Sept. 14 (UPI) — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris spoke to donors in Washington, D.C., her running mate Tim Walz held a rally in Wisconsin and GOP nominee Donald Trump was set to fundraise in Utah on Saturday.
Harris appeared Saturday afternoon at a private fundraising event in Washington and was set to follow that with a keynote speech later in the evening at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards Dinner at the Washington Convention Center.
During her talk with donors at the Washington Hilton, she touted her performance during Tuesday’s debate with Republican nominee Donald Trump and warned of the possible consequences of a second Trump term in the wake of July’s Supreme Court decision ruling presidents to be immune from criminal prosecution.
“On Tuesday, I talked about my plans on how we will bring down costs, how we will build our economy, how we protect reproductive freedom and keep our nation safe,” Harris said, according to a pool report. “But that is not what we hear from Donald Trump. Instead, it was the same old tired show. He was running from that same tired playbook that we’ve heard for years.”
Later, she warned of the high court’s ruling, “Imagine the meaning of that court ruling on this individual and what he is prepared to do and what he has already done. Imagine Donald Trump with no guardrails.”
President Joe Biden and Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, are also scheduled to speak at the Phoenix Awards Dinner, which serves as the flagship event of the CBCF’s annual legislative conference. Phoenix Awards are given to people who “are serving as leaders and trailblazers for the Black community, creating more opportunities for the next generation in the process.”
At last year’s event — also attended by Harris and Biden — the winners included White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Tennessee State Rep. Justin Jones, and rappers MC Lyte and LL Cool J.
Harris spent Friday campaigning in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, talking to voters in Johnstown, Pa., and sitting down for her first solo television interview since becoming the Democratic nominee.
In her interview with Philadelphia’s WPVI-TV, she was asked about Trump’s enduring appeal to the state’s voters despite his divisive persona and appeals to racism, and how she’s expecting to counter it.
“I, based on experience, and a lived experience, know in my heart, I know in my soul, I know, that the vast majority of us as Americans have so much more in common than what separates us,” Harris said.
“And I also believe that I am accurate in knowing that most Americans want a leader that brings us together as Americans and not someone who professes to be a leader who is trying to have us point our fingers at each other,” she added.
Walz. who is Minnesota’s governor, continued to campaign in northern Wisconsin, also seen as a crucial swing state in November’s election. His campaigned in Superior, Wis., following a stop Friday in Wausau.
In Superior, located in the northwestern tip of the state across the St. Louis River from Duluth, Minn., Walz similarly praised the outcome of Tuesday’s debate and took aim at Trump’s efforts during his first term to scuttle the Affordable Care Act.
“Not once did he ever worry that he would have to pay a medical bill,” he told attendees at the University of Wisconsin’s branch campus.
On Friday at Wausau’s Whitewater Music Hall, Walz warned that the United States’ foreign allies “have no respect for [Trump]. They know where he’s at. He continues to brag about being friends with the dictators.”
The former president, meanwhile, is expected to attend a private fundraiser Saturday in Utah after spending Friday at a rally in Las Vegas.
Attendees at the Salt Lake City event are expected to include controversial Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, right-wing radio personality Glenn Beck, former acting U.S. Attorney General Matt Whitaker and Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes, KSL-TV reported.
At his rally in Las Vegas, Trump repeated false claims about Venezuelan criminal gangs taking over parts of Aurora, Colo., and Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, declaring that immigration to the United States constitutes an “invasion.”
“Our country is under invasion just like an army,” he said, although refraining from repeating debunked rumors alleging Haitian immigrants in Springfield are killing and eating household pets. After Trump issued those slurs earlier this week, they were linked to a series of bomb threats delivered to the city’s schools and public agencies, forcing children to miss classes.
TNND — A new report from the House Oversight Committee alleges former D.C. Police Chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to manipulate crime data. The committee released the report on Sunday, less than a week after Smith announced she was stepping down.
You’re lulling people into this false sense of security. They might go places they wouldn’t ordinarily go. They might do things they wouldn’t ordinarily do,” said Betsy Brantner Smith, spokesperson for the National Police Association.
Included in the report were transcribed interviews with the commanders of all seven D.C. patrol districts and the former commander currently on suspended leave. One was asked, “Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?” Their response, “Yes, I mean extremethere’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration.”
Every single person who lives, works, or visits the District of Columbia deserves a safe city, yet it’s now clear the American people were deliberately kept in the dark about the true crime rates in our nation’s capital,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer (R-KY) said in a statement.
“They are going to have to regain the public trust. Again, this is a huge integrity issue,” Brantner Smith said.
Among the reports findings, Smith’s alleged pressured campaign against staff led to inaccurate crime data. Smith punished or removed officers for reporting accurate crime numbers. Smith fostered a toxic culture and President Trump’s federal law enforcement surge in D.C. is working.
While Smith has not yet publicly responded to the report, she’s previously denied allegations of manipulating crime data, saying the investigation did not play a factor into her decision to step down at the end of the year.
My decision was not factored into anything with respect to, other than the fact that it’s time. I’ve had 28 years in law enforcement. I’ve had some time to think with my family,” Smith said earlier this month.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser also released a statement Monday, writing in part that “the interim report betrays its bias from the outset, admitting that it was rushed to release.”
According to crime stats from the Metropolitan Police Department, since the federal law enforcement surge started in August, total violent crime is down 26%. Homicides are down 12% and carjackings 37%.
The first candle lit on the National Menorah near the White House in Washington, D.C., marked the first night of Hanukkah — and solemnly honored victims of the Bondi Beach shooting.
The National Menorah Lighting was held Sunday night, hours after gunmen opened fire on a crowd celebrating the beginning of Hanukkah at Australia’s iconic Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, including a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor, and over three dozen others were being treated at hospitals.
Authorities in Australia said it was a terrorist attack targeting Jewish people.
Organizers behind the National Menorah Lighting said the news from Australia, along with the bitter cold, forced them to consider whether or not to hold the annual event.
After consulting with local law enforcement, National Menorah Lighting organizers decided to hold the event and honor the victims.
Several D.C.-area police departments issued statements confirming there are no known threats to local communities, but are monitoring just in case.
Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich condemned the attack and said community safety is a priority.
“Acts of antisemitism, especially those meant to intimidate families and communities during moments of gathering and celebration, must be called out clearly and condemned without hesitation,” Elrich said. “I have heard directly from members of Montgomery County’s Jewish community who are shaken and concerned, and I want them to know that their safety is a priority.”
WASHINGTON (7News) — Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Chief Pamela Smith is facing yet another scathing report accusing her of manipulating crime data in the city.
The 22-page document from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform comes less than a week after a separate draft report from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and days after Chief Smith turned in her resignation.
The main difference between the Congressional report and the DOJ report is that this new one, released on December 14, contains transcribed interviews directly with commanders from all seven MPD patrol districts.
RELATED | DC Police settles with former employee over claims that crime numbers were manipulated
The testimony reveals how Chief Smith chastised and, in some cases, publicly humiliated staff in crime briefings.
“The Committee’s investigation heard consistent testimony about frustration and exhaustion among MPD commanders and the manifestation of a culture of fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation by Chief Smith. Often, these manifestations were triggered whenever the Chief was presented with what she considers ‘bad news,’ particularly when that news pertained to any rise in public crime statistics. Chief Smith, according to testimonies, regularly took action against her subordinates who failed to aid in the preservation of her public image,” the report states on page two.
RELATED | Trump announces probe into DC police for inflating crime stats amid safety claims
The committee launched the investigation in August when whistleblowers came forward with concerns about data manipulation.
One line of questioning in the report states:
Question: Over the last few years, has there been any internal pressure to simply bring down crime statistics?
Answer: Yes, I mean extreme… there’s always been pressure to keep crime down, but the focus on statistics… has come in with this current administration or regime, and you know, that has manifested publicly.
7News reached out to Mayor Bowser’s Office for a comment in response to the report. A spokesperson provided the following statement:
The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department run towards danger every day to reduce homicides, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and more. The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith’s leadership.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of D.C. residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police.
Howling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
Texas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
LIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
Matt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire
How much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
Addy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
Urban Meyer, Brady Quinn get in heated exchange during Alabama, Notre Dame, Miami CFP discussion
Man shot, killed at downtown Cleveland nightclub: EMS
