Harris campaign heads to Georgia, a crucial swing state in the election
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What we covered here
Hitting the battleground states: Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, kicked off a bus tour in battleground Georgia today. GOP vice presidential candidate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, spoke in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Arlington controversy: Vance defended the campaign over a reported altercation this week during former President Donald Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery, calling it a media creation. The Ohio senator also rejected criticism of comments he made in 2021 about the leader of a powerful teacher’s union being childless.
First joint interview: Harris and Walz will sit with CNN for their first joint interview Thursday that will air at 9 p.m. ET. It marks the first time Harris has sat with a journalist for an in-depth, on-the-record conversation since President Joe Biden ended his bid.
Ohio Sen. JD Vance posted a picture of a cat wearing a “Cats for Vance 2024” bandana, appearing to make light of the scrutiny surrounding his 2021 “childless cat ladies” comments.
After being announced as Trump’s vice presidential pick, Vance faced scrutiny for previously saying the United States is being run by “a bunch of childless cat ladies who are miserable at their own lives.” CNN also reported Vance has a history of disparaging comments against those without children, including fundraising emails referring to the “radical childless leaders in this country.”
Recently, Vance faced fresh scrutiny for resurfaced comments aimed at Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers.
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Where the candidates stand: The Russia-Ukraine war
From CNN staff
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.
Harris: The vice president has committed to supporting Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. She has met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at least six times and announced $1.5 billion for energy assistance, humanitarian needs and other aid for the war-torn country last month.
At the Munich Security Conference this year, Harris said: “I will make clear President Joe Biden and I stand with Ukraine. In partnership with supportive, bipartisan majorities in both houses of the United States Congress, we will work to secure critical weapons and resources that Ukraine so badly needs. And let me be clear: The failure to do so would be a gift to Vladimir Putin.”
Trump: The former president previously pledged to end the war in Ukraine, though he’s offered no details on how he would do so. “Shortly after I win the presidency, I will have the horrible war between Russia and Ukraine settled,” Trump said at a New Hampshire campaign event last year, adding in another speech that it would take him “no longer than one day” to settle the war if elected.
Trump further addressed his strategy of stopping the “never-ending wars” by vowing to remove “warmongers,” “frauds” and “failures in the senior ranks of our government,” and replacing them with national security officials who would defend America’s interests. The former president added in a campaign video that he would stop lobbyists and government contractors from pushing senior military officials toward war.
Carole King, Elizabeth Warren and others join "Swifties for Kamala" call
From CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister
Musician Carole King, left, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
Getty Images
Left-leaning Taylor Swift fans joined artists like Carole King and politicians, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, for a Zoom call organized by the group “Swifties for Kamala” to mobilize fans of the pop superstar to vote for Kamala Harris.
Swift has no affiliation with the group and was not involved in the call on Tuesday.
“Swifties for Kamala” has amassed roughly a quarter of a million followers across multiple social media platforms and raised over $13,000 for the Harris-Walz campaign.
More than 26,000 participants registered to join the call, which was attended by CNN and also featured remarks by Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Becca Balint and chair of the North Carolina Democratic Party Anderson Clayton.
Irene Kim, the co-founder of “Swifties for Kamala,” had previously told CNN the group was hopeful Harris or her running mate, Tim Walz, might join the call, though neither was present.
“Hello Swifties!” is how Warren, the first speaker of the night, greeted the group as heart, thumbs up and party emojis flowed through the stream.
King sang her favorite Swift song, “Shake It Off,” telling those gathered not to be afraid of standing up and using their voice.
Trump added that he would instruct the Department of Justice to open civil rights investigations into “radical left” prosecutors’ offices that engaged in racial enforcement of the law, encourage Congress to use their legal authority over Washington, DC, to restore “law and order” and overhaul federal standards of disciplining minors to address rising crimes like carjackings.
Addressing policies made in what Trump calls the “Democrats’ war on police,” the former president vowed in a campaign video that he would pass a “record investment” to hire and retrain police, strengthen protections like qualified immunity, increase penalties for assaulting law enforcement officers and deploy the National Guard when local law enforcement “refuses to act.”
The former president added that he would require law enforcement agencies that receive money from his funding investment or the Department of Justice to use “proven common sense” measures such as stop-and-frisk.
Campaign issues: What Harris has said on consumer debt
From CNN's Tami Luhby and Way Mullery
Hefty debt loads, which hurt people’s ability to buy homes, get car loans, or start small businesses, are also an area of interest to Kamala Harris.
In her economic plan, she pledged to work with states to cancel medical debt for millions of Americans and help them avoid falling behind on health care bills in the future. States and municipalities have used American Rescue Plan funds to cancel $7 billion of medical debt for up to 3 million Americans, according to the campaign.
Harris has been a leader in the White House’s efforts to ban medical debt from credit reports, noting that those with medical debt are no less likely to repay a loan than those who don’t have unpaid medical bills.
As vice president, she has promoted the Biden administration’s initiatives on student debt, which have so far forgiven more than $168 billion for nearly 4.8 million borrowers. In July, Harris said that “nearly 950,000 public servants have benefitted” from student debt forgiveness, compared with only 7,000 when Biden was inaugurated.
A potential Harris administration could keep that momentum going – though some of Joe Biden’s efforts have gotten tangled up in litigation, such as a program aimed at cutting monthly student loan payments for roughly 3 million borrowers enrolled in a repayment plan the administration implemented last year.
“We want them to run the education of our children, because they’ll do a much better job of it,” he added.
The former president has also promised to “put parents back in charge and give them the final say” in education. In a January 2023 campaign video, the former president said he would give funding preferences and “favorable treatment” to schools that allow parents to elect principals, abolish teacher tenure for K-12 teachers, use merit pay to incentivize quality teaching and cut the number of school administrators, such as those overseeing diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
We want them to run the education of our children, because they’ll do a much better job of it.”
Trump also said in that campaign video that he would cut funding for schools that teach critical race theory and gender ideology. In a later speech, Trump said he would bring back the 1776 Commission, which was launched in his previous administration to “teach our values and promote our history and our traditions to our children.”
The former president said he would charge the Department of Justice and the Department of Education with investigating civil rights violations of race-based discrimination in schools while also removing “Marxists” from the Department of Education. A second Trump administration would pursue violations in schools of both the Constitution’s Establishment and Free Exercise clauses, which prohibit the government establishment of religion and protect a citizen’s right to practice their own religion, he said.
In preview of remarks to firefighters' union, Vance says right-to-work laws should be left to states
From CNN's Aaron Pellish
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, speaks at a campaign event in DePere, Wisconsin on August 28.
Morry Gash/AP
Ohio Sen. JD Vance previewed his message to a firefighters’ union convention in Boston on Thursday, pledging to work to improve wages of both union and non-union members while declining to say whether he supports right to work laws nationally or at the state level.
During a Wednesday campaign event in De Pere, Wisconsin, Vance said he plans to tell workers at the International Association of Fire Fighters conference he wants workers to “have safe jobs” and livable wages “without being destroyed by our public leadership.”
When asked by CNN whether he would support a bill similar to the House Republican bill proposed last year to implement a national right-to-work law, Vance noted he did not support the bill and indicated he would want states to implement their own laws individually if they choose. When asked by CNN if he supports Wisconsin’s right-to-work law or if he supports Michigan’s decision to repeal its right-to-work law last year, Vance said states should make their own decisions on the issue.
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Vance claims Arlington incident is "not a gross violation of federal law"
From CNN's Aaron Pellish
Ohio Sen. JD Vance speaks at a campaign event Wednesday, August 28, in DePere, Wisconsin.
Morry Gash/AP
Ohio Sen. JD Vance continued to defend the Trump campaign in response to an altercation between campaign aides and a staff member at Arlington National Cemetery during the former president’s visit earlier this week.
In response to a question about whether Vance feels Trump should have to abide by a federal law banning political campaigns from filming at military grave sites, Vance denied the campaign filming at the grave site amounted to “a gross violation of federal law.”
The comment comes after an incident during Trump’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery in which an individual physically blocked Trump’s team from accompanying him during his visit on Monday. A cemetery spokesperson confirmed to CNN “there was an incident” and a “report was filed” but didn’t provide additional details.
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Campaign issues: What Trump has said on energy
From CNN's Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Abby Turner, Way Mullery and Kenneth Uzquiano
At a South Carolina rally in February, he pledged to remove limits on American natural gas exports. The Washington Post has also reported that Trump, during an April meeting at Mar-a-Lago, pledged to roll back some of President Joe Biden’s climate policies if oil executives raised $1 billion for his campaign.
As for other energy sources, Trump has also changed his tune on the expansion of offshore wind farms, which he had touted at the start of his presidency as part of a broader push to “unleash the forces of economic innovation to more fully develop and explore our ocean economy.”
In May, Trump described wind farms as “horrible” and accused turbines of killing birds and whales, adding that he would “make sure that ends on day one.”
The vice president’s plan promises to provide up to $25,000 in down-payment support for first-time homebuyers. The down-payment support would apply to working families who have paid rent on time for two years, with more generous support for first-time homebuyers. The plan would also provide a $10,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, something Biden proposed earlier this year.
The plan would allow for more than 1 million first-time buyers per year, including first-generation homebuyers, to access the funds, according to her campaign.
Harris is also calling for the building of 3 million new housing units. To spur construction, she would provide a first-ever tax incentive for builders who build starter homes sold to first-time buyers. She also would expand an existing tax incentive for building affordable rental housing.
The plan also highlights two main proposals that aim to lower rent costs in the US. The first would block landlords from using algorithm-driven price-setting tools to set rents. The second would discourage wealthy investors from buying up properties and marking up rents in bulk by removing tax benefits for investors who buy large numbers of single-family rental homes.
West denies "being used" by Republicans amid ties to GOP ballot access firm
From CNN's Aaron Pellish
Independent presidential candidate Cornel West speaks with CNN on August 27.
CNN
Independent presidential candidate Cornel West acknowledged his affiliations with signature-collecting firms and ballot access operatives with ties to Republicans. But he denied he’s “being used” by Republicans to pull votes away from Vice President Kamala Harris in key battleground states.
In an interview with CNN’s Laura Coates on Tuesday, West responded to attacks from Democrats who point to his use of Republican-aligned ballot access firms in battleground states to circulate petitions to get him on the ballot by saying it’s “very important” to work with lawyers and other staff who are working to expand ballot access in states even if they have a “Republican association.”
West denied his campaign is being propped up by Republicans to give progressive Democrats an alternative in battleground states. West’s campaign has been linked with Republican-aligned ballot access firms in several battleground states, where his campaign has committed to focusing its ballot qualification efforts in recent weeks.
When asked if he would consider suspending his campaign and endorsing Harris, West indicated he plans to stay in the race through Election Day.
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Harris and Walz finish their Georgia bus tour for the day
From CNN's Ebony Davis
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz arrived at their hotel this evening, walking off their tour bus at around 7:40 p.m. after making two stops in south Georgia.
They both gave a quick wave before entering their hotel with staff.
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Analysis: Arlington confrontation isn’t Trump’s first military cemetery controversy
From CNN's Zachary B. Wolf
Donald Trump’s campaign is co-managed by the man who engineered the “swift boating” of John Kerry in 2004, so it should come as no surprise that 20 years later, military service and treatment of veterans are turning into uncomfortable political issues.
Trump pivoted from a visit to Arlington National Cemetery earlier this week to an attack on President Joe Biden’s Afghanistan policy – a turn that apparently followed a dustup with an official at the cemetery over the campaign’s attempt to use cameras in Section 60, an area where American troops who were killed in recent wars are buried.
The story was first reported by NPR, but both Trump’s campaign and the cemetery have since issued statements.
The cemetery’s statement, according to CNN’s report, noted that federal law prohibits political campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries. Trump’s campaign noted that he was invited into Section 60 by Gold Star families.
It’s notable that the summer is ending with controversy over Trump’s decision to visit Section 60 as a candidate, since the summer began with Biden’s look back at criticism of Trump’s decision as president not to visit a US military cemetery in France in 2018 and comments he reportedly made during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery’s Section 60 in 2017.
At the CNN presidential debate in June that was the beginning of the end of Biden’s presidential campaign, the president recalled a 2020 report in The Atlantic that Trump refused to visit a cemetery near Paris honoring Americans who died in World War I because they were “losers.”
Trump denied using that term, which came from a recounting of the incident by retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, his former White House chief of staff. Kelly later confirmed elements of the Atlantic story to CNN’s Jake Tapper and also discussed a Memorial Day ceremony in 2017 when the two were in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery. “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?” Trump said at the time, according to Kelly’s recollection, which Trump denies.
Harris and Walz visit local BBQ restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, while on bus tour
From CNN's Ebony Davis
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visit Sandfly BBQ restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, on Wednesday, August 28.
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz visited Sandfly BBQ — a local business in Savannah, Georgia — on Wednesday as they continue their bus tour through the southern region of the Peach State.
The two greeted the restaurant’s owner, employees and several tables of diners as they walked around. They also posed for a few selfies.
Before the pool was escorted out of the venue, Harris stopped at the front counter and spoke to two employees.
“Congratulations on all of your success. I’ve been reading about all you’ve been doing,” Harris said.
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Trump shares flurry of social media posts calling for retribution against perceived political enemies
From CNN's Steve Contorno and Alejandra Jaramillo
Former President Donald Trump has shared a flurry of posts on his social media website since Tuesday that called for retribution against his perceived political enemies.
One post included an image that portrayed Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in orange prison jumpsuits.
Trump’s dizzying array of attacks are both familiar and an escalation of the missives he has directed at Harris, Biden and other political foes as the race for the White House has become increasingly competitive for the former president. They come as some Republicans, including close allies, have publicly urged Trump to wage a less personal campaign against Harris — a suggestion the former president has roundly dismissed.
In one post, Trump suggested that Harris is manufacturing her online support, an accusation that echoed a conspiracy he promoted last month that the vice president’s crowds were faked.
Another included an image of Trump and former President Barack Obama with the words “All roads lead to Obama … retruth if you want public military tribunals.”
Trump campaign spokeswoman Caroline Sunshine said in a statement that the posts were “highlighting the fact that Kamala Harris is a coward and a fraud – in addition to being weak, failed and dangerously liberal.” She added that coverage of Trump should focus on his policy speeches and not “a few social media posts.”
The Harris campaign said Trump was “out of his mind” in a statement.
“If a family member posted what Donald Trump is sharing today, Americans would rightly be concerned. But this is what Donald Trump and his Project 2025 agenda offer America: prosecuting political opponents, using dangerous conspiracy theories to justify harmful policies, and dividing Americans against each other,” campaign spokesperson James Singer said.
This post has been updated with a statement from the Harris campaign. CNN’s Samantha Waldenberg contributed reporting to this post.
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Vance says he would not support American troops on ground in Israel
From CNN's Kit Maher in Erie, Pennsylvania
Sen. JD Vance speaks at a campaign event in Erie, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, August 28.
Gene J. Puskar/AP
Ohio Sen. JD Vance said he would be against putting American troops on the ground in Israel if they were to ask a potential Trump-Vance administration for that kind of support.
“I don’t want to put American troops on the ground for anybody’s wars but ourselves,” the Republican vice presidential nominee told reporters at an event in Pennsylvania. “That’s a very important principle.”
As CNN reported, Israel launched large-scale raids in multiple parts of the occupied West Bank, an offensive they say is their most expansive in years.
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Fox News polling following the DNC find no clear leader in the Sun Belt swing states
From CNN's Jennifer Agiesta
New polls in Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina from Fox News show no clear leader in any of these critical swing states.
Among registered voters, the surveys find Vice President Kamala Harris at 50% to former President Donald Trump’s 49% in Arizona in a head-to-head matchup, Harris at 50% to Trump’s 48% in both Georgia and Nevada, and Trump at 50% to Harris’s 49% in North Carolina. Each state poll has an error margin of plus or minus three points, meaning the poll shows no clear leader in any of these races.
The picture is more mixed when voters are asked which candidate would do a better job at “fighting for people like you” or “bringing needed change.” Harris has the edge on fighting for people like you in Nevada (51% Harris to 46% Trump), Georgia (50% Harris to 46% Trump) and Arizona (51% Harris to 47% Trump), while the two are about even on that score in North Carolina (49% Harris to 48% Trump).
And the two are near even in each state on who would better bring needed change (Harris 50% to Trump 47% in both Georgia and Nevada, Harris 50% to Trump 48% in Arizona, and Trump 49% to Harris 48% in North Carolina).
In both Arizona and Nevada, the polls find Democratic Senate candidates leading Republicans: Incumbent Democrat Jacky Rosen tops Republican Sam Brown in Nevada 55% to 41%, and Democrat Ruben Gallego tops Republican Kari Lake in Arizona 56% to 41%.
The surveys were conducted from August 23 through 26 by telephone and online among roughly 1,000 voters in each state.
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Trump campaign posts video of the former president's visit to Arlington National Cemetery
From CNN's Rashard Rose
Donald Trump’s campaign posted a video on TikTok of the former president’s Monday visit to Arlington National Cemetery.
The video shows images of Trump laying a wreath to honor the 13 US military service members who were killed at Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate, along with images of him at Section 60, the area where American troops who were killed in recent wars are buried.
Trump’s voice along with a guitar is heard over the clips, criticizing the Biden administration over the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The campaign video follows a report from NPR about a “verbal and physical altercation” after a cemetery official attempted to prevent Trump’s team from photographing and filming in Section 60.
In a statement addressing the controversy, Arlington National Cemetery said it “reinforced and widely shared this law and its prohibitions with all participants” which includes “photographers, content creators or any other persons attending for purposes, or in direct support of a partisan political candidate’s campaign.”
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Harris and Walz visit a Georgia high school for the first stop of their bus tour
From CNN's Ebony Davis
Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stopped by a local high school in south Georgia during the first stop of their bus tour where they offered words of encouragement to students while emphasizing the role their generation plays in shaping the future of the country.
Harris told students — including the marching band and athletes at Liberty County High School in Hinesville, Georgia — that she’s been “hearing about you incredible young leaders,” adding that the country is counting on them to propel the country forward.
Walz briefly spoke briefly before, introducing Harris as “head coach” and the next president of the United States. He discussed being a former public school teacher and coach, while underscoring that “education is the key to the middle class.”
