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'Searching for bright spots': CNN's Abby Phillip describes Harris team's silence

ALSO READ: Here's how the GOP is burning its own in the shutdown fight

'Searching for bright spots': CNN's Abby Phillip describes Harris team's silence
Democratic presidential nominee and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at North Western High School in Detroit, Michigan, U.S., September 2, 2024. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has fallen into radio silence as they search for any remaining path for outstanding votes to deliver them an election victory, CNN's Abby Phillip told Jake Tapper on Tuesday evening.

"Let me just give you a gut check here about what we are hearing here, as we've been sitting here reporting from the Harris headquarters," said Phillip. "And I think the operative word right now is silence. There's not a lot being said, because the Harris team appears to be searching for bright spots in the map, as these results very very, very slowly come in."

At the moment, she said, some Harris aides still believe she has a path to pulling out a win in Georgia, "but it is very, very close."

Ultimately, Phillip added, "the blue wall still remains the best option for her in this moment. That's just, Jake, where things stand right now. Usually, as the night goes on, the campaign is trying to spin these numbers as they come out ... there's been a slowdown in that spin, because they really are digging into these numbers as they are coming in and trying to understand what's left out there for them, especially in these big urban centers, Jake."

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'Baseless attacks!' Kash Patel lashes out at 'cowardly' critics of his girlfriend

FBI Director Kash Patel on Sunday lashed out at critics of his 26-year-old girlfriend, claiming the attacks were “cowardly and jeopardizes our safety.”

Both Patel and his girlfriend, country music singer-songwriter Alexis Wilkins, came under fire Saturday after reports revealed that Patel had used his FBI jet to attend a music event of hers. Wilkins has also faced scrutiny from the MAGA base, some of whom have accused her, without evidence, of being a secret Israeli spy.

The criticism didn’t sit well with Patel, apparently, who on social media launched into a tirade against those attacking Wilkens.

“Criticize me all you want. But going after the people doing great work, my personal life, or those around me is a total disgrace,” Patel wrote in a social media post on X.

“The disgustingly baseless attacks against Alexis – a true patriot and the woman I’m proud to call my partner in life – are beyond pathetic. She is a rock-solid conservative and a country music sensation who has done more for this nation than most will in ten lifetimes. I’m so blessed she’s in my life. Attacking her isn’t just wrong – it’s cowardly and jeopardizes our safety.”

Patel went on to criticize not just Wilkens’ critics, but those who hadn’t come to her defense, calling them “supposed allies” whose “silence is louder than the clickbait haters.”

Critics quickly pounced on Patel’s statement, warning people not to criticize or attack his girlfriend, including MAGA’s own Candace Owens, the far-right conservative influencer who’s floated conspiracy theories such as prominent tech billionaires not being “human,” and instead “hybrids.”

“I don’t care about Alexis one way or another, but I want to point out that the head of the FBI is tweeting out in defense of his girlfriend,” Owens wrote in a social media post on X Sunday. “Not a wife – but a girlfriend. We are just not a serious nation whatsoever.”


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Trump offers two words in response to Dilbert creator seeking help with cancer treatment

The creator of the Dilbert cartoon strip said on Sunday that he needs Donald Trump to save his life, and the president responded with just two short words.

Controversial cartoonist Scott Adams took to social media over the weekend to make his plea to the president.

"On Monday, I will ask President Trump, via X, to help save my life. He offered to help me if I needed it. I need it," Adams wrote over the weekend, noting that he is "declining fast." "As many of you know, I have metastasized prostate cancer. My healthcare provider, Kaiser of Northern California, has approved my application to receive a newly FDA-approved drug called Pluvicto. But they have dropped the ball in scheduling the brief IV to administer it and I can’t seem to fix that."

After publicly begging Trump for his help resolving the situation, the president responded on Truth Social.

"On it!" Trump wrote, without providing further details.

See the full post here.

'Fundamental mistake': GOP's strategy to win crucial state reportedly falling flat

As President Donald Trump pours millions of dollars into the Virginia governor race, Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has struggled to land on an effective messaging strategy, at least according to recent polls and several political strategists who say the GOP is stuck repeating its messaging from last year, and to underwhelming results.

Much of Earle-Sears’ campaign has been centered around attack ads against her opponent labeling her as a “radical,” and leaning into fears around transgender people, much as Trump had done against presidential candidate Kamala Harris in 2024.

But the strategy isn’t working this time around, at least according to Jesse Ferguson, a Democratic strategist, speaking with The Washington Post in its report Sunday.

“They’re falling into the fundamental mistake of trying to refight the last war and not realizing that the battlefield has changed,” Ferguson said. “They can no longer attack Democrats as focused on other issues and pretend that they are so focused on cost of living when most people feel betrayed on cost of living.”

Recent polling shows that while the race is close, Earle-Sears is trailing behind her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, suggesting that Earle-Sears’ messaging – leaning into fear of transgender people – isn’t resonating with GOP voters like it did last November.

“This election, don’t let radicals decide what kind of man gets to undress next to your daughter at school,” Earle-Sears can be heard saying in a recent campaign ad, according to the Post.

But the attacks haven’t landed, with Alex Conant, a GOP strategist on Earle-Sears’ campaign, admitting that labeling her opponent as a radical Democrat was difficult.

“They realize it’s hard to beat a moderate Democrat in Virginia in this environment so they have to convince voters that she’s a radical,” Conant said, speaking with the Post. “That’s hard to do with someone who is a fairly known commodity and is spending a ton of money on her own talking about her moderate record.”

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