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As highly-trained, knowledgeable travel experts, we have one objective — to create, design and implement a travel experience for you that will meet and exceed your every expectation. The world is waiting and we're here to help you explore it. To view all Travel Advisor profiles, click here . 

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Travel with a Travel Central Advisor.  These are vacations we have planned for ourselves and invite you to join us! A great opportunity to travel with someone you know and receive exceptional values and exclusive amenities. Learn more.  

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Travel Central hosts Virtual and In-Person Travel Talks featuring our favorite destinations and hosted vacations. Our hope is to pique your interest, explore new destinations with you, so when you’re ready to explore the world, you will get the most out of your experience! .

5th Annual Vacation Expo

African safaris in tanzania, expedition cruises to alaska, antartica or the northwest passage, exploring antarctica and patagonia with seabourn expeditions, cruising the mekong delta, there are many ways to explore alaska, destinations & experiences.

As highly-trained, knowledgeable travel experts, we have one objective — to create, design and implement a travel experience for you that will meet and exceed your every expectation. The world is waiting and we're here to help you explore it.

View a larger list of Destinations for inspiration. 

Tripcentral.ca Review

by Melissa Giroux | Last updated Aug 11, 2021 | Travel Tips

Everybody wants to escape somehow. Whether you’re trying to escape the Canadian coldness or simply relax and forget you ever got a job, there are many destinations awaiting you.  

Traveling from Canada isn’t the most budget-friendly option out there – and this is why many of us consider all-inclusive holidays to temporarily escape our reality.   We all deserve time on the beach, a bit of sunshine and some ME-time! When it comes to finding the perfect destination, it can become quite tricky! There are many great options to pick from and having too many options can make the decision process a lot harder!  

When I discovered the Trip MatchMaker tool created by tripcentral.ca I had to give it a try!  You can basically select your preferences (up to three) in order of importance, your dates, meal plan option, and budget, and the tool will suggest you the trips that would suit you perfectly!

I decided to challenge the Trip MatchMaker tool to try its full potential.  For the experience, I created a poor-ish scenario (hello backpackers) and a dream-rich scenario. Here are the results and the suggested destinations!

How to Find Your Next Dream Destinations

Real Example For The Ones Without a Big Budget

Preferences chosen:

• Sightseeing

Length of stay: 7-8 days

Meal plan: No meal plan

Month: September

Budget: 800

Real Example For The Ones With a Big Budget

Meal plan: All-Inclusive

Of course, the bigger your budget is, the wider will be your options!

Having all the results/opportunities in one place is definitely a great way to help you take the right decision. The tool also shows you the results that could be close enough to your budget/dates, but not necessarily right on your preferences. Depending on how flexible you can be, you might have more option that you may think.  

Bonus: This tool can also show you the last minute deals!

What else is available on tripcentral.ca?

If you’re keen on trying a different type of holiday, you could also check the cruises! Discovering new destinations while enjoying the comfort of a cruise ship is definitely another cool option when it comes to the perfect holidays!

Other than that, tripcentral.ca offers a wide variety of holiday packages as well as hotels and flights only. They are now experts in terms of Canadian travel packages!

Why should you book with tripcentral.ca?

Tripcentral.ca is the smart way to plan your next holidays! They provide real advice, they help you discover new possibilities/destinations and all their prices already include taxes. So, this means there won’t be any last-minute surprises while finishing your booking!

They cover many airports in Canada and they work with Canadian airlines that are pretty popular amongst the traveling community such as Air Transat, Sunwing and Westjet.

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Burlington, ON L7N 2R4

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Overall rating

Tripcentral.ca lacks accountability and takes zero responsibility for any issues that may arise after booking through them. They like to side-step the issues and play the blame game. Once they have your money, they feel no obligation to ensure customer satisfaction. This is true even in cases when something occurs that is not the fault of the traveler whatsoever. My friend and I were overbooked and tripcentral did nothing to fight for us against the tour operator to get us options that were fair and reasonable. Instead, they hid behind the general message of, "we are just the middleman", and proceeded to actually yell at us, speak condescendingly towards us, and even place us on hold mid-sentence when all we were trying to do was resolve an issue that was caused as a result of the incompetence of both tripcentral and the tour operator. The options they presented to us after overbooking us and not notifying us until weeks later were: 1) relocate to a resort of their choosing (and receive a complimentary stay at the original resort in the future minus flight costs) *** but the resort of their choosing was nonnegotiable, which made no sense since the free accommodation was offered to us by the original resort we had booked as compensation for inconveniencing us. So we should have been able to book another resort of OUR choosing (and pay the difference in costs) AND get the 7 nights stay, but trip central and the tour operator refused to budge and insisted that if we want the 7 nights stay offered by the resort, we had to go to the other resort they had chosen for us. Complete BS! We researched the other resort and realized it was isolated, newly opened (meaning lots of operational issues are to be expected), the beach has TONS of seaweed, and it is filled with seniors. Not our scene at all! 2) rebook another trip at today's rates (not rates backdated to original booking date - which resulted in costs of more than $150 per person for resorts we wanted) 3) full refund They screwed up and we had to pay the price. Neither tripcentral nor the tour operator lost a single thing. We lost our money for a few weeks, we lost ample time which resulted in other resorts getting booked up, and we lost more time trying to get them to amend option 1 to be fair and reasonable. But to no avail. Thieves. Con artists. I'm not sure why they even exist since everyone can book directly through tour operators and pay the same, if not less. Tripcentral appears to be nothing more than an added step through which they gain a commission and offer you - the patron - absolutely nothing. Never again. No accountability, no respect, no follow-up, and no fight to protect their customer's loyalty. I asked 3 different individuals to call me by today, and no one has. What a surprise! This post is just the beginning, tripcentral. The media world is going to be hearing about this nonsense until someone publishes the story and gives you the attention you truly deserve. Do yourselves a favor: do not book with tripcentral. Terrible, terrible service.

Fastest and most efficient flight agent I have come across was at Trip Central. She even phoned up the airline and negotiated a special deal for me. I literally walked in off the street and had the flights booked less than 2 hours later, and that after weeks of messing around waiting for another flight agency to finalize something for me. Also when I had questions during my trip I was able to phone my TripCentral.ca agent and ask her. Admittedly two of the flights were too close together for comfort and I wound up deciding to take a bus instead of the second very short flight -- but that was my call. After I got home the agent sent me a welcome home and how did we do email. She even asked specifically about that tight flight and would I advise a greater time allowance next time. She was friendly, courteous and very professional at all times.

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tripcentral.ca: Wonderfully Simple Vacation Planning

Posted by Danielle Dougall | Sep 10, 2023 | General Travel Tips , Intel , Tech + Gear | 0 |

Have you heard of tripcentral.ca before? We just discovered their site and we’re in love. They offer a smarter way to plan travel by giving you personalized results based off of your travel preferences.

Canadians, we're talking to you! Choose from all-inclusive packages, flights, cruises, tours, and hotels. You want it, tripcentral.ca has got it. From long trips to short stays, their experienced vacation specialists offer first-hand knowledge of destinations, hotels, cruises, and tours. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and sip on that pina colada.

A Little Bit About tripcentral.ca

If you want, you can also come see the tripcental.ca agents in-store. There are multiple locations across Canada that you can come to. If you prefer the experience of meeting with your agent face to face to discuss travel, they’ll arrange it all for you. Now, let’s take a closer look at all of your travel options. Your best vacation is just around the corner.

The Low-Down on tripcentral.ca’s Amazing Trip Planning Grid

Do you want to go to the Bahamas ? Us too ( seriously…can you take us in your suitcase?). Sometimes, it can be overwhelming to plan out how to get there without draining your bank account. From flights to accommodation, renting a car, and adding in activities, it all adds up. If you want to get to some of the further islands like Exuma, it gets even more tricky. Luckily for you, we have a solution. Enter tripcentral.ca's trip planning grid .

We bet you haven’t heard of a trip planning grid before. That’s okay, until recently, we hadn’t either. One of the things we love the most about tripcentral.ca is how organized and detailed they are with planning their client’s dream vacation. Their vacation planning grid works by calculating in several key factors: departing location, destination location, date, duration of your stay, and what airline you would prefer to fly with.

Additional options include all-inclusive only, direct flight, and adult if you have more specific preferences. You can also scroll through a detailed calendar and choose where you would like to travel to based upon how cheap the prices are month by month. It’s pretty great. In the event that you’re bring the family, you can also add in how many children you have and the average budget you would like to spend per person. Planning your vacation logistics has never been easier.

Trip Matchmaker

Get vacation packages matched to you! If you’re looking to plan a vacation soon you should get started with a matchmaker. Just fill out the information that’s most important to you and then view vacations perfectly tailored to your needs. Here’s how to do it. First, select up to three of your preferences in order of importance. Do you want to spend a week lounging on sun-soaked beaches? Or maybe you want to explore nightlife in a new country and try your hand at blackjack in a swanky casino.

Why not do it all? The choices are all yours. Second, choose how many days you’ll be spending for your trip. Third, choose a meal plan if you’d like. Last but not least, choose your destination, the month you want to travel, and any specific dates.

What Kind of Trips is tripcentral.ca Good For?

Congratulations! You’ve found the smartest way to book all-inclusive vacations from Canada . The trip matchmaker will sort out the results based upon your preferences and “value for the money.” The best part is that the tripcentral.ca have first-hand knowledge. Their agents have been to most resorts. Just give them a call and we’ll help decide which hotel is the right one for you. Narrow down your options and find the perfect place to go using the classic vacation grid.

Choose from all-inclusive vacations, Caribbean vacations, luxury vacations, family vacations, and adult-only vacations. There are lots of options. Let’s take a look at these different trips and see what they have to offer.

All-Inclusive Vacations

Welcome to your one stop shop for all-inclusive vacations. Here, you can compare flight included packages for all-inclusive resorts departing from Canadian cities at once. They’ve got all the pricing, promotions, and availability for Air Canada vacations, Westjet, Air Transat, Sunwing, Sunquest, Signature, and Hola Sun. There’s no need to have all those tabs open.

Use the tripmaker to find the best resort. You can choose any combination of destinations to exclude or include and then narrow down by your budget and additional preferences. For a quick comparison, feel free to refer to the classic grid. If you want an insider’s opinion, feel free to ask and of the well-traveled agents waiting to assist you. It doesn’t matter where you want to go. Chances are, they’ve already been there. Check reviews, pictures, and videos to help you in your decision-making.

From there, you can compare costs of different destinations and months and decide the best time to go. Prices will vary depending on whether it's just you and your partner going on the trip or whether you want to bring the whole family. Should you choose the second option, an all-inclusive vacation is probably the best way to go.

Caribbean Vacations

Perfect temperatures, stunning beaches, and natural beauty characterize Caribbean vacations. Travelers flock from around the world to visit fan favorites like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and Jamaica. Don’t forget about the smaller islands though. Martinique, St. Lucia, and St. Maarten also have a lot to offer. It doesn’t matter how many times we’ve been, every time we go, we fall in love with the Caribbean all over again.

What to Do In the Caribbean

Did you know that many Caribbean vacations are all-inclusive? This means that all the tacos, margaritas, and massages you could dream up are all free. Okay, not free but they’re included in your vacation package. And that’s all we’re really looking for, isn’t it?  During the day, play a game of golf, take the bikes out for a spin, or try your hand at windsurfing. During the evenings, wind down with a champagne cruise and some live music.

Don’t forget that the best part of Caribbean vacations are the beaches. Rest on the soft sand and get that tan you’ve been wanting all spring. Then, choose from a cool dip in the sea or a soothing jacuzzi, cocktail in hand. Guests also enjoy the local culture, shopping, and nightlife. For something a little more adrenaline-boosting, try snorkeling, swimming with dolphins or sharks, or zip-lining through the lush island.

How tripcentral.ca Can Help

tripcentral.ca has travel specialists who have been to the destinations you’d like to learn more about. In the case that you’re interested in a special feature such as golf courses, waterparks, discos, spas, and casinos, there are all-inclusive packages to meet your needs. Who says you have to break the bank to have fun?

For couples seeking a little romance, spacious suites, private pools, and catered sunset dining await you. For families with children, a kids’ club, kids’ pool, playground, and arcade are some pretty great features offered at some of the family-friendly hotels and resorts. From a romantic adventure to some good old-fashioned family fun, there is a perfect Caribbean out there waiting for you.

Luxury Vacations

Experience true five star luxury. You can compare all-inclusive luxury vacations for multiple destinations all on one screen with the luxury matchmaker. From there, you can sort out your options based on your preferences or the best quality for your money.

Customize, Upgrade, or Tweak Your Package

Did you know that all of the tripcentral.ca luxury vacation packages can be adapted to your needs? This includes upgrading to business flights, upgraded seating for more legroom, etc. If the flights, dates, and times you see on the planning grid aren’t working for you, ask an agent for help. You can have a custom package built just for you.

Why We Love the Trip Planning Grid

If you can’t decide where to go, are trying to create a travel budget, or just want to see some options, tripcentral.ca has it all. Their trip planning grid offers an easy to understand layout, so you can see your options. Your preferences come first. Then, choose where you want to go and add special alterations from there.

The simple calendar lays out the pricing options month by month, so you can see the best time to go. You’ll no longer have to hassle with opening multiple tabs and scribbling down notes to find those best deals. We love tripcentral.ca and we’re pretty sure you will too.

We hope that this article helped you to learn a bit more about tripcentral.ca and how you can plan your next dream vacation. It’s a lot easier than you might think. Choose from cheap flights, cruises, tours, hotels, and cars. Plan your perfect vacation now. It’s only a few clicks away.

Where do you want to go for your next trip? From beach scenes, international vacations, casino resorts, and all-inclusive stays, you will find it all on tripcentral.ca. We highly recommend this service for planning your special getaway.

Related Article:  ​​ Pack Up + Go Will Plan Your Ultimate Mystery Vacation ​​​

About The Author

Danielle Dougall

Danielle Dougall is a photographer, avid writer, and traveler. Hailing from the rainy city of Seattle, WA she now lives in southern California where she enjoys longboarding, hiking, coffee shop hopping, and dreaming up destinations for her next international trip.

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Harris Is Set to Make First Border Visit of Her Presidential Run

Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday, according to two people briefed on the preparations, as she seeks to counter former President Donald J. Trump’s advantage with voters on the issue of immigration.

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Reid J. Epstein Nicholas Nehamas and Neil Vigdor

Here’s the latest on the campaign trail.

Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday during a trip to Arizona, according to two people briefed on the preparations, as she seeks to counter former President Donald J. Trump’s advantage with voters on the issue of immigration. The trip is set to be her first to the southern border since President Biden dropped out of the race.

A significant slice of voters believe Mr. Trump would better handle immigration. In a New York Times/Siena College poll of three Sun Belt states, including Arizona, 54 percent of likely voters said they trusted Mr. Trump more on the issue, compared with 43 percent for the vice president.

On Monday, Mr. Trump held a rally in western Pennsylvania, his second event of the day in the key battleground state, where recent polling has shown Ms. Harris with a slight edge in the state .

Polls have also shown Mr. Trump struggling to cultivate support among women, for whom abortion rights remain a critical issue. The former president bristled at that trend during an extended riff at his Pennsylvania rally. “I always thought women liked me,” he said, and suggested that his tough talk about immigration and his economic proposals would appeal to women voters. “You will be protected, and I will be your protector,” he said.

There are 43 days until Election Day. Here’s what else to know.

Scandal engulfs Robinson campaign: Mr. Trump has avoided mentioning Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson of North Carolina, the Republican running for governor who CNN reported made disturbing comments on a pornographic forum years ago, including calling himself a “black NAZI.” The report presents a delicate challenge to Mr. Trump, who has endorsed Mr. Robinson and called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.” Mr. Robinson returned to the campaign trail on Monday, a day after many of his top campaign officials stepped down, and defiantly repeated his promise to remain in the race. JD Vance, Mr. Trump’s running mate, declined to denounce Mr. Robinson while campaigning in North Carolina and lashed out at the media instead. “I think it’s up to Mark Robinson to make his case to the people of North Carolina that those weren’t his statements,” Mr. Vance said.

Down-ballot polling: The New York Times/Siena College poll offered some good news for Democrats in two important down-ballot races. In Arizona, Representative Ruben Gallego is six percentage points ahead of Kari Lake in the Senate race. And in North Carolina, Attorney General Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee, is ahead of Mr. Robinson by 10 percentage points. The poll also found that in Arizona, 58 percent of likely voters said they planned to support a constitutional amendment to guarantee abortion access in the state. The amendment needs only a simple majority to pass.

Nebraska electoral votes: Mike McDonnell, a state senator in Nebraska, bucked calls from fellow Republicans to support changing how Nebraska allocates its electoral votes. Nebraska, one of two states that allocates some of its votes by congressional district, is reliably red except for the congressional district that includes Omaha and its suburbs, which has gone to Democrats twice since the state established its by-district allocation system for the 1992 election. Mr. McDonnell said it was too close to the election for him to support switching to a winner-take-all system.

V.P. debate preparations: Mr. Vance has enlisted another Minnesotan to play the part of Mr. Walz in his debate preparations: Representative Tom Emmer, a Republican. The choice of Mr. Emmer was said to be an attempt to emulate the folksy style of Mr. Walz, who has turned to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to play the part of Mr. Vance.

Harris rakes in donations: Ms. Harris took in a remarkable $27 million at a Wall Street fund-raiser on Sunday, according to her campaign, adding to an already dizzying tally for her war chest during the two months she has been in the race. She also told reporters that she would be “giving a speech this week really to outline my vision for the economy,” though she did not specify exactly when.

Eduardo Medina , Chris Cameron and Maggie Astor contributed reporting.

Taylor Robinson

How to watch the Vance-Walz vice-presidential debate.

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota and Senator JD Vance of Ohio will face off on Tuesday in the only scheduled vice-presidential debate, convening three weeks after their running mates, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, sparred in Philadelphia .

Mr. Walz has been preparing for the debate in Minneapolis, where Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is serving as an informal stand-in for Mr. Vance, according to several people with knowledge of the process . Mr. Vance, who has been preparing in Ohio, has had Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota standing in for Mr. Walz in his rehearsals.

When is it?

The debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Oct. 1. It is expected to last 90 minutes.

Where is it?

The debate will be held in New York City at the CBS Broadcast Center, the network’s production studios.

Where can I watch it?

The New York Times will stream the debate alongside commentary and analysis from our reporters in real time.

CBS News will broadcast the debate in its entirety and stream it on CBS News 24/7 and Paramount+. Other television networks will be able to carry a simulcast of the event.

Who are the moderators?

The event will be moderated by Norah O’Donnell, the anchor of “CBS Evening News,” and Margaret Brennan, who moderates CBS’s weekend show “Face the Nation.”

What are the debate rules?

CBS has yet to announce the rules of the debate, or whether the vice-presidential nominees will appear in front of an in-person audience. At the Sept. 10 presidential debate, which was hosted by ABC News, there was no audience, and Ms. Harris’s and Mr. Trump’s microphones were muted when it was not their turn to speak.

Will there be another Harris-Trump debate?

It’s possible, but unlikely . Ms. Harris, who according to polling was widely seen to have won her first debate with Mr. Trump, accepted an invitation from CNN to debate on Oct. 23 . But Mr. Trump has proclaimed that he will not face off against Ms. Harris again.

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An Ohio sheriff who suggested tracking Harris supporters is stripped of his election safety role.

An Ohio sheriff has been stripped of his role providing security at his county’s early voting location, members of a local elections board said, after he compared immigrants to insects and urged residents to record the addresses of people who have yard signs supporting Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a Facebook post earlier this month, the sheriff, Bruce D. Zuchowski of Portage County, called Ms. Harris a “Laughing Hyena,” and described immigrants as locusts, the crop-destroying pests that were said in the Bible to have caused a plague in Egypt.

“Write down all the addresses of the people who had her signs in their yards!” Mr. Zuchowski, a Republican who is running for re-election, said of Ms. Harris’s supporters, according to a screenshot of the since-deleted post. Then when immigrants “need places to live,” he wrote, “we’ll already have the addresses of their New families.”

His comments were met with swift condemnation. And on Friday, the bipartisan Portage County Board of Elections voted 3 to 1 to remove the sheriff’s office from its role providing security at the board’s office during the early voting period , which lasts from Oct. 8 to Nov. 3. (One Republican board member voted for the motion; the other Republican member voted against it.)

During early voting in Portage County, which is southeast of Cleveland, residents can vote only at the Board of Elections office.

The board’s vote came in response to residents’ fears stemming from Mr. Zuchowski’s post, and concerns that the presence of the sheriff’s department on site could create an “appearance of impropriety,” said Terrie Nielsen, the deputy director of the Elections Board, who is a Democrat.

Denise L. Smith, the chair of the Portage County Board of Elections and the chair of the county’s Democratic Party, said the board had fielded calls from many residents who said they would not vote early given Mr. Zuchowski’s post.

“I don’t know what he intended by his remarks, but people were afraid,” Ms. Smith said Monday. “It is my opinion that the job of the Board of Elections is to provide access — barrier-free, intimidation-free — to anyone who’s eligible to vote.”

Mr. Zuchowski did not immediately reply to requests for comment. In a follow-up Facebook post last week, the sheriff wrote that his initial post “may have been a little misinterpreted.” He added that “those who vote for individuals with liberal policies have to accept responsibility for their actions.”

The backlash to his original post was bipartisan.

Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio, a Republican, described it as “very unfortunate.” The Portage County chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. called it “frightening.” And the president of the Portage County Board of Commissioners, Tony Badalamenti, resigned from the local Republican Party committee leadership, saying that he “didn’t want to be associated” with it after the post.

“It’s one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen an adult put on Facebook,” Mr. Badalamenti, a Trump supporter, said in an interview on Monday. He added, “Our county does not have a problem with illegal immigration.”

The Ohio secretary of state’s office said that it had determined that Mr. Zuchowski’s comments did not violate any election laws. Ms. Smith said that the Police Department for Ravenna, Ohio, will likely fill the security role for the county during the early voting period.

Neither the Trump campaign nor the Harris campaign responded to requests for comment.

Last Thursday, a day before the board voted to strip Mr. Zuchowski of his role providing security, the Portage County chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. held a packed emergency meeting at a church, where concerned residents vented frustration with the sheriff, said Frank Hairston, the chapter’s communications chair.

“His comments about the vice president are racial,” Mr. Hairston said in an interview. “We really believe that.”

Mr. Hairston, 72, a supporter of Ms. Harris, said his anxieties about the sheriff’s post were compounded by an incident this month.

One night, a man stopped outside his home in Ravenna and took a photograph of his pro-Harris yard sign, he said. The man then drove off.

When the sheriff made his post a few days later, Mr. Hairston’s “mind got to running” about the possibility that Ms. Harris’s supporters could be punished if former President Donald J. Trump wins the presidential election, Mr. Hairston said.

He said his worries were shared by many he had spoken to in Portage County, which is more than 80 percent white and was carried by Mr. Trump in the last two presidential elections . Some Harris supporters felt the need to remove their signs after the sheriff’s post, Mr. Hairston said.

“The sheriff of Portage County should be supporting all of Portage County residents,” Mr. Hairston said. “All of us.”

Neil Vigdor and Simon J. Levien

Neil Vigdor reported from Indiana, Pa., and Simon J. Levien reported from Pittsburgh

Trump stokes fears about Haitian migrants in Charleroi, Pa.

Former President Donald J. Trump vilified the migrant population of a small western Pennsylvania industrial town during a rally in the swing state on Monday, likening a group of Haitians who have made it their home to those in Springfield, Ohio, another place that was not well-known until he put it onto the political map.

“Has your beautiful town changed?” Mr. Trump asked, amplifying remarks he has previously made about Charleroi while speaking at a rally in Indiana, Pa., about 50 miles away. “It’s composed of lawless gangs.”

His debunked claims about Haitian migrants stealing and eating their neighbors’ pets in Springfield, Ohio, helped stir a firestorm over immigration in that community, which has dealt with bomb threats and evacuations after Mr. Trump made his comments.

Charleroi, a borough of about 4,000 people, has attracted its own growing community of Haitians, many of whom came to the United States legally through a federal humanitarian aid program for migrants.

Some local leaders have become frustrated by misinformation about Charleroi’s migrant population. Camera Bartolotta, a Republican state senator who represents the town, recently pushed back against the notion that Haitian migrants were stealing jobs.

Mr. Trump engaged in a back-and-forth with rally-goers who yelled out to him about Charleroi, asking them if the town has changed. Several attendees shouted back: “they’re everywhere!” and “it’s horrible!”

He has previously said that the borough has become “not so beautiful” because of migrants who are straining the municipal government’s resources.

“They are here legally,” Ms. Bartolotta wrote in a post on X about Haitian migrants. “Check the facts before posting information the jeopardizes the safety of good, hard-working people.”

Joe Manning, the borough manager, told WESA, the local NPR station, that he worried his town would turn into the next Springfield, Ohio.

“You have to get them the hell out,” Mr. Trump said about migrants in Springfield at his rally on Monday.

The crowd responded with chants of “send them back!”

Some Haitians in Springfield were left shaken after Mr. Trump aired his concerns about the city at the presidential debate in early September.

Mr. Trump has also repeatedly claimed that Venezuelan migrants in Aurora , Colo., brandished guns and took over an apartment complex there, an exaggerated claim.

Neil Vigdor reported from Indiana, Pa., and Simon J. Levien reported from Smithton, Pa.

Trump tells women that they ‘won’t think about abortion.’

Former President Donald J. Trump claimed at a rally on Monday that he would protect women voters by making their communities safer and that they won’t “be thinking about abortion.”

“You will be protected, and I will be your protector,” said Mr. Trump, who polls have shown is struggling to cultivate support among women, for whom abortion rights remain a top issue.

Speaking in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where Vice President Kamala Harris has a slight edge in recent polls, Mr. Trump bristled at the notion that his struggles with women voters could cost him the election and suggested that his tough talk about immigration and economic proposals would resonate with them.

“I always thought women liked me,” Mr. Trump said in Indiana, Pa., about 55 miles east of Pittsburgh. “But the fake news keeps saying women don’t like me.”

Mr. Trump, who last year was found liable of sexually abusing and defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll and who has a history of making demeaning remarks about women , has been seeking to cast himself as a safeguard for women, posting similar comments on his social-media platform.

“Women will be happy, healthy, confident and free,” he said during an extended riff at the rally.

And then he asserted: “You will no longer be thinking about abortion.”

A spokeswoman for the Harris campaign, Sarafina Chitika, said that “women know better.”

“He tries to tell us what to think and what we care about,” Ms. Chitika said. “We will vote like our lives depend on it this November.”

The former president has frequently bragged about his role in appointing Supreme Court justices who helped to overturn Roe v. Wade. On Monday night, he repeated that the court’s ruling returned authority to the states to determine their own limits on abortion, a move that he said that many Americans had favored for decades.

“Everyone wanted abortion out of the federal government and into the states,” he said.

Mr. Trump also repeated a falsehood that he amplified during his debate against Ms. Harris earlier this month, saying that Democrats had been demanding abortions in the ninth month of a pregnancy or “an execution of a baby after birth.”

A growing share of voters in swing states now say the issue is central to their decision this fall, according to New York Times/Siena College polls earlier this month .

During the midterm elections in 2022, the first political cycle after the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, abortion played a key role in many races. Republicans underperformed their expectations for that year, with a so-called red wave failing to materialize.

Reid J. Epstein and Nicholas Nehamas

Reid J. Epstein and Nicholas Nehamas cover Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign. They reported from Washington.

Harris is set to visit the border, trying to cut into Trump’s immigration edge.

Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday during a trip to Arizona, according to two people briefed on the preparations, as she seeks to counter former President Donald J. Trump’s advantage with voters on the issue of immigration.

The trip is set to be her first visit to the southern border since President Biden dropped out of the race.

Ms. Harris may give remarks about border issues during the visit, according to the people, who insisted on anonymity to discuss a trip that has not yet been made public. The people said final details about exactly where Ms. Harris would visit or what else she might do on the trip have not been decided. The Harris campaign did not immediately provide a comment.

Mr. Trump and Republicans have blamed Ms. Harris for the large numbers of migrants crossing into the United States from Mexico over the past several years. Early in his administration, Mr. Biden made Ms. Harris responsible for addressing the root causes of migration from Latin America.

But she struggled in that role and drew criticism after telling the NBC News host Lester Holt in a 2021 interview, when he asked why she had not yet visited the southern border, that she had “never been to Europe” either. The Trump campaign has used that exchange in advertisements attacking her record on immigration. Ms. Harris traveled to the border soon after her interview with Mr. Holt.

In recent months, border crossings have fallen to their lowest levels since she and Mr. Biden took office.

Mr. Trump maintains a narrow lead in Arizona, a key battleground state, according to a Times polling average . The state has a large number of Hispanic voters, a group among which Ms. Harris has recovered some support since replacing Mr. Biden on the ticket. But she is still polling below the traditional Democratic benchmark .

Ms. Harris is also expected to appear at a fund-raising event on Saturday in San Francisco and another on Sunday in Los Angeles. She is set to close her West Coast swing this weekend with a campaign event in Nevada.

Broadly, she has tried to sway voters who are skeptical of her approach to immigration by saying that she believes both in securing the border and in providing an “earned pathway to citizenship” for undocumented immigrants. And she has highlighted her role in pursuing transnational criminal groups during her time as attorney general of California.

Speaking at a Congressional Hispanic Caucus event last week, she warned that Mr. Trump would follow through on his promises to detain and deport vast numbers of undocumented immigrants if he is elected.

“Imagine what that would look like and what that would be,” Ms. Harris said. “How’s that going to happen? Massive raids? Massive detention camps? What are they talking about?”

She has also pointed out that Mr. Trump leaned on his Republican allies in Congress to kill a bipartisan border security deal this year, accusing him of playing politics.

Andrew Duehren contributed reporting.

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota has made environmental issues the theme of his night of fund-raisers in New York. At his third and final one, he said Senator JD Vance of Ohio, former President Donald Trump’s running mate, “sold his soul” by changing his position on human-caused climate change to curry favor with Trump, who has called it a “hoax.” (Vance, back in 2020, said climate change was a problem.) Walz concluded his 20-minute-long remarks with a plea for attendees to “talk to your neighbors.” “Polling is neck and neck,” he said.

Neil Vigdor

With polls showing Donald Trump struggling to cultivate support among women, the former president bristled over their concerns about abortion rights during an extended riff at his Pennsylvania rally. “I always thought women liked me,” he said. He suggested that his tough talk about immigration and his economic proposals would appeal to women. “You will be protected, and I will be your protector,” he said.

I always thought women liked me. I never thought I had a problem. I am your protector. I want to be your protector. As president, I have to be your protector. I will make you safe at the border, on the sidewalks of your now-violent cities. You will no longer be abandoned, lonely or scared. You will no longer be in danger. You’re not going to be in danger any longer. You will no longer have anxiety from all of the problems our country has today. You will be protected. And I will be your protector.

Chris Cameron

The Harris campaign almost immediately seized on Trump’s remarks during this rally vowing to disband the Department of Education, noting that it is one of the policy proposals in Project 2025.

This is a key goal of Project 2025 https://t.co/0fFTrHznXG — Kamala HQ (@KamalaHQ) September 24, 2024

Trump, talking about Charleroi, Pa., falsely suggested that Haitian immigrants were being dropped off “right smack in the middle of your community.” He has sought to tap into anger in local communities with growing populations of Haitian immigrants, most of whom are in the U.S. legally.

He called the migrants in Charleroi "lawless" members of gangs and, in polling the crowd about the town, several attendees shouted "It's horrible!"

One day after President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine visited Pennsylvania, Donald J. Trump, at a rally in the state, suggested without evidence that he favored Vice President Kamala Harris. “He wants them to win this election so badly,” Trump said of the Democratic ticket. He called Zelensky the “greatest salesman” for continuing to secure U.S. aid for Ukraine in its war with Russia. Trump said he would press Zelensky and President Vladimir Putin of Russia to make a deal to end the war.

Katie Glueck

Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, Vice President Kamala Harris’s running mate, is on a fund-raising swing in New York. According to reporters traveling with him, he attended one today at the home of Huma Abedin, the longtime adviser to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Alex Soros, the politically active son of the financier and Democratic donor George Soros, in Manhattan.

Vance, declining to denounce Robinson, lashes out at the media instead.

Senator JD Vance of Ohio lashed out at the news media on Monday as he campaigned in North Carolina, deflecting questions about a scandal engulfing the campaign of Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson , the embattled Republican running for governor in the state.

Mr. Vance, who has previously cast doubt on a CNN report linking Mr. Robinson to disturbing comments on a pornographic forum , avoided mentioning the lieutenant governor during a campaign rally in Charlotte. When pressed by journalists, he declined to denounce Mr. Robinson but said the onus would be on him to convince voters that he didn’t make the posts, in which the report says he called himself a “black NAZI” and defended slavery.

“What he said or didn’t say is between him and the people of North Carolina,” said Mr. Vance, former President Donald J. Trump’s running mate. He added: “I’ve seen some of the statements. I haven’t seen them all. Some of them are pretty gross, to put it mildly. Mark Robinson says that those statements are false, that he didn’t actually speak them. So I think it’s up to Mark Robinson to make his case to the people of North Carolina that those weren’t his statements.”

As audience members booed and jeered the local journalists asking Mr. Vance about Mr. Robinson, with many standing up in their seats and turning around to shout at the press gathered in the back of the venue, Mr. Vance shifted his focus there as well.

“This entire episode illustrates something that is fundamentally broken about the American media,” Vance said, later comparing the gathered journalists to “supermarket tabloids” and adding “I really cannot believe that the American media is so much more focused on this than on the struggles of their fellow citizens.”

But Mr. Vance brushed aside the questions about Mr. Robinson, some of which were drowned out as the crowd roared against them. He declined to say if the lieutenant governor still had the endorsement of the Trump campaign.

Mr. Trump, for his part, has avoided mentioning Mr. Robinson in recent days, including at his own rally in the state on Saturday. The scandal surrounding Mr. Robinson presents a delicate challenge to Mr. Trump, who called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”

Trump just took the stage here in western Pennsylvania, nearly an hour after he had been scheduled to speak.

Vance, speaking at his second campaign event in Charlotte today, discussed the second assassination attempt against Trump earlier this month and praised the former president for saying he was more concerned about his golf game than the gunman near his golf course.

“Isn’t this the kind of person that we want to be the president of the United States?” Vance asked a crowd at the Freedom House Church. He said that Trump was “more worried about missing a birdie putt than he is about an assassin’s attempt on his own life, because that is the definition of courage under fire, and Donald Trump has it in spades.”

Vance has made no mention of Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, at the campaign event. Vance spoke of the embattled lieutenant governor only when asked by reporters at another event in Charlotte earlier in the day — and he deflected those questions, while the audience repeatedly booed journalists for asking them.

Simon J. Levien

In his roundtable earlier today, Trump said he would impose a 200 percent tariff on imports from John Deere, the Illinois-based farm-equipment maker, if the company continued to ramp up its manufacturing in Mexico. He focused a large part of his remarks on promoting efforts to boost domestic manufacturing. He has previously also threatened to raise tariffs on auto companies that rely heavily on foreign factories.

Michael Whatley, the chairman of the RNC, is speaking at the Freedom House Church ahead of JD Vance's second appearance in Charlotte, N.C., today. As Whatley mentioned supporting downballot Republican candidates in the state, several members of the crowd cried out, “Mark Robinson!”

Over and over again, Vance has been asked questions by the press at this campaign rally, many about Mark Robinson, and their words have been drowned out by boos and jeering by the audience, with many standing up in their seats and turning around to shout at reporters. In previous campaign rallies, Vance has asked the crowd to settle down so that the question could be heard. But not today.

“I really cannot believe that the American media is so much more focused on this than on the struggles of their fellow citizens,” Vance said.

The arena hosting tonight’s Trump rally in Indiana, Pa., appears to have reached capacity. A Pennsylvania state trooper estimated that there were 5,000 to 6,000 people inside. Outside the building, there is a sizable overflow crowd, a detail that Trump frequently boasts about during his events.

Vance was also asked about why he spread debunked claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating their neighbors' pets. He denied any wrongdoing.

“My responsibility is to listen to the people that I serve and not a biased media,” Vance said to raucous applause from the audience. “And that’s what I’ll keep on doing in Springfield, Ohio, or anywhere else.”

The first question Vance is asked during his rally is about Mark Robinson, and the local journalist who asked it is drowned out by boos and jeers from the crowd.

“What he said or didn’t say is between him and the people of North Carolina,” Vance said, and added: “I’ve seen some of the statements. I haven’t seen them all. Some of them are pretty gross, to put it mildly. Mark Robinson says that those statements are false, that he didn’t actually speak them. So I think it’s up to Mark Robinson to make his case to the people of North Carolina that those weren’t his statements.”

The venue in Charlotte, N.C., where JD Vance is holding a campaign rally is more than half empty in the aftermath of the report that Mark Robinson made disturbing comments on a pornographic forum. Representative Dan Bishop, a congressman running for attorney general in the state, ended his speech before Vance by telling the audience to “vote for Donald Trump and JD Vance,” and then, without naming Robinson, called on the audience to “vote for Republicans down the ballot.”

As Trump’s supporters begin filling the arena here in Indiana, Pa., his campaign played a pre-recorded — and outdated — message of the former president vowing to evict President Biden from the White House in November. It was symbolic of Trump’s grudging pivot to having to run against Vice President Kamala Harris. At his rallies, he has regularly complained about how he spent $100 million trying to defeat Biden, only to have a new opponent.

Trump has wrapped up the policy roundtable he held with local farmers in Smithton, Pa., where he fielded mostly friendly questions about his policies to boost agriculture exports and beat back foreign adversaries and competitors like China. He will head to rally later this evening in Indiana, Pa., which is also near Pittsburgh.

Eduardo Medina

Tina Watson, 53, who owns the diner in Boone, N.C., where Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson campaigned for governor today, said she had agreed to host the event before a CNN report linked him to disturbing posts on a porn site. Watson, a Republican, said she was sure she wouldn’t vote for Josh Stein, the Democratic nominee. But Robinson? “I’m still making my mind up,” she said.

At this roundtable, a reporter asked Trump about his plan to put substantial tariffs on imported products in an effort to encourage domestic production. Some economists think this plan could raise consumer prices . He did not directly answer the question, but said that Congress would “approve it.”

Trump’s roundtable event this afternoon was billed as being about the threat China imposes on U.S. agriculture. But as he often does, Trump has touched other topics, telling the farmers at the roundtable that he “totally fixed” the border and again promising to increase fracking in Pennsylvania.

On Monday, just days after CNN reported that Mark Robinson, the Republican running for governor, had posted on a pornographic forum that he was a “black NAZI,” he refused to take questions from reporters at a campaign stop in Boone, N.C. Inside a diner perched on a winding, mountainous road, Robinson told his supporters that what mattered in his campaign for governor was his policy.

“I don’t want to hear any more about personality,” Robinson said. “Personality doesn’t get it done. Policy gets it done.”

JD Vance has landed in Charlotte, N.C., and now faces the challenge of campaigning in the battleground state today while the Republican running for governor there, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, insists he will remain in the race after most of his staff resigned following a CNN report linking him to numerous disturbing comments on a pornographic forum. Vance has previously cast doubt on the CNN report, while Donald Trump has made no mention of Robinson in recent days.

Maggie Astor

Ukraine’s president criticizes Trump and Vance over remarks on his country’s war with Russia.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine criticized former President Donald J. Trump and his running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, in an interview published on Sunday, even as he said he did not want to influence American voters.

“My feeling is that Trump doesn’t really know how to stop the war even if he might think he knows how,” Mr. Zelensky said in a lengthy interview with The New Yorker . “With this war, oftentimes, the deeper you look at it the less you understand. I’ve seen many leaders who were convinced they knew how to end it tomorrow, and as they waded deeper into it, they realized it’s not that simple.”

Mr. Trump has said repeatedly that, if elected, he could end the war — which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 — “within 24 hours,” but he has never provided details on how he would do so. He has said only that he would talk to both Mr. Zelensky and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia and get them to agree to a deal, which would almost certainly involve Ukraine giving up territory to Russia.

Although Mr. Zelensky said that Mr. Trump had said in a private call that he would support Ukraine, the former president declined to say that he wanted Ukraine to win the war during his debate this month with Vice President Kamala Harris. Instead, he said only that he wanted the war to end.

Mr. Zelensky responded to that in his interview, saying: “He says he wants the war to stop. Well, we do, too. This phrase and desire, they unite the world; everyone shares them. But here’s the scary question: Who will shoulder the costs of stopping the war?”

Mr. Vance said in an interview this month that Mr. Trump’s proposal would likely allow Moscow to retain the land it has taken and establish a demilitarized zone along the current battle lines. The plan was similar to what Mr. Putin has repeatedly offered as peace terms.

Mr. Zelensky said that Mr. Vance was “too radical” and that such a solution would be “an awful idea.”

“This kind of scenario would have no basis in international norms, in U.N. statute, in justice,” Mr. Zelensky said. “And it wouldn’t necessarily end the war, either. It’s just sloganeering.”

Mr. Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The former president has said many times, including during the Republican primary, that he does not believe supporting Ukraine should be a priority for the United States, and that it should be primarily Europe’s job to help, though he has often avoided giving a direct answer on whether he would sign a bill granting additional aid.

Mr. Trump was impeached in 2019 for withholding aid to Ukraine as part of an effort to pressure Mr. Zelensky to help him politically.

Mr. Zelensky said in his interview, “We have always tried to avoid influencing the choices of the American people — that would simply be wrong.”

But he added, “I believe we have always demonstrated that Ukraine is definitely not a pawn, and that our interests have to be taken into account.”

Reid J. Epstein

Reporting from Washington

A key Republican legislator in Nebraska rejects Trump’s push to shake up the electoral map.

The Nebraska state senator who Republicans hoped would help ease former President Donald J. Trump’s path to the White House by agreeing to change how the state allocates its Electoral College votes said on Monday that he would not do so, ending a brief but intense lobbying effort from allies of Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The state legislator, Mike McDonnell, a Democrat turned Republican from Omaha, said that he would not agree to change Nebraska’s 32-year tradition of awarding three of the state’s five electoral votes by congressional district to a winner-take-all system based on the statewide popular vote, bucking calls from Nebraska’s governor and its congressional delegation to help Mr. Trump.

“In recent weeks, a conversation around whether to change how we allocate our Electoral College votes has returned to the forefront,” Mr. McDonnell said in a statement on Monday. “I respect the desire of some of my colleagues to have this discussion, and I have taken time to listen carefully to Nebraskans and national leaders on both sides of the issue. After deep consideration, it is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change.”

Mr. McDonnell said he had told the state’s Republican governor, Jim Pillen, that “I will not change my long-held position and will oppose any attempted changes to our Electoral College system before the 2024 election.” He said he had proposed seeking a constitutional amendment next year, which would require a statewide vote to change how Nebraska allocates its electoral votes.

The Nebraska Examiner earlier reported Mr. McDonnell’s statement.

Nebraska is a reliably red state, and, had the change taken effect, it would have affected only the electoral vote awarded from the congressional district that includes Omaha and its suburbs, which has gone to Democrats twice since the state established its by-district allocation system for the 1992 election. Barack Obama won it in 2008, and President Biden took it in 2020. In this year’s presidential election, both of the leading campaigns see situations in which a single electoral vote could prove decisive.

Mr. Pillen had said he would convene the state’s 49 legislators in a special session to change the state law once he had commitments from enough of them to overcome a promised filibuster from Nebraska Democrats. In the past week, when Mr. McDonnell, a former firefighter who is the president of the Omaha Federation of Labor, emerged as the key vote on the issue, he found himself being pressured by high-level allies of the Harris and Trump campaigns.

Last week, Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina traveled to Lincoln, the Nebraska state capital, to lobby lawmakers to change their electoral vote allocation system to winner take all. After that, the five members of the state’s congressional delegation, who are all Republicans, signed a joint letter endorsing the switch.

“Nebraska has a long and proud tradition of independence, and our electoral system reflects that by ensuring that the outcome of our elections truly represents the will of the people without interference,” said Jane Kleeb, the chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party. “Senator McDonnell is standing strong against tremendous pressure from out-of-state interests to protect Nebraskans’ voice in our democracy. In this election and those to come, Nebraskans will continue to lead the way by electing leaders at every level who stand up for the people and respect our spirit of independence.”

Mr. McDonnell, who is barred by term limits from seeking re-election to the Nebraska Legislature, is widely seen as eyeing a run for mayor of Omaha against the incumbent, Jean Stothert, a Republican who said on Friday that she had “always” preferred a winner-take-all allocation of Nebraska’s electoral votes.

Changing the law would require agreement from 33 of the 49 state senators in Nebraska’s unicameral Legislature. Sixteen seats are held by Democrats, all of whom are opposed to the switch. Up until now, Mr. McDonnell and two other Republicans had not committed to the change. The other two Republicans have been seen by officials in both parties in Nebraska as all but certain to follow Mr. McDonnell’s lead.

The prospect of winning just one of Nebraska’s electoral votes is tantalizing to the two presidential campaigns.

If all five of Nebraska’s electoral votes are awarded to Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris carries Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and all of the other states Mr. Biden won in 2020 except Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, the vice president and Mr. Trump would each have 269 electoral votes, a tie that would be broken by a vote of state delegations in the House of Representatives. Republicans hold an advantage there and would most likely award the White House to Mr. Trump.

But under the current rules, if Ms. Harris wins the Omaha district along with the northern battleground states, she would win the White House regardless of how the Sun Belt states vote. The Harris campaign has held a campaign event in Omaha featuring her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, who is a Nebraska native.

Morning Rundown: Helene forecast to strengthen to a hurricane, ‘preventable’ mistakes found in lead up to Trump shooting, and a surprising finding about iron deficiency

Election 2024: Trump campaigns in Georgia; Harris weighs trip to southern border

Coverage on this live blog has ended. For the latest news, click here.

What to know about the campaigns today

• Former President Donald Trump campaigned in Georgia , a key battleground state heading into November.
• Vice President Kamala Harris is considering a trip to the southern border when she's in Arizona this week.
• Joe Biden gave his final address as president at the United Nations General Assembly this morning.

Haitian group in Springfield files criminal charges against Trump and Vance after false pet claims

Zoë Richards

The leader of a Haitian nonprofit community group filed criminal charges today against Trump and Vance over false claims  they made about Haitian immigrants’  eating local pets  in Springfield, Ohio.

Guerline Jozef, a co-founder and the executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance,  filed the charges  on behalf of the group.

“Over the last two weeks, both Trump and Vance led an effort to vilify and threaten the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio,” Jozef wrote. “Together, they spread and amplified the debunked claim that Haitians immigrants in Springfield are eating cats, dogs, and wildlife.”

Read the full story here.

Trump was briefed about ongoing threats from Iran to assassinate him, campaign spokesperson says

Raquel Coronell Uribe

Dan De Luce

Top U.S. intelligence officials briefed Trump  today about threats  from Iran  to assassinate him, a Trump campaign spokesperson said.

“President Trump was briefed earlier today by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence regarding real and specific threats from Iran to assassinate him in an effort to destabilize and sow chaos in the United States,” spokesperson Steven Cheung said in a statement.

“Intelligence officials have identified that these continued and coordinated attacks have heightened in the past few months, and law enforcement officials across all agencies are working to ensure President Trump is protected and the election is free from interference.”

A spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Tuesday evening acknowledged there was a briefing but declined to address any specifics.

Read the full story here .

Mark Robinson will be acting N.C. governor tomorrow for first time since bombshell report

Gary Grumbach

Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson will be acting governor of North Carolina tomorrow for the first time since a bombshell report alleged he posted antisemitic and racist comments on a porn website years ago.

Robinson, who is the GOP nominee in the governor's race, will temporarily assume the duties of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper while Cooper is in New York for an event about climate change.

Four of Robinson’s staffers have stepped down from his campaign in the wake of the allegations in the CNN report. He also faces backlash and scrutiny from top Republicans . Vance called the alleged comments "pretty gross" while saying it's up to Robinson to make his case for governor to the people of North Carolina.

Congress passes bill to boost presidential candidate security after apparent attempt on Trump’s life

Kate Santaliz

Kyle Stewart

The Senate unanimously passed legislation today to boost  Secret Service protection  for presidential candidates, sending the bill to the White House for Biden ‘s signature.

The strong show of bipartisan support came days after  the House  passed the measure, known as the Enhanced Presidential Security Act, without any opposition in a 405-0 vote.

The bill would give Trump and Harris the same level of protection provided to Biden. At only three pages long, the bill would give broad discretion to the Secret Service about how to reach that level.

Ryan Routh, arrested near Trump’s Florida golf course, is charged with attempted assassination

Michael Kosnar

Daniel Barnes is reporting from the federal courthouse.

Dareh Gregorian

Federal prosecutors have charged  the man who was spotted  with a gun outside one of Trump 's golf courses with attempted assassination of a presidential candidate.

The indictment , unsealed today, alleges that Ryan Wesley Routh “did intentionally attempt to kill Former President of the United States Donald J. Trump, a major Presidential candidate,” when he was camped out near where Trump was golfing in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sept. 15. The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison if he is convicted.

It also added two other charges: possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer.

Anti-abortion group launches $500K ad buy in Georgia accusing Harris of 'misinformation'

An anti-abortion group says it's launching a $500,000 TV and digital ad in Georgia accusing Harris and other Democrats of "spreading misinformation" about the state's abortion law.

The ad focuses on Candi Miller and Amber Thurman — two women who died after they experienced complications from having taken abortion pills. Miller, who had numerous health issues, had been scared to see a doctor because of the law, and Thurman was hospitalized for 20 hours before doctors decided they could legally operate on her. ProPublica reported that a state board found both deaths were preventable.

The ad by Women Speak Out PAC, a partner of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, agreed that the deaths should not have happened but said they were caused by misinformation, not state law. “No Georgia law blocks lifesaving care for women or treating complications after abortion," the ad says. "Candi and Amber should be alive. The left's scare tactics are deadly."

In a speech in Georgia last week, Harris said that doctors could have operated on Thurman before her condition became so dire but that they didn't for fear they could be prosecuted under the law. "Doctors have to wait until the patient is at death's door before they take action," Harris said, saying the women's deaths were preventable and "predictable."

Harris, Trump groups tout dueling ‘freedom’ messages to Latina voters

Suzanne Gamboa

Carmen Sesin

Political organizations supporting Harris and Trump are touting both campaigns’ messages of “freedom” as they woo Latinas, a key voting bloc.

Hispanic women are the female racial or ethnic group that grew the most in the 12 years from 2010 to 2022,  according to the Pew Research Center , growing by 5.6 million and numbering about 22.2 million as of May. They make up about 17% of the nation’s adult female population. 

They also  turn out to vote in larger numbers  than Latino men.

Russia, Iran and China are using AI in election interference efforts, U.S. intelligence officials say

Kevin Collier

Propagandists in China, Iran and Russia are using  artificial intelligence  to create content designed to deceive Americans ahead of the November presidential election, federal intelligence officials said yesterday.

In a conference call about foreign election interference efforts organized by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, or ODNI, officials said the U.S. intelligence community, or IC, has concluded that AI has made it easier to create disinformation but has not fundamentally changed how those actors operate.

“The IC considers AI a malign influence accelerant, not yet a revolutionary influence tool. In other words, information operations are the threat, and AI is an enabler,” an ODNI official said. The official asked not to be named as a condition for participating in the call. “Thus far, the IC has not seen it revolutionize such operations,” the official said.

NBC News correspondents Vaughn Hillyard and Aaron Gilchrist join "Meet the Press NOW" to report on the latest from the campaign trail as Trump and Harris try to reach voters in battleground Georgia.

Judge allows legal brief deemed a 'hit piece' by Trump's lawyers

The judge presiding over the federal election interference case against Trump is allowing prosecutors from special counsel Jack Smith's office to file a document Trump's lawyers charge is a "false hit piece."

Prosecutors had asked for permission to file a 180-page brief about the presidential immunity issues that still remain in the criminal case after the Supreme Court's July 1 ruling on the issue. They contended that the oversized filing is necessary to fully address the numerous issues and that it would streamline the arguments instead of dealing with them piecemeal.

Trump's attorneys urged U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to reject the proposal in a filing yesterday, calling it a "monstrosity" that prosecutors would use to “improperly air their biased list of grievances.”

In a ruling today, Chutkan noted that the high court directed her "to make specific determinations about the nature of the allegations" and said the filing would help with that. She also noted Trump's attorneys would get to respond.

The filing is due by Thursday, but it's unclear when it — or at least parts of it — might become public. In a  filing  over the weekend, Smith’s office said that “the opening brief and its exhibits contain a substantial amount of Sensitive Material, as defined by the Protective Order” and that they would require court-approved redactions before they are posted on the public docket.

House committee advances contempt of Congress measure for Blinken

Julia Jester

The Republican-led House Foreign Affairs Committee voted 26-25 this afternoon to send a report recommending that the House find Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a subpoena to testify about the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The measure now heads to the House floor for a vote by the full chamber, where Republicans hold the majority.

Voting rights groups urge Pennsylvania county to reverse decision to ban ballot drop boxes

Adam Edelman

More than two dozen voting rights groups are calling on Luzerne County — a key county in battleground Pennsylvania — to reinstate its ballot drop boxes after officials announced last week that they would not use them this fall.

In a letter to Luzerne County Manager Romilda Crocamo — who cited security concerns and potential “illegal activities ” as the reason for the move — the coalition of groups, called PA Voters Decide, noted the decision came just weeks before voters starting casting ballots in the state.

“This decision bypasses the Luzerne County Board of Elections, raises serious concerns about the overreach of unelected county administrators, and fully disregards the critical importance of voter access,” the letter stated. “We are writing today to collectively demand that drop boxes be reinstated in Luzerne County.”

Twenty-seven groups signed the letter, including Common Cause Pennsylvania and the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania.

The ACLU of Pennsylvania also wrote its own letter to Crocamo urging her to reverse her announcement. The group also said in its letter that only the Luzerne County Board of Elections and Registration has the power to make a decision to scrap the use of drop boxes.

Spokespersons for the PA Voters Decide and the ACLU of Pennsylvania told NBC News that neither group has yet filed any litigation on the matter.

Crocamo announced last week that her office lacked the resources and “capability” to ensure the county's four ballot drop boxes were kept safe.

“We don’t have the number of staff members to actually stand by the drop boxes to keep them safe, so I decided I’m not going to deploy them,” she said, adding that she was concerned about possible “illegal activities.” Crocamo didn’t immediately respond to questions from NBC News.

The Luzerne County manager is a nonpartisan position that is appointed by the Luzerne County Council.

Some Republicans have made unfounded claims that drop boxes and early voting methods are prone to fraud.

Many Pennsylvania counties utilize ballot drop boxes . Republicans in the state have attempted to ban their use through litigation and legislation. Former President Barack Obama carried Luzerne County twice before Trump won it in 2016 and 2020.

Trump signals continued reluctance on more U.S. aid to Ukraine as Zelenskyy lobbies allies

Vaughn Hillyard

Jake Traylor

Reporting from Savannah, Georgia

Trump signaled reluctance about providing further U.S. financial assistance to Ukraine, just hours after Biden defended U.S. backing of its ally in his  speech  to the United Nations General Assembly.

“Every time [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy comes to the United States, he walks away with $100 billion,” Trump said from a campaign stage in the battleground state of Georgia. “I think he’s the greatest salesman on Earth. But we’re stuck in that war unless I’m president. I’ll get it done. I’ll get it negotiated.”

Trump further questioned whether Russia’s military is worth trying to fend off.

“Biden says, ‘We will not leave until we win.’ What happens if they win?” Trump asked the crowd. “That’s what they do is they fight wars. As somebody told me the other day, [Russia] beat Hitler. They beat Napoleon. That’s what they do. They fight.”

Zelenskyy was in New York for Biden’s remarks today after he visited an ammunition plant yesterday in Pennsylvania, where he touted the current administration’s commitment to Ukraine’s defense. 

Trump has not committed to ensuring the U.S. continues its assistance of Ukraine if he wins the presidency and returns to the White House next year. He has repeatedly said he would end Russia’s war against Ukraine in 24 hours but has provided zero details of what he would demand from the two countries. 

Biden told other world leaders at the U.N.: “We cannot let up — the world now has another choice to make: Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom or walk away and let aggression be renewed and a nation be destroyed? I know my answer.   We cannot grow weary. We cannot look away, and we will not let up on our support for Ukraine.” 

This spring, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate and told state media that Trump told him the U.S. would cut off funding to Ukraine. The Trump campaign never dismissed Orbán’s version of the conversation.

Two of Trump’s key national security aides during his administration, who have remained in touch with him during the campaign, have also presented him a peace proposal that would require Ukraine to cede some territory that Russia has conquered.

Biden to make promised trip to Africa

Aaron Gilchrist

Biden will travel to Germany and Angola for a five-day trip beginning Oct. 10, fulfilling a promise he made in 2022 to visit Africa. Biden will be in Luanda, Angola, Oct. 13-15, the White House said in a statement today.

He will hold a bilateral meeting in Angola with President João Lourenço, according to a White House official who said Biden will be focused on enhancing the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment , which is aimed at addressing a need for financing high-quality infrastructure in low- and middle-income countries and includes U.S. investments in the Lobito Corridor initiative, a rail project that is helping move products and natural resources to and from ports faster.

The White House official called Biden’s trip “a testament to our belief in this partnership that we’re willing to go the distance with them.”

Manchin says he is 'not endorsing' Harris after her Senate filibuster remark

Isabella Ramirez Isabella Ramirez is a politics intern with NBC News.

Sen. Joe Manchin, I-W.Va., said he is “not endorsing” Harris for president after she expressed support for ending the Senate filibuster to pass legislation to codify abortion rights.

“I've been very, very, very clear on how strongly I believe that when you go down that slippery path, you don’t just do it for one issue,” Manchin told NBC News.

In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio that aired earlier today, Harris said, “We should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” and she referred to potential changes in the filibuster rules that would lower the threshold to begin and end debate on most legislation from 60 votes to 51.

Manchin, who said he was leaving the Democratic Party in May , announced last year he would not seek re-election. His decision to leave office makes the seat a likely Republican pick-up as Senate Democrats battle to maintain control of the chamber.

The Republican candidate for the seat is Gov. Jim Justice. Trump won West Virginia handily in both 2016 and 2020.

Groups behind abortion ballot measures launch ads in four states

The groups advocating for the passage of constitutional amendments that would enshrine abortion access launched new ads today in four states: Florida, Missouri, Montana and Nevada.

In Florida, Floridians Protecting Freedom/Yes on 4 released a new Spanish-language TV ad featuring a prominent gynecologist who urges Florida voters to pass the proposed amendment.

In Missouri, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom released a digital ad spotlighting a family talking about their own experiences with pregnancy complications.

In Nevada, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom released a TV ad highlighting abortion bans that have been enacted in 22 states since Roe v. Wade was overturned.

And in Montana, Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights began airing an ad that takes a similar tack, focusing on how abortion bans have jeopardized reproductive care for women who have had complicated pregnancies.

Florida’s ballot initiative would bar restrictions on abortion before fetal viability and include exceptions past that point for “the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.” Missouri’s amendment would enshrine language in the state constitution to protect abortion rights up until fetal viability, with exceptions after that for the life and health of the woman.

In Montana and Nevada, abortion is already legal until fetal viability. But fearing that such rights could be undone in the future, reproductive rights advocates succeeded in placing constitutional amendments on the November ballot in both states that would enshrine similar language.

Yesterday, the group advocating for the passage of a constitutional amendment in Arizona that would enshrine abortion access launched a $15 million ad campaign that will run through Election Day.

McConnell criticizes Trump’s proposed tariffs

Sahil Kapur

Asked today about Trump’s calling for a series of tariffs if he’s elected president, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., criticized the approach.

“I’m not a fan of tariffs. They raise prices for American consumers. I’m more of a free-trade kind of Republican that remembers how many jobs are created by the exports that we engage in. So I’m not a tariff fan,” McConnell told reporters.

Trump bashes Harris, ABC and immigrants

Speaking at an event in Savannah that was billed as an economic address, Trump touted his sprawling economic plans before launching into attacks on his Democratic opponent, immigrants and ABC News.

The event started with Trump promoting his plan to lower the corporate tax rate to 15%, while pledging to "take other countries' jobs" thanks to low taxation, low energy costs and low regulation. Companies that don't make their goods in the U.S., however, would face higher taxes and tariffs, Trump said.

Speaking of the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, whom he has falsely accused of eating cats and dogs, Trump said, "You have to move the people back to the country from which they came." 

He also continued to complain about the Sept. 10 ABC debate against Harris, which he said he won because the vice president "couldn't put two sentences together."

"She didn't say anything except lies," he said, while also complaining the moderators helped gang up on him. Still, he maintained, "I thought it was one of my best debates."

Trump also continued his apocalyptic warnings about what would happen if Harris wins in November. "If we don't win this election our country is gone," he said, while later warning of Harris' "country-destroying liberal agenda" that "we have to stop once and for all."

Harris campaign office damaged by gunfire in Arizona

Gabe Gutierrez

TEMPE, Ariz. — Police here are investigating what appears to be gunfire damage overnight at a Democratic Party-coordinated campaign office for  Vice President Kamala Harris .

The incident occurred just a few days before Harris was scheduled to visit Arizona as she campaigns for president.

“We can confirm that on 9/23/24, what appears to be damage from gunfire at … a DNC Campaign Office, was discovered,” the Tempe Police Department said in a statement to NBC News on Tuesday.

The office is shared by staff for the Arizona Democratic Party, the Harris campaign, and Senate and House campaigns, to boost turnout for the party in November. 

Phoenix voter talks about gender gap in support for Trump and Harris

Our latest  NBC News poll  found Trump is ahead among men (52%-40%), while Harris is ahead among women (58%-37%). 

NBC News asked Arizona voters about the gender gap in politics.

“It’s scary when you start losing grip on things that you predominantly had a grip on before,” said Ian Galvez-Daley, 28, on why men and women are voting differently. 

“Men normally run the world, right?” said the Phoenix native, who indicated he will support Harris. “Men run politics. It’s just men are losing that power and that grip, and it’s scary to them, and they want that to maintain the change of the status quo.”

“Loss of power is scary, and people don’t want to lose it, and I think that’s really what this is,” he said. 

Trump’s 10% cap on credit card interest could hurt borrowers, experts say: ‘Access to credit would dry up’

Annie Nova, CNBC

Trump has made headlines over the past week with yet another surprise economic policy announcement. After promising  free in vitro fertilization treatments for women , no federal income tax on tips, tax-free  overtime pay  and no income tax on  Social Security benefits , Trump now says that if he is elected president in November, he will cap credit card interest rates at around 10%.

“While working Americans catch up, we’re going to put a temporary cap on credit-card interest rates,” the Republican presidential nominee said at a rally in New York on Sept. 18. “We can’t let them make 25% and 30%.”

Trump’s promise falls in the home stretch of an extremely close presidential race between him and the surprise Democratic nominee, Vice President  Kamala Harris . It’s also a moment in which credit card debt is heavily burdening many U.S. households.

In a blow to Trump, Nebraska governor will not call a special session to change state’s electoral votes

Bridget Bowman

Alex Seitz-Wald

Ben Kamisar

Nebraska GOP Gov. Jim Pillen announced today that he will not call a special legislative session to change how the state allocates its electoral votes, dashing Republican hopes that the switch could happen before November. 

Trump and his allies have been pushing state lawmakers to switch to a winner-take-all system, in which the presidential candidate who carries the state receives all five of its electoral votes. Currently, three of the state’s votes are awarded to the candidate who wins each of its three congressional districts. 

Pillen said in a statement that Republicans still do not have the 33 votes needed to overcome a filibuster in the unicameral Legislature, noting that he and his team “have worked relentlessly” to find the votes. 

“Unfortunately, we could not persuade 33 state senators,” Pillen said, noting that GOP state Sen. Mike McDonnell, a former Democrat, confirmed Monday that  he would not support the move  so close to Election Day. 

Johnson: If the election's 'fair,' we'll follow the Constitution

Jane C. Timm

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., dodged when asked to endorse a routine election certification process this fall as he seeks to stay close to Trump, who frequently and baselessly complains of election fraud.

"Do you commit to observing regular order in the certification process of the 2024 election, even if Kamala Harris beats Donald Trump?" a reporter asked Johnson this morning.

"Well, of course, if we have a free, fair and safe election, we’re going to follow the Constitution," Johnson replied.

Suspect in apparent Trump assassination attempt ordered held without bail

Ryan Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt on Trump outside his West Palm Beach, Florida, golf course, has been ordered held without bail pending his trial, according to a judge’s order. 

Federal Magistrate Judge Ryon McCabe said in the order that federal prosecutors have “proffered evidence concerning the offense of attempted assassination and assault on a major Presidential candidate,” and that he was holding him for multiple reasons.

“The Court bases this conclusion on numerous factors, including the nature of the current charges, the nature of additional charges that might be added, the weight of the evidence, the Defendant’s prior criminal history involving a conviction for possession of a weapon of mass destruction, and the Defendant’s recent travel to foreign countries,” McCabe wrote.

Routh has been charged with illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and possessing a semiautomatic rifle with an obliterated serial number.

Harris campaign touts endorsements of 90 more Arizona Republicans

Summer Concepcion

A Harris advisory committee composed of Arizona Republicans announced that 90 more members have joined the panel since it formed last month, bringing the total members to 120, the campaign said in a release.

The committee has hosted organizing meetings, watch parties and gatherings with national surrogates, including Kerry Kennedy and former Rep. Joe Walsh, I-Ill., the campaign said. Former Trump administration official Olivia Troye, who has endorsed Harris and spoke at the Democratic National Convention last month, also joined the committee in a get-out-the-vote reception this month.

“The number of Arizona Republicans backing Vice President Harris is rapidly growing. It shows that we are not alone, and Republicans across our state want to stand up for our freedom and the values our country was founded upon,” said Mesa Mayor John Giles, who chairs the committee and also spoke at the Democratic convention. “Vice President Harris represents a stark contrast to the chaos and division we’ve seen from Trump and his allies in recent years, and more Arizonans are recognizing that every day.”

"Our committee is focused on bringing together Republicans who feel left behind by the MAGA movement and want to turn the page," he added. "Together, we’re showing that there is room in our party for those who reject extremism and want real solutions for the future."

Harris has gained endorsements from hundreds of Republicans since she jumped into the race, including former Republican staffers who served under Republican presidents and presidential campaigns as well as former Vice President Dick Cheney .

Harris calls for end to Senate filibuster for Roe legislation

Harris expressed support for ending the Senate filibuster to pass legislation to codify abortion rights in an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio .

“I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom, and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body, and not have their government tell them what to do,” she said.

If Harris is elected president and Democrats maintain control of the Senate, the party could try to reform the filibuster in the next Congress. Filibuster rules require a 60-vote supermajority to begin and end debate on most legislation.

House speaker says he's 'not defying' Trump on funding measure

House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters today that "he's not defying" Trump with his plan to hold a vote this week to continue to fund the government with legislation that does not include a controversial measure demanded by the former president.

"He and I have been on exactly the same page. I saw a headline, 'I’m defying Trump.' I’m not, I’m not defying President Trump," Johnson said. "He understands fully, President Trump understands the current dilemma in the situation that we’re in, and so there’s no daylight between us. And I keep him apprised all the time of everything that’s happening, because he is our nominee for president, and he’s going to be the next president."

Johnson said Sunday that the House would vote this week on a three-month stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open through Dec. 20 that does not include any part of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections. Johnson had tried to link the act to a six-month continuing resolution, but the  House rejected  that plan in a vote last week. 

Trump had previously urged Republicans in Congress to let the government shut down if the legislation wasn't included with the funding bill, but some Republicans are wary of the impact of shutting down the government so close to the election. Democrats have opposed the SAVE Act and noted that it is  already illegal for noncitizens to vote .

Biden calls on nations to unite amid an ‘inflection point in world history’ in last U.N. speech

Rebecca Shabad

In his last speech as president before the United Nations General Assembly, Biden  called on nations today to band together amid  the spiraling conflict  in the Middle East, Russia’s ongoing  war in Ukraine  and growing global concerns about China’s influence.

“I truly believe we’re at another inflection point in world history. The choices we make today will determine our future,” Biden said.

The U.S. president said that Russian President Vladimir Putin, for example, has “failed” at his goal to destroy Ukraine and destroy NATO. “But Ukraine is free,” Biden said. “NATO is bigger, stronger more united than ever before, with two new members: Finland and Sweden.”

He said the world cannot let up in its protection of Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Biden detailed Hamas’ attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 people, and included acts of  sexual violence  and the taking of many people into Gaza as hostages. In response, he said, innocent civilians in Gaza have experienced “hell” as Israel has sought to fight back against Hamas. The president said the U.S. has put forward a ceasefire proposal that has been endorsed by the U.N. Security Council, which he called on the parties to finalize.

“A diplomatic solution is still possible. In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security,” said Biden, who also criticized the violence against innocent Palestinians in the West Bank and the need to strive for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestinians.

Cargo ship owners and managers sued over Baltimore bridge collapse

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced a lawsuit seeking unspecified damages from the owners and managers of the cargo ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore earlier this year.

The ship, the Dali, was not fit to sail the morning of the bridge collapse, and its electrical systems had failed twice the day before the collision, Brown said at a news conference alongside Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Maryland Secretary of Transportation Paul Wiedefeld.

Brown said that the owners, Grace Ocean Private Limited, and managers, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., failed to inform the U.S. Coast Guard or the pilots who boarded the vessel of the ship’s problems.

“Because of the stunning mismanagement, disinterest or incompetence of the owner and operator of the Dali, those backup systems failed,” Brown said. “Simply put, Grace Ocean Limited and Synergy Marine failed, and their failure resulted in one of the most catastrophic and preventable maritime disasters in Maryland history.”

Some of the categories of damages that Maryland is seeking in its lawsuit includes lost toll and tax revenues, environmental effects, and bridge recovery, salvage, and demolition costs.

A spokesman for the companies, Darrell Wilson, said the owner and manager would not comment on the lawsuit, "but we do look forward to our day in court to set the record straight."

Last week, the U.S. Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Grace Ocean Private Limited and Synergy Marine Group alleging they cut corners and ignored electrical problems prior to the wreckage — which killed six construction workers. The DOJ’s lawsuit is seeking $100 million in damages.

A September NBC News poll shows half of all voters plan to cast their ballots early in the 2024 election, with many early voters leaning towards Harris. NBC News’ Mark Murray explains why Republicans tend to be Election Day voters.

Blinken says he's 'profoundly disappointed' over contempt vote

Abigail Williams

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a letter to Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, that he was “profoundly disappointed” that House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman sought to subpoena him and threaten him with contempt over his failure to appear before the committee at a hearing on Afghanistan that was scheduled on the same date as the opening to the long-planned United Nations General Assembly meeting. 

“As I have made clear, I am willing to testify and have offered several reasonable alternatives to the dates unilaterally demanded by the Committee during which I am carrying out the President’s important foreign policy objectives,” Blinken wrote in the letter, obtained by NBC News. “I urge you to withdraw your subpoena, reconsider your planned contempt proceedings, and begin good faith engagement with the Department to find an appropriate accommodation.”

In addition to detailing conversations between the chairman and Blinken on finding another time for him to testify, the letter also said Blinken has testified publicly before Congress 14 times on the withdrawal from Afghanistan, including four times before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including as recently as May 22.

Arizona voters say whether Trump or Harris is stronger on the border and immigration

Our  new NBC News national poll  showed Trump with a 21-point lead over Harris on the issue of securing the border and controlling immigration.

NBC News asked four Arizona voters which candidate they considered stronger on the issue. Two said Trump, one said Harris, and one said neither. 

Sage Allen, 30, was a Clinton voter in 2016 and a Biden voter in 2020 but is leaning Trump in 2024. She said she thinks Trump is “way stronger on border issues.” 

“There was this knowledge that, you know, just don’t even bother going to the border. You’re not going to get in,” said Allen of the message Trump’s presidency sent to migrants. “When Biden and Harris were in office, it seemed like it was the exact opposite kind of knowledge, which was, everyone go to the border, you’re going to get in,” Allen added. 

“It’s a free for all,” she said.

Juan Zoppetti, who immigrated to the U.S. from Argentina, also believes Trump is stronger on the border and immigration. 

“He wants to create a program that will be a merit-based program," Zoppetti, an engineer, said. "He wants the laws to be respected.” 

“I’m an immigrant, and I did it the legal way, and it’s very difficult. So reform is due,” said Zoppetti. “It’s super hard to become a U.S. citizen or getting a green card, but the things that they’re doing right now, just letting people go, they’re not fair for anyone, not even for the people who are coming."

First to NBC News: New York Democrat Pat Ryan focuses on abortion in new swing-district ad

New York Democratic Rep. Pat Ryan is focusing his pitch to voters on abortion access in a new ad as he fights to keep his seat— a must-win for Democrats as they hope to retake control of the House.

The 30-second ad , provided first by NBC News, features a constituent who discusses her decision to have an abortion in college.

“I was single, in college, I had big plans,” a woman named Debra from Rhinebeck, N.Y., says while facing herself in a mirror that shows photos of her children. “But I didn’t plan on pregnancy. I had an abortion  then , so I could have the family I have today.”

The six-figure ad buy in New York’s 18th District seeks to put GOP challenger and former New York City police officer Alison Esposito on defense on the issue. It marks the first time Ryan is up on the airwaves with a “negative” ad this cycle.

The ad directly addresses Esposito, saying: “Miss Esposito, if you want to see the lives you’d risk, just look in the mirror.”

Ryan has found success in the battleground district before with a message centered around reproductive freedom. In 2022, he won one of the first special elections held in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s  Dobbs  decision that overturned the national right to abortion access under  Roe v. Wade .

It’s exactly the kind of litmus test he hopes to apply again in November against an opponent in Esposito who  praised the  Dobbs  decision as the “absolute right thing,”  though she has also sought to downplay the issue’s salience for voters in recent months.

Biden will take center-stage at the United Nations, addressing world leaders in one of the final and most consequential speeches of his presidency. He is expected to address a series of global challenges from the climate crisis to conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. NBC’s Peter Alexander reports for TODAY.

House committee to hold contempt vote on Blinken

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote this morning on a resolution recommending that the House of Representatives find Secretary of State Antony Blinken in contempt of Congress for not complying with a subpoena to testify on the Afghanistan withdrawal.

The resolution will advance to the House floor for a vote if approved by the committee.

Arizona voters say the presidential debate helped clarify who they will support

The  latest NBC News poll  found Harris’ favorability increased by 16 points since July. NBC News asked a few Arizonans if their perception of Harris has changed since she entered the race. 

Two voters, one supporting Harris and the other leaning toward Trump, said Harris’ debate performance impressed them. 

“She did definitely improve, in my eyes, after the last debate,” Sage Allen said, adding that she's likely to vote for Trump. On her impressions of Harris at the debate, Allen said, “She’s very educated. She’s smart. I do like there’s policy positions ... so it was nice to also finally get a firm answer from her on some things."

Ian Galvez-Daley said he was undecided before the debate, but Harris’ performance made his decision for him.

“I was really sitting on the fence up until the first debate, and I saw how she handled herself,” the 28-year-old said. “She kind of ran the debate, and she didn’t really stoop to Trump’s level, and over the past like eight years, that’s been really refreshing,” he said. 

While Trump singled out Charleroi, Pa., for its influx of legal Haitian immigrants, many in the town expressed support for the new arrivals, while others said the town’s resources are being strained. NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor reports.

Arizona voters say what they like about Harris and Trump

NBC News asked four Arizonans why they were voting for Trump or Harris.

Ian Galvez-Daley, 28, said this election is the first time he has experienced hope since being able to participate in the democratic process.

“There seems to be a actual push for the people, as opposed to just, you know, the regular rich people stuff,” the Phoenix native said, adding he was supporting Harris.

Sage Allen, who voted for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020, is leaning toward voting for Trump this cycle.

“I took issue with the way the Democrats handled Joe Biden and his what appeared to be infirmary,” said Allen, referring to what she perceives as Biden’s cognitive decline. 

Trump has “really toned down a lot of his rhetoric,” Allen said, adding that the assassination attempts against him have led her to view him in a different light.

“I also think the shootings kind of humanized him in my eyes. Before, I had a lot of difficulty sympathizing with him. The shooting humanized him in my eyes,” she said. 

Juan Zoppetti, 48, of Gilbert, Arizona, said that he's supporting Trump because he believes the world was a safer place and the economy was better under his presidency.

"The Middle East was on the road to peace instead of the chaos like right now," he said. "And then you also have a party that is weaponizing everything that they can weaponize, you know, the branches of government, the IRS, the judiciary, everything they can do to weaponize and go after their opponents."

Zachary O'Haire, 42, of Phoenix, said he's "not sure I'm ready for four more years" of Trump.

"I think that there is a lot of negative global impact that comes from that — not just what happens in our country, but also global relations and how they view that," he said.

Harris considering visit to border when in Arizona on Friday

Monica Alba

Carol E. Lee Carol E. Lee is the Washington managing editor.

Yamiche Alcindor

Harris is considering a visit to the southern border when she travels to Arizona on Friday, two people familiar with her schedule told NBC News.

Harris’ possible trip to the border has not been finalized, and the logistics are still being worked out, they cautioned.

Harris plans to address immigration and the border this week in her campaign messaging, a third person familiar with her schedule said.

The Harris campaign declined to comment on the potential border visit.

Schumer to host Zelenskyy for meeting with senators at the Capitol on Thursday

Frank Thorp V producer and off-air reporter

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., will host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Capitol for a bipartisan meeting with senators on Thursday, Schumer’s office told NBC News.

The meeting comes as Zelenskyy is set to attend sessions of the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly this week. Zelenskyy also plans to meet Biden and Harris in separate meetings at the White House on Thursday.

House will bring up government spending bill under expedited procedure

Syedah Asghar

The House Rules Committee did not vote last night on a resolution that would fund the government for three months, meaning the measure will come to the floor under suspension of the rules rather than through regular order. 

Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., told reporters last night that leadership might use the procedure, which will require a two-thirds supermajority to approve the measure. The resolution faced opposition in the Rules Committee from several conservatives, including Reps. Thomas Massie, of Kentucky, Rep. Ralph Norman, of South Carolina, and Rep. Chip Roy, of Texas. It was unclear if the rule for consideration of the measure was going to be linked to other Republican bills, which meant Democrats might not have voted for it. 

The resolution will now need significant Democratic support for approval. The text cannot be amended. The floor vote is expected tomorrow, according to Scalise.

Harris campaign launches new ads featuring Pennsylvania farmers who voted for Trump twice

A pair of ads from the Harris campaign features Pennsylvania farmers who voted for Trump in the past two presidential elections but now support Harris. The ads are part of the campaign’s outreach to rural and Republican voters.

In an ad titled “ Not Again,” Pennsylvanians Bob and Kristina Lange, whose family farm has been in operation since 1896, said they believe Harris will unify Americans, but Trump divides people.

“I voted for him twice. I won’t vote for him again. January 6 was a wake up call for me,” Bob Lange says, referring to Trump and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack of the Capitol by his supporters.

“He didn’t do anything to help us,” he adds. “Kamala Harris, she cares about the American people. I think she’s got the wherewithal to make a difference. I’ve never voted for a Democrat.” 

Another ad, titled “Common Sense,” features Bob Lange saying that farmers are “the backbone of the economy” before going on to say that he voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020, but has become disillusioned with his economic policies.

“This election, I’m voting on what I feel. I think Trump cares for his cronies, the people that are very wealthy. Never thought I’d say this, but the Democrats are the party of common sense,” he says, adding that he thinks Trump’s economic plans “only benefit billionaires and huge corporations,” but Harris and Walz are “focusing on the needs of everyday Americans.”

The ads are set to air on digital platforms and more than 130 rural radio stations across Pennsylvania.

Half of voters plan to cast ballots early, with a huge partisan split

Half of registered voters plan to vote early this fall, new figures from the September NBC News poll show, with Democrats continuing to run up the score among early voters and Republicans getting stronger backing from those who plan to vote in person on Election Day.

Fifty-one percent of voters say they’ll vote early, either by mail or in person, with Vice President Kamala Harris leading former President Donald Trump 61%-35% (a 26-point margin) among those voters.

By comparison, Trump leads by 20 points, 57%-37%, with the group of voters who plan to vote on Election Day, which accounts for 45% of the electorate in the poll. It’s a smaller lead among a slightly smaller share of the electorate than Harris has over those early voters.

“Either the margin has to close among [those] voting early, or Republican margins on Election Day have to be bigger than this to win,” said Bill McInturff, the Republican pollster who conducted the NBC News poll with Jeff Horwitt of Hart Research Associates.

Federal prosecutors revealed new details of the alleged plot to kill Trump in Florida. According to a new filing, the suspect, Ryan Routh arrived in Florida weeks before his arrest, and gave someone a letter about “an assassination attempt.” A federal judge in ordered Routh to be held in jail until his trial starts. NBC News’ Jesse Kirsch reports.

What Trump is doing today

Matt Korade

Trump is holding a campaign event in Savannah, Georgia, at 1 p.m., as both he and Harris battle for the key swing state. Harris visited Georgia last week.

Biden and Harris flipped the state in the 2020 presidential election.

Biden to deliver final U.N. General Assembly speech amid global turmoil as election nears

President Joe Biden will address the United Nations General Assembly for the final time as commander in chief Tuesday morning amid the spiraling conflict in the Middle East, Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine and growing global concerns about China’s influence.

His speech comes against the backdrop of the presidential race on its final leg before Election Day, knowing that his successor — Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump — will face the same issues in the White House and may deal with them very differently.

They are also Biden’s first remarks before the General Assembly since Hamas’ attack on Israel in October and the conflict that has ensued in Gaza, killing thousands of civilians. He’ll speak to the leaders of other nations as hope for a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas has dimmed.