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Harris, Obama and Hillary Clinton set to hold Los Angeles fundraisers for the vice president this month

Vice President Kamala Harris will hold a fundraiser in Los Angeles on Sept. 29, according to an invite obtained by ABC News — just a few days after former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton host fundraisers for her in the same area.

According to the Sept. 29 invite, tickets range from $500 to $1 million — with the $500 tickets already sold out. The pricer tickets include a reception with Harris, a “liberty luncheon” and a photo opportunity.

Obama and Clinton will also be holding separate Los Angeles fundraisers for the vice president on Sept. 20, according to an invite and a source familiar with the planning.

Former President Barack Obama speaks on stage during the second day of the Democratic National C… Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Clinton’s fundraiser will be a lunchtime appearance with guests such as actresses Jamie Lee Curtis and Sally Field in attendance. Obama’s fundraiser will be a nighttime fundraiser on the same day.

Obama will begin to hold larger campaign events for Harris beginning next month as well as candidate-specific events for down-ballot races, the source said.

Harris’ fundraiser, first reported by Deadline, marks her first fundraising appearance in the Los Angeles area since she announced her campaign.

Obama, George Clooney and Julia Roberts hosted a fundraiser for then-candidate President Joe Biden in June in Los Angeles, which raised $30 million for Biden’s campaign.

Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris holds a campaign rally at the McHale…Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Harris’ campaign said it raised $361 million in August — her first full month as a candidate — from nearly 3 million donors. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign said it raised $130 million in August.

The campaign has been attempting to seize on to the momentum the debate garnered for the candidate by setting course on an intense campaign schedule they’re calling “A New Way Forward,” labeling themselves as “underdogs” despite poll numbers that suggest Harris faired better than Trump in the debate.

Americans by 58-36% say Harris won the debate — a reversal from the Biden-Trump match in June, which Trump was seen as winning by 66-28%, according to the latest ABC News/Ipsos poll.

Harris has several appearances scheduled for this week, including an event with the National Association of Black Journalists on Tuesday, a live-streamed event with Oprah Winfrey in Michigan on Thursday and campaign stops in Wisconsin on Friday.

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Suspect pleads not guilty in alleged murder-for-hire plot against Donald Trump

A Pakistani national with ties to Iran pleaded not guilty Monday to federal charges alleging he attempted to commit an act of terrorism and murder-for-hire as part of a scheme to assassinate former President Donald Trump.

The suspect, Asif Merchant, was ordered detained pending trial during the hearing in Brooklyn federal court.

Former President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a press confere…
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Coincidentally, Merchant’s arraignment came the same day a different man — 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh — appeared in a Florida court to answer firearm charges connected to an unrelated apparent alleged attempt on Trump’s life.

Merchant was indicted on federal charges in August, after being previously arrested and charged by complaint the month prior. If convicted of the charges contained in the indictment, he faces up to life in prison

ABC News has reached out to his attorney for comment.

“The Justice Department will not tolerate Iran’s efforts to target our country’s public officials and endanger our national security,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement following the indictment. “As these terrorism and murder for hire charges against Asif Merchant demonstrate, we will continue to hold accountable those who would seek to carry out Iran’s lethal plotting against Americans.”

PHOTO: Asif Merchant
Asif Merchant.
U.S. Justice Department

After spending time in Iran, Merchant arrived in the United States from Pakistan in April and contacted a person he believed could assist him with the scheme to kill Trump, the complaint alleged. That person reported Merchant’s conduct to law enforcement and became a confidential source, according to the indictment.

Merchant sought to hire hitmen who could carry out the assassination of Trump and others, the indictment alleged. Merchant allegedly explained his plot involved multiple criminal schemes: stealing documents or USB drives from a target’s home; planning a protest; and killing a politician or government official, the indictment alleged.

Merchant met with the purported hitmen — who were in fact undercover U.S. law enforcement officers — in New York, according to the indictment. He allegedly told them they would receive instructions on who to kill either the last week of August or the first week of September, after Merchant had departed the U.S., according to the indictment.

After Merchant paid the $5,000 to the “hitmen,” the indictment quoted one of them saying, “Now we’re bonded,” to which Merchant allegedly responded, “Yes.” The undercover officer then stated, “Now we know we’re going forward. We’re doing this,” to which Merchant allegedly responded, “Yes, absolutely,” according to the indictment.

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