By MICHELLE L. PRICE and COLLEEN LONG Associated Press

RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump railed against Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday, unleashing a litany of attacks his aides had suggested he would focus on during their debate earlier this week.

Speaking at what was billed as a news conference at his Los Angeles-area golf club after days of criticism of his performance on stage, Trump accused Harris of having been soft on crime in her previous positions. Before she served as vice president, Harris represented California in the Senate and also served as the state’s attorney general and the district attorney of San Francisco.

“She destroyed San Francisco and she destroyed the state,” Trump charged. He also assailed the ABC anchors who moderated the debate after praising his club, perched on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. He’ll travel later Friday to northern California for a fundraiser, followed by a rally in Las Vegas, the largest city in swing state Nevada.

Trump was campaigning in Western states Friday as Harris keeps her focus on one of the biggest battleground prizes in the East, Pennsylvania.

She’ll head to Johnstown and Wilkes-Barre on Friday, campaigning in counties where Trump won in 2016 and 2020, as she tries to capitalize on her momentum after Tuesday night’s debate.

It’s her second day of back-to-back rallies after holding two events in North Carolina, another swing state, on Thursday. Her campaign is aiming to hit every market in every battleground state over four days, with stops by Harris, her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, and other surrogates in Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona and Georgia.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event, Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, in Greensboro, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

While speaking in Charlotte, Harris took a victory lap for her debate performance in which she needled Trump and kept him on the defensive. Recounting one moment while campaigning in North Carolina, she mocked Trump for saying he had “concepts of a plan” for replacing the Affordable Care Act.

“Concepts. Concepts. No actual plan. Concepts,” she said as the crowd roared with laughter.

Her campaign said she raised $47 million from 600,000 donors in the 24 hours after her debate with Trump.

Harris said the candidates “owe it to voters to have another debate.” But Trump said he won’t agree to face off with her again.

Trump’s morning event was the second Friday in a row that the Republican has scheduled a news conference, though at his last appearance in New York, the former president didn’t take any questions. Instead, the Republican for nearly an hour railed against women who have accused him of sexual misconduct over the years, resurrecting the allegations in great detail before his debate with Harris.

His campaign has been beefing up his schedule of appearances since early August as he tries to contrast himself with Harris. She has not held a news conference since becoming a presidential candidate and the Democrat has sat for just one in-depth interview.

Her campaign has said she will start doing more interviews with local media outlets in battleground states.

After appearing at his golf club in upscale Rancho Palos Verdes, Trump will head to a fundraiser in the afternoon in the Bay Area town of Woodside that is being hosted by billionaire software developer Tom Siebel and his wife, Stacey Siebel. Tom Siebel is the second cousin once removed of Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat and surrogate for Harris.

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Attendees will pay at least $3,300 per person or raise $10,000 for the campaign, according to an invitation. Top-tier donors will get a photo, reception and roundtable, paying $500,000 for a couple to be on the host committee or $150,000 per person to be a co-host.

It’s Trump’s second fundraising stop in California in as many days as he tries to make up fundraising ground against Harris.

Even before she raked in cash after the debate, the vice president reported raising $361 million in August from nearly 3 million donors, her first full month as a candidate after replacing President Joe Biden. Trump brought in $130 million over the same period. Harris’ campaign reported that it started September with $109 million more on hand than Trump’s did.

On Friday night, Trump heads to Las Vegas, where he’ll have a rally in the city’s downtown area. Trump was in the city last month for a brief stop to promote his proposal to end federal taxes on workers’ tips, something that’s expected to especially resonate in the tourist city, where much of the service-based economy includes workers who rely on tips. He announced a new proposal Thursday to end taxes on overtime pay.

The swing state is one that Trump narrowly lost in 2016 and 2020 and is among about half a dozen that both campaigns are heavily focused on.

The Republican presidential ticket has visited Clark County, Nevada, four times since June. Trump has held campaign events in Las Vegas three times, while his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, held a rally in suburban Henderson in July.

The Democratic ticket also has visited four times, although two of those campaign events were by President Joe Biden before he dropped out of the race. Harris and Walz held a joint rally in Las Vegas last month, and Walz visited the city again Tuesday.

Long reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York, Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles, Chris Megerian in Washington and Tom Verdin in Sacramento contributed to this report.

Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Herb Jackson | (TNS) CQ-Roll Call

WASHINGTON — Unlike this year’s presidential and Senate races that are focused on a few intensely competitive states, there is no shortage of House battlegrounds across the country as Republicans look to expand their narrow majority while Democrats work to seize back the gavel they lost in 2022.

Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales has nine incumbents — four Democrats and five Republicans — in races rated Toss-up and another 17 rated either Tilt Democratic or Tilt Republican, a classification that’s just a hair beyond Toss-up.

To identify the 10 most vulnerable and rank them, Roll Call’s campaign team quizzed party insiders and interest group leaders over the past two weeks and analyzed district dynamics, polling and candidates’ campaign finances. Unlike the Senate, where the traditional Top 10 has only seven names in the latest update, it was a challenge paring this list to just 10 because there are certainly many more incumbents battling for survival on Nov. 5.

As with earlier versions of this list published in May, in November, and in May 2023, Republicans from California and New York are well represented because they dominate the roster of members who won seats in 2022 that in 2020 backed Joe Biden over then-President Donald Trump.

From the beginning of this election cycle, Democrats have been targeting the “Biden-district Republicans” as they seek to flip the net of four seats needed to control the chamber next year. The GOP also knows that, however, and has worked to shore up their colleagues.

Democrats are also playing defense, especially for members from Washington state and Alaska who hold seats that backed Trump in 2020. Alaska’s Mary Peltola makes the list for the first time this cycle after the state’s complicated primary process ended up with only one GOP opponent compared with the two she faced in 2022.

Some members on earlier versions of this list are not on this one because their prospects improved, such as New York Republican Mike Lawler, whose race rating was upgraded by Inside Elections from Toss-up to Tilt Republican. But others are gone because they proved their vulnerability by losing primaries, as Democrats Cori Bush and Jamal Bowman did, or were actually expelled by their colleagues, as Republican George Santos was.

This list may change again before Election Day, especially after fundraising results from the crucial third quarter are reported Oct. 15. Not on this list, for example, is Washington Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican whose biggest threat comes not from a Democrat but from his party’s presidential nominee, Trump. Trump has called for his ouster because Newhouse voted to impeach him after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol by Trump supporters. Newhouse got just 23 percent of the vote in the state’s all-party primary last month, well behind the 33 percent received by Trump-backed rival Jerrod Sessler, who will be on the ballot with Newhouse in November.

In all, the latest list includes six Republicans and four Democrats, in line with what’s expected to be a close battle for control of the House. Inside Elections’ latest House projection ranges from a Democratic gain of five seats to a Republican gain of five seats.

Williams, whose district became more Democratic-leaning when New York adopted a new congressional map earlier this year, holds on to the distinction as the most vulnerable House member. He will face John Mannion, a state senator who won a competitive June primary. That dynamic left Williams in a stronger financial position at the end of the second quarter, when he had $1.4 million on hand compared to Mannion’s $341,000.

Duarte, a nursery owner from Modesto, will face Democrat Adam Gray in a rematch of their 2022 contest, which Duarte won by less than 600 votes. Democrats have a 42 percent to 29 percent voter registration advantage in the district, which runs along Interstate 5 and covers a broad swath of the rural Central Valley. Duarte is hoping his reputation as a moderate and his focus on water issues will push him to victory while Gray touts his record in the Assembly, where he helped secure funding to address gang violence, bolster water infrastructure and build a new medical school in the region. Duarte had $2 million on hand to Gray’s $1.8 million.

D’Esposito faces a rematch with Democrat Laura Gillen, whom he beat in 2022, a strong year for Republicans in New York. The GOP is optimistic about another strong year in the Empire State, but D’Esposito will need to overcome a district which Biden would have won easily, as well as Gillen’s slight cash advantage as of June 30, when she had $2.5 million on hand to his $2.2 million. Gillen’s opening ad of the general election sought to reintroduce her to the public and touched on crime and border security – two issues typically focused on by Republicans and that have been focal points in recent Long Island races.

Gluesenkamp Pérez has drawn national attention for her blue-collar roots as she seeks a second term in a GOP-leaning district in southwest Washington. She’s running against Joe Kent, a Trump-backed Republican she narrowly beat in 2022. National GOP leaders have warmed to Kent, saying he’s running a stronger campaign than he did two years ago. But he trailed Gluesenkamp Pérez in fundraising, with $585,000 on hand to her $3.8 million. Gluesenkamp Pérez, co-chair of the Blue Dog Coalition, has emphasized her political independence. Earlier this year, she not only called on Biden to drop his reelection bid but suggested he resign from office due to concerns about his mental acuity.

Davis stays in the middle of the list as he seeks a second term in North Carolina’s only Toss-up district, which covers the northeastern part of the state. The former state senator faces Republican Laurie Buckhout, a veteran and businesswoman who is focusing largely on border security. Buckhout partially self-funded her primary campaign, but had $600,000 on hand as of June 30, compared to Davis’ $2.6 million. Outside spending is starting to pick up in the race.

After narrowly defeating progressive Jamie McLeod-Skinner in 2022, freshman Chavez-DeRemer faces Democrat Janelle Bynum in a battleground district that reaches from the Portland suburbs to rural regions to the south and east. Bynum, a state lawmaker and McDonald’s franchisee, has emphasized kitchen table issues and has criticized Chavez-DeRemer on abortion rights. Republicans have attacked Bynum over her support for police reform legislation. A poll by Inside Elections last week had Bynum at 41 percent to Chavez-DeRemer’s 39 percent, within the margin of error. Chavez-DeRemer had $2.4 million in the bank to Bynum’s $1.1 million.

Running in a suburban swing district centered on Omaha, Bacon is used to tight races. He beat Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas by 3 percentage points in 2022, but Democrats are hoping for a different outcome in a presidential year, especially following Biden’s decision to step aside. Bacon says he’s a centrist willing to work across the aisle but Vargas called his GOP opponent “an extremist in moderate’s clothing.” Meanwhile, Republicans have attacked Vargas as a big-spending liberal who walks in lockstep with his party. Recent polls suggest the race remains a Toss-up and the candidates’ bank accounts were closely matched: Bacon had $2.2 million on hand to Vargas’ $2.5 million.

Running for reelection to the state’s sole congressional district, Peltola faces Republican Nick Begich, Independence Party candidate John Wayne Howe, and Democrat Eric Hafner, who is currently imprisoned in New Jersey, in the ranked choice general election in November. Peltola has carved out a unique brand in a place that puts a high value on political independence: her website touts her support for guns and abortion. She enjoys a big cash advantage, with $2.8 million on hand to Begich’s $172,000. Still Peltola faces a potential tough climb in a state that Trump won by 10 percentage points and as the lone Republican on the ballot, Begich can unify the GOP.

Garcia has long been viewed as vulnerable in the battleground district north of Los Angeles, where Democratic voter registration outpaces Republican registration by 13 percentage points and Biden won by 13 points. Garcia’s 2022 win marked the third time that the former naval officer and first-generation American defeated Democrat Christy Smith. But this year, he’s facing a new opponent: George Whitesides, the former CEO of the space tourism company Virgin Galactic. Whitesides loaned his campaign $1.3 million and had $3.9 million on hand; Garcia had $2.2 million.

A veteran of tough races, Cartwright faces another this fall against Republican Rob Bresnahan, who’s considered a stronger candidate than recent GOP challengers. Republicans are seeking to tie Cartwright to Biden in one of the five districts held by a Democrat that Trump would have won in 2020. The presidential year dynamics will once again make for a competitive race in the 8th District. Cartwright had $4.5 million on hand at the end of June compared to Bresnahan’s $1.2 million.

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©2024 CQ-Roll Call, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Visit cqrollcall.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Noah Bierman | (TNS) Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — When a group of 50 Democrats of Caribbean descent gathered to watch the presidential debate in a South Florida suburb this week, the room filled with stunned laughs as former President Trump repeated a baseless rumor that Haitian immigrants in Ohio were stealing dogs and cats so they could eat them.

“How can this person be a candidate to be president?” asked Guithele Ruiz-Nicolas, past president of Haitian American Democratic Club of Broward County, which includes Fort Lauderdale.

The laughs quickly turned to anger, said Ruiz-Nicolas, who came to the United States with her parents as a child in the 1960s, and has seen new and shocking levels of bigotry directed at her people, who she said were long welcomed with open arms.

“Our best revenge is to go out and get the votes out,” said Ruiz-Nicolas, adding that Trump’s comments have fueled new efforts to achieve that goal.

Florida is a longshot for Democrats. Trump won the state twice, including a 3-percentage-point victory in 2020. And the state has turned more Republican since then with the landslide reelection of Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.

But it was considered a battleground before that. And recent polls showing Trump with margins of between 2 and 6 percentage points over Vice President Kamala Harris. That and an abortion rights ballot initiative that could turn out liberal voters have given Democrats glimmers of hope that they can at least be competitive and perhaps swing some down ballot races.

The state’s Haitian American population, estimated at about 500,000, is the nation’s largest and votes predominantly Democratic.

Haitian immigrants concentrated in South Florida, who came fleeing economic and political instability, have risen to fill numerous seats in city and county commissions, the state legislature and Congress. Haitian doctors and nurses fill hospitals in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and the surrounding suburbs. Many newer immigrants take back-breaking jobs that native-born Floridians turn down.

“Let’s be clear: Haitians and other immigrants come to this country committed to education, hard work and building a better life, not just for themselves but for all of us,” said Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Haitian American Democrat from South Florida, in a statement. “They contribute to our economy, enrich our culture, and strengthen our communities. Trump’s comments are a distraction from the real issues we face, and we won’t be fooled.”

Estimates of Haitian American voters range from 100,000 to 300,000, but Fernand Amandi, a Democratic pollster based in Miami, said they probably account for less than 1% of the voting population. Many were already motivated to elect Harris, the daughter of a Jamaican immigrant who has led the Biden administration’s foreign policy in the Caribbean.

“In Florida, we’ve seen the state and the presidency decided by 537 votes so any group can potentially sway an election or the presidency for that matter,” said Amandi, referring to the margin of victory in the contested 2000 election that came down to the Sunshine State. “I just don’t think it’s in the cards in 2024.”

Amandi said it’s “plausible, probably not probable” that Florida would turn blue in the case of a landslide victory for Harris at the national level.

Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that “the media is trying to distract the American people from the very real problems plaguing the residents of Springfield, Oh,” blaming the “sudden influx of migrants” for spiking rents, stressed schools and public safety incidents.

Trump’s 2020 victory in Florida came after he called Haiti a “shithole country.”

That comment stung, too.

“We see this movie play all over again, every time there’s a tragedy of immigrants being forced to flee their countries,” said Gepsie Morisset-Metellus, co-founder and executive director of the Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, a neighborhood resource center in North Miami.

Morisset-Metellus said she is especially concerned for Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, who are being threatened and intimidated by racists, according to published reports that have spread through the Haitian diaspora. Most of them are in the country legally and came to the area because there were jobs and a growing support network of fellow immigrants.

Morisset-Metellus said community members are outraged and contemplating what actions to take. But she is sure about one of them.

“People have always cared about these elections and the Haitian American community its a highly engaged voter population and people don’t miss elections,” she said. “They care.”

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©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By DAVID KLEPPER

WASHINGTON (AP) —

The U.S. State Department announced new sanctions on Russian state media Friday, accusing a Kremlin news outlet of working hand-in-hand with the Russian military and running fundraising campaigns to pay for sniper rifles, body armor and other equipment for soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

While the outlet, RT, has previously been sanctioned for its work to spread Kremlin propaganda and disinformation, the allegations announced Friday suggest its role goes far beyond influence operations. Instead, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, RT is a key part of Russia’s war machine and its efforts to undermine its democratic allies.

“RT wants its new covert intelligence capabilities, like its longstanding propaganda disinformation efforts, to remain hidden,” Blinken said Friday. “Our most powerful antidote to Russia’s lies is the truth. It’s shining a bright light on what the Kremlin is trying to do under the cover of darkness.”

RT has also created websites posing as legitimate news sites to spread disinformation and propaganda in Europe, Africa, South America and elsewhere, officials said. They say the outlet has also expanded its use of cyber operations with a new unit with ties to Russian intelligence created last year.

The crowd-sourcing effort sought to raise funds for Russian military supplies, some of which were procured in China, officials said. There were no obvious connections between RT and the fundraising campaign, or any indication that Chinese officials knew their products were being sold to Russia.

RT’s actions show “it’s not just a firehouse of disinformation, but a fully fledged member of the intelligence apparatus and operation of the Russian government,” said Jamie Rubin, who heads the State Department’s Global Engagement Center.

The sanctions announced Friday target RT’s parent organization, TV-Novosti, as well as a related state media group called Rossiya Segodnya, as well as Dmitry Kiselyov, Rossiya Segodnya’s general director. A third organization and its leader, Nelli Parutenko, were also sanctioned for allegedly running a vote-buying scheme in Moldova designed to help Moscow’s preferred candidates in an upcoming election.