Breaking News: Trump says Harris has ‘warped mind’, after she accuses him of being a ‘fascist….. See More

Harris admits she isn’t always ‘quick to have an answer’
published at 08:10
08:10
Throughout the race, critics and pundits have said Kamala Harris has a habit for giving “word salad” answers – jumbled responses to questions which take a while to get to the point.

Speaking after CNN’s town hall event on Wednesday, former President Barack Obama’s right-hand man David Axelrod echoed this, saying the Democratic nominee has a habit of going to “word salad city”.

He pointed to her answer on Israel in particular, which led to an answer spanning several minutes long.

During the debate, Harris was asked what she thought her weaknesses as a candidate were – and it appeared she had heard the criticism.

She said she “may not be quick to have an answer as soon as you ask”, adding that “some might call that a weakness… but that’s how I work”.

The Republican candidate’s oldest son was out and about on the campaign trail on Wednesday.

He was pictured at Tombstone Tactical, a gun store in the swing state of Arizona.

Gun ownership is highly politicised in the US. Earlier in the campaign, Kamala Harris revealed she has owned a gun in an effort to win support among a group Republicans have traditionally attracted support from.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kamala Harris stood in front of the vice-presidential residence in Washington DC, and delivered a short but withering attack on her Republican presidential opponent.

Calling Donald Trump “increasingly unhinged and unstable,” she cited critical comments made by John Kelly, Trump’s former White House Chief of Staff, in a New York Times interview.

The vice-president quoted Kelly describing Trump as someone who “certainly falls into the general definition of fascists” and who had spoken approvingly of Hitler several times.

In the home stretch of political campaigns – particularly one as tight and hard-fought as the 2024 presidential race – there is a natural tendency for candidates to turn negative. Attacks tend to be more effective in motivating supporters to head to the polls and disrupting the opposing campaigns.

Around 26.5 million people across the US have already voted, according to the University of Florida Election Lab early voter tracker.

That includes 1.9 million people in Georgia, 1.1 million people in Michigan, 1.7 million people in North Carolina and 1.1 million people in Pennsylvania – all of them swing states which could decide the election.

More than 63 million people across the US have requested mail-in ballots and 15 million people have returned them, according to the tracker.

Terrorism charges filed after shooting at Democratic office
published at 07:15
07:15
Terrorism charges have been filed against a man accused of committing three shooting attacks targeting the Democratic National Committee’s offices in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona.

Jeffrey Michael Kelly, 60, faces multiple other charges, including criminal damage and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Nobody was inside the offices at the times of the shootings, which occurred over several weeks, and nobody was injured. The office has now been closed down.

Kelly is also accused of putting up signs allegedly affixed with razor blades, and others had bags of “white powdery substance” attached that were labelled ”biohazard”, McCoy said.

“Let me be clear: Justice does not have a political party,” Tempe Police Chief Kenneth McCoy said in a news conference on Wednesday.

Police say Kelly was found with a machine gun in his vehicle when he was arrested. An FBI search of his home uncovered 120 guns, a grenade launcher, body armour, 250,000 bullets, as well as numerous other gun accessories.

Officials say he may have been planning a mass attack. His arrest comes as officials ramp up security measures ahead of election day.

It is 07:00 in London and 02:00 in Washington DC. If you’re just joining us, here are your essential US presidential election updates:

Kamala Harris says she believes Donald Trump is a “fascist” and wants “unchecked power” in a potential second term
Trump responds by saying his opponent has a “warped mind” and calls her a “threat to democracy”
It comes after John Kelly, Trump’s longest-serving White House chief of staff, said Trump had “fascist” tendencies and alleged he said Hitler had done “some good things”
Elsewhere, Trump calls Harris a “tax queen” at a rally in Georgia. Harris repeats her pledge not to raise taxes on people earning less than $400,000 (£305,000) a year

The Justice Department warns Elon Musk’s pro-Trump cash giveaway to voters in swing states may be illegal
Stay tuned throughout the day as we continue to bring you the latest updates and analysis.