Harris campaign denies plagiarism allegations from conservative activist – report
Kamala Harris’s campaign has rejected allegations made by conservative activist Christopher Rufo that she plagiarized parts of a book she co-authored shortly before being elected California’s attorney general, CNN reports.
Citing the work of Stefan Weber, an Austrian “plagiarism hunter”, Rufo wrote that Harris’s 2009 book Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor’s Plan to Make Us Safer co-authored with Joan O’C Hamilton contains sections that were plagiarized.
CNN took a closer look at the claim, and this is what they found:
Rufo, in his post, refers to six specific paragraphs from Harris’ roughly 200-page book.
CNN reviewed several of the passages highlighted by Rufo and found that Harris and O’C. Hamilton failed to properly attribute language to sources.
Plagiarized works include using someone else’s work without giving them proper and appropriate credit for their ideas and words. Even if the source of the information is cited, it is still considered plagiarism if the ideas are not paraphrased or quoted in the correct place, experts told CNN late last year.
In one instance, Harris and O’C. Hamilton appear to have lifted some language from a John Jay College of Criminal Justice press release without proper attribution. The book copies exact language and sections of the press release but fails to use quotation marks in several sentences, according to an analysis of the book and the press release.
The authors do, however, cite the press release as a source in a footnote next to the text.
They also properly attribute other quotes from parts of the press release.
In response to Rufo’s allegations, Harris campaign spokesperson James Singer told CNN:
Rightwing operatives are getting desperate as they see the bipartisan coalition of support Vice President Harris is building to win this election, as Trump retreats to a conservative echo chamber refusing to face questions about his lies. This is a book that’s been out for 15 years, and the Vice President clearly cited sources and statistics in footnotes and endnotes throughout.
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He might be “DJ Trump” to his campaign, but Kamala Harris is taking the former president’s lengthy musical interlude as a sign that he might not be well.
Reacting to a clip of his rally yesterday in Oaks, Pennsylvania, during which Trump spent a considerable amount of time onstage swaying and rocking to the music, the vice-president said:
Hope he's okay. https://t.co/WGhGteFpjm
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 15, 2024
US anti-missile system begins arriving in Israel, says Pentagon
The Pentagon said components for an advanced anti-missile system began arriving in Israel yesterday and that it would be fully operational in the near future, according to a statement this morning. About 100 troops will accompany the system.
“Over the coming days, additional US military personnel and THAAD battery components will continue to arrive in Israel,” Pentagon spokesperson Major General Pat Ryder said. “The battery will be fully operational capable in the near future, but for operations security reasons we will not discuss timelines.”
THAAD is designed to defend against ballistic missiles, and will line up alongside Israel’s Arrow 2 and 3 and David’s Sling long- and medium-range defence systems.
Here’s what our defence editor, Dan Sabbagh, had to say about the THAAD deployment when it was announced:
Bringing THAAD to bear suggests the US believes that whatever Israel is planning to do will invite a fresh response from Iran, and that it could test existing air defences seriously.
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California and Nevada voters will decide in November whether to ban forced prison labor by removing language from their state constitutions rooted in the legacy of chattel slavery.
The measures aim to protect incarcerated people from being forced to work under the threat of punishment in the states, writes Associated Press. It is not uncommon for prisoners to be paid less than $1 an hour to fight fires, clean prison cells, make license plates or do yard work at cemeteries.
Nevada incarcerates about 10,000 people. All prisoners in the state are required to work or be in vocational training for 40 hours each week, unless they have a medical exemption. Some of them make as little as 35 cents hourly.
Voters will weigh the proposals during one of the most historic elections in modern history, said Jamilia Land, an advocate with the Abolish Slavery National Network who has spent years trying to get the California measure passed.
“California, as well as Nevada, has an opportunity to end legalized, constitutional slavery within our states, in its entirety, while at the same time we have the first Black woman running for president,” she said of Kamala Harris’s historic bid.
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Men injured in Trump shooting accuse Secret Service of negligence
Two men who were shot during the first assassination attempt on Donald Trump this summer say the US Secret Service was “negligent” in protecting the former president and other bystanders at the campaign rally in Pennsylvania.
David Dutch, 57, an ex-marine, and James Copenhaver, 74, a retired liquor store manager, told NBC News in an exclusive interview yesterday they were excited to be sitting in the bleachers behind the Republican nominee at the fairgrounds in Butler on 13 July when gunshots rang out and they were hit.
Another man, Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed in the shooting while shielding his family. Trump was wounded in the ear.
The interview was the two men’s first public statements since 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, opened fire in July from an unsecured rooftop nearby before he was fatally shot by sharpshooters.
“It was like getting hit with a sledgehammer right in the chest,” said Dutch. He said he could see chunks of the bleacher and metal “flying all around” until the shooting stopped.
He said he was still “angry that the whole situation even happened. It should have never happened.” NBC News reported the two men’s attorneys said they were looking into possible litigation over what they view as negligence by the Secret Service.
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Walz to unveil Democrats' pitch for rural votes
Tim Walz will unveil the Democrats’ plans to improve the lives of rural voters later today while he stars in a new radio ad attacking his Republican rivals.
Associated Press reports it will include a focus on improving rural healthcare with plans to recruit 10,000 new healthcare professionals in rural and tribal areas through scholarships, loan forgiveness and new grant programs, as well as economic and agricultural policy priorities.
It marks a concerted effort by the Democratic campaign to win over rural votes. Donald Trump carried rural voters by a nearly two-to-one margin in 2020, according to AP VoteCast.
The vice-presidential nominee is set to announce the plan during a stop in rural Lawrence County in western Pennsylvania, one of the marquee battlegrounds of the 2024 contest. Walz is also starring in a new radio ad for the campaign highlighting his roots in a small town of 400 people and his time coaching football, while attacking Trump and his running mate, JD Vance.
“In a small town, you don’t focus on the politics, you focus on taking care of your neighbors and minding your own damn business,” Walz says in the ad. “Now Donald Trump and JD Vance, they don’t think like us. They’re in it for themselves.”
The plan calls on Congress to permanently extend telemedicine coverage under Medicare, a pandemic-era benefit that helped millions access care that is set to expire at the end of 2024. They are also calling for grants to support volunteer EMS programs to halve the number of Americans living more than 25 minutes from an ambulance.
It also urges Congress to restore the Affordable Connectivity Program, a scheme launched by Joe Biden that expired in June that provided up to $30 off home internet bills, and for lawmakers to require equipment manufacturers to grant farmers the right to repair their products.
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Press secretary hails 'DJ Trump' after 40 minutes of music at town hall event
Donald Trump’s town hall in the Philadelphia suburbs turned into an impromptu concert last night after the former president was twice interrupted by medical emergencies in the room.
As Associated Press reports, the Republican presidential nominee paused during a question-and-answer session as a doctor attended to the first person to have a medical issue. After a second emergency halted the discussion moderated by South Dakota governor Kristi Noem, Trump stopped taking questions. He and Noem mentioned it was hot in the venue, and Trump asked about air conditioning.
“They probably can’t afford it, sir, in this economy,” Noem quipped.
Once Noem announced the second person was up and moving, Trump spoke for a few more minutes before suggesting the audience could enjoy some music rather than hearing him answer more questions.
He called for the Village People’s “YMCA” and it blasted through the loudspeakers, the usual signal that Trump is done speaking and is ready to leave. But he remained onstage. “Nobody’s leaving,” Trump said. “What’s going on?”
More music played — and for roughly 40 minutes, it didn’t stop.
Trump bopped and shimmied onstage to an eclectic playlist of songs that included Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Hallelujah” and Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain.”
Finally, Trump left the stage as “Memory” from the musical “Cats” played.
Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s national press secretary, published on the social media site X a photo of Trump from the side of the stage. “DJ TRUMP!” she wrote.
DJ TRUMP! 🎶🎶🎶 pic.twitter.com/DvvSS1b9s1
— Karoline Leavitt (@kleavittnh) October 15, 2024
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote on X that “something very special is happening in Pennsylvania” as the scene unfolded, adding Trump “is unlike any politician in history, and it’s great.”
Trump 'out for unchecked power,' says Harris
Vice president Kamala Harris has hit out at Donald Trump ‘s comments suggesting the US military could be used to deal with “the enemy from within” as the two presidential nominees took the fight for battleground Pennsylvania to opposite ends of the state last night.
Harris, at her rally in northwestern Pennsylvania, called Trump a serious threat to American democracy who is “out for unchecked power”.
“He considers anyone who doesn’t support him or who will not bend to his will an enemy of our country,” Harris said after playing a clip of the comment on the jumbo screen at her rally at an Erie arena.
Harris argued that Trump’s comments in a Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures” interview are the latest example of threatening rhetoric from the former president that should concern Americans about what a potential second Trump term could look like.
Trump made the comment in response to a question about “outside agitators” potentially disrupting Election Day.
“I think the bigger problem is the enemy from within,” Trump said. He added: “We have some very bad people. We have some sick people, radical left lunatics. And I think they’re the big — and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”
Trump held his own town hall event last night in suburban Philadelphia.
Opening summary
Good morning and welcome to what is likely to be another turbulent day in the run-up to the US election amid anger over Donald Trump’s comments suggesting the military could be used to deal with “the enemy from within”.
Both candidates were in Pennsylvania last night and while the Democratic hopeful, Kamala Harris, used her event in Erie to call Trump a serious threat to American democracy who is “out for unchecked power”, her Republican rival treated the crowds in Oaks to an impromptu playlist as he bopped and shimmied onstage to an eclectic playlist of songs that included Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Rufus Wainwright’s cover of “Hallelujah” and Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain”.
More on last night’s events shortly. In other developments:
Nancy Pelosi has admitted she still has not spoken to Joe Biden since her crucial intervention in July led to his decision to drop out of the presidential race. In a Guardian podcast with columnist Jonathan Freedland she also addressed how she feels about Donald Trump. “I hardly ever say his name,” she said of the former Republican president and the GOP’s current nominee, instead describing him as “what’s-his-name”. You can read our story here.
Kamala Harris could sit down for an interview with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, whose audience leans heavily towards young men, as she works to shore up support with male voters, sources said on Monday. Reuters reports that Harris campaign officials met Rogan’s team this week but an appearance has not been confirmed yet, said two of the sources, who have knowledge of the matter.
The White House said on Monday that the US has been closely tracking Iranian threats against Trump for years and it warned of “severe consequences” if Tehran was to attack any of its citizens. “We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority, and we strongly condemn Iran for these brazen threats. Should Iran attack any of our citizens, including those who continue to serve the United States or those who formerly served, Iran will face severe consequences,” said White House National Security Council spokesperson Sean Savett.
Trump will be interviewed by Bloomberg News and the Economic Club of Chicago at an event on today from 11am – 12pm CDT. Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait will interview Trump in downtown Chicago. It will be carried live on Bloomberg News platforms and the Economic Club of Chicago’s YouTube channel. This evening he will be speaking at an event in Atlanta.
Meanwhile Harris will be in Detroit later for a live conversation with radio host and comedian Charlamagne tha God, which will air on iHeartRadio at 5pm EDT.
