Obama campaigns for Democrats, and France demonstrations continue: Weekend Rundown
Former President Barack Obama, appearing in Ohio Saturday at his first campaign rally for the midterm elections, characterized President Donald Trump as an agent of “chaos and cruelty” and a man of broken promises.
Former President Barack Obama, appearing in Ohio on Saturday at his first campaign rally of this fall’s midterm elections, called President Donald Trump an agent of “chaos and cruelty” and a man of broken promises.
Obama’s visit was aimed at boosting two Democrats: Amy Acton, the party’s nominee for governor; and former Sen. Sherrod Brown, who has mounted a comeback bid for his old job.
Obama was particularly scornful of Vivek Ramaswamy’s attack ad aimed at Acton, saying there is “no line” Ramaswamy won’t cross.
Later in the night, Obama rallied for Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit. The city, where 75% of the population is Black, is crucial to statewide victories.
Notable quote
He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.
former president barak obama during a rally in ohio
Obama made pointed criticisms of his Republican successor, lambasting Trump for his focus on White House ballroom construction.
Iranian plots to kill U.S. officials have reached ‘advanced stages,’ intel memo warns
Iran has stepped up efforts to target U.S. personnel in the Middle East and elsewhere, according to a memo Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday.
The memo warned that “the lethal plotting efforts by the Iranians against U.S. citizens have reached advanced stages.”
A U.S. official confirmed the memo’s authenticity to NBC News after it was first reported by Axios.
The intelligence comes days after sources told NBC News that the U.S. military has been quietly scaling back its troop presence at bases across the Middle East. The State Department has also ordered further staff reductions at multiple diplomatic posts in the region, including in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan, according to a State Department official.
Clayton told Rubio that the risk was “relevant to more individuals than are currently cleared to receive this information,” adding: “We will make every effort to downgrade as much intelligence as possible so you can share it with State Department personnel at your discretion.”
‘Meet the Press’
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth should testify before the Senate on the Starlink satellite limitations that disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
If Democrats retake the Senate, Schiff told moderator Kristen Welker, “Defense Secretary Hegseth should be brought in. Anyone who has knowledge of what happened.”
Michigan’s Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers responded to Trump calling Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed a “jihadist” and a “violent terrorist.”
“I’ve never called [El-Sayed] a terrorist,” Rogers said on “Meet the Press” after being asked about Trump’s comments.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pushed back on comments made by former first lady Michelle Obama last year that U.S. voters aren’t ready to elect a woman as president.
“Listen, I have got a lot of colleagues who I think are probably interested in running for president, and I’ve heard everyone say, ‘You can’t have this person or that person,’” the governor told “Meet the Press.”
Politics in brief
- Drop the stop: Democrats urged a federal judge to dismiss the Trump administration’s challenge to Alaska’s Senate race.
- Early voting: Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections Saturday, saying he voted for all Republicans in Florida before speaking at a Georgia rally.
- Analysis: How Democrats could win the House, how the GOP could hang on, and where to look for a wave.
Mass protests challenge Macron as French police use tear gas and water cannons
More than 100,000 people marched in Paris on Saturday over school funding and soaring living costs, challenging President Emmanuel Macron’s government in a largely peaceful demonstration before clashes broke out near the march’s end point.
Students, union members, environmentalists and other groups marched through cold, rainy weather. Near the march’s end point, some demonstrators threw bottles and rocks at police, who then charged at the crowd, fired tear gas and used water cannons. NBC News witnessed no looting.
“We are mostly students,” one person told NBC News, referencing the protests. “We’re not here to break things. We’re not here to mess with the cops or anyone. We’re just here to protest.”
12 injured in shooting near Florida A&M University stadium
Twelve people, including several minors, were injured in a shooting near Florida A&M University’s Bragg Memorial Stadium, where homecoming celebrations included a football game Saturday.
The Tallahassee Police Department said in a statement that 11 of the 12 were shot and that three victims had serious injuries. Six of the injured are under 18 years old, the department said.
Tallahassee police said a fight may have preceded the gunfire. No arrests have been reported.
“Early findings indicate a physical altercation occurred prior to the shooting,” the department said.
Inside the controversial call that ended Game 2 of the World Series
The Milwaukee Brewers are two wins away from the first World Series title in franchise history, and they got a little help from an incredibly close call Saturday night.
With the Brewers leading 5-4 in the top of the ninth, the Rays had a runner on third with two outs and designated hitter Yandy Díaz at the plate. On a 3-2 pitch that would have been Ball 4, Díaz tried to check his swing on a curveball from Aaron Ashby.
Home plate umpire Jim Wolf initially ruled that Díaz hadn’t swung, which would have sent him to first base. But Milwaukee catcher William Contreras appealed to the first base umpire, who ruled that Díaz had gone around. The strikeout ended the game.
More sports news:
- WNBA: Gabby Williams of the Golden State Valkyries scored 17 points and led a stellar defensive effort to beat the Atlanta Dream 67-62 on Saturday, evening up the WNBA Finals 2-2.
- NFL: American football fans visiting France for the Saints-Steelers game told NBC News their trips were mostly unaffected by demonstrations, giving Parisians a rare compliment for their welcoming demeanor.
In case you missed it
- Brazilians vote Sunday in a tight runoff between leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and right-wing Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
- Elon Musk acknowledged that his company, SpaceX, imposed restrictions on the use of its Starlink satellite system in Ukraine last week. Ukraine said Saturday that Starlink and its military variant, Starshield, were both fully functional again after a prolonged outage.
- Hundreds of homes remained evacuated and without electricity Saturday after days of heavy rain surged water from the Colorado mountains into the New Mexico and Arizona desert.
- Six Flags said it will add seat belts to a roller coaster from which a man was ejected and fell to his death earlier this month.
- The suspect in the fatal freeway shooting of a high school girl just outside St. Louis is being investigated in connection with a second roadway shooting, federal court documents show.