A top adviser on the Kamala Harris campaign, David Plouffe, called for Donald Trump and "his kind" to be eliminated in a resurfaced tweet.
"It is not enough to simply beat Trump. He must be destroyed thoroughly. His kind must not rise again," Plouffe wrote.
The statement has come under fresh scrutiny after the second attempt to kill Trump in a matter of months.
The Trump campaign drew attention to the post, writing, “This guy is now a top official on Kamala Harris’ campaign."
A gunman targeted Trump at his Florida golf club on Sunday, just weeks after Trump narrowly survived assassination at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
The gunman in the first attempt, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed at the scene, and the FBI has described his motive as unclear.
The suspect in the latest would-be assassination, Ryan Routh, has donated "exclusively" to Democrats since 2019 and his truck has a Biden-Harris bumper sticker, the New York Post reported. On social media, he has echoed liberal rhetoric characterizing Trump as a threat to democracy.
Kamala Harris blamed Trump for "the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War" during their debate on ABC News, which aired days before Routh attempted to ambush Trump.
Trump has blamed the incendiary rhetoric of Democrats including Harris for inspiring the second attempt on his life in a matter of weeks.
"Because of this Communist Left Rhetoric, the bullets are flying, and it will only get worse!" Trump wrote in a post on X.
Politicians agreed to temper their rhetoric after Trump was blooded in Butler, Pennsylvania, but whatever goodwill came out of that shocking episode has since dissipated.
In fact, some Democrats have mocked Trump over the latest threat to his life while suggesting he brought it on himself.
Rachel Vindman, the wife of former Trump impeachment witness Alexander Vindman, joked that "no ears were harmed" in Sunday's attempt.
Senator Chris Murphy (D), of Connecticut, called the latest plot to kill Trump "heartbreaking" but added that Trump has "done more to inspire and endorse political violence" than anyone.
It's ok to admit these two things are both true at the same time:
1. It's heartbreaking and unacceptable that Donald Trump was once again the target of political violence.
2. No leader has done more to inspire and endorse political violence than Donald Trump.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) September 17, 2024
Just hours after Trump cheated death a second time, Hillary Clinton said he is a "danger to our country and the world."
Tito Jackson, one of the original members of iconic Motown band The Jackson 5 and the brother of pop legend Michael Jackson, has died. He was 70.
Tito died of a heart attack Sunday while driving from New Mexico to Oklahoma, former Jackson family manager Steve Manning told Entertainment Tonight.
Tito's death was reported by his sons Taj, Taryll, and TJ.
"It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that our beloved father, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Tito Jackson is no longer with us. We are shocked, saddened and heartbroken. Our father was an incredible man who cared about everyone and their well-being," they wrote on Instagram.
"Some of you may know him as Tito Jackson from the legendary Jackson 5, some may know him as 'Coach Tito' or some know him as 'Poppa T.' Nevertheless, he will be missed tremendously. It will forever be 'Tito Time' for us. Please remember to do what our father always preached and that is 'Love One Another.' We love you Pops."
Hailing from Gary, Indiana, the Jackson Five had a string of hits in the late 60s and early 70s, including "ABC,", "I Want You Back," and "I'll Be There."
Tito was a background singer and guitar player in the family group, which was formed in the 1960s by Joe Jackson, a father of ten. Tito was the third child in the family and one of the original three band members, along with Jermaine and Jackie.
The band became the Jackson 5 in 1966 with the addition of Michael and Marlon.
In 1997, Tito was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame along with the other Jackson 5 members.
Tito went on to a solo career, releasing two studio albums "Tito Time” in 2016 and “Under Your Spell” in 2021.
Tito was still performing shows with brothers Jackie and Marlon at time of his death. While touring Europe this month, Tito paid tribute to his late brother Michael, who died in 2009 at age 50.
“Before our show in Munich, my brothers Jackie, Marlon, and I, visited the beautiful memorial dedicated to our beloved brother, Michael Jackson,” Tito wrote on Facebook on September 11.
“We’re deeply grateful for this special place that honors not only his memory but also our shared legacy. Thank you for keeping his spirit alive.”
Jackson had upcoming shows in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Oct. 25 and in Cincinnati, Ohio, on Nov. 1.
Tito is survived by brothers Jermaine, Randy, Marlon and Jackie, his sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya and their mother, Katherine. Joe Jackson died in 2018.
The state of Indiana made a massive, historic announcement this week after it revealed that it set a date for the first execution in the state in 15 years.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the last execution in the state took place in 2009, stats from the Death Penalty Information Center indicated.
The last person executed in the state was Matthew Wrinkles, who was executed for "murdering his wife, her brother and sister-in-law."
The pause wasn't regarding politics like it is in other states, rather, it was because of a shortage of the ingredients required for such procedures.
The governor announced that the newly scheduled execution was due to the new availability of the lethal cocktail required to perform an execution.
The outlet reported:
Gov. Eric Holcomb said in June that the state Department of Correction had acquired the sedative pentobarbital, a drug multiple states use in lethal injections, and asked the Supreme Court to set a date for Corcoran's execution.
Joseph Corcoran, who was convicted "in July 1997 killings of his brother, James Corcoran; 30-year-old Douglas A. Stillwell; 32-year-old Robert Scott Turner; and 30-year-old Timothy Bricker," is scheduled for execution for Dec. 18, before sunrise.
Indiana Supreme Court sets Dec. 18 execution date for Joseph Corcoran https://t.co/LUjOjbgKKa via @INCapChronicle
— Karine Omry (@KarineOmry) September 12, 2024
Corcoran has been on death row since 1999, and his appeals options ran out in 2016, which eventually set his fate for a death row execution.
The outlet added:
He had argued that the execution would be unconstitutional because he suffers from a mental illness and that the state had failed to disclose its execution protocol.
The availability of the lethal injection was just announced earlier this year by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
"After years, the Indiana Department of Correction has acquired a drug - pentobarbital – which can be used to carry out executions. Accordingly, I am fulfilling my duties to follow the law and seek an execution date for convicted murderer Joseph Corcoran," Holcomb wrote on X.
His announcement generated a response on X from both anti-death penalty people and those who support the death penalty.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. We Hoosiers have been toting his bill long enough," one X user wrote at the time.
President Joe Biden's Department of Justice has taken mountains of criticism over its seeming weaponization of the system against the other side of the aisle, particularly against former President Donald Trump.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland has, on multiple occasions, suggested that the DOJ is nothing less than "impartial," but many, including GOP lawmakers, do not believe that's the case.
Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney strongly disagreed with Garland's insistence that the Justice Department is impartial, calling him a "dirty cop."
"Don't let anybody think anything otherwise. That's why they're doing all these press conferences," Tenney said on the Friday edition of the "Just the News, No Noise" TV show.
Tenney's criticism came in the wake of Garland's speech last week during which he insisted that the Justice Department has not been weaponized against anyone, as many critics have claimed.
"Our norms are a promise that we will fiercely protect the independence of this Department from political interference in our criminal investigations. Our norms are a promise that we will not allow this Department to be used as a political weapon,” Garland said during his speech.
However, numerous Republicans believe the DOJ has been especially protective of Hunter Biden during the multiple investigations into his activities and criminal past.
Tenney, in her criticism, pointed to severa specific examples of obvious weaponization of the DOJ against certain people, and instances where it protected others of certain political stripes.
"There was a woman named Lesley Wolf who also was a part of that case, who made sure they [the DOJ] didn't go and investigate a storage unit where it was revealed that Hunter Biden had evidence stored," Tenney said.
Users across social media had their own opinions regarding the DOJ's seeming protection over Hunter Biden.
"She is correct…Thank God he wasn’t approved for the Supreme Court," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Garland is to Biden/Harris as Hermann Göring was to Hitler, His enforcer."
Barron Trump was accompanied by Secret Service agents at New York University's campus as he began his first day of college.
The security detail serves as a reminder of Barron's notoriety and the constant threats facing his politically involved family.
Barron's father was almost killed by a gunman at a campaign rally in July, and the Secret Service has faced backlash over the massive security failures that led to the shooting.
It is expected that Barron will commute to school from Trump Tower, which is located nearby in Midtown Manhattan.
The 18-year-old is attending the highly selective Stern Business School in Greenwich Village, which has a 1-in-20 acceptance rate.
The only son of Donald and Melania Trump is certain to have a unique educational experience, as his first day of school made clear.
Barron entered campus surrounded by bodyguards - as he met with the school's dean, who once signed a faculty letter declaring Barron's father a "threat" to the nation. 21 Stern faculty members endorsed the letter including interim dean J.P. Eggers.
After the assassination attempt on Barron's father, many blamed dehumanizing rhetoric characterizing President Trump as a would-be dictator. In the weeks since the shooting, Democrats have gradually returned to their incendiary political rhetoric.
President Trump has often lamented the impact of his political career on his family and their safety. A woman was arrested last year for stalking Barron and threatening to kill him while he was a student at the Oxbridge Academy.
Barron bears a striking resemblance to his father, who has spoken proudly of his son's talents and accomplishments.
There has been intense public speculation over Barron's plans for the future, and whether he will follow his father into politics.
President Trump, who went to University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, recently shared that Barron would be attending Stern.
"He was accepted to a lot of colleges," Trump told the Daily Mail. "He's a very smart guy, and he'll be going to Stern, the business school, which is a great school at N.Y.U."
President Trump has credited his son with connecting him to popular podcasters and live streamers like Adin Ross, as Trump courts young voters ahead of the presidential election.
"He knows so much about it," Trump said.
"Adin Ross, you know, I mean, I do some people that I wasn't so familiar with, different generation. He knows every one of them. And we've had tremendous success."
Singer Frankie Beverly, who led the funk and soul group Maze, has died. He was 77.
Known for his smooth vocals on songs like "Joy and Pain,” “Love is the Key,” and “Southern Girl," Beverly was a big influence on R&B music.
It was Marvin Gaye who put Maze on the map in the early 1970s, helping them release their first album in 1977.
From 1977 to 1993, Maze had nine gold albums, but the band had longevity as a cult sensation.
Beverly was still performing for live audiences as recently as July, when he finished his farewell tour in his native Philadelphia.
His family confirmed his death in a statement.
"During this time, as we are navigating feelings of sorrow, reflection, and remembrance we kindly ask for privacy and understanding, allowing us the space to grieve in our own way," the post said. "This period for is one of healing, and your respect for our need for solitude is appreciated as we honor the memory of our beloved Howard Stanley Beverly known to the world as Frankie Beverly."
"He lived his life with pure soul as one would say, and for us, no one did it better. He lived for his music, family and friends," the post continued. "Love one another as he would want that for us all.”
One of Beverly's fans is Beyonce, who covered his hit "Before I Let Go" in 2019.
"Thank you Frankie Beverly for bringing us all together with your music. You’ve written some of the most inspiring and uplifting songs for the world to enjoy. With your lyrics, you have humanized our experiences, through joy and pain. Thank you for teaching us about the importance of community, family, and togetherness. We will never forget you. May you rest in power," she said.
Beverly sometimes expressed regret at not achieving more notoriety, but he also savored the group's special place in music.
"I wish more people did know who I was, but if it’s at the expense of me giving up this thing we have, then I just have to wait until they find out,” he told the Baltimore Sun in 1994.
"’Cause whatever we have, whatever this thing is that we seem to have a part of, it’s a cult kind of thing.”
Democrats are once again demanding Clarence Thomas recuse himself from Supreme Court cases over his wife Ginni's political ties.
Senate Judiciary chairman Dick Durbin called on Thomas to recuse himself from any cases involving a religious liberty group, First Liberty Institute, after his wife reportedly praised the organization for opposing Supreme Court reform.
For months, Democrats have pushed for sweeping reforms at the conservative Supreme Court, including a code of ethics and term limits. Republicans have dismissed the criticism as politically motivated.
The push for reform was initially fueled by reports of Justice Thomas accepting undisclosed gifts from conservative billionaires.
Ginni Thomas recently praised First Liberty Institute for opposing the reform push, according to ProPublica. The outlet claimed to obtain a recording of First Liberty CEO Kelly Shackelford reading aloud an email from Thomas.
"YOU GUYS HAVE FILLED THE SAILS OF MANY JUDGES. CAN I JUST TELL YOU, THANK YOU SO, SO, SO MUCH," Thomas reportedly wrote.
First Liberty has won religious liberty cases at the Supreme Court, including a controversy last year on a Christian postal worker's right to observe the Sabbath.
Senator Durbin called Ginni Thomas' praise of First Liberty Institute "deeply problematic."
“The reported comments by Ginni Thomas are deeply problematic,” Durbin said. “She’s testified before Congress that she and Justice Thomas do not discuss each other’s work. That defense now rings hollow. Whether she’s inflating her knowledge of judges’ views on ethics reform or telling the truth, her apparent comments on behalf of judicial officers create a clear appearance of impropriety for Justice Thomas. He must recuse himself from any case involving First Liberty Institute.”
This is not the first time Democrats have demanded Thomas' recusal over his wife's political activities.
Thomas refused to step aside from January 6th cases over his wife's role in advocating peacefully for President Trump after the 2020 election. Thomas attended Trump's "Stop the Steal" rally on January 6th, 2021, but left before violence broke out at the Capitol.
It's not unheard of for federal judges to speak with political groups that have business before the court. Ruth Bader Ginsburg never recused herself from cases involving the American Civil Liberties Union, law professor Josh Blackman noted in a recent article.
What's happening now is that Democrats are devising a new standard to attack the Supreme Court's conservatives and their spouses. Really sickening.
The Kamala Harris campaign is worried about her performance at Tuesday night's high-stakes debate with Donald Trump, after ABC News rejected her team's request to have microphones unmuted.
The Harris team is "scrambling to rewrite their playbook" at the 11th hour, Politico reported, as Democrats express concern that the debate parameters will work against the vice president.
Aides complain the rules have "handcuffed" Harris, a former prosecutor, who was planning to "object, fact-check and directly question" Trump as if they were in court.
"Trump’s worst moments in the debates are when he gets upset and snaps,” an aide to Harris in her 2020 presidential campaign said anonymously. “And they have neutered that.”
During her 2020 debate with former vice president Mike Pence, Harris memorably scolded her opponent for interrupting, telling Pence repeatedly, "I'm speaking."
With microphones muted, there will be limited crosstalk, and a greater risk that Harris gives one of her infamous "word salad" responses.
The Harris campaign believes she is inheriting a burden from Biden, who negotiated the microphone rules with Trump.
The rules backfired on Biden, who gave a disastrous debate performance in which he labored through incoherent answers. Biden ultimately was forced to suspend his campaign in July.
"It was a bad set of rules for someone who needed to be protected, who never should’ve been on the debate stage,” a national Democratic strategist said. “And now they’re stuck with it.”
Harris has spent days intensively preparing to face Trump, an experienced and unpredictable debater. Democrats have expressed worry ahead of the high-stakes event, which could tip the scales in an extremely close race.
"People are extremely anxious about her performance,” Ray Zaccaro, a Democratic strategist and former Senate aide, told The Hill. “There’s a sense of real caution about expectations on her performance.”
The latest polling has been sobering for Harris, who spent much of the summer riding a wave of positive press coverage. A New York Times/Siena College poll released Sunday showed Trump narrowly taking the lead.
Harris' aversion to scrutiny may has raised the stakes of the debate, leading some to label it a "make-or-break" moment for her.
"I don’t think I’ve ever seen a candidate with more weight on a given moment than this candidate will have at the debate Tuesday,” he added.
After months out of the public eye, Melania Trump is becoming more vocal in support of her husband's presidential campaign.
In her most forceful show of support yet, Melania condemned attempts to "silence" her husband, who has faced multiple politically motivated criminal prosecutions.
In a promotional video for her upcoming memoir, Melania lamented the impact of the Biden presidency on the economy, foreign policy, and the First Amendment.
"The 2020 election results changed our lives forever. It impacted our quality of life, cost of food, gasoline, safety, and even the geopolitical landscape," Melania said.
"America is more divided today than ever before. It has become increasingly apparent that there are significant challenges to free speech. I was demonstrated by the efforts to silence my husband," she added.
The statement comes after Melania took a swipe at lies about her in the media in an initial teaser for her first-ever memoir, Melania.
The unfairly maligned former First Lady blasted "misrepresentations" about her that have long circulated in the Trump-bashing press.
"Writing this memoir has been a deeply personal and reflective journey for me," she said in a short black-and-white video.
The former first lady added, "As a private person who has often been the subject of public scrutiny and misrepresentation, I feel a responsibility to clarify the facts. I believe it is important to share my perspective: the truth."
Melania showed solidarity with her husband after he survived an assassination attempt in July. She condemned the shooter as a "monster" in a poignant letter and appeared at the Republican National Convention, although she did not give a speech at the event.
The former First Lady is known to value privacy and isn't one for the political circus. She did not appear at her husband's bogus "hush money" trial in the spring, which ended with Trump's conviction for "falsifying business records" under a novel prosecution theory.
The judge in the case, Juan Merchan, has refused to lift a gag order despite the trial being over. Trump's electoral opponent, Kamala Harris, has repeatedly used the conviction to attack Trump on the campaign trail.
Trump's sentencing has been delayed until after the presidential election, and his remaining criminal case have been stalled or dropped.
As with any high-level campaign, leaks from within are inevitable, even with President Donald Trump's well-oiled campaigning machine.
According to reports, someone within the campaign recently leaked a memo about leaking information to the press, proving that leakers are a given in this day and age of anonymity and multiple methods to stay incognito.
Top campaign managers reportedly sent out the leaked memo regarding leaking to the rest of the crew.
The memo stressed that so far, most leaks had been prevented, and warned that nobody should be talking to the press at this point without express permission.
Trump co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles issued the memo earlier this week, even threatening termination should someone be caught leaking to the press.
"You should not be independently speaking or communicating with any members of the press—on or off the record," the co-campaign managers wrote.
"We have done a great job at preventing leaks," they added.
A leaked memo from Trump campaign Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles warns staffers on no uncertain terms not to make unauthorized contact with the press in any way, or face termination. The memo continued, declaring that they've "done a great job of "preventing leaks" (LOL), and… pic.twitter.com/JDrbQDPc0F
— JV3MJD (@JV3MJD) September 5, 2024
They stressed to staffers that the press isn't their friend, and that they're not concerned over whether or not leaked information could cost the campaign staffers their jobs.
"And that has been because everyone knows what the policy is and what we expect from everyone. Information is power—and the press doesn’t give a damn if you lose your job because you spoke out of school."
The leaked memo regarding leaking unfortunately caught the attention of Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign. Ammar Moussa, the Harris' campaign's rapid response director, offered his take on the situation.
"We’re at the leaks about leaks part of the Trump campaign! We’ve all seen this movie before," they wrote on X.
Some journalists, including Tara Palmeri of Puck News, suggested that the memo could mean a "hot story" from the Trump campaign is in the works.
"NEW leak: Trump's co-campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles warn staff in internal email to stop talking to the press less than an hour ago, with the threat of termination. There must be a hot story in the works..." she wrote.