Summary

  • A man armed with guns and a high-capacity magazine was arrested outside Donald Trump's rally in California on Saturday, police say

  • Vem Miller, 49, was arrested near a checkpoint to the Coachella rally site. He was stopped and found to be in possession of multiple passports and driving licences in different names, and a fake licence plate

  • The incident "did not impact the safety of former President Trump or attendees of the event", police say

  • Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco says officers probably prevented a third assassination attempt, but the suspect was a "lunatic"

  • Donald Trump defends his economic plan to raise tariffs to defend American carmakers. "I'll put 200 or 500%, I don't care," Trump said on Fox News. The policy has been criticised over the potential damage to the US economy

  • Kamala Harris attends services at Koinonia Christian Center, a predominantly black church in Greenville, North Carolina, accusing opponents of "channeling peoples’ tragedies and sorrows into grievances and hatred"

  • The two candidates' running mates appear on Fox News; Tim Walz to defend the vice president's views on stricter gun control laws, and JD Vance to repeat the former president's false claims that Venezuelan gangs were taking over Aurora, Colorado

  • President Joe Biden surveys the damage caused by Hurricane Milton in Florida, promises $612m (£468m) in aid and urges Congress to do more - drawing a quick response from House Speaker Mike Johnson

  • National polls suggest Harris remains slightly ahead of Trump but the numbers in battleground states are extremely close - look at the latest data

  1. Harris puts pressure on Trump over medical recordspublished at 01:57 British Summer Time 13 October

    Adam Durbin
    Live reporter

    Kamala Harris's campaign has ramped up the pressure on Donald Trump to release his medical records today, so here's a quick look at the key lines from the campaign trail:

    • The Democrat Party's nominee has published her medical records, in the form of a letter from her doctor published by the White House
    • She "possesses the physical and mental resiliency" necessary to serve as president and the results from her most recent physical were "unremarkable", it says
    • Ahead of a visit to North Carolina, the Vice-President accused trump of a lack of transparency over not publishing his own medical records, as well as casting doubt on his mental acuity
    • In response, Trump's team said his own physicians had "concluded he is in perfect and excellent health"
    • At a an event in Nevada for Hispanic voters, Trump accused Harris of being "worse than Biden" and said the current president is "more intelligent"

    We'll be pausing our coverage of the presidential election shortly, thanks for joining us.

    Here's my write-up of the exchange of barbs between the Harris and Trump camps over their respective health.

    Or you can also take look at the latest data here, which has Harris slightly ahead in national polls but a dead heat in some key battleground states.

  2. Harris helps pack hurricane relief suppliespublished at 01:53 British Summer Time 13 October

    As we've been reporting, Kamala Harris is in North Carolina on the campaign trail, meeting with supporters at a barbecue restaurant in Raleigh.

    While there, she also helped packed relief supplies for victims of the recent Hurricane Helene, which devastated the state earlier this month.

    Kamala Harris shaking hands with a supporterImage source, Reuters
    Kamala Harris with a supporter, helping to pack nappies as part of relief effortsImage source, Reuters
  3. BBC's Question Time comes to Americapublished at 01:25 British Summer Time 13 October

    The BBC's flagship political debate programme in the UK came to America this week to discuss the US presidential election.

    The episode was filmed in the key swing state of Pennsylvania and marked the first time the show has been in America since 2008.

    During the one-hour discussion, the panellists took questions from the audience about the character of the presidential candidates, the US immigration system, the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and which candidate could better tackle the US economy.

    Here's a snippet of that lively debate:

    Media caption,

    Panellists spar over election issues in BBC Question Time special

  4. Why is Trump going to Coachella?published at 00:51 British Summer Time 13 October

    Woman at Coachella rally raises both fists. She is wearing a sequined Trump 2024 hatImage source, Reuters

    With just over three weeks left until election day, Donald Trump is just about to make a campaign stop in Coachella, California.

    Yes - it's the same city where tens of thousands of Gen Z-ers flock every year to dance and rave to the likes of everyone from Swedish House Mafia to Bad Bunny to Beyoncé.

    Trump will be there to rally support among key demographics, including the city's large Latino population.

    The chances of him winning California are slim-to-none, but he may also be able to help Republicans in competitive races for the House.

    “We have a lot of support in California, and I felt I owed it to them,” Trump said recently on a California radio show., external

    He visited New York recently for a similar reason.

  5. Harris accuses Trump of lack of transparency over medical recordspublished at 00:20 British Summer Time 13 October

    Kamala Harris poses for a selfie with Leonardo Williams, Mayor of Durham, North Carolina, as she arrives at Raleigh Durham International AirportImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Kamala Harris poses for a selfie with mayor of Durham Leonardo Williams, as she arrives in North Carolina earlier

    Before boarding the plane to North Carolina a little while ago, Vice-President Kamala Harris spoke to reporters about the release of her medical records, her opponent not releasing his own and on what she hopes to accomplish in North Carolina.

    Calling Donald Trump “unfit for office”, the Democratic nominee accuses him of a ack of transparency in not releasing his health records - on top of his unwillingness to debate again or participate in an interview with 60 Minutes on CBS news.

    Harris says it’s clear the Trump campaign does not want the “American people to really see what it is that he is doing and whether or not he actually is fit to do the job as being president".

    Harris says she’ll be speaking with those in North Carolina affected by the recent hurricanes and laying out her plan for an "opportunity economy", as well as making clear she has the support of many Republicans who worked with President George W Bush, Mitt Romney and John McCain.

  6. Trump supporters feeling the heat in Californiapublished at 23:49 British Summer Time 12 October

    Supporters of Donald Trump are waiting for him to arrive at his event in Coachella, California.

    It seems to be pretty warm at the Republican presidential candidate's rally, so people gathered to see him are doing what they can to keep cool and hydrated ahead of his arrival:

    A man holds a bag of ice on his shoulder and is drinking a bottle of water. He is wearing a tshirt that reads "Beijing Biden" and has an image of Joe biden as a marionette, which has a Chinese flag baloon attached to it.Image source, Reuters
    Trump supporters sitting in the stand holding signs which read "Make America Great again" , "47" and "Trump Vance"Image source, Reuters
    A crowd of hundreds of people waiting at the rally. There are signs which read "Better off with Trup" and many of them are wearing hats to keep off the sun.Image source, Reuters
    Dozens of people sitting and waiting in the shade next to of San Bernadino County Sherriff busesImage source, Reuters
  7. JD Vance warns of spread of communismpublished at 23:24 British Summer Time 12 October

    JD Vance speaking at a town hall-style rally, he's sitting at a table while supporters watch in the backgroundImage source, Reuters

    Donald Trump's running mate JD Vance is speaking now at a town-hall style event in Pennsylvania.

    The Ohio senator is asked by an audience member how the spread of communism can be stopped.

    "I think American children need to know that there is an alternative system out there called socialism that leads to death and poverty, right?" he says.

    He adds: "And a lot of these countries have completely gone off the rails, I mean starvation in places like Venezuela, because they haven't followed the same ideas that we have."

    The Republican vice presidential candidate argues that the US will make "a bad, bad mistake" unless Trump is elected next month.

    Trump has tried to portray Harris as a radical left-winger, citing her past positions, though the Democrat has adopted moderate policy stances during this campaign.

    The Democrats have in turn argued that Trump's positions are far too right wing for the US political mainstream, seeking to tie him to a conservative think tank's policy wish list, Project 2025.

  8. Harris attacks Trump's mental acuitypublished at 22:45 British Summer Time 12 October

    Kamala Harris photographed at a campaign event in ArizonaImage source, Getty Images

    Vice-President Kamala Harris will make stops in North Carolina on Saturday.

    At a local restaurant in Raleigh, she will meet with local black elected, faith, and community leaders, and work with local volunteers to prepare supplies for Hurricane Helene relief efforts, according to her campaign.

    Before heading to North Carolina, she took aim at Trump's mental acuity.

    "I invite the public to watch Trump's rallies and be the decision maker on his acuity," she said, according to her spokesman.

    "You will see how he goes off on tangents, how he is not focused on the needs of the American people."

    Democrats have been on the attack about Trump's age and mental fitness, after months of Republicans lobbing the same criticisms at Joe Biden before he exited the race.

  9. Trump says Democrats are 'crazy'published at 21:58 British Summer Time 12 October

    Trump claims the US has "the worst border in the history of the world".

    He then takes aim at the Green New Deal, a left-wing climate change blueprint with a price tag variously estimated from the hundreds of billions to trillions of dollars.

    "The only thing they're successful at is wasting money on the green new scam," Trump says.

    "Honestly, they're crazy," he adds, "and they're really hurting our country badly."

    He concludes: "We have a problem of survival of our country, because we're run by very stupid, and probably evil people, and we can't have it."

    Climate change was recently blamed for making rainfall totals between 40% and 70% more likely during the deadly Hurricane Helene, according to one rapid attribution study, external by scientists at Imperial College London.

    Read more:

  10. Trump says Biden likes himpublished at 21:45 British Summer Time 12 October

    Donald Trump speaks with Mayra Flores on 12 October 2024Image source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Donald Trump speaks with Mayra Flores

    Donald Trump has been speaking at this roundtable in Nevada.

    He's riffing on immigration, inflation, Kamala Harris's intelligence, and Joe Biden's exit from the race.

    "He was overthrown. That's what happened. We call it a coup," Trump says.

    "But I think he [Biden] likes me actually," the Republican adds.

    "She's [Kamala] worse than Biden, I'm telling you. He's more intelligent. Can you believe this? I'm a fan, but I think what happened to him was terrible."

    Trump advisers have reportedly urged him to focus on policy rather than personal attacks on Harris.

  11. 'God's hand is on President Trump'published at 21:29 British Summer Time 12 October

    Robert Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods, pictured at a panel discussionImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Robert Unanue, CEO of Goya Foods

    At Trump's Nevada event, Goya Foods CEO Robert Unanue says Kamala Harris is "bad for this country. She's bad for Latinos. She's bad for all of us".

    He frames the election as “a spiritual war” and concludes by saying: "God's hand is on President Trump."

    "He won't take it off, and he's going to bring us to prosperity, to safety, and he's going to lead us closer to God and make America great again."

  12. 'We all have less money in our pockets'published at 21:21 British Summer Time 12 October

    Mayra Flores photographed on the Capitol HillImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Mayra Flores, moderator of the Hispanic roundtable in Nevada

    The moderator of Trump's Nevada event, congresswoman Mayra Flores, begins by telling a story of how she convinced her father to vote Republican for the first time in 2020, and how her father has remained a Trump fan ever since.

    "And I know that it's not just my father," says Flores, the first female Mexican-born member of the House.

    "Hispanic Americans have seen what the Biden administration have done to their lives," she says.

    "We all have less money in our pockets. We want to be able to take our children to a vacation.

    "We want to be able to take care of our families, and that's exactly what President Trump will do when we get him re-elected in November."

    BBC Verify has compared Trump's economic record with Biden's:

  13. Trump due to hit the stage at Hispanic roundtable in Nevadapublished at 20:56 British Summer Time 12 October

    Donald Trump is scheduled to appear soon in Henderson, a suburb of Las Vegas, to attend a Hispanic roundtable event.

    Polls this election cycle have indicated Republicans are gaining ground among Hispanic voters, and Trump has made efforts to appeal to the historically Democratic-leaning voting bloc.

    Kamala Harris has a roughly 14% lead among Hispanic voters, polls suggest, a historic low not seen since 2012.

  14. Trump to hold town hall with women in Georgiapublished at 20:19 British Summer Time 12 October

    Kayla Epstein
    US reporter

    At his rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, this week, Donald Trump declared that “the women are going to like Trump”.

    “I think they like me anyway,” he added.

    Fox News announced Trump would hold an all-female town hall in Georgia next week as he continues to court this all-important voting bloc.

    Trump is hoping to gain ground with a part of the electorate that has always been sceptical of him. Overall, women favoured the Democrats in the last two elections, with abortion access one of the most animating issues.

    That pattern seems to be holding true this year: a New York Times/Siena College poll last week found 56% of likely women voters supported Kamala Harris, compared to 42% for Trump.

    The exception is Trump’s performance with white women: he won 55% of these voters compared to Biden’s 44%, NBC News’s 2020 exit poll showed. Trump also had an edge with white women in 2016.

    The Republican is trying to hang on to female voters this year by aiming to turn the economy and immigration into kitchen-table issues.

    It will be interesting to see how Trump communicates his platform to a roomful of women voters next week.

    A Trump supporterImage source, Getty Images
  15. Watch: Olympic medallist rips up photo of Trumppublished at 19:46 British Summer Time 12 October

    At a sports event in Trento, northern Italy, nine-time Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis was applauded as he ripped up a photo of Trump.

    The former sprinter and long-jumper endorsed Harris, holding up a photo of her and repeatedly saying: "History."

    Media caption,

    Carl Lewis rips up a photo of Trump

  16. Tim Walz goes pheasant shootingpublished at 19:08 British Summer Time 12 October

    Tim Walz holds a gunImage source, CBS/X

    Harris's running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, has been out hunting pheasants on Saturday as the season opened in his home state.

    Gun in hand, he invited media to photograph him in hunting gear.

    In response, a Trump campaign account described the outing as "nothing more than a desperate attempt to make up ground with male voters".

    "Sorry Tim, men aren’t voting for a gun grabber," it added.

    The Harris-Walz campaign has made a point of saying they support gun rights, but back "sensible" firearms-control proposals, including calls for a ban on semi-automatic rifles.

    Harris told CBS show 60 Minutes on Monday she herself owns a gun, made by Austrian company Glock.

    A Pew survey this week found 51% of male registered voters support Trump, and 43% back Harris.

    The gender gap is reversed among female registered voters: 52% of women support Harris, and 43% back Trump.

  17. Harris records note family history of colon cancerpublished at 18:23 British Summer Time 12 October

    Kamala Harris's medical records released on Saturday mention an important detail: a maternal history of colon cancer.

    The line highlights a painful detail in Harris's life. Her mother, Shyamala Gopalan, was diagnosed with the disease in 2008 and died a year later, at the age of 70.

    In a New York Times opinion piece, Harris said the day she learned about her mother's diagnosis was "one of the worst days" of her life. Gopalan was a scientist who had researched breast cancer.

    The American Cancer Society estimates 106,590 new cases of colon cancer so far in 2024, with rates higher for men.

    Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and the fourth leading cause in women, the ACS said.

    Kamala Harris as a baby with her mother, Shyamala GopalanImage source, Alamy
    Image caption,

    Kamala Harris as a baby with her mother, Shyamala Gopalan

  18. Trump reportedly complained to mega-donors about cash gappublished at 17:51 British Summer Time 12 October

    Donald Trump met privately with billionaire donors in September and vented about his campaign's financial gap, according to the New York Times.

    During a private dinner at Trump Tower, the Republican called Harris "retarded" and expressed frustration about having to spend so much time fundraising instead of holding rallies, report Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, external.

    Harris and the political action committees that support her have raised $1bn (£765m) in less than three months since she became the Democratic nominee.

    In August alone, her campaign pulled in around $230m more than her opponent, leaving her with a $100m advantage. The Trump campaign said it raised $160m in September.

    The cash advantage doesn't guarantee victory, however. Hillary Clinton far out-raised Trump in 2016, but still lost.

    Paul Singer, founder and president of Elliott Management Corp, pictured at a forumImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Hedge fund manager Paul Singer attended the private dinner, according to the report

  19. Trump's busy schedule 'unlike any other', campaign sayspublished at 17:16 British Summer Time 12 October

    Steven Cheung, spokesman for former US President Donald TrumpImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Trump spokesman Steven Cheung

    Cheung goes on to say that Trump has "an extremely busy and active campaign schedule unlike any other in political history".

    He claims that Kamala Harris is "unable to keep up with the demands of campaigning and reveals on a daily basis she is wholly unqualified to be President of the United States".

    "Her schedule is much lighter because, it is said, she does not have the stamina of President Trump," he says.

    But Harris campaign spokesman Ian Sams posted on X, formerly Twitter, that now the Democrat had released her health information it was "your turn, Donald Trump".

    A screenshot of a memorandum from a doctor who treated Trump after an assassination attempt against him.
  20. Trump's campaign says he has 'excellent health'published at 16:59 British Summer Time 12 October

    A screenshot of a letter from Trump's personal physician.

    Donald Trump's campaign just said he has "voluntarily released" updates from his personal physician and the doctor who treated him after the assassination attempt against him this summer in Butler, Pennsylvania.

    "All have concluded he is in perfect and excellent health to be Commander in Chief," says the campaign's communications director Steven Cheung.

    Cheung cited a November 2023 medical letter that said Trump's "physical exams were well within the normal range and his cognitive exams were exceptional".

    Since the would-be assassin’s bullet grazed Trump on 13 July, reporters say his campaign has not granted them access to his hospital records or the emergency physicians who treated him.

    Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he is rushed offstage by U.S. Secret Service agents after being grazed by a bullet during a rally on July 13, 2024 in Butler, PennsylvaniaImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Trump after being grazed by a bullet on 13 July