Harris, Cheney work to sway undecided voters, GOP women in 3 battleground states

Harris, Cheney work to sway undecided voters, GOP women in 3 battleground states

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MALVERN, Pa. — Vice President Kamala Harris held a series of moderated conversations with former Wyoming Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in suburban cities in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin on Monday during which Cheney worked to assuage concerns that Republicans may have about voting for the Democratic candidate.

“If you’re at all concerned, you can vote your conscience and not ever have to say a word to anybody, and there will be millions of Republicans who do that on Nov. 5, vote for Vice President Harris,” Cheney said to Republicans at the Michigan event.

Cheney and Harris also worked to draw contrast between the vice president and former President Donald Trump, someone they described as a threat, “unstable” and untrustworthy.

Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris holds a moderated conversation with Former Rep. Liz Cheney at People’s Light performing arts theater Malvern, Pa., Oct. 21, 2024.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images

With two weeks until Election Day, the effort was part of the Harris campaign’s effort to reach swing voters in the crucial battleground states. Harris spoke with Cheney in the suburban areas of Chester County, Pennsylvania; Oakland County, Michigan; and Waukesha County, Wisconsin.

The events — aimed to appeal to white suburban women who vote Republican — happened the day before in-person voting began in Wisconsin. The conversations were moderated by Bulwark publisher and longtime Republican strategist Sarah Longwell and conservative radio host and writer Charlie Sykes.

Both Harris and former President Donald Trump had events scheduled for battleground states this week as they worked to win over voters in what’s expected to be a close contest. On Monday, Trump spent time in in the battleground state of North Carolina.

While in Pennsylvania, Harris and Cheney worked to pick off Republicans disaffected with their party’s nominee who may vote for the vice president and focus on the dangers Trump poses to the country and to democracy.

Moderator Maria Shriver, from left, speaks during a town hall with Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and former Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney at the Royal Oak Theatre in Royal Oak, Mich.,Oct. 21, 2024.

Jacquelyn Martin/AP

“There are months in the history of our country which challenge us, each of us, to really decide when we stand for those things that we talk about, including, in particular, country over party,” Harris said.

Cheney, a staunch Trump critic who endorsed Harris in September despite their party and policy differences, said “every single thing in my experience and in my background has played a part” in her supporting Harris.

“In this race, we have the opportunity to vote for and support somebody you can count on. We’re not always going to agree, but I know Vice President Harris will always do what she believes is right for this country. She has a sincere heart, and that’s why I’m honored to be in this place.”

At the Michigan event, Cheney said that she understood why some Republicans would find it difficult to publicly support Harris.

“I certainly have many Republicans who will say to me, ‘I can’t be public.’ They do worry about a whole range of things, including violence. But, but they’ll do the right thing,” she said.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former US Representative Liz Cheney (R) arrive for a campaign event at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, October 3, 2024.

Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

At the final leg in a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Harris continued to draw a contrast between herself and former President Trump.

“Do we want a president of the United States who spends his full time plotting revenge while they sit in the Oval Office, or a president who is actually focused on the American people?” she asked.

Cheney continued to slam Trump and said he can’t be trusted.

“I think that the bottom line on this, as on some of the other issues, is, you know, you just can’t count on him. You cannot trust him. We’ve seen the man that he is. We’ve seen the cruelty and America deserves much better.”

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris attends a conversation moderated by Charlie Sykes with former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) in Brookfield, Wis., Oct. 21, 2024.

Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

Cheney voted to impeach Trump following the events of Jan. 6, 2021, and was vice chair of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. She received backlash from Trump and other Republicans for her criticism of the former president and was censured by the Republican National Committee.

Since her endorsement of Harris, Cheney has campaigned for the vice president — including in battleground Wisconsin, where she called Trump petty, vindictive and cruel.

Cheney is among a handful of prominent Republicans, including her father, former Vice President Dick Cheney, who have pledged to support Harris’ bid.

The number of actual votes these events could move, with just two weeks to go, is small — yet could be significant in states expected to be decided by slim margins, Joe Zepecki, a Milwaukee-based Democratic strategist, told ABC News.

Ideally, Zepecki said, the events would bring over “Republicans available to Harris who might need one last reminder, one last push in that direction.”

George Levy, a 66-year-old voter from Delaware County, outside Philadelphia, said he was an independent until Trump entered the political arena in 2015.

“I’m never going back. I’ll be a Democrat from now on,” he told ABC News as he waited in line to enter the intimate theater in Malvern, Pennsylvania, a Philadelphia suburb that was the site of the first Cheney discussion of the day.

Liz Cheney poses for pictures with an attendee during a campaign event for US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin, October 3, 2024.

Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP via Getty Images

“[Cheney] did the right thing for our country, and I’m proud of her for doing that,” he said. “I know she doesn’t agree with many Democratic policies, but she believes in our country and loves our country, and I appreciate her speaking out.”

In a social media post on Monday, Trump attacked Harris for campaigning with Cheney, claiming that the former Wyoming Republican congresswoman is going to lead the United States to go to war with “every Muslim Country known to mankind” like her father and former Vice President Dick Cheney “pushed” former President Georgia W. Bush to the war in the Middle East.

Harris’ events this week will feature more interactivity where voters see the vice president taking questions — including during her town hall with CNN on Wednesday in Pennsylvania.

ABC News’ Sarah Beth Hensley contributed to this report.


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‘Agatha All Along’ crafts a witch coven community run by women | WSAU News/Talk 550 AM · 99.9 FM

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By Danielle Broadway

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Kathryn Hahn met with a person she describes as a real-life witch every week to help her further embrace her role as the witch Agatha Harkness in the show “Agatha All Along.”

“Her mission was to try to de-trope what we see as witches and really add the aspect of community and nature,” Hahn said.

The Marvel miniseries created by director Jac Schaeffer serves as a spin-off of the Emmy-winning Disney Plus series “WandaVision,” also created by Schaeffer.

Hahn reprises her role as Harkness from “WandaVision” and is joined by Debra Jo Rupp, who reprises her role as Mrs. Hart; Aubrey Plaza; Joe Locke; Patti LuPone; Sasheer Zamata and Ali Ahn.

The first two of the nine episodes of “Agatha All Along” arrive on Disney Plus on Wednesday.

The show picks up after the events of “WandaVision,” as Harkness finds herself still trapped in the town of Westview, New Jersey, under a trance.

However, she is able to escape from the town with the help of a goth teenage witch who encourages her to regain her powers by facing the trials of the legendary “Witches’ Road.”

Together, Harkness and the goth youth, who is called “Teen” since his name is not immediately revealed, recruit other witches to join their new coven and embark on a journey for magical powers.

For Schaeffer, it was important to tell a story about women in power and assemble a team of writers that could explore the different supernatural gifts that witches across mythology and popular culture possess.

“I tasked the writers with really in-depth research,” she said.

“They all had sort of different areas of interest. You know, one writer was really into tarot. One writer was very into herbology and trees, and then others were big fans of certain kinds of witchy content,” she added.

Another aspect of women in power that struck the cast and creatives was that the coven of women witches was created by real-life women.

“I mean directed by women, written by a woman, acted by women, and Joe (Joe Locke),” Rupp said, highlighting the majority work from women on the series.

For Ahn, the miniseries also shows the range of what it means to be a powerful woman by introducing complex and flawed characters.

“There’s not just one way that you can embody power,” Ahn said. “You know, there’s all the witches, all the characters are so different. I think that’s pretty remarkable. It’s like, the diversity of the way in which these women will show up, you know, literal and emotional.”

The coven also expressed themselves through music, including a special witches’ song called “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” that they sing together.

For three-time Tony-winning Broadway performer Patti LuPone, playing the witch named Lilia Calderu felt like it was meant to be.

“You know, it becomes fated or destiny when you start to recognize, ‘OK, I played a witch in ‘Penny Dreadful’ and now I’m playing another witch,” LuPone said.

“I’ve done tarot in ‘American Horror Story,’ and now, it’s this,” she added.

(Reporting by Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross; Editing by Mary Milliken and Jonathan Oatis)


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Judge sentences Wade Wilson to death following the murders of 2 Cape Coral women in 2019

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After five years of waiting, a decision was finally made in the Wade Wilson case.A Lee County judge affirmed the jury’s recommendation on Tuesday. Wilson will receive the death penalty.The 30-year-old was convicted of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, on Oct. 7, 2019.Nine of the 12 jurors recommended the death penalty for the murder of Melton, and 10 of them recommended death for the murder of Ruiz on June 25.In a last-ditch effort to save his life, Wilson’s defense attorneys had a neurologist elaborate on possible brain abnormalities during his Spencer hearing. Dr. Mark Rubino’s findings were used as a possible rationale for Wilson’s “cognitive and emotional dysfunction.”Rubino said while completing a series of neurological tests, Wilson was getting frustrated and paranoid.He said Wilson presented as “normal” up until 11 years old when he told his parents he was “going crazy.”Rubino said Wilson was also a passenger in a car that went off the highway and crashed into an oak tree. Wilson allegedly left the hospital that day against medical advice without being evaluated. The neurologist also noted that Wilson experienced at least one concussion while playing sports as a child.The defense argued that all these events may have contributed to Wilson’s actions and decision-making on Oct. 7, 2019.A letter was also read from Wilson’s adoptive parents by the defense.It explained how Wilson succumbed to his mental illness, and the system failed him, according to his adoptive mother and father. They asked the judge to spare him from the death penalty. Dr. Thomas Coyne, a neuropathologist and chief medical examiner in Tallahassee, testified for the state. Looking at the same brain scans used to support the defense’s claim, Coyne suggests there is no evidence of trauma.Coyne claimed Wilson’s brain scans look like that of a “normal person,” and there are no signs of “chronic traumatic brain injury.”A press conference is set to take place following the sentencing.State Attorney Amira Fox was present at the sentencing, as well as Cape Coral Police Department Chief Anthony Sizemore. Count on ABC7 to bring you the latest updates as they become available.

LEE COUNTY, Fla. —

After five years of waiting, a decision was finally made in the Wade Wilson case.

A Lee County judge affirmed the jury’s recommendation on Tuesday. Wilson will receive the death penalty.

The 30-year-old was convicted of killing Kristine Melton, 35, and Diane Ruiz, 43, on Oct. 7, 2019.

Nine of the 12 jurors recommended the death penalty for the murder of Melton, and 10 of them recommended death for the murder of Ruiz on June 25.

In a last-ditch effort to save his life, Wilson’s defense attorneys had a neurologist elaborate on possible brain abnormalities during his Spencer hearing.

Dr. Mark Rubino’s findings were used as a possible rationale for Wilson’s “cognitive and emotional dysfunction.”

Rubino said while completing a series of neurological tests, Wilson was getting frustrated and paranoid.

He said Wilson presented as “normal” up until 11 years old when he told his parents he was “going crazy.”

Rubino said Wilson was also a passenger in a car that went off the highway and crashed into an oak tree. Wilson allegedly left the hospital that day against medical advice without being evaluated.

The neurologist also noted that Wilson experienced at least one concussion while playing sports as a child.

The defense argued that all these events may have contributed to Wilson’s actions and decision-making on Oct. 7, 2019.

A letter was also read from Wilson’s adoptive parents by the defense.

It explained how Wilson succumbed to his mental illness, and the system failed him, according to his adoptive mother and father. They asked the judge to spare him from the death penalty.

Dr. Thomas Coyne, a neuropathologist and chief medical examiner in Tallahassee, testified for the state. Looking at the same brain scans used to support the defense’s claim, Coyne suggests there is no evidence of trauma.

Coyne claimed Wilson’s brain scans look like that of a “normal person,” and there are no signs of “chronic traumatic brain injury.”

A press conference is set to take place following the sentencing.

State Attorney Amira Fox was present at the sentencing, as well as Cape Coral Police Department Chief Anthony Sizemore.

Count on ABC7 to bring you the latest updates as they become available.


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Caroline Marks strikes gold in down-to-the-wire women’s surfing Olympic final

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Caroline Marks and Tatiana Weston-Webb headed into the gold medal bout having persevered through two drastically different semifinal rounds.

Marks won by the slimmest of margins, delivering a clutch wave as time expired to tie the score. However, since her last wave was the highest of the heat she took the tiebreak win over France’s Johanne Defay, exacting revenge for her teammate Carissa Moore, whom Defay knocked out in the quarterfinals.

Weston-Webb, on the other hand, had an incredibly easy semifinal round. Her opponent, Costa Rica’s Brisa Hennessy, made a massive mistake early on, receiving a priority interference and a significant penalty: She would only get to count one wave score. Weston-Webb calmly served up a pair of five-plus rides to clinch her spot in the gold medal match with nearly half of the period remaining. 

The women were hoping for gorgeous waves in the gold medal final after seeing the men receive pristine sets. They had to wait a little longer than expected, though, as the first major score opportunity didn’t arrive until nearly halfway through the gold medal final.

It was Marks that struck first, entering with a tardy drop that allowed her to stall right in the pit of the barrel. She disappeared for a moment before bursting through the foam for a clean exit and a 7.50.

Once she had set herself up with the lead, the American’s IQ took over. Marks recognized the scarcity of hollow swells rolling in and played priority throughout the latter half of the final. She padded her advantage with some decent rides when she could and blocked Weston-Webb when the few larger waves came through.

In the final moments, she tried to put it away with a huge score, but a wipeout left the door open for the Brazilian. Weston-Webb found the wave she’d been waiting for and dropped in to try to steal the match. The barrel never formed though, and she adapted to string together a few great turns and took the wave for as long as she possibly could, beaching herself on the shallow reef.

Needing just a 4.68 to win the gold, the surfers both anxiously awaited the score announcement after time ran out. Eventually, the loudspeakers announced a 4.50 — just shy of what Weston-Webb needed to take over the lead.

With another tight victory secured, Marks arrived back to shore on the shoulders of her coaches, draped in the American flag as an Olympic champion. At just 22 years old, she became the latest Olympic champion in women’s surfing.


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