Coverage on this live blog has ended.
What's happening on the campaign trail today
- Former President Donald Trump is wooing Jewish voters today, participating in an event about fighting antisemitism before he addressed the Israeli American Council’s national summit in Washington, D.C.
- Vice President Kamala Harris is participating in a discussion hosted by Oprah Winfrey in Detroit. The event has featured livestreamed appearances by Meryl Streep, Chris Rock and other stars, as well as voters joining in person to talk about their experiences with reproductive access, school shootings and other key issues.
- Both vice presidential nominees, Republican Sen. JD Vance of Ohio and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, made a rare appearance at the same event today, addressing CEOs at the Business Roundtable's quarterly meeting in Washington.
- One down-ballot race made headlines today after CNN reported that Mark Robinson, the Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina, called himself a “black NAZI,” expressed support for bringing back slavery and made other lewd comments on a pornographic website. Robinson has denied the report and vowed to remain in the race.
Making sense of the new polls seven weeks from Election Day
A slew of new national and swing-state polls have come out in the past 24 hours — particularly from battleground Pennsylvania — and they tell three consistent storylines after last week’s presidential debate.
Maine Democrats have likely run out of time to change Electoral College laws if Nebraska GOP acts
As Republicans in Nebraska consider changing state law to give Trump an extra Electoral College vote this fall, their Democratic counterparts in Maine have little recourse to even the score.
The only two states that award Electoral College votes by congressional district, Republican-leaning Nebraska and Democratic-leaning Maine, play unusual roles in presidential politics because their systems allow each party a chance to pick off one electoral vote in a state where they would get nothing under the typical winner-take-all system.
North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis says today 'was a tough day'
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said on X that "it was a tough day," appearing to refer to the bombshell CNN report about Mark Robinson.
He added that "we must stay focused on the races we can win."
"We have to make sure President Trump wins NC and support the outstanding GOP candidates running for key NCGA and judicial races," he said in the post. "If Harris takes NC, she takes the White House. We can’t let that happen."
Trump’s tax reversal punctuates a flurry of freebies defining the election
As president, Trump slashed a lucrative tax break enjoyed by coastal donors and suburban swing-state voters. Now, he’s promising to give back the deduction — if only they will put him back in the Oval Office.
Trump aides say he isn’t ransoming a hostage or even flip-flopping on the $10,000 annual limit he placed on the federal deduction taxpayers can claim based on their state and local taxes — the “SALT cap,” in Washington talk. Instead, a campaign official said, Trump is responding to new economic realities as he pursues a “two track” solution. The first is promoting pro-growth policies, and the second is adopting tax positions that would allow people to keep more of their money.
North Carolina GOP defends Robinson amid fallout over reported inflammatory comments on porn site
The North Carolina GOP defended Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican nominee in the governor's race, amid fallout over a bombshell CNN report published today that said Robinson had posted inflammatory comments on a porn website that included calling himself a "black Nazi" and supporting the return of slavery.
"Mark Robinson has categorically denied the allegations made by CNN but that won’t stop the Left from trying to demonize him via personal attacks. The Left needs this election to be a personality contest, not a policy contest because if voters are focused on policy, Republicans win on Election Day,” the North Carolina GOP said in a statement tonight.
“The Left can try to smear Mark Robinson all they want, but when voters go to the polls on Election Day, they are going to be asking one simple question: Are you better off now than you were four years ago? The answer is overwhelmingly no and that’s why Republicans will win on November 5th.”
Robinson has denied the allegations and said he will remain in the race.
Harris is pushing back against the Trump campaign’s proposed immigration policies and “mass deportation.” “What are they talking about?” she asked while speaking to Latino lawmakers. NBC News’ Peter Alexander reports for “TODAY.”
Trump says anybody who's Jewish 'is a fool' if they vote for a Democrat
Trump has repeatedly suggested tonight that Jewish people would be wrong to vote for Democrats, particularly Harris.
"Anybody, and especially over the last few years, anybody who’s Jewish and loves being Jewish and loves Israel is a fool if they vote for a Democrat," Trump said.
Trump said Harris makes former President Barack Obama "look like he loved Israel by comparison," adding that Jewish supporters of Harris' presidential bid "should have your head examined."
Trump acknowledges families of hostages still being held
During an event in Washington, D.C., hosted by the Israeli American Council tonight, Trump acknowledged the families of hostages who are still being held captive by Hamas, asking them to stand and saying: "We’re going to get them out. They’re going to come out."
“Thank you very much for being with us, and we pray for you,” Trump said. “And somehow it’s going to work out. We’re going to get it to work out.”
The audience responded with chants of "Bring them home!"
Andrey Kozlov, who had moved to Israel from Russia before he was captured during the terrorist attacks on Oct. 7, was one of four hostages who were rescued in June. He spoke earlier in the program.
Harris: 'If somebody breaks in my house, they’re getting shot'
When Oprah asked Harris about being a gun owner, she said, “If somebody breaks in my house, they’re getting shot.”
“I probably should not have said that. … My staff will deal with that later," she added, laughing.
Her comments came shortly after a section of the discussion in which a teenage victim of the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia described being shot twice. Her parents also spoke emotionally about the day, her mother sobbing as she recalled being worried about her daughter's fate.
Women share stories about impact of reproductive health care
Women shared their stories about the impact of reproductive health care on their lives during a Harris campaign event with Oprah Winfrey.
The mother of Amber Thurman, 28, spoke out after ProPublica's report about her death, saying her daughter could not access abortion care in her state.
Her mother, Shanette, said she was initially hesitant to go public with her daughter's story.
"You’re looking at a mother that is broken," Shanette said, describing the pain of losing her daughter.
"I'm just so sorry," Harris told Shanette, who spoke alongside Amber's two sisters. "And the courage that you all have shown is extraordinary."
Earlier, Hadley Duvall described the importance of access to abortion, detailing getting pregnant by her stepfather when she was 12 years old.
"There are more people like me out there," Duvall said. "And there are going to be so many more who deserve their options. They deserve their choices."
