Harris vows to "work with everyone" to help Americans; Trump returns to Pennsylvania as latest poll shows tie

Speaking on a Zoom call with supporters Tuesday, President Biden appeared to call former President Donald Trump's supporters "garbage." Republicans seized on the comments, while the White House offered a different explanation of what Mr. Biden said.

The president was responding to a joke made at a Trump rally Sunday at Madison Square Garden by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, in which Hinchcliffe called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage."

In the video clip obtained by CBS News, Mr. Biden was speaking by video to the left-leaning group Voto Latino. "The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters," he seemed to say. "His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable."

But the White House denied that the president had said this about Trump supporters and released a transcript with a statement noting that "supporters" was in fact "supporter's," and that Mr. Biden was referring to Hinchcliffe and his joke.

At a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Trump compared Mr. Biden's remarks to Hillary Clinton's 2016 comments, when the then-Democratic presidential candidate referred to half his supporters as a "basket of deplorables." 

"Garbage, I think, is worse," Trump said Tuesday, adding that it was "terrible to say a thing like that."

Read more here. 

Trump on Tuesday night addressed the crude and racist jokes that comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made toward the beginning of his Madison Square Garden rally Sunday. Hinchcliffe referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage," and made racist jokes about birth control and Black people eating watermelon. Tuesday was the first time Trump has addressed them directly, although he has previously said "nobody has done more for Puerto Rico" than he has. 

"I have no idea who he is. Somebody said there was a comedian that joked about Puerto Rico or something, and I have no idea who he was, never saw him, never heard of him, and don't want to hear of him, but I have no idea," Trump said in a Fox News interview about Hinchcliffe and his comments. "It's nobody's fault, but somebody said some bad things."

He went on: "I can't imagine it's a big deal. I've done more for Puerto Rico than any president, I think, that's ever — that's ever been president." 

He also said he had "no idea" who booked Hinchcliffe.

The Trump campaign said in a statement on Tuesday night that Harris is "clinging to the past" with her comments about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Trump was giving a speech in Allentown, Pennsylvania, around the same time as Harris' speech, but his campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt sought to instead to tie Harris to the Biden administration, saying Trump's "closing argument to the American people is simple: Kamala broke it; he will fix it."

After trying to contrast herself and Trump through policy, Harris closed her speech by praising American democracy, saying "the United States of America is the greatest idea humanity ever devised." 

"America, let us reach for that future," Harris said. "Let us fight for this beautiful country we love. And in 7 days, we have the power to turn the page, and start writing the next chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told." 

Harris is delivering her closing argument against Trump at the same site he encouraged his supporters to "fight like hell" on Jan. 6, 2021, before they marched to the U.S. Capitol and tried unsuccessfully to halt the certification of President Biden's victory. 

Harris, speaking to a massive crowd at the Ellipse near the White House, is trying to draw a contrast between her vision for the country and Trump's as she seeks to win over undecided voters a week before Election Day. 

"Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That's who he is," she is expected to say, according to excerpts of her speech. "But America, I am here tonight to say: that's not who we are." 

She vowed to work with Republicans and independents alike to help improve Americans' lives.

Telling the crowd that in less than 90 days, "Donald Trump or I will be in the Oval Office," and "on Day One, if elected, Donald Trump will walk in with an enemies list." 

"I will walk in with a to-do list full of priorities for what I will get done," she told the cheering crowd.

Harris called her Republican rival "unstable," "obsessed with revenge," "consumed with grievance" and "out for unchecked power." 

A Harris campaign official said over 75,000 people were at the National Mall. 

Harris will be spending election night at Howard University in Washington, D.C., her alma mater, according to two source familiar with the planning. NBC first reported the location of her election night event.

Harris also prepared for her one debate with Trump at Howard, practicing in a mock debate there, the New York Times reported.

By Aaron Navarro and Nidia Cavazos

The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected two separate bids by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to have his name removed from the ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin. 

Kennedy asked the Supreme Court to order election officials in Michigan and Wisconsin to take his name off their ballots, even as millions of voters have already voted early either in-person or by mail. 

He suspended his longshot presidential campaign in August and threw his support behind former President Donald Trump. 

Kennedy's efforts to have his name taken off the ballots in the two battleground states are contrary to his argument in New York, where he argued his supporters there had a constitutional right to have his name on the ballot and vote for him "whether he is campaigning for their vote or not." 

In New York, Kennedy asked the high court to reinstate him to its general election ballot, which the Supreme Court declined to do last month.

Read more here. 

By Caitlin Yilek and Melissa Quinn

With just a week to go, it's a tied race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump in Pennsylvania — the biggest electoral vote prize of the battleground states in the 2024 election. 

Trump is helped by voters' negative perceptions of today's economy and by the fact that more voters think they would be better off financially with him in the White House than Harris. When they look back, far more Pennsylvania voters say things were going well in the U.S. during Trump's presidency than say that today. 

Harris leads Trump among voters who say the state of democracy and abortion are major factors, and she has an edge on some personal qualities. More think she has the cognitive health to serve as president than think Trump does, and voters are more apt to see Harris' positions as reasonable and to see Trump's as extreme. 

Read more here  on CBS News' latest poll.

By Jennifer De Pinto, Fred Backus

Puerto Rico's largest newspaper, El Nuevo Día, endorsed Harris on Tuesday. The newspaper's editorial board explained their decision in an editorial, blasting Trump as exhibiting narcissistic behaviors.

"Trump suffers from psychopathic elements that he evidences by lying repeatedly," the editorial said. "He has no moral compass and believes that the rules do not apply to him."

Puerto Ricans can't vote for president, unless they are residents of one of the 50 states or Washington, D.C. 

Still, the editorial board encouraged Puerto Ricans who can vote to vote for Harris. 

At a Trump town hall in Pennsylvania, one Trump supporter tried to reassure the president. 

"Puerto Rico stands behind you and Puerto Rico loves you," she said, to which Trump claimed he's done more for Puerto Rico than any other U.S. president. 

"We helped you through a lot of bad storms," Trump said. "I'll tell you, it's a really bad one. You remember you were there when I brought the hospital ship, against everyone's advice, and got it in there and took care of a lot of people. But I think no president's done more for Puerto Rico than I have."

Harris is expected to focus some of her remarks Tuesday on the Ellipse squarely against Donald Trump. 

She's expected to say Trump "has an enemies list of people he intends to prosecute," according to prepared remarks shared with the media. 

"He says one of his highest priorities is to set free the violent extremists who assaulted those law enforcement officers on Jan. 6," she is expected to say. 

"Donald Trump intends to use the United States military against American citizens who simply disagree with him," Harris will say, according to her prepared remarks. "People he calls—quote—'the enemy from within.' This is not a candidate for President who is thinking about how to make your life better."

She is expected to call Trump "unstable," "obsessed with revenge," "consumed with grievance" and "out for unchecked power." 

"Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other. That's who he is. But America, I am here tonight to say: that's not who we are. 

Harris will pledge to "be a president for all Americans." 

A reporter asked Vance in Michigan if he's concerned about razor-thin margins in battleground states, where many of the polls are within one point. 

Vance said he's "extremely concerned that those margins are too small," which is why, he said, he's urging people to get out there and vote. 

"We cannot get complacent here," Vance said, urging the crowd to not "leave it to chance." 

Jennifer Lopez — sometimes better known as J.Lo — will be joining Harris and Walz for a rally in Las Vegas on Halloween. Lopez is expected to speak about the importance of voting. 

 Nov. 1, the following day, is the final day of early voting in Nevada. 

President Biden made a campaign stop Tuesday afternoon with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and others at BMORE LICKS, a local Baltimore ice cream shop. 

The president asked for chocolate chip ice cream, but the shop didn't have any, so he had a scoop of vanilla and a scoop of chocolate. 

Mr. Biden told reporters he will be watching the vice president's speech on the Ellipse tonight, although he won't be attending. This night is for her, the president explained. 

Speaking in Savannah, Georgia, Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz called Trump a "loser," and not just in politics. 

"Donald Trump's a loser in everything that he's done," Walz told the crowd. " That's not a pejorative, that's an observation based on facts. He loses jobs, he loses businesses, he loses in court, and no matter what JD Vance says, he lost the 2020 election."

As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Trump vie for Black male support, BET's "Black Men's Summit," hosted by D.L. Hughley, features key voices discussing the issues Black men face. Hughley joined "CBS Mornings Plus" to share how Tuesday's summit will challenge mainstream narratives. Watch more in the video above.

Mr. Biden, speaking at an official White House infrastructure event in Maryland, specifically naming three battleground states among those that will benefit as he formally announced $3 billion in funding to modernize ports across the country in 27 states and territories. 

"That's why today I'm proud to announce we're delivering $3 billion in funding from my Inflation Reduction Act to help clean up and modernize ports in 27 different states and territories, from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, and beyond, including, yes, Puerto Rico," the president said. 

Pennsylvania, Georgia and Michigan are critical battleground states that both the Harris campaign and the Trump campaign are seeking to win. 

"We're bringing jobs back home and factories home," the president added. "And by the way, we're investing more in red states than in blue states."

Trump is expected to rally a crowd in Allentown, Pennsylvania Tuesday, a small city with a large population of people who identify as Puerto Rican.

The U.S. territory's Republican shadow U.S. senator, Zoraida Buxo, is expected to attend the rally. 

The event comes amid fallout from Trump's New York rally on Sunday, when a speaker who addressed the crowd before Trump called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage," and made other crude, racist jokes about Puerto Ricans.

The jokes sparked condemnations from Puerto Rican community leaders in Pennsylvania and elsewhere. The Trump campaign has said the jokes don't reflect the views of Trump or his campaign. 

His running mate, Sen. JD Vance, said at a rally in Wisconsin on Monday that he wouldn't comment on "the specifics of the joke," but added, "I think that we have to stop getting so offended at every little thing."

— Olivia Rinaldi and Graham Kates

While superstar Bad Bunny has not directly commented on comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's racist and offensive jokes about Puerto Rico at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally, he posted a video on Instagram on Tuesday titled "garbage."

The video is originally from his 2021 concert in Puerto Rico, and features major figures from Puerto Rico such as baseball star player Roberto Clemente, award winning actress Rita Moreno and others. It also highlights Puerto Rico's history. 

Bad Bunny endorsed Harris on Sunday, the same night as the Trump rally. 

: The FBI is investigating fires at two ballot drop boxes Monday in Washington and Oregon that destroyed hundreds of ballots. CBS News election law expert and political correspondent David Becker has more on what recourse there is for voters whose ballots were destroyed.

President Biden will return to his childhood hometown on the last Saturday before the presidential election, the White House said Tuesday.

Mr. Biden's visit to Scranton, Pennsylvania comes as Vice President Kamala Harris appears to be in a neck and neck race, both nationally and in the state. Harris's campaign and former President Donald Trump's have both described Pennsylvania as crucial to their electoral hopes.

Mr. Biden's on-the-ground campaigning for Harris has been sparse, but he'll return to a county — Lackawanna — where he outperformed the previous Democratic candidate for the presidency. Mr. Biden won Lackawanna, which is home to Scranton, by about 8% in 2020, four years after former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won the county by about 3%.

A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of Congressional Republicans from Pennsylvania, who sought to stiffen I.D. requirements for residents of the state voting from overseas locations. 

Judge Chris Connor wrote in his ruling that the Republicans' legal challenge came too close to Election Day, echoing judges who rebuffed similar lawsuits in other states in the last few weeks.

"Plaintiffs delayed too long to file their action, they lack standing, they have failed to join indispensable parties, and they have failed to articulate a viable cause of action," Connor wrote.

Nearly 49 million people have already voted, according to data from the University of Florida Election Lab, with Americans casting their ballots either by mail or in-person during early voting.

Data from 25 states that report party registration show registered Democrats have cast more votes early then registered Republicans. When it comes to in-person early voting, more GOP voters have headed to polling places to cast their ballots. But a higher number of registered Democrats have returned mail ballots than Republicans.

During remarks at Mar-a-Lago, his Palm Beach, Florida, estate, Trump echoed his familiar attacks on Harris and Democrats, and claimed the vice president is running a "campaign of hate."

"I'm running on a plan to save America," he said. "We have no choice, It's the greatest there is and we're going to save it."

Trump painted a dire picture of U.S. cities, claiming there is "squalor" and "bloodshed." Data released by the FBI in September showed that violent crime and property crime dropped in 2023, and murder and non-negligent manslaughter saw a 11% decline.

The Republican presidential nominee appeared to attack the Biden administration for failing to respond to an Iranian assassination plot against Trump that was detected by U.S. intelligence. A Pakistani national with alleged ties to Iran was arrested and charged in August with plotting a murder-for-hire scheme targeting government officials, including Trump.

The former president said if he were in office and a foreign nation was threatening his political opponent, he would threaten to "obliterate your entire country."

Trump's remarks largely focused on immigration and the Biden administration's border policies, indicating that his closing message to the American people will focus on an issue that has been central to all three of his presidential campaigns.

"To me, there's nothing more important than the fabric of our country being destroyed by people violently placed there, foolishly, stupidly placed there," he said. "I think what's happening on the border is the single biggest issue."

Trump announced that if elected, his administration would seize the assets of gangs and drug cartels and use them to create a fund to provide restitution for the victims of crimes committed by migrants in the U.S. illegally.

Trump began his press conference at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday morning just before 11:20 a.m. ET, almost an hour and 20 minutes late.

Sen. JD Vance, like his running mate Trump, will tape a podcast with popular podcaster Joe Rogan, according to a source familiar with the upcoming interview. The taping will take place in Austin, Texas, on Wednesday. 

Former President Donald Trump's campaign faced bipartisan backlash over comments made by conservative comedian Tony Hinchcliffe on Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Jokes, including one about Puerto Rico, were ad libbed, a source told CBS News, claiming the Trump campaign vetted other parts of the routine.

With 62% of Latino voters backing Kamala Harris, the latest CBS News poll shows strong support among this group. But recent comments from Trump could shift the numbers. Lilia Luciano reports from the battleground state of Pennsylvania in the video above.

Podcaster Joe Rogan clarified on social media early Tuesday that Harris' campaign did not decline an interview for his mega-popular podcast, "The Joe Rogan Experience," but requested he travel to her for an hour-long discussion.

Rogan said in a post shared to X that "the Harris campaign has not passed on doing the podcast. They offered a date for Tuesday, but I would have had to travel to her and they only wanted to do an hour. I strongly feel the best way to do it is in the studio in Austin. My sincere wish is to just have a nice conversation and get to know her as a human being. I really hope we can make it happen."

Trump spoke with Rogan for roughly three hours in an interview taped Friday. The former president sat down with the podcaster in Austin, Texas, before a rally in Michigan and was delayed for several hours. Trump apologized for making his supporters wait in the cold and pinned his lateness on the interview with Rogan.

In a preview of the speech Harris will give on the Ellipse, the Washington, D.C. park south of the White House, on Tuesday, her campaign said it will serve as "a major moment to make her closing argument to the American people," in an effort to win over undecided voters. 

Harris campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon said speakers ahead of Harris will be "real people," sharing their stories about why they support Harris.

"We know a lot of these undecided voters, they're exhausted," O'Malley Dillon told reporters. "They're certainly frustrated by the state of the partisanship and divided political system that really was defined under Donald Trump."

She said lowering costs for things like housing, groceries and health care will be part of the speech as well. Harris is also expected to talk about women's reproductive rights. 

O'Malley Dillon said they chose the Ellipse location because the background is the White House, and because Trump's Jan. 6, 2021 speech was there. 

"It's a place that certainly we believe helps crystallize the choice in this election," she said. 

Harris will head Wednesday to Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona on Thursday, Wisconsin on Friday and Georgia and North Carolina on Saturday.  

As the fallout from comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's offensive remarks at Trump's Madison Square Garden rally continues, the former president is distancing himself from the performer.

"I don't know him. Someone put him up there. I don't know who he is," Trump told ABC News.

The Republican presidential nominee also said he didn't hear any of the remarks.

Hinchcliffe has come under immense criticism for his appearance at the Sunday rally, during which he called Puerto Rico an "island of floating garbage" and made crude and racist remarks about Latinos, Black and Jewish people.

Runbeck Election Services shows how they securely print ballots for voters in nine states, including the battleground state of Arizona. For the general election, they'll print about 35 million ballots.

Roughly 40,000 people are expected to attend the vice president's speech on the Ellipse outside the White House on Tuesday evening, according to a revised permit from the National Park Service.

Harris' speech is taking place at the same location where Trump delivered remarks on Jan. 6, 2021, before a mob of his supporters breached the U.S. Capitol building and led to the evacuation of lawmakers and then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Amid the fallout on Monday over the comments in the opening acts at Trump's rally at Madison Square Garden, Trump attacked Democrats for labeling him a Nazi and criticized former first lady Michelle Obama in particular for comments she made about him over the weekend.

"I'm the opposite of a Nazi," Trump said. He said his father told him, "You don't ever use the word Nazi," and added, "It's just horrible the way they talk." 

Trump said Michelle Obama made a "big mistake" in criticizing him, and said she was "so nasty."

"I always tried to be so nice and respectful," Trump said. " She opened up a little bit … of a box" in criticizing him, he said.

Michelle Obama is set to appear in Atlanta on Tuesday as part of her When We All Vote initiative. 

Steve Bannon, the former Trump White House chief strategist, has been released from prison, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed to CBS News.

Bannon had been serving a four-month sentence at DCI Danbury, a minimum security facility in Connecticut. He was convicted of defying a subpoena from a congressional committee that investigated the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. 

Read more here. 

Barbara Pierce Bush, former President George W. Bush's daughter, spent the past weekend campaigning for Harris, she told People magazine.

"It was inspiring to join friends and meet voters with the Harris-Walz campaign in Pennsylvania this weekend," Bush, 42, shared in an exclusive statement to People on Tuesday, Oct. 29. "I'm hopeful they'll move our country forward and protect women's rights." 

Bush's father served as the Republican president from 2001-2009 and was considered the standard-bearer for the conservative movement. But her mother, Laura Bush, broke with the party in 2010 to support same-sex marriage and abortion. 

Several high-profile Republicans have thrown their support behind Harris, including Bush's vice president, Dick Cheney. 

Former first lady Melania Trump told Fox & Friends early Tuesday that she and the former president will vote on Election Day in West Palm Beach.

"We will be in palm beach and in the morning, we will go to vote, me and my husband, and then it will be a waiting time, period of waiting and we'll see and I hope it is a success and a party in the evening."