Coverage on this live blog has ended.
What's happening on the campaign trail today
- Vice President Kamala Harris rallied in Flint, Michigan. The impoverished city made headlines 10 years ago when it was first reported that its water pipes were tainted with lead, and Harris referenced the importance of clean water during her remarks.
- Former President Donald Trump made an appearance alongside a one-time target of his political ire, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, as the state grapples with continued damage from Hurricane Helene. While the two were at odds over the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, Kemp has since endorsed the GOP presidential ticket. Trump later participated in a town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
- Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance, viewed as critical in helping repair the rift between Trump and Kemp, also appeared in Georgia today, speaking in Lindale.
- President Joe Biden made a surprise appearance at the White House press briefing, his first time doing so as president. Taking questions from the press, he said the election would be "free and fair" but wasn't sure if it would be "peaceful."
Harris’ campaign plans to ramp up its negative messaging against Trump
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is planning to more aggressively attack former President Donald Trump in the remaining weeks ahead of the November election, a new phase aimed at trying to move the small number of undecided voters her way, according to five Harris campaign officials.
The change is driven, in part, by internal campaign data showing that sharper messaging against Trump could persuade some still-unsure Americans to support Harris, according to three of the campaign officials. The effort is set to include new ads and harsher language on the campaign trail that highlights Trump’s past actions and rhetoric that Harris officials hope will tip these voters away from backing the former president.
Minnesota GOP Senate candidate: 'The bad guys won in WWII'
Minnesota GOP Senate candidate Royce White posted to X in 2022 that "the bad guys won in WWII."
The post recently resurfaced and has gained attention after a report by Heartland Signal.
"It dawned on me today… The bad guys won in WWII," he said in the post. "There were no 'good guys' in that war. The controlling interests had a jump ball. If you look closely, you see the link between liberalism and communism in the Allied forces."
During World War II, the U.S. and other Allied forces fought the Axis powers, which included the Nazis. Death toll estimates vary, but the National World War II Museum in New Orleans estimates that 45 million civilians died worldwide and about 15 million people were killed in battle. Historians estimate that about six million Jewish people were killed during the Holocaust.
NBC News has reached out to White's campaign for further comment about his 2022 post.
Lawmakers from both parties urge Biden to secure the release of Americans imprisoned in China
Lawmakers are appealing to President Joe Biden to use the remaining time in his term to work for the release of Americans who are “wrongfully detained” in China, saying U.S. officials need to do more to help secure their freedom.
“There are more Americans wrongfully detained in China than in any other country. American citizens are serving long prison terms in China; most were sentenced with acute due process irregularities or on spurious charges,” Republican Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey and Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon wrote in a letter to the president.
Harris meets with leaders from Muslim and Arab American communities
Vice President Kamala Harris met with leaders from the Muslim and Arab American community ahead of her campaign rally here on Friday, a campaign official said.
During the meeting, Harris heard leaders’ perspectives on the election, as well as the wars in Gaza and Lebanon, the official said.
Vietnam veteran who had given Trump a Purple Heart joins him at campaign event
During a campaign event in North Carolina, a Vietnam War veteran who had given Trump his Purple Heart after the Butler, Pennsylvania, assassination attempt joined the former president onstage.
"I couldn't think anybody more deserved to have a Purple Heart," the veteran said.
In 1968, Trump reportedly received a draft deferment for the Vietnam War when he said he had bone spurs in his heels, as well as four other deferments for education. The deferments have led some critics to allege that Trump unfairly dodged the draft.
After a shaky week with labor, Harris tries to win points with union members
Harris, who failed to earn the endorsement of the firefighters' union yesterday, wrapped up a shaky week in her efforts to make inroads with the labor force by attempting to score points with unionized workers in Michigan.
In remarks at the Redford Township Fire Department in Detroit today, Harris blasted Trump on labor, calling him a "union buster" while touting her own support for them.
“Donald Trump’s track record is a disaster for working people, and he’s trying to gaslight people all over our country, but we know the facts and we know the truth. He is an existential threat to America’s labor movement,” Harris said.
She praised the end of the dockworkers strike as representative of the power of collective bargaining and seemed to reference the firefighters' union without directly naming it. The Michigan chapter's president, Matthew Sahr, introduced Harris and indicated he plans to vote for her.
“I am thankful for the union that supports you and your right to all that you deserve in terms of the wages and the benefits that you so rightly have earned,” Harris said.
Despite blow-out jobs report, Trump claims all America does is lose jobs to other countries and to immigrants
The jobs report released today found the U.S. in September added 254,000 jobs last month and decreased unemployment rate, from 4.2% in August, to 4.1%.
The strong jobs report took economists, who expected bleaker results, by surprise. But that didn't stop Trump from claiming that the U.S. is bleeding jobs, saying during an interview on Fox Business with Larry Kudlow that "all we do is lose jobs."
Trump claimed that those who are in the country illegally are taking jobs away from U.S. citizens.
"The illegal migrants coming into the country are getting the jobs," Trump said. "They're getting most of the jobs."
Immigration remains a top concern for voters this cycle, and Trump consistently outperforms Harris on immigration and border issues in polls of voters.
Economists told CNBC, however, that immigrants help the economy overall and do not at a high level take jobs away from U.S. born (or so-called native) workers.
Harris mentions the importance of clean water at rally in Flint, Michigan
Speaking to supporters in Flint, Michigan, Harris underscored the importance of clean water, touching on the headline-making crisis from 10 years ago after it was reported that the city's water supply was tainted with lead.
The crisis in the impoverished city became an allegory of the ways in which government mismanagement can be dangerous — and even lethal — to communities of color.
Harris said to Flint voters today that the water crisis fell into a list of rights on which there is a "full-on assault," placing it among the likes of voting rights, marriage equality, labor rights and gun control.
"Flint, you know all too well, Flint, that clean water should be a right for everyone, not just for the people who can afford it," Harris said. "And as president, I will continue to work with communities like Flint to ensure you not only have clean water, but the opportunity to recover economically and thrive."
Harris touts strong jobs report during Michigan rally
Harris lauded this morning's jobs report showing the economy added 254,000 jobs last month, eclipsing forecasts that it would add 150,000 jobs.
"Our economy is making good progress. Just this morning, we got a solid jobs report, right?" Harris said to applause from the Flint, Michigan, crowd.
The vice president also celebrated the Federal Reserve recently cutting interest rates and touted her economic proposals, including a plan to have the federal government give $25,000 to first-time homebuyers.
Harris to meet with Muslim and Arab American leaders today in Michigan
Harris plans to briefly meet with Muslim and Arab American leaders ahead of her rally in Flint, Michigan, this evening, a person familiar with the meeting confirmed to NBC News.
Details of the meeting were first reported by CNN.
The meeting comes a day after Harris’ running mate, Gov. Tim Walz, met virtually with Emgage Action, a Democratic Muslim voting group. The campaign also yesterday launched its “Arab Americans for Harris-Walz” coalition group.
On Wednesday, Phil Gordon, a national security adviser for the vice president, met virtually with Muslim, Arab and Palestinian leaders from across the country. Per the White House, he discussed the latest developments in the Middle East; underscored the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to bring the war in Gaza to an end through a cease-fire and hostage release deal, which the administration said would relieve the humanitarian crisis in Gaza; and expressed concern for civilians in Lebanon.
