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Greg Clugston
SRN Correspondent Greg Clugston keeps you informed about all the news coming from the White House.
Trump, Harris spar in tense, high-stakes debate
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris sparred during an intensely personal debate. The ABC News Presidential Debate covered major issues, including the economy, immigration, and abortion — exposing deep differences between the two presidential hopefuls. And it turned personal, early and often. Trump argued the country was safer and more prosperous under his leadership, while Harris repeatedly urged Americans to “turn the page” on Trump’s divisiveness. GC, at the presidential debate in Philadelphia.
Listen DownloadTrump, Harris to face off in Philadelphia debate tonight
It’s Debate Night in Philadelphia between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Tonight’s debate could be the only face-to-face encounter between the two presidential hopefuls. Trump has proposed additional debates, but Harris has only agreed on tonight’s debate so far. Polls continue to show a dead heat nationally and close margins in the handful of battleground states that are expected to decide the election. Tonight’s 90-minute debate from Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center can be heard on the Salem Radio Network beginning at 9pm Eastern time.
Listen DownloadGround rules for the Trump-Harris presidential debate
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris will debate each other in Philadelphia. Like the Biden-Trump debate in June, tonight’s debate will not have an audience and microphones will be turned off when it’s not the candidate’s turn to speak. Trump and Harris will have two minutes to answer questions and for rebuttals. They are not allowed to bring notes or props and cannot interact with campaign staff during the two commercial breaks. There won’t be any opening statements, but the candidates will have two minutes to deliver closing remarks.
Listen DownloadRetired military officials endorse Harris ahead of the debate
Vice President Harris has won the support of 10 retired top U-S military officials ahead of Tuesday night’s debate. In a letter released Monday, the retired military officials endorsed Harris, saying she is the only presidential candidate fit to serve as the nation’s commander in chief. The officials, including Retired General Larry Ellis and Retired Rear Admiral Michael Smith, described Trump as “a danger to our national security and democracy.” The letter coincided with a new Harris campaign ad featuring former Trump officials warning that a second Trump presidency would pose major risks.
Listen DownloadNYT poll: tight presidential race; Harris seen as “too liberal”
The latest New York Times-Siena College poll shows an extremely tight presidential race. According to the poll, Donald Trump leads Kamala Harris by one point among likely voters. The results show each candidate with clear advantages and disadvantages. Voters favor Harris on democracy and abortion and choose Trump on immigration and the economy. The national survey also finds that nearly half of voters view the vice president as “too liberal or progressive.”
Listen DownloadTrump, Harris take different approaches ahead of debate
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have different strategies ahead of Tuesday night’s debate. The two candidates are doing their own thing as the first debate draws near. Since Thursday, Vice President Harris has been prepping with advisers at a downtown Pittsburgh hotel. Meanwhile, the Trump campaign says the former president is not engaged in traditional debate prep — focusing instead on campaign events and interviews. ABC will host the 90-minute debate on Tuesday night at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Listen DownloadBiden meets with hostage deal negotiators after murder of 6 hostages in Gaza
President Biden met with the U-S hostage deal negotiation team at the White House. The Situation Room meeting followed the murder of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas. Their bodies were found in Gaza over the weekend. The White House says the president “expressed his devastation and outrage at the murder, and reaffirmed the importance of holding Hamas’s leaders accountable.” He received an update from advisers and they “discussed next steps in the ongoing effort to secure the release of hostages.” GC, Wash.
Listen DownloadBiden says Netanyahu not doing enough to reach cease-fire, hostage deal
President Biden is putting more pressure on Israel’s prime minister to reach a cease-fire deal in the war with Hamas. Asked by reporters if Benjamin Netanyahu was doing enough to reach a cease-fire and a deal to free hostages in Gaza, the president said, “No.” He insisted that negotiators remain “very close” to an agreement. His comments came before a White House Situation Room meeting with advisers involved in the negotiations. There’s a renewed urgency to reaching a cease-fire after six more hostages — including an Israeli-American — were found dead in Gaza over the weekend.
Listen DownloadTrump claims he had “every right” to interfere with 2020 presidential election
Donald Trump maintains he had “every right” to interfere with the 2020 presidential election. The former president is showing no regret for challenging the results of the election four years ago. In a Fox News interview, Trump said, “Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it?” He also repeated his claim that the criminal cases against him are politically motivated. Trump faces federal charges in Washington for his alleged actions to subvert the 2020 election results, and he is separately charged in Georgia for trying to overturn the state’s election results.
Listen DownloadBiden to convene meeting after death of Israeli-American hostage
President Biden will meet with top officials following the murder of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas. The Situation Room meeting will include the president, vice president, and members of the U-S hostage deal negotiating team. They will discuss efforts to drive toward a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages. Several Democratic lawmakers have renewed calls for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, while some Republicans are criticizing the president and vice president for not giving stronger support to Israel.
Listen DownloadBiden administration reaches out to families of American hostages
The Biden administration continues reaching out to the families of American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. After the weekend killing of six hostages in a tunnel under Gaza, President Biden spoke with the parents of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who was among those killed. Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a virtual meeting with the families of the remaining American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The White House said he discussed the ongoing diplomatic push to reach a hostage deal and cease fire.
Listen DownloadTrump walks fine line on abortion in re-election bid
Donald Trump is walking a fine line on abortion as he seeks re-election. The former president has said abortion is not a “big factor” in this year’s election. But it’s a ballot issue in several states, including his home state of Florida. Last Thursday, Trump got an earful from pro-life leaders when he seemed to say in an interview that he would vote in favor of the ballot measure and repeal the six week ban. But on Friday, he told Fox News that he’ll be voting no because he thinks Democrats are extreme on abortion.
Listen DownloadFirst mail ballots get sent to voters soon
Election Day is in November, but early voting begins this month. At the end of this week, the first mail ballots get sent to voters. And early in-person voting will start as soon as September 20 in some states. The first batch of ballots typically sent out are ones to military and overseas voters. Under federal law, that must happen at least 45 days before an election — which this year is September 21. But some states start earlier. North Carolina will begin sending mail ballots to all voters who request them this Friday.
Listen DownloadHarris weighs in on Trump cemetery controversy
Vice President Harris is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Video footage of Trump’s visit to soldiers’ graves was later used in his campaign, sparking criticism from some veterans and soldiers’ relatives. But the former president maintains that he took photos at the graves at the request of families of service members who died in Afghanistan. However, Vice President Harris criticized the visit, calling it a “political stunt.” The Democratic presidential nominee wrote on social media that Trump “disrespected sacred ground.”
Listen DownloadTrump seeks indefinite delay in New York criminal sentencing
Donald Trump has asked a federal court to intervene in his New York criminal case. With sentencing scheduled for next month, Trump is looking to overturn his felony conviction and indefinitely delay his sentencing. The former president’s lawyers asked the U.S. District Court in Manhattan to take control of the New York City criminal case, arguing that the state-level prosecution violated Trump’s constitutional rights and ran afoul of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. Last year, Trump tried to move the case to federal court, but it was rejected.
Listen DownloadBiden will travel to key battleground states next week
After two weeks out of the spotlight, President Biden will soon be stepping up his travel. The president has been on vacation for nearly two weeks since addressing the opening night of the Democratic National Convention. But he’ll soon be making appearances at official and campaign events. Starting on Monday, Mr. Biden will travel to Pennsylvania for a Labor Day campaign event with Vice President Harris. Later in the week he’ll talk about his Investing in America agenda at stops in Wisconsin and Michigan. All three are critical battleground states in the 2024 election.
Listen DownloadTrump wants government or insurance to pay for IVF treatment
If he wins a second term, Trump said either the government or insurance companies “will pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment.” Such fertility treatments are expensive and the former president did not say how he would fund his plan. The announcement comes as Trump responds to a wave of restrictions across Republican-led states, including proposals that have threatened access to IVF. The procedure relies on the creation of multiple embryos, some of which may be destroyed.
Listen DownloadVP Harris defends policy shifts, says “values have not changed”
Vice President Harris was asked about changes to her positions on policy. Since her presidential run in 2019, Harris has reversed positions on fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings. She told CNN that she does not support a ban on fracking. On the border, Harris said there must be consequences for illegal immigration.
Listen DownloadHarris promises “new way forward,” Republican in her Cabinet
Vice President Harris says America is ready for “a new way forward” with this election. In her first formal campaign interview, Harris told CNN that one of her highest priorities as president would be “do what we can to strengthen and support the middle class.” Harris said she represents a far different style of leadership than her opponent, Donald Trump. She also said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet.
Listen DownloadVP Harris interview on CNN a first in the campaign
Vice President Harris’s first news interview as a candidate to air on CNN. Harris will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as they sit down with CNN’s Dana Bash in Georgia, where the Democratic candidates have been on a campaign bus tour. The interview will end more than five weeks of the vice president not responding to in-depth questions in a sit-down format with a major news outlet. She also has been criticized for not holding a news conference since she launched her campaign on July 21st.
Listen DownloadUtah gov. apologizes for military cemetery photo in campaign email
Utah’s Republican governor has apologized for sending a campaign email with a photo from Arlington National Cemetery. Governor Spencer sent a campaign email that included a photo of him and Donald Trump at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony. Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries. Cox’s campaign apologized for using the photo and politicizing the graveside ceremony, The governor said the email “did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent.”
Listen DownloadCNN to interview Harris, Walz in Georgia on Thursday
CNN will interview Vice President Harris this week. It will be Kamala Harris’s first interview since she launched her campaign after President Biden ended his reelection bid on July 21st. She will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as they sit down with Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday at 9pm Eastern time. Harris has been criticized for not holding news conferences or granting interviews with news outlets since she announced her campaign more than a month ago.
Listen DownloadHarris campaign says there’s no agreement yet on debate mics
The Harris campaign says there’s been no agreement to the ground rules for the upcoming presidential debate. In a social media post Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump claimed an agreement had been reached and that debate microphones would be muted when it’s not a candidate’s turn to speak. But the Harris campaign rejected that claim a few hours later, saying the issue remains a matter of ongoing conversation with host network ABC. Trump’s campaign wants mics to be muted, while the vice president’s team prefers unmuted mics for the duration of the debate, which is scheduled for September 10th.
Listen DownloadSpecial Counsel files new indictment against Trump in election case
The special counsel has filed a new indictment against Donald Trump in the 2020 election interference case. Jack Smith is keeping the same criminal charges, but he narrowed the allegations against Trump following a Supreme Court opinion granting broad immunity to former presidents for official acts. The new indictment removes items covered by the immunity ruling, including Trump’s interactions with the Justice Department. But it keeps allegations related to the former president’s interactions with Vice President Mike Pence.
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