Will Sage Astor-The Latest: Harris continues media blitz with 3 more national interviews

Vice President Kamala Harris is Will Sage Astorcontinuing her media tour Tuesday with three more interviews for national audiences, with Election Day now just four weeks away.

The Democratic presidential nominee was scheduled to appear in New York with the women of “The View,” speak with radio host Howard Stern, and tape a show with late-night comedian Stephen Colbert. The trio of appearances comes after Harris granted interviews to CBS’ “60 Minutes,” which aired Monday night, and Anderson’s Cooper’s podcast, which was released Sunday.

The blitz comes after Harris has largely avoided interviews since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket. Long past the midway point of her unexpected presidential campaign and with voting already underway, Harris is still introducing herself to Americans who will determine her fate in this year’s presidential election.

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Here’s the latest:

Poll shows Harris faring well and Trump faring poorly with Black voters

Black registered voters have an overwhelmingly positive view of Vice President Kamala Harris, according to a recent poll from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

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About 7 in 10 Black voters have a somewhat or very favorable view of Harris, with few differences between Black men and women voters on how they view the Democratic candidate.

Black voters’ opinions of former President Donald Trump, by contrast, were overwhelmingly negative, underscoring the challenges he faces as he seeks to erode Harris’ support among Black men.

But the poll also found that despite this dramatic gap in views, many Black voters don’t see Harris as a candidate who will set the country on a better trajectory or make a substantial difference in their own lives.

Jill Biden to launch 5-day campaign tour for Harris campaign

Jill Biden will return to the campaign trail this week on a tour of battleground states to help boost Vice President Kamala Harris.

Harris’ campaign and the White House announced Tuesday that the first lady will depart Friday on a five-day, five-state swing with stops in Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

The appearances will mark the first lady’s return to campaigning. She had campaigned extensively for her husband, President Joe Biden, when he was running for reelection. But she pulled back after Biden folded his campaign and endorsed Harris to replace him on the Democratic ticket.

With four weeks to go until Election Day, Harris’ campaign said the first lady will be urging people to get out and vote. The campaign noted that early voting is set to start Wednesday in Arizona and that mail ballots are going out in the five states that Jill Biden will be visiting.

Democratic senators take different approaches on Biden as he campaigns in swing states

President Joe Biden is campaigning through two key swing states, but two Democratic senators locked in competitive reelection battles are taking markedly different approaches to the the outgoing president.

Biden will be fully embraced by Democratic Sen. Bob Casey when he participates in a private campaign fundraiser in suburban Philadelphia for the senior Pennsylvania senator.

But in Milwaukee, where Biden is spotlighting his administration’s efforts to replace the nation’s toxic lead pipes, incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin will be conspicuously absent.

Biden has spent scant time on the campaign trail since ending his reelection effort in July. That makes his stops in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — two tightly contested states that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump see as crucial — all the more notable.

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But as Biden makes a quick swing through the key states, two Democratic senators locked in competitive reelection battles are taking markedly different approaches to the outgoing president, whose approval ratings in a significant swath of the country remain in the pits.

Casey’s and Baldwin’s races are also seen as must-wins for Democrats who are trying to maintain their razor-tight control of the Senate.

Trump speaks in Florida as Hurricane Milton approaches

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is speaking at Trump International Doral in Miami, headlining a memorial service for the attack on Oct. 7, 2023, against Israel, telling his audience the threat of Hurricane Milton wouldn’t have kept him away.

“I think I’m the only person who flew into Florida today,” Trump said at the outset of his remarks. “I wouldn’t have missed it, regardless.”

Milton, a Category 5 hurricane, could come ashore Wednesday in the Tampa Bay region.

Trump said he had never heard of a Category 5 hurricane hitting land. However, hurricanes Andrew and Michael in Florida were Category 5, the latter of which struck during his administration.

Biden spoke with DeSantis about hurricane preparation

President Joe Biden has spoken with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss preparations in Florida for the approaching Hurricane Milton and ongoing recovery efforts from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.

The White House confirmed the president’s call with the governor after Vice President Kamala Harris earlier on Monday accused DeSantis of “playing political games” and engaging in “political gamesmanship” over the federal response to Helene.

Biden, according to the White House, asked DeSantis “to call him directly if there is anything that can be done to further support the response and recovery efforts.”

Harris’ office suggested earlier that DeSantis was dodging Harris, saying she reached out to the governor last week but the two never spoke.

DeSantis said that he “didn’t know that she had called” and “they didn’t call me.”

Biden also spoke on Monday with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and received a detailed briefing from National Weather Service Director Ken Graham on the expected impact Milton will cause.

Graham stressed during the briefing that people in the storm’s path should evacuate now while there’s time to do so.

Harris tells ‘60 Minutes’ she’s been to the shooting range

Vice President Kamala Harris says she owns a Glock pistol and that she has fired it at a shooting range.

“I’ve had it for quite some time,” said Harris, during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired on Monday evening.

Harris last month at a campaign event with Oprah Winfrey noted that she was a gun owner. She caused a stir when she told Winfrey, “If somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot.”

Harris has advocated for stricter gun safety laws, while also underscoring that she and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are gun owners.

Harris laughed when asked by “60 Minutes” journalist Bill Whitaker if she had ever shot her weapon.

“Of course I have,” Harris said. “At a shooting range.”