Kamala Harris to hold event with Oprah as campaign says one million Teamster union members endorse Democratic ticket – live

Kamala Harris and Oprah Winfrey will be speaking at an event in Michigan in fifteen minutes’ time. We will stream – and blog – that live.

Trump has repeated a statement he has made before, that any Jewish person who votes for Harris or the Democrats “should have their head examined”.

Trump claims that the Kamala Harris “hasn’t lifted a finger” to protect Jewish people.

In August, the Biden-Harris administration approved a $20bn arms package for Israel. Harris has said she is working “around the clock” to secure a ceasefire deal. Harris has said repeatedly she supports Israel’s right to defend itself and has condemned anti-sematism.

Trump meanwhile has said, falsely, that polls that show him ahead of Harris don’t get released.

Kamala Harris’s running mate, Tim Walz, met with the families of people held hostage by Hamas.

Walz “condemned the brutality against both Americans and Israelis and reaffirmed his and Vice President Harris’s commitment to Israel’s security,” and, “The group discussed the Biden-Harris administration’s efforts to end the war and ensure Israel is secure, all hostages are released, and the suffering in Gaza ends,” the campaign said in a statement.

Trump’s remarks so far have consisted of him making comments between thanking person after person in the audience for being there. The Guardian’s David Smith is in the room:

Trump is now on stage.

The mayor of Springfield, Ohio, has issued an emergency proclamation following the continued rise in public safety threats over false rightwing rumors about the city’s migrant communities.

On Thursday, Rob Rue released a statement, saying: “Ensuring the safety of Springfield’s residents is our top priority.” He added: “We are addressing these threats with the seriousness they warrant and are taking immediate steps to ensure the security of both our community and our employees. Our commitment to preventing harm is unwavering.”

According to a city statement, the proclamation allows Rue and other city officials to “swiftly acquire resources needed to address potential threats” and will “enable departments to respond more efficiently to emerging risks, including civil unrest, cyber threats and potential acts of violence”.

Harris is stepping up her efforts to win over voters who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, enlisting prominent members of the faith to make the case in pivotal Arizona that Donald Trump does not align with the church’s values, the Associated Press reports.

Her state campaign announced on Thursday an advisory committee to formalise the outreach to current and former members of the church, widely known as the Mormon church.

With nearly 450,000 church members in Arizona, about 6% of the state’s population, Latter-day Saints and former church members could prove critical in what will likely be an extremely close race.

Trump’s event has started but he is not yet speaking. We will bring you any important news from his comments when they happen.

US officials now believe that a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas is not expected before the end of President Joe Biden’s term in January, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The newspaper cites top-level officials in the White House, State Department and Pentagon without naming them. Those bodies did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said two weeks ago that 90% of a ceasefire deal had been agreed upon, while Vice President Kamala Harris has repeatedly said Washington has been working “around the clock” to get to an agreement.

The United States and mediators Qatar and Egypt have for months made attempts to reach a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas but have failed to arrive at a final agreement.

Negotiations have been ongoing to clear two obstacles: Israel’s demand to keep its forces in the Philadelphi corridor to maintain a buffer between Gaza and Egypt, and the specifics of an exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

Biden laid out a three-phase ceasefire proposal on May 31 that he said at the time Israel had agreed to. The deal has run into obstacles and officials have for weeks said a new proposal would soon be presented.

Critics and human rights groups have also urged Washington to use its leverage by conditioning military support to Israel but the US has maintained its support for its ally.