospital continues to receive “a constant stream of trauma patients due to ongoing hostilities in the area,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, Wednesday.
There are now only two surgeons left at the hospital. The WHO has transferred 23 critical patients to Al-Shifa Hospital and 16 patients from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex in a multiday mission to north Gaza in the past two days.
The Kamal Adwan Hospital building and equipment sustained damage during the most recent siege and its four ambulances were destroyed.
“We have provided medical supplies, food and water for patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital — but much more is needed. Additionally, this week we have also provided 40,000 liters of fuel and medical supplies for six hospitals in Gaza City,” the director-general said.
Israel issues evacuation warning for entire city of Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning for residents in the entire eastern Lebanese city of Baalbeck and the surrounding areas and key routes into the Bekaa Valley. This includes the ancient Roman temple complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The deliberate targeting of a World Heritage Site is a war crime under international law.
Residents have been told to evacuate their homes “immediately” and move outside the city and villages, according to the evacuation warning.
There are nearly 80,000 residents in the city, adding to the hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon who are already displaced.
Israeli official explains deadly strike in north Gaza
An airstrike on a residential building that killed at least 110 people in Beit Lahia in north Gaza on Tuesday — per figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health — was targeting a person acting suspiciously on its roof, an Israeli military official told ABC News.
The official said they did not know there were so many people in the building, as everyone in the area had already been told to leave.
The official added they were skeptical of the death toll provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, a sentiment expressed by the Israel Defense Forces in a public statement regarding the incident.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday described the strike as a “horrifying incident with a horrifying result.”
Emergency responders said the airstrike hit a five-story building housing displaced people, with at least 25 children among the dead. Many more people are still missing, officials said.
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett
UNRWA not ‘darlings of Hamas,’ official says after Israel ban
Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s chief spokesperson, told ABC News the agency is “impossible to replace, especially in a place like Gaza,” following the Israeli parliament’s decision to ban the organization from operating in Israel.
UNRWA has warned that the move could severely curtail the aid agency’s ability to get desperately needed aid into Gaza. Israeli allies abroad — including in the U.S. — have also warned that the Israeli parliament’s move could exacerbate humanitarian concerns across Palestinian areas in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“We have the logisticians, the humanitarian experts who know how to deliver humanitarian assistance and how to drive around and reach people in need. These are humanitarian experts who have been doing this for aid for many, many years,” Touma said.
Israel has alleged that UNRWA — which since 1950 has been responsible for supporting Palestinian refugees displaced during Israel’s independence war — is compromised by Palestinian militant groups.
A source from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office told ABC News, “UNRWA is tainted with terror and perpetuates the Palestinian problem. That is why the ban is due.”
Touma disputed the assertion. “It is not as if we are the darlings of Hamas,” she said. “We have continued to have a very, very bad relationship with Hamas. On a number of occasions throughout the war we have called out publicly against Hamas.”
Touma said Israel is under legal obligation “to provide for the services and welfare for the community it’s occupying.”
Israeli authorities say they will do so without UNRWA help. But Touma said she was skeptical.
“I’m not entirely sure that they know what they’re doing, practically speaking, in terms of the ability to cater and to provide humanitarian assistance to 2 million people in Gaza,” she said.
The ban on UNRWA, Touma added, will not address the need for an agency serving its role.
“UNRWA exists because of the failure of the international community to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said.
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett and Guy Davies
UN condemns deadly Israeli strike in Gaza’s Beit Lahia
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland called the Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza “another appalling incident” in a “deadly series of recent mass casualty incidents,” in a statement released by the U.N. Secretary-General spokesperson’s office Tuesday.
“I unequivocally condemn the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, and the endless displacement of the population in Gaza,” Wennesland said in the statement. “I call on all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
US says Israel’s implementation of UNRWA ban could have ‘consequences’
The Biden administration is “deeply troubled” by the Israeli parliament’s vote to sharply restrict the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Tuesday.
“It could shutter UNRWA operations in the West Bank, in Gaza, in East Jerusalem. It poses risks for millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services, including health care and primary and secondary education,” Miller said.
“Particularly in Gaza, they play a role right now that, at least today, cannot be filled by anyone else. They are a key partner in delivering food, water and other humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza that wouldn’t have anyone else to get it from if UNRWA were to go away,” Miller said.
Miller said that the U.S. had “made clear our opposition to this bill” to Israeli authorities and said there could be “consequences under U.S. law and U.S. policy for the implementation of this legislation.”
“We are going to engage with the government of Israel in the days ahead about how they plan to implement it. We’re going to watch and see if there are legal challenges to the law, and if there’s any impact by those legal challenges, and then we’ll make our decisions after looking to all those facts,” Miller said.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
5 killed, 33 injured in Israeli strike on Lebanon
At least five people were killed and 33 others were wounded after an Israeli strike in the Saida neighborhood of Sidon, Lebanon, on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
At least 82 people were killed and 180 were wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon Monday, bringing the total number of people killed since Israel’s increased attacks on Lebanon to 2,792, and 12,772 people wounded, the ministry said.
At least 138 airstrikes were recorded in various areas of Lebanon on Tuesday, “mostly concentrated in the south, Nabatiyeh and Baalbek-Hermel,” a situation report from the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office said Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz
Second phase of polio vaccine campaign still unable to continue in North Gaza
The second phase of the polio vaccination campaign has been unable to take place in northern Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, Director General of Field Hospitals in Gaza Marwan Al-Hams said Tuesday.
“About 110,000 children in northern Gaza need the second dose of the polio vaccine,” Al-Hams said.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara
Israel will hit Iran harder if it launches more missiles, IDF chief says
Israel will hit Iran harder if it launches more missiles, Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Tuesday.
“If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time,” Halevi said, speaking at the Ramon Airbase.
110 killed, dozens missing in Israeli strike in north Gaza, officials say
At least 110 people were killed with more still missing following Israeli strikes on a five-story building housing displaced families in north Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
At least 25 children were among the dead and missing, health officials said.
Local journalists reported that the strike hit a residential building in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning.
The only hospital still functioning in the area is Kamal Adwan Hospital, which in recent days has been the focus of Israeli strikes and raids.
Health officials said there are now no doctors capable of performing surgery left at the facility, dozens of medical staff having been detained by the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF is yet to comment on Tuesday morning’s strike.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies and Joe Simonetti
90% of Gaza residents face food insecurity, WFP warns
The United Nations World Food Program issued a warning that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza could soon become a famine unless action is taken.
“Restrictions on humanitarian aid coming into Gaza are severe. During the month of October, only 5,000 metric tons of food have been delivered into Gaza, amounting to just 20 percent of basic food assistance for the 1.1 million people who depend on WFP’s lifesaving support,” the WFP said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, Gaza’s food systems have largely collapsed due to the destruction of factories, croplands and shops. Markets are nearly empty as most commercial channels are no longer functioning,” WFP said.
The WFP warned that a large group of Gazans could soon be in an “emergency phase” of need, while others would face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity.
1 killed in Israel as 200 rockets fired from Lebanon
One person was killed by a rocket in the northern Israeli town of Maalot on Tuesday, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services said.
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that at least 200 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel since Monday night.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
60 people killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon
Israeli warplanes killed at least 60 people and wounded 58 others in successive airstrikes on the Baalbek-Hermel governorate and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon on Monday night, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
110 killed, dozens missing in Israeli strike in north Gaza, officials say
At least 110 people were killed with more still missing following Israeli strikes on a five-story building housing displaced families in north Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
At least 25 children were among the dead and missing, health officials said.
Local journalists reported that the strike hit a residential building in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning.
The only hospital still functioning in the area is Kamal Adwan Hospital, which in recent days has been the focus of Israeli strikes and raids.
Health officials said there are now no doctors capable of performing surgery left at the facility, dozens of medical staff having been detained by the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF is yet to comment on Tuesday morning’s strike.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies and Joe Simonetti
Hezbollah confirms new leader
Hezbollah said in a Tuesday morning statement posted to social media that Naim Qassem was elected as the group’s new secretary general in a vote by its decision-making Shura Council.
Qassem, 71, was born in the Lebanese capital Beirut. He was previously Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, serving in the role since 1991. Qassem has long been a prominent spokesperson for the Iran-backed militant organization.
His election followed Israel’s assassination of former Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in September and his presumed successor Hashem Safieddine in October.
Following Nasrallah’s killing in Beirut, Qassem gave a video address in which he vowed that Hezbollah would continue its fight against Israel despite its significant military setbacks.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz
IDF claims strikes on 150 targets in Lebanon, Gaza in 24 hours
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday it attacked more than 110 targets in Lebanon and 40 targets in the Gaza Strip in the previous 24 hours.
Hezbollah targets in Lebanon included “launchers aimed at the rear of the state of Israel and weapons depots,” the force wrote in a post to X.
In Gaza, the IDF said it attacked “terrorist cells, military buildings and other terrorist infrastructures.”
UN Secretary-General ‘deeply concerned’ by Israel’s laws banning UN organization
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “deeply concerned” by the two laws passed by the Israeli parliament Monday concerning the U.N. organization, UNRWA, he said in a statement Monday.
“UNRWA is the principal means by which essential assistance is supplied to Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. There is no alternative to UNRWA,” the UN Secretary-General said in the statement.
“The implementation of the laws could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is unacceptable,” he added.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Netanyahu addresses humanitarian aid in Gaza after UNRWA ban
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on X Monday after legislation banning the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), a main provider of aid to Gaza, passed the Israeli parliament.
Israel is “ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said.
“UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future,” the Prime Minister added.
The Israeli government has accused multiple UNRWA members of participating in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and having ties to Hamas. The UN conducted an investigation into the matter after the Israeli government’s initial allegations, and fired multiple UNRWA staffers after the probe, according to the Associated Press.
UNRWA initially fired 12 staffers and put seven on administrative leave without pay over the claims. The UN then fired an additional nine staffers, according to AP.
The laws passed by the Israeli parliament Monday will take effect in 90 days and will likely be challenged by Israel’s High Court.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Netanyahu says Israel would accept 48-hour cease-fire, hostage exchange proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would accept a 48-hour cease-fire agreement proposed by the president of Egypt for the release of four hostages, but said he has not received the offer yet.
“If such a proposal were made, the Prime Minister would accept it on the spot,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement Monday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israeli parliament passes bills banning UN relief agency in Gaza
Israel’s legislative body, the Knesset, passed two bills ending the Israeli government’s ties to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East on Monday, effectively banning the organization from working inside of Israel or with any Israeli authorities.
The first bill bans UNRWA from operating in Israel, including in east Jerusalem. The bill passed with 92 members of the Knesset voting in favor and 10 voting against. This will also force UNRWA to close its bureau in Jerusalem.
The second bill prohibits any Israeli state or government agency from working with or “liaising” with UNRWA or anyone on its behalf. This applies to any Israeli agency working with UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank. The bill passed with 87 members of the Knesset voting in favor, and nine voting against.
UNRWA is the main U.N. relief agency operating inside of Gaza. This second bill would ban COGAT, the Israeli agency that manages coordination with Gaza and the West Bank, from working with UNRWA to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Israel has accused many of the members of UNRWA on the ground as having ties to Hamas.
Both bills have a three-month waiting period before they take effect. It is expected that the bills will be challenged Israel’s high court.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called the two bills “unprecedented” and said they set a “dangerous precedent” in a post on X after they were both passed.
“These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell,” Lazzarini said. “These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians & are nothing less than collective punishment.”
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Jordana Miller
Iran promises ‘bitter and unimaginable consequences’ for Israel retaliation
Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Israel’s strike on Iran will lead to “bitter and unimaginable consequences,” in comments Monday, according to Tasnim News Agency, an Iranian news agency close to the IRGC.
The IRGC chief also said the “illegitimate and unlawful” attack by Israel revealed Israel’s “miscalculation and its frustration in the battlefield in the war against the combatants of the great front of Islamic resistance, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.”
He also offered his condolences to the four Iranian service members killed in the attack.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Minister’s Office, said Iran “reserves the right to respond to Israeli aggression in accordance with international law,” IRNA, Iranian state media, reported.
-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian
7 killed, 17 wounded in strikes on Tyre
At least seven people were killed and 17 wounded after Israeli strikes in Tyre, Lebanon, on Monday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.
The Israeli air force struck “Hezbollah weapons and anti-tank missile storage facilities, terrorist infrastructure and observation posts in the area of Tyre in southern Lebanon,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a release.
The IDF’s spokesman to Arab media issued a warning on X for residents in the Tyre area, “specifically to those in the buildings between the streets: Dr. Ali Al-Khalil, Hiram, Muhammad Al-Zayat, Nabih Berri,” to evacuate.
There have been 179 airstrikes and shellings recorded in various areas of Lebanon over the past 48 hours, mostly in “the South and Nabatiyeh,” the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office said Monday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Ghazi Balkiz
Israeli lawmakers look to stop UNRWA operations
Israeli lawmakers are set to discuss two bills intended to end all Israeli cooperation with UNRWA — the United Nations agency that provides assistance to Palestinian refugees.
If the bills pass, UNRWA could be evicted from premises it has held for over 70 years and have its immunities revoked, majorly restricting its ability to deliver health care, education and other resources to Palestinians.
An Oct. 13 letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israeli ministers warned that the proposed UNRWA legislation could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and restrict aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israel alleges that UNRWA is compromised by militants, with Israeli intelligence claiming that around 10% of UNRWA’s Gaza workforce — some 1,200 employees — are Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
Israeli operation in Kamal Adwan Hospital concludes, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday it completed its raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip where IDF troops have been waging a major campaign.
The IDF claimed that “a number of terrorists — including Hamas terrorists who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre — had barricaded themselves inside the hospital.”
The IDF said its troops arrested around 100 fighters from within the hospital compound, “including terrorists who attempted to escape during the evacuation of civilians.”
The IDF said it found “weapons, terror funds and intelligence documents” in the hospital and in the surrounding area.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Iran will not back off in the face of Israeli aggression, Iranian president says
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday his country would stand firm following Israel’s attack on Iran.
“Definitely the free people will not back off in the face of this criminal, blood-thirsty regime. We have always defended the rights of our people and will continue to do so,” Pezeshkian told cabinet members, according to The Associated Press.
Earlier, Iranian state TV reported that Pezeshkian said Iran would respond to Israel “appropriately.”
Israel attacked military targets in Iran on Saturday in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles Iran fired on Israel earlier this month, marking the first time the IDF has openly attacked Iran.
Pezeshkian also warned tensions will escalate if Israel’s aggressions and crimes continue.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Iran calls for UN Security Council meeting after Israel’s retaliatory attack
The U.N. Security Council will meet Monday at Iran’s request after Israel’s retaliatory attack against the country, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. confirmed to ABC News.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Israel’s retaliatory attack a “serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a flagrant breach of international law,” in a letter requesting the U.N. Security Council meeting.
The letter from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was sent to the UNSC’s current president and U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.
(WASHINGTON) — With five days until Election Day, Kamala Harris is attacking Donald Trump for saying Wednesday night in Wisconsin that, against his advisers’ advice, he is going to keep saying he will “protect the women” “whether the women like it or not.”
Both candidates continue their whirlwind campaigns in the West.
Harris seizes on Trump’s comment about protecting women ‘whether the women like it not’
Harris seized an opportunity to criticize Trump on abortion after for his comments at his rally Wednesday night in which he said he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.”
“Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body,” Harris posted on X. “Whether you like it or not.”
Harris’ campaign clipped Trump’s comments and edited it into a loop with a split screen of headlines about Trump saying “he could prosecute women for abortions,” “might monitor pregnancies,” and other abortion-related headlines.
More than 59 million Americans have voted early
As of 5:45 a.m. on Thursday, more than 59 million Americans have voted early, according to the Election Lab at the University of Florida.
Of the total number of early votes, 31,018,125 were cast in person and 27,952,363 were returned by mail.
Musk asks for $1 million lottery case to be moved to federal court
In a filing late Wednesday evening, Elon Musk sought to have the lawsuit against his $1 million giveaway moved into federal court, arguing the claims “turn principally on the allegation that defendants are somehow unlawfully interfering with a federal election.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has accused Musk and his America PAC of running an illegal lottery and violating state consumer protection laws.
The filing specifically states “this is not a case” about whether or not Musk violated state or federal laws that prohibit vote buying.
But Musk’s Wednesday filing notes the lawsuit’s repeated references to the upcoming presidential election. That includes Krasner’s claim that Musk and his PAC “hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election.”
“The complaint, in truth, has little to do with state-law claims of nuisance and consumer protection,” Musk’s attorney wrote in his filing.
“Rather, although disguised as state law claims, the complaint’s focus is to prevent defendants’ purported ‘interference’ with the forthcoming federal presidential election by any means.”
The filing argues any order in the case would “require judicial intervention into the progress of an ongoing federal election” — a move they say is not allowed.
The filing comes before a Thursday morning hearing in Philadelphia on the issue.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Harris responds to Trump’s comments on protecting women
Vice President Kamala Harris seized an opportunity to criticize former President Donald Trump on abortion after the Republican presidential nominee told a rally Wednesday night that he would protect women “whether the women like it or not.”
“Donald Trump thinks he should get to make decisions about what you do with your body,” Harris wrote on X. “Whether you like it or not.”
Harris’s campaign clipped Trump’s comments and edited it into a loop with a split screen of headlines about Trump saying “he could prosecute women for abortions,” “might monitor pregnancies” and other abortion-related headlines.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Harris slams Trump after reports he promised RFK Jr. public health role
Vice President Kamala Harris commented late Wednesday night on the promises former President Donald Trump has allegedly made to Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“Putting an anti-abortion conspiracy theorist in charge of our public health agencies says everything you need to know about how Donald Trump would govern,” Harris wrote on X.
“He is more unhinged than ever, and if he wins, he’ll have no one to hold him back.”
Trump said Sunday of RFK Jr.: “I’m going to let him go wild on health, I’m going to let him go wild on the food, I’m going to let him go wild on medicines.”
In response, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said, “No formal decisions about cabinet and personnel have been made, however, President Trump has said he will work alongside passionate voices like RFK Jr. to make America healthy again.”
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Kelsey Walsh, Soo Rin Kim and Lalee Ibssa
Harris woos 1st-time voters during Wisconsin concert series
Vice President Kamala Harris held another get-out-the-vote rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Wednesday, joined by musical stars including Mumford and Sons, The National’s Matt Berninger, Gracie Abrams and Remi Wolf.
Harris applauded the audience — many of whom were young first-time voters — for using their “power.”
“You grew up with active shooter drills, are fighting to keep our schools safe,” Harris said. “You will now know fewer rights than your mothers and grandmothers,” the vice president added.
“What I know about you is these issues are not theoretical,” Harris continued. “This is not political for you. This is your lived experience. And I see you and I see your power. I see your power, and I am so proud of you.”
Harris largely stuck to her usual stump speech, contrasting herself to former President Donald Trump by pledging that as president she won’t be looking to “score political points,” but to “make progress.”
-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow and Will McDuffie
‘Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them,’ Trump says during rally
Following his press conference in a garbage truck, former President Donald Trump held a rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin – still opting to sport his new orange safety vest.
He stuck to his stump speech heavily focused on immigration and the economy, he also made an appeal to women repeating he will be their “protector.”
Trump suggested that his campaign advised him to not say he’ll protect women, but he disagreed.
“We think it’s very inappropriate for you to say,” Trump said his campaign told him.
“I said, ‘Why, I’m president. I want to protect the women of our country.’ They said, ‘Sir, I just think it’s inappropriate for you to say,'” Trump explained.
“Well, I’m going to do it. Whether the women like it or not, I’m going to protect them,” Trump told the crowd. “I’m going to protect them from migrants coming in. I’m going to protect them from foreign countries that want to hit it, hit us with missiles and lots of other things.”
“I’m going to defend and I’m going to protect women. I’m not going to let people go up to the suburbs or go into places where they live, whether it’s suburbs or cities or farms. We’re going to protect our women, at the border, we’re going to protect our women, and also we’re going to protect our men and our children. We’re going to protect everybody.”
Trump then asked the crowd: “Is there any woman in this giant stadium who would like not to be protected? Is there any woman in this stadium that wants to be protected by the president?”
The moment was met with a large applause.
‘We all want the war in Gaza to end,’ Harris responds to ‘cease-fire now’ chants
A few chants of “cease-fire now” broke out as Vice President Kamala Harris took the stage during a rally at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Wednesday night.
“Listen, we all want the war in Gaza to end and get the hostages out as soon as possible,” Harris said in response to the chanting. “And I will do everything in my power to make it heard and known.”
As the chants continued, she said, “And everyone has a right to be heard. But right now I am speaking.” The remark garnered loud cheers.
The event was billed as a “Get Out the Vote” rally and took place at the University of Wisconsin-Madison featuring performances by Gracie Abrams and Mumford & Sons.
With less than a week before Election Day, Harris is taking her “closing argument” to voters on the road after a big speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night. (Pro-Palestinian protesters were also escorted out of that speech)
Harris’ remarks in Wisconsin lasted about 25 minutes. In them, she did not address President Joe Biden’s controversial comments Tuesday that seemed to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage.”
Trump’s final campaign stop ahead of Election Day scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids: Sources
Former President Donald Trump’s final campaign stop of the 2024 election is scheduled to take place in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Monday, Nov. 4, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Grand Rapids was where Trump concluded his 2020 campaign and 2016 campaign as well.
In addition to Grand Rapids, he’s expected to make multiple campaign stops in battleground states on the eve of the Election Day, including in Pennsylvania.
-ABC News’ Soo Rin Kim, Kelsey Walsh and Lalee Ibssa
Trump rides to WI campaign stop in garbage truck
Days after a comedian labeled Puerto Rico a “pile of garbage” at Donald Trump’s MSG rally, the former president rode to a Green Bay, Wisconsin, rally in a Trump-marked garbage truck Wednesday.
Trump continued to bash President Joe Biden’s response to the controversial moment from the MSG rally in which he said that Trump’s supporters were garbage.
Biden clarified his comments and Vice President Kalama Harris told reporters, “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
Trump, however, told reporters while riding in the garbage truck that “250 million people are not garbage.”
“I can tell you who the real garbage is but I will not say that,” he continued.
Trump falsely claimed there was corruption in Pennsylvania.
Later pressed if he would accept election results if there’s no evidence of fraud, Trump reiterated claims about Pennsylvania, and then said, “If they find no evidence of cheating anywhere, I’ll accept it.”
Pressed on a potential role Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could play in his administration, Trump vaguely said he would work with him but while not confirming that he’d be given the top Health and Human Services job.
“We’ll work with him, and he’s a very talented guy. He wants women’s health. He wants health for people, and we’re going to work with him. He’s a very, very talented guy,” Trump said.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Kelsey Walsh and Soo Rin Kim
Philly hearing on Musk lawsuit moved up to Thursday
The judge overseeing the lawsuit against Elon Musk and his $1 million dollar giveaway to registered voters who sign a petition supporting the First and Second amendments has moved up a hearing in the case to Thursday at 10 a.m., bumping it up from Friday, according to a new order.
The order from Judge Angelo Foglietta states that “all parties must be present.”
Earlier Wednesday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner asked the court to “enhance its security” for the hearing.
Krasner said Musk’s post about the case on X has “triggered an avalanche of posts.” including “antisemitic attacks” against the prosecutor.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Thank you cookies to NC election workers prompts hazmat response
A thank you present of pineapple-shaped cookies delivered to the Wake County Board of Elections in North Carolina prompted a hazmat response on Tuesday after election workers raised concerns about a suspicious package mailed from Hawaii.
“We are just on high alert with these things automatically,” said Wake County elections specialist Danner McCulloh, who cited recent incidents of suspicious packages containing powder sent to election offices across the country.
The Raleigh Police and Fire Departments quickly responded to the incident and bomb technicians x-rayed the package, according to Lt. Jason Borneo of the Raleigh Police Department.
After the package was deemed to not be a threat, emergency responders opened the package to learn it was full of cookies shipped from the Honolulu Cookie Company. The operations at Wake County Board of Elections were not impacted during the incident, a county spokesperson said.
According to McCulloh, a person who heard a radio story about Wake County decided to send the cookies unannounced to thank election workers.
“It was a kind gesture,” McCulloh said, though he recommended against others sending cookies to his office.
-ABC News’ Peter Charalambous
Harris brings her closing argument to Pennsylvania: ‘Turn the page’
Harris brought her “closing argument” to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Wednesday, highlighting what she said is a clear contrast between her and Trump, and encouraging voters to cast their ballots in the election’s final days.
“We know we have an opportunity in this election to turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other. That is who he is. But Pennsylvania, that is not who we are,” Harris said, swapping out “America” for “Pennsylvania” from her speech at the Ellipse the night before.
Harris was interrupted several times by pro-Palestinian protesters.
“We are six days out of an election. We are six days away from an election. And ours is about a fight for democracy. And your right to be heard. That is what is on the line in this election. That is what is on the line in this election,” Harris said as she was being jeered by a protestor holding up a large Palestinian flag.
“Look, everybody has a right to be heard. But right now, I am speaking. And one of the biggest issues that folks around the country want to talk about and hear is about how we are going to bring down the price of living for working people,” she said.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Will McDuffie
Voters, Dems ask Supreme Court to reject RNC appeal of Pennsylvania ballot case
Two Pennsylvania voters and the state’s Democratic Party asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday to reject a Republican request to block counting of provisional in-person ballots cast by people whose mail-in ballots were not put into a required security envelope.
The Democrats argued the Pennsylvania Supreme Court delivered a “straightforward” decision that state law permits voters whose mail ballots were not counted to “exercise their statutory right to vote provisionally rather than be disenfranchised altogether.”
The party contends that the RNC has no standing to bring a challenge in the case because it involves two ballots from the 2024 Democratic primary in which the Republican Party could not have been “injured.”
They also argued that the so-called Purcell principle — of nonintervention by courts close to a voting period — does not apply to state courts.
The Democrats also said the Republicans’ request for segregation and non-counting of provisional ballots would be a “sweeping” intervention and imposition on county boards of election which are not even parties to the case.
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer‘It’s invaded our home,’ PA nuns swept up in misinformation campaign
‘It’s invaded our home,’ PA nuns swept up in misinformation campaign
A nun in Pennsylvania who was swept up in a misinformation campaign boosted by a Republican activist said she’s praying to be left alone.
Cliff Maloney, who runs a door-knocking organization, claimed in an X post one of his staffers visited an address in Erie, Pennsylvania, last week and was told none of the 53 registered voters who used that address actually lived there.
However, the address is home to 55 resident nuns of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie. All but two of the nuns are registered to vote.
“It’s invaded our home, if you want to describe it that way,” Sister Stephanie Schmidt, the prioress, told ABC News.
Maloney also posted the names and political affiliations of each nun on his X account, something Schmidt said made her empathize with countless other Americans caught up in misinformation on social media.
“It was very concerning, because this was a blatant lie, putting out to the public information that was just wrong,” she said.
“This campaign is filled with so much deceit, so much misinformation, and we have to wake people up, which is another reason why we’re going public with this, to alert people to not believe everything you read,” Schmidt added.
Maloney has not responded to repeated requests to answer questions from ABC News.
He later posted an update claiming his team was “analyzing” the new information about the nuns’ residence and said, “Once we have proof, we will be content.”
Schmidt says one of the things she’s praying for most is for this misinformation to leave them alone.
-ABC News’ Jay O’Brien
Trump slams Biden over ‘garbage’ comments, calls opponents ‘lowlifes’
Trump again responded to President Joe Biden’s Tuesday comments in which he appeared to refer to Trump supporters as “garbage.”
During his rally in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Wednesday, the former president claimed, “Joe Biden finally said what he and Kamala really think of our supporters. He called them ‘garbage.’ And they mean it.”
“Frankly, they’ve treated you like garbage,” Trump added.
Although Biden later clarified his comments, in which he was responding to the derogatory comments about Puerto Rico made during Trump’s New York rally on Sunday, Trump labeled his opponents as “lowlifes” and claimed the current administration has “virtually destroyed” America.
“Kamala Harris, a low-IQ individual, is running a campaign of hate, anger and retribution. See, I’m very nice to them. They’re not nice,” he said.
Trump responded to a supporter who shouted, “She’s an idiot!” referring to Harris, sarcastically saying, “I didn’t say it. I didn’t say it. In fact, I’d like to admonish you, sir. You should not say that, please.”
Although Trump disavowed the supporter, his body language told a different story as he stood on stage laughing.
-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Lalee Ibssa and Soorin Kim
Michigan authorities charge ‘non-US citizen’ with illegal voting
Authorities in Michigan charged an unidentified non-U.S. citizen with allegedly illegally registering to vote and casting a ballot.
More specific details about the case, which took place in Ann Arbor on Sunday, were not immediately available.
The case was referred to law enforcement by a clerk, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit.
“We are grateful for the swift action of the clerk in this case, who took the appropriate steps and referred the case to law enforcement. We are also grateful to law enforcement for swiftly and thoroughly investigating this case,” they said in a joint statement.
“Noncitizen voting is an extremely isolated and rare event. Investigations in multiple states and nationwide have found no evidence of large numbers of noncitizens registering to vote. Even less common is a noncitizen actually casting a ballot,” they added.
-ABC News’ Mike Levine
Nicky Jam walks back Trump endorsement following MSG rally
Last month, Reggaeton music artist Nicky Jam, who is half Puerto Rican, stood on stage with a MAGA hat and endorsed Trump in Las Vegas.
On Wednesday, he announced he was rescinding that endorsement, citing the offensive comments about Puerto Rico made at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
In an Instagram video to his 43 million fans, Nicky Jam told his fans in Spanish he couldn’t overlook the inflammatory language in recent days.
“The reason why I supported Donald Trump was because I thought it was the best thing for the economy in the United States, where many Latinos live … I thought it was the best move. Never in my life did I think that a month later a comedian was going to come to criticize my country and talk bad about my country and therefore, I renounce any support to Donald Trump and I throw my sides to any political situation,” he said.
During the Vegas rally, Trump thought Nicky Jam was a woman and said, “She’s hot,” before bringing him on stage.
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh
Judge grants Trump campaign request to extend early voting deadline for PA county
A Pennsylvania judge swiftly granted a request from the Trump campaign to extend the in-person mail-in-ballot deadline in Bucks County by three days — extending it to the end of the day on Friday.
The campaign had asked for one-day extension.
In his one-page order, Judge Jeffrey Trauger wrote that the county violated the Pennsylvania Election Code after “turning away voters who sought to apply for a mail-in ballot and receive one in person before the deadline.”
He ordered the county to allow anyone who wishes to “apply for, receive, vote, and return a mail-in ballot” to be able to do so before the close of business on Friday.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Philly DA asks for more security for Elon Musk hearing
DA Larry Krasner said in a new court filing Musk’s post about the case on X has “triggered an avalanche of posts.” including “antisemitic attacks” against the prosecutor.
One account was “inviting political violence” and posted Krasner’s home address, according to the filing.
“These posts, which unquestionable are criminal…. and remain posted on Musk’s X website today,” the filing states.
Another post read “Krasner loves visitors. Mask up and leave all cellphones at home,” according to the filing.
“The directives to ‘mask up’ and to ‘leave all cellphones at home’ are to prevent identification of illegal actors by video, by eyewitnesses, and by cellphone geolocation,” the filing states.
Representatives for Musk did not immediately respond to ABC News for comment.
The hearing in the case is set for Friday at 10am.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Harris stresses unity in Raleigh speech
Vice President Kamala Harris held her first of three Wednesday rallies in Raleigh, hammering a message of unity.
Harris encouraged North Carolinians to take advantage of early voting, which ends Saturday in the state.
“We have just six days left in one of the most consequential elections of our lifetime, and we have work to do,” she said.
“It is time for a new chapter where we stop … pointing fingers at each other and instead let us lock arms with one another, knowing we have so much more in common than what separates us,” she said.
When a protestor began shouting, Harris spoke about bringing people with opposing views into her tent.
“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy. He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table, and I pledge to be a president for all Americans and to always put Americans before myself,” she said.
Harris also gave a shoutout to Gen-Z supporters.
“I see the promise of America in all the young leaders who are voting for the first time,” she said.
-ABC News’ Will McDuffie, Cheyenne Haslett, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow
Trump campaign sues Pennsylvania county
The Trump campaign sued Pennsylvania’s Bucks County Board of Elections and others Tuesday night over claims the county “turned away voters,” according to a filing in the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.
The campaign filed a writ of summons, which contained no allegations or specific claims.
A spokesperson for Bucks County told ABC News in a statement Tuesday evening that the county “has been made aware that litigation may be filed tomorrow. We have no comment at this time.”
Lawyers for the county entered an appearance on Wednesday, according to the docket.
The county was previously accused of “suppressive and intimidating” tactics, including claiming voters were turned away and lines were closed early.
However, the county pushed back on any suggestion that what occurred in Bucks County amounts to intentional voter suppression.
“Contrary to what is being depicted on social media, if you are in line by 5 p.m. for an on-demand mail-in ballot application, you will have the opportunity to submit your application for a mail-in ballot,” the county said in a statement.
The county did acknowledge that there was indeed some “miscommunication” from officials on site.
Those in line applying for on-demand ballots were “briefly told they could not be accommodated,” the county said, but added that those individuals were ultimately allowed to submit their applications, according to officials.
In a post on X, the secretary of state’s office echoed that sentiment, asking for voters to “be patient.”
“Earlier today, we spoke with Bucks County election officials who assured us that every registered voter who goes to their county election office by 5 p.m. today will be provided an opportunity to apply for their mail ballot,” the post said. “Please be patient with all county election office staff as they work hard to ensure every registered voter is able to vote in this election,” he said.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Supreme Court allows Virginia to purge 1,600 voters
The U.S. Supreme Court is allowing Virginia to move forward with its purge of 1,600 alleged noncitizens from the voter rolls ahead of Election Day.
The conservative majority’s decision — which was not explained — reverses rulings by a federal district court judge and a unanimous appeals court panel.
Both had said that Virginia’s purge, initiated by an executive order from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, violated federal law prohibiting the “systematic” removal of voters from registration lists within 90-days of an election.
The Supreme Court’s decision suggests that the justices acted either under the Purcell principle — to keep federal courts from intervening in state election administration too close to voting — or under the belief that Virginia had compellingly argued that the federal law’s “quiet period” didn’t apply here.
The state advanced the idea that noncitizens — who were never “eligible” to vote in the first place — can be removed at any time. It also emphasized in court briefs that anyone erroneously removed as an alleged noncitizen is given two opportunities to correct his or her registration status.
The three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson — indicated they would have kept the purge on hold.
Noncitizen voters are already prohibited from registering to vote for federal and state elections.
The Virginia voters who were purged, however, can still have a chance to vote if they use Virginia’s same-day registration option at the polls.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares tweeted on Wednesday “I am pleased to announce that the US Supreme Court granted Virginia’s emergency stay to keep noncitizens off our voter rolls.”
Damon Hewitt, the president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law which led the efforts in Virginia, blasted the decision.
“None of this activity is random. It’s all highly orchestrated, but it’s also orchestrated with a purpose,” he said in a statement,
-ABC News’ Devin Dwyer and Beatrice Peterson
Arnold Schwarzenegger, former GOP governor, endorses Harris
Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he was going to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The Terminator” actor and longtime Republican said in lengthy X post that he didn’t like either party now given the divisions and lack of progress from leaders in Washington, D.C.
However, Schwarzenegger said he was “furious” over Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election, anti-immigrant rhetoric, economic policies and actions on Jan. 6.
“We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won’t do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger,” he said.
“That’s enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you. I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz,” he said.
Will Nikki Haley campaign for Trump?
Nikki Haley recently said she is ready to campaign for Trump, despite not talking to him since June.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, when asked about whether Haley will make an appearance, said Tuesday he would “love” to see her on the trail, but said it was up to her schedule.
Haley was Trump’s last major challenger in the Republican primary. Despite hitting him hard in the final weeks of her campaign, she later endorsed him at the Republican National Convention.
And she’s continued some criticism of his campaign strategy. During an appearance on Fox News, she said the racist remark about Puerto Rico by a comedian at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally was “harmful” and that the campaign “need[s] to go and tell Puerto Ricans how much, you know, they do value them.”
She also said the Trump team had to improve its messaging to women.
“I mean, that this bromance and this masculinity stuff,” she said. “I mean, it borders on edgy to the point that it’s going to make women uncomfortable. You know, you’ve got affiliated PACs that are doing commercials about calling Kamala the ‘C-word,’ or you had speakers at Madison Square Garden, you know, referring to her and her pimps.”
“That is not the way to win women. That is not the way to win people who are concerned about Trump style,” Haley added.
Harris responds to Biden’s ‘garbage’ comments
On the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews about to depart for a day of campaigning, Harris was asked about President Joe Biden’s “garbage” comment seeming to refer to Trump supporters. The White House and Biden have said he was specifically referring to the racist remarks made by some speakers at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally.
“Listen I think that first of all, he clarified his comments,” Harris said. “But let me be clear, I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”
“You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career, I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people, whether they support me or not,” she said. “And as president of the United States, I will be a president for all Americans, whether you vote for me or not.”
Trump escalates baseless rhetoric on Pennsylvania’s election system
It’s a state that could tip the result of the 2024 election.
And Trump is ramping up rhetoric sowing doubt on the state’s voting process.
In a post on his social media site on Wednesday morning, Trump claimed there’s “cheating” happening at “large scale levels.” He did not elaborate or provide evidence for his claims.
Some isolated incidents have emerged, including approximately 2,500 potentially fraudulent voter registration applications being investigated in Lancaster County, though officials stressed the system worked and that voters can be confident in the election.
-ABC News’ Soorin Kim and Olivia Rubin
Harris hits the road with her closing pitch
Harris will take her closing argument to voters on the road after a big speech at the Ellipse in Washington on Tuesday night. She holds a 12:30 p.m. ET rally in North Carolina, a 4:35 ET event in Pennsylvania and a 9:30 p.m. ET rally in Wisconsin.
Trump will also be in North Carolina for a 1 p.m. ET rally before a 7 p.m. ET rally in Wisconsin.
Looming large over the campaign trail are President Joe Biden’s comments from a Vote Latino campaign call Tuesday night. His wording angered Republicans, who saw him as referring to the supporters of Trump as “garbage.” The White House and Biden himself, seeking to clarify the remark, argued he was referring to the racist rhetoric made by a speaker at Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday.
