Harris to respond to Trump’s ‘father of IVF’ comments during rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin – US politics live

12.26am BST

ICYMI: Trump called himself the 'father of IVF'

In case you missed those comments from Trump: During a Fox News town hall taped Tuesday, Trump declared that he is “the father of IVF,” despite acknowledging during his answer that he needed an explanation of IVF in February, after the Alabama supreme court ruled that frozen embryos can be considered children under state law.

Trump said he instructed Alabama Senator Katie Britt, a Republican, to “explain IVF very quickly” to him in the aftermath of the ruling.

As concerns over access to fertility treatments rose, Trump pledged to promote IVF by requiring health insurance companies or the federal government to pay for it. Such a move would be at odds with the actions of much of his own party.

Even as the Republican Party has tried to create a national narrative that it is receptive to IVF, these messaging effortshave been undercut by GOP state lawmakers, Republican-dominated courts and anti-abortion leaders within the party’s ranks, as well as opposition to legislative attempts to protect IVF access.

Updated at 12.34am BST

12.24am BST

Harris to play clips of Trump talking about abortion at Green Bay, Wisconsin rally

Tonight in Green Bay, Kamala Harris plans to spotlight reproductive rights, including showing the Wisconsin voters what Trump has been saying about women on the campaign trail.

She will respond to Trump’s baffling comments calling himself the “father of IVF”.

That event is expected to start any minute – we will bring it to you live.

Updated at 12.25am BST

12.20am BST

A former funeral home owner from Long Island, New York, pleaded guilty today to spraying wasp killer at police officers and assaulting two journalists, including an Associated Press photographer, during the riot at the US Capitol almost four years ago.

Peter Moloney, 60, of Bayport, is now scheduled to be sentenced on February 11 by US district judge Carl Nichols, AP reports.

Moloney answered the judge’s routine questions as he pleaded guilty to two assault charges stemming from the January 6 , 2021, attack on Congress by a mob of supporters of Donald Trump as they aspired to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the presidential election the previous November.

Moloney, who co-owned Moloney Family Funeral Homes, was arrested in June 2023. Moloney appears to have come to the Capitol “prepared for violence,” equipped with protective eyewear, a helmet and a can of insecticide, according to an FBI agent’s affidavit. Video shows him spraying the insecticide at officers, the agent wrote.

Video also captured Moloney participating in a vicious attack on an AP photographer who was documenting the unfolding situation. Moloney pleaded guilty to charges including a felony assault. Congress returned to session and certified Biden’s victory in the early hours of January 7, 2021.

11.46pm BST

The overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about the climate crisis, and more than half say their concerns about the environment will affect where they decide to live and whether to have children, new research finds.

The study comes just weeks after back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, pummeled the south-eastern US. Flooding from Helene caused more than 600 miles of destruction, from Florida’s west coast to the mountains of North Carolina , while Milton raked across the Florida peninsula less than two weeks later.

“One of the most striking findings of the survey was that this was across the political spectrum ,” said the lead author, Eric Lewandowski, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “There was no state sample where the endorsement of climate anxiety came in less than 75%.”

The study was published in the Lancet Planetary Health , and follows a 2021 study covering 10 countries. Both the previous and current study were paid for by Avaaz, an advocacy group.

Related: Overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about climate crisis

11.30pm BST

Harris says death of Yahya Sinwar is chance to finally end Israel-Gaza war

Kamala Harris has hailed the death of Yahya Sinwar as an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza and prepare for “the day after” when Hamas no longer dominated the territory.

The US vice-president and Democratic nominee said “justice has been served” with the death of the Hamas leader, adding that the US, Israel and the wider world were “better off as a result”.

Locked in a titanic election contest with Donald Trump to win the battleground state of Michigan, home to a large Arab-American voting bloc sympathetic to the Palestinian cause, Harris also pressed for an end to the year-long hostilities that have killed more than 42,000 people in Gaza and left a trail of destruction in the territory.

“Hamas is decimated and its leadership is eliminated,” she said . “This moment gives us an opportunity to finally end the war in Gaza.” The end of the conflict had to be accompanied by security for Israel, the release of the remaining hostages and an end to suffering in Gaza, she said.

She also hinted at her support for Palestinian statehood by saying it should herald Palestinians’ rights to “dignity, security, freedom and self-determination”.

Her comments chimed with those of Joe Biden , who has been criticised by progressives for unstinting support for Israel even while Netanyahu had ignored his entreaties to avoid civilian casualties and ease humanitarian suffering in the tiny coastal territory.

“Israel has had every right to eliminate the leadership and military structure of Hamas ,” Biden said in comments that appeared designed to answer criticisms of his support.

Related: Harris says death of Yahya Sinwar is chance to finally end Israel-Gaza war

11.20pm BST

Trump has said he received a call from the Apple CEO Tim Cook over concerns about the financial penalties that have been imposed by the European Union on the iPhone maker, Reuters reports.

Apple did not respond to the agency’s request seeking confirmation of the authenticity of the phone call.

European regulators have launched a series of investigations into big tech firms in recent years, with the aim of curbing their power and ensuring a level playing field for smaller rivals.

“Two hours ago, three hours ago, he (Cook) called me,” Trump said, while speaking with podcaster Patrick Bet-David in a program that was released on Thursday. “He said the European Union has just fined us $15bn … then on top of that they got fined by the European Union another $2bn,” Trump added, quoting his call with Cook.

Updated at 11.23pm BST

11.11pm BST

At a rally earlier in Wisconsin Kamala Harris responded to hecklers in the crowd, saying: “Oh you guys are at the wrong rally. I think you meant to go to the smaller one down the street.”

Here is that clip:

10.51pm BST

Today so far

• Joe Biden has released a statement on Israel’s killing of Hamas’s chief Yahya Sinwar. In his statement, Biden called the killing a “good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world”, adding that he planned to speak to Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders.

• Kamala Harris also commented on Israel’s killing of Sinwar while on the campaign trail in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. “This moment gives us an opportunity to end the war in Gaza,” the US vice-president and Democratic nominee for president in this election , said.

• Donald Trump told the audience at the Univision town hall last night that “we can’t destroy our country” in order to save the planet from the climate crisis. Answering a question from a veteran construction worker, who had seen first-hand “the devastating impacts of climate change”, whether he still believed global warming was a hoax, Trump launched into a lengthy tirade.

• At a rally in Durham, North Carolina, Tim Walz delivered a fiery criticism of Donald Trump. “When Trump is talking about bringing back stop-and-frisk policies, those are harassment that went on to the Black community, specifically Black males, and put a disproportionate number of them into incarceration,” he told supporters.

• Biden announced today further student debt relief for public servants – amounting to about $4.5bn. The action affects about 60,000 borrowers across the country, said the White House, touting the efforts of the US president and Harris to improve loan forgiveness since taking office.

Updated at 10.58pm BST

10.20pm BST

Surrogates for the Harris-Walz campaign , meanwhile, are questioning Trump’s cognitive abilities, pointing to his recent 40-minute musical interlude at a town hall where he was meant to be answering voters’ questions.

Here’s Mark Cuban , the billionaire executive and TV personality who appeared alongside Harris in Wisconsin:

Bill Clinton , who appeared with Tim Walz in North Carolina, quipped: “Heck, I’m only two months younger than Donald Trump. But the good news for you is I will not spend 30 minutes swaying back and forth to music.”

Updated at 11.21pm BST

10.17pm BST

Harris says Americans done with Trump's 'gaslighting' as she criticizes January 6 remarks

Meanwhile, in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, Kamala Harris slammed Trump’s performance at the Univision town hall yesterday, when he referred to 6 January 2021, when rioters stormed the capitol and injured over 140 police officers, “a day of love”.

“The American people are exhausted with his gaslighting. Enough. We are ready to turn the page. We’re done,” she said.

During the Univision town hall, a Republican voter told Trump the former president had lost his vote due to his response to the January 6 riots and the coronavirus pandemic. Trump responded: “Nothing done wrong at all.”

“There were no guns down there. We didn’t have guns. The others had guns, but we didn’t have guns,” he said. “And when I say we, these are people that walked down – this was a tiny percentage of the overall which nobody sees and nobody, nobody shows. But that was a day of love.”

Updated at 10.29pm BST

10.03pm BST

Tim Walz condemnds Trump's stop-and-frisk pledge at campaign rally in North Carolina

At a rally in Durham, North Carolina, Tim Walz delivered a fiery criticism of Donald Trump.

“When Trump is talking about bringing back stop-and-frisk policies, those are harassment that went on to the Black community, specifically Black males, and put a disproportionate number of them into incarceration,” he told supporters.

Walz also slammed the idea that Trump “understood” the needs of voters. “If any of our relatives … tells us ‘Donald Trump understands us’, that’s bullshit. He does not understand us. He does not understand you,” Walz said, noting that the former president didn’t “give a damn” if social security checks cleared.

He appeared at the rally alongside former president Bill Clinton.

Updated at 10.24pm BST

9.38pm BST

The stakes: US cities are preparing to defend themselves if Trump wins

Senior Democrats in US cities are preparing to defend their communities in the event of Donald Trump ’s return to the White House after the former president has repeated threats that he would use presidential powers to seize control of major urban centers.

Trump has proposed deploying the military inside major cities largely run by Democrats to deal with protesters or to crush criminal gangs. He has threatened to dispatch large numbers of federal immigration agents to carry out mass deportations of undocumented people in so-called “sanctuary” cities.

He also aims to obliterate the progressive criminal justice policies of left-leaning prosecutors.

“In cities where there has been a complete breakdown of law and order … I will not hesitate to send in federal assets including the national guard until safety is restored,” Trump says in the campaign platform for his bid to become the 47th US president, Agenda47 .

Trump provoked uproar earlier this week when he called for US armed forces to be deployed against his political rivals – “the enemy within” – on election day next month. But his plans to use national guard troops and military personnel as a means to attack those he sees as his opponents go much wider than that, spanning entire cities with Democratic leadership.

Mayors and prosecutors in several US cities are collaborating over strategies to minimize the fallout. Levar Stoney, the Democratic mayor of Richmond, Virginia, a city of more than 220,000, said he was aware how difficult it would be to resist Trump given the enormous powers at a president’s disposal.

“It’s very difficult to autocrat-proof your city,” he said. “But you have to have backstops, and mayors are working in coalition to ensure they can be a backstop against these divisive policies.”

Read more:

Related: If Trump wins the election, US cities are at risk of military takeovers and mass deportations

Updated at 9.40pm BST

9.19pm BST

Newly unsealed divorce records show Arizona congressman Ruben Gallego , the Democratic nominee for an open Senate seat, petitioned a court to end his marriage with Kate Gallego , Phoenix’s mayor, just before she gave birth to their son. But it contained none of the potentially damaging details conservatives had hoped to uncover.

Gallego’s opponent, Kari Lake , has long alluded to the filings, making insinuations that their contents would tarnish his public persona. Ahead of the release, one of her advisers sought to distance the campaign from the effort to unseal the documents, an effort brought by the conservative outlet, Washington Free Beacon.

The couple split in 2016 after six years of marriage. The congressman has previously said that his post-traumatic stress disorder from serving in Iraq contributed to the demise of their marriage.

The Gallegos had fought the release, expressing concern that the public disclosure could endanger their son, Michael. The effort to keep the records sealed fanned rightwing speculation about what was in them.

Kate Gallego has endorsed her husband’s Senate bid.

In June, Yavapai superior court judge John Napper , who originally presided over the Free Beacon’s case, tempered expectations well in advance, according to a video obtained by 12 News.

“Everyone’s going to be rather deflated with the results of it,” Napper said, adding: “I’m not a politician, and maybe this will be very, very important information but this looks to me like one of the most garden-variety divorce files I have ever seen.”

Updated at 9.24pm BST

9.00pm BST

The US has granted temporary protected status to Lebanese nationals amid Israel’s deadly war on the country.

The Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports:

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a new “temporary protected status” allowing Lebanese nationals in the US to remain in the country and apply for work permits, as the “ongoing armed conflict” in Lebanon continues with Israel expanding its invasion and its attacks on Hezbollah .

As of July 2024, around 11,500 Lebanese nationals were believed to be in the US on nonimmigrant visas for business, tourism, temporary work or other opportunities, with California and Michigan hosting the most. About 11,000 of them will probably now be eligible to apply for temporary protected status, as well as for deferred enforced departure – in other words, protection from deportation. An additional 1,740 students from Lebanon may also be eligible for special student relief.

For the full story, click here:

Related: US grants temporary protected status to Lebanese nationals amid Israel war

8.48pm BST

The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, has also weighed in on Israel’s killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, saying in a statement on Thursday:

Sinwar has the blood of countless innocents in Israel and Gaza on his hands and the world is a much better place without him …

Sinwar in his beliefs and actions have caused so much pain to the Israeli and Palestinian people; and I pray that his elimination from the scene will clear a path to urgently and immediately bring home all the hostages – including the seven Americans – and negotiate an end to hostilities that will ensure the security of the Israeli people and provide full humanitarian relief and a new path forward for the people of Gaza.

Schumer made no mention of Palestinians’ right to self-determination.

Updated at 8.58pm BST

8.19pm BST

The US will try to push forward a ceasefire and hostage -release proposal following Israel’s killing of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, Reuters reports.

Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, state department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: “Over the past few weeks, there have been no negotiations for an end to the war because Sinwar has refused to negotiate.”

Updated at 8.37pm BST

7.56pm BST

Biden hails Sinwar death as 'good day for Israel'

Joe Biden has released a statement on Israel’s killing of Hamas’s Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar.

In his statement, Biden called the killing a “good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world”.

Biden went on to add, “As the leader of the terrorist group Hamas, Sinwar was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Israelis, Palestinians, Americans, and citizens from over 30 countries.”

“Over 1,200 people were killed on that day, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, including 46 Americans. More than 250 were taken hostage, with 101 still missing. That number includes seven Americans, four of whom are believed to still be alive and held by Hamas terrorists. Sinwar is the man most responsible for this, and for so much of what followed,” Biden continued in his statement.

He added that he will be speaking soon with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders to “discuss the pathway for bringing the hostages home to their families, and for ending this war once and for all, which has caused so much devastation to innocent people.”

Notably, Biden made no mention of the 42,400 Palestinians – including healthcare workers and journalists – that Israeli forces killed since October or the nearly 2 million survivors who Israeli forces have forcibly displaced across the narrow strip.

Updated at 8.03pm BST

7.25pm BST

Harris says 'justice has been served' over death of Hamas leader Sinwar

Moments ago, Kamala Harris stepped up to a podium while on the election trail in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and commented on Israel’s stating that it killed Yahya Sinwar , the leader of Hamas, in a battle in Gaza today.

“This moment gives us an opportunity to end the war in Gaza,” the US vice-president and Democratic nominee for president in this election , said.

She said “justice has been served” over the reported killing of the leader of the Islamist militants that control Gaza.

Harris reiterated the administration’s stance that “Israel has the right to defend itself and called for the remaining hostages held by Hamas since it led an attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to be released.

But she added that “the suffering must end” in Gaza and said it was “time for the day after to begin without Hamas in power”. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not pledged a ceasefire.

We are live blogging all the developments in Gaza, Lebanon and Israel, here .

Updated at 7.49pm BST

7.04pm BST

In the Middle East, the government of Israel has announced its military forces have killed Yahya Sinwar , the leader of Hamas, in a battle in Gaza. This comes less than three weeks after Israel also killed Hassan Nasrallah , the head of Hezbollah, during air strikes on the outskirts of Beirut in Lebanon.

Confirmation on Sinwar’s death is awaited from the Palestinian side. If verified that means the heads of Iran’s two most powerful proxy forces opposed to Israel have been wiped out. We are following all the developments on this live in our international blog and you can find all that news here .

Updated at 7.08pm BST

6.45pm BST

Interim summary

Hello, US politics blog readers, it’s another lively day on the campaign trail with less than three weeks to go before the election . There’s a lot more news to come and we’ll keep up with developments as they happen.

Here’s where things stand:

• Donald Trump told the audience at the Univision town hall last night that “we can’t destroy our country” in order to save the planet from the climate crisis. Answering a question from a veteran construction worker, who had seen first-hand “the devastating impacts of climate change”, whether he still believed global warming was a hoax, Trump launched into a lengthy tirade.

• Kamala Harris posted that “Donald Trump incited an attack on our nation’s democracy because he didn’t like the outcome of the election. If January 6 [2021] was a bridge too far, there is a place for you in our campaign.” This is further outreach from the Democratic nominee for president herself, including to hammer home facts about the insurrection at the US Capitol that day. It came a day after she did an interview with rightwing Fox News and led a rally attended by more than 100 prominent Republicans.

• Tim Walz , Harris’s running mate, will campaign in Durham and Winston-Salem in North Carolina with Common today, to mark the first day of early voting in that important swing state. The Emmy-winning rapper and voting rights activist is to join Walz in Winston-Salem, in a push to get out the vote.

• Harris is on a swing through two vital “blue wall” states today, with campaign stops including Milwaukee, La Crosse and Green Bay in Wisconsin, then heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

• Joe Biden announced today further student debt relief for public servants – amounting to about $4.5bn. The action affects about 60,000 borrowers across the country, said the White House, touting the efforts of the US president and Harris, his vice-president and successor as presidential nominee, to improve loan forgiveness since taking office.

Updated at 6.50pm BST

6.14pm BST

Donald Trump’s campaign has released some details about his rally schedule for the coming days.

On Sunday, Trump will hold a town hall in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, at 5pm.

On Monday, he will deliver remarks at a rally in Greenville, North Carolina, at 3pm.

Updated at 6.27pm BST

5.43pm BST

In another state hit hard by hurricanes recently, early voting is underway.

Many voters had to relocate after Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina, where Tim Walz is making a campaign stop. But the state’s board of elections is ensuring those displaced or who live in an area under the federal disaster declaration can still vote via an absentee ballot.

“If you had to relocate due to the storm, you do not have to return to your county to vote. You can request to have your ballot delivered to your temporary housing location or wherever you can receive mail,” the website of North Carolina state board of election reads.

Absentee ballots can be requested at a local county board of elections office during business hours, or online at the North Carolina absentee ballot portal until 5pm on 29 October and must be received no later than 7.30pm on 5 November.

Updated at 5.49pm BST

5.24pm BST

Hurricanes like Milton and Helene, which recently battered US states in the south, is top of mind for many voters. Those who live in natural disaster-prone areas increasingly at risk due to the climate crisis have even more at stake.

Despite this, many of these residents are still choosing to back Donald Trump, a vocal climate denier. The Guardian’s Oliver Laughland and Tom Silverstone travelled to south-west Louisiana to speak to some of these communities.

Updated at 5.32pm BST

4.55pm BST

Trump told town hall: 'We can't destroy our country' to save climate

During Donald Trump’s Univision town hall, the former president pushed back on the climate crisis, telling an audience member at one point : “We can’t destroy our country” in order to save the climate.

Answering a question from a veteran construction worker who had seen first-hand “the devastating impacts of climate change” on whether he still believed global warming was a hoax, Trump launched into a lengthy tirade, saying:

I get awards, environmental awards, for the way I build it for the water, the way I use the water, the sand, the mixing of the sand and the water, I mean, many different, but I’ve had many awards over the years for environmental, the way I’ve built because you know about building, that’s what you do … ”

Updated at 5.13pm BST

4.25pm BST

Donald Trump’s team will ban Project 2025 affiliates from a future administration, according to Politico.

Robert Tait reports for the Guardian:

Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly preparing a blacklist of potential officials to be banned from a future administration, with special emphasis being placed on those with links to the radical Project 2025 plan to overhaul the US government.

The former president’s eldest son, Donald Jr, is spearheading the drive to compile the list of barred staffers, according to Politico , citing a former official in the first Trump administration.

“Clearly people working on Project 2025 are blacklisted,” another ex-official told the site.

The Republican nominee publicly disowned the 922-page document, prepared by the Heritage Foundation thinktank, after polls showed that its ideologically driven prescriptions – including mass firings of civil servants and plans to outlaw abortion – were an electoral liability.

For the full story, click here:

Related: Trump team to ban Project 2025 affiliates from future administration – report

4.04pm BST

Harris hits out at Trump's 'day of love' comment

In response to a video of Donald Trump answering a question from an audience member during a Univision town hall in which he said the January 6 riot was a “day of love ”, Kamala Harris wrote on X:

Donald Trump incited an attack on our nation’s democracy because he didn’t like the outcome of the election.

If January 6 was a bridge too far, there is a place for you in our campaign.

Trump has repeatedly said that he did not lose the 2020 election – a baseless claim which his running mate JD Vance doubled down on this week, saying : “Did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use.”

Updated at 6.00pm BST

3.35pm BST

Kamala Harris will travel to Atlanta, Georgia, this weekend for a campaign rally.

According to her campaign, Harris will use the rally to encourage Georgians to vote early.

The US vice-president has visited the crucial battleground state at least 8 times this year. Her upcoming visit to Atlanta will follow a rally that Donald Trump held in the city on Wednesday.

Updated at 3.57pm BST

3.04pm BST

Walz to campaign in North Carolina with the rapper Common

Tim Walz will campaign in Durham and Winston-Salem in North Carolina today to mark the first day of early voting.

The Emmy-winning rapper and voting rights activist Common will join Walz in Winston-Salem where the two will speak to North Carolinians about the importance of voting, according to the Harris-Walz campaign.

Updated at 3.30pm BST

2.35pm BST

When Lauren Miller found out she was pregnant with twins in the summer of 2022, she was shocked and excited. But an early scan revealed that one of the twins was not developing at the same pace as the other. He had severe abnormalities, and a rare chromosomal disorder called trisomy 18.

Lauren lives in Dallas, Texas, where abortion is illegal unless the pregnancy places the woman at risk of death or “substantial impairment of a major bodily function”. Carter Sherman, the Guardian US reproductive health and justice reporter, explains why this exception does not necessarily reassure women wanting treatment:

Related: How abortion became a battleground issue of the US election – podcast

Updated at 2.59pm BST

2.17pm BST

Harris to campaign in three Wisconsin cities today

Kamala Harris is set to travel through Wisconsin today, Politico reports.

Her stops include Milwaukee, La Crosse and Green Bay, as well as a college business class. The US vice-president will also hold two rallies before heading to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Updated at 3.21pm BST

1.42pm BST

Here are some key takeaways from Kamala Harris’s Fox News interview, the Guardian’s Helen Sullivan reports:

1. Immigration

Harris was asked about the Biden administration’s efforts to tackle a surge in illegal immigration at the southern border, and laid the blame on Republicans for failing to pass a border bill.

Harris was asked to defend the administration’s early decision to reverse some of her Republican rival Donald Trump’s restrictive policies, and to respond to a mother who testified in Congress about the loss of her child at the hands of an illegal immigrant.

2. The Biden-Harris record

Harris was questioned over her recent comment that there was “not a thing” she would change about the actions of the Biden administration, responding: “let me be very clear, my presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency,” but she did not elaborate.

Harris was asked when she first noticed that Biden’s “mental faculties appeared diminished”, but the vice-president responded by saying that the president had the judgment and experience to do what needs to be done on behalf of the American people.

For the full story, click here:

Related: Key takeaways from Fox News interview: Harris grilled on immigration, the Middle East and Biden’s record

Updated at 2.30pm BST

1.12pm BST

The US president, Joe Biden, said Tuesday that Kamala Harris would “cut her own path” if elected, as the Democratic nominee tries to convince voters she would bring change to the White House.

Agence France-Presse reports:

Harris came under fire from her Republican rival, Donald Trump, last week after saying there was “not a thing comes to mind” when asked what she would have done differently from Biden.

“Every president has to cut their own path. That’s what I did. I was loyal to Barack Obama but I cut my own path as president,” Biden told a Democratic party dinner in Philadelphia.

“That’s what Kamala’s going to do. She’s been loyal so far but she’ll cut her own path.”

Biden added: “Kamala’s perspective on our problems will be fresh and new. Donald Trump’s perspective is old and failed and quite frankly thoroughly totally dishonest.”

Updated at 2.31pm BST

12.48pm BST

Senior Democrats in US cities are preparing to defend their communities in the event of Donald Trump’s return to the White House after the former president has repeated threats that he would use presidential powers to seize control of major urban centers.

Trump has proposed deploying the military inside major cities largely run by Democrats to deal with protesters or to crush criminal gangs. He has threatened to dispatch large numbers of federal immigration agents to carry out mass deportations of undocumented people in so-called “sanctuary” cities.

He also aims to obliterate the progressive criminal justice policies of left-leaning prosecutors.

“In cities where there has been a complete breakdown of law and order … I will not hesitate to send in federal assets including the national guard until safety is restored,” Trump says in the campaign platform for his bid to become the 47th US president, Agenda47 .

Trump provoked uproar earlier this week when he called for US armed forces to be deployed against his political rivals – “the enemy within” – on election day next month. But his plans to use national guard troops and military personnel as a means to attack those he sees as his opponents go much wider than that, spanning entire cities with Democratic leadership.

Mayors and prosecutors in several US cities are collaborating over strategies to minimize the fallout. Levar Stoney, the Democratic mayor of Richmond , Virginia , a city of over 220,000, said he was aware how difficult it would be to resist Trump given the enormous powers at a president’s disposal.

“It’s very difficult to autocrat-proof your city,” he said. “But you have to have backstops, and mayors are working in coalition to ensure they can be a backstop against these divisive policies.”

You can read more of Ed Pilkington’s news feature here:

Related: If Trump wins the election, US cities are at risk of military takeovers and mass deportations

Updated at 1.25pm BST

12.29pm BST

The US Republican candidate, Donald Trump, on Tuesday said that companies will drop plans to build factories overseas when faced with the threat of high tariffs on shipping goods to the US, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

“The higher the tariff, the more likely it is that the company will come into the United States,” the former president told an audience at the Economic Club of Chicago.

“You make it so high, so horrible, so obnoxious” companies will “come right away,” he added.

The economy has emerged as one of the main issues ahead of the 5 November US election, where Trump is in a dead heat with Kamala Harris , according to polls.

The former president has vowed a 10% to 20% across-the-board tariff on imports and a 60% rate on Chinese goods – and more recently threatened a 200% levy on vehicles made in Mexico .

AFP reports that during the hour-long interview, Trump pushed back at arguments that tariffs would hike costs for consumers and punish businesses faced with higher-priced imports. “To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff,” Trump said.

Updated at 2.29pm BST

12.15pm BST

Biden approves $4.5 bn in student debt relief as vote nears

The US president, Joe Biden, announced on Thursday further student debt relief for public servants – amounting to about $4.5bn – with just over two weeks to go until the presidential election, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The action affects about 60,000 borrowers across the country, said the White House , touting Biden and Kamala Harris ’s efforts to improve loan forgiveness since taking office.

AFP reports that the announcement comes as US households feel the weight of higher costs of living since the Covid-19 pandemic, with voters citing the economy as a crucial concern in polls.

Biden said in a statement that with the latest move, more than one million people have had their debt cancelled under Public Service Loan Forgiveness .

The promise of the programme – supporting teachers, nurses and others – involved student debt forgiveness after 10 years of public service and 10 years of payments.

“But for too long, the government failed to live up to its commitments, and only 7,000 people had ever received forgiveness,” Biden said. “I will never stop working to make higher education affordable,” he added.

Biden has embarked on efforts to cancel student debt for millions of Americans, after a student loan payment freeze instituted by Donald Trump during the coronavirus pandemic.

Americans hold $1.6tn in student loans, and some end up repaying them over decades as they start jobs and families.

Updated at 2.28pm BST

12.02pm BST

The US president, Joe Biden, will spend Friday in Berlin with the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, reports the Associated Press (AP).

There is also a planned meeting with other leaders in the “European quad”, a group that in addition to Biden and Scholz includes the French president, Emmanuel Macron , and the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer .

The White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre , described Biden as having a “close relationship” with Scholz, who early this year helped broker a multi-country prisoner swap that brought back to the US the journalist Evan Gershkovich and former marine Paul Whelan . The German leader told Biden before the deal in words to the effect: “For you, I will do this,” reports Reuters.

“We have worked together closely to strengthen our economies for both our people and provide critical support for Ukraine as it continues to defend itself against Russian aggression,” Jean-Pierre said at Wednesday’s White House briefing. “The president really wanted to make sure to go to Germany to thank chancellor Scholz directly.”

The US and Germany have been the largest two sources of aid to Ukraine as it fights to repel a Russian invasion. And with less than three weeks before the US presidential election, Biden also feels obliged to ready allies for the possible return to the White House of the Republican Trump , who has antagonized US friends while displaying an appreciation for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin , reports the AP.

The administration said Biden has no plans while in Europe to meet with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy , but the two spoke on Wednesday about additional military aid, with the White House announcing $425m in assistance, bringing the total support to more than $64bn over two and a half years.

In addition to Ukraine, Biden and Scholz plan to discuss EU relations, democratic values, trade and technology issues, global supply chains, tensions in the Middle East and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region , reports the AP. While in Germany, Biden will also meet with its president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier .

Earlier this month, Biden delayed a trip planned to Germany and Angola in order to oversee relief efforts ahead of Hurricane Milton making landfall in Florida . He now plans to go to Angola in December.

Updated at 2.26pm BST

11.43am BST

At Wednesday’s Miami town hall, Donald Trump sidestepped a question on immigration, reports Reuters.

One town hall participant, a Mexican-born California farm worker who spoke of picking strawberries and broccoli for years, asked who would do hard farm labor if Trump goes through with his plans to deport millions of people who are in the US illegally, and how that would impact food prices.

According to Reuters, Trump did not answer directly and instead claimed African Americans and Hispanic Americans were losing their jobs because of illegal immigration. He also repeated baseless claims that Latin American countries were emptying out mental institutions and jails to send people to the US.

Trump has previously used dehumanizing terminology to describe immigrants in the US illegally, calling them “animals” when talking about alleged criminal acts, and saying they are “poisoning the blood of our country”, a phrase that has drawn criticism as xenophobic and echoing Nazi rhetoric.

Updated at 2.20pm BST

11.29am BST

In the final weeks before the 5 November election, the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, is increasingly resorting to darker and more violent language about illegal immigration, an issue that opinion polls show resonates with many voters, especially Republicans, reports Reuters.

He is competing against the Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris , for key votes from the growing Latino population. Latino voters have typically backed Democrats, but the Trump campaign is hoping to win over more, especially men, on the back of economic discontent.

Harris led Trump by eight percentage points – 47% to 39% – among Hispanic voters in Reuters/Ipsos polling conducted between 11 September and 7 October.

Harris held her own Latino town hall last week in Nevada , a battleground state with a significant Hispanic population.

Updated at 2.19pm BST

11.16am BST

'Just saying what was reported' - Trump stands by debunked Ohio immigrants eating pets claims

The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, on Wednesday stood by debunked claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets, telling Latino voters during a town hall he was “just saying what was reported”, according to Reuters.

Trump in recent weeks has amplified a false claim that has gone viral that Haitian immigrants in Springfield , Ohio, were stealing residents’ pets or taking wildlife from parks for food.

There have been no credible reports of Haitians eating pets, and officials in Ohio – including Republicans – have repeatedly said the story is untrue.

At a town hall hosted by the Spanish-language television network Univision, an undecided Mexican-born Latino Republican voter from Arizona , a battleground state, asked Trump in Spanish whether he truly believed that immigrants were eating pets.

“I was just saying what was reported … And eating other things too that they’re not supposed to be. All I do is report,” Trump replied during the event held in Miami . “I was there, I’m going to be there and we’re going to take a look.”

According to Reuters, Trump added that “newspapers” had also reported on the claim, without naming any or providing any details.

Trump, who has not yet traveled to Springfield, has previously said he would conduct mass deportations of Haitian immigrants from the Ohio city, even though the majority of them are in the US legally.

The city has faced bomb threats since Trump began repeating the false accusations about Haitians.

Related: Trump stands by debunked claims immigrants are eating pets at event for Hispanic voters

Updated at 2.18pm BST

11.08am BST

Donald Trump describes 6 January Capitol riots as 'day of love' during Miami town hall

The Republican presidential candidate, Donald Trump, on Wednesday described 6 January 2021, when thousands of his supporters attacked the Capitol in Washington DC in a bid to stop formal certification of Trump’s election defeat, as a “day of love”.

During a town hall with a Latino audience, hosted by Spanish-language television network Univision yesterday, Trump was told by a participant that he wanted to give the former US president a chance to “win back his vote” given his concerns over the 6 January 2021 Capitol riot, reports Reuters.

Thousands of Trump supporters attacked the Capitol in Washington DC that day causing millions of dollars in damage. Four people died on the day of the attack, and one Capitol police officer who fought against the rioters died the next day.

At the town hall in Miami , Trump gave a lengthy response in which he described 6 January 2021 as a “day of love” and said former administration officials who had turned against him were angry about having been fired.

“I hope someday maybe we’ll get your vote,” Trump said as he wrapped up. “Sounds like maybe I won’t, but that’s OK too.”

Trump also stood by debunked claims that immigrants in Ohio were eating pets, telling Latino voters during a town hall he was “just saying what was reported”.

Trump in recent weeks has amplified a false claim that has gone viral that Haitian immigrants in Springfield , Ohio, were stealing residents’ pets or taking wildlife from parks for food.

There have been no credible reports of Haitians eating pets, and officials in Ohio – including Republicans – have repeatedly said the story is untrue.

More on this story in a moment, but first, here are the latest updates:

• Surrounded by more than 100 former Republican officeholders and officials, Kamala Harris urged GOP voters on Wednesday to put “country first” and abandon Trump. Trump is “unstable” and “unhinged” and would eviscerate democratic norms if given a second White House term, she said. “America must heed this warning”.

• In her interview on Fox News, Harris was asked about the Biden administration’s efforts to tackle illegal immigration at the southern border , and laid the blame on Republicans for failing to pass a border bill . Harris said Trump told Republicans to reject the bill because “he preferred to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem.”

• In the Fox interview, Harris singled out Iran when asked which foreign country she considers to be America’s greatest adversary. The interviewer, Bret Baier, questioned whether the Biden-Harris administration was “acting like Iran is the number one threat”.

• Trump’s running mate, JD Vance answered “no” when asked if Trump lost the 2020 election, at a Pennsylvania rally. “What message do you think it sends to independent voters when you do not directly answer the question ‘Did Donald Trump lose in 2020?’” the reporter asked, eliciting boos from the crowd. Vance said, “No. I think there were serious problems in 2020”.

• Trump doubled down on his controversial comments about “the enemy from within” made over the weekend. Before an all-female audience in Cumming, Georgia , Trump mocked Harris and her allies as “sick”, “evil” and “a party of soundbites”. He told the Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner: “They’re very dangerous. They’re Marxists and communists and fascists. They’re the threat to democracy.”

• In Trump’s Univision town hall he was asked to name three virtues possessed by Harris, which he did, before again attacking her. He said that “she seems to have an ability to survive,” that “she seems to have some pretty longtime friendships” and that “she seems to have a nice way about her.” “I mean, I like the way some of her statements, some of her – the way she behaves, in a certain way. But in another way, I think it’s very bad for our country,” he said.

• A Georgia judge has declared that seven new election rules recently passed by the state election board are “illegal, unconstitutional and void”. The Fulton county superior court judge, Thomas Cox, issued the order on Wednesday after holding a hearing on challenges to the rules. The rules that Cox invalidated included three that had garnered a lot of attention: one that required that the number of ballots be hand-counted after the close of polls and two that had to do with the certification of election results.

• Jimmy Carter, the centenarian former Democratic president, has voted in the 2024 presidential election, his representatives confirmed on Wednesday. A statement from the Carter Center did not reveal who he voted for , but it is assumed the 100-year-old, who is in hospice care, cast his ballot for the Democratic candidate Harris .

• Alabama cannot remove thousands of people from its voter rolls on the eve of the presidential election, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday . The US district judge Anna Manasco, an appointee of Trump , issued a preliminary injunction halting an effort by Alabama’s top election official to try to remove more than 3,200 people from the voter rolls who it suspected of being non-citizens until at least after the presidential election .

• The League of Women Voters of Wisconsin has called on the Department of Justice to investigate text messages they say targeted and tried to discourage young people from voting in the November election . The League of Women Voters says it initially learned of the alleged text campaign on 10 October, when the group received numerous complaints from voters who had received the text. Two people in their 20s who work with the League of Women Voters also received the message, which reads: “WARNING: Violating WI Statutes 12.13 & 6.18 may result in fines up to $10,000 or 3.5 years in prison. Don’t vote in a state where you’re not eligible.”

Updated at 2.16pm BST