Attorney General Russell Coleman pulls a county out of a miniature bourbon barrel for a post-election inquiry. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

FRANKFORT —?Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman on Wednesday randomly drew 12 Kentucky counties, including Jefferson, for a post-election inquiry.?

Jefferson County, where stalled e-poll books delayed voting on Election Day, was among the counties pulled from a small bourbon barrel at the Capitol in Frankfort Wednesday.?

The Attorney General’s Election Fraud Hotline received more than 700 calls during the 2024 election for possible election law violations. Nearly 350 of those calls were made on Election Day. Coleman said about 150 of the Election Day calls came from Jefferson County.?

Judge denies emergency request to keep Louisville polls open an additional 2 hours

“We’re undertaking this effort to help every Kentuckian have faith that their elections are free, fair and secure,” Coleman told reporters. “At the end of this professional, independent and fair inquiry, it’s our hope that our confidence in our elections remains high amongst our fellow Kentuckians.”?

Coleman said he spoke with Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw, a Republican, ahead of the drawing and said she indicated she was willing to cooperate with the attorney general’s office if the county was selected for an inquiry.?

“This is not an adversarial process,” Coleman said. “This is an opportunity to show Kentuckians that if something’s broken — and something was broken in Jefferson County. We know that. We know Ms. Holsclaw has made comments to that effect. We’ll continue to flush that out. We hope that this will be a collaborative process with her.”?

Ashley Tinius, spokesperson for the Jefferson County Clerk’s office, said the random inquiry “presents a valuable opportunity to demonstrate to the voters of Jefferson County that we are committed to safeguarding the integrity of elections while delivering transparency.”

“Our team is dedicated to implementing any recommended improvements to ensure our processes are as efficient, secure, and accessible as possible,” Tinius said. “We understand the importance of maintaining public trust, and we are eager to work collaboratively with the Attorney General’s office to address any issues identified. By doing so, we aim to provide a voting experience that upholds the highest standards of fairness and accuracy, reinforcing our commitment to serving the community with honesty and dedication.”

On Election Day earlier this month, e-poll books crashing in Jefferson County led to voting delays. The Kentucky Democratic Party, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, filed a lawsuit to extend voting time by two hours in the county, which is Kentucky’s most populous, but a judge denied the motion.

Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams later told the Kentucky Lantern the issue appeared to be “an error on the part of the office to not require that the e-poll books be turned on early enough to be able to process what they needed to process” and took from 6 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. to be resolved. The e-poll books are used by poll workers to electronically find a voter’s information before they are given a ballot. With large turnout for early voting, the e-poll books are key to quickly making sure someone does not vote twice.?

Voter turnout in the 2024 general election dipped ?in Jefferson County, as 56.7% of registered voters cast their ballots this year. In the same county, 61.4% of registered voters turned out in the 2020 election. Statewide, turnout this year was 58.9% down from 60.3% in 2020.?

The counties selected for the post-election inquiry are:?

• Edmonson County
• Warren County
• Barren County
• Boyle County
• Trigg County
• Lincoln County
• Metcalfe County
• Campbell County
• Jessamine County
• Daviess County
• Jefferson County
• Calloway County

A 2022 state law requires a routine inquiry of 12 randomly selected counties. The selection must be made within 20 days of the general election. Wednesday’s random drawing was open to reporters and live-streamed online for public viewing. The names of all 120 counties were in the barrel.?

After the investigations are completed in the dozen counties, the attorney general’s office will present findings to grand juries in those counties.?

The election fraud hotline, which is reachable by calling 1-800-328-VOTE, is always open to take messages, but was answered by attorney general’s office team members on Election Day. Allegations are referred to the office’s Department of Criminal Investigations. Online reports can be made as well.?

Coleman said before drawing the counties that some of the calls spurred multiple criminal investigations and because they are active, he could not comment further on them at the time.?

Ten AG inquiries into complaints from the primary election in May have been presented to? grand juries with no findings of wrongdoing returned, Coleman said. Grand juries in the remaining two counties will review investigation results soon.

Teachers greet students stepping off their bus at a Louisville public elementary school in 2022. A proposed constitutional amendment to allow public funding support for private school education in the state was soundly defeated in last week’s election by nearly two-thirds of the vote. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Voters in Colorado and Nebraska joined Kentuckians in putting the brakes on the school choice movement last week, rejecting ballot measures that would have instituted or expanded state support for parents to send their kids to private schools or protected other school choice options.

There are at least 75 private school choice programs available across 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, according to EdChoice, a group that supports such programs. And the movement had been gaining momentum.

Public school systems and teachers unions largely oppose voucher programs that use tax dollars to support private school education, saying the programs take needed money from public schools. Many opponents also note that private schools may not have the same accreditation requirements and course curriculum as public schools.

EdChoice blamed the influence of teachers unions on the vote outcome, calling the union opposition a “juggernaut with money to burn,” in a Nov. 6 statement.

Nebraska

In Nebraska, voters partially repealed a state-funded private school scholarship program.

A 2024 law, an update of a similar law passed in 2023, had allocated $10 million a year for the program. Supporters of the allocation argued that parents unhappy with their public schools needed state dollars to help pay for private education. But opposition came from both rural and urban supporters of public schools, the Nebraska Examiner reported. The repeal passed with 57% of the vote.

Nebraska state Sen. Dave Murman, a proponent of school choice who identifies as a Republican in the nonpartisan legislature, said he was disappointed in the outcome, but not surprised. He acknowledged that public schools are popular in Nebraska.

“Because of that, we had advocates for public schools spread all across the state,” he said. But he argued that students would benefit from private school options and said he plans to continue the fight.

Kentucky

In Kentucky, the ballot measure would have amended the Constitution to allow public funding support for private education. Some 65% of the voters rejected the attempt to amend the state Constitution to allow it; it went down in every county.

The measure was supported by Republican lawmakers and heavily opposed by public school proponents and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. He said that the outcome is a message from voters to increase funding for the state’s public schools.

Previous GOP-led efforts to legalize school choice hadn’t panned out, with courts striking down a 2021 law to award tax credits for donations to private school scholarship funds, and a 2022 law that would have created public funding for charter schools.

The ballot initiative’s language, according to state Sen. Damon Thayer, a Republican and a strong supporter of the referendum, would have given the legislature the authority to pass laws similar to the ones that were thrown out, he told Stateline.

He said arguments that the amendment would have hurt public and especially rural schools were just “flat-out wrong. These calamities the doubters foster have not come to fruition [in other states],” he said.

Colorado

Colorado’s ballot measure would have enshrined a school choice option in the state Constitution.

The proposed amendment, which was rejected 52%-48%, would have added language saying that each “K-12 child has the right to school choice” and that “parents have the right to direct the education of their children.” School choice would explicitly include neighborhood schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschools, open enrollment options and future innovations in education, the measure said.

Conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado championed the amendment.

Colorado already allows students to attend any public school — even outside their district — for free and has long had charter school options. Critics of the ballot measure said it would have opened the door to private school vouchers, though backers said that wasn’t their intent and that the ballot measure was simply meant to protect charter schools.

Charter schools, however, largely sat out the election. The Christian Home Educators of Colorado opposed the measure in part because it would have guaranteed a “quality education” without defining what that meant.

Texas

In Texas, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott, a longtime supporter of school vouchers, cheered the elections of similar-thinking state Republicans whom he had supported in the primary.

Abbott said during a recent visit to a Christian school that those new members would give him enough votes to pass a school voucher program when the legislature reconvenes in January.

This story is republished from Stateline, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.

Artificial intelligence, social media and a sprawling network of influencers helped spread propaganda and misinformation in the final weeks of the 2024 election campaign, an election technology expert says. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

Advancements in AI technology, and the changing “information environment” undoubtedly influenced how campaigns operated and voters made decisions in the 2024 election, an elections and democracy expert said.

Technologists and election academics warned a few months ago that mis- and disinformation would play an even larger role in 2024 than it did in 2020 and 2016. What exactly that disinformation would look like became more clear in the two weeks leading up to the election, said Tim Harper, senior policy analyst for democracy and elections at the Center for Democracy and Technology.

“I think a lot of folks kind of maybe prematurely claimed that generative AI’s impact was overblown,” Harper said. “And then, you know, in short order, in the last week, we saw several kinds of disinformation campaigns emerge.”

Harper specifically mentioned the false claims that vice presidential nominee Tim Walz was alleged to have perpetrated an act of sexual misconduct, and a deep fake video of election officials ripping up ballots, both of which have been shown to be Russian misinformation campaigns.

AI also played a role in attempted voter suppression, Harper said, not just by foreign governments, but by domestic parties as well. EagleAI, a database that scrapes public voter data, was being used by a 2,000-person North Carolina group which aimed to challenge the ballots of “suspicious voters.”

Emails obtained by Wired last month show that voters the group aimed to challenge include “same-day registrants, US service members overseas, or people with homestead exemptions, a home tax exemption for vulnerable individuals, such as elderly or disabled people, in cases where there are anomalies with their registration or address.”

The group also aimed to target people who voted from a college dorm, people who registered using a PO Box address and people with “inactive” voter status.

Another shift Harper noted from the 2020 election was a rollback of enforcement of misinformation policies on social media platforms. Many platforms feared being seen as “influencing the election” if they flagged or challenged misinformation content.

Last year, Facebook and Instagram’s parent company Meta, as well as X began allowing political advertisements that perpetuated election denial of the 2020 election.

Youtube also changed its policy to allow election misinformation, saying “In the current environment, we find that while removing this content does curb some misinformation, it could also have the unintended effect of curtailing political speech without meaningfully reducing the risk of violence or other real-world harm.”

But there are real-world risks for rampant misinformation, Harper said. Federal investigative agencies have made clear that misinformation narratives that delegitimize past elections directly contribute to higher risk of political violence.

Platforms with less-well-established trust and safety teams, such Discord and Twitch also play a role. They experienced their “first rodeo” of mass disinformation this election cycle, Harper said.

“They were tested, and I think we’re still evaluating how they did at preventing this content,” he said.

Podcasters and social influencers also increasingly shaped political opinions of their followers this year, often under murky ethical guidelines. Influencers do not follow ethical guidelines and rules for sharing information like journalists do, but Americans have increasingly relied on social media for their news.

There’s also a lack of transparency between influencers and the political campaigns and candidates they’re speaking about — some have reportedly taken under-the-table payments by campaigns, or have made sponsored content for their followers without disclosing the agreement to viewers.

The Federal Election Commission decided late last year that while campaigns have to disclose spending to an influencer, influencers do not have to disclose such payments to their audience.

“In terms of kind of the balkanization of the internet, of the information environment, … I think this election cycle may end up being seen kind of as ‘the influencer election,’” Harper said.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the results of the 2024 election in the Rose Garden at the White House on Nov. 7, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday reassured the nation that democracy won despite his party’s resounding election losses, and promised his accomplishments will live on, in brief remarks from the White House.

“I know for some people, it’s a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss. Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made,” Biden said in just over six minutes of remarks to his staff and administration officials gathered in the Rose Garden just after 11 a.m. Eastern.

Former Republican President Donald Trump, now president-elect, handily won the 2024 presidential contest Tuesday against Vice President Kamala Harris, earning victories in closely watched swing states, including Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Trump as of early Thursday afternoon had 295 Electoral College votes, to 226 for Harris, with 270 needed for victory. He also led in the popular vote.

The Republicans also secured a Senate majority, gaining at least 52 seats while Democrats have 45. Control of the U.S. House remained unclear, though a trend toward GOP victory was emerging as ballots were still being counted.

Biden ran against Trump for the majority of the 2024 presidential race but dropped his reelection bid weeks after a disastrous presidential debate performance sparked a pressure campaign for him to step aside.

Biden phoned Trump Wednesday to congratulate him and arranged an in-person meeting to discuss the White House transition — a step that Trump did not take following his loss to Biden in 2020.

“I assured him I’d direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve,” Biden said.

Biden also talked about his phone call Wednesday with Democratic nominee Harris, whom he described as a “partner and public servant.”

“She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character. She has a backbone like a ramrod,” Biden said.

The president said he told his team that “together, we’ve changed America for the better.”

“Much of the work we’ve done is already being felt by the American people, with the vast majority of it will not be felt, will be felt over the next 10 years,” Biden said, specifically citing the bipartisan infrastructure legislation he signed into law in November 2021.

Harris conceded the race Wednesday in a phone call to Trump.

In a speech to somber supporters at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C., the same day, Harris told the crowd “I get it” when it comes to feeling a range of emotions following the outcome.

“But we must accept the results of this election. … A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election we accept the results,” Harris said.

Following the 2020 presidential election, Trump and his allies challenged the results in dozens of ultimately unsuccessful lawsuits. Following his losses in court, Trump and a team of private lawyers continued to deny the election outcome and pressure state officials to manipulate slates of electors.

Trump’s repeated denials of his loss — including a speech on Jan. 6, 2021 where he told his supporters he would never concede — culminated in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol as Congress met that day to certify the election results. 

People vote in the Halifax Volunteer Fire Department in Allen County on Election. Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

Kentucky Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said he was “95% pleased” with how Kentucky’s voting process panned out during the 2024 general election.?

In a Wednesday afternoon telephone interview, Adams discussed voting experiences at polling locations, possible updates to election regulations and the state’s voter turnout.?

According to unofficial results, more than 2 million registered Kentucky voters cast their ballots this election. While some counties were still counting write-in candidates as of Wednesday afternoon, turnout appeared to hover around 59%. Adams suspected that number will slightly increase as counting is completed.?

Early voting was temporarily established in Kentucky in 2020 amid health concerns during the coronavirus pandemic and included expanded allowances for absentee voting as well as Kentucky’s first early voting days. Adams and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear teamed up to back? the proposal. The General Assembly made early voting — but fewer days of it — permanent in 2021.?

“I think it was a little beneath what I expected,” Adams said of overall turnout this year. “On the other hand, I’m pleased that we voted as many voters in four days as we voted in three weeks four years ago, and it went smoothly. That wasn’t a given. This has been a hard election to prepare for, just because you’ve got so many people who haven’t voted in a while, you have so much misinformation floating around. You have fewer days to vote than you had. You’re going to have less utilization of absentee than we had last time. I just didn’t have the same tools in my toolbox, so I’ve always been more concerned. I’m glad it went so well.”?

Presidential elections tend to be harder to pull off, as turnout is often four times higher than a typical primary or twice as high as in a non-presidential general election. Other differences include having more polling locations and more poll workers.?

Adams also said that about a third of voters in a presidential election haven’t voted since the last one, if they’ve ever voted before at all.?

“You just have a lot of new people to the process who have not been paying attention to the government for years and don’t know what has changed, don’t know their voting location may have changed, they don’t know that there’s different days. They don’t know much. They’ve not followed the government. So it’s really, really challenging. I’m very pleased at how smooth it went.”?

In the 2020 general election, Kentucky voter turnout was about 60%.?

Early voting cleared Election Day lines

For most Kentucky counties, voting was a smooth process on Tuesday. Adams said his plea to Kentuckians to vote early was a smart move.. About a third of this year’s turnout cast ballots before Tuesday.?

Adams said he heard anecdotally that voting was easy on Tuesday in Fayette County, Kentucky’s second largest county and where some lines were expected at the polls. He attributed that to early voting.?

“In 2020, we had a million voters vote early, and that made Election Day a lot smoother,” Adams said. “And I didn’t think that we’d get that many this time — we got about two thirds that many — but even that many voting outside of Tuesday smoothed out the turnout for Tuesday.”?

Plus, voters and poll workers had pressure relieved. Adams said he was “chewing my nails that we have people lose their tempers” but “tempers were chill, people were polite” across the state. Issues arose in other states where fights broke out over voters wearing campaign gear and bomb threats were called into polling locations.?

According to numbers Adams shared online ahead of Election Day, 656,277 Kentuckians cast ballots during no-excuse early voting, which is held for three days the week before the election. Most were registered Republican, or 52.6%. Meanwhile, 40.3% were registered Democrats and 7.1% were registered as Independent or other.?

Adams said the large turnout of Republicans makes support for early voting more politically secure. “The fact that Republicans dominated it makes it, I think, less likely that the legislature will repeal it,” Adams said. “The fact that it was so popular and that it was Republicans who dominated it suggests to me that they’ll leave their own voters alone, and stop trying to take away their voting rights.”?

Earlier this year, a Senate bill to repeal early voting died in a committee. The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Schickel, R-Union, did not seek reelection.?

Adams said he believes early voting policies will live on past his time in the secretary of state’s office. Adams is serving in his second term and statewide officers are term-limited.?

Adams also predicted that over time, more people will vote early, especially if counties increase early voting locations. He encouraged counties to have more than one early voting location this general election.

Adams said he has not had a chance to discuss an early voting expansion with lawmakers, but said it was “too soon” after the election to say. It’s also a matter of if county clerks will go along with it and if funding is available.?

Adams said Kentucky needs to raise base funding for future elections before 2026. No elections are on the ballot in Kentucky next year.

Earlier this year, the state Senate nixed $13 million proposed to help counties raise poll worker pay and rent more spaces for polling sites. The $13 million across three years was originally part of House Bill 580, a large elections bill that became law.

Adams said funding for elections has gotten better in recent years. He was a member of the State Board of Elections in 2016 when it? had to vote to provide less money for elections than what was required in state law. Since then, millions of dollars? have gone to upgrading voter equipment to transition to paper ballots and optical scanners as well as buying e-poll books.?

Adams said the General Assembly might want to change state laws around the candidate filing process. This election cycle, Louisville Democratic Rep. Nima Kulkarni had to fight a legal battle to appear on the ballot after her candidacy paperwork was challenged in court.?

“There’s enough little things on the periphery they might want to talk about that we could actually get some real traction on a bigger package,” Adams said.?

Voting issues in Jefferson County

Judge denies emergency request to keep Louisville polls open an additional 2 hours

An e-poll book issue in Jefferson County sparked a Democratic-backed lawsuit to extend voting hours on Tuesday because of the long waits and lines at the polls earlier in the day. A judge denied that request.?

Adams said from what he was told “it looks like it simply was an error on the part of the office to not require that the e-poll books be turned on early enough to be able to process what they needed to process, which is to say, a ton of information, because we had a lot of voters in our biggest county vote early.”?

Poll workers use e-poll books to electronically find a voter’s information before they are given a ballot. With large turnout for early voting, the e-poll books are key to quickly making sure someone does not vote twice. Adams said it took from 6 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. to get the issue resolved, which was “a quarter of the voting day.”?

“I’m not going to be able to get every clerk, to get every poll worker to do a certain thing,” Adams said. “We have 15,000 poll workers, but what we can do is we can put something in the state law, or maybe we can issue regulation of looking at that too, but we need some sort of legal directive that requires the county clerks to either keep these running or to power them up with sufficient time. And then we can tell them how much time that is. We need some kind of window in there where these things are already booted up and they can do what they have to do before 6 a.m.”?

Recanvass??

As of Wednesday afternoon, Adams had not received any recanvass requests, and said he did not expect to. The deadline to request is Thursday, Nov. 14, or nine days after the general election. Three House races qualified for a recanvass, including one with an automatic recount, the 67th House District. There, Democrat Matthew Lehman is leading Republican Terry Hatton by 30 votes.?

The remaining two races are the 88th House District held by Democratic Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, who has conceded to Republican Vanessa Grossl, and the 45th House District, where Democrat Adam Moore narrowly defeated Republican Thomas Jefferson.

The Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at Avflight at Cherry Capital Airport on Oct. 25, 2024 in Traverse City, Michigan. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Voters delivered a decisive win for former President Donald Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s election, laying the groundwork for a second administration — a “golden age,” he calls it — in which he has vowed to conduct mass deportations of migrants, impose stiff taxes on foreign goods and install wealthy supporters in key positions.

And according to numerous media reports, the former president is expected to enter office free of his federal criminal charges as the U.S. Justice Department plans to wind down its classified documents and 2020 election interference cases ahead of inauguration day. 

Trump’s populist campaign was at least as focused on cultural resentments as concrete policy proposals, but he did consistently promise to take action on immigration and the economy.

A hardliner on immigration since he began his first White House run in 2015, Trump promised on the campaign trail this year to conduct a mass deportation of more than 13 million immigrants in the country illegally.

The logistical challenges and cost of such an enterprise, which may include temporary detention camps and a massive boost to immigration enforcement funding, may prove difficult.

Experts across the fiscal policy spectrum have also warned that Trump’s plan to impose across-the-board tariffs on foreign goods will increase consumer costs and risk triggering a trade war.

The former president incessantly threatened to spike tariffs as high as 60% on all Chinese goods, and anywhere between 25% to 200% on goods coming over the U.S. border from Mexico.

Trump teased a Cabinet and staff featuring billionaire Elon Musk, a major campaign donor and surrogate, who told thousands of Trump supporters he could cut $2 trillion in federal spending.

Trump also promised a top health spot for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., whose reputation includes spreading misinformation about vaccines and leaving a dead bear cub in New York’s Central Park.

The son of the late attorney general and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy promised Saturday on social media that a new Trump administration would “advise all U.S?. water systems to remove fluoride from public water” on its first day in office.

The former president thanked Musk and Kennedy, Jr., in his victory speech in the wee hours Wednesday, promising the latter “is going to make America healthy again” as the crowd chanted “Bobby, Bobby, Bobby.”

“He wants to do some things, and we’re gonna let him go to it,” Trump said.

Harris called the former president Wednesday to congratulate him on his win, according to a senior campaign aide. The conversation, during which the aide said she stressed a peaceful transfer of power, represented a departure from Trump’s behavior in 2020, when he refused to concede to the race’s victor, President Joe Biden.

Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said the former president “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country.”

Trump, who is poised to be the first-ever convicted felon elected to the Oval Office, now faces a presidential transition period that will entail filling thousands of political appointees’ positions, a process that is expected to be made smooth by a Republican-led Senate.

Federal criminal charges trailed Trump through his entire second presidential run, and the former president made clear on the campaign trail his ire for political foes, at times labeling them the “enemy from within.”

A U.S. Supreme Court decision this year that granted presidents wide latitude to take criminally questionable action if they purport to do so in service of the office could provide Trump an opening to wield the department against political opponents.

Upon taking office this time, Trump, 78, will also make history as the oldest person ever elected to the U.S. presidency, while his running mate, 40-year-old Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, will be among the youngest to assume second in command.

Geopolitical impact

Even before the AP had called the race, world leaders began congratulating Trump for his win.

“Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback!” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on X in a post addressed to the president-elect and former first lady Melania Trump. “Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.”

Qatar’s leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani offered his best wishes on X around the same time as Netanyahu, declaring that Qatar is looking forward “to working together again to strengthen our strategic relationship and partnership, and to advancing our shared efforts in promoting security and stability both in the region and globally.”

Qatar is a major broker in negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage deal to end the Israel-Gaza war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also swiftly congratulated Trump on “an impressive election victory.”

“I recall our great meeting with President Trump back in September, when we discussed in detail the Ukraine-U.S. strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy posted to X early Wednesday.

“I appreciate President Trump’s commitment to the ‘peace through strength’ approach in global affairs. This is exactly the principle that can practically bring just peace in Ukraine closer. I am hopeful that we will put it into action together,” Zelenskyy continued.

U.S. aid is critical to both Israel and Ukraine in their respective conflicts with Hamas and Russia.

Trump has frequently criticized U.S. support for Ukraine but is not expected to significantly alter U.S. policy toward Israel.

Trump legal problems

The former president has faced numerous criminal charges and civil lawsuits since his term ended in January 2021.

Trump’s long presidential campaign was punctuated by a busy legal schedule that included two federal cases, still ongoing, and cases in Georgia and New York.

Just over a month before Election Day, a federal judge unsealed new evidence from U.S. special counsel Jack Smith outlining Trump’s alleged role in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results that culminated in the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

The high-profile case was stuck in a holding pattern for most of 2024 while Trump fought the charges, arguing that former U.S. presidents cannot be criminally tried for actions they took while still in office.

In July, the U.S. Supreme Court returned the case to the lower court after ruling that former presidents enjoy criminal immunity for any actions related to core constitutional powers, and presumed immunity for duties on the office’s outer perimeter, but none for personal actions.

Smith has argued in hundreds of pages of new court filings that Trump undermined the 2020 presidential election results as a candidate, in his personal capacity working with private attorneys.

Trump has indicated numerous times that, if elected to another presidency, he would oust Smith from the U.S. Justice Department.

The only criminal case against Trump to reach trial played out in a Manhattan courtroom in April and May, and concluded when a jury found Trump guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records. The former president had covered up hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election.

Trump’s sentencing in his home city, originally scheduled for July, is now set for Nov. 26 — though it’s unclear how New York Judge Juan Merchan will proceed following Trump’s second trajectory to the White House. The case had already been delayed as the parties began to argue how the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling affected evidence presented against Trump.

Trump made history in June 2023 as the first former president to be indicted on federal criminal charges alleging that he hoarded classified documents at his Florida Mar-a-Lago estate and refused to return them to the National Archives. A federal judge tossed the case in July, but Smith has appealed it.

How the states were called for Trump

The Associated Press projected Trump’s victory Wednesday morning when Wisconsin notched the former president’s Electoral College vote count to 277 — over the 270 needed to secure the presidency. Harris had 224.

Trump by midday on Wednesday gained Michigan, bringing his electoral vote total to 292 and snagging five of the vital seven swing states in which he and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, spent most of their time campaigning through 2024.

North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all voted for Trump. Still without a victor declared were Nevada and Arizona.

GOP Senate

Republicans also took control of the U.S. Senate, guaranteeing Trump a relatively smooth path in confirming his appointments to the courts and the Cabinet in the coming months.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who is leaving his leadership post at the end of the year, called it “a hell of a good day.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Republicans had nabbed 52 seats in the Senate and Democrats had 43, the AP said.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester, a longtime centrist Democrat viewed as his party’s most vulnerable senator in 2024, was ousted by Republican Tim Sheehy in a high-profile race called by the AP on Wednesday morning.

Control of the U.S. House had not yet been called but Republicans were leading there on Wednesday afternoon, 201-186.

If they were to maintain control of the chamber, that would set up an extraordinary Republican trifecta in Washington that likely could expedite legislation including on taxes, the debt, reproductive rights and immigration.

All results are unofficial until local election officials across the country verify and certify the outcome in the coming days and weeks.

Democracy as an issue flops

Harris’ campaign emphasized Trump’s threat to democratic norms, citing his refusal to accept his 2020 election loss and conviction on 34 felony counts.

But that message appeared not to resonate with voters, who told exit pollsters they were more concerned about economic factors like high inflation.

Leaders with Common Cause, an advocacy group that sought to engage voters on democracy issues, accepted the results Wednesday but continued to warn about the “grave threat” Trump posed to the country’s democratic norms.

“We respect the democratic process, but we now must face the fact that Trump’s stated intentions and actions pose a grave threat to the core principles of our democracy,” Virginia Kase Solomón, Common Cause president and CEO, said on a call with reporters. “As a twice-impeached former president with multiple felony charges, his return to office brings unprecedented risk to our nation’s foundational values.”

A roller coaster race

Trump had spent most of his reelection campaigning against Biden, who bowed out of the race in the summer after a disastrous debate performance.

That required the Trump team to pivot to a new campaign with a candidate Trump had never gone up against — Harris.

Harris, who touted herself as the underdog, tried to position herself as a new generation of leadership and through her policy plans on housing, health care and the economy, offering a new chapter for Americans.

She heavily ran on her support of reproductive rights and the threat to democracy that a second Trump presidency would bring, citing the immunity ruling from the Supreme Court.

In the end, Trump’s core campaign issues of immigration and criticisms of the economy appeared to have swayed voters, and she fell short of claiming any of the swing state votes that offered her a path toward victory.

As it became clear late Tuesday that she was falling behind in key states that carried Biden to the White House in 2020, thousands of her supporters who gathered at Howard University for a watch party left in waves as her chances for victory continued to narrow.

Ariana Figueroa, Jane Norman and Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.

Information about voting locations is displayed in downtown Franklin, the Simpson County seat, on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. Turnout and votes for Trump were up in Simpson County this year. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

Former President Donald Trump not only won all but Kentucky’s two largest counties Tuesday as in his previous two runs, he also expanded his margins of victory in the state’s rural areas.

Republican elected officials in Kentucky largely credited the Republican presidential candidate’s message on the economy and border control for his resounding victory in Kentucky and other states that have given him a projected Electoral College victory.?

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, told reporters Tuesday morning that “people are worried about the economy” including the cost of groceries and gas.

“People speak at the polls with their pocketbook,” Stivers said, arguing Trump’s message resonated in blue as well as red states.?

Republican Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman in a statement said, “Kentucky will once again have an ally and a fighter in the White House” and that the “strong leaders” elected to the state legislature and Congress “now have the opportunity to secure our border, stop the flow of deadly poison into our communities and take on violent crime.”?

For Trump critics in Kentucky, Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss was a disappointment.?

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a post on X said Harris’ loss was difficult for “many of us who want to turn the page on the anger politics that are threatening to tear our nation apart.”?

“For many, the coming days will be hard, but I know we will get through it, together,” Beshear wrote in his social media post. “There isn’t a red America or a blue America, and we all need to work together to protect this country that we love.”

State Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill, who has been critical of Trump and did not run for reelection this year, said in a post on X: “On the bright side, Donald Trump can’t run ever again.”?

Trump slightly increases support with similar or improved rural turnout

Trump’s victory in Kentucky was expected because of his past landslide wins in the state. On Tuesday night, history did repeat itself: Trump again won all 120 Kentucky counties except for the state’s largest two, Jefferson and Fayette, home to the Democratic bastions of Lexington and Louisville.

Trump ?won Kentucky by 30.7 percentage points according to unofficial results, a larger margin than his two previous victories.

This time around, Trump also slightly increased his share of votes in counties he had won by massive, double-digit margins in past elections, according to unofficial results. Generally, voter turnout on Tuesday in those rural counties was improved or similar compared to past Trump victories.

The deepened support for? Trump in Kentucky reflected a broader political movement taking place in other states across the country toward Republicans, including states considered to be Democratic strongholds, where Trump won more support from voters than expected.?

Stephen Voss, associate professor of political science at the University of Kentucky, told the Lantern what initially struck him about the election results was what appeared to be a lack of engagement among voters in more urban areas of Kentucky compared to rural areas.?

Unofficial results show a dropoff in voter turnout in both Jefferson and Fayette counties in 2024.?

“We really did see a sort of demobilization in the more affluent, the more urban counties relative to those rural and small town areas, places that the last couple of elections have been kind of disengaged and not turning out at particularly high rates,” Voss said.?

In Jefferson County 61.4% of registered voters turned out in the 2020 election. Only 56.6% turned out? in 2024. The Kentucky Democratic Party unsuccessfully tried to extend voting hours in Jefferson County after technical difficulties created long lines and delays when polling locations first opened in the county.?

In Fayette County 61.5% of voters turned out in 2020. Only 56.9% did in 2024, though the webpage compiling unofficial results notes only partial results are available for Fayette County.

“It’s not just increased support for Trump, it’s also that Trump areas showed higher turnout,” Voss said.

Unofficial results show statewide voter turnout in the 2024 general election was 58.83%. The statewide turnout in 2016 and 2020 was 59.1% and 60.3%, respectively.

Kentucky politicos react to Trump’s comeback

Former Republican President Donald Trump has won a second term in the White House after Tuesday’s election.?Kentucky Republicans were quick to celebrate the news while Democrats issued statements Wednesday afternoon.?

Here’s a roundup of some of the comments:?

Republicans

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul: “Congratulations to President Elect Donald Trump. I look forward to working with all those elected for limited, constitutional government.”?

U.S. Rep. Thomas Massie: “They tried to impeach him, silence him, convict him, and shoot him. Trump survived all of it, so they overturned their own election in a soft coup on President Biden. And he beat them anyway. We beat them. We must not squander this moment in history. The fight has just begun.”?

U.S. Rep. Andy Barr: “To my Democratic colleagues in the House: Will you practice what you preach and certify this landslide election for Donald J. Trump on January 6th?”?

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams: “Andy Beshear had a bad night. The Republican legislators he targeted won, and he will not be in the next president’s cabinet.”?

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman: “The people of Kentucky and our country have delivered a clear mandate. I’m proud to congratulate President Trump and Vice President-Elect Vance for earning the trust of voters of every background in every corner of our country.

?“Kentucky will once again have an ally and a fighter in the White House. Starting on Day One, we will repair the severe damage of the last four years as we build a stronger and safer future for our Commonwealth. Along with the strong leaders that Kentucky reelected to Congress and our General Assembly, we now have the opportunity to secure our border, stop the flow of deadly poison into our communities and take on violent crime.”?

Kentucky Auditor Allison Ball: “Congratulations to President Donald Trump on his election to serve as the next President of the United States! I pray for God to give him wisdom and guidance as he leads our country over the next four years.”?

State Sen. Whitney Westerfield, R-Fruit Hill: “On the bright side, Donald Trump can’t run ever again.”?

Republican Party of Kentucky: “Congratulations, President @realDonaldTrump, on what will be remembered as one of the greatest political comebacks in American history! The American people have spoken loud and clear—they’re ready to Make America Great Again!”

Democrats

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear: “Vice President Kamala Harris put together a good campaign in a short amount of time, focused on positive solutions for people’s lives. She generated energy and enthusiasm, and it is disappointing to see this effort come up short. I know this is difficult for so many of us who want to turn the page on the anger politics that are threatening to tear our nation apart. I crossed the country to support her campaign, and I’m going to continue to stand up for what is right. I’m going to keep working to bring good jobs for our people and help them build good lives with access to quality, affordable healthcare and good public education. For many, the coming days will be hard, but I know we will get through it, together. There isn’t a red America or a blue America, and we all need to work together to protect this country that we love.”?

Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge: “Last night, we sent a clear message: public dollars belong in public schools. Voters across our Commonwealth rejected Kentucky Republicans’ dangerous voucher scheme and ensured that every single child in our state can receive a quality public education — despite the out-of-state, billionaire-funded super PACs doing the GOP’s bidding.??

“We held the line in the General Assembly in the midst of a national red wave and elected common-sense Democratic leaders like Adam Moore, Erika Hancock and Matt Lehman, who will govern by the Kentucky values that Governor Beshear embraces and address the kitchen table issues that matter most. To our candidates who came up short last night, we remain a better Commonwealth because you lifted your hands in service.?

“While the presidential election outcome is disappointing and not what many Americans hoped for, Kentucky Democrats are proud of Vice President Kamala Harris and the unifying campaign that she ran — one that chose vision over division.??

“This party’s work remains unfinished — there’s still so much more to be done in building a better Kentucky. Kentucky Democrats will continue that fight.”

This story was updated with the margin of victory for Trump in the 2024 general election according to unofficial results.

The Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks at a campaign rally on Nov. 4, 2024 in Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris Wednesday afternoon called Donald Trump to concede the 2024 presidential race, according to a senior Harris aide.

During the call, the Democratic presidential nominee “discussed the importance of a peaceful transfer of power and being a president for all Americans,” the senior aide said.

Steven Cheung, the Trump campaign communications director said in a statement that during the call Trump “acknowledged Vice President Harris on her strength, professionalism, and tenacity throughout the campaign, and both leaders agreed on the importance of unifying the country.”

Harris delivered a concession speech at 4 p.m. Eastern to her supporters at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was in the crowd as well.

“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted,” she said. “But hear me when I say this: The light of America’s promise will always burn bright.”

Harris told her supporters to not be discouraged by the results, but to continue the fighting and organizing.

“Sometimes the fight takes a while,” she said. “This is not a time to throw up our hands, this is a time to roll up our sleeves.”

The college was also the site of her election watch party on Tuesday night, which quickly turned somber after her path to the White House narrowed when the southern battleground states of North Carolina and Georgia swung to Trump. 

Harris, who was originally expected to attend her own election night party, never arrived on campus, disappointing supporters and Howard alums.

Trump was declared the presidential winner early Wednesday, according to projections by The Associated Press.

Harris said it was important to accept the results of the race – something that Trump did not do four years ago, leading to a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

“That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny and anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it,” she said. “At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States.”

Harris said that while she concedes the election, “I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”

The presidential race isn’t the only loss for Democrats. They lost control of  the U.S. Senate and Republicans are favored to take the House, potentially giving the GOP a trifecta in Washington.

The election saw a deep gender divide, with exit poll surveys showing women tended to favor Harris over Trump.

It’s the second time a woman has led as the presidential candidate for a major party and it’s the second time a woman has lost to Trump. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton lost to him in 2016.

The election came two years after the constitutional right to an abortion was stripped away by the U.S. Supreme Court. The incoming 47th president cemented its conservative majority by hand-picking three justices.

Harris, whose bid only began in July after President Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign, had a little over 100 days to pick a running mate, release policy plans to appeal to voters and hit the seven battleground states.

Despite the sprint of a campaign, Harris said she was grateful for the campaign she and Walz ran and the coalition they built along the way. 

Some of that coalition was fractured, though. There was deep dissatisfaction within her party for the current administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Michigan, which has a high Arab American population and is a state that Biden won in 2020, voted for Trump, according to projections by The Associated Press.

It was Harris’ second time running for the White House, after her first run quickly fizzled in 2019 before Biden picked her as his running mate.

With Biden out of the race following a disastrous June debate that rattled his party’s belief he could win a rematch against Trump, the coronation of Harris as the party heir breathed new hope into Democrats along with a flood of cash. They raised more than $1 billion, according to the campaign.

Despite the funding and new enthusiasm among Democrats, the swing states of Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin ultimately went to Trump, giving him a clear path to the White House with 292 Electoral College votes out of 270 needed to win the White House, to her 224 votes, according to The Associated Press. 

A scarecrow greets voters at the Community Ag Building on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Simpson County. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

No counties or cities in Kentucky opted out of allowing medical marijuana businesses to operate in their borders after dozens had the chance to do so Tuesday.?

The legislature legalized medical marijuana in 2023 and licensing is underway for a 2025 program launch, but 106 jurisdictions (53 counties and 53 cities) let local voters decide if they wanted marijuana businesses nearby.?

Of those 106 ballot measures, no counties or cities opted to bar medical marijuana businesses from operating in their borders, according to data compiled by Louisville Public Media.

Eligible Kentuckians — those with ?a history of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cancer or other approved medical conditions will be eligible to receive a medical marijuana card starting Jan. 1 next year.?

For a list of counties and cities that posed the question on their ballots, visit this page.?

Kentucky has already awarded its first 26 medical cannabis licenses, which went to 16 cultivators and 10 processors.?

Lottery drawings for dispensary licenses are scheduled for Nov. 25 and Dec. 16.

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 6, 2024 in Washington, D.C. McConnell, who has served as a senator from Kentucky since 1985,  is the longest serving senator in his state's history. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Republicans were moving toward unified control of Congress on Wednesday as more House races were called in their favor and GOP candidates continued flipping Democratic seats in the Senate.

Democratic leaders were still holding out hope that they would secure a narrow majority in the House once there’s a clear outcome in fewer than 50 uncalled races, though that seemed somewhat unlikely.

GOP leaders in Congress used the opportunity to take a victory lap.

“House Republicans have been successful in securing critical flips in swing states including Pennsylvania and Michigan, while our battle-tested incumbents have secured re-election from coast to coast,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., wrote in a statement released by his campaign.

“The latest data and trends indicate that when all the votes are tabulated, Republicans will have held our majority, even though we faced a map with 18 Biden-won seats,” Johnson added, referring to President Joe Biden.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who will step aside as his party’s leader in the upper chamber next Congress, said during a press conference Wednesday he planned to work to ensure the GOP would be as successful as possible during the next couple of years.

“It was a hell of a good day,” McConnell said, of the election results. 

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., rejected Republicans claiming a likely House victory in a written statement Wednesday afternoon, saying that chamber “remains very much in play” and that elections officials “must count every vote.”

“The path to take back the majority now runs through too close to call pick-up opportunities in Arizona, Oregon and Iowa — along with several Democratic-leaning districts in Southern California and the Central Valley,” Jeffries wrote. 

What a GOP trifecta could mean

When combined with Donald Trump winning the presidential race, Republicans appeared close to unlocking a complicated legislative process that could allow the GOP to make sweeping changes to policy as long as it has a significant impact on federal revenue, spending, or the debt.

While there will be many, many hurdles for Republican lawmakers to jump through, assuming they do control the House, that budget reconciliation process would allow the GOP to overhaul the country’s tax code and Obamacare, also called the Affordable Care Act.

It might also provide a way for them to change some aspects of immigration law, though that’s a longer shot than the other two given the process’ strict rules.

Republicans used budget reconciliation in 2017 to implement sweeping changes to tax law after trying unsuccessfully to use it to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Democrats used the process during the first two years of the Biden administration to pass a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill and their sweeping climate change, health care and tax bill, sometimes referred to as the Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA.

Big immigration push ahead

Republicans focused much of their campaign for Congress on immigration and border security, likely making it one of the major issues they’ll address in the years ahead.

Trump, who ran on the campaign promise of mass deportations, is unlikely to support any pathways to citizenship, and instead push for lawmakers to approve the spending necessary to carry out his pledge of removing more than 13 million people in the country without authorization.

That type of plan would require Congress to approve funding for additional detention beds, thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and charter flights. It would also strain an already backlogged U.S. immigration court.

The American Immigration Council, a pro-immigration group, estimated the cost of deporting 13 million people would be $968 billion over a decade. 

The closest Congress came to immigration reform in decades was earlier in the year, when Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, Oklahoma Republican Sen. James Lankford and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema negotiated a bipartisan border security and immigration bill. 

The trio of senators spent months working through the particulars of the deal only to have it scuttled after Trump told GOP members he didn’t want the legislation to pass.

Instead, Trump threw his support behind a House GOP bill that reinstated the former president’s immigration policies, including “Remain in Mexico,” which required asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their cases were processed.

The legislation would have also required employers to verify their employees’ immigration status and fast-tracked deportations for unaccompanied minors, among other things.

Last year, the GOP-controlled House passed the bill, but it was never taken up in the Democratic-controlled Senate. California Rep. John S. Duarte and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie were the only Republicans to vote against the bill. No Democrats voted in favor of passage.

McConnell pledged during his Wednesday press conference at the U.S. Capitol that his party would not change the 60-vote legislative filibuster that requires bipartisan support for the vast majority of bills to move through that chamber.

That likely means any immigration bills the GOP tries to pass through the regular legislative process would need at least some Democratic support to move through the Senate.

“One of the most gratifying results of the Senate becoming Republican — the filibuster will stand, there won’t be any new states admitted that give a partisan advantage to the other side and we’ll quit beating up the Supreme Court every time we don’t like a decision they make,” McConnell said. 

He, however, didn’t rule out Republicans using the budget reconciliation process to their advantage should they secure the House majority.

McConnell declined to answer questions about the future of U.S. military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, which several GOP lawmakers, and Trump, have indicated they would end if voters gave them the ability to. 

“Yeah, look, I’m here this morning to talk about the election and I think I’m going to largely confine it to that,” he said.

McConnell also declined to address a few questions about whether he believes Trump, who he has repeatedly criticized, is up to the task of president, though he did say he will do everything he “can to help the new administration to be successful.”

The GOP Senate

The Associated Press, the news organization that States Newsroom looks to for race calls based on decades of experience, had announced 30 Senate races as of 3 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday.

GOP candidates flipped Montana, Ohio and West Virginia seats occupied by Jon Tester, Sherrod Brown and Joe Manchin III, respectively.

The AP hadn’t projected a win in four Senate campaigns, though Pennsylvania and Nevada were trending toward Republican pickups.

That would give the GOP at least 54 seats in the Senate and would likely erode the negotiating power of moderates like Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Maine’s Susan Collins.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee communications director David Bergstein released a written statement Wednesday that the party expected to win some of the uncalled races.

“The remaining ballots being counted will continue to strengthen Democrats’ standing in our Senate races,” Bergstein wrote. “When this process of counting the votes concludes Democrats will have won races in multiple states carried by Trump and successfully limited the GOP’s potential gains on their historically favorable map.

“These results, which defy historical trends, are a stark demonstration of the strength of our candidates, and the unique support they have earned from voters of every political party in a challenging political atmosphere.”

Wisconsin voters reelected incumbent Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin over Republican Eric Hovde in a neck-and-neck race, called by the AP just before 2 p.m. Eastern. Baldwin held a 49.4% lead over Hovde’s 48.5%.

The race was extremely close, and the two were separated by fewer than 30,000 votes out of more than 3 million cast.  

Arizona was trending toward electing Democrat Ruben Gallego over Republican Kari Lake on Wednesday afternoon, though only 60% of the votes in that state had been counted.

Michigan Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin defeated former Rep. Mike Rogers in another narrow win for Democrats. She held 48.6% of the vote compared to his 48.3% when the AP called the race shortly after 3 p.m. Eastern

Maine independent Sen. Angus King, who typically votes with Democrats, had not yet had his race called by the AP on Wednesday afternoon, though he held a 52.2% lead over his Republican challenger’s 33.9%. Another 13.9% of the state’s votes went to other candidates, according to the AP.

While the Senate holds 100 lawmakers, they’re elected to six-year terms, meaning about one-third of the chamber is up for reelection or retirement during a given election year. This year, a total of 34 Senate seats were up.

No majority call in the House yet

The AP had announced 387 House races as of 3 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, but neither party has the 218 votes needed for majority control. Democrats held 186 seats and Republicans had 201 seats with 48 races yet to be called. 

Republicans have maintained control of the House since January 2023, but hold a slim majority that Speaker Johnson has had to cautiously navigate.

He repeatedly had to strike a deal with Democrats in order to approve must-pass legislation to avoid a government shutdown while keeping members of his party’s right flank happy with the general direction of the chamber.

Democrats were still hoping to regain the House to block Republicans from having a trifecta. But McConnell said he’s confident in Johnson’s optimism that House Republicans will maintain control of the chamber.

“I hope that’s the case,” McConnell said.

Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Susan Wild conceded her race to Republican challenger Ryan Mackenzie on Wednesday morning in a statement, calling it a “bitterly disappointing outcome.”

“This election may not have gone the way we hoped, but the fight continues on,” Wild said. “Let us dust ourselves off and get right back up.”

Fellow Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright also conceded his race to Republican Rob Bresnahan, even though the AP had not called the race as of Wednesday afternoon.

Republicans also regained Michigan’s 7th Congressional District after Republican Tom Barrett defeated Democrat Curtis Hertel in the seat left open when Slotkin ran for the state’s Senate seat. 

New York Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres wrote on his personal social media account that his party should have been more realistic about this year’s election.

“The signs of a decisive defeat were staring us in the face all along. We were simply in denial about them or willfully blind to them, substituting magical thinking for actual analysis,” Torres wrote. “In recent history, there’s no precedent for an incumbent party winning a presidential election when the percentage of Americans who think the country is on the wrong track or headed in the wrong direction is in the 20s. The structural challenge was simply insurmountable.”

Pamela Goodwine speaks to supporters at her election night watch party in Lexington, Nov. 5, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

LEXINGTON — After her historic win Tuesday night, which saw her become the first Black woman elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court, Pamela Goodwine fielded cheers, hugs and photos from a crowd of supporters.?

As her watch party wound down at the Elwood Hotel in Lexington, Gov. Andy Beshear’s senior advisor, Rocky Adkins, was among those to congratulate her on the win.?

Goodwine spoke with the Kentucky Lantern in Lexington at the end of the evening about her long career of history-making firsts and her hopes for the future. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.?

Kentucky Lantern: First, why do you think voters chose you?

Justice-elect Pamela Goodwine: I think the voters in Kentucky want a justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court with experience and independence. I bring 25 years of judicial experience to this position. Now, having served at every level of the judiciary, I think it’s vitally important to bring that kind of experience and to know how to serve as a judge on day one. I think that’s what the voters of Kentucky understand to be an important criterion for a justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court.??

KL: What’s been the proudest moment of your career so far, if you can pick one?

Pamela Goodwine makes history again as first Black woman elected to Kentucky Supreme Court?

PG: I don’t know that I can single out one particular first other than to say that I remember telling my daddy when I was about 17 that I was going to be the first to make a difference somewhere. I didn’t know at that time that it would be Lexington, Kentucky. But when I came here in 1979, 45 years ago, with my steno machine as a certified court reporter, I said ‘I’m starting out as a court reporter, but one day, I’m going to be a justice on the Kentucky Supreme Court.’?

KL: In 2003, when you won the circuit judge seat, you were quoted saying you had your eyes set on the stars, and one of the stars was the Kentucky Supreme Court. Now that you’re here, do you have your eyes set on any other stars?

PG: I honestly cannot say that I have my eyes set on another star, other than to be the best justice I can be, to serve as a justice and for justice for all. However, I also have a saying, and I’m known for saying, ‘never stop dreaming.’ So once I begin my new role and settle into that new role, new dreams may form.?

And knowing that I’m helping to shape the lives of younger women students who are coming along is tremendously fulfilling, and knowing I am that trailblazer for them is tremendously fulfilling. But I don’t have a retirement date in mind.?

Whether that goal will be to become chief justice at some point, whether it’s to pursue a career federally, at some point, I can assure the 5th Appellate District that I will serve out my term.?

I had the dream of becoming a Kentucky Supreme Court Justice for so long, I never looked beyond that point. But, like I said, I also have the philosophy to never stop dreaming, so I’m sure the dream will continue. I just don’t know what that is quite yet.?

KL: You’ve overcome a lot of challenges — living with Crohn’s, losing both parents at a young age. What do you think the role of resilience is and will continue to be in your career?

PG: It will continue to play a very significant role. As a young teenager, when I first entered the workforce, my father told me something, he said, ‘there is never an excuse for not going to work.’?

I remember that little nugget of knowledge, ‘there is no excuse for not going to work. You might not feel well, but you’re gonna go to work unless you’re contagious or on your deathbed.’ And my staff over the years, (has said) ‘do you ever take vacation? Do you ever get sick? Do you ever not come to work?’ And I said, ‘No, no. When I commit to a position, I’m committed to that position.’

I believe in giving whatever I do my all, whether it’s a position, whether it’s a campaign, whatever it is, I’m going to give it my all, 110%, and I think that’s shown throughout my 25-year history on the court, and I’m going to take that dedication and that resilience to the next level.?

KL: You’ve made history a lot, both in gender and race. How important is representation?

PG: ?Representation is very important — and it’s important because seeing is believing. These two young interns in my office, they see that I’ve achieved the goals that I’ve set for myself. They see that they can come to me, that they can talk to me, they can express themselves to me, and they too can set their goals and their dreams, knowing that they can attain them.?

More importantly than that, I always believed that it was a lot easier for someone of color to stand before me and face sentencing, when that sentence came from me, and when I talked to them about why they were there, why I was doing what I was doing, and understanding that that wasn’t the end of the road, that I wasn’t throwing away the key, but I was simply imposing a punishment with the idea and belief that that did not define them, that they had a future.

And for those who would look at me and say, ‘well, what do you know?’ I welcome those comments. What do you know? And I would take a moment and say, here’s what I know. And I would share (about) growing up in the inner city, growing up in lower middle-class.?

Understand that this wasn’t given to me, it wasn’t handed down from a generation. This was something that I dreamed of and that I worked for.?

KL: To finish off with a fun question, I’m told you teach Jazzercise and are known as the Jazzercise Judge. Will that continue to be a way you support your mental health as a justice??

PG: Jazzercise really was my outlet. The first year I Jazzercised, no one knew I was a judge. I was just Pam. So it was somewhere I could go and just be me. I will continue to jazzercise. I may not continue to teach — 12 years ago, when I decided to teach, I thought I would only do it for 10 years. It’s been 12, and it may be time to hang up the microphone, although I haven’t decided that quite yet.?

But I will, whether I teach or not, continue to go because it is a fantastic exercise regimen, and it is an excellent way to relieve stress. And we’re a family in classes; we’re all family, and you dance like nobody’s watching. It’s phenomenal.

Signs designating the Austin Tracy Fire Department as a polling location bend in the wind on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, in Barren County. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

LOUISVILLE — The partisan balance in Kentucky’s legislature appears to have been unchanged by Tuesday’s election, although a Democratic leader in the House was defeated.

Republicans went into — and came out of — Tuesday’s election with 80 of the 100 House seats and 31 of the 38 Senate seats, according to unofficial results.

In the Senate, 19 seats were on the ballot. Republicans won 14 of them and Democrats won five.

County boards of election will certify election results by Friday, Nov. 8.

Outgoing Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer said in a phone interview with the Kentucky Lantern Tuesday night that he had “no concerns about the Democrats chipping away at our supermajority — in either the House or the Senate.” Thayer announced he planned to not seek reelection ahead of the 2024 legislative session.

Republicans have maintained a supermajority in Frankfort for the last eight years. They took control of the House in 2016 and the Senate in 2000.?

“I think people really like that we are a supermajority that delivers results,” Thayer said. “We don’t just make promises, we deliver. And our House and Senate supermajorities have worked really well together to deliver big legislative wins that have made Kentucky a better place to live, work and raise a family.”?

On the other side of the aisle, Sen.-elect Keturah Herron said the night had been “a little disappointing” and “we’ve got a lot of work to do.” Herron, of Louisville and a state representative, faced no opposition in seeking the 35th District Senate seat.?

“We’ve got a lot of work to do as far as finding candidates. We got a lot of work to do with raising money. We got a lot of work to do with organizing and really just getting out and talking to Kentuckians. I think that when Kentuckians hear about what’s really happening. I believe that they would really vote toward a Democratic platform. I don’t know that we’re doing a great job of laying out what that platform is.”

Ahead of the election, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear predicted his party would “pick up seats in our state legislature.” While drumming up enthusiasm during a Fayette County Democratic rally before early voting began last week, Beshear highlighted local Democrats seeking office and said Kentucky needs “a General Assembly with more empathy, sympathy, compassion and confidence.” Beshear particularly criticized the lack of legislative movement on bills that would have added exceptions in cases of rape and incest to Kentucky’s abortion ban.?

However, as of early October, Beshear’s In This Together PAC had not reported donating to a Democratic legislative candidate in Kentucky. Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell’s PAC, Bluegrass Committee, gave 95 Republican candidates $2,100 each, the maximum allowed under state law, which mirrors donations the PAC has given in the past. This year’s number included 90 legislative candidates, three Louisville Metro Council candidates and two mayor candidates.?

Within Republican ranks, the Liberty Caucus grew. Newcomers to the legislature, T.J. Roberts in the 66th House District and Aaron Reed in the 7th Senate District, are expected to be closely aligned with current Liberty Caucus members, who describe themselves as very conservative, dedicated to limited government and individual rights and eschewing establishment politicians.

Here are the unofficial results of some key races:

17th Senate District: Thayer’s open seat

Succeeding Thayer, the Georgetown Republican, will be Republican Matt Nunn.??

In the GOP primary, Thayer backed Nunn, a veteran and executive at Toyota Tsusho America. Kiana Fields, the Democratic candidate in the race, had hoped to flip the district blue after Beshear won three of ?its four counties last year.

The 17th Senate District includes Grant and Scott counties and parts of Fayette and Kenton counties.?

29th Senate District: 11 write-in candidates

After Republican Sen. Johnnie Turner died in October, 11 write-in candidates filed for election in his Southeastern Kentucky district. Pineville mayor Scott Madon won Tuesday evening.?

Republicans quickly endorsed Madon and Democrats backed attorney Justin Noble of Knott County.?

30th House District: Grossberg unopposed

Despite calls from within his party for him to resign amid allegations of inappropriate behavior towards women, Louisville Democratic Rep. Daniel Grossberg sailed to reelection Tuesday evening. He faced no opponent in the general election after narrowly winning his primary this spring. Grossberg garnered 10,125 votes within the 30th House District.

37th House District: Stovall vs. Callaway

John Stovall, a union leader and Democrat endorsed by Beshear, lost his challenge to freshman incumbent Louisville Republican Rep. Emily Callaway.?

On her campaign website, Callaway highlighted her co-sponsorship of an omnibus crime bill, House Bill 5 during the last legislative session. Her website also says she supports eliminating the state income tax, giving parents “more freedom and choices in education,” “is pro-life” and supports the Second Amendment.?

Stovall told the Kentucky Lantern earlier this year his top priorities include creating and protecting jobs, along with securing pensions and health care.

40th House District: Kulkarni battled to stay in race

After the Kentucky Supreme Court rejected a challenge to Louisville Democratic Rep. Nima Kulkarni, she won 10,293 votes?in her district. She faced no opponent as Republicans did not nominate a candidate when a vacancy in the general election was declared earlier this year.?

45th House District: Who will succeed Timoney?

Republican Rep. Killian Timoney was defeated in the GOP primary by a challenger from the right, Thomas Jefferson, earlier this year. On Tuesday Democrat Adam Moore won the general election by roughly 100 votes in the district that includes parts of Fayette and Jessamine counties.

Jefferson, who aligned himself with Liberty Caucus candidates and lawmakers in the Republican Party, was?critical of Timoney for voting against two recent GOP anti-transgender bills and brought culture wars into the race. Moore, the Democratic candidate backed by Beshear, said ahead of the election he hoped to implement policies like eliminating sales taxes on services and expanding Beshear’s executive order that restored the right to vote to nonviolent felons.

48th House District: Farrow vs. Fleming

Incumbent Louisville Republican Rep. Ken Fleming defeated Democratic challenger Kate Farrow, an education advocate backed by Beshear.?

Earlier this year, Fleming introduced a resolution to establish the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force, which has been reviewing the governance of Jefferson County Public Schools. He also sponsored legislation this session to expand exceptions to Kentucky’s abortion ban, including for rape and incest. That bill was never assigned to a House committee.?

Fleming served in the House from 2017 to 2018 and ?again from 2021 to present.?

Farrow, who worked at the Louisville Water Company, narrowly lost a 2022 race for the Oldham County Board of Education.?

88th House District: Grossl vs. Stevenson

House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Cherlynn Stevenson, of Lexington was defeated by Republican opponent and business executive Vanessa Grossl in the 88th House District which includes parts of Fayette and Scott counties. Grossl won by about 200 votes

Stevenson has served in the House since 2019 and won a narrow election for the seat in 2022 after redistricting drastically changed her constituency. Grossl, of Georgetown, previously worked at The Council of State Governments’ (CSG) National Headquarters in Lexington.

Voters headed to the polls across the United States Tuesday following record-breaking early voting to elect a president, determine the balance of power in Congress and consider abortion ballot measures in 10 states. (John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Editor’s note: This report has been updated with the latest election results.

In the first presidential election since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion, former President Donald Trump, who touted during the campaign he “was able to kill Roe v. Wade,” won a second term in the White House. Simultaneously, seven out of 10 states voted to restore or expand abortion rights, according to early election results.

National anti-abortion groups celebrated Trump’s victory over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, who campaigned heavily on restoring reproductive rights. They also celebrated the defeat of abortion-rights amendments in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota, and foreshadowed a full assault on reproductive freedom throughout the country.

“Now the work begins to dismantle the pro-abortion policies of the Biden-Harris administration,” said Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser in a statement. “President Trump’s first-term pro-life accomplishments are the baseline for his second term. In the long term, GOP pro-life resolve must be strengthened and centered on the unalienable right to life for unborn children that exists under the 14th Amendment.”

Despite their losses, abortion-rights advocates said the ballot question victories signal widespread American support for abortion protections even in red states.

Most significantly, Missourians voted to overturn a near-total abortion ban. Voters also approved an abortion-rights amendment in Arizona, which will override the current 15-week ban. Voters agreed to expand reproductive-rights protections in Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nevada and New York.

“This is an especially historic win for Missouri,” said Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the national legal advocacy group Center for Reproductive Rights. “In fact, the amendment goes even further, calling for ‘a fundamental right to reproductive freedom, defined to include abortion and all matters relating to reproductive health care.’ By saying yes to this powerful language, voters have demanded the return of the essential human rights and freedoms they lost after Roe was overturned.”

But abortion-rights advocates suffered a major loss in Florida, which barely failed to clear a 60% supermajority threshold, more than any of the other state abortion initiatives. With 57% voting in favor to overturn a six-week abortion ban and enshrine protections, Florida was the first state to fail to secure abortion rights since Roe v. Wade was overturned two years ago.

Abortion-rights organizers who spearheaded and funded Florida’s Yes on 4 campaign said the result still shows majority approval for abortion rights among Floridians, and they vow to continue trying to restore abortion rights in the state that six months ago was an abortion-access haven for the Southeast region.

“We’re incredibly proud to have stood with doctors, patients, and advocates impacted by this ban,” said Yes on 4 Florida campaign manager Lauren Brenzel in a statement. “Their stories, along with the countless women who will continue to suffer under Florida’s cruel and extreme abortion ban, remind us that our fight is far from over.”

Attorney and anti-abortion activist Catherine Glenn Foster told States Newsroom she is celebrating the fact that Floridians blocked attempts to enshrine abortion in their state constitution. However, she acknowledged that state abortion bans have created real problems, including women dying of preventable pregnancy-related causes and being denied routine miscarriage care. She said states that ban abortion should increase social supports, something that largely hasn’t happened since states started banning abortion, and should implement a robust training system around treating health emergencies.

“We need to have a real reckoning,” said Foster, the president and CEO of First Rights Global, who previously led the anti-abortion policy group Americans United for Life and worked for the Alliance Defending Freedom.?“We’ve created an environment where doctors are scared. They don’t know how to respond and how to treat, and that’s a big problem. We have to address that before we pass anything else.”

Abortion ballot initiative results?

Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, seven states — California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio and Vermont — have approved reproductive-rights state constitutional amendments or rejected anti-abortion constitutional amendments. This year reproductive-rights coalitions put abortion on the ballot in 10 states. Arkansas had collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, but this summer the state Supreme Court ruled that Arkansans for Limited Government, the committee behind the initiative, did not submit the correct paperwork. The? group opposing abortion, marijuana and education measures in the state was led by a top adviser to Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Arkansas Advocate reported.

Arizona — Proposition 139, to enshrine abortion rights until fetal viability — APPROVED

YES: 62%

NO: 38%

In this swing state, abortion is currently legal until 15 weeks’ gestation. Earlier this year, a few Republicans crossed party lines to repeal a Civil War-era near-total abortion ban the legislature had revived. This citizen-initiated amendment would also prevent any penalties for someone who helps a person get an abortion. And it would allow for exceptions later in pregnancy for the patient’s life or physical or mental health.

Colorado — Initiative 79, to allow public insurance to cover abortions — APPROVED

YES: 62%

NO: 39%

The citizen-initiated amendment proposes to expand abortion access in a state that currently has no gestational limits but does have a 40-year-old public funding ban. The amendment also proposes to prevent government interference in pregnancy and allow public insurance to cover abortions.

Florida — Amendment 4, to enshrine abortion rights until viability — FAILED

YES: 57%

NO: 43%

This citizen-initiated amendment would have overturned a 6-week abortion ban that has impacted the Southeast. Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration mounted fierce opposition against the abortion-rights campaign that involved a state-sponsored misinformation campaign. Florida was the only state in this election to require a 60% supermajority for ballot measures.

Maryland — Question 1, to protect reproductive autonomy — APPROVED

YES: 74%

NO: 26%

This legislatively-referred amendment would enshrine an individual’s right to make “decisions to prevent, continue, or end” a pregnancy. Maryland has become a major abortion-access haven for the country; it is legal here until fetal viability and after for reasons related to the health of the fetus or pregnant person.

Missouri — Amendment 3, to enshrine abortion rights until fetal viability — APPROVED

YES: 52%

NO: 48%

This citizen-initiated amendment would overturn a near-total abortion ban that only has exceptions to prevent the death of the pregnant person. The ban’s ambiguous language led at least one Missouri hospital system to stop providing emergency contraception to patients, a move that forced the state attorney general to announce that Plan B and contraception remain legal.

Montana — Constitutional Initiative 128, to enshrine abortion rights until fetal viability — APPROVED

YES: 57%

NO: 43%

This citizen-initiated amendment would guarantee protections in a state where abortion is currently legal but where Republican lawmakers have attempted to pass restrictions since Roe fell in 2022.

Nebraska — Initiative 434, to ban abortion after the first trimester vs. Initiative 439, to enshrine the right to abortion until viability

Initiative 434 ?— APPROVED

FOR: 55%

AGAINST: 45%

Initiative 439 — FAILED?

FOR: 49%

AGAINST: 51%

Nebraska was the only state to have two competing abortion-related initiatives on the ballot.

Nevada — Question 6, to enshrine abortion rights until fetal viability — APPROVED

YES: 63%

NO: 37%

In this swing state abortion is currently legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, but this citizen-initiated measure would enshrine abortion rights into law. The measure will need to be approved by voters again in 2026 to become law.

New York — Proposal 1, to bar discrimination based on pregnancy status — APPROVED

YES: 62%

NO: 38%

This legislatively-referred measure would guarantee abortion rights in a state where abortion is legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy — later if a provider determines the procedure is necessary to save a patient’s life or health, or if the fetus is nonviable.

South Dakota — Amendment G, to allow abortion through the end of the first trimester — FAILED

YES: 41%

NO: 59%

This citizen-initiated measure would have allowed regulation in the second trimester for maternal health reasons and allow lawmakers in the third trimester unless the procedure is necessary to save the life or health of a pregnant patient.

Races where abortion took center stage??

Minnesota Congressional District 3

Democrat Dr. Kelly Morrison: 59%

Republican Tad Jude: 41%

Minnesota State Sen. Kelly Morrison, DFL-Deephaven, won the Minnesota 3rd Congressional District race to replace Democratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips in a seat that before 2018 had for decades gone to Republicans, AP reported. Morrison is a practicing OB-GYN who supports abortion rights. Currently, the only OB-GYNs in Congress oppose abortion. Her Republican opponent, Tad Jude, has called every abortion a “tragedy” and supported the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

A special election in Minnesota will determine who takes over Morrison’s state Senate seat, whose term ends in 2026.

Wisconsin Congressional District 8

Republican Tony Wied: 57%

Democrat Dr. Kristin Lyerly: 43%

Of the close races in the swing state of Wisconsin, the 8th Congressional District was the least likely to flip from Republican control. But Dr. Kristin Lyerly launched a fierce campaign emphasizing a commitment to restoring reproductive health access to Americans, something she is uniquely positioned to advocate for as a longtime OB-GYN and abortion provider. Lyerly is also one of the plaintiffs in a lawsuit that successfully blocked an 1849 Wisconsin feticide law that was temporarily enforced as a state abortion ban. Her campaign attracted national campaign cash and support. Her opponent, Republican Tony Wied, a former gas station owner, largely ran on his Trump endorsement.

Tennessee House District 75

Republican Jeff Burkhart: 55 %

Democrat Allie Phillips: 45 %

Incumbent Republican Rep. Jeff Burkhart defeated former day care operator and political newcomer Allie Phillips, who largely campaigned on reproductive rights. The 29-year-old drew national attention after speaking out about being denied a necessary abortion in Tennessee, where abortion is banned, when her desired pregnancy became nonviable and dangerous at 19 weeks. She ultimately traveled out of state to obtain the abortion. Phillips joined a legal challenge to the state’s strict abortion law. She pledged if elected to immediately push for a policy that would carve out exceptions for fetal anomalies to Tennessee’s abortion ban, which she’s named “Miley’s Law” after the baby she and her husband lost.

The Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, reacts on stage with former first lady Melania Trump during an election night event at the Palm Beach Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2024 in West Palm Beach, Florida. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday morning was projected by The Associated Press to have captured enough votes in the Electoral College to win the presidency.

The first-ever convicted felon elected to the Oval Office, Trump by 8 a.m. Eastern had won four of the vital seven swing states in which he and the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, spent most of their time campaigning through 2024.

North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin all voted for Trump, giving him 277 Electoral College votes compared to 224 for Harris.

Still without a victor declared were Michigan, Nevada and Arizona. But even without them, Trump — who will be the nation’s 47th president as well as having been its 45th — had more than enough of the 270 votes required to win the Electoral College.

Trump still faces charges of election subversion related to his actions in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

GOP Senate

Republicans also took control of the U.S. Senate, guaranteeing Trump a relatively smooth path in confirming his appointments to the courts and the Cabinet in the coming months.

As of Wednesday morning, Republicans had nabbed 52 seats in the Senate and Democrats had 42, the AP said.

Montana Sen. Jon Tester, a longtime centrist Democrat viewed as his party’s most vulnerable senator in 2024, was ousted by Republican Tim Sheehy in a high-profile race called by the AP on Wednesday morning.

Control of the U.S. House had not yet been called but Republicans were leading there on Wednesday morning, 198-180.

If they were to maintain control of the chamber, that would set up an extraordinary Republican trifecta in Washington that likely could expedite legislation including on taxes, the debt, reproductive rights and immigration.

Harris is expected to address the nation on Wednesday, her campaign co-chair, Cedric Richmond, told a crowd that had gathered Tuesday night for an election watch party at her alma mater, Howard University in Washington, D.C.

All results are unofficial until local election officials across the country verify and certify the outcome in the coming days and weeks.

Trump legal problems

Trump’s long presidential campaign was punctuated by a busy legal schedule that included two federal cases, still ongoing, and cases in Georgia and New York. The former president was convicted in New York in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to hush money paid to a porn star ahead of the 2016 election. His sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 26.

His long appeal of the government’s 2020 election subversion charges against him eventually received a victory in the U.S. Supreme Court when the conservative majority ruled that former presidents enjoy criminal immunity for core constitutional duties, and presumed immunity for duties on the office’s outer perimeter, but none for personal actions.

After the election subversion case was returned to the lower court, U.S. special counsel Jack Smith presented new evidence to underscore that Trump schemed to overturn 2020 presidential results in a personal capacity, acting alongside his private lawyers. Trump has indicated numerous times that, if elected to another presidency, he would oust Smith.

Trump’s refusal to concede the 2020 presidential contest to President Joe Biden eventually culminated in his supporters’ violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Speaking to his supporters in West Palm Beach, Florida, earlier on Wednesday, alongside his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump thanked “thousands of friends in this incredible movement like nobody’s ever seen before.”

“Frankly, this was, I believe, the greatest political movement of all time. There’s never been anything like this in this country,” Trump said.

Trump promised to “heal” the country and that his second presidency “will truly be the golden age of America.”

“We overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible,” Trump said.

A roller coaster race

Trump had spent most of his reelection campaigning against President Joe Biden, who bowed out of the race in the summer after a disastrous debate performance.

That required the Trump team to pivot to a new campaign with a candidate Trump had never gone up against — Harris.

Harris, who touted herself as the underdog, tried to position herself as a new generation of leadership and through her policy plans on housing, health care and the economy, offering a new chapter for Americans.

She heavily ran on her support of reproductive rights and the threat to democracy that a second Trump presidency would bring, citing the immunity ruling from the Supreme Court.

In the end, Trump’s core campaign issues of immigration and criticisms of the economy appeared to have swayed voters, and she fell short of claiming any of the swing state votes that offered her a path toward victory.

As it became clear late Tuesday that she was falling behind in support in key states that carried Biden to the White House in 2020, thousands of her supporters who gathered at Howard University for a watch party left in waves as her chances for victory continued to narrow.

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.

This report will be updated.

Supporters trickle into the Yard at Howard University Tuesday night as polls begin to close across the country. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — The hope of potentially electing the first Black woman president that Liane Crosey felt on Election Day was nearly gone by early Wednesday morning as she left the watch party for Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris at Howard University.

“I don’t know what’s happening, but it’s very stressful right now,” Crosey said. “Seeing the numbers coming in, I don’t feel as hopeful.”

As former President Donald Trump won?Southern swing states North Carolina and Georgia, supporters who were excited earlier Tuesday began to leave in droves. President Joe Biden flipped Georgia in 2020, and Democrats were hoping to repeat the victory in this election.

The once-packed field at Howard emptied after Harris campaign Co-Chair Cedric Richmond, a former Louisiana congressman, informed the crowd that the vice president would not be making a much-anticipated appearance.

Instead, Richmond said that she would be addressing supporters later Wednesday. He tried to quell the dour mood that had settled over the watch party.

“We still have votes to count. We still have states that have not been called yet,” Richmond said. “We will continue overnight to fight to make sure that every vote is counted, that every voice has spoken.”

Disappointment

Dayesha Sims said she was disappointed that Harris never appeared.

She was hoping to catch a glimpse of Harris, a Howard graduate, who would have been the first Black and South Asian woman of descent to be president. It’s a historic first that her campaign has downplayed in her surprise sprint to the White House after Biden bowed out of the race this summer.

The 28-year-old said she’s feeling “a little anxious” about the outcome of the presidential race.

“It’s a close race,” she said. “I’m really hoping that everyone sees what she stands for and what she can do for the country and that she will pull through.”

Many attendees acknowledged that the presidential race was going to be close, but like Lalika Gerald, tried to keep anxieties at bay and focus on the potential historic nature of a Howard grad ascending to the presidency.

Gerald, 41, pointed at Founders Library, which overlooks the Yard, the field where the election watch party was held. She reminisced about the hours spent there studying TV production.

“It just shows that there is no end, you could go all the way to the top,” she said. “I am honored to be in this space.”

Gerald was one of thousands of Harris supporters gathered at the Yard. A Jumbotron had CNN on as the throng of supporters awaited election results, but as Trump continued to gain electoral votes, the cheers dampened and the crowd thinned.

By about 2 a.m. Eastern Wednesday,?Trump had racked up 247 Electoral College votes overall nationally compared to Harris’ 214, according to The Associated Press projections. To win, a candidate must clear 270 Electoral College votes.

Big moment for Howard

The university prepared for the vice president’s arrival, deploying workers to pressure wash the sidewalk to temporarily mask the smells that come with college students and a bustling city nightlife. It was a big moment for the historically Black university, as it could have marked the first time a Howard alum would become commander-in-chief.?

Harris graduated from Howard University with a bachelor’s degree in 1986. While at the university, she was?a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the first Black sorority, established in 1908 at Howard.

Harris’ sorority and the other Black Greek-letter organizations that make up the ‘Divine Nine’ quickly rallied behind her, and?undertook a major voter turnout mobilization campaign.

Gerald, a member of?Sigma Gamma Rho, a Black sorority, said that her sorority has “been very instrumental in making sure that our citizens, our community members, come out and vote.”

“We’re not asking for who you are voting for, but we just encourage that we all participate in our civic duty of voting,” she said.

Joyful mood early

While supporters were waiting for some of the first polls to close, a handful of attendees took to the field to do stepping — a high-energy dance that has roots in African folk dance that is performed by many Black sororities and fraternities.??

The D.J.s hyped up the crowd and put on the “Wobble.” It attracted hundreds from the stands — including Howard University President?Ben Vinson — to head to the field to dance.

The energy at the Yard was nothing like Shontae Harrell has felt before.

The 41-year-old had just visited her university for homecoming a couple of weeks earlier, but said it didn’t feel this “electric.”

She said she hadn’t “settled into my feelings yet,” but that she’s proud to be an alumna.

“I am a little nervous,” she said around 8 p.m., adding that she hadn’t yet tuned into any election results.

Japera Krigger, 29, said she’s not surprised a Howard graduate could be president.

“Howard produces some of the most brilliant minds in this country so it was only a matter of time before we produced a president,” she said.

Krigger graduated from Howard, where she studied communications, in 2019. She said that when she thinks of Harris, she is reminded of the young Black girls she mentors.

“If they want to be president, they won’t have the pressure of being the first,” she said, adding that even if Harris breaks that glass ceiling, “we feel like there will always be that ceiling.”

“We have to continue to break that,” she said.

Republicans have won control of the U.S. Senate. Shown is the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON —?Republicans flipped control of the U.S. Senate after picking up seats in Ohio and West Virginia according to projections by The Associated Press, though there were too many uncalled House races early Wednesday to predict which party will hold that chamber when the new Congress begins in January.

Montana’s Senate seat, currently held by Democratic Sen. Jon Tester, also appeared to be slipping toward Republicans, likely increasing their majority in the upper chamber for the next two years.

Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin’s highly competitive Senate races had yet to be called, potentially bolstering a GOP majority even further.?

Senate Republican Whip John Thune of South Dakota, who is vying to become the chamber’s next GOP leader against Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott, released a written statement applauding voters’ decision.?

“Tonight, with Republicans reclaiming majority control of the U.S. Senate, we can begin to turn the page on this expensive and reckless chapter of American history,” Thune wrote. “As we wait for additional results, I am optimistic that President Trump will be successful, our majority will grow stronger, and we can continue our work together to create a safer and more secure country for every American.”

Cornyn said in his own written statement that he was “confident our new conservative majority can restore our institution to the essential role it serves in our constitutional republic.”

“We will restore the important role of Senate committees and reestablish the regular appropriations process,” Cornyn wrote. “We will improve communication, increase transparency, and tap into the wealth of talent in the conference to include everyone’s expertise and opinions. And we will return power back to the members; there will be no more backroom deals or forced votes on bills without adequate time for review, debate, and amendment.”

Newly elected Republican senators, AP projections said, include?Bernie Moreno in Ohio, who flipped that state’s seat; U.S. Rep. Jim Banks, who?won his first Senate campaign in deeply red Indiana; John Curtis, who?secured victory in Utah; and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, who?flipped the seat currently held by Joe Manchin III as predicted.

New Democratic senators include?Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, New Jersey U.S.?Rep. Andy Kim, Delaware U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester and California U.S.?Rep. Adam Schiff, all of whom defeated GOP challengers in solidly blue states.

How it could play out

There were two possible scenarios for the 119th Congress, slated to begin on Jan. 3, 2025, following the AP’s call for Senate control.?

• Democrats flip the House and Republicans regain the Senate, maintaining a divided Congress with the opposite party in control of each chamber.

• Republicans keep their majority in the House and regain control of the Senate for unified GOP control.

Each option brings with it significant implications for the next president’s legislative agenda, their ability to quickly set up a Cabinet via Senate confirmations and whether they’d be able to move judicial nominations through the upper chamber, including possible Supreme Court nominees.

A divided Congress would require the next president to negotiate bipartisan deals on must-pass legislation and make concessions with the opposing party to move any major policy changes through Congress.

Unified control of Congress for Republicans could mean more movement on legislation, though whether those bills become law will rest on who occupies the Oval Office.

Senate confirmations ahead

The Associated Press, the news organization that States Newsroom looks to for race calls based on?decades of experience, had announced?27 Senate races as of?12:30 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday.

Republican senators in?Florida,?Mississippi,?Missouri, Nebraska,?North Dakota,?Tennessee,?Texas and?Wyoming easily won reelection in those GOP strongholds.

Democratic senators from?Connecticut, Hawaii,?Massachusetts, Minnesota,?New Mexico, New York,?Rhode Island,?Virginia and?Washington were all reelected, as was independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who typically votes with Democrats.

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., congratulated Alsobrooks on her win and making history as the first Black woman Maryland elected to the Senate.

“Angela is no stranger to breaking barriers — and in the Senate Angela will bring the same drive and values she’s practiced throughout her life to ensure all Marylanders’ freedoms are protected and every family in her state can thrive,” Peters said in the written statement.

New Jersey’s Kim will become the Senate’s first Korean-American lawmaker in the country’s history.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Steve Daines congratulated the reelected and incoming senators, including Justice, who flipped the West Virginia seat red.

“Jim served the people of West Virginia well as their governor, lowering taxes and creating opportunity in all parts of the state,” Daines said in a written statement. “I know he will continue to do the same in the Senate, and we are looking forward to having Big Jim and Baby Dog in D.C.”

Senate control is slightly more important for the next president than having their party in charge of the House, since the upper chamber is tasked with vetting and confirming Cabinet secretaries, several key executive branch appointments, judicial nominees and Supreme Court justices.

Unlike the House, where lawmakers face reelection or retirement every two years, senators are elected to six-year terms, meaning about one-third of the chamber is on the ballot during a given election year.

This year, 34 Senate seats were up for reelection, 23 of which were held by Democrats, while 11 are Republican controlled.?

House toss-up race calls

The AP had called?321 of the 435 House races as of?12 a.m. Eastern Wednesday, but many of the toss-up races were still too close to determine the winner.

Republican and Democratic incumbents were overwhelmingly holding onto their districts, while several new members were elected to open seats. Some of those lawmakers-elect were on track to make history.

Sarah McBride, for example, was poised to become the country’s first openly transgender person elected to Congress, according to the AP.

McBride secured her Democratic bid in Delaware’s 1st Congressional District against GOP challenger John Whalen.

The Human Rights Campaign celebrated McBride’s victory.

The LGBTQ+ advocacy group’s president Kelley Robinson called McBride a “devoted public servant, a bulldog for her constituents, and someone who represents the interests of everyone she serves,” in a written statement.

“This historic victory reflects not only increasing acceptance of transgender people in our society, ushered in by the courage of visible leaders like Sarah, but also her dogged work in demonstrating that she is an effective lawmaker who will deliver real results,” Robinson added.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.,?won his reelection, potentially setting him up to remain his party’s leader should the GOP keep its majority. Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who would become speaker if his party regained the House, had also safely won reelection in his New York district.?

The nonpartisan Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics wrote in analysis released Monday on the fight for congressional control that “the battle for the House has been a Toss-up for essentially the whole cycle” and that its experts generally expected “the presidential and House winner was likelier than not to be the same.”

A total of 218 seats are needed to control the House, though that is the bare minimum in a chamber where members regularly miss votes, take extended leaves of absence for illness or injury and sometimes resign mid-session.

Republican leaders struggled to pass partisan bills during the last two years with a razor-thin majority, currently split at 220-212, and Democratic leadership would likely do so as well should they become the majority.

At-risk House lawmakers had yet to experience any major upsets, but eyes were on several swing districts, including Arizona’s 1st and 6th Congressional Districts and Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District.

Other races to watch include Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, a seat targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to flip, which was labeled “lean Democratic,” by Sabato’s on Monday.

It was the same for Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, a rematch that could “lean Democrat.”?

Election Day at the Landsdowne Elementary School precinct in Lexington, Nov. 5, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

Kentucky voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution that further prohibits people who are not U.S. citizens from voting in Kentucky elections on Tuesday.?

Amendment 1 specifies, “No person who is not a citizen of the United States shall be allowed to vote in this state.” It will be added to the Constitution at the end of a paragraph that says “every citizen of the United States” may vote in their local precinct if they meet residency and other requirements.?

According to unofficial results, 64% of voters cast ballots in favor of it — the same margin of votes that defeated Amendment 2, which was also on the ballot and would have allowed the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools.?

The campaign for Amendment 1 had a much lower profile than Amendment 2, as no issue committees filed to raise dollars for or against the measure. The sponsor of the legislation for Amendment 1, Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, told the Kentucky Lantern in a previous interview the amendment is a “proactive” measure to protect election integrity.?

After a Lexington rally before early voting began, Beshear told reporters Amendment 1 was “a cynical attempt, I think, to just try to turn out or gin up more people.”?

“It’s already illegal to vote if you’re not a citizen,” Beshear said.

Supreme Court Justice-elect Pamela Goodwine addresses supporters on election night at her watch party in Lexington, Nov. 5, 2024.(Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

LEXINGTON — Judge Pamela Goodwine is no stranger to firsts — she was the first Black woman in Lexington to be district judge and, later, the first to be circuit judge.

She became the first Black woman to serve on the Kentucky Court of Appeals after being elected in 2018.

Now, she’s made history again.?

Goodwine won her election Tuesday to the Kentucky Supreme Court, where she will again be the first elected Black woman, by defeating Lexington attorney Erin Izzo.

The race was called around 8:40 p.m. At her watch party at the Elwood Hotel in Lexington, a crowd of about 40 exploded in applause at the news.?

“Being elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court tonight gives me the honor of being the first woman and only the fifth person in history to serve at every level (of the judiciary),” Goodwine said in a short speech just before 9 p.m. “Our campaign stood firmly on experience, honesty and a commitment to impartiality and the rule of law to protect and serve every citizen.”

Gov. Andy Beshear said in a statement posted to his personal X account that Goodwine is “a fair and impartial judge with decades of experience on the bench” and “Kentuckians will be better off with her serving on the court.”

While justice races are nonpartisan, both Goodwine and Izzo received partisan support. Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear backed Goodwine, saying she would be “a really great Supreme Court justice.”?

Goodwine’s donors also included former Democratic Govs. Steve Beshear and Paul Patton, as well as Democratic state lawmakers, the Lantern previously reported.

Izzo received GOP support, including an endorsement from the Clark County Republican Party and donations from local Republican groups in Fayette and Madison counties.?

Goodwine will fill the 5th District seat now held by Chief Justice Laurance VanMeter, who did not seek reelection. Her win also means women will hold the majority of Kentucky’s Supreme Court seats for the first time.?

In a concession statement, Izzo said, “We knew it was an uphill battle as a first-time candidate with limited resources going against a well-known judge with huge money being spent on her behalf.”

“Still, it was a race worth making and we thank everyone who stood with us,” Izzo said. “We congratulate Judge Goodwine on her victory, and I look forward to speaking with her.”

A life of challenges

Goodwine has overcome challenge after challenge to achieve career successes, according to archived newspaper reporting from the last 30 years.

In foster care as an infant and later adopted by her foster parents, the Youngstown, Ohio, native and high school valedictorian gave up a college scholarship to support her adoptive father who was dying of lung cancer, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported in 2023.?

About six months after her father was diagnosed, he died. After his death, according to the Herald-Leader, his brother killed her mother.??

Goodwine, a young adult, had then lost both parents in tragic circumstances. And, she “had to deal with the judicial system” because of her mother’s murder, she told The Winchester Sun in 2018.?

At 24, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an incurable bowel inflammation condition that can be painful and disruptive to life.?

After diagnosis, according to 1995 Herald-Leader reporting, she spent two? months hospitalized and had to re-learn how to eat and walk.?

She began working in the courts? as a legal secretary and court stenographer. She earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Kentucky and in 1994 entered private practice with the firm Wyatt, Tarrant & Combs until her appointment to the district court bench in 1999.

During this fall’s? campaign for Supreme Court justice, she lost her granddaughter and great-granddaughter in what her campaign described as a “tragic car accident” in October.?

‘An incredibly powerful statement’

Former Gov. Paul Patton appointed Goodwine to serve as an interim district judge in August 1999. Goodwine won her circuit judge seat in 2003 — an “easy” win, according to a Herald-Leader article from the time.

And, she would have been happy to retire in that role, she said in 2003, but had “my eyes set on the stars.”?

She “could imagine someday running for a seat on the Court of Appeals or State Supreme Court.”?

Now, a little more than two decades later, she’s done both.?

She will become the only Black member of the current Kentucky Supreme court and only the second elected Black justice in the state’s history. The first was Justice William E. McAnulty Jr. of Louisville, who died in 2007. In 1997, Cynthia Elaine Elliott was appointed by former Gov. Patton as a special justice, making her the first Black woman appointed to her role, according to the University of Kentucky.??

Ernesto Scorsone, a former Democratic Kentucky state representative, senator and judge, told the Lantern that Goodwine has always been “extremely focused.”?

He described her as a woman of “boundless energy” with an “incredible work ethic” and “one of the hardest working people I know.”?

Goodwine weathers criticism by staying focused on what she believes is right, Scorsone said.?

He also called her win an “an incredibly powerful statement.”?

“Having her on the Supreme Court is a fantastic statement to everybody about the ability to break through in our society,” he said, especially when people can see someone who represents them reach such goals.?

“I’m a gay man and … as a member of my community, when I see people in positions of power and influence, I mean …that’s (an) incredibly positive thing for us, to see that it can be done,” said Scorsone.?

‘A win for Kentucky’?

In her victory speech, Goodwine called her win “a win for Kentucky.”

“Along with honesty and integrity, our judicial system is built upon… the values of fairness, impartiality and justice for all,” she said. “As I serve as a justice, and for justice for all, I promise to uphold the rule of law with integrity, to protect the rights of all, and to serve with the honor and honesty that this role deserves and that you deserve.”

Julie Lynn Steele, Goodwine’s campaign manager, has now led Goodwine to two campaign victories. They bonded over shared life experiences — both cared for a sick parent, both have battled life-threatening illnesses.

“She is the real deal,” Steele said, calling Goodwine an “honest” and “fair” judge who treats people with “utmost compassion.” She’s also a Jazzercise instructor, whom some have nicknamed the “Jazzercise Judge.”

Scorsone praised Goodwine for her work ethic throughout her career and said her representation on the court matters.

“These positions on the Supreme Court — you don’t get them by chance,” ?Scorsone said. “You really have to work hard.”?

“The fact that women have been so successful — that, to me, is very empowering for all the young girls in the state when they’re thinking about careers,” he said. “All of a sudden, being on the Supreme Court is a viable option.”?

Goodwine is married to Lee Padgett, Jr. They have five children.?

Election Day at the Landsdowne Elementary School precinct in Lexington, Nov. 5, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

LOUISVILLE — A constitutional amendment to allow the Kentucky General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools failed at the ballot box Tuesday.

Amendment 2 —? which 65% of voters rejected, according to unofficial results — would have opened a path for the Republican-controlled legislature to allow state dollars to flow to nonpublic schools, such as private or charter schools. Leading up to the election, Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, attempted to bolster support for the measure while Democrats led by Gov. Andy Beshear attacked the amendment as a threat to public education.?

Opposition to Amendment 2 spanned rural and urban Kentucky, said Will Powers, the policy and public engagement coordinator for the Kentucky Student Voice Team, which toured the state by bus rallying opposition.

“I think it’s a ubiquitous message. Everyone resonates with it,” Powers said Tuesday night during a Protect Ours Schools PAC watch party in Louisville. “Every community has a public school, not every community has a private school. And I think we’re seeing the ramifications of that one true fact.”

Jason Bailey, executive director of the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, said he was not surprised Amendment 2 failed.

“The opposition to Amendment 2 was bipartisan,” Bailey said. “It was really defeated by a huge margin in many rural counties that also voted for Donald Trump. So Kentuckians are smart. They were discerning, and they they saw this for what it was. It was a scam funded by outside billionaires to shift dollars away from public schools and to fund private school vouchers. And Kentuckians, by it looks like a very wide margin, said no.”

KyPolicy, a progressive think tank, opposed the measure and released a study earlier this year that showed how similar systems to fund private schools in other states could harm the state’s public schools if they were replicated in Kentucky. Bailey said the defeat of the amendment would be “an end to this debate” and politicians should focus on further investments in existing public schools.

Outgoing Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer, of Georgetown, called the Amendment 2 defeat “disappointing, but not surprising.” He said in a phone interview that opponents of the amendment “confused” voters and added that “it’s hard to get people to understand a constitutional question when the opposition completely misleads the issue.”

“Also, I wish the Republican Party of Kentucky had been more engaged in defending the issue,” Thayer said.?

Thayer said the Kentucky Democratic Party was engaged in getting voters to oppose the amendment. KDP held numerous press conferences around the state led by Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, and Democratic candidates often voiced their opposition to the amendment while campaigning. “The RPK did not ever really engage despite the fact that it was a priority bill of our legislative supermajority,” Thayer said. “But it’s hard to change the Constitution. That’s the way it is. And it’s the one disappointment on what appears to be a really good night.”

Beshear said in a statement that lawmakers should “recognize the will of the people and get serious about ensuring that every Kentucky child gets a world-class public education.” Beshear said that includes better funding public schools, raising teacher pay and establishing a universal pre-K program in Kentucky.?

“Kentucky voters have once again definitively stated that public dollars belong only in public schools,” Beshear said.?

In a statement reacting to the defeat of Amendment 2, Kentucky Students First, one of the leading PACs supporting the amendment, said its members and volunteers “fought hard to change the status quo protected by Kentucky’s education special interests.”

“Though the results may not have been in our favor, this campaign has been a powerful force for standing up to the Kentucky education bureaucracy,” Kentucky Students First said. “Perpetuating the low performance of Kentucky’s education system is a disservice to our children and our Commonwealth. Kentucky students deserve better, and our resolve to serve students over systems remains unchanged.”

A lot of money has been spent trying to sway voters on Amendment 2, with both sides reporting raising about $8 million each, according to the final pre-election finance reports. Beshear and Paul both took to airwaves in ads sponsored by political action committees. Most of the $16 million came from outside Kentucky, with much of it from “dark money” groups which structure themselves in a way that lets them keep their donors’ names private.

Days before the election, Paul heralded Amendment 2, saying it would allow “the legislature to do what they’re supposed to do — debate how best we should get education for our kids.” Beshear decried the amendment as “a blank check to Frankfort politicians.”?

Amendment 2 would have suspended seven sections of the state Constitution to allow public money to flow to nonpublic schools. The legislation for the amendment was a priority for Republican lawmakers earlier this year and an attempt to overcome constitutional hurdles cited by Kentucky courts striking down earlier charter school and private school tax credit laws.

Voters lined up on Election Day at the Scott County Public Library precinct in Georgetown, on Nov. 5, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

Former President Donald Trump has again won Kentucky’s eight electoral votes.

The Associated Press called Kentucky for the Republican presidential nominee shortly after polls closed Tuesday in the state’s Central Time Zone.

Trump was leading Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris by approximately 31 percentage points with nearly all of Kentucky’s 120 counties reporting, according to unofficial results from the State Board of Elections, .

Unofficial results show turnout in the election at 58.83% of Kentucky’s approximately 3.5 million registered voters, shy of the turnout of 60.3% in the 2020 general election.?

Trump’s win in the Bluegrass State was expected, given the former president’s victories of more than 25 percentage points in Kentucky in 2020 and 2016. In his two earlier races, Trump won all but the two largest of Kentucky’s 120 counties, Jefferson and Fayette, home to Louisville and Lexington. Unofficial results show he again won all counties except for Jefferson and Fayette.?

The Republican Party of Kentucky wrote in a post on X: “Kentucky voters have spoken and sent a clear message: Kentucky is Trump country!”

Republicans also easily held onto five of Kentucky’s six seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Democrats fielded no candidates against Republican U.S. Reps. Thomas Massie and Hal Rogers. Democratic U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, representing Kentucky’s lone Democratic-leaning congressional district in Louisville, won a second term.?

The Associated Press has called victories in Kentucky’s congressional races for:

• Republican Rep. James Comer over Democrat Erin Marshall in the 1st Congressional District.
• Republican Rep. Brett Guthrie over Democrat Hank Linderman in the 2nd Congressional District.
• McGarvey over Republican Mike Craven in the 3rd Congressional district.?
• Republican Rep. Andy Barr over Democrat Randy Cravens in the 6th Congressional District.?

This story will be updated.

Voters wait Tuesday morning outside St. Paul United Methodist Church in Louisville, where three precincts in the Highlands area vote. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Deborah Yetter)

LOUISVILLE — A Jefferson Circuit judge has denied an emergency request that polls in the county remain open until 8 p.m. because of technical breakdowns in Tuesday’s election that caused hours-long delays in voting at some precincts.

The order by Judge Eric Haner comes just 30 minutes before polls are scheduled to close at 6 p.m. and follows a lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party of Kentucky, joined by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. “It is the constitutional right of every eligible voter in Kentucky to cast their vote in the election,” said Corey Shapiro, ACLU legal director.?

The decision capped a flurry of legal activity that began after reports of significant delays in voting at some Jefferson County precincts amid major turnout for the election with the presidential race at the top of the ballot.

In a four-page order, Haner said the plaintiffs failed to show anyone was denied the right to vote since “at no time did any of the polling places close.”

Haner also said the request to? keep the polls open two hours later was “disproportionate to anything that occurred.”

And, Haner’s order said the Kentucky Constitution grants the General Assembly, not the court, the power to establish hours for an election.

But he used the order to remind the public that anyone waiting at the polls by 6 p.m. has the right to vote.

The Kentucky Democratic Party initially filed a lawsuit, asking that voting hours in Jefferson County be extended to 8 p.m. to allow more time for voters after computer problems caused delays in Tuesday’s election.

The lawsuit, filed in Jefferson Circuit Court, alleges “system crashes” of “e-poll books” used to verify identities of qualified voters in precincts caused significant delays of up to three hours or more when the polls opened at 6 a.m.

The e-poll books crashed “dozens, perhaps hundreds of times,” causing delays that forced some people to leave without voting, said the lawsuit filed against Jefferson County Clerk Bobbie Holsclaw, a Republican who oversees elections in the county.

It asked the judge to order Holsclaw to keep the polls open an additional two hours to allow Jefferson County residents more time to vote.

Kentucky law requires all voters in line by 6 p.m. — when polls officially close — be allowed to vote, but they must be present at the precinct.

A spokeswoman for Holsclaw did not immediately respond to a request for comment but her office dismissed a similar proposal from Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg, a Democrat, earlier Tuesday.

Greenberg had asked on X, formerly Twitter, for Holsclaw to consider extending voting hours. But her office rejected that option in a response posted by WDRB news anchor Hayden Ristevski.

“We have no intention of keeping the polls open later than 6, and we would appreciate if the mayor would refrain from telling us how to do our job,” it said.

“We are very confident that everyone will be able to vote by 6 p.m. today,” it said.

At least two groups, the Democratic Party and the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, said Tuesday they were? considering emergency lawsuits to give Jefferson County residents more time to vote with the presidential election at the top of the ticket.

“After three days of historic levels of early voting, unfortunately the burden now falls to voters to find more time in their schedules to be able to cast their ballots,” said ACLU legal director Corey Shapiro. “We encourage all voters to stay in line so that their voices may be heard.”

Beth Thorpe, communications chair for the Louisville Democratic Party, said Democrats planned legal action after hearing reports of voters waiting two hours or longer, some of whom had to leave.

One included an emergency room physician who waited two hours before having to leave for a 12-hour work shift, which means she will be unable to get back to the polls in time to vote.

“We have been collecting stories,” Thorpe said. “What is unquantifiable is how many people have left who are not going to be able to come back.”

In an affidavit, Logan Gatti, chairman of the Louisville-Jefferson County Democratic Party, said his office had received hundreds of reports of people saying they had been unable to vote.

“The reports consistently indicated that voters experienced wait times of up to and exceeding three hours,” he said in an affidavit filed with the lawsuit.

After the ruling Kentucky Democratic Party Executive Director Morgan Eaves said the judge’s decision not to extend voting hours was disappointing “given the extensive technical issues in Jefferson County, which caused some voters to wait in line for more than three hours. Polling locations across Jefferson County were functionally closed.” She also said that?“instead of fighting for Jefferson County voters, the Republican Party of Kentucky argued in opposition” to giving people more time to vote.

Michon Lindstrom, a spokeswoman for Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, said the issue appeared to affect only Jefferson County and was related to equipment not being fully backed up before polls opened at 6 a.m.

“The issue has been resolved,” she said in an email.

Delays in computer equipment used to check in voters and verify their identity appears to have caused the delays, Thorpe said.

The problem appeared to be linked to efforts to back up the system before the polls opened with the names of the thousands of people who cast ballots through early voting. Nearly 800,000 Kentuckians took advantage of early voting, Adams said.

At St. Paul United Methodist Church in Louisville’s Highlands, which houses several voting precincts, voters waited in a growing line Tuesday morning as workers tried to usher them through the process.

“Computer problems,” said one election worker as he checked in voters.

At a couple of Louisville polling locations, the technical problems seemed to have been resolved by early afternoon.

Poll worker Clint McKay said poll workers at the Beechmont Community Center in South Louisville were frustrated with trying to reboot the voter ID machines when the polls opened at 6 a.m. The issues lasted until about 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., he said.

“I was just impressed by how understanding and patient everybody has been,” McKay said. “I haven’t heard anybody that left in frustration.” McKay said a few people decided to vote later in the day after hearing news reports of issues when the polls first opened.

Read the Kentucky Democratic Party lawsuit

Liam Niemeyer contributed to this report.

President Joe Biden, right, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, debate at CNN Studios in Atlanta on June 27, 2024. Biden’s poor performance that night would lead to his ouster from the race and Vice President Kamala Harris’ rise to the top of the Democratic ticket. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Calling the 2024 presidential campaign unprecedented might be an understatement.

A series of shocking events have rocked this presidential race as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump sprint to the finish line in the hopes of securing the nation’s highest post.

Less than four months ago, Harris wasn’t even in the running.

And Trump, whose bid to return to the White House after a felony conviction in New York was already historic, survived two apparent assassination attempts.

The Democratic and Republican presidential candidates are closing out a neck-and-neck contest that could be decided by just a handful of voters in seven swing states.

On Election Day in the United States, here’s a glimpse into the highs — and lows — of the historic 2024 presidential campaign:

A Trump-Biden rematch

Trump and President Joe Biden, the then-Democratic presidential candidate, drew several challengers while vying for their respective parties’ nominations.

Trump certainly had a more competitive pool of primary challengers.

With the former president facing four separate prosecutions and the memory of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol fresh in voters’ minds, a field including former U.N. ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson sought the Republican nomination.

Biden’s most serious challenger appeared at the primaries’ outset to be U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who was little known outside his Minnesota district. But the incumbent ultimately lost more votes to Democrats who chose “Uncommitted” rather than support Biden over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

After sweeping Super Tuesday victories in March, both Trump and Biden secured the number of delegates necessary to clinch their parties’ nominations.

Third-party hopefuls have also sought to make their mark during the 2024 presidential campaign, perhaps most notably Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — an environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine activist.

Kennedy suspended his independent presidential campaign in August and endorsed Trump.

Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Cornel West and the Green Party nominee Jill Stein are both vying for the White House under third-party bids.

And amid the ongoing war in Gaza, pro-Palestinian organizers have put pressure on both the Biden administration and Harris, as she vies for the Oval Office, through the Uncommitted National Movement.

The movement has seen a wide swath of organizers who have protested Biden’s policies regarding the Israel-Hamas war and called for an arms embargo and ceasefire.

Biden bows out, Harris steps up

Following primaries in both parties, Biden and Trump were set for a rematch of the 2020 race and scheduled a general election debate for late June.

Biden’s disastrous performance, in which he spoke softly and appeared to lose his train of thought at times, prompted an outcry from Democratic lawmakers, who urged him to drop his White House bid.

Less than a month later while fighting a COVID-19 infection at home, Biden bowed out of the race and passed the torch to Harris.

The veep then embarked on an unprecedented and expedited presidential campaign. If elected, she would become the first woman president, the first president of South Asian descent and the second Black president.

The summer months also saw the formal nominations of Trump and Harris’ respective running mates — Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance and Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz — as both parties revved up their supporters at their national conventions.

Assassination attempts against Trump

Trump survived an assassination attempt in July during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where officials say a would-be assassin killed one rallygoer, injured two others and shot the former president’s ear.

The attack prompted a slew of federal probes and a bipartisan congressional task force to investigate.

U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, whose agency faced a deluge of scrutiny following the attack, resigned just days later.

In September, authorities responded to a second apparent assassination attempt against Trump while he was golfing at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, prompting even more questions regarding the former president’s safety and security.

Trump’s legal battles take center stage in campaign

Against the backdrop of his presidential bid, Trump has been mired in several legal battles and had to balance court appearances with his campaign schedule.

Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May in a New York court. He is the first former U.S. president to be convicted of felony crimes.

He’s also been charged in a federal election interference case and a Georgia election interference case.

A federal classified documents case against him has been tossed out, at least for now.

His federal election interference case was put on pause for several months earlier this year while his claim of presidential immunity played out in the courts.

That argument made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which found that presidents are granted full immunity from criminal charges for any official “core constitutional” acts, though they have no immunity for any unofficial acts.

A White House win for Trump could greatly influence how the rest of his legal battles play out in the courts — and whether they continue at all.

Final stretch of 2024 presidential campaign

Harris and Trump sparred in a presidential debate in September, trading barbs while touting their own policy proposals.

As polling has repeatedly depicted Trump and Harris in a super-tight race in which neither has a measurable advantage, the two have spent the majority of their campaigns in the swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The Trump campaign received backlash for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s racist and vulgar remarks during a late October rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City, including calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”

And in what her campaign dubbed her “closing argument,” Harris called on voters last week to reject Trump’s “chaos and division.” She spoke to more than 75,000 spectators, according to campaign estimates.

She delivered her speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. — the site where Trump held a rally on Jan. 6, 2021, before his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol.

As the country reaches the end of an exhausting and winding presidential campaign, voters will soon determine whether Harris or Trump will be the next leader of the free world. 

Voting booths in Warren County at Ephram White Park on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

In addition to casting votes for U.S. president, Kentuckians will decide numerous races Tuesday — including two state constitutional amendments, congressional contests, legislative seats and many local offices and local questions.?

Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. Voters who are in line to vote at 6 p.m. are entitled to vote.?

The state has already seen record early turnout. Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said 792,476 voters cast ballots during three days of early voting and six days of in-person excused absentee voting.?

More than 3.5 million Kentucky voters were registered to vote ahead of the general election.?

Aside from president and vice president, the only statewide races are the two constitutional amendments —?one that would specifically bar those who are not U.S. citizens from voting in Kentucky elections and another that would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools.?

Voters in eight Central Kentucky counties will be electing a new justice to the Kentucky Supreme Court.

Information such as sample ballots or polling locations can be found at govote.ky.gov.

Kentucky requires a form of photo identification to vote at the polls, although voters who lack ID are entitled to cast a provisional ballot. Accepted forms of ID are documents issued by the U.S., Kentucky or local governments; the U.S. Department of Defense or a public or private college in Kentucky. One common form of photo ID is a state driver’s license.?

Election Fraud Hotline

Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman asks that suspected election law violations be reported to his office through the Election Fraud Hotline at 1-800-328-VOTE or submit an online form.?

The hotline is always open to receive messages, but will be answered by the attorney general’s team on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern Tips are reviewed and allegations are referred to the Department of Criminal Investigations.?

“Every Kentuckian can be confident in the security and integrity of our elections,” Coleman said. “Our dedicated team of investigators, prosecutors and support staff is working tirelessly to protect every vote. We encourage anyone who suspects election law violations to contact the Attorney General’s Election Fraud Hotline.”?

The Kentucky State Board of Elections has already debunked a couple of viral claims of irregularities.? A Laurel County voter uploaded a video online that appeared to show a machine switching her choice from former President Donald Trump to Vice President Kamala Harris. The board said she had corrected her selections and printed her ballot successfully and the issue was being reviewed by investigators.?

On Monday, the board said a viral claim of a pre-printed mark on a Kentucky ballot “currently only exists in the vacuum of social media.” Screenshots of a post showing a tiny dot in a candidate selection box for Harris circulated online. However, the board said no such issue of marks had been reported to the board and the attorney general’s office.?

The board suggests voters experiencing issues should contact the attorney general’s hotline.?

Signs indicating the entrance of the polling location at Phil Moore Park on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Warren County. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

The Kentucky State Board of Elections is refuting an election fraud claim made in another viral social media post.?

The board issued a statement Monday in response to an image that has circulated online apparently showing a tiny? black dot in the box for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. According to screenshots of the original post, the initial user urged voters to “take a pic of (their ballot) and ask for another one” if they saw something similar.?

“Any other box filled in, will be void,” the post said.?

The State Board of Elections said that for mail-in or in-person ballots “Kentucky law allows voters to register their vote should a situation like the one alleged on social media involving a pre-marked ballot actually exist.”?

“As no one has presented a pre-marked ballot to election administrators or law enforcement, the claim that at least one ballot may have had a pre-printed mark in Kentucky, currently only exists in the vacuum of social media,” the board said.?

Between mailing out more than 130,000 mail-in absentee ballots and Kentucky’s early voting period, the board and the attorney general’s office have not been made aware of ballots having “pre-printed marks in candidate selection fields,” the board said.?

The photo with the original post appears to be a mail-in absentee ballot because of a straight crease in the middle of the paper, the board said.?

“Every mail-in absentee ballot is sent to a voter with an accompanying instruction sheet that informs voters that if more than one candidate choice is marked in ink, the ballot will be counted if the voter circles their preferred choice,” the board said.?

Should a paper ballot have a pre-printed mark in a candidate selection field at an in-person polling place, the voter would be able to “spoil” the ballot and get a “clean” one.?

If voters’ see that their ballot does have a pre-printed mark, they should contact their local county clerk and the attorney general’s election hotline at 1-800-328-VOTE, so the ballot can be further examined.?

It’s the second time the Kentucky State Board of Elections has reviewed an alleged issue that went viral on social media. Last week, the board responded to a video that appeared to show a Laurel County voter’s choice switch from former President Donald Trump to Harris.?

The board’s statement said the voter showed the video to election officials at the polling location after she had corrected her selections and printed her ballot successfully.

Early voters cast their ballots Friday in Warren County at the Sugar Maple Square polling place. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

More Kentuckians voted early last week than ever before — 792,476, said Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams on X.?

That number includes votes cast during three days of early voting and six days of in-person excused absentee voting.?

On Election Day Tuesday, Kentucky polling locations will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. In addition to casting ballots for the next president, Kentucky voters will decide legislative races, two constitutional amendments, local ballot initiatives and more.?

Adams said that 656,277 Kentuckians cast ballots with no-excuse early voting. Most were registered Republican, or 52.6%. Meanwhile, 40.3% were registered Democrats and 7.1% are registered as Independent or other.?

According to the Kentucky State Board of Elections, more than 3.5 million voters are eligible to vote in the general election.?

On the first day of no-excuse early voting in 2024, 225,696 Kentucky voters participated.?“First day of early voting 2020: 57,154 voted,” Adams said. “First day of early voting 2022: 81,961 voted. So: Wow.”?

Early voting was established in Kentucky in 2020 amid health concerns during the coronavirus pandemic. Adams and Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear backed that proposal at the time.?

Before early voting began this year, Adams issued a plea to “for the love of God, vote early.” Voters seemingly heeded that advice, as reports of lines at polling locations began almost as soon as the three days of early voting began Thursday.?

Former Republican Secretary of State Trey Grayson said on X he served as an elections officer in Boone County on Saturday.?

“We had nonstop voting from 7am, when we opened, until 30 minutes after the scheduled 3pm closing in order to allow everyone in line at 3pm to vote,” Grayson said. “Our voters were friendly and patient. No one was rude. It was a good day.”?

False fraud claim in Laurel County

For the most part, early voting in Kentucky went smoothly.? However, a video that appeared to show a Laurel County voter’s choice switch from former President Donald Trump to Vice President Kamala Harris on Thursday circulated on social media and even reached Republican National Committee co-chair Lara Trump.?

In response, Taylor Brown, general counsel for the State Board of Elections, shared a statement from the board that said the voter showed the video to election officials at the polling location after she had corrected her selections and printed her ballot successfully.?

“According to statements made by the voter to the County Clerk, the voter was able to ultimately use the touchscreen correctly to highlight the field for Donald Trump and every other one of her preferred candidates,” the statement said.

The ExpressVote machine printed a paper ballot “that recorded all of her preferred selections.” The voter had the opportunity to review the ballot before depositing it in an ES&S DS200 ballot scanner. According to statements she gave to the local county clerk, “she was able to deposit her ballot, containing selections for Donald Trump and her other preferred selections into the DS200 ballot scanner successfully, registering her vote,” the board said.?

The voter showed the county clerk the video, the statement said. The clerk attempted to recreate the issue with the touchscreen but he could not when touching within the box to select Trump. He could recreate it when touching in between the fields on the machine. Nevertheless the clerk took the machine used out of circulation and contacted the attorney general’s office. An investigator was sent to review the issue.?

The board said it “encourages voters in counties using ExpressVote touchscreens to use their finger or a stylus to firmly make their chosen selections within the middle of the field allocated for that candidate or response.” He added that those believing they encountered an issue should report their concern to local election officials and then the attorney general’s election hotline, 1-800-328-VOTE.

“Once the voter left the polling location, she uploaded the media she had captured to her social media accounts, tagging other accounts belonging to influencers known to push claims of election fraud, stating that her video needed to get ‘out there,’” the statement said.?

“In the hours after the initial posting of her video, the voter spent time on social media reposting those accounts that had promoted her original video.”

When asked if legal action could be taken against the voter for spreading false information after knowing her vote was properly recorded, Brown said it “will be up to law enforcement officials to decide.”?

Trump, the RNC co-chair, said on X? that the GOP legal team “ immediately investigated a voter’s report of a machine malfunction that wouldn’t select President Trump in Kentucky. We called election officials directly. They separated the machine, conducted proper testing, didn’t find any errors, and confirmed that voters could cast their ballots properly.”

The Democratic National Committee is putting mobile billboards in nearly a dozen metro areas that could be crucial in determining the outcome of the presidential election.?(Getty images photo illustration)

WASHINGTON — The Democratic National Committee is rounding out its $7 million in spending on the “I Will Vote” campaign by putting mobile billboards in nearly a dozen metro areas that could be crucial in determining the outcome of the presidential election.

The billboards are intended to increase turnout and direct voters to the DNC’s I Will Vote website that provides information about polling locations and educational materials.

The mobile billboards are set to drive around Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan; Atlanta, Georgia; Charlotte and Raleigh, North Carolina; Las Vegas, Nevada; Madison and Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Tempe, Arizona.

DNC Chair Jaime Harrison said in a written statement that the I Will Vote campaign “is a testament to Democrats’ commitment to and investment in the many communities that make up our strong coalition of voters.”

“Throughout this campaign, Democrats have worked with diverse vendors and talent that are reflective of our values as a party and the communities that we are reaching with the campaign,” Harrison said. “This entire election cycle, the Democratic Party has not taken a single vote or community for granted and used every opportunity to engage with the pivotal members of our party that will take us over the finish line on Election Day by electing Democrats up and down the ballot.”

Previous DNC “I Will Vote” mobile billboards have been directed at Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Black, Haitian, Latino, LGBTQ+, Native American and rural voters, according to the announcement. The billboards have also run in nine different languages.

The DNC spent around $200,000 on this final round of mobile billboards.

More than 1 million people have visited the DNC’s I Will Vote website since its launch. Voting information can also be found at vote.gov and vote.org.

Any civil rights violations regarding voting can be reported to the Department of Justice by calling 800-253-3931 or by filling out a report online.

The DNC is hoping the billboards help Vice President Kamala Harris win the 270 Electoral College votes needed to become the country’s next president.

Polls show tight race

Harris has been polling closely, often within the margin of error, with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in the key battleground races that will determine the next commander-in-chief.

The nonpartisan Cook Political Report with Amy Walter places Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in the toss-up column for the presidential race, meaning Harris and Trump are relatively evenly matched to win those states’ Electoral College votes.

Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief, wrote in her final analysis released Friday that “(p)olling averages suggest that Trump has a narrow lead in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina. If he won all three, that would add up to 260 electoral votes, ten votes shy of an Electoral College victory.”

“Harris has a tiny lead in Michigan and Wisconsin,” Walter added. “If she wins both, she’ll still be 19 votes shy of 270. Nevada and Pennsylvania are currently tied in the 538 average. In that scenario, neither candidate could win without Pennsylvania.”

But, Walter writes in her article that “dramatic scenario isn’t one that we’ve seen in the last two cycles.”

“Instead, almost all of the battleground states have ultimately broken to one candidate. In 2016, Trump carried all but Nevada. In 2020, Biden carried all but North Carolina,” Walter wrote. “Moreover, analyst Ron Brownstein has noted that in every presidential election but one since 1980, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin have voted for the same candidate.”

Tuesday, Nov. 5, is Election Day —? the last day for Americans to cast their ballots. In 10 states, voters could reinstate or expand abortion rights, or add further protections. (John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)

Political scientists and pollsters who have been studying attitudes on abortion since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022 told States Newsroom that abortion has become a motivating factor for voters, with the majority opposing the criminalization of pregnancy. Those who support abortion rights are expecting strong turnout, though advocates around the country are anxious about the future.

University of Pennsylvania political science professor Diana Mutz has been analyzing data on swing voters since 2016, trying to learn what compels this tiny slice of Americans who switch support from one party to another. The data comes from probability panel surveys fielded by the University of Chicago’s National Opinion Research Center.

Mutz, who directs the university’s Institute for the Study of Citizens and Politics, told States Newsroom that about 90% of U.S. voters consistently vote the same way regardless of what issues they tell pollsters they care about.

But abortion has proven to be an exception to that rule, now that it’s illegal in many parts of the country. Voters were motivated to change their party support over abortion — unlike any other issue, including inflation — during the 2022 midterm elections, which took place five months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections, according to Mutz and co-author Edward Mansfield’s findings.

Their analysis, published earlier this year, shows roughly 60% of vote switchers who thought abortion should be legal shifted their votes away from Republican candidates. About the same percentage shifted their votes toward Republican candidates if they thought abortion should be illegal. Because more Americans favor making abortion legal — about 60% vs. 40%, according to this data — Democrats got a small net boost, with 52% of people shifting toward Democratic candidates, compared with 48% of all vote changers shifting toward Republicans.

Mutz said preliminary data based on early voting this year is showing a similar trend.

“We are not seeing people change votes due to the economy, but we are seeing people change votes — relative to their presidential vote in 2020 — based on abortion,” Mutz said. “Among that small segment of the public that does change, what we see is that it is predicted by changes in attitudes toward the Supreme Court in particular, and by their abortion views.”

She said the data also shows that after the Dobbs ruling, support for the nation’s highest court disproportionately fell among Democrats and has not been met with a similar rise in support among Republicans.

Mutz’s findings echo others showing large bipartisan support for abortion rights.

University of Maryland political scientist Steven Kull, in his research looking at voters in six of the seven swing states, has found majority bipartisan support for legalizing abortion through viability and bipartisan opposition to criminalizing abortion, as well as mostly bipartisan support for making abortion policy a federal law that applies to all states.

“I think that there has been a misunderstanding about abortion,” Kull said, explaining that historically, public opinion polls have focused on the morality of abortion, opinions that tend to fall along party lines. “In the work that we do, we focus very much on the actual government action involved, which in this case is criminalization, by making the woman who receives the abortion or the doctor who gives the abortion [face] fines or jail time. When that’s made very explicit, then you have this very strong bipartisan consensus against that.”

Democratic strategists told States Newsroom that abortion could be the factor pushing support to Democrats in critical congressional and state toss-ups, especially in the 10 states where abortion is directly on the ballot in the form of proposed constitutional amendments that would either restore or expand abortion rights, or add further protections. Abortion has been on the ballot in seven states since June 2022, each race favoring abortion rights. And the issue is frequently topline among polled voters, especially among women.

Abortion-rights advocates who have poured money and voter outreach into these ballot initiative campaigns worry that Republicans — who have mounted numerous challenges against them, especially in Florida — will contest the election results.

Nourbese Flint, president of the nonprofit All* Above All and its political sister group All* In Action Fund, said abortion rights activists are preparing for legal challenges and fighting off any misinformation about the election’s results. They are telling voters the results might not be final on the night of Nov. 5.

But ultimately, she is confident reproductive rights is a major voter driver this election cycle, especially among young women.

“All the polling we’ve seen, all the conversations we’ve had, people have been incredibly motivated to vote in favor for abortion access,” Flint said. “All the polling has said to us and shown that folks are as fired up as they were after Dobbs when it comes to abortion access to vote again.”

Closing on abortion

Though Vice President Kamala Harris entered the presidential race with only 90 days to campaign after replacing President Joe Biden on the ticket, Democratic strategist Alyssa Cass said Harris’ secret weapon has been a major trust advantage over Republican nominee Donald Trump on the issue of abortion. A September poll conducted by Cass’ progressive polling firm Blueprint, showed that 52% of swing state voters trust Harris on abortion, compared with 41% who trust Trump.

Cass said Harris’ campaign has focused on trying to run up her margins with suburban college-educated women, non-college-educated women and young women by focusing on reproductive rights.

“If Kamala Harris wins the election, she’s going to do so carried by the votes of women who remain engaged, mobilized and fired up by the issue of abortion,” Cass said.

Both candidates are closing their campaigns with abortion-heavy messaging. In the final weeks, Trump’s campaign has tried to change the Harris campaign’s narrative that his administration would be a threat to reproductive rights.

Trump’s rhetoric on abortion has vastly shifted since before he began his first presidential term, when he vowed to appoint U.S. Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade. Since doing so, he has said states should decide whether to prosecute women for abortions. Harris and powerful surrogates like former First Lady Michelle Obama have attributed a brewing public health crisis and recent pregnancy-related deaths to “Trump abortion bans.”

But in the final weeks of his third presidential campaign, Trump and his anti-abortion vice presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, have switched positions on whether they would support a federal abortion ban. They have rhetorically distanced themselves from the far-right Project 2025 plan crafted by former Trump staffers that outlines how a president could nationally curtail abortion access through executive action alone.

John Mize, CEO of anti-abortion policy group Americans United for Life, told States Newsroom in an email that Trump would have other ways to enact federal policy restricting abortion.

“Trump should reinstate the Mexico City Policy, eliminate taxpayer funding from the abortion industry, appoint strong prolife leaders to key roles to stop the weaponization of federal agencies against pro-life Americans, and eliminate abortions being done illegally at VA hospitals,” Mize said, referring to Veterans Affairs hospitals providing abortions to veterans in states where abortion is banned.

The Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance Policy, also called the Mexico City Policy, barred giving federal funds to international organizations that provide abortions or give abortion referrals, according to KFF. President Joe Biden revoked the policy when he took office in 2021. Mutz, the Pennsylvania political science professor, said she’ll be able to study whether the late-game GOP strategy is working in swing states when this election is over.

“If people in battleground states who receive a lot of campaign stuff are different in where they perceive Trump from people in non-battleground states, then I would believe that that messaging might be effective,” Mutz said.

Uncertainty in the swing states?

The saliency of the abortion issue as a motivating factor for voters in battleground states could depend on various state laws and whether it’s directly on the ballot.

Arizona and Nevada are the only two swing states with abortion-related ballot measures. A question in Arizona — where abortion is banned after 15 weeks with no exceptions for rape, incest or genetic abnormalities — asks voters to restore the right up to fetal viability or later for medical emergencies. The Nevada measure could enshrine a similar right in the state constitution, but voters in the Silver State have to approve constitutional amendments twice for them to take effect. Abortion is broadly legal in Nevada.

Amy Pason is a University of Nevada, Reno communications studies professor who specializes in political campaign rhetoric. “A lot of the arguments that are on the against side are finding ways to say, ‘Well, we already have this in our state statutes,’” Pason said.

But she said there is a lot of attention on abortion in the races for elected office. “I think what we do see, in terms of campaigning, is that abortion is tied to the presidential election, and especially our Senate race here between Jacky Rosen and Sam Brown,” Pason said.

Abortion is not on the ballot in North Carolina. Republican lawmakers in the General Assembly passed an abortion restriction last spring and were able to override Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto after a Charlotte-area lawmaker switched political parties, giving the GOP a supermajority. A law banning most abortions after 12 weeks, with exceptions for pregnant rape and incest victims up to 20 weeks, fetal anomalies for up to 24 weeks and no limits on medical emergencies, took effect in July 2023.

In a September poll conducted by David B. McLennan, a political science professor at Meredith College in Raleigh, a plurality of likely North Carolina voters — 21% strongly approved and 28% somewhat approved — said they supported the 12-week abortion ban that became law. There was a partisan split: 57.4% of the Democrats who responded disapproved of the ban, while 70.7% of the Republicans approved.

Crucially, unaffiliated voters — the largest group of registered voters in the state — were essentially split on the law: 47% approve but 44.4% disapprove. These close numbers matter in a state where the presidential race was decided by roughly 75,000 voters in 2020, McLennan said.

“In some people’s minds, 12 weeks is better than six weeks or better than a total ban,” McLennan said in an interview. “As we get past the election and I start polling on abortion again, I’m going to try to drill down on that attitude a little bit and say ‘Is it you’re happy with the 12-week law? Would you prefer it to be back to the original 20 weeks? Then would you like to see it go down to six weeks or disappear completely?’ I think there’s more nuance in that result than my numbers may indicate.”

He also asked respondents — there were 802 in the September poll — to compare abortion to the economy in terms of importance at the polls. Forty-one percent of respondents said abortion is more important than the economy. Once again, there’s a partisan split: 54.1% of Democrats ranked abortion over the economy, while just 33.7% of Republicans did the same. A majority of millennial and Gen Z respondents said abortion is more important than the economy.

“Abortion is probably driving some voter turnout,” McLennan said. “But it could be a significant voter turnout, given how close the state is.”

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump have widely differing positions on many policy issues. (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — As the last weekend before Tuesday’s presidential election approaches, voters who want more insight on where the candidates stand on major policy issues can get up to speed through a States Newsroom Washington Bureau series.

In these 10 articles, States Newsroom reported on the policy positions taken by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, ranging from education to taxes to Social Security and Medicare.

They are:

Reproductive Rights

After the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 struck down the constitutional right to abortion, Democrats made restoring access to reproductive care a core campaign issue.

The story is here.

U.S. Supreme Court reform

The U.S. Supreme Court has been mired in controversy, from several ethics scandals to calls from Democrats to expand the number of justices on the court.

The story is here.

Immigration

One policy issue that Trump has made central to his campaign is immigration. At his campaign rallies across the country he’s promised mass deportations of millions of immigrants living in the country without authorization.

Harris has mainly stated that she would revive a bipartisan congressional agreement when it comes to addressing U.S. immigration policy.

The story is here.??

Social Security and Medicare

Addressing the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will become an increasingly important job for the incoming president and Congress for the next decade.

The story is here.

Climate and Energy

As several states like North Carolina and Tennessee recover from Category 4 Hurricane Helene, climate change has taken up little attention in the 2024 presidential race, despite its wide-ranging effects.

The story is here?

Housing

While housing is typically handled at the local level, both presidential candidates want to tackle the housing crisis at the federal level.

The story is here.

Education

On the campaign trail, education policies have rarely been in the spotlight, though the candidates’ policies on K-12 and higher education widely differ.

The story is here.

Taxes

A 2017 tax law crafted under the Trump administration is set to expire next year, meaning whichever candidate wins the White House will either overhaul the previous law or extend it.

The story is here.

Guns

Both candidates agree that gun violence is a problem, but that’s the end of where Harris and Trump are in concurrence.

The story is here.?

Foreign Policy

Regardless of who wins the White House, the next president will have several international crises to address. That includes the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to retreat from Ukraine and U.S-China trade relations.

The story is here.

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump walks off stage at the end of a campaign rally at Lee’s Family Forum in Henderson, Nevada, on Oct. 31, 2024. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign is expecting former President Donald Trump to declare victory on election night no matter the actual results, a senior official told reporters on a Friday call.

The senior official for the Democrat’s presidential campaign said Trump, the Republican candidate, would likely repeat his move in the 2020 election to claim he won the election even as results in key states remain unknown.

“This should be no surprise, because he lies all the time and he wants to sow doubt about a loss that he anticipates is coming,” the senior official said. “He did this before. It failed.”

The warning from the Harris campaign was one of several that Democrats and democracy groups issued Friday.

Anti-Trump election lawyers and strategists said they are prepared to combat a slew of “illegitimate” lawsuits from allies of Trump if he loses the presidential election.

“The pre-election election-denial litigation tsunami has begun,” said Norm Eisen, an election lawyer who served as co–counsel for House Judiciary Committee Democrats during Trump’s first impeachment.

Eisen was one of several election lawyers and strategists who spoke during a Friday panel by Defend Democracy, a super PAC established by Democratic strategists that focuses on supporting the party’s legal efforts around election protection and any legal challenges that could come after Election Day.

“A lot of the litigation that I think the GOP and the Trump campaign are going to bring are really for show,” said George Conway, an anti-Trump Republican attorney who was previously married to former senior Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway.

The senior Harris official added that the campaign had hundreds of lawyers around the country and in battleground states ready to fight those GOP-led legal challenges.

“We have literally thousands of pages of pleadings customized to particular states ready, ready to address literally anything and everything that the Trump campaign throws at us,” the senior official said.

Interference, investigations underway

Election experts during a Friday panel said they are concerned with misinformation, violence and attempts to interfere with voting. The panel was put together by the Democracy Communications Collaborative, a democracy think tank and Issue One, a bipartisan political reform group.

In Colorado, there’s a criminal investigation underway after a dozen fraudulent ballots were submitted in the county. Ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington state were damaged and set on fire. And in Florida, an 18-year-old wielding a machete near an early voting site was arrested for antagonizing potential Democratic voters, local law enforcement said.

Claire Woodall, former City of Milwaukee Election Commission executive director, said on the panel that Wisconsin has not seen any vandalism at drop boxes, but that she’s still concerned about misinformation.

“What we are instead seeing right now is the spread of a conspiracy theory around by-mail voting and the United States Postal Service,” she said.

There are also concerns about foreign interference. The FBI said Friday that Russian actors manufactured a video that falsely shows individuals claiming to be from Haiti voting illegally in Georgia.

“Russian influence actors also manufactured a video falsely accusing an individual associated with the Democratic presidential ticket of taking a bribe from a U.S. entertainer,” the FBI said.

The agency said it “expects Russia to create and release additional media content that seeks to undermine trust in the integrity of the election and divide Americans.”

Nina Jankowicz, a disinformation expert and co-founder and CEO of American Sunlight Project, a group that aims to protect U.S. democracy from disinformation, said during the panel that she was not surprised that “foreign actors are extremely active right now, because we have a lot of pre-existing fissures and grievances in our society.”

She said in general, the “safeguards have fallen off when it comes to disinformation,” on social media platforms like X, YouTube and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram.

“(Elon) Musk’s purchase of X has made the platform a veritable firehose of election disinformation,” Jankowicz said.

Harris camp cites strong internal polls

Despite public polls showing the race essentially a toss up, senior officials with the Harris campaign said they were confident that the vice president is doing well with undecided voters, based on internal polling.

“Our internal data is telling us and showing us that we are winning battleground voters who have made up their minds in the last week, and we’re winning them by double-digit margins,” a senior campaign official said.

Both campaigns were similarly confident Thursday.

The senior Harris campaign official said that in a focus group of undecided voters, the comments from speakers during Trump’s weekend rally at Madison Square Garden “really kind of crystallized for them the choice in their minds between the vice president, who they are seeing talk about being a president for everyone, someone focused on them and solving their problems, and Trump and (this) really kind of dark, divisive language.”

At the rally, a comedian made racist comments about Black people and Latinos and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” among other vulgar language.

Final weekend events

Both campaigns will spend the last days before Election Day in swing states.

Trump will hold a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Saturday. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will deliver remarks in Las Vegas in the morning and then head to Scottsdale, Arizona, for another campaign rally in the afternoon.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will also be in Arizona on Saturday to deliver remarks in Flagstaff. He’ll then head to Tucson in the evening for another campaign rally.

Harris will head to Atlanta on Saturday and then Charlotte, North Carolina.

Harris will hold a campaign rally in East Lansing, Michigan, on Sunday where she will encourage college students at Michigan State University to head to the polls.

Trump will deliver remarks in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Sunday morning before heading to Macon, Georgia, in the evening for a campaign rally.

Harris will close out the campaign with stops in Pennsylvania Monday.

A strike sign is seen on display as Boeing workers gather on a picket line near the entrance to a Boeing facility during an ongoing strike on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024, in Seattle. Experts say a pair of major hurricanes and labor strikes influenced a weak jobs report for October, the final one U.S voters will see with only days left in the presidential campaign. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)

U.S. businesses added only 12,000 jobs in October, the Labor Department announced Friday, in a weak final jobs report heading into the final days of the presidential election. But experts say a pair of major hurricanes and labor strikes in manufacturing, hotels, and cargo transport obscure the view of the economy – a key issue for voters picking who should lead the country.

The unemployment rate held steady at 4.1% after falling a tenth of a percentage point the prior two months.

Strikes in October made it challenging to meaningfully understand the “abysmal” jobs number, said Lauren Saidel-Baker, an economist at ITR Economics, a nonpartisan economic research and consulting firm based in New Hampshire.

“That’s really where we see the difference between, say, the unemployment rate – that was steady at 4.1% – against this very disappointing jobs figure,” she said. “Those are two different surveys. One is from households and one is from businesses, and so with a strike, a striking worker can say, ‘I’m still employed. I haven’t lost my job. I’m just temporarily absent from it.’ Whereas the employer says they’re not here, they’re not working. This isn’t a job.”

The number of jobs added was far below Goldman Sachs analysts’ forecast of 95,000 jobs this month.

Manufacturing jobs fell by 46,000 last month, with the vast majority of these numbers reflecting a massive strike. Job growth was projected to fall by at least 50,000 jobs or more in October in most estimates, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning economic think tank. The number of hours worked was also expected to change, but average weekly hours remained the same.

Tens of thousands of machinists at Boeing have been on strike since September for increased pay and better retirement benefits. Hotel chain workers have also been striking over health benefits and hiring to lessen the workload after COVID-19 pandemic-related staffing cuts. The unemployment rate for leisure and hospitality was 6% compared to 5.5% a year ago. In early October, dockworkers stopped work for a few days for better wages and a ban on automation.

Hurricane Helene ripped a path from Florida to the Carolinas in late September and is blamed for more than 200 deaths. Hurricane Milton followed just weeks later in October, devastating more communities in Florida.

Economists expected to see this show up in the jobs data.

Carlos Martin, a senior fellow at Brookings Metro, said that although climate displacement of households is an issue, a lot of people stay where their job is. But if their job no longer exists because businesses have left or ended operations, that could mean a lot for the population.

“I’m curious on how [the hurricanes] affects the businesses there, including the small and medium-sized businesses. Are they going to leave?,” he said.“If businesses aren’t coming back, employment is not going to be maintained or go up in these places. That’s where you’re going to have major population loss.”.

Many of the same trends seen in past jobs reports continued in October’s report, including the addition of jobs in healthcare, government, and construction, but professional and business services fell by 49,000 jobs.

Wages rose 0.4% in October and increased 4% over the past year. The labor force participation rate and employment-population ratio, which have been strong in past reports, did not change significantly over the past month or past year.

The category of permanent job losers, or people who did not voluntarily end their employment and who began looking for work, also increased, to 1.8 million in October. Saidel-Baker said that although this is something to watch for in future reports, she doesn’t see it as something to worry about now.

Economists are also watching the jobs report closely to see what influence it may have on the Federal Reserve’s decision to cut its key rate, which affects everything from credit cards to mortgage rates. The Personal Consumption Expenditures index fell to 2.1% year over year in September — low enough for economists to argue that the Fed should get ready to take deeper cuts.

“Today’s report shows that the two hurricanes we just experienced had sizable impacts on people’s ability to continue working. While that damage will likely be limited to this month’s report, job growth has been slowing in recent months and the Federal Reserve should not use it as an excuse to delay their planned rate cuts,” Lindsay Owens, executive director of Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic think tank, told States Newsroom on Friday.

But the Fed will likely not make any big changes in their decision-making due to one jobs report, particularly one this messy, Saidel-Baker said.

“I think the Fed has signaled pretty clearly that they will not be hanging on this one jobs number,” she said. “They know everything that went into it, the hurricanes, the Boeing strike, etc.”

Millions of people have already cast their ballots through the mail or early voting, and the final day of voting in the U.S. is Tuesday.

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WASHINGTON — Before a capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden late last month, former President Donald Trump bellowed that the United States is “occupied” by illegal immigrants and that he will “rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered.”

Day one, if he’s elected, will be the “largest deportation program in American history.”

On stage in Arizona Thursday night with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Trump proposed former U.S. House member Liz Cheney should face guns of war. Cheney, a Republican who’s campaigning for Vice President Kamala Harris and who helped lead the congressional investigation into the Jan. 6 riot, should have “nine barrels shooting at her” because she is a “war hawk,” Trump said.

“Let’s see how she feels about it, you know, when the guns are trained on her face,” Trump said.

These types of comments are exactly why political scientists and historians are sounding the alarm on the former president’s language. The experts have found that Trump, who is neck-and-neck with Harris for a second term in the Oval Office, is increasingly divisive and threatening. They warn Trump’s speeches and social media posts, laden with insults, have become darker and more violent since his political career began in 2015, and urge more examination of their consequences in the real world.

Trump’s speeches have also become longer over the years and more meandering and random — an approach he describes as “the weave.” An analysis by the New York Times found Trump’s speeches last on average 82 minutes, up from 45 minutes in 2016.

Robert C. Rowland, who studies political rhetoric at the University of Kansas, summed up Trump’s recent speeches, social media posts and interviews as essentially delivering “fear, anger, grievance, braggadocio.”

“‘Things are terrible here.’ ‘We won’t have a country left.’ ‘We’ll have a nuclear war.’ He said things like that at the very end of the 2020 campaign, but this is different than most of his time in politics, and with that, even stronger claims about his greatness — all untethered from any discussion of how any of (his proposals) would actually happen,” said Rowland, author of the 2021 book “The Rhetoric of Donald Trump: Nationalist Populism and American Democracy.”

When contacted for comment about the former president’s evolving language, Trump’s campaign provided a statement from a Republican National Committee representative who criticized the media for not giving “the same attention to the brutal rape and murder of victims like Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, and Jocelyn Nugary.”

The correct spelling is Nungaray.

The women, whose deaths Trump has spotlighted in his campaign, were respectively attacked and killed in 2023 in Maryland by a man from El Salvador, in 2024 in Georgia by a man from Venezuela, and in 2024 in Texas by two men from Venezuela. Nungaray’s mother has appeared with Trump on the campaign trail.

The RNC’s Anna Kelly said in an emailed statement, in which she provided links, that “President Trump says the truth: the Harris-Biden administration has allowed over 100 terror suspects who crossed the border into the country, nearly 16,000 illegal immigrants have been apprehended trying to cross the border, and over 5,000 unvetted illegal immigrants are being released into the U.S. everyday. Americans, including Hispanic Americans, overwhelmingly support President Trump’s plan to secure our country, and they are ready to Make America Safe Again on November 5.”

While Trump has focused on high-profile violent crimes perpetrated by immigrants who lack legal status, numerous analyses have shown that immigrants do not commit crimes at a rate higher than native-born Americans.

Graphic descriptions of killings

Increasingly, Trump describes gruesome scenes of rape and murder to his campaign rally audiences, warning them that “Kamala has imported criminal migrants from prisons and jails, insane asylums and mental institutions from all around the world.”

Before his arena crowd in Manhattan last month, the former president recounted the details of the September 2016 murders by MS-13 gang members of two teenage girls on Long Island. “They didn’t shoot them. They knifed them and they cut them into little pieces because it was so painful,” he said.

University of California Los Angeles researchers Nikita Savin and Daniel Treisman analyzed 99 of Trump’s speeches from April 2015 to June 2024 and found an upward trend in the frequency of violent vocabulary. They published their results in a working paper in July.

“What’s significant is this very clear over time upward trend since 2015,” Treisman told States Newsroom in an interview in early October.

Savin and Treisman also inspected 127 speeches delivered by major party candidates in the 20 months prior to each U.S. presidential election since 2008. Trump’s and the others’ speeches were chosen by the same criteria: the last major public speech of each month.

The pair have continued to monitor Trump’s language as part of their working paper.

“I just analyzed the last speech in September in Wisconsin, and that speech contained a higher frequency, or as high a frequency, of violent words as in any of his previous speeches that we’ve looked at,” Treisman said.

‘They’

Using a specialized dictionary of 142 words related to violence, the pair studied Trump’s language for words like “crime,” “war,” “prosecute,” “prison,” “missile,” “death,” “massacre” and “blood.” They also scrutinized for markers of economic and populist content.

Since 2020, Trump’s negative language about “elites” has trended upward, but “the thing on which he’s most distinctive is his use of the pronoun ‘they,’ — and that he’s very high on that compared to other politicians,” Treisman said.

When the research duo expanded the parameters of comparison to various U.S. and world leaders, past and present, they found Trump’s frequency of violent language “exceeds that of any other politician in a democracy that we studied and falls just a little below the level in a selection of Fidel Castro’s May Day speeches.”

Savin and Treisman acknowledge the limitations of their study in that it does not explore why Trump’s speech has changed, or the specific consequences of it. Additionally, a dictionary-based text analysis only measures the frequency of words, “without delving deeper into meanings and contexts,” they wrote.

“It doesn’t pick up violent thoughts expressed with nonviolent words. So for instance, his January 6 speech in 2021 doesn’t rate particularly high on our violence measures because he didn’t use a lot of words like ‘kill,’ ‘death,’ ‘blood’ and so on. He said, ‘Let’s go and walk down to the Capitol,’” Treisman said.

The authors wrote that, “Given the troubling evolution of his vocabulary, more research along these lines is clearly warranted.”

States Newsroom fed 238 of Trump’s social media posts across X and Truth Social into two AI word cloud generators. The posts, from randomly chosen days in August through October, comprised 8,664 words, but boiled down to roughly 1,500 unique words when grouped by repetition.

Trump’s top five words were, unsurprisingly, “Kamala,” “Harris,” “great, “now” and “Trump.”

But making it into the top 75 most used words out of 1,500 were “comrade” in 15th place, “fake” at 23rd on the list, “war” as the 54th most used, “radical” at 61st on the list, and “lyin’” at 72.

‘The enemy from within’

Trump told his supporters in New York City Sunday they are fighting against a “radical left machine” who he said — not for the first time — is the “enemy from within.”

In an Oct. 14 interview, Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that “the enemy from within” are a “bigger problem” than migrants who are “totally destroying our country.”

“We have some very bad people, we have some sick people, radical left lunatics … and it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard or if really necessary, by the military,” he responded when Bartiromo asked if he anticipated trouble on Election Day.

On Oct. 12, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform an ad celebrating Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 film “Full Metal Jacket,” juxtaposing it with scenes of drag performers and a clip of Admiral Rachel Levine, a physician and, as head of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the first openly transgender federal official. The message he posted with the video: “WE WILL NOT HAVE A WOKE MILITARY!”

Trump appears to disagree with any criticism that his campaign uses negative language or themes. On Wednesday, he wrote on Truth Social: “While I am running a campaign of positive solutions to save America, Kamala Harris is running a campaign of hate.”

Recently, his campaign’s personalized fundraising text messages to supporters declare Trump’s “love” for them.

‘Don’t let them eat us’

In the days following the Sept. 10 debate between Trump and Harris, the former president posted on his Truth Social platform a series of AI-generated images depicting cats begging voters to support Trump. “Don’t let them eat us. Vote for Trump,” read one sign held by a litter of orange tabby kittens.

The string of posts followed Trump’s false claim during the debate that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, were stealing and eating pet cats and dogs. The rumor began to circulate among Trump supporters ahead of his matchup with Harris, and Trump continued to push the lie.

The small city in Ohio was the target of bomb threats for days afterward, to the point that the state’s Republican Gov. Mike DeWine dispatched state troopers to 18 local school buildings.

Rowland, who spoke to States Newsroom in both September and October, pondered whether Trump’s all-in attitude on the cats-and-dogs lie would hurt the former president’s reelection prospects.

“He’s picked this meme that is just so absurd and obviously false,” Rowland said Sept. 13.

Just over a month later, Rowland told States Newsroom, “It hasn’t moved anything. If anything, it’s gone the other direction.” Polling has shown Trump and Harris nearly tied for several weeks.

Rowland said overall, Trump’s recent “lack of coherence and the negative emotions are the things that I think are most striking.”

“He never previously talked about policy in detail, but now there’s almost no discussion of policy at all. Insults have replaced it, in a way,” Rowland said.

“I juxtapose this against the most effective leaders of both parties, people like Ronald Reagan — they really made a case. Now, one could agree or disagree with it. And Barack Obama, when he was running he certainly laid out an agenda, and that’s not what I see at all (in Trump),” Rowland said. “I’ve never seen anything like it in American politics.”

Behind the obvious uses of AI in the election, for good and ill,? there are “unseen” jobs it is performing, a University of Maryland researcher says. (Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Americans are worried about the effect of artificial intelligence on the election, as polls show, but the public probably doesn’t understand the full extent of its influence on what they experience every day, an academic studying the technology says.

There have been obvious examples of AI-generated misinformation, like false audio of President Joe Biden, a fake video about voting irregularities, or memes intended to generate emotion or spread propaganda. AI is also regularly used to generate legitimate campaign messages, like phone calls and texts.

But behind those public examples, there are the “unseen” jobs AI is performing in the election, said Cody Buntain, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland’s College of Information, most prominently in determining the nature of your social media feeds.

“The systems that determine what piece of content is put in front of you, that’s AI at work,” Buntain said. “From TikTok’s For You Page, the X’s feed or profile page to Facebook’s feed. All that is AI driven.”

Buntain is currently teaching a course about the way AI is reshaping politics, and said one of the biggest places AI has made an impact are things we don’t generally see, like your “information diet.”

In a Pew Research Center survey of nearly 10,000 Americans across the political spectrum, released in September, a feeling of unease about artificial intelligence’s role in the presidential election was shared nearly equally by both Democrats and Republicans. The survey found that 41% of Republicans and 39% of Democrats feel AI is being used “mostly for bad” during the campaign. Similarly, 56% of Republicans and 58% of Democrats feel “very concerned” about AI’s influence on the election.

A separate Pew study, also released in September, found that many Americans cite their primary news source as social media.

Though the general sentiments about AI involvement in the election are negative, most Americans probably don’t understand the full scope of how the technologies are being used by campaigns and outside forces, Buntain said. They likely don’t understand the way they engineer your social media to feed your existing views and preconceptions.

The algorithms are built to promote angry and emotional content in feeds, which can potentially contribute to information silos and echo chambers.

Echo chambers aren’t an inherently bad thing — they can bring a sense of safety and community, Buntain said. And though there’s algorithmic ranking happening on social media, people tend to self-sort into the feeds they identify with. Lately, more conservatives are flocking to X after Elon Musk purchased the platform, and more liberal people are spending their time on TikTok, for example.

“Generally, actually, echo chambers in your offline world are much more echoey than echo chambers online,” he said.

But campaign advertising is another system that’s been using “unseen” AI for well over a decade, Buntain said. Although it feels like AI has only been prominent for a few years — especially since the release of ChatGPT in 2022 — this type of information seeking, categorizing and targeted advertising has long been a tool of political campaigns.

The 2012 Obama for America campaign used data, technology and analytics to better reach American television audiences. This type of information seeking, categorizing and targeted advertising is the foundation of many AI systems today, and the strategies used by the Obama campaign were further defined and deployed for the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Today’s AI algorithms can extract information about you far beyond general demographics like age and gender, to include unique interests and affiliations. That information is then used by campaigns for targeted advertising to nearly all of your online spaces.

Outside of these “unseen” AI jobs, Buntain zeroed in on the potential harms the Pew study participants were likely worried about. People are often concerned about inequalities and disinformation perpetuated by AI. They’re also concerned about being able to trust the information given to them by AI systems, like chatbots. Many are also probably worried about whether they’re connecting with a real person or a bot throughout the campaign cycle.

People are rightfully concerned about these AI strategies and systems playing a role in the election, but Buntain has worries about the ways in which AI may be used in the days after, especially if it’s a very tight race.

“AI tools will allow people to very rapidly create content that makes the situation worse,” he said. “Five years ago, you could still make some sort of misinformation content, but it would take longer, and be much more expensive.”

If you’re not a technologist, there’s a lot about AI that probably mystifies you, and amplifies concerns about society that you already had, Buntain said.

“Is this all just some chat bot behind the scenes that’s trying to get us to donate or trying to get us angry?” Buntain said. “I think that concern about, you know, ‘is this an authentic actor,’ is a concern that AI really amplifies, but it’s a concern that’s been around certainly since 2016.”

Buntain hopes that public perception of AI will change over time. He believes that anxieties about it, especially related to its role in the election, are driven by larger-scale society issues, like the economy, feeling safe and being able to trust information.

“Being in an increasingly online but yet isolated world, I think, makes us a little bit ripe for …? being negative about how these new technologies are likely not going to help us, like we thought,” he said.

Elon Musk leaps on stage with Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, during a campaign rally Oct. 5, 2024 in Butler, Pennsylvania. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

As Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump remain locked in a tight race according to public polling, both campaigns projected confidence Thursday.

With the election just five days away, the Democratic and GOP presidential candidates are making their final pitches to voters and zooming in on swing states — with neither showing a measurable advantage in the polls.

A senior Harris campaign official said Thursday on a call with reporters that they “feel very good about what we’re seeing.” And the Trump campaign sent reporters a memo showing Trump with polling leads in five of seven swing states, based on Real Clear Politics polling averages.

The Trump memo, written by pollster Tony Fabrizio, showed Trump with slim leads in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Nevada and larger advantages in Arizona and Georgia.

More than 63.6 million early votes were documented as of Thursday evening, according to the University of Florida Election Lab’s early voting tracker. Across the states that have data on party registration data, Democrats remained ahead with over 12 million voters registered with that party, compared to over 11.2 million Republicans and more than 7.8 million registered with another party or no party.

Senior Harris campaign officials also suggested that Trump is “clearly worried” about losing the race, noting he is “ramping up baseless claims of election fraud and irregularities.”

They referenced a Truth Social post from the former president on Wednesday in which Trump claimed that “Pennsylvania is cheating, and getting caught, at large scale levels rarely seen before.”

“REPORT CHEATING TO AUTHORITIES. Law Enforcement must act, NOW!” Trump wrote.

The former president’s campaign won a lawsuit Wednesday in the Keystone State over claims that voters in Bucks County were turned away when waiting in line to get mail ballots. A judge extended the mail ballot deadline in Bucks County to the close of business on Friday. The statewide deadline was set for Tuesday at 5 p.m.

“Needless to say, Pennsylvania is not cheating,” a senior Harris campaign official said on the call, adding that “a handful of people were allegedly turned away from early voting lines in Bucks County” and “the county responded by agreeing in court to additional days, not just hours, of early voting.”

A senior Harris campaign official said the system is “working just as it should,” referencing three counties in the Keystone State that identified suspicious registrations and declined to process them while also coordinating with law enforcement.

“All of this is cheating only in the mind of someone who wants to claim he was cheated, and it’s yet another example of how Donald Trump tries to sow doubt in our elections and institutions when he’s afraid he can’t win,” the official said.

Elon Musk’s voter sweepstakes

Meanwhile, a Pennsylvania judge on Thursday placed a lawsuit against billionaire Elon Musk and his America PAC on hold while the fate of a federal court taking on the case is up in the air.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and his super PAC earlier this week over allegations that the Trump ally’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes constitutes an illegal lottery.

Musk’s lawyers argued Wednesday that the state court was not the proper venue for the lawsuit and filed to move the case to a federal court.

Though the world’s richest man was ordered to appear at Thursday’s hearing, he did not show up.

Many voters feeling anxiety, frustration over campaign

Roughly 7 in 10 Americans feel frustrated or anxious about the 2024 presidential campaign, while a little over one-third feel excited, according to an AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll released Thursday.

Nearly 80% of Democrats feel anxious about the race, compared to nearly two-thirds of Republicans and about half of independents, per the poll.

Americans’ feelings about the 2024 presidential campaign are similar to 2020, when, according to the same pollsters, 3 in 10 felt excited, nearly 7 in 10 were frustrated and almost two-thirds said they felt anxious.

Upcoming from the Harris, Trump campaigns

Harris is set to hold a campaign event in the Appleton area of Wisconsin on Friday and a rally and concert in Milwaukee later in the day.

The veep’s running mate, Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, is slated to campaign in Nevada and Arizona over the weekend.

Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, is scheduled to hold rallies Friday in Portage, Michigan, and Selma, North Carolina.

Trump is set to hold Friday rallies in Warren, Michigan, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Harris campaign said Thursday it will host its election night at Howard University in Washington, D.C. — the vice president’s alma mater.

Voters lined up outside the Marksbury Family Branch of the Lexington Public Library on Thursday, the first day of early voting in Kentucky. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Kevin Nance)

As no-excuse early voting began in Kentucky Thursday, some polling locations saw long lines of people eager to cast their ballots.?

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams both voted early Thursday morning at their local polling places. They later appeared together at Beshear’s weekly Team Kentucky update to discuss early voting.?

“We have had occasional and sporadic instances of lines this morning when the polls opened,” Adams said. “We had the same thing in 2020 on the first day of voting. That’s not unusual. Those lines have calmed down. They’re moving very, very quickly. You’re going to have a longer line and a longer voting experience if you wait until Tuesday.”?

Social media users shared photos and videos of a long line outside of the early voting locations like Bowman Field in Louisville and the Tates Creek branch of the Lexington Public Library.

Republican Sen. Whitney Westerfield said on X that about 150 voters were waiting in line at the Bruce Convention Center in Hopkinsville before the polling location opened.?

“It’s never like this,” Westerfield added.?

Adams and Beshear worked on a bipartisan deal in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic to expand voting access in Kentucky. That included introducing early voting in the state. Beshear later signed legislation making three days of no-excuse early voting permanent in 2021.?

“I encourage all eligible Kentuckians to make a plan to get out and vote,” Beshear said before adding early voting will continue on Friday and Saturday.?

Adams issued a plea last week when predicting a massive voter turnout in Kentucky. “For the love of God, vote early,” he said, which Kentuckians seemingly are heeding.?

The secretary said Thursday that Kentucky had record voter turnout in the 2020 election, and 45% of voters cast ballots early then. Before that, Kentucky’s highest turnout was in 1908.?

Additionally, Adams said 71% of mail-in absentee ballots have been returned ahead of Tuesday’s election. Each county has at least one drop box for voters to return ballots.?

Adams also highlighted that some races on the ballot are nonpartisan, meaning straight-ticket voters still need to fill in bubbles to cast votes in those elections. He encouraged voters to review sample ballots, which will also include language for two constitutional amendments, before going to vote.?

“This is an open book test. You can look at your ballot before you show up to vote. I did that myself this morning,” Adams said. He brought a sample ballot with him to review names for nonpartisan offices.?

For more voting information, visit govote.ky.gov. The website directs users to local sample ballots and polling locations, as well as their hours.?

The general election in Kentucky is Tuesday, Nov. 5. Polls will be open then from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.?

Gov. Andy Beshear talks to reporters after a Wednesday night rally in Lexington. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

LEXINGTON —?Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is joining other Democrats in calling for the U.S. president to be elected by popular vote, saying the country needs to “move to a place where seven states don’t decide the presidency.”?

“We’ll have better government. We’ll have better politics. We’ll have better elections when we get to that point,” Beshear said Wednesday at a gathering of Democrats in Lexington.?

When asked to further clarify in a Thursday press conference, Beshear said that candidates would be encouraged to campaign for votes in all states rather than just in swing states if the popular vote decided the president. He added that such a system would get “us closer to a place where we can govern in a way that lifts all Americans up, that we’re not pushed towards any extreme, that we don’t write off crazy things that some candidates may or may not say, but that we would truly get an election for all Americans.”?

“I think to do that, we would ultimately have to abolish the Electoral College,” Beshear said. “I know that’s been with us a long time, but we see where things currently stand.”?

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors — mirroring states’ total members in Congress — meaning a candidate needs 270 electoral votes to win the presidency.?

In 48 states, the winner of the popular vote, no matter how slim the margin, is awarded all of the state’s votes in the Electoral College. Maine, Nebraska and the District of Columbia use a proportional system to award electoral votes.?

Some Democrats, including Beshear and Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, are renewing calls to do away with the Electoral College in favor of a national popular vote.?

According to POLITICO, the U.S. has had five elections in which the winner of the popular vote lost. The races in this century where this happened are Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 bid against President George W. Bush and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign against President Doanld Trump.?

Both Gore and Clinton are Democrats. Bush was the last Republican to win the popular vote during his 2004 reelection campaign.?

Beshear’s Wednesday night comments drew ire from Kentucky Republicans on social media. The Republican Party of Kentucky said on X that abolishing the Electoral College would make “Kentucky have no say in presidential elections.”?

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in a Thursday evening statement that he was not surprised by Beshear’s position on the Electoral College. McConnell defended the system, saying the Electoral College “compels presidents to govern nationally rather than pandering to the interests of New York and California.” Not having it would mean no presidential candidates at all would travel to middle America states like Kentucky, the senator said.?

“Democrats’ disregard – and borderline disdain – for the constitutional guardrails that safeguard our political system has lurked below the surface of their rhetoric for a long, long time,” McConnell said. “No institution is too dear if it stands between a Democrat and their progressive ‘reforms’ to ‘preserve democracy’ – the standard euphemism for partisan power grabs on the Left. Those genuinely concerned about the future of our country should call for strengthening our constitutional guardrails, not obliterating them. At its core, the Electoral College protects Americans from the whims of the majority, something I’m familiar with in the Senate.”

In a Thursday evening statement, Republican Senate President Robert Stivers said the GOP Senate Caucus sees the Electoral College as “a vital pillar of our Republic that ensures smaller states like Kentucky continue to have a voice and we reject any attempt to dismantle it.” Stivers added that Beshear’s position “proves that he is a nationalized Democrat through and through” and “violates what our founding fathers, including Washington, Jefferson, and others, envisioned for this great country.”

“Governor Beshear’s proposal to eliminate the electoral college not only threatens the federal balance but disrespects every Kentuckian who values their representation in the highest levels of government,” Stivers said. “This proposal is a blatant dereliction of his responsibility as the head of the Commonwealth’s executive branch and a disrespectful affront to every Kentuckian who values their right to be heard.”

Kentucky has eight electoral votes, which have consistently gone to Republican presidential candidates since the 2000 presidential election.?

In his response on Thursday, Beshear said that Kentucky would benefit from a popular vote for president, although he doubts the Electoral College will be abolished anytime soon.

“At the end of the day, regardless of the changes that are or are not made, certainly in my activities, I want to make sure that we are moving not just this state, but other states into a place where they are also considered important in these elections, that we have a seat at the table nationally. That’s good for Kentucky, but it’s also good for every single state.

A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 63% of Americans would instead prefer that the winner of the popular vote be the winner of the presidential election while 35% prefer maintaining the Electoral College.

This story was updated Friday morning with additional comments.?

Voters lined up at the downtown branch of the Lexington Public Library Thursday morning as early voting began in Kentucky. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Kevin Nance)

On the first morning of early voting in Kentucky, voters in Lexington waited to enter the polling place at the Tates Creek branch of the public library. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Kevin Nance)

With days left in Kentucky’s general election, supporters and opponents of Amendment 2 are traveling the state to make their last-minute pitches to voters.?

Republicans U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, his wife Kelley Paul and former Attorney General Daniel Cameron spoke to a Bowling Green rally for the amendment Monday evening. Meanwhile, Kentucky Democrats, including Gov. Andy Beshear and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, made their case against the amendment during a Fayette County Democrats’ rally on Wednesday, the evening before early voting began.?

Both the senator and the governor are backing political action committees that are spending a lot of money on this issue ahead of the election. The Protect Freedom PAC, sponsored by Pennsylvania billionaire and mega donor Jeff Yass, has spent $3.75 million to promote Amendment 2 and has released ads featuring the Pauls. Meanwhile, Kentuckians for Public Education, a PAC operated by Beshear’s campaign manager, has raised more than $975,000.?

Amendment 2, which has divided Kentucky politicians along partisan lines, would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools, or those “outside the system of common schools.” The amendment would suspend or “notwithstand” seven sections of the state Constitution to allow public money to flow to nonpublic schools. The legislation for the amendment was a priority for Republican lawmakers earlier this year and an attempt to overcome constitutional hurdles cited by Kentucky courts striking down earlier charter school and private school tax credit laws.

At the Bowling Green rally, which was sponsored by Americans for Prosperity of Kentucky, Sen. Paul blamed Kentucky courts. It “boggles the mind,” he said, that the courts “interpreted our Constitution to say the legislature wasn’t allowed to debate, discuss or legislate on education” but he was unsure of how a different ruling could come without a new court. Kentucky Supreme Court justices are elected on a rotating election schedule.?

“This originated in the courts,” Paul said of challenges to funding nonpublic schools. “They created this problem.”?

Last December, Franklin Circuit Court Judge Phillip Shepherd wrote that charter schools are “private entities” that do not meet the Kentucky Constitution’s definition of “public schools” or “common schools,” striking down a state charter school law. Before that, the Kentucky Supreme Court in 2022 unanimously struck down a law creating a generous tax credit to help families pay for tuition at private schools. The opinion, which upheld a circuit court ruling by Shepherd, cited a long line of precedent reinforcing the Kentucky Constitution’s ban on the state financially supporting private schools.

Paul said that support for the amendment is “getting closer, but I still sense that we need more momentum.” He urged attendees at the rally to canvass and spread the word about the amendment.?

“It is not legislation. It doesn’t appropriate any money,” he told the crowd. “It doesn’t take a single penny from public education. It’s an amendment that allows the legislature to do what they’re supposed to do — debate how best we should get education for our kids.”

When asked by a reporter what system the legislature should consider if the amendment passes, Paul said lawmakers must debate that. He pointed to the legislation struck down by the Supreme Court? “So I would say vote for Amendment 2 if you believe in private charity, you believe in private philanthropy, you believe in church schools, non-religious schools,” he said. “You believe that somehow we ought to have some kind of educational choice.”?

Republican House Speaker David Osborne has previously said that debate about what should come next if the amendment passes will likely be “contentious.” Republican Senate President Robert Stivers predicted “we’re probably a year away from any type of legislation.”?

Democrats, meanwhile, are honing in on the ambiguity and uncertainty surrounding what could come should the amendment pass. Speaking with reporters after the Fayette County rally at The Burl in Lexington, Beshear said “there is no question that this is simply a voucher scheme” despite what Republicans say. Under such systems, families can use vouchers of state funds to send students to their school of choice.?

“Our solution should be to fully fund public schools and not to give a blank check to Frankfort politicians to move money away from them and further defund them,” the governor said.?

Beshear said “Kentuckians have further educated themselves” about Amendment 2 and was confident it would be defeated Tuesday. He said opponents of the measure, including the Kentucky Education Association, AFT union members, teachers, superintendents, Lexington area faith leaders and parents, have “put in a lot of work” ahead of the election.?

“People are fundamentally against giving Frankfort politicians the ability to take money away from public schools and send it to unaccountable private schools,” Beshear said, referring to how public schools are overseen by the Kentucky Department of Education.

Coleman echoed Beshear’s sentiments in her speech to the crowd. A former educator herself, she has been holding press conferences across the state to speak out against the amendment.

“There are more reasons than I have time to cover right now about why Amendment 2 is detrimental to our schools, our families, our communities in this commonwealth,” she said Wednesday. “But let me tell you this: this General Assembly is undeserving of a blank check from the voters.”?

Volunteers and staffers will be hitting the campaign trail themselves with little time left before the polls close at 6 p.m. Tuesday. A representative of AFP said at the end of the Bowling Green rally that the group is aiming to make 20,000 contacts with voters this week after making 200,000 contacts through canvassing already. One of the largest PACs against the amendment, Protect Our Schools, has canvassing and tour stops listed throughout Kentucky through Election Day on its Facebook page.?

The general election in Kentucky is Tuesday, Nov. 5. No-excuse early voting began Thursday, Oct. 31.

Sale prices are displayed for items at a grocery store in San Rafael, California, on Sept. 10, 2024. Grocery prices are just one piece of the U.S. economy, which is key to many voters in their pick for president. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The economy is key to many voters in their pick for president, but that fervor also makes it an attractive subject for distortions, misinformation, and oversimplification.

Nearly eight? in 10 U.S. voters say that the economy is one of the most important issues to them in this upcoming presidential election, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted in September. Although 66% of voters say the economy is very or somewhat poor, six in 10 also say their personal finances are good.

Millions have already cast their ballots through early or mail voting. But those who are still deciding between the two main candidates – Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump – have until Nov. 5 to wade through various myths and exaggerations to understand the state of the economy and each candidate’s record on related issues.

What is the state of inflation in the U.S.??

The most recent cycle of inflation reached its peak in June 2022 at 9.1%. Inflation has fallen considerably since then and to a more manageable 2.4% in September’s Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation. Wage growth, meanwhile, has beaten inflation for more than a year. The Federal Reserve cut its key interest? rate by half of a percentage point for the first time in four years in September after inflation neared ?toward its goal of 2%.

But those macro figures don’t hit home with everyone, because of the prices of groceries and other essentials.

The literal prices that people see on goods make them think that they’re not doing as well because they feel that they are higher than they think they should be,” said Elise Gould, senior economist at the left-leaning Economic Policy Institute. But, those prices are actually lower as a share of their wages than they were four years ago.”

This doesn’t mean that many voters’ experiences of struggling to afford basic items aren’t real. The cost of housing is very high and puts a strain on people’s budgets. The Fed’s interest rate policy affected credit card rates, and thus, people’s ability to make purchases.

Gould said that despite the positive news of slowing inflation, the lack of long-term wage growth before this recent increase has been hard on many Americans.

“Even though things are good, we know that for the vast majority of people over the last several decades, they’ve been faced with relatively slow wage growth and so it can be hard to feel like you’re going to get ahead,” she said.

Was unemployment higher under Biden or Trump??

The unemployment rate under Donald Trump was fairly low, at 4.7%, when he took office in 2017 , and it mostly trended lower until the beginning of the pandemic. It then shot up to 14.8% in April 2020 and fell sharply for the rest of Trump’s term, which ended in January 2021. The unemployment rate was 6.7% during Trump’s last full month in office.

The labor market has been fairly hot under President Joe Biden. The unemployment rate was 6.4% during the month he and Harris were sworn into office. But since then, it largely fell, and from February 2022 to April 2024, the unemployment rate was below 4%. In September, the unemployment rate was 4.1% but the economy continues to show strong job growth.

Looking at the Biden-Harris administration’s record and Trump’s record outside of the immediate economic impact of the recession and supply shocks during their presidencies, unemployment remained fairly low. Overall, unemployment averaged 3.8% since 2022 and averaged 4% between 2017 and 2019, before the pandemic hit the economy in 2020.

Labor force participation rates and the employment-to-population ratio, measures of the number of people in the labor force and workers employed versus the working age population, were high in the last jobs report and show signs of a healthy labor market.

Skanda Amarnath, executive director of Employ America, a left-leaning group focusing on economic policies, said that it’s also important to understand the percentage of the population adjusting for age, the prime age employment rate. It is marginally higher now, by about 0.3%, than it was right before Covid struck, during the Trump administration, he said.

“We’ve seen generally slower paces of employment gains more recently and that might be just because a lot of people are now back in the labor force itself. It’s probably a little harder to grow employment quickly when you’re coming from a high level as opposed to a low level,” Amarnath said. “Nevertheless, we’re at an employment rate where there’s been a reasonably strong labor demand, a little bit combined with the fact that people are also moving out into their retirement years.”

The American Rescue Plan Act, CHIPS and Science Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and bipartisan infrastructure deal, enacted during Biden’s presidency, helped fuel the recovery, Amarnath said. The CARES Act, which was signed into law byTrump, likely helped the U.S. avoid a protracted recession, he added.

What would Trump’s proposed? tariffs do to the U.S. economy

In an interview with John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News at the Economic Club of Chicago on Oct. 15, former president Trump said tariffs would be good for economic growth.

“We’re going to bring companies back to our country … We’re going to protect those companies with strong tariffs because I’m a believer in tariffs,” he said.

The Trump campaign has also proposed a 60% tariff on goods from China, one of the U.S.’s largest trading partners, and 10-to-20% on other imports. The Tax Foundation, a business-friendly research think tank, estimated that if Trump’s proposed tariffs were to be implemented, it would reduce GDP by at least 0.8% and eliminate 684,000 jobs.

Tariffs would likely result in lower trade and retaliatory tariffs from other countries, raising prices, and costing each household between $1,900 to $7,600 in 2023 in dollars, according to the Budget Lab at Yale, a nonpartisan policy research center.

“If the tariff wars back in President Trump’s first term are any indication, they’re going to respond with their own tariffs and other trade actions,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “Broadly, tariffs are going to raise prices for imported goods, weaken consumer purchasing power and slow growth.”

Zandi added that although the retail sector would be particularly hard hit by these tariffs, he doesn’t think any industry would come away unscathed by the policy.

How do Harris and Trump’s economic plans compare??

Harris has said her plans, which include building more affordable housing supply, restoring and expanding the child tax credit, and supporting legislation to expand labor rights, have been approved by respected economists and sources of financial research.

“Please do check out the Wall Street Journal or Goldman Sachs or the 16 Nobel laureates or Moody’s, who have all analyzed the plans and said mine will strengthen the economy, his will make it weaker,” Harris said.

The reality is a little more complicated. Some of the reports Harris referred to do not say the economy would weaken under Trump but would grow less than the economy under Harris in certain scenarios, depending on the political breakdown in Congress.

Others show the GDP falling more as a result of Harris’ proposals. The Penn Wharton Budget Model looking at Trump and Harris proposals shows the GDP falling 0.4% under Trump by 2034 and declining 1.3% under Harris over the same period, but notably, it does not factor in proposals not to tax tips, mentioned by both candidates, or Trump’s tariff policies.

Before Biden withdrew his candidacy, 16 Nobel-prize winning economists said Biden’s investments in the economy through signing legislation to improve infrastructure and manufacturing would boost economic growth. They spoke out against Trump’s tariff plans. Although Harris is part of the Biden administration, they did not address her specific plans as a candidate. On Wednesday, 23 Nobel-prize winning economists, including the economist who led the last letter, Joseph Stiglitz, endorsed Harris’ specific policies.

The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, gives her “closing argument” of the campaign in a speech on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, 2024. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

The fallout from a comedian’s racially charged joke at a rally for former President Donald Trump continued Wednesday as the campaign for the presidency raced toward its final weekend, with Democrats on the defensive about President Joe Biden’s reaction to the joke.

Republicans claimed Biden labeled Trump supporters as “garbage,” while Democrats insisted Biden was being misinterpreted, and a battle over the placement of an apostrophe in Biden’s comment spread from the White House briefing room to campaign stops.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday further clarified Biden’s comment, made on a Tuesday evening call to rally Latino voters. Biden brought up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s remark at a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.”

“They’re good, decent, honorable people,” Biden said Tuesday of Puerto Ricans who live in his home state of Delaware. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporter’s — his — his — his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

An initial White House transcript of the call placed an apostrophe after the word “supporters,” making its meaning about multiple Trump supporters. A later transcript placed the possessive inside the word, so it read as “supporter’s,” making it about a single supporter, Hinchcliffe.

Biden posted on X Tuesday evening that was his intent.

“Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage—which is the only word I can think of to describe it,” Biden’s post read. “His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That’s all I meant to say. The comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, also told reporters early Wednesday that it was wrong to disparage people over political affiliation, while noting Biden clarified he referred only to Hinchcliffe. The flap over Biden’s comments came just as Harris was giving her “closing argument” speech on the Ellipse on Tuesday night before a crowd in the tens of thousands.

“Let me be clear,” she said. “I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for.”

Latino voters in general and Puerto Ricans in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania in particular are seen as a crucial voting bloc in the closing days of the campaign, and both campaigns are trying to get their support.

Jean-Pierre said from the White House briefing room Wednesday that Biden does not think Trump supporters are “garbage.”

“What I can say is that the president wanted to make sure that his words were not being taken out of context,” she said. “And so he wanted to clarify, and that’s what you heard from the president. He was very aware. And I would say I think it’s really important that you have a president that cares about clarifying what they said.”

Trump repeatedly has said the United States is the “garbage can of the world” as a result of Biden’s immigration policies.

Rubio: Harris camp should apologize

But Trump and other Republicans jumped on Biden’s remark, immediately comparing it to 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton’s comment that many Trump supporters comprised “a basket of deplorables.” That comment was seen as damaging to Clinton’s campaign against Trump.

At a Tuesday evening Trump rally in Pennsylvania, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida disclosed news of Biden’s statement.

“I hope their campaign is about to apologize for what Joe Biden just said,” Rubio said. “We are not garbage. We are patriots who love America.”

“Wow, that’s terrible,” Trump added. “Remember Hillary, she said deplorable, and then she said irredeemable, right? But she said deplorable. That didn’t work out. Garbage I think is worse, right?”

Harris brings closing argument in N.C.

At a Wednesday afternoon rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, Harris echoed some of the themes she sounded in the “closing argument” speech she gave Tuesday night.

She urged voters in the battleground state to “turn the page on a decade of Donald Trump, who has been trying to keep us divided and afraid of each other.”

She said Trump was focused on personal grievances and seeking revenge on political opponents, while she would work toward improving voters’ lives.

“There are many big differences between he and I,” she said. “But I would say a major contrast is this: If he is elected, on day one, Donald Trump will walk into that office with an enemies list. When I am elected, I will walk in with a to-do list.”

First on her list would be lowering the costs of health care, child care and other expenses for families, she said.

Harris appealed directly to disaffected Republicans, saying she would seek common ground with those she disagrees with. That approach, she said, was also in contrast to Trump, who used charged language to describe his opponents and pledged to retaliate against them.

“Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy,” she said. “He wants to put them in jail. I’ll give them a seat at the table. And I pledge to be a president for all Americans, and to always put country above party and self.”

Harris won another endorsement from a nationally known Republican Wednesday, with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger saying he would vote for her despite policy disagreements.

Trump also campaigned in North Carolina on Wednesday, in Rocky Mount, a town in a more rural part of the state about 50 miles east of Raleigh.

He said his campaign was a welcoming one to all races and religions and said Harris was the one running “a campaign of hate” toward Trump and his supporters, while lobbing an insult at the vice president.

“Kamala, a low-IQ individual, is running a campaign of hate, anger and retribution,” he said, repeating a term he has used for her before.

Election integrity

The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said Wednesday they won a court case in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, over early voting hours, RNC officials said on a call Wednesday afternoon.

A judge in the key swing county extended the deadline to apply for a mail-in ballot after some voters said that long lines forced them to miss the 5 p.m. Tuesday deadline.

On the press call, Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said a Trump supporter had been arrested after telling people in line near the deadline to remain in line.

Party officials, including Trump’s daughter-in-law, RNC Co-Chair Lara Trump, said the result bolstered their confidence in a free and fair election.

“We want to make people all across this country feel good about the process of voting in the United States of America,” Lara Trump said. “It is so foundational to who we are as a country that we trust our electoral process and this type of work allows exactly for that.”

Lara Trump said the party was “incredibly confident” in its staffers dedicated to ensuring the election is fair.

The issue has been a major priority for Republicans since Donald Trump and others claimed, without evidence, that election fraud caused his 2020 re-election loss.

That claim was rejected in scores of courts and a federal grand jury indicted Trump on four felony counts for using the election fraud lie to inspire the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Trump and allies have also speculated that his political opponents would seek to use illegal means, including voting by noncitizens, this year.

But in a departure from that rhetoric Wednesday, the RNC officials voiced confidence that the 2024 results would be trustworthy.

“I think it’s really important that we get the word spread loud and clear that we are taking this seriously, that you can trust American elections,” Lara Trump said. “In 2024, we want to re-establish any trust that may have been lost previously.”

Ashley Murray contributed to this report.

The U.S. Justice Department Wednesday underlined its efforts to protect voters’ access to the ballot box as early voting continues in advance of Election Day. (Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — With less than a week before the polls close on Nov. 5, the U.S. Justice Department Wednesday reiterated its efforts to protect voters’ access to the ballot box through its civil rights, national security and criminal divisions.

“Protecting the right to vote, prosecuting election crimes, and securing our elections are all essential to maintaining the confidence of all Americans in our democratic system of government,” the Justice Department said in a press release.

The Justice Department said that any complaints relating to violence, threats of violence or intimidation at a polling place should be first reported to local authorities by calling 911 and then the agency for further action.

In Washington state and Oregon, two ballot boxes were set on fire. In North Carolina, yellow signs in Spanish have popped up outside voting locations warning people that voting by noncitizens is illegal, something that voting rights groups have called voter intimidation.

There are heightened concerns from election officials and pro-democracy groups about attempts to disrupt the election process and the potential for violence once results are known.

A presidential victor is unlikely to be announced on election night or even the following day, which election officials have warned could easily sow distrust in the official results.

In Maricopa County, Arizona, the nation’s fourth most populous county, local and federal law enforcement officials said they are prepared for violence. Maricopa County was at the forefront of election fraud conspiracy theories in 2020.

Civil rights violations

The DOJ Civil Rights Division “is responsible for ensuring compliance with the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote and with the criminal provisions of federal statutes prohibiting discriminatory interference with that right,” according to the agency.

Any civil rights violations should be reported to the agency at 800-253-3931 or online.

That division enforces the laws of the Voting Rights Act, the National Voter Registration Act, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, the Help America Vote Act and the Civil Rights Acts.

Under those laws it’s prohibited to intimidate voters, as well as have election practices that are either discriminatory or discriminate on the basis of ?“race, color, or language minority status.”

The Justice Department said that throughout the election, its attorneys “will be ready to receive complaints of potential violations of any of the statutes the Civil Rights Division enforces.”

Election-related crimes

The Criminal Division of the Justice Department enforces federal laws relating to election crimes such as voter fraud, destruction of ballots, vote-buying, submitting fraudulent ballots, altering votes and wrongdoing by election officials and employees.

That also includes any threats of violence against election workers and voter intimidation outside of reasons relating to discrimination. ? ?

The Justice Department said any election-related complaints should be directed to the local U.S. Attorney’s Office or the local FBI field office.

The National Security Division in the Justice Department will handle any cases involving foreign influence.

In September, the Justice Department unsealed charges of the Russian government’s efforts to spread propaganda and try to influence voters, including the 2024 presidential election.

“As in past elections, the National Security Division will work closely with counterparts at the FBI and our U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to protect our nation’s elections from any national security threats,” the Justice Department said.

ice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris speaks at a rally on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, with the White House as her backdrop, gave what she called her closing argument Tuesday evening, pressing voters to support her bid over that of “unstable” Republican candidate Donald Trump.

The 30-minute speech on the Ellipse was the same location where Trump, then president, held a rally nearly four years ago before his supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol. Harris highlighted Democrats’ core argument that another term for the former president would present a threat to the country’s future.

“This election is more than just a choice between two parties and two different candidates,” Harris said. “It is a choice about whether we have a country rooted in freedom for every American, or ruled by chaos and division.”

Harris evoked the conception of the United States, how it was “born when we wrested freedom from a petty tyrant.” She said since then, Americans across generations have fought to protect those freedoms and expand them, from those who marched in the civil rights movement to the troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy.

“They didn’t do that only to see us submit to the will of another petty tyrant,” she said. “We are not a vessel for the schemes of wannabe dictators.”

Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign national press secretary, said in a statement that Trump’s “closing argument to the American people is simple: Kamala broke it; he will fix it.”

In the crowd of tens of thousands of rallygoers was LaShaun Martin, 52, of Prince George’s County, Maryland, who said she is voting for Harris because the vice president is “incredibly positive.”

“She has been for all people, Republicans and Democrats,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what walk of life you come from. She really wants to represent you, and whatever it is you need to be able to be a prosperous person.”

One week until Election Day

Harris’ speech took place just one week before voting ends on Nov. 5, following a history-making campaign that began when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race following a disastrous debate this summer.?

Biden’s endorsement of Harris and widespread support from Democrats throughout the country forced the GOP to overhaul its approach to the campaign, as Democrats shifted their focus from the policies that Biden wanted to champion to those important to Harris.

In her remarks, Harris rebuked Trump and his supporters for their disparaging comments about immigrants living in the country illegally, a main element of his campaign.

“Politicians have got to stop treating immigration as an issue to scare up votes in an election,” Harris said. “And instead treat it as the serious challenge that it is, that we must finally come together to solve.”

Harris pledged to work with Congress on immigration policy as well as a pathway to citizenship for farmworkers and for the more than 500,000 children brought into the country without authorization. They are known as Dreamers, enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Harris touched on several of her top policy issues, including housing affordability, abortion access nationwide, a ban on price gouging at grocery stores and expansion of the child tax credit.

Reaching out to the undecided

Harris campaign communications director Michael Tyler previewed the speech earlier Tuesday, telling reporters the vice president would speak directly to undecided voters’ “sense of frustration, their sense of exhaustion with the way that our politics have played out under the Trump era — and offer them directly a vision that something is different, that something different is possible.”

Trump on Sunday appeared at a six-hour campaign event at Madison Square Garden in New York City that brought bipartisan condemnation for a comedian who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean.”

Ahead of Harris’ Tuesday speech, Trump gave remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, accusing her of trying to divide the country and seeking to distance himself from the racist and vulgar remarks made by the comedian and other speakers during the rally.

Trump did not take questions, but told ABC News earlier in the day he did not hear the comedian’s remarks.

“I don’t know him,” Trump said. “Someone put him up there.”

With the presidential race essentially tied, Harris and Trump have both focused their final campaign push on the crucial swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Harris promised the crowd during her speech that if elected she will protect institutions and the democratic ideals that are the bedrock of American law. She also slammed Trump’s comments referring to Democrats as the “enemy from within.’”

“The fact that someone disagrees with us does not make them the enemy within,” Harris said. “They are family, neighbors, classmates, coworkers, they are fellow Americans, and as Americans, we rise and fall together.”

Time to ‘turn the page’

Harris said the country must move beyond the ever-widening polarization that she described as a distinct feature of Trump’s grip on American politics.

“Donald Trump has spent a decade trying to keep the American people divided and afraid of each other,” Harris said. “That’s who he is.”

In her pitch to undecided voters, Harris offered an opportunity to leave the Trump era behind.

“It is time to turn the page on the drama and the conflict, the fear and division,” she said. “It is time for a new generation of leadership in America and I am ready to offer that leadership as the next president of the United States.”

That leadership, she said, would seek to build on bipartisan work.

“I pledge to seek common ground and common sense solutions to make your life better. I am not looking to score political points. I am looking to make progress,” she said. “I pledge to listen to experts, to those who will be impacted by the decisions I make and to people who disagree with me. Unlike Donald Trump, I don’t believe people who disagree with me are the enemy.”

During her speech, protesters advocated for an arms embargo on U.S. military weapons sent to Israel amid the war with Hamas. Several senators have also called for an arms embargo.

“Stop arming Israel. Arms embargo now,” one protester said before being escorted out.

The death toll of more than 43,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, according to health authorities there, has fractured Muslims, Arab Americans and anti-war Democrats within the party. It spurred the Uncommitted National Movement that sent 30 delegates to the Democratic National Convention this summer.

After Harris’ speech, nearly 100 pro-Palestinian protesters surrounded an exit of the campaign rally.

Harris supporters gather

The campaign’s finale in Washington, D.C., was expected to draw more than 50,000 supporters, according to the local NBC affiliate. The Harris campaign estimated 75,000 spectators showed up.

It featured speeches from supporters such as a mother who was able to access affordable insulin for her son because of the Affordable Care Act; a farming couple from Pennsylvania who were previously Trump voters; and Craig Sicknick, the brother of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died following the insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.??

“(Trump) incited the crowd to riot while my brother and his fellow officers put their lives at risk,” Craig Sicknick said. “Now, Mr. Trump is promising to pardon the convicted criminals who attacked our Capitol, killing my brother and injuring over 140 other officers. This is simply wrong.”

The Justice Department has charged more than 1,500 defendants in the Jan. 6 attack.

Craig Sicknick endorsed Harris, who he called a “real leader.”

The family farmers, Bob and Kristina Lange from Malvern, Pennsylvania, said they are lifelong Republicans, but will be voting for Harris this election.

“It’s very clear that Donald Trump doesn’t care about helping hard-working people like us,” Bob Lange said. “He’s too focused on seeking revenge and retribution to care about what we need. We deserve better.”

The couple have been featured in multiple digital ads targeting rural voters in Pennsylvania.

History and excitement

Attendees from as far as Illinois to local residents made the trek to the Ellipse for the speech.

Tiffany Norwood, 56, of Washington, D.C., said she attended the rally with her 87-year-old mother, Mary Ann Norwood, for “the history of it, the excitement.”

“I feel we need something different in the United States, and she is it,” said Tiffany Norwood, who identified herself as an entrepreneur. “Her plan for the economy, for the future, for women, for everyone. I love the fact that it’s a big umbrella that includes the melting pot of the United States.”

Some attendees weren’t old enough to vote, such as 13-year-old Grace Ledford of Champaign, Illinois.

The teenager said her first political rally felt “like a big party.”

“Kamala would be a great president because she is, for one, a woman, and she is African American,” she said. “A lot of men presidents don’t know how hard it is to be a woman, especially Trump.”

Daniel Nyquist, 79, of Rockville, Maryland, stood in the crowd wearing a hat with the words “Make America Less Hateful.”

“It’s the alternative of Trump’s theme,” Nyquist said, pointing to his hat. “He’s a big promoter of hate, and this is to counter that.”

The Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on Sept. 4, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump repeated his hard-line immigration position in an hourlong appearance from his Florida country club Tuesday, even as Democrats highlight the racist rhetoric his campaign and allies have used to describe Latinos in the closing week of the presidential race.

Speaking at Mar-a-Lago, the former president made passing references to the criticism his rally at Madison Square Garden on Sunday received — including comparisons to a 1939 rally by American Nazis in the same building — but did not directly address the uproar caused by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s jokes targeting Puerto Rico and Latino immigrants.

Trump sought to change the narrative that has followed the New York rally, calling the atmosphere “an absolute lovefest.”

“I don’t think anybody has ever seen anything like what happened the other night at Madison Square Garden, the love, the love, the love in that room. It was breathtaking,” he said.

“You know, they started to say, ‘Well, in 1939 the Nazis used Madison Square Garden.’ … What a terrible thing to say, right? Because, you know, they’ve used Madison Square Garden many times. Many people have used it, but nobody’s ever had a crowd like that.”

The former president continued promoting his uncompromising position on immigration, which has been the primary focus of his campaign, employing racist language to describe the issue.

“I know we talk about inflation and the economy, but there’s, to me, there’s nothing, nothing more important than the fabric of our country being destroyed by people placed there, violently placed there,” he said. “I think what’s happening on the border is the single biggest issue, and I’m seeing it more and more when I speak.”

Trump repeated the debunked claim that Aurora, Colorado, had been overrun by Venezuelan gangs and claimed, without evidence, that “a minimum” of 325,000 migrant children had been brought into the country as “slaves or sex slaves.”

Trump did not take questions at the event that had been billed as a press conference.

Harris, DNC keep Puerto Rico in spotlight

Democrats, including the party’s presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, sought to contrast the language Trump and his allies have used about Latinos with that used by Harris.

“Donald Trump spends full time trying to have Americans point their finger at each other, fans the fuel of hate and division,” Harris told reporters Monday about Trump’s New York rally. “And that’s why people are exhausted with him.”

A Tuesday press release from the Democratic National Committee noted Harris campaigned at a Puerto Rican restaurant in Pennsylvania on Sunday night at nearly the same time Hinchcliffe called the territory a “floating island of garbage.” Hinchcliffe also made a lewd joke about Latino immigrants.

Trump also promised “a new golden” age of closed borders at the event.

“Donald Trump’s MAGA Republican Party is driven by hate and extremism – and that’s exactly what the Trump campaign chose to relay to voters as his closing message in this campaign,” DNC Co-Executive Director Monica Guardiola said.

“These hateful and racist attacks reveal a deeper truth about Trump’s Project 2025 agenda: he will wind back the clock on our rights, rip children from their mothers’ arms, disinvest in our communities, and shutter our small businesses so that he can pad the pockets of his billionaire backers.”

The statement also said the party would launch billboard ads near Pennsylvania’s Puerto Rican communities featuring a Washington Post headline that quoted Hinchcliffe.

“Trump rally speakers lob racist insults, call Puerto Rico ‘Island of Garbage,’” the billboards read, according to the release.

Pennsylvania, perhaps the most critical of seven swing states in next week’s election, is home to about 8% of the 5.6 million Puerto Ricans who live in the United States, the fourth-highest concentration of any state.

The DNC billboards will be placed on highways near Allentown, Reading and Philadelphia, which have significant Puerto Rican populations, the DNC said.

Trump was scheduled to make a campaign stop in Allentown on Tuesday afternoon.

Trump tries reversal

At Mar-a-Lago Tuesday morning, Trump sought to frame Harris and Democrats as anti-American agents, a continuation of a theme he has stressed in the closing weeks of the campaign that his political opponents are “the enemy within.”

Commentators and experts on extremism have warned that language veers toward fascism.

In calling his own campaign event one of love — despite the aggressive anti-immigration position — Trump said Harris was running “a campaign of hate.”

“Really, perhaps more than anything else, it’s a campaign of hate, campaign of absolute hate,” he said. “I said yesterday that she’s a vessel. She is a vessel. It’s a very big, powerful party with smart people — they have to be smart, but it’s vicious. They’re vicious, and they’re perhaps even trying to destroy our country.”

Voters should check the "write-in candidate" bubble and need not worry about remembering their chosen candidate's first name, says a spokesperson for the Kentucky secretary of state. (Austin Anthony for The Kentucky Lantern)

Voters in a southeastern Kentucky district will be able to choose among 11 write-in candidates for the state Senate seat held by the late Sen. Johnnie Turner who died last week.

“They can use just the last name and it does not need to be spelled correctly as long as the intended candidate can be clearly determined,” said Michon Lindstrom, a spokesperson for the Kentucky secretary of state.

She said voters also must check the “write-in candidate” bubble. No list of the write-in candidates will be posted at polling places, Lindstrom said, but if a voter asks for one they should be provided with a list.?

Kentucky Sen. Johnnie Turner of Harlan dies

The 29th Senate District is made of ??Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Knott and Letcher counties.?

Turner of Harlan died last week as a result of injuries he received in a lawnmower accident in September. He was seeking reelection after winning a contested Republican primary in May. He faced no Democratic challenger in the general election. An independent candidate, David Suhr, withdrew his candidacy a week before Turner’s death.?

The deadline to file as an official write-in candidate was Friday. Excused, in-person absentee voting was already underway. ?Three days of early voting start Thursday. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.

State? party leaders have weighed in on their favorites — Republican Pineville Mayor Scott Madon and Democrat and attorney Justin Noble of Emmalena in Knott County.?

The other nine candidates are:

• Craig E. Blackburn, Prestonsburg
• John Clem, Cranks
• Willie Crase, Garrett
• Leonard Hendrickson, Pine Top
• James Richard Tanner Hesterberg, Prestonsburg
• Valerie Ison Horn, Whitesburg
• Andrew Thomas Saylor, Wallins Creek
• James Tyler Ward II,Whitesburg
• Paul Williams, Prestonsburg

The Senate Republican Campaign Caucus Committee endorsed Madon Friday. In a press release shared by the Republican Party of Kentucky, Senate President Robert Stivers said Madon “has a deep connection to the district and a track record of delivering results for his community.”?

The Senate Democratic Caucus Campaign Committee released its endorsement of Noble Friday as well..?

Gov. Andy Beshear endorsed Noble on X and added that he “will be focused on supporting our public schools, ending the teacher shortage, and serving the people of Eastern Kentucky with integrity” if elected. Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman joined Beshear in endorsing Noble.?

Lindstrom added that Turner and Suhr’s names will be on the ballot but any votes cast for them will not be counted. Local precincts should have signs saying votes for them will not count.?

The deadline to print ballots for the general election in Kentucky was Sept. 16.?

A ballot drop box at the library and recreation center in Wheaton, Maryland, on Oct. 6, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

As the United States continues to see election-related violence and lawsuits challenging voters’ eligibility, a democracy watchdog group is aiming to make sure voters are protected when casting their ballots.

A week ahead of the presidential election, in which Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are vying for the Oval Office, the nonpartisan group Common Cause is gathering volunteers across the country to assist Americans in voting without obstruction.

“Right now, we’re seeing litigation ranging from challenging voters’ eligibility, to challenging their completed ballots, challenging long-standing rules around elections, trying to purge voter rolls,” said Sylvia Albert, democracy and representation policy counsel for Common Cause, during a Tuesday media briefing.

“I think most important to know is that this close to an election, individuals cannot rewrite laws by whim or remove people from the voter rolls — there is clear law to protect voters from these kinds of attacks,” she added.

Albert said the organization is keeping an eye on all of the cases where voters’ eligibility or their completed ballots are being challenged and is “working with partners to ensure that somebody is always at the table to protect voters.”

“But, really, the message that we want to get across is that every eligible American should have the freedom to vote and to have their voice heard, and voters should rest assured that they should cast their ballot and know that it will be counted,” she said.

Common Cause state leaders in Florida, as well as in the swing states of North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, also shared some election protection efforts and what they are witnessing in terms of early voter turnout.

Virginia Kase Solomón, president and CEO of Common Cause, cited thousands of election protection volunteers who have signed up and said more are joining daily. The organization co-leads the Election Protection coalition.

“Our coalition is operating field programs in 42 states for the 2024 election,” she said, adding that “our election protection hotlines are open, and they are already assisting voters.” That number is 866-OUR-VOTE.

More than 51.3 million early votes were documented as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the University of Florida Election Lab’s early voting tracker.

Meanwhile, as fears of election-related violence in the U.S. persist, two ballot drop boxes were set ablaze this week in Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon — destroying hundreds of ballots — and authorities believe the incidents are likely connected.

Suzanne Almeida, director of state operations for Common Cause, said “we have not seen a trend coming out of the fires that we saw earlier … that there are ongoing attacks on ballot drop boxes.”

Almeida noted that “vote by mail is still incredibly secure” and “ballot drop boxes are still an incredibly valid way to return your ballot.”

“In fact, at this point in the election cycle, I would not recommend putting your ballot in the mail,” she said, urging people to instead use a ballot drop box or other ballot return system.

Almeida also recommends that any voter in Washington or Oregon who believes their ballot was affected by the fires should track their ballot online at the websites for their local and state elections officials.

“You should reach out to those elections officials and get a reissued ballot,” Almeida said. “We are in no way too late to get those ballots … voted and counted.”

The Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside Philadelphia City Council member Quetcy Lozada, right, and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker greets supporters at Freddy & Tony’s Restaurant, a locally owned Puerto Rican restaurant on Oct. 27, 2024 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ?(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris is slated to deliver what the campaign is calling her “closing argument” Tuesday night at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., as she aims to reach undecided voters in the final stretch of the presidential election.

Just a week out from Nov. 5, the Democratic presidential nominee will use her final pitch to voters to “turn the page” from former President Donald Trump, Harris campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said in a Tuesday morning call with reporters.

The Ellipse, a large grassy area just south of the White House, was the site of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, remarks urging his supporters to march on the U.S. Capitol.

Harris and Trump remain neck and neck in polling, both nationally and in swing states, in a race that could very well be decided by only a handful of voters across those battleground states.

In the press call, the Harris campaign previewed the contents of the veep’s highly anticipated speech, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people.

For many undecided voters or those who are “questioning whether or not it is worth it to engage in the election at all,” Harris’ speech is an “opportunity for the vice president to intimately speak directly to that segment of the electorate’s sense of frustration, their sense of exhaustion with the way that our politics have played out under the Trump era — and offer them directly a vision that something is different, that something different is possible,” said Michael Tyler, Harris campaign communications director.

The veep is set to focus on “what her new generation of leadership really means, and centering that around the American people, what they care about, and that she’s going to make clear that she’s committed to ensuring that their needs and priorities are her top priority,” said O’Malley Dillon, who noted that Harris will touch on her vision, values and plans.

“You’re going to hear her really speak to middle-class families and what they’re worried about, and what she’s going to do about it, and she is going to very much focus the speech on them, on the American people, unlike what we hear from Donald Trump, which is his focus on himself, and we know that that is a pretty stark contrast,” O’Malley Dillon added.

Harris campaign Co-Chair Cedric Richmond, a former Louisiana congressman, said the veep will “use the powerful symbolism of the location to remind Americans that Trump is someone so all-consumed by his grievances and his power and his endless desire for revenge that he is not focused on the needs of the American people.”

Meanwhile, the Trump campaign continues to face a backlash following comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s series of racist and vulgar remarks during a Sunday night rally at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, including calling Puerto Rico “a floating island of garbage.”

“I think just seeing what’s happened over the course of the last 48 hours, the growth of support in some of our targeted Puerto Rican community, and some of our battleground states, obviously we have strength there to come in, but we obviously have seen a lot of movement and growth over the course of the last several days based on the response to what happened with Trump’s event,” O’Malley Dillon said.

With Trump set to hold a Tuesday rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania — a city and state with large Puerto Rican populations — the Democratic National Committee is launching a new billboard campaign across the Keystone State underscoring Hinchcliffe’s remarks.

Catch up on States Newsroom election coverage from all 50 states.

This was the scene on a rainy primary Election Day in 2023 at Elkhorn Crossing School in Georgetown. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Abbey Cutrer)

Early voting for all registered voters will begin this week as a surge of Kentuckians participated in excused in-person absentee voting last week.?

Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams said in a post on X that 16,441 voters cast ballots last week during the first three days of in-person absentee voting, which is a 114% increase over the same period in 2022. Adams said those voters included 9,739 Republicans, 5,690 Democrats and 1,012 voters registered as “other.”

Three more days of excused in-person absentee voting continue through Wednesday.

No-excuse early voting begins Thursday, Oct. 31, and lasts through Saturday, Nov. 2. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 5.?

Voters will cast their ballots in a number of races, including elections for president, U.S. representatives, state legislators and many local offices. Kentucky voters will also consider two constitutional amendments, one that would bar those who are not U.S. citizens from voting in Kentucky elections and another that would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools.?

Early voting polling locations and hours vary by county. To find local information, visit the State Board of Elections’ website. Also listed are Election Day polling locations and drop box locations for returning mail absentee ballots.?

The deadline to request absentee ballots was Oct. 22. At the time, Adams said on X that 130,695 Kentuckians had requested a ballot.

“As absentee ballots generally make up 2%-4% of all ballots cast, this portends a massive overall turnout,” Adams said. “For the love of God, vote early.”?

During the 2020 presidential election, 658,000 voters requested an absentee ballot. That was amid the coronavirus pandemic and emergency regulations that expanded eligibility to vote by mail in Kentucky.?

As of Saturday, 56.49% of requested mail-in ballots had been returned to local county clerks’ offices, according to State Board of Elections data.?

In September, 24,536 Kentuckians registered to vote. The deadline to register for the general election was Oct. 7.

Kentucky has 1,649,657 registered Republicans, or 47% of the total number of registered voters. Democrats make up 43% of registered voters with 1,507,936 voters.

For more voting information, visit govote.ky.gov.?

A man participates in exit polling after voting in the South Carolina Republican presidential primary at Dreher High School on Feb. 24, 2024 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — A pro-democracy organization warned Monday that disinformation and violent rhetoric could make the weeks that follow Election Day especially fraught, pushing the country past the upheaval that arose four years ago during the last presidential transition.

The comments from three members of the Defend Democracy Project came just days before voting ends on Nov. 5, though with several races extremely close, the country may not know for days who won the presidential contest as well as control of Congress.

That could leave considerable space for speculation as state election workers count mail-in ballots and potentially undertake full recounts, similar to four years ago.

“I think the biggest vulnerability will continue to be the mis- and disinformation that will happen in the aftermath of the election,” said Olivia Troye, who previously worked for Vice President Mike Pence as a special adviser on homeland security and counterterrorism.

Troye raised concerns that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump may make false claims about election fraud and encourage violence similar to what took place on Jan. 6, 2021, should he lose the Electoral College again.

Troye referenced an election bulletin from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security she said cautioned that “candidates, elected officials, election workers, members of the media, judges involved in these cases” could all become targets of post-election violence.

“And they’re also concerned about the visible attacks and violence on polling places or ballot drop boxes,” Troye said, referencing the burning of ballots inside drop boxes in Oregon and Washington states early Monday morning.

Michael Podhorzer, chair of the Defend Democracy Project, said during the virtual briefing for reporters that one of the reasons many state officials didn’t go along with requests to “find votes” for Trump in the days following the 2020 election was because President Joe Biden had “two states to spare.”

“And that created a prisoner’s dilemma for every Republican election official who might have done the wrong thing,” Podhorzer said. “So if you take the call to (Georgia Secretary of State) Brad Raffensperger, he understood that even if he could find those votes that Trump wanted, unless two Democratic secretaries of state overturned their results, Donald Trump was not going back to the White House.

“And what that meant was that there wasn’t any single actor, in the way there was in 2000 in Florida, who could actually change the results of the election.”

That could be different this time, should Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris win by a small margin, potentially just one state’s Electoral College votes, he said.

Accepting the results

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released a survey Monday showing 86% of registered voters believe whoever loses the presidential election should accept the results, though just 33% expect Trump will concede if he fails to secure the votes needed to win the Electoral College.

About 77% of those surveyed expected Harris to accept the results should she lose the presidential race.

Anxiety about post-election violence was rather high among the registered voters surveyed, with 76% saying they are extremely or somewhat concerned about violent attempts to overturn the election results.

Eighty-two percent said they were at least somewhat concerned about “increased political violence directed at political figures or election officials.”

Voters are also worried about foreign interference in the elections, with 78% of the registered voters surveyed saying they are extremely or somewhat concerned about it “influencing what Americans think about political candidates.”

The co-chairs of Issue One’s National Council on Election Integrity —? former U.S. Reps. Barbara Comstock, R-Va., Donna Edwards, D-Md., Tim Roemer, D-Ind., and Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. — released a written statement Monday addressing a fake video produced by Russian actors about ballots in Pennsylvania. The statement also criticized a Maryland Republican congressman who said North Carolina should just give its Electoral College votes to Trump.

“Foreign adversaries are seeking to influence U.S. elections by sowing division and spreading false information to undermine confidence in our system of self-government,” the co-chairs wrote. “In addition, people who want to win at all costs continue to spread false claims about election integrity and may create chaos, delay results, and challenge the outcome of our fair electoral process.”

The four wrote the suggestions from Maryland Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the far-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus, that North Carolina simply grant its 15 Electoral College votes to Trump “before votes are counted are dangerous and against the rule of law.”

“By rejecting the so-called independent state legislature theory in Moore v. Harper, the Supreme Court affirmed that state legislatures do not have the power to replace the popular will with a slate of electors,” they wrote.

Issue One describes itself as a “crosspartisan” organization that works to “unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.”

GOP blowback on Puerto Rico insults at Trump rally

Democrats and Republicans united somewhat Monday to express anger about comments a comedian made about Puerto Rico during a Trump rally on Sunday at Madison Square Garden.

Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke in the hours leading up to Trump’s comments, called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.”

Hinchcliffe later said Latinos “love making babies” and made additional lewd comments.

Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Nanette Diaz Barragán, D-Calif., released a statement Monday calling the comments shameful and dangerous.

“This type of language emboldens prejudice, encourages violence, and undermines the values of unity and respect that our country is built on,” Barragán wrote. “It’s deeply troubling to see Republican leaders celebrate this rhetoric instead of promoting unity and truth.”

Vice President Harris told reporters traveling with her that the comedian’s comments were part of the reason voters are “exhausted” and “ready to turn the page” on Trump.

“It is absolutely something that is intended to, and is fanning the fuel of trying to divide our country,” Harris said.

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott posted on social media that the comedian’s comments about Puerto Rico were “not funny and it’s not true.”

“Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans! I’ve been to the island many times. It’s a beautiful place. Everyone should visit!” Scott wrote. “I will always do whatever I can to help any Puerto Rican in Florida or on the island.”

Florida Republican Rep. Carlos A. Giménez posted on social media that the comedian’s comments were “completely classless & in poor taste.”

“Puerto Rico is the crown jewel of the Caribbean & home to many of the most patriotic Americans I know,” Giménez wrote. “@TonyHinchcliffe clearly isn’t funny & definitely doesn’t reflect my values or those of the Republican Party.”

Puerto Rico’s delegate to the U.S. House, Jenniffer González-Colón, a Republican, called the comedian’s remarks “despicable, misguided, and revolting.”

“What he said is not funny; just as his comments were rejected by the audience, they should be rejected by all!” González-Colón wrote. “There can be no room for such vile and racist expressions. They do not represent the values of the GOP.”

Ariana Figueroa contributed to this report.?

The Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, speaks at a rally at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

NEW YORK? — Former President Donald Trump promised “America’s new golden age” of closed borders and world peace as he rallied a capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden in his home city in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential contest against Vice President Kamala Harris.

Trump headlined the over six-hour rally that featured nearly 30 speakers, some of whom insulted Latinos and attacked Democratic nominee Harris over her race, and he vowed “to make America great again, and it’s going to happen fast.”

“It is called America first, and it is going to happen as no one has ever seen before,” Trump said, adding “We will not be overrun, we will not be conquered. We will be a free and proud nation once again. Everyone will prosper.”

But the event also generated intense criticism from Democrats for remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke during the afternoon hours ahead of Trump and called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now.”

The joke could prove politically problematic for Republicans, who have been courting the Latino vote, and particularly in the swing state of Pennsylvania, where hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans live.

The United States is home to 5.6 million Puerto Ricans, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data, and about 8% of them live in Pennsylvania.

Hinchcliffe, who hosts a podcast called “Kill Tony,” also said Latinos “love making babies” and made a lewd joke about them.

Florida Republican U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, whose state is also home to hundreds of thousands of Puerto Ricans, on X wrote, “It’s not funny and it’s not true. Puerto Ricans are amazing people and amazing Americans!”

Democrats brought in U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who is Puerto Rican, and the vice presidential nominee, Tim Walz, to blast the joke. “When you have some a-hole calling Puerto Rico floating garbage … that’s what they think about anyone who makes less money than them,” she said.

Harris on Sunday in Philadelphia laid out a new policy proposal focused on Puerto Rico.

The former president’s 80-minute speech mostly featured his standard campaign promises and stories, though he added a proposal to his list of tax breaks — a benefit for those caring for sick or aging relatives in their homes. Harris also introduced a policy for at-home care for seniors earlier in October.

Trump repeated his popular pledges to “get transgender insanity the hell out of our schools,” “stop the invasion” at the border and restore peace to Ukraine and the Middle East, which he claims would have never become war-torn had he been in office.

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, told the crowd his time campaigning around the country for Trump has revealed “something very powerful out there happening among the base.”

“I’m telling you, there’s an energy out there that we have not seen before,” Johnson said.

NYC stop a detour

Trump held the rally nine days before polls close on Nov. 5. Nearly 42 million Americans have already voted early, in person or by mail, in more than two dozen states, according to the University of Florida Election Lab’s early voting tracker.

Trump’s New York stop detoured from the seven battleground states in this election’s spotlight — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. His campaign also announced on Sunday two upcoming stops in New Mexico and Virginia during the contest’s final week.

Still, both candidates once again hit Pennsylvania over the weekend, with Trump delivering remarks Saturday at Penn State University in State College, Pennsylvania, and Harris spending Sunday rallying a crowd in Philadelphia.

Harris spoke to the press in Philadelphia, a city she described as “a very important part of our path to victory.”

“I’m feeling very optimistic about the enthusiasm that is here and the commitment that folks of every background have to vote and to really invest in the future of our country,” Harris told reporters.

The vice president criticized Trump for using “dark and divisive language,” including his comments this week that America is the “garbage can of the world.”

“I think people are ready to turn the page,” she said.

Tucker Carlson goes after Harris

Numerous speakers attacked Harris’ record — a standard feature of political rallies — but some comments invoked her race. Trump’s childhood best friend, David Rem, clutched a crucifix and told the crowd Harris is the “antichrist.”

Conservative media personality Tucker Carlson described Harris as a “Samoan Malaysian low IQ former California prosecutor” as he was spinning a scenario in which the Democrats reflect on their candidate post-election.

“Donald Trump has made it possible for the rest of us to tell the truth about the world around us,” Carlson said earlier in his speech.

Harris’ mother was Indian, and her father is Jamaican. Trump has previously questioned her race during his interview with the National Association of Black Journalists.

Carlson, who was fired by Fox News in April 2023, accused Democrats of telling “lies,” and said in a mocking voice, “Jan. 6 was an insurrection, they were unarmed, but it was very insurrection-y.”

The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 by thousands of Trump supporters came after months of the former president refusing to concede the 2020 presidential election, which President Joe Biden won.

Twenty-eight speakers preceded Trump, beginning at just after 2 p.m. and holding court until the former president took the stage at 7:13 p.m. Trump’s wife, Melania, in a rare campaign rally appearance, introduced him and spoke briefly.

The lineup included the founder of Death Row Records, TV personality Dr. Phil and pro wrestling’s Hulk Hogan and Dana White — some of whom spoke at July’s four-day Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, whose super PAC has flooded more than $75 million into the campaign, was among the cast of speakers.

Musk told the crowd to vote early and that he wants to see a “massive crushing victory.”

“Make the margin of victory so big that you know what can’t happen,” he said, referring to debunked claims of voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

Focus on NYC

The day was heavy on the mystique of New York and Trump’s ties to it. New York City is not only where Trump grew up and followed his father’s path into real estate, but now also where he was convicted in May in a Manhattan court on 34 state felony counts for a hush money scheme involving a porn star.

A vendor hawking campaign gear to supporters waiting to enter Madison Square Garden Sunday morning advertised a hat that read “I’m voting for the convicted felon.”

Several speakers credited Trump with changing the New York City skyline. The 58-story Trump Tower stands on 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan, among his other real estate holdings on the island.

“New York City made Donald Trump, but Donald Trump also made New York City,” said Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law and co-chair of the Republican National Committee.

Howard Lutnick, chair and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and co-chair of the Trump campaign’s “transition team,” told the story of losing just over 650 of his employees in the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11, 2001 masterminded by known terrorist Osama bin Laden.

“We must elect Donald J. Trump president because we must crush jihad,” Lutnick said.

Lutnick bantered with Musk on stage, estimating the pair could possibly cut $2 trillion in federal spending under a second Trump administration. Trump has chosen the duo to lead a commission on government efficiency if elected.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who took a leading role in spreading Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election, received a standing ovation from the full arena.

He accused Biden and Harris of spreading “socialism, fascism and communism.”

Giuliani, a major player in Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 election, appeared at the rally just days after a federal judge in New York ordered him to surrender his apartment and valuables to election workers in Georgia whom he was found guilty of defaming.

Giuliani, along with a handful of other speakers, also implied that Democrats are responsible for the two assassination attempts on Trump.

“I’m not gonna do conspiracy,” Giuliani said, “but it’s funny that they tried to do everything else, and now they’re trying to kill him.”

The accusation was a theme throughout the daylong event. Speaker after speaker implied or outright blamed Democrats for the two attempts on Trump’s life, never mentioning the perpetrators. The gunman in the first attempt was killed by law enforcement, and the second, who never fired at Trump, has been charged in Florida; neither has been found to have ties to Democrats.

Trump focused some of his comments on New York City, referencing his childhood and adding that he felt sympathy for the city’s indicted Mayor Eric Adams.

The rally ended, not with Trump’s signature closer “YMCA” by the Village People, but with a live rendition of “New York, New York” by Christopher Macchio.

Voters make selections at their voting booths inside an early voting site on Oct. 17, 2024 in Hendersonville, North Carolina. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — As an exceedingly bitter, tight and dark campaign for the presidency moves into its last moments, apprehensive election officials and experts warn Election Day is only the first step.

The closing of the polls and end of mail-in voting kick off a nearly three-month process before the next president of the United States is sworn in on Inauguration Day in January. New guardrails were enacted by Congress in 2022 to more fully protect the presidential transition, following the Jan. 6, 2021 mob attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters and a failed scheme to install fake electors.

But even before that shift to a new chief executive begins, a presidential victor is unlikely to be announced election night or even the following day.

It’s a result that will possibly take days to determine, given tight margins expected in seven swing states. Officials needed four days to count all the votes to determine President Joe Biden the victor of the 2020 presidential election.

In states like Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the law does not allow that process to begin for millions of mail-in ballots until Election Day. Other states allow pre-processing of ballots.

Trey Grayson, Kentucky’s former Republican secretary of state, said ballot authentication could be on different timelines across the country after voting ends on Election Day.

“We have 50 states, plus D.C., that pretty much all do it differently,” Grayson, who served as president of the National Association of Secretaries of State, told reporters Friday on a call of bipartisan former state election officials who are working to explain the process to the public.

It could mean “in a very close election that we don’t know on election night who the president is or who controls the House or the Senate, but we should feel confident over the next couple of days, as we work through that, that we’re going to get there,” he said.

Lawsuits and potential recounts?

Those delays, which former President Donald Trump seized on to spread the baseless lie that the election was stolen from him, are expected again in November, especially as all eyes will be on the battleground states — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Additionally, there already are hundreds of pre-election lawsuits, mainly filed by Republicans, ranging from election integrity challenges to accusations of noncitizens allowed to vote in federal elections — something that rarely happens and is already illegal. The legal challenges could further spark delays.

“We will not have a winner on election night most likely and so we need to be able to prepare the public for this,” said Virginia Kase Solomón, the president and CEO of the democracy watchdog group Common Cause, during a Tuesday briefing.

She added that her organization will focus on combating misinformation and disinformation on election night and beyond.

“There is the potential that somebody could claim the win before … all of the votes have been counted,” she said.

In the early morning hours after Election Day in 2020, before results from key states were determined, Trump falsely claimed he won in an address at the White House.??

On top of that, experts say this year could see election denial erupting in countless courtrooms and meeting rooms in localities and the states, as well as across social media, if doubts are sown about the results.

Recounts could also delay an official election result, and the laws vary from state to state.

For example, in Pennsylvania, if a candidate demands a recount, three voters from each of the over 9,000 precincts have to petition for a recount.

“We’ve never seen that happen actually in Pennsylvania,” Kathy Boockvar, the commonwealth’s former Democratic secretary of state, said on Friday’s call with reporters.

An automatic statewide recount is triggered in Pennsylvania if there’s a difference of a half percent of all votes cast for the winner and loser. The final recount results, by law, are due to the secretary of state by Nov. 26, and results would be announced on Nov. 27, Boockvar said.

The margin in Pennsylvania’s 2020 results for the presidential election was between 1.1% and 1.2%, not enough to trigger the automatic recount, Boockvar said.

Taking out the shrubs

State election officials have been preparing for the past year to train poll workers to not only run the voting booths but for possible violence — a precaution put in place after the 2020 election — and have beefed up security around polling locations.

On Friday, Trump posted on X that the election “will be under the closest professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those people that CHEATED will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law, which will include long term prison sentences so that this Depravity of Justice does not happen again.”

A reporter asked Grayson about the possibility of aggression from poll watchers. The Republican National Committee announced in April a “historic move to safeguard the integrity of the electoral process,” establishing party-led trainings for poll watchers.

Poll watchers are not a new concept, and Grayson said clear “safeguards” are in place.

“If you’re intimidating, you’re gone. There’s clear laws in every state on that,” he said.

Celestine Jeffreys, the city clerk in Green Bay, Wisconsin, said during a Wednesday roundtable with election workers that the city has an Election Day protocol in place that includes everything from blocking off streets to City Hall to getting rid of shrubbery.

“We have actually removed bushes in front of City Hall” to ensure no one can be concealed behind them, she said.?In the second assassination attempt on Trump earlier this year, a gunman hid in bushes outside Trump’s private golf course.

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver said during a Tuesday briefing she is focused on the physical safety of election officials.

During the event with the National Association of Secretaries of State, she said such safety is not only a priority during voting but when officials move to certify the state’s election results in December.

“We have all been spending a lot more time on physical security and making sure that our election officials at all levels are more physically secure this year,” Toulouse Oliver said. “And of course, you know when our electors meet in our states, you know, ensuring for the physical security of that process and those individuals as well.”

On Dec. 17, each state’s electors will meet to vote for the president and vice president. Congress will vote to certify the results on Jan. 6.

“We are thinking a lot more about this in 2024 than we did in 2020, but I think that each one of us… have a playbook in mind for how to handle any unanticipated eventualities in the certification process,” she said.

It’s a security precaution that the U.S. Secret Service is also taking.

For the first time, Congress’ certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 has been designated a National Special Security Event, something that is usually reserved for Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

The 2020 experience

In 2020, The Associated Press did not call the presidential election for Biden until 11:26 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 7 — roughly three-and-a-half days after polls closed. The AP, as well as other media organizations, project election winners after local officials make initial tabulations public.

Those tallies are then canvassed, audited and certified, according to each state’s legal timeline. Recounts may also extend the timeline before final certification.

The vote totals reported in Pennsylvania — a state that carried 20 Electoral College votes in 2020 — put Biden over the top for the 270 needed to win the presidency.

Trump refused to concede the race, and instead promised to take his fight to court.

For the next two months, Trump and his surrogates filed just over 60 lawsuits challenging the results in numerous states. Ultimately none of the judges found evidence of widespread voter fraud.

The next step was for Congress to count each state’s certified slate of electors, which by law, it must do on the Jan. 6 following a presidential election.

However, in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, Trump and his private lawyers worked to replace legitimate slates of electors with fake ones, according to hundreds of pages of records compiled by a special congressional investigation, and by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Trump pressured then-Vice President Mike Pence to block ratification of the Electoral College’s vote at the Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, because the vice president’s role in the certification of electoral votes was not exactly clear in the Electoral Count Act of 1887.

Pence ultimately refused.

Thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 following a “Stop the Steal” rally at The Ellipse park, south of the White House, where Trump told the crowd “We will never concede.”

The mob assaulted police officers, broke windows to climb inside and hurled violent threats aimed at elected officials, including the desire to “hang” Pence. More than 1,500 defendants have been charged by the Department of Justice.

Congress stopped its process of reviewing the state electors in the 2 p.m. Eastern hour as police ushered the lawmakers to safety. The joint session resumed at roughly 11:30 p.m., and Pence called the majority of electoral votes for Biden at nearly 4 a.m. on Jan. 7.

New law on presidential transition

To deter another Jan. 6 insurrection, Congress passed the Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transitional Improvement Act of 2022 as part of a massive appropriations bill.

The Electoral Count Reform Act codifies into law that the vice president, who also serves as the president of the U.S. Senate, only ceremoniously reads aloud a roll call of the votes.

Most notably, the provision raises the threshold for lawmakers to make an objection to electors. Previously, only one U.S. House representative and one U.S. senator would need to make an objection to an elector or slate of electors.

But under the new law, it would take one-fifth of members to lodge an objection and under very specific standards — 87 House members and 20 senators.

The Electoral Count Reform Act also identifies that each state’s governor is the official responsible for submitting the state’s official document that identifies the state’s appointed electors, and says that Congress cannot accept that document from any official besides the governor, unless otherwise specified by the state’s law.

Trump and his allies tried to replace legitimate slates of electors in several states with fake electors who would cast ballots for Trump.

The Presidential Transitional Improvement Act provides candidates with funding and resources for transitional planning, even if a candidate has not conceded after the election.

There are already issues with the transition of power. The top Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, sent a Wednesday letter to Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, urging them to sign documents to ensure a peaceful transition of power.

“With fewer than three weeks left until an election in which the American people will select a new President of the United States, I urge you to put the public’s interest in maintaining a properly functioning government above any personal financial or political interests you may perceive in boycotting the official transition law and process,” Raskin wrote.

Denial expected at all levels of government

Experts warn the effort to delay certification of the vote is largely being fought at the local and state levels, and that several groups are gearing up to sow doubt in the election outcome.

Devin Burghart, president of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, said on a press call Wednesday that since 2020, “election denial has shifted away from the capital to county election commission meetings, courtrooms, cyber symposiums and countless conspiracies in preparation for a repeat this November.”

“This time, the baseless claim that undocumented immigrants are somehow swamping the polls has fueled the ‘big lie’ machine,” Burghart said.

Kim Wyman, the former Washington state secretary of state, said the noncitizen topic is not new.

“I’d like to level set and remind everyone that it’s been illegal at the federal level since 1996 and you know, when you think back on 2002 the?Help America Vote Act?basically required voters to provide ID when they register, which is usually a driver’s license or a Social Security number, and states are checking that data against the DMV database. And these protections are enormously successful,” said Wyman.

In two high-profile cases, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Republican-led efforts in Alabama and Virginia to purge voter rolls after alleging thousands of noncitizens were registered to vote. Both states were ordered to stop the programs and reinstate voters – though Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin promised Friday to appeal and even escalate to the Supreme Court.

In Georgia, the state’s Supreme Court delayed new rules until after this election that would have required three poll workers at every precinct to count ballots by hand once the polls closed — essentially delaying unofficial election results.

More than 165 electoral process lawsuits across 37 states have been filed by both parties since 2023 leading up to the 2024 presidential election, according to a survey by Bloomberg of pre-election cases. The journalists found that more than half the cases have been filed in swing states, and challenge almost every facet of the voting process, from absentee voting, to voter roll management, voter eligibility and vote certification.

Republican and conservative groups have filed roughly 55% of the lawsuits, mostly aimed at narrowing who can vote, and overall most of the cases were filed in August and September, according to the analysis.

Courts threw out dozens of lawsuits claiming voter fraud in 2020.

Mai Ratakonda, senior counsel at States United Democracy Center, said anti-democracy groups have used litigation “to legitimize their efforts to sow doubt in our election system.”

“We’ve unfortunately continued to see this trend of filing lawsuits to bolster and legitimize narratives that our elections are insecure and laying the groundwork to contest results later,” Ratakonda told reporters on a press call Wednesday hosted by the organization, whose stated mission is to protect nonpartisan election administration.

This report has been updated to reflect that former Washington state Secretary of State Kim Wyman made the comment that noncitizen voting has been illegal at the federal level since 1996.

Beyoncé takes part in a campaign rally focused on reproductive rights with the Democratic presidential candidate, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, at Shell Energy Stadium on Oct. 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris appeared alongside superstar performer Beyoncé on Friday night to encourage voter turnout and reinforce the differences between the two parties on reproductive rights, with just days to go before voting ends.

The rally at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas, followed months of speculation about whether Beyoncé would support Vice President Harris publicly ahead of the Nov. 5 presidential election. The two-hour event featured other celebrities, including Willie Nelson and Jessica Alba, as well as women detailing being denied medical care for pregnancy complications in Texas after its abortion ban went into effect.

Beyoncé, who has won more than 30 Grammy Awards as well as hundreds of others throughout her career, said casting a vote is “one of the most valuable tools” that Americans have to decide the future of the country.

“We are at the precipice of an incredible shift, the brink of history,” Beyoncé said, adding that she wasn’t speaking at the rally as a celebrity or a politician.

“I’m here as a mother,” she said. “A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies.”

‘Horrific reality’

Harris, who is locked in an extremely close race with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, said abortion bans and restrictions implemented during the last two years have been “devastating.”

“We see the horrific reality that women and families face every single day,” Harris said. “The stories are vivid, they are difficult to hear, they are difficult to tell.”

Harris said there are also many stories that women and their families won’t discuss in public about challenges they’ve faced with access to medical care during pregnancy complications.

“An untold number of women and the people who love them, who are silently suffering — women who are being made to feel as though they did something wrong, as though they are criminals, as though they are alone,” Harris said. “And to those women. I say — and I think I speak on behalf of all of us — we see you and we are here with you.”

Harris said if voters give Trump another four years in the Oval Office, he will likely nominate more justices to the Supreme Court, which she argued would have a negative impact on the country.

“If he were reelected, he’d probably get to appoint one, if not two, members to the United States Supreme Court,” Harris said. “At which point Donald Trump will have packed the court with five out of nine justices … who will sit for lifetime appointments; shaping your lives and the lives of generations to come.”

Texas has one of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws, which has led to concerns about its OB-GYN workforce, how the state addresses maternal mortality and testimony before Congress about women having to leave the state to get care for pregnancy complications.

Texas is also where anti-abortion organizations decided to file a federal lawsuit in November 2022 challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2000 approval of medication abortion.

The two-drug regimen, consisting of mifepristone and misoprostol, is currently approved for up to 10 weeks gestation and is used in about 63% of abortions nationwide, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.

The case made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled earlier this year the organizations lacked standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place, but the justices didn’t address the merits of the anti-abortion groups’ arguments.

Speaking at ‘ground zero’

Harris told reporters on Friday before the rally began that Republican lawmakers in Texas have made the state “ground zero in this fundamental fight for the freedom of women to make decisions about their own body.”

Harris contended that access to reproductive rights, including abortion, is “not just a political debate” or “some theoretical concept.”

“Real harm has occurred in this country, real suffering has occurred,” Harris told reporters. “People die, and it is important to highlight this issue because this is among the most critical issues that the American people will address when they vote for who will be the next president of the United States.”

During Trump’s first term in office, he nominated three Supreme Court justices, who later joined with other conservatives to overturn the constitutional right to abortion established in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case.

The Supreme Court’s ruling two years ago sent “the authority to regulate abortion … to the people and their elected representatives.”

That has led to a hodgepodge of laws with 13 states banning abortion, six states restricting access between six and 12 weeks, five states setting a gestational limit between 15 and 22 weeks, 17 states restricting abortion access after viability and nine states not setting a gestational limit, according to KFF.

Polls find support for abortion access

Public support for abortion access has outpaced support for restricting access for decades, according to consistent polling from the Pew Research Center.

The most recent survey from May shows that about 63% of Americans want abortion to be legal in most or all cases, while 36% said they believe it should be illegal in most or all cases.

Additional surveying from Pew shows that 67% of Harris supporters believe abortion access is “very important — nearly double the share of Biden voters who said this four years ago, though somewhat lower than the share of midterm Democratic voters who said this in 2022 (74%).

“And about a third of Trump supporters (35%) now say abortion is very important to their vote — 11 points lower than in 2020.”

In addition to playing some role in the presidential election, voters in 10 states — Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York and South Dakota — will weigh in on abortion access directly through ballot questions.

Congress could supersede any protections or restrictions on abortion access established within states, if the House and Senate ever agree on legislation and a future president signs it into law.

Republicans are slightly favored to gain control of the Senate for the next two years following the election, while control of the House is considered a toss-up, as is the presidential race.

Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump attacked rival Vice President Kamala Harris over immigration policy in Austin, Texas, on Friday, Oct. 25, 2024. In this photo, Trump looks on during a campaign event on Dec. 19, 2023 in Waterloo, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump in Austin, Texas, on Friday attacked Vice President Kamala Harris over her approach to immigration and border security, while echoing several false claims.

The respective GOP and Democratic presidential candidates spent one of the final days leading up to the election in the heavily red Lone Star State — not regarded as a battleground in the presidential race — at dueling campaign events.

Polling continues to depict the two in a deadlock nationally, as Nov. 5 rapidly approaches.

While Trump focused on the border and crime, Harris was slated to speak in Houston on Friday night underlining her support for reproductive rights — a key issue for Democrats — in a state with one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.

“We’re here today in the great state of Texas … which, under Kamala Harris, has been turned into ground zero for the largest border invasion in the history of the world,” Trump said during a campaign stop at an airplane hangar.

Trump baselessly claimed that “over the past four years, this state has become Kamala’s staging ground to import her army of migrant gangs and illegal alien criminals into every state in America.”

The former president also knocked Harris’ actions surrounding border security, calling her approach “cruel,” “vile” and “absolutely heartless.”

He also again incorrectly dubbed Harris “border czar.” President Joe Biden tasked Harris with addressing the “root causes” of migration in Central America in 2021, but he never gave her the title of “border czar.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security heads border security.

Trump also echoed his recent rhetoric, saying the U.S. is “like a garbage can for the rest of the world to dump the people that they don’t want.”

Speaking to reporters in Houston on Friday, Harris said this rhetoric is “just another example of how he really belittles our country.”

“The president of the United States should be someone who elevates discourse and talks about the best of who we are and invests in the best of who we are, not someone like Donald Trump, who’s constantly demeaning and belittling who the American people are,” Harris said.

Trump also reiterated his commitment, if reelected, to launching “the largest deportation program in American history” immediately upon taking the oath of office.

“We have to get all of these criminals, these murderers and drug dealers and everything — we’re getting them out, and we’ll put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail or kick them the hell out of our country, and we’ll get them out,” he said.

Vance in Michigan?

During a NewsNation town hall in Michigan on Thursday, Trump’s running mate, Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance, fielded a series of questions on topics such as immigration, housing and abortion.

One of those questions came from Trump himself.

“How brilliant is Donald J. Trump?” the former president asked Vance over the phone.

Laughing, Vance replied: “Well, first of all, sir, this is supposed to be undecided voters — I would hope that I have your vote, of all people but … sir, of course, you’re very brilliant.”

The Ohio Republican proceeded to talk about his wife, Usha, and Trump speaking with each other.

Trump, who said he watched the CNN town hall with Harris the night prior, then asked Vance: “How brilliant is Kamala?”

“That’s a very tough one, sir,” Vance said. “I’m supposed to say something,” he added, hesitating.

Vance also defended the baseless claims he’s amplified in recent weeks regarding legal Haitian migrants eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Ohio.

“Well, what I said then, and I’ll say now is, you’re hearing a lot of things from your constituents. They’re telling you things, and I think it’s important for me to listen to the people that are coming to me with their problems,” Vance said.

“Now, do I think that the media certainly got distracted on the housing crisis and the health crisis and the crisis in the public schools by focusing on the ‘eating the dogs and the cats’ things? Yeah, I do, and do I wish that I had been better in that moment? Maybe,” he said.

“But it’s also people in my community, people that I represent, are coming to me and saying, this thing is happening. What am I supposed to do? Hang up the phone and tell them they’re a liar because the media doesn’t want me to talk about it?”

The debunked claims surrounding legal Haitian migrants have prompted a series of bomb threats and closures in Springfield.

People cast their votes on the first day of early voting at East Point First Mallalieu United Methodist Church on Oct. 15, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Nearly 30 million Americans by Thursday had cast their ballots ahead of Election Day, with 13 million choosing to vote in person at early voting centers and another 17 million submitting mail-in ballots, according to data from the University of Florida’s election lab.

The total number of early votes is expected to increase significantly in the days leading up to Election Day on Nov. 5.

Voters will determine whether Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris or Republican candidate Donald Trump occupies the Oval Office for the next four years. On the national level, they’ll also decide which political party controls the U.S. House and U.S. Senate for the next two years.

The nonpartisan Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics say the presidential race is still very much up for grabs, rating the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin as toss-ups.

Early voting is higher in several of those purple states than some of their counterparts, according to data from the University of Florida’s election lab.

Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia have each received at least 1.2 million early ballots, while California, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas have all received at least 2 million early votes.

The University of Florida data shows that among states that disclose party breakdowns, Democrats have cast nearly 42% of ballots while Republicans have submitted 35% and other voters have sent in about 23%.

U.S. House control up in the air

Sabato’s Crystal Ball projects that Republicans are at least slightly favored to win 212 House seats, with Democrats holding onto at least 209 seats in that chamber. Another 14 races are rated as toss-ups, meaning control of the chamber is still far from decided.

“Overall, our ratings show just 7 Republican-held Toss-ups and 7 Democratic-held Toss-ups, for 14 total,” Managing Editor Kyle Kondik and Associate Editor J. Miles Coleman wrote in the latest update, released Thursday morning.

“Splitting the Toss-ups down the middle would produce a 219-216 Republican House, so the ratings technically have the Republicans very narrowly ahead—but neither side is favored in the race for the House majority, even at this late stage,” they wrote.

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairwoman Suzan DelBene of Washington state told reporters Thursday the organization has several voter protection efforts underway to ensure Americans who want to vote have an opportunity to do so.

Those efforts won’t stop when the polls close on Election Day, but will continue as absentee ballots are counted, she said in a virtual meeting with the Regional Reporters Association.

“So this is obviously a priority for us, and some of these races are very, very close, so we want to make sure we’re there to help make sure ballots are counted across the country,” DelBene said.

Control of the House might not be announced on election night, or for several days afterward. It took more than a week after the 2022 midterm elections before The Associated Press called control for the GOP.

U.S. Senate tilts toward GOP

The Senate is leaning slightly toward Republican control, with GOP candidates on track to pick up seats in West Virginia and Montana.

Sabato’s has, however, moved Nebraska’s rating from likely Republican to leans Republican, “as the Republican cavalry has had to ride in to help” incumbent GOP Sen. Deb Fischer maintain her seat against independent challenger Dan Osborn.

“Unlike Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL), the only other two GOP incumbents in races that we rate as something other than Safe Republican, Fischer has, arguably, never had to run in a legitimately competitive statewide general election,” Kondik and Coleman wrote.

Early in-person voting as well as who is eligible for mail-in ballots is determined by each state, meaning when and where voters can cast early ballots varies considerably.

All states are required to host in-person voting on Election Day, scheduled for Nov. 5. More information about voting can be found here.

Abortion rights activists rally in protest against six-week abortion bill at the old Florida Historic Capitol on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Briana Michel/Florida Phoenix)

Dr. Cherise Felix says a recent patient yelled and swore at her before eventually hugging her, grateful she would no longer have to carry the planned-for baby that had died inside her.

Felix provides abortions at Planned Parenthood clinics in Florida, which on May 1 banned abortion at six weeks’ gestation. She was able to see this patient, who was about 17 weeks pregnant, because of the abortion law’s limited health exceptions. But before coming to the clinic, the miscarrying patient was turned away by another OB-GYN, something Felix said happens regularly since the ban.

“They’re having to walk around with these deceased pregnancies, and they were wanted pregnancies, but their physicians aren’t comfortable treating them because the laws are so precarious and they’re always changing,” Felix told States Newsroom.

She is among many doctors in Florida who say the six-week ban has disrupted reproductive health care and among more than 850 doctors who this week endorsed a citizen-led ballot initiative to restore abortion rights. If it receives 60% of the vote, Amendment 4 would legalize abortion until fetal viability, and after for fetal and maternal health issues.

But if it fails, advocates predict reproductive health access will further decline throughout the Southeast, which depended on Florida for access after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. The solid wall of abortion bans in the South includes near-total bans in Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia; six-week bans in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina; and a 12-week ban in North Carolina.

“I’m hopeful that it passes — 60% is a lot to hope for, but I think the alternative is scarier,” Felix said. “If you allow government interference into your exam room, it’s not just going to stop with this one thing. … It starts creeping into those people who never thought they’d be at Planned Parenthood … but it starts to spread into other areas of health care.”

How reproductive access has already changed in Florida and beyond

OB-GYNs and hospitals remain confused and scared about Florida’s abortion ban, despite guidelines from the health department saying it does not preclude miscarriage management or the treatment of specific conditions.

On a recent press call organized by Floridians Protecting Freedom, which is leading the Yes on 4 campaign, Miami-based OB-GYN Dr. Chelsea Daniels said she recently saw a patient who was eight weeks pregnant and had four ultrasounds from four different doctors all showing her pregnancy was not growing, but they still wouldn’t perform the abortion.

“She needed an abortion because each passing day put her at increased risk of infection and bleeding,” said Daniels, who works for Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida. “I understand why these four other doctors turned her away. They were afraid. The exception criteria are so narrow that they can’t possibly address every single case. So if a doctor gets audited and the state challenges their judgment, they could be fined, lose their license, and sent to jail. This case was medically very clear, but legally murky.”

Felix came to work for the same affiliate as Daniels from Tennessee, which banned abortion in 2022. She told States Newsroom it’s been a full-circle career moment, having slowly watched the politicization of routine miscarriage procedures like dilation and curettage, a common method of clearing a patient’s uterus when the body has not expelled all the fetal tissue. She said that when she first became an OB-GYN and was working at a hospital, miscarriage management was provided in the hospital, then with ethics committee support, then referred out to high-risk specialists, and, in her recent experience, sequestered to abortion clinics.

“Miscarriage management is still management of abortion,” Felix said. “It’s just a spontaneous abortion. So that code gets submitted to insurance companies; it raises flags.”

Providers told States Newsroom they are also turning away many patients who are seeking to end their pregnancies after six weeks, which is before many people realize they are pregnant. Planned Parenthood and independent abortion clinics in Florida have developed systems to help coordinate patients with clinics in other states, which typically involves complex variables that lead patients to all corners of the U.S.

Daniels told States Newsroom she travels to Virginia and Maryland most weekends to perform abortions, where many of her patients end up being from Florida.

“I was just there over the weekend, and the number of Floridians I saw, where I’m here in Miami, and they’re coming from Fort Lauderdale, and we both had to travel 1,200 miles to be able to both provide and receive care, when in reality we live and work down the road from each other,” Daniels said. “It feels like a farce, like it’s hard to believe that this is the world that we live in.”

Daniels believes many people are continuing pregnancies they wanted to end, and says no single state would be able to accommodate the nearly 100,000 patients that had abortions in Florida in 2023. Many people can’t travel because they lack time off, child care, and money, and abortion funds have been drying up. Some people turn to online abortion-pill websites, like Aid Access, whose founder, Dr. Rebecca Gomperts, told States Newsroom they have been averaging 700 medication abortion regimens sent to Floridians each month since the ban went into effect, a slight decline from prior months.

Planned Parenthood clinics have so far been able to stay open in Florida, pivoting to other essential reproductive health care. But some independent abortion clinics hanging on until November say they might have to shutter, which would likely further reduce access to the limited types of abortion care that are still permitted under Florida law.

Amber Gavin, vice president of advocacy and operations at A Woman’s Choice clinics, said their Jacksonville clinic has been seeing only about a third of the patients they were seeing before the ban and that they’ve been referring many Florida patients to their North Carolina and Virginia locations. Before the ban, she said the clinic was seeing patients from all over, but especially Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

She told States Newsroom A Woman’s Choice has been encouraging patients to vote for Amendment 4 because she’s not sure the clinic can stay open if it fails, given their declining revenue.

“Our staff is doing everything they can, but it’s really taxing and demoralizing to have to turn patients away or tell them that we don’t have funding,” Gavin said.

Hurdles to restoring abortion access

To succeed, Florida’s Amendment 4 will need to clear a super-majority of the vote, the highest threshold for an abortion-rights ballot measure to date. Floridians Protecting Freedom additionally faces mounting opposition from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration that includes trying to force a terminal cancer patient’s story off the airwaves and launching a voter-fraud investigation that has fueled a lawsuit from anti-abortion advocates to kick the amendment off the ballot, even as Floridians have already begun casting votes. Recent surveys have found the amendment polling at 60%, but others have it falling short.

The leaders of the abortion-rights ballot effort — who say they’ve so far raised $90 million — see a path to victory despite these many obstacles, which also include two recent hurricanes. The campaign has intentionally made its messaging nonpartisan, acknowledging the need to win over supporters of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in order to get the necessary 60% of the vote. At a recent press conference sponsored by the Fairness Project, which committed $30 million this cycle to support abortion-rights ballot measure campaigns across the nation, Floridians Protecting Freedom campaign director Lauren Brenzel objected to the idea of the state’s amendment being a turnout mechanism for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and down-ballot campaigns.

“We have an abortion ban that will stay in effect for decades to come if we don’t end it this November,” Brenzel said. “[The amendment] has no relation to any other race. It’s because policy is failing the people of Florida right now.”

Anti-abortion advocates leading the vastly outspent Vote No on 4 campaign have tried to mobilize religious Floridians against the proposed amendment, which would limit abortion at viability, the imprecise moment when a growing fetus can survive outside the uterus, estimated at 24 weeks. The anti-abortion campaign argues that the amendment’s unspecified cutoff and broad health exceptions could lead to “unlimited” abortions.

In full, the amendment reads: “No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider.”

The Vote No on 4 campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Soon after Yes on 4’s “Caroline” ad first aired on Oct. 1, the Florida Department of Health sent cease-and-desist letters to local television stations, calling it “categorically false” and threatening to criminally charge broadcasters who continued playing the ad. In it, a 40-year-old Tampa mom of a 4-year-old recounts discovering late-stage brain cancer while about 17 weeks pregnant with her second child in April 2022. Doctors gave her a year to live with aggressive treatment but very little time if she remained pregnant. Caroline, who asked not to use her last name to protect her privacy, credits surpassing her one-year prognosis with the abortion she says she wouldn’t have been able to get today.

“When I had mine, I said to my husband, ‘Could you imagine if we lived in a state that didn’t offer this?’” Caroline told States Newsroom. “I was in the ICU. I wasn’t able to fly; I wasn’t able to drive. And then after that is when everything fell apart in Florida. It’s just been very eye-opening for me that it could be that cruel.”

The state has argued that Caroline’s situation would not have been precluded under the ban. But doctors have reported that the law is difficult for hospitals to interpret and requires extra consultations that take time patients might not have. The state surgeon general’s cease-and-desist letters asserted that the two-physician requirement “is waived in the case of an emergency medical procedure.” But many doctors say it’s unclear what would count as an emergency medical procedure. The federal lawsuit that the abortion-rights ballot organizers filed against the state health department to stop threatening broadcasters includes an affidavit from an OB-GYN and maternal health specialist who says she wouldn’t have given Caroline the abortion in Florida.

“While the termination was medically necessary because the cancer was terminal, the abortion would not have saved the patient’s life and therefore could be illegal under Florida law,” wrote Dr. Shelly Hsiao-Ying Tien, who practices at Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida and at Genesis Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Tucson, Arizona.

A federal judge last week temporarily barred the DeSantis administration from coercing television stations to stop airing the ads. Court records show that the DeSantis administration was directly behind the effort threatening the broadcasters with criminal charges. Caroline told States Newsroom she wants to “use my voice while I have it,” noting she temporarily lost the ability to speak when she was first diagnosed with brain cancer.

“That was one of the first things that I lost in this diagnosis, and luckily I have it again, for now,” Caroline said. “I want to do this for my daughter, so that she can have the same rights as me and my mother, and for all the cancer patients that are diagnosed. For everyone.”

Annar Parikh, a field manager with the civic engagement group North Carolina Asian Americans Together, knocks on a door of a residence in Wake County, North Carolina, on Sept. 28, 2024. No one answers, so she leaves voting information by the door. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

DURHAM, N.C. — As a weekend morning in late September dips into the afternoon, Annar Parikh finally gets an eligible voter to answer the door.

After Parikh gives a rundown of some of the local candidates in North Carolina’s election, she asks the woman if she plans to vote in the presidential election.

“It’s personal,” the woman says before closing the door.

The 26-year-old marks the house in a voter database for North Carolina Asian Americans Together, a nonpartisan organization that focuses on voter registration in the Asian American community.

“This is typical for our community,” Parikh, a field manager for NCAAT, says while peeling a clementine, recounting how difficult it can be sometimes to reach voters in the swing state.

There are more than 360,000 Asian Americans in North Carolina. Indian Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the state, with a population of nearly 110,000.

The voters Parikh is trying to reach are prized by the presidential campaigns. In an election that is virtually a dead heat, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is working to tap into the two of the fastest-growing voting blocs in the United States — Asian Americans and Latinos, especially in the seven swing states.

Asian Americans have gotten relatively little attention in the presidential campaign and Harris herself has not greatly emphasized her South Asian background — her mother was an Indian immigrant and Harris if elected would be the first president of South Asian descent.

“My challenge is the challenge of making sure I can talk with and listen to as many voters as possible and earn their vote, and I will never assume that anyone in our country should elect a leader based on their gender or their race,” Harris said in a Monday night interview with NBC News, when asked if sexism is a factor in the race.

While Republican nominee Donald Trump has held events with Latino voters, one of his first big appeals to Asian American voters will be Thursday in a Turning Point PAC event with former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii in Nevada.

Targeting communities

Also Thursday, the Democratic National Committee launched a voting media campaign across the country to engage with Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. The campaign will provide information about polling locations and multilingual advertisements in Florida, Texas and New York.

About 15 million Asian Americans are eligible to vote in this presidential election, a 15% increase in eligible voters from 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.?

An estimated 36.2 million Latinos are eligible to vote this year, a 12% increase in eligible voters from 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.?

The Harris campaign has launched targeted ads for Asian American voters in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin that focus on her economic proposals.

The campaign also released an ad specific to the battleground state of Nevada featuring Asian American small business owners. Nevada is a swing state with one of the largest shares of the Asian American population in the country, at 11%. President Joe Biden won the state in 2020 with a little over 33,000 votes.

The Harris campaign has also launched a WhatsApp outreach effort in the Latino community and on Tuesday unveiled an “opportunity agenda for Latino men.”

Grassroot campaigns reflecting Asian American voting blocs have also emerged on behalf of Harris, such as South Asians for Harris, Chinese Americans for Harris, Korean Americans for Harris, Latinas for Harris and Latino Men for Harris.

Getting voters to the polls

On-the-ground efforts like voter registration and voter mobilization can be a huge effort in a tight presidential race.

“The cause of the low rate of voter registration is the same cause of the low level of information around voting, so we want to make sure we’re not just registering people, we’re also talking to them about how the process of voting works, where they can vote, how they can vote early,” said Jack Golub, the North Carolina community engagement program manager for the Hispanic Federation, a group that does civic engagement in the Latino community.

Nationally, the voting registration gap for Latinos — the difference between those eligible to vote who have registered and those who have not registered — is about 13.2 million, which is based on the most recent data from 2022 from UNIDOS, a Latino advocacy organization.?

The Trump campaign has largely focused on trying to make inroads with Latino voters through roundtable discussions with leaders as well as a town hall hosted by Univision for undecided Latino voters. Separately, Harris also took part in a Univision town hall with undecided Latino voters.

A Monday poll showed that Harris continues to outperform Trump among Latino voters in the battlegrounds of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

When it comes to Asian American voters and Trump, his rhetoric during his first term around the coronavirus and linking it to China could have fueled anti-Asian sentiment among Trump voters, a study shows.?

But Steven Cheung, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, said in a statement to States Newsroom that the former president is an advocate for the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and has “created an environment where diversity, equal opportunity, and prosperity were afforded to everybody.”

“Anyone who says otherwise is disgustingly using the AAPI community to play political games for their own benefit,” Cheung said. “The 2024 campaign is poised to build upon the strength and successes of Asian Americans during President Trump’s first term to propel him to a … second term victory.”

It comes down to policy

With Harris at the top of the Democratic presidential ticket after Biden’s withdrawal last summer, more Asian American voters are planning to support her compared to when Biden was in the race, according to a comprehensive survey by AAPIVote and AAPI Data.?

The late September survey also said 66% of Asian American voters said they plan on voting for Harris, compared to 28% of Asian American voters who said they would vote for Trump. About 6% were undecided.

Chintan Patel, the executive director of Indian American Impact, said that while he has noticed an enthusiasm for Harris leading the presidential ticket, it still comes down to policy, specifically the economy, for the South Asian community.

“Yes, the community is excited about the opportunity to elect a South Asian president, there’s no question, but we’re also looking for, what are her plans?” he said.

His organization focuses on electing Indian Americans and has backed Harris.

“One of the things that I think is really resonating with the community is her plans around the economy, creating an opportunity economy, particularly helping small businesses,” Patel said. “Small businesses have been such a vital, important part of mobility for South Asian Americans, particularly the immigrant story, the first generation story, that is how we have seen mobility.”

Harris often talks of her late mother’s roots. But that seems to have little sway in some parts of North Carolina’s South Asian community — a surprise to Eva Eapen, an 18-year-old canvasser for NCAAT.

Eapen, a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said she expected to see more excitement in the South Asian community when Harris picked up the torch for Democrats as the presidential nominee.

“I don’t know if it’s lack of engagement. I don’t know if it’s lack of information. I don’t know if it’s lack of mobilization, but they don’t really care,” she said. “Maybe it’s more policy over nationality as Hindi?”

Several South Asian voters who States Newsroom spoke with in North Carolina made similar remarks. The fact that the Democratic presidential nominee was South Asian didn’t guarantee their vote and they instead expressed concern over the cost of living and the economy.

Ikamjit Gill, 28, said the biggest issues getting him to the polls are inflation and the economy.

“It’s not a big thing for me,” Gill said of Harris’ background.

Gill said he’s a registered Democrat and voted for Biden in 2020, but this year he’s considering voting for Trump. He said he was laid off from his tech job under the Biden administration and got his first job under the Trump administration.

“I’ve been out of a job for a while,” he said. “I just want some change.”

Vishal Ohir, 47, of Wake County, North Carolina, said he was initially leaning toward voting for Trump, but was impressed by Harris during the presidential debate in September. He liked her detailed plans around housing and the economy.

Ohir said he’s still undecided but in the end, he wants a presidential candidate who can tackle the cost of living because “everything has gone up.”

Arvind Balaraman, 53, of Wake County, North Carolina, said he’s frustrated that wages have not kept up with the cost of living. He said he’s not particularly excited there’s a South Asian candidate running for president. He just wants his grocery bill lowered.

“Everything has doubled, tripled,” he said of prices. “You had two different parties in the last two terms and the prices are still going up.”

Balaraman said he’s undecided, but still plans to vote in the presidential election.

Rep. Nima Kulkarni, D-Louisville, asks a question during the June meeting of the Commission on Race and Access to Opportunity. (LRC Public Information)

The Kentucky Supreme Court denied a challenge that sought to disqualify Louisville Rep. Nima Kulkarni from seeking reelection this fall.

In an unpublished opinion released Thursday, the state’s highest court unanimously denied a motion from Kulkarni’s primary challenger, William Zeitz, and previous opponent, former Rep. Dennis Horlander. Zeitz and Horlander sought an appeal of a Franklin County Circuit Court decision that allowed a vacancy in the 40th House District primary election to stand.?

“Because the Democratic primary election was a nullity, a vacancy was created that needed to be filled,” the court’s opinion said. “No candidate emerged from the primary for either party. The Democratic candidates both were undone by Kulkarni’s victory and subsequent disqualification.”?

James Craig, Kulkarni’s attorney, called the court’s decision “a big and final win” for the representative.?

“This case has finally ended where we knew it would from the start,” Craig said. “The Kentucky House District 40 voters chose her by a wide margin in the primary, and we’ve been to two circuit courts and the Kentucky Supreme Court to save their voice. Today’s unanimous decision protects the voices of the voters. The Democratic nominating process was done correctly and with integrity. This is a big win for my client Rep. Kulkarni, but it is a bigger win for democracy.”?

For months, Horlander has sought to legally bar Kulkarni from the ballot after challenging the validity of her candidacy papers. One of her two signatories was not a registered Democrat, as required by state law, at the time of signing. In that case, the Supreme Court disqualified Kulkarni, effectively nullifying the primary election in the 40th House District.?

Subsequently, Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams permitted the local political parties to nominate candidates for the general election. Democrats selected Kulkarni. Republicans did not nominate a candidate.?

Kulkarni defeated Horlander in the 2018 and 2020 Democratic primaries for the 40th House District. In an unofficial vote count, Kulkarni received 78% of ballots cast in the May primary election. Zeitz received the remaining 22%.

In September, Zeitz and Horlander previously appealed to the Kentucky Court of Appeals, but a panel of judges denied that motion after requesting the Supreme Court review the matter. The Supreme Court denied that transfer.?

Zeitz and Horlander’s attorney, Steven Megerle, said in a statement that Adams’ interpretation of the law “is now confirmed to be correct.”?

“The result is Nirupama Kulkarni has no opponent and will be elected with these quirky facts. William Zeitz, an Army tank veteran, who served overseas and here who did nothing wrong is out,” Megerle said. “Politics often benefits the privileged like Ms. Kulkarni, not asphalt truck drivers like Bill Zeitz. But our Commonwealth’s compact gives the final say to the collective body of the General Assembly to determine qualifications of its members. And I hope there might just be a robust discussion by that branch to finally determine whether Nirupama Kulkarni or William Zeitz should be seated for the people of House District 40. “

Kentucky’s general election ends Tuesday, Nov. 5.?

Vice President Kamala Harris participates in a CNN Presidential Town Hall moderated by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. (Rebecca Wright/CNN)

ASTON, Pa. —? With less than two weeks to go before the general election, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, said Wednesday during a town hall in Delaware County she believes her GOP opponent, former President Donald Trump, is a fascist who is “increasingly unstable and unfit to serve” another term as president.

People who served under Trump during his term, she said, have said he has “contempt” for the Constitution.

“And then today, we learned that John Kelly, a four-star Marine general who is his longest serving Chief of Staff, gave an interview recently in the last two weeks of this election, talking about how dangerous Donald Trump is,” Harris said. “Frankly, I think he’s putting out a 911 call to the American people to understand what could happen if Donald Trump were back in the White House.”

Harris answered questions from undecided voters for just over an hour in what was supposed to be a second debate with Trump on CNN, but he declined to appear. Trump was in Georgia on Wednesday, speaking at a Turning Point Action rally.

CNN host Anderson Cooper served as moderator for the conversations. The questions, he said, came from voters and were not provided or edited by CNN.

The audience included Democrats, Republicans and independents who were undecided and “persuadable,” Cooper said. According to the network, town hall participants were selected by a nonpartisan research organization and CNN producers “working with local and state business groups, civic organizations, religious groups and universities.”

The first question came from a Bryn Mawr College student who said she was an anti-Trump Republican. She asked how Harris planned to “bridge the political divide” among voters who feel left out of the polarized political landscape.

Harris said people are “exhausted” by the current political environment “that is suggesting that America should be pointing fingers at one another, that we are divided as a nation.” She said she would be a president for all Americans.

“I have never in my career as a prosecutor asked a victim or witness of a crime, are you a Democrat or a Republican? The only thing I’ve ever asked is, ‘Are you OK?’” Harris said. “And I do believe that is what the American people deserve in their president, and not someone who makes decisions based on who voted for them or what is in their personal interest.”

The vice president pointed to reports that Trump considered whether people in California had voted for him when deciding whether to send aid during wildfires in 2018.

“I believe the American people deserve better, and they deserve a president who is focused on solutions, not sitting in the Oval Office plotting their revenge and retribution,” Harris said.

Another audience member asked Harris what she would do about the high cost of groceries. Harris replied that hers would be a “new approach,” grounded in her experience as attorney general of California.

“We will have a national ban on price gouging, which is companies taking advantage of the desperation and need of the American consumer and jacking up prices without any consequence or accountability,” she said, adding that addressing the shortage of affordable housing was also key.

“Democrats and Republicans haven’t done enough to deal with the issue of housing, and we need a new approach that includes working with the private sector … to cut through the red tape, working with homebuilders, working with developers to create tax incentives so that we can create more housing supply and bring down the prices.”

Cooper asked Harris how she would go about codifying Roe v. Wade in the Constitution, which requires 60 votes in the Senate, where Democrats currently hold a 51-49 majority.

“I mean, we need to take a look at the filibuster,” Harris replied, echoing comments she made last month, about doing away with the filibuster to restore abortion rights. She noted Trump’s appointment of three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe in 2022 and said she believed many people who are anti-abortion “didn’t intend that this would happen,” and have been dismayed by the consequences of total abortion bans in more than a dozen states.

“On some issues, I think we’ve got to agree that partisanship should be put aside,” Harris said. “I know it is possible because when you look at the midterms in so-called red states and so-called blue states, when this issue of freedom was on the ballot, the American people voted for freedom.”

On the issue of immigration, Harris referred to the bipartisan bill that failed to pass the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Donald Trump got wind of the bill and told them, ‘don’t put it forward, kill the bill,’ because he prefers to run on a problem instead of fixing a problem,” Harris said. “We have to have a secure border, and we have to have a comprehensive pathway for citizenship, and that includes requiring people, hard working people, to earn citizenship and do it in a comprehensive, humane and orderly manner.”

Cooper pressed her on the issue, asking why the Biden administration has not managed the flow of migrants across the southern border via executive action. Harris said that ultimately the problem needs to be fixed through congressional action.

“I think we did the right thing, but the best thing that can happen for the American people is that we have bipartisan work happening, and I pledge to you that I will work across the aisle to fix this long standing problem,” she said.

Asked what she would do “to ensure not another Palestinian dies due to bombs being funded by US tax dollars,” Harris did not directly answer but said “far too many innocent Palestinians have been killed. It’s unconscionable.” She added that, with the recent death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, “We have an opportunity to end this war, bring the hostages home, bring relief to the Palestinian people, and work toward a two-state solution.”

The Trump campaign criticized Harris for her performance during the town hall, calling it “a clinic in lies, smears, and radical leftism cloaked in word salad. It was meant to rehabilitate her image with the friendliest possible host on the friendliest possible network — but instead, it was her biggest implosion to date.”

One audience member asked Harris to provide “more nuts and bolts” about her economic plan. She responded with some of the highlights of her plan, including tax deductions for small businesses and a $6,000 tax credit for parents.

“And part of the issue here is this, we cannot, and I will not, raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year, but we do need to take seriously the system that benefits the richest and does not help out working middle class Americans,” she said.

Harris was also asked how her administration would be different from that of President Joe Biden. Her administration “will not be a continuation of the Biden administration,” Harris said. “I bring to this role, my own ideas and my own experience. I represent a new generation of leadership on a number of issues, and believe that we have to actually take new approaches.”

The vice president spoke about the sandwich generation, those caring for children and elderly parents, and how she cared for her mother when she was dying of cancer.

Cooper pressed her on why she had not enacted the policies already, as vice president. “There was a lot that was done,” she said, “but there’s more to do, Anderson.”

Asked whether she would expand the Supreme Court to 12 justices, Harris did not directly answer yes or no, but said Americans “increasingly are losing confidence in the Supreme Court, and in large part because of the behavior of certain members of that court and because of certain rulings, including the Dobbs decision,” she said. “So I do believe that there should be some kind of reform of the court, and we can study what that actually looks like.”

Another audience member asked Harris to explain why some of her positions had shifted, noting that “in Delco, we pride ourselves on being authentic.” Harris said she would not ban natural gas fracking, adding that her experience as vice president has shown her “that we can invest in a clean energy economy and still not ban fracking and still work toward what we need to do to create more jobs and create U.S.- based jobs in a way that will be globally competitive.”

Some of the perception of her shifting policy positions “is a whole lot of misinformation, to be honest with you,” Harris said. She added that the president should not be afraid of good ideas and does not stand on pride “if a perspective needs to be informed by different points of view to build consensus and to have a common sense approach.”

Both campaigns have spent significant time and resources in Pennsylvania this election cycle, as its 19 electoral votes are key to either candidate winning the White House. Trump will be in State College on Saturday, and Harris will be in the Philadelphia area on Sunday.

This story?is republished from the?Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.

Sen. Mitch McConnell is raking in less money for his reelection campaign than at this time four years ago. But he is sitting on a comfy $8 million cushion. (Getty Images)

FRANKFORT — U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s reelection committee raised just $76,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30 — the lowest quarterly contribution total it has reported in the four years since his 2020 reelection, according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The $76,000 compares to $1.7 million that Sen. Rand Paul’s reelection committee reports it raised in the same period.

And it is far less than the $325,000 that McConnell’s campaign raised during the comparable quarter during his previous term, July through September of 2018.

Follow the money

An occasional series of campaign finance notebooks

By Tom Loftus

McConnell, who is 82 and has won election to the Senate seven times, has not said whether he will seek another term in 2026. Many political analysts expect he will not run, particularly after two incidents in the summer of 2023 when he froze for several seconds during press availabilities.

McConnell allies, however, say the recent low fundraising amounts are insignificant because McConnell’s reelection committee still has a formidable balance on hand of $8 million. And at this same point in his previous term (Sept. 30, 2018) FEC records show McConnell’s committee had $3.4 million on hand.

His supporters say McConnell’s recent fundraising efforts have been focused on helping Republicans retake the U.S. Senate as well as raising money for the McConnell PAC (Bluegrass Committee) which, in turn, has given $200,000 to the campaigns of Republicans running for the Kentucky General Assembly this fall.

Yet McConnell has always been able to tend to these two other fundraising responsibilities while raising big dollars for his own reelection. And a review of past reports the McConnell reelection committee has filed with the FEC shows this downward trend:

In the first nine months of 2021 McConnell’s reelection committee reported raising $3.6 million; in the first nine months of 2022: $1 million; in the first nine months of 2023: $390,000; in the first nine months of 2024: $341,000. Not a normal trend of an incumbent looking toward the next election.

Beshear’s PAC not yet reporting much support for fellow Democrats

Gov. Andy Beshear’s In This Together PAC continues to report raising modest amounts in contributions and through September has reported giving only a small amount to help the candidates in Kentucky and around the country that Beshear supports.

The super PAC reported raising $68,000 in September and having $708,000 on hand as of Sept. 30. Its report shows it made one contribution during the month: $5,000 to a political committee of Michigan Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who is running for the U.S. Senate in November.

According to reports it has filed with the FEC since it was created by Beshear in January, In This Together has made $36,400 in contributions to help other candidates. That’s just 14% of its total spending of $259,394. The rest has gone to operating expenses.

Eric Hyers, who managed Beshear’s two campaigns for governor and oversees the super PAC, says In This Together decided from the start to save its money until late in the campaign season when voters are paying closer attention.

“At the end of the cycle, it will be clear that the vast majority of our funds went directly to working to elect good people and win critical elections,” Hyers said.

Donors to In This Together last month include five members of the Chavez family of Cincinnati, who together contributed $21,000. A Chavez family company owns parking garages and parking lots in Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati and has been a major donor to Andy Beshear political committees for years.

Others who donated $5,000 each to In This Together last month were:? Judith Vance, of Maysville; Robert Vance (a Beshear appointee to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees), of Maysville; Duane Wall, New York, attorney with the firm White and Case; Myrle Wall, a store owner from New York; the Norfolk Southern PAC, of Washington; and the United Steelworkers PAC, of Pittsburgh.

The biggest expense of Hal Rogers leadership PAC?

Hal Rogers’s leadership PAC continued to pay his wife Cynthia Rogers her $4,000 monthly salary last month as the “event planner” for the Rogers’ leadership PAC called HALPAC. It was the largest expense paid by HALPAC during September.

So far in this election cycle (since Jan. 1, 2023) FEC records show HALPAC has paid $84,000 in salary to Cynthia Rogers. That’s about 22 percent of all of the PAC’s total spending and the second highest expense for the PAC during the cycle. (The PAC’s largest expense over this cycle has been $96,975 paid to Churchill Downs.)

HALPAC reported making two political contributions to Republican members of Congress seeking reelection during the month: $3,000 each to Ken Calvert for Congress (Corona, California); and Juan Ciscomani for Congress (Tucson, Arizona).

HALPAC reported $61,000 in contributions, and $12,000 in spending, during the month and as of Sept. 30 had $82,600 on hand.

The vast majority of its contributions in September came from 11 out-of-state donors who each gave $5,000. HALPAC’s report does not list the occupations or employers of those donors.

Elected in 1980, Rogers has no Democratic opponent in this year’s election as he seeks a 23rd term. He has served in Congress longer than any other Kentuckian.?

An entourage of Kentucky Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, former U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg, arrive at the airport to greet Gov. Tim Walz in Louisville. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

LOUISVILLE — Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota made a brief fundraising stop in Louisville Wednesday evening ahead of the upcoming presidential election.?

Walz and his daughter, Hope, were greeted at the airport by top Kentucky Democrats, including Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman, U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey, former U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, Kentucky Democratic Party Chair Colmon Elridge and Louisville Mayor Craig Greenburg. The entourage followed Walz’s motorcade to the fundraiser, which will support the PAC of Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris.

According to a press pool report, Walz said the Louisville fundraiser netted the Harriz-Walz campaign more than $2 million.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear was not in attendance. Eric Hyers, the governor’s former campaign manager, said in an email to the Kentucky Lantern that Beshear was on a long-planned trip with his kids, who are on fall break from school.?

The press pool report said Walz did acknowledge Beshear during the fundraiser Walz said that he is grateful for Beshear campaigning for Harris and Walz and making the case across the country for them and Kentucky.

Beshear was under consideration to become Harris’ running mate earlier this summer, but she ultimately selected Walz. The governors have been recent political allies, as Walz attended Beshear’s 2023 inauguration in December.?

Walz’s Louisville stop was among a flurry of events he had scheduled this week. Walz was set to travel to North Carolina after the fundraiser. He voted early in Minnesota Wednesday morning with his wife, Gwen, and son, Gus.?

Harris and Walz, as well as their opponents former Republican President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, have less than two weeks to sway voters before Election Day, Nov. 5.?

Walz is not the first candidate this cycle to make a fundraising stop in Kentucky. Vance attended a Lexington reception hosted by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in August.?

Trump is likely to win Kentucky’s eight electoral votes this year. He won Kentucky in 2016 and 2020.?

Campaign signs for former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, the respective GOP and Democratic presidential nominees, appear Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, on Mount Desert Island in Maine. (Photo by Shauneen Miranda/States Newsroom)

Vice President Kamala Harris faced questions about whether sexism is a factor in the presidential race during a Tuesday interview on NBC News, and said she makes no assumptions about whether voters will make their choices based on race or gender.

Polls depict Harris, the Democratic nominee, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, locked in an extremely close race that has largely been marked by a gender gap in voter preferences. Harris is winning over the votes of women, while Trump is stronger among men, polling is showing.

More than 24.5 million early votes were documented as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the University of Florida Election Lab’s early voting tracker. Among the states with party registration data, Democrats were ahead with about 5.3 million people registered with that party and voting compared to about 4.3 million for Republicans and 2.7 million with no party or another party.

Questioned by NBC News’ Hallie Jackson over whether Harris sees sexism at play in the race, the veep pointed out there are both men and women at her campaign events, “whether it be small events or events with 10,000 people.”

“So, the experience that I am having is one in which it is clear that regardless of someone’s gender, they want to know that their president has a plan to lower costs, that their president has a plan to secure America in the context of our position around the world,” Harris said.

When Jackson asked Harris if she does not see sexism as a factor in the race at all, Harris said: “I don’t think of it that way.”

“My challenge is the challenge of making sure I can talk with and listen to as many voters as possible and earn their vote, and I will never assume that anyone in our country should elect a leader based on their gender or their race,” she said.

Harris, if elected, would become the first woman president, the first Black woman president and the first president of South Asian descent.

Asked whether the country is ready now for a woman and a woman of color to be president, Harris said, “Absolutely.”

“As you know, I started as a prosecutor. I never asked a victim of crime, a witness to crime, ‘Are you a Republican or Democrat?’ The only thing I ever asked them is, ‘Are you okay?’” Harris said.

“And that’s what the American people want to know — regardless of their race, regardless of their gender, their age — they want to know that they have a president who sees them and understands their needs and focuses on their needs, understanding we all deserve to have a president who is focused on solutions and not just fanning the flames of division and hate,” she added.

Asked why she’s been reluctant to talk about the historic nature of her candidacy on the campaign trail, Harris said she’s “clearly a woman” and doesn’t “need to point that out to anyone.”

“The point that most people really care about is, can you do the job and do you have a plan to actually focus on them? That is why I spend the majority of my time listening and then addressing the concerns, the challenges, the dreams, the ambitions and the aspirations of the American people.”

Harris said the country deserves a president who’s “focused on them, as opposed to a Donald Trump who’s constantly focused on himself.”

Biden: ‘We gotta lock him up … politically lock him up’

Meanwhile, speaking at a Democratic campaign office in Concord, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, President Joe Biden sparked controversy when he said “we gotta lock him up” in reference to Trump.

Biden, who drew applause and cheers from the crowd, quickly backtracked, adding: “politically lock him up.”

“Lock him out, that’s what we have to do,” Biden said.

Trump — who was convicted on 34 felony counts in a New York state case earlier this year — has repeatedly made claims of “political persecution.”

In response, Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign national press secretary, said in a statement Wednesday that “Joe Biden just admitted the truth: he and Kamala’s plan all along has been to politically persecute their opponent President Trump because they can’t beat him fair and square.”

Leavitt said the Biden-Harris administration is “the real threat to democracy” while also calling on Harris to “condemn Joe Biden’s disgraceful remark.”

Kelly remarks on Hitler, fascists stir controversy

In an interview with the New York Times, John F. Kelly — the former president’s longest-serving chief of staff and a former four-star Marine general — said Trump “commented more than once that, ‘You know, Hitler did some good things, too.’”

Asked whether Trump is a “fascist,” Kelly said Trump “certainly falls into the general definition of fascist, for sure,” per the Times.

The Atlantic also published a bombshell story on Tuesday, part of which reports that Trump said: “I need the kind of generals that Hitler had.”

In response to the recent reporting, Harris said Wednesday in brief remarks outside the vice president’s residence, before departing for Pennsylvania, that “it is deeply troubling and incredibly dangerous that Donald Trump would invoke Adolf Hitler, the man who is responsible for the deaths of 6 million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Americans.”

“This is a window into who Donald Trump really is, from the people who know him best, from the people who worked with him side-by-side in the Oval Office, and in the Situation Room,” she added.

In a Wednesday statement, the Trump campaign pointed to reporting on the friendship between The Atlantic’s owner and Harris, saying “it’s no surprise that The Atlantic would publish a false smear in the lead up to the election to try to help Kamala Harris’ failing campaign.”

Walz and his family cast their votes?

Harris’ running mate, Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, cast his ballot Wednesday along with his wife, Gwen, and son, Gus, at the Ramsey County elections office in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to a pool report.

Walz told a woman at the counter that it was 18-year-old Gus’ first time voting and that he’s “pretty excited about it,” per the report.

Vance on schools and immigration

At a campaign event Tuesday in Peoria, Arizona, Trump’s running mate, Ohio GOP Sen. J.D. Vance, claimed Harris “has used programs that are meant to help people who are escaping tyranny, and she’s used it to grant amnesty to millions upon millions of people who have no legal right to be in the country, and that has to stop.”

“I mean, in Arizona schools right now, we have got thousands upon thousands of children who can’t even speak the native, the local language in Arizona, sometimes they don’t even speak Spanish, of course, because we’ve got illegal immigrants coming from all over,” he added.

“What does that do to the education of American children when their teachers aren’t teaching them, but they’re focused on kids who don’t have the legal right to be here? And again, nothing against the children, but we can’t have a border policy that ruins the quality of American education.”

However, the Arizona Republic reported that children who have limited proficiency in English in Arizona are taught in separate classrooms from children who speak English, and bilingual education was eliminated in the state in 2000.

U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell speaks to reporters after an appearance in Louisville, Oct. 23, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by McKenna Horsley)

LOUISVILLE — U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said the presidential election will be “a cliffhanger” when asked Wednesday if he still supports former President Donald Trump’s campaign.

The Kentucky senator fielded questions from reporters, including about his earlier endorsement of Trump, after a Kentucky Chamber of Commerce event. Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrat, have 13 days left to sway voters.

“Looks like seven or eight states that are going to determine who wins, that’s where both candidates are spending all of their time, which is smart,” McConnell said. “I don’t have a clue how it’s going to turn out. I think it’s going to be really, really tight.”

McConnell was also asked about recent comments by John Kelly, a retired Marine general and Trump’s former chief of staff. Kelly said Trump’s leadership was “dictatorial,” “fascist” and lacking empathy.

“I think the election is pretty clear,” McConnell said. “If you’re satisfied with the Biden years, you’re going to vote for the Democrat. If you think we can do better, support the Republican.”

A? biography of McConnell, “The Price of Power,”? written by The Associated Press’ deputy Washington bureau chief Michael Tackett, is slated to hit shelves next week. According to early reports, McConnell called Trump “stupid as well as being ill-tempered,” a “despicable human being” and a “narcissist” following the 2020 presidential election.?

McConnell endorsed Trump’s reelection bid earlier this year following the former president’s Super Tuesday wins. At the time, McConnell said it “should come as no surprise” as he had said he would support the eventual Republican nominee.?

Trump and McConnell have often been at odds. McConnell once blamed the former president for “disgraceful” acts sparking the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. In February, Trump said he was unsure if he could work with McConnell in a second term. Days later, McConnell announced he planned to step down as the Senate Republican leader this November.?

McConnell’s remarks preceded Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s visit to Louisville Wednesday afternoon. Walz, Harris’ running mate, is scheduled to attend a fundraiser for the Harris campaign. McConnell did not respond to a question about that appearance.?

An employee adds a stack of mail-in ballots to a machine that automatically places the ballots in envelopes at Runbeck Election Services on Sept. 25, 2024 in Phoenix, Arizona. The company prints mail-in ballots for 30 states and Washington, D.C. (Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — With exactly two weeks until Election Day, millions of Americans have already cast their ballots via the mail or in person as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump pursue voters through the battleground states.

Early in-person absentee voting kicked off Tuesday in Wisconsin, adding to the list of swing states where voters have already begun casting ballots, the Wisconsin Examiner reported.

Georgia, another battleground, saw record early voter turnout in its first week, amassing more than 1.4 million ballots cast, more than a quarter of the entire voter turnout total in the 2020 presidential election, the Georgia Recorder reported.

Two national polls released Tuesday show Harris with an edge, particularly among young voters. Reuters/Ipsos polling conducted from Oct. 16 through Monday found Harris up by a narrow 3 points, hardly a change from Ipsos’ findings the previous week.

The latest quarterly CNBC/Generation Lab survey found Harris commanding a 20-point lead among 18-to-34-year-olds.

All eyes on Latino voters

The Harris campaign early Tuesday alerted the press to an “opportunity agenda for Latino men.”

The proposal promises to provide 1 million forgivable loans up to $20,000 for Latino men “and others” in start-up funding, eliminate college degree requirements on certain jobs, and encourage first-time home ownership among Latinos by building affordable homes and offer a $25,000 tax break for new buyers — two policy ideas for all Americans she’s been touting for months.

Poll numbers released Monday showed Harris continuing to outperform Trump among Latino voters in the battlegrounds of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

A group of Christian Latinos showered Trump with praise in Miami, Florida, on Tuesday. With hands on Trump’s shoulders, religious leaders prayed over him at a roundtable event held at the Trump National Doral Golf Club.

Guillermo Maldonado, who founded the King Jesus International Ministry, said the election is “not a war between the left and the right. This is a war between good and evil. We can fight that, and we need spiritual weapons.”

“Father, we anointed him today, we anointed him to be the 47th president of the United States to restore the Biblical values. No weapon formed against him shall prosper,” Maldonado, who goes by the title ‘apostle,’ continued in his prayer over Trump. The event streamed live on C-SPAN.

Immediately after the prayer, Trump’s signature campaign song, “YMCA” by the Village People, blared and the roundtable leaders began passing books and hats for him to sign.

During the roundtable, Trump accused Harris of “sleeping” and “taking a day off.” He also, again, accused her of having a “low I.Q.”

“There’s something wrong with her,” he told the crowd.

Liz Cheney, CNN and Springsteen

Harris campaigned Monday with former U.S. House Republican Liz Cheney in suburban areas of three states — Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Cheney is the daughter of former GOP Vice President Dick Cheney, who is also backing Harris.

“For me, every single thing in my experience and in my background has played a part in my decision to endorse Vice President Harris,” said Liz Cheney, who was once the third-highest-ranking House Republican. “That begins with the fact that I’m a conservative and I know that the most conservative of all conservative principles is being faithful to the Constitution.”

According to her publicly available schedule, the vice president was scheduled to record two interviews Tuesday afternoon with NBC and Telemundo. And on Wednesday night at 9 Eastern, she’ll participate in a CNN town hall in Pennsylvania moderated by anchor Anderson Cooper.

Then on Thursday, Harris and former President Barack Obama will lead a “Get Out the Vote” rally, featuring a performance by Bruce Springsteen, in Georgia to encourage early voting.

On Friday the vice president will travel to Houston, Texas, to campaign on abortion rights. She will be accompanied by Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, who’s trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz.

Trump cancels appearances, plans Georgia rallies

Trump canceled a scheduled appearance Tuesday at an event titled “Make America Healthy Again,” which was to feature guests Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former Democratic lawmaker-turned-Republican Tulsi Gabbard.

Trump’s keynote speech set for Tuesday at a National Rifle Association event in Georgia was also canceled “due to scheduling conflicts.”

The former president also scrapped a planned early October interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” and recent scheduled appearances on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” and NBC News.

Trump is scheduled to host a rally Tuesday night in Greensboro, North Carolina, and on Wednesday his schedule shows two events — a “Believers and Ballots Faith Town Hall” in Zebulon, Georgia, with the state’s Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, as well as a rally for Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action in Duluth, Georgia.

Trump is scheduled to deliver the keynote speech Thursday night in Las Vegas, Nevada, for Turning Point’s “United for Change Rally.”

Politico reported Tuesday that the former president will record an interview Friday with popular podcast host Joe Rogan at his studio in Austin, Texas.

Matt Nunn, left, and Kiana Fields are running for the state Senate seat being vacated by Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer.

With Senate Republican Floor Leader Damon Thayer planning to step down from office, two candidates are seeking to replace him in the 17th Senate District.?

Matt Nunn, a veteran and executive at Toyota Tsusho America, is running to continue the district’s Republican control while Kiana Fields, who works in higher education, hopes to flip the seat blue. The 17th Senate District includes Grant and Scott counties and parts of Fayette and Kenton counties.?

In recent interviews with the Kentucky Lantern, both Nunn and Fields spoke about the importance of education to their respective campaigns. Nunn said public education was the top issue that drove him into the race, and added that “it’s very important to me that our public schools are effective” and prepare students to contribute to society and the workforce. He and his wife attended public school as their kids do now.?

This fall, Kentucky voters will decide to adopt or reject a proposed constitutional amendment that would allow the General Assembly to fund nonpublic schools, such as private or charter schools. It will be Amendment 2 on the ballot.?

Nunn predicted that if the amendment passes, the legislature would look at ways to support public charter schools and would carefully review the SEEK formula to continue supporting public schools.?

“Number one, I’ve said this many times, I’ll say it again, they’re not voting for a king, they’re voting for a representative,” he said. “And so I would let the results from my district guide how I might legislate on the issue, because that’s my job in a representative democracy.”

Fields works as a research and education coordinator at the University of Louisville to recruit future health professionals. She said she would support policies to retain and recruit teachers and incorporate the voices of students and parents and ensure curriculum meets needs of businesses and postsecondary institutions.?

“I think that we have turned critical problems into political messages instead of looking at them as problems to be solved that (would) help improve the lives of everyday Kentuckians,” Fields said.?

Fields said other policy areas she hopes to address if elected include access to quality and affordable health care, which includes making sure that insurance and Medicaid covers health care needs of Kentuckians. She also has an interest in making sure certificate of need laws “are up to date and are meeting the needs of our communities.” She said she believes CON laws should be kept on the books but supports looking for opportunities to reform.

State lawmakers have discussed CON in recent legislative sessions, and that conversation is expected to continue in the future.?

Nunn said he is supportive of CON laws but does believe there could be room for improvement. Other policies he is supportive of are lowering the state income tax to 0% and tough on crime policies. As a veteran, he also has interest in creating policies in that area as well as agriculture.?

The 17th Senate District, which includes a growing suburban region just outside of the Lexington area, has become one of the fastest growing areas in Kentucky in recent years.?

In the 2023 gubernatorial election, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won three of the four counties in the district. Fields said the governor’s success in the district shows that approaching an election “looking at people first” is something that will help her in this race.?

“This is home for a lot of us. My family’s been in this district since the 1840s which is unique as a Black woman, and my legacy is here, and so I love this place, and I will make sure, and will always be a part of the good fight, to make sure that generations to come will be able to thrive in this district and in this commonwealth,” Fields said.?

Thayer has held the Senate seat for 21 years. Nunn said Thayer “has been a very consequential legislator” for both the district and the entire state. Thayer backed Nunn during the primary election and recently hosted a fundraiser for him.?

“I think everything I’m seeing tells me that this is a conservative-minded district,” Nunn said.?

Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz reacts after accepting the vice presidential nomination during the third day of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center on Aug. 21, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will make a stop in Louisville Wednesday for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign fund.?

According to an advisory from the Harris-Walz campaign, Walz will deliver remarks at a campaign reception for the Harris Victory Fund, the campaign’s PAC.?

In recent years, Walz has been a political ally of Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. Walz attended Beshear’s 2023 inauguration in Frankfort. Both were considered as a possible running mate for Harris this summer.?

Walz’s Kentucky stop comes with two weeks left for the presidential candidates to campaign ahead of Election Day, Nov. 5. Meanwhile, both Harris and former Republican President Donald Trump are campaigning in battleground states to sway voters.?

Walz is not the first this cycle to make a fundraising stop in Kentucky. Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, attended a Lexington reception hosted by U.S. Rep. Andy Barr in August.?

Kentucky’s eight electoral votes are likely Trump’s to win this November. Trump won Kentucky in 2016 and 2020.?

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, and former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, are giving voters very different answers when it comes to any changes at the U.S. Supreme Court, shown here on Oct. 9, 2024. (Photo by Jane Norman/States Newsroom)

This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race.

WASHINGTON — Democrats have increasingly cried out for new rules for the nation’s highest court, and the 2024 presidential election reflects a clear party divide over how Supreme Court justices should behave and whether they should remain on the bench for life.

The erasure of a nearly 50-year-old national right to abortion, the granting of wide latitude for former presidents to escape criminal accountability and several ethics scandals magnified these questions. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are giving voters very different answers.

Harris’ platform calls for “common-sense” reforms that include term limits for justices and an enforceable ethics code that mirrors the rules that apply to lower federal judges.

When President Joe Biden announced his proposals for Supreme Court ethics reform roughly one week after dropping his bid for reelection, Harris issued a statement reinforcing the need to “restore confidence” in the court.

“That is why President Biden and I are calling on Congress to pass important reforms — from imposing term limits for Justices’ active service, to requiring Justices to comply with binding ethics rules just like every other federal judge. And finally, in our democracy, no one should be above the law. So we must also ensure that no former President has immunity for crimes committed while in the White House,” she said.

While Harris’ campaign did not provide additional details on her platform, Harris has a record of supporting such measures. As a senator in 2019, Harris co-sponsored a bill to enforce a uniform ethics code at every level of the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court.

Trump position

When asked for comment about Trump’s stance on enforceable ethics rules or term limits at the Supreme Court, Trump campaign Senior Advisor Brian Hughes responded: “President Trump has said that, apart from matters of war and peace, the nomination of a Supreme Court justice is the most important decision an American President can make. As president, he appointed constitutionalist judges who interpret the law as written, and he will do so again when voters send him back to the White House.”

The former president has made his opposition to change known on social media.

Nearly two weeks before Biden’s speech in July to roll out his ideas for improving the court, Trump wrote on Truth Social that the “Radical Left Democrats are desperately trying to ‘Play the Ref’ by calling for an illegal and unConstitutional attack on our SACRED United States Supreme Court.”

“The reason that these Communists are so despondent is that their unLawful Witch Hunts are failing everywhere. The Democrats are attempting to interfere in the Presidential Election, and destroy our Justice System, by attacking their Political Opponent, ME, and our Honorable Supreme Court. We have to fight for our Fair and Independent Courts, and protect our Country. MAGA2024!” he continued, randomly capitalizing words as he often does.

The Republican National Committee stated in its platform that the party unequivocally opposes any changes to the number of Supreme Court justices.

“We will maintain the Supreme Court as it was always meant to be, at 9 Justices. We will not allow the Democrat Party to increase this number, as they would like to do, by 4, 6, 8, 10, and even 12 Justices. We will block them at every turn.”

At the Economic Club of Chicago on Oct. 15, Trump appeared to accuse Democrats of wanting to add up to 25 new justices to the Supreme Court bench.

Harris’ 2024 campaign position on the Supreme Court does not include a plan to change the number of justices. During her 2020 presidential run, Harris expressed an openness to expanding the court, according to Politico and other reports. Biden, at the time, remained opposed to changes, including justice term limits.

Immunity ruling

When Trump was charged with federal fraud and obstruction crimes for his attempts to subvert the 2020 presidential election results, he escalated his appeal for presidential immunity all the way to the Supreme Court.

On July 1, the justices issued a 6-3 opinion granting former presidents criminal immunity for “core constitutional” duties and presumptive immunity for actions on the “outer perimeter” of official duties, but none for unofficial, personal acts.

Two of the justices who joined the conservative majority ruling — Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh — were Trump appointees. Justice Amy Coney Barrett, also appointed during Trump’s time in the Oval Office, joined them, concurring in part.

Trump’s case was delayed for the better part of 2024, tied up in the high court process as he campaigned for a second presidency. The delay ultimately closed the door on a trial before November’s election.

The high-profile case not only highlighted the fact that Trump was being judged by his own appointees, but also that two other justices had been recently exposed in ethics scandals involving Republican donors and appearing to show support for Trump’s false claims that he won the 2020 election.

In April 2023, ProPublica uncovered that Justice Clarence Thomas had been accepting luxury travel and other big ticket gifts from Republican billionaire donor Harlan Crow.

In May of this year, the New York Times published photos of an upside-down American flag flying outside the home of Justice Samuel Alito following the violent riot by Trump supporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The upside-down flag, a general symbol of protest, had been adopted by Trump supporters who believed the 2020 election was stolen.

All parties have denied any wrongdoing, and Alito declined to recuse himself from Trump’s 2020 election subversion case, and another case brought by a Jan. 6 defendant.

The call for a new ethics code

While the Thomas and Alito scandals attracted the most attention, observers of the court say many of the justices’ actions raise ethics questions.

Gabe Roth, founder of the nonpartisan nonprofit Fix the Court, said “no justice has totally behaved ethically.”

Roth cited transgressions by both conservative and liberal justices: socializing with litigants who argue before the court, the use of government resources to promote a personal book and instances of justices not recusing themselves from cases in which they appear to have a stake.

“It hasn’t been to the scale of the things that ProPublica uncovered, but no justice is fully pure when it comes to ethics issues, which is not to say that they’re all corrupt or they’re all compromised by any means. It’s just more, to me, a fact that the whole institution needs to focus more on ethical leadership,” Roth said.

ProPublica published numerous stories in 2023 detailing gifts Thomas never disclosed, as well as a luxury fishing expedition Alito took with a Republican billionaire who argued before the court.

The Supreme Court currently polices itself with its own code of conduct and maintains justices already follow rules that apply to lower federal judges.

Congressional Democrats have introduced several bills aiming to impose ethics rules on the justices and limit life-time appointments, for example to 18 years.

A bill led by Senate Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island passed the Democratic-led Senate Committee on the Judiciary in July 2023.

The legislation aimed to mandate an enforceable ethics code, tighten recusal and gift disclosure requirements, and establish a complaints process similar to that of the lower courts.

An attempt at unanimous consent passage on the Senate floor in June was blocked by Senate Judiciary’s top Republican, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

“Let’s be clear, this is not about improving the court, this is about undermining the court,” Graham said on the floor.

Roth said no matter who wins the presidency and which party takes control of the Senate, the longtime fight for an ethics overhaul and term limits at the high court will continue — and that it shouldn’t be partisan.

“If they’re done right, it doesn’t favor one party or another or one ideology or another. It’s a bit weird that one side is saying they don’t love ethics right now,” Roth continued. “I don’t get it.”

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, which is a mega church in Stonecrest, Georgia, on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024 as part of a “souls to the polls” push. Harris presented the stakes of the presidential race in stark terms: “And now we face this question: what kind of country do we want to live in? A country of chaos, fear and hate or a country of freedom, compassion and justice?” (Photo by Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder)

WASHINGTON — A new poll released Monday by a civic engagement group found that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris continues to grow her support with Latinos in critical battleground states.

In a tight presidential race, both campaigns have tried to court the Latino vote — one of the fastest-growing voting blocs.

The poll for Voto Latino by the firm GQR surveyed 2,000 Latinos registered to vote in the battleground states of Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — although not Georgia — from Sept. 25 to Oct. 2.

Vice President Harris even outperformed President Joe Biden in several swing states compared to his 2020 presidential results, according to the poll.

In August, Harris had the support of about 60% of Latino voters compared to GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s 29%, according to the poll. Both candidates increased their support of that voting bloc in October, with Harris at 64% and Trump at 31%.

The poll found that Harris’ growth has come from young Latino voters, ages 18 to 29.

In the swing states of Arizona, Pennsylvania and North Carolina, the poll found that Harris outperforms with Latino voters compared to Biden’s estimated wins among Latinos in 2020. In Arizona, Biden had 61% of the Latino vote four years ago, and Harris now polls at about 66%, the survey said.

In Pennsylvania, Biden had 69% of the Latino vote compared to Harris now polling at 77%, and in North Carolina, Biden had 57% of the Latino vote compared to Harris’ support of 67%, the poll said.

In 2020, Biden won Arizona and Pennsylvania by slim margins but lost North Carolina to Trump.

Trump visits Asheville, Harris teams up with Liz Cheney

After Hurricane Helene’s destruction in late September, campaigning in western North Carolina resumed Monday.

Trump visited Asheville, North Carolina, Monday afternoon to survey the destruction left by the aftermath of the Category 4 hurricane. While there, he stressed the importance of early voting, which is already underway in the state.

“It’s vital that we not let this hurricane that has taken so much also take your voice,” Trump said. “You must get out and vote.”

Harris on Monday blitzed around the suburban areas of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin with former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming for “moderated conversations.”

Arnold Palmer, McDonald’s and Usher

With almost two weeks until Election Day on Nov. 5, both candidates have rolled out celebrities and political stunts in an effort to court every vote in an election that is essentially a dead heat.

That was apparent over the weekend.

In Pennsylvania, Trump ended his Saturday evening with a rally in Latrobe where for roughly 10 minutes he described the male anatomy of the late golfer Arnold Palmer.

“This is a guy that was all man,” Trump said of Palmer, “when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there they said, ‘oh my God, that’s unbelievable.’”

On Sunday Trump visited a closed McDonald’s, where for 20 minutes he donned an apron, worked the fryers and helped put together orders. He served a few pre-screened people who won the opportunity to partake in the campaign event via a lottery.

The visit to the Golden Arches came after Harris touted her work experience at a McDonald’s in Alameda, California, while she was a college student. Trump has cast doubt, without evidence, on whether that actually happened.

On Monday afternoon, after Harris’ jet landed in Michigan, a reporter shouted a question at her as to whether she ever worked at McDonald’s.

“Did I? I did!” Harris said, smiling and putting her thumb up, according to the pool report.

Harris returned to Georgia on Saturday, where she energized her base to take advantage of early voting. More than 1.3 million people have voted in Georgia, according to the Secretary of State’s turnout datahub.

She held a campaign rally alongside R&B singer Usher and visited Sunday church services in the Atlanta area as part of a “souls to the polls” effort.

Another intense week on the way

This week, Trump will attend a roundtable with Latino leaders on Tuesday in Miami, Florida. An earlier planned event with the National Rifle Association in Savannah, Georgia, was canceled.

In the evening, Trump will then travel to Greensboro, North Carolina, for a rally. His running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will be campaigning in Arizona.

On Tuesday, Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will stump in Madison, Wisconsin, with former President Barack Obama to encourage early voting.

On Wednesday night, Harris will participate in a CNN town hall in Delaware County, Pennsylvania.

Trump on Wednesday will hold a faith-related town hall in Zebulon, Georgia, in the late afternoon. In the evening, he’ll head to Duluth, Georgia, to appear as a special guest at the conservative Turning Point PAC and Turning Point Action Rally.

On Thursday, Vance will partake in a town hall in Detroit, Michigan, with NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.

Back in Georgia, Harris and Obama will headline a get-out-the-vote rally.

Although they have not made technology a major topic on the campaign trail, the presidential campaigns have laid out policy approaches on issues such as AI, social media, and cryptocurrency. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Though technology policy isn’t one of the main drivers getting voters out to the polls in the upcoming presidential election, the speed in which technology develops will undoubtedly impact the way everyday Americans communicate, work and interact with the world in the next four years.

Concern about artificial intelligence’s role in the election plague the majority of both Republicans and Democrats a Pew Research Center survey found last month. Those polled are concerned that AI is being used to influence the election, and a poll earlier in the year shows that people are wary of the amount of power social media and Big Tech companies have over their lives.

Several bills regulating new technologies have been introduced in congress, but no federal laws regulating artificial intelligence or data privacy have yet been passed. In October 2023, President Joe Biden signed an executive order calling for federal agencies to examine the impacts of AI, and report how they might address problems.

Though tech issues aren’t central to their platforms, candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have outlined some of how they see technology playing a role in Americans’ lives.

Harris’ policies tend to focus on inclusivity, data protection, net neutrality and expanding broadband access. One of the largest wins for the tech and science communities during the Biden-Harris administration is the CHIPS and Science Act, which in 2022, provided funding for research and development for environmental projects, clean energy and American manufacturing of semiconductors, which are the basis of most electronics.

Trump’s policies would likely roll back some protections for consumers put in place by the Biden administration, and programs like the electric vehicle challenge. His platform also places a lot of focus on what he considers “illegal censorship,” by Big Tech companies, especially X, formerly Twitter, which banned the candidate for “risk of further incitement of violence,” after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol.

While Harris’ policies focus on finding a balance of innovation and overreach by Big Tech companies, Trump’s policies focus on a more free market approach.

On the topics of AI and cryptocurrency, though, Harris and Trump see somewhat similar approaches. At a fundraiser at Cipriani Wall Street earlier this week, Harris talked about the importance of these evolving technologies in the current economy, while recognizing that they need oversight.

“We will partner together to invest in America’s competitiveness, to invest in America’s future,” Harris said. ”We will encourage innovative technologies like AI and digital assets while protecting our consumers and investors.”

It’s a change from the current administration, which is more focused on protections for consumers amid the evolving market, rather than industry growth. Trump has similarly taken a lighter stance on AI and crypto, saying that the industry requires some time to work itself out, and doesn’t support tough oversight at this moment.

On antitrust issues, Harris’ administration would likely continue pursuing enforcement against large platforms and Big Tech companies that came from Biden’s administration. He signed an executive order in 2021 against companies that use monopoly techniques and gather personal data, and his Justice Department filed lawsuits against Facebook’s parent Meta and Amazon.

Trump’s administration also carried out some antitrust suits against Google and Meta toward the end of his time in office. He’s long been vocal about his distrust and dislike for major social media platforms, claiming bias against him.

Most Americans are in favor of more tech regulation than there is now. But they’re likely not too concerned with the nitty gritty details that have kept bills sitting in Congress, said Ryan Waite, VP of Public Affairs at digital advocacy firm Think Big.

Waite has spent the last two decades working in and around political campaigns, and he said emerging technologies and AI are as influential to the future internet landscape as much as the introduction of the internet itself was to everyday life 30 years ago.

He likened pending or potential AI legislation to the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which promoted competition and reduced regulation in order to bring down costs for consumers as new technologies in broadcast and internet exploded.

“I think if you talked to the average American then, they wouldn’t have known what the internet was, perhaps they experienced it at some level, but probably didn’t care much about how it was legislated,” Waite said.

But the legislation revamped the communications and telecommunications frameworks for the industry and changed how we work and receive information, Waite said. In that same concept, AI and other emerging technologies are being adopted at such high rates that “We’re at an earthquake moment,” Waite said.

Both parties aim to strengthen the technology industry and America’s place in the world market, but they approach it differently, Waite said. Debates over legislation usually come down to trying to find appropriate, timely legislation that regulates these new technologies without stifling innovation and growth.

Harris’ campaign approach is viewed as “inclusive” on these issues, Waite said, with goals to provide broadband access everywhere, and a focus on getting access to these tools for small business and underserved communities.

“They’re very interested in this equality framework, of being able to say everyone should have access to these tools,” Waite said.

Trump tends to lean more toward allowing businesses to innovate and do what they do well with the belief that time will iron out problems in these technologies. These policies usually favor economic impact over safeguarding technologies.

Most Americans probably favor some middle ground legislation that allows for data and bias protections from quickly growing technologies while allowing American companies to become global leaders, he said

In the end, for most Americans, tech issues aren’t as partisan as the two-party system sets them up to be, Waite said.

“Voters might not always know the legislative details,” Waite said. “But they do care about having reliable broadband access, keeping their kids safe online and ensuring that innovation is advancing to keep pace with global competition.”

Trump speaks to the media as he arrives for his hush money trial at Manhattan Criminal Court on May 30, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Hirsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, has a busy schedule of events in Pennsylvania this weekend that kicked off Saturday evening with a rally in Latrobe where he approvingly described the anatomy of the late golfer Arnold Palmer.

“This is a guy that was all man,” Trump said of Palmer, “when he took showers with the other pros, they came out of there they said, ‘oh my God, that’s unbelievable.’”

It was perhaps the most surprising comment the former president made at the event where, after speaking about Latrobe native Palmer for roughly 15 minutes, he resumed talking about familiar themes and grievances. He criticized Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president; blamed President Joe Biden and Harris for inflation and a “crisis” at the southern border, and marveled at how SpaceX, whose CEO Elon Musk is a recently vocal Trump supporter, was able to fly and land a rocket booster in a recent test flight.

Trump was joined at the rally by several Republican allies including U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser (R-9th District) and GOP candidate for U.S. Senate Dave McCormick. Former Pittsburgh Steelers Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown appeared on stage ahead of Trump, with Brown mocking Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democrats’ vice presidential nominee, as “not a real coach,” and calling him “Tampon Tim.”

Republicans have criticized Walz for a policy he signed last year as part of Minnesota’s budget, that requires public schools to provide free menstrual products to any students who need them. Trump falsely claimed it meant Minnesota schools were being forced to put tampons in boys’ bathrooms.

On Sunday, Trump will visit a McDonald’s in Bucks County where he will reportedly work the French fry cooker, and later will hold a town hall in Lancaster — his first town hall in the state since the Oct. 14 town hall in Montgomery County that ended strangely, with the former president swaying along on stage to songs from his playlist for a half hour.

Trump is also expected to visit the Steelers game in Pittsburgh Sunday night “as a guest of an individual suite holder,” according to a team spokesperson.

Musk will hold a town hall in Pittsburgh Sunday afternoon, with McCormick announcing he would attend. It’s the latest of a series of town halls Musk has planned to support Trump ahead of Pennsylvania’s Oct. 21 voter registration deadline.

Pennsylvania Democrats have counter-programming planned outside the Steelers game Sunday, with a “Tailgate for Kamala” scheduled for 6 p.m. And the Democratic National Committee unveiled a billboard Sunday morning across from the stadium, reading “Trump was a disaster for PA.”

Harris and Trump remain in a virtual dead heat with less than three weeks to go before the general election. Both have campaigned vigorously in Pennsylvania in recent weeks. Harris will be in Chester County on Monday for a “moderated conversation” with former GOP Congresswoman Liz Cheney, with similar events planned in Wisconsin and Michigan.

On Wednesday, Harris will participate in a town hall with CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Philadelphia, on the date of a canceled debate with Trump.

This story is republished from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.

Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris arrives for a rally at the Resch Expo Center on Oct. 17, 2024 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The event was one of three Harris had scheduled in the swing state that day. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — With 18 days until Election Day, the presidential candidates and their surrogates are hitting battleground states that have begun early voting, as well as sitting down for interviews with targeted audiences.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, will be in two swing states next week with two Democratic celebrities: former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.

Harris and Barack Obama will head to Georgia, which has already begun early voting, on Thursday. She’ll then campaign in Michigan with Michelle Obama, as early voting starts Oct. 26.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, appeared Friday on a popular sports podcast by NFL commentator and host Rich Eisen, where Walz — a former high school football coach — provided an analysis of the upcoming Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings football game on Sunday.

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has his own surrogate in tech billionaire Elon Musk.

Musk, the Tesla CEO and owner of X, formerly Twitter, campaigned on behalf of Trump, attending rallies and holding a Thursday town hall in the battleground state of Pennsylvania. More town halls with Musk are planned in the coming days.

Musk, who is also an immigrant, complained about immigration during the town hall and said that he’s “pro-immigrant, I just want to be sure that people who come here are going to be assets to society.”

He has donated about $75 million to organizations supporting Trump’s reelection, according to recent campaign filings.

Al Smith dinner?

Trump late Thursday attended the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, a ritzy white-tie event that raises millions for Catholic charities in New York. Organizers invite the presidential candidates to share a stage before Election Day for some light comedic roasting.

Harris did not appear at the charity occasion due to campaigning in the critical battleground state of Wisconsin, but sent in a video. The Trump campaign criticized her for not attending.

“Kamala — who isn’t funny, despises Catholics, and was too afraid of being roasted by President Trump — became the first presidential nominee since 1984 to skip the event,” the campaign said in a statement. The National Catholic Reporter reports the Harris campaign says it is committed to engagement with Catholic voters.

The only presidential candidate to purposely skip the dinner was Democratic nominee Walter Mondale and presidential candidates were not invited in 1996 and 2004. In 1992, the dinner was on the same night as the presidential debate between Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican George H.W. Bush.

Pope Francis has criticized both candidates. “Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ Francis said.

Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa said in a statement that Trump’s performance at the dinner was “unstable.”

“He stumbled over his words and lashed out when the crowd wouldn’t laugh with him,” Moussa said. “The rare moments he was off script, he went on long incomprehensible rambles, reminding Americans how unstable he’s become.”

Trump in friendly environs

Trump has largely stuck to media appearances with conservative outlets and appeared on podcasts geared toward young men.

He went on a “PBD Podcast” that aired Thursday where with the host, Patrick Bet-David, Trump again questioned Harris’ race.

This is not the first time Trump has publicly commented on Harris’ race, as he did in Chicago during the National Association of Black Journalists in July. Harris is Black and Indian; her father is Jamaican, and her late mother was Indian.

“They have a woman who is Black, although you would say she’s Indian, but she is Black … a lot of people didn’t know,” Trump said on the podcast.

Trump has also backed out of several interviews with traditional media outlets like CBS’ “60 Minutes” and CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”

Joe Kernen, co-host of the “Squawk Box” said Friday that Trump canceled a scheduled interview.

CNN offered to host a town hall with both candidates. Trump has not committed, but Harris will participate in the CNN town hall on Wednesday.

Trump objects to lessons on slavery

Trump appeared on “Fox & Friends” early Friday, where he called Harris a “Marxist” and pushed back against Harris’ criticism that he is “unstable.”

“I am the most stable human being,” Trump said.

On the show, viewers sent in questions. One asked how Trump would handle education policy. Trump said that he would support school choice and would get rid of the U.S. Department of Education.

He added that he would withhold federal funding from public schools that teach about slavery in U.S. history.

“If they wanna get cute, then you don’t send them the money,” Trump said, referring to public schools in states like California, which are Democratic strongholds.

One of the hosts, Brian Kilmeade, asked Trump how he plans to reach out to women in the final days of the election, as Harris is outperforming him with that voting bloc.

Trump said that he does “very well with women, and I think it’s all nonsense.”

Overall, women who are registered to vote support Harris by 52% compared to 43% for Trump, according to the Pew Research Center.?

“You have one issue, you have the issue of abortion,” Trump said. “Without abortion, the women love me. They like me anyway.”

Trump has often taken credit for ending Roe v. Wade, which granted the constitutional right to an abortion, by appointing three conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court.

What’s next

Both campaigns have a busy weekend.

Harris will head to Detroit, Michigan on Saturday for a campaign event and then to Atlanta, Georgia. In the Peach State she will be joined by R&B singer Usher for a campaign rally, where she will focus on the importance of early voting.

Walz will travel to Chicago on Saturday to attend a campaign reception. Walz will then head to Omaha, Nebraska, for another campaign reception and will later give remarks at a rally.

On Saturday night, Trump will energize his base at a rally in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He’ll also hold a town hall Sunday evening in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, is heading to Waukesha, Wisconsin on Sunday for a campaign event.

Maria Figueroa, 42, and David Figueroa, 40, wait in line with their 3-year-old son, Santiago, outside a rally for Vice President Kamala Harris in their city of Erie, Pennsylvania, on Monday, Oct. 14, 2024. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

PITTSBURGH — The 2024 presidential contest between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump could come down to Pennsylvania, and nobody knows that more than the Pennsylvanians inundated by the campaigns.

The commonwealth, with its nearly 13 million residents and 19 Electoral College votes, carries the biggest prize for the winner among the seven swing states.

Pennsylvania’s polarized electorate is nearly equally split in its support for Democrat Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, and Republican Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance. The latest polling shows the race on a knife’s edge.

States Newsroom traveled throughout western Pennsylvania for five days in mid-October, speaking to voters from Johnstown to Erie, who shared their hopes and fears about the race. They talked about immigration and abortion access and inflation and fentanyl overdoses. Some were overcome with emotion discussing the high stakes in their decisions.

Erica Owen, an economist at the University of Pittsburgh, said Pennsylvania is a “microcosm” of U.S. political narratives.

“It is an economically diverse state. We have manufacturing, we have tech, we have agriculture, we have a whole range of economic industries that I think influence folks’ political preferences,” said Owen, with the university’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Globalization and technology changed the Rust Belt state and transformed some communities “in a very negative way.”

“And so a lot of what we see is both the Republican and Democratic parties trying to reach those voters and offer a path forward to a better future,” Owen said.

Here’s what Pennsylvania voters said in interviews:

‘Divisive and full of hate’

Maria Figueroa waited in line with her family for hours Monday to see Harris speak at the Erie Insurance Arena on Oct. 14. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, Figueroa, 42, said she would vote based on immigration reform and women’s rights, particularly reproductive health care.

“I’m the daughter of an immigrant. I’m a female, and my son is an IVF baby,” said Figueroa, whose family recently moved to Erie from northern Virginia.

In vitro fertilization has become politically hazardous for Republicans who court extreme anti-abortion voters.

Her 3-year-old son Santiago wore a t-shirt that read “IVF Babies for Harris 2024.” He clung to Figueroa and her husband, David Figueroa, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Ecuador.

Figueroa criticized Trump and Republicans as “very divisive, very full of hate, and they like to instill fear.”

“They make immigrants seem like this evil group of people that are here to take over the U.S. And I mean, all the immigrants I know are hardworking people that work in the restaurant industry, construction, and in California picking the vegetables,” Figueroa said.

Trump and Vance notoriously spread false accounts of legal Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, stealing and eating pets, and of Venezuelan immigrants overrunning Aurora, Colorado — thrusting both localities in the national spotlight for weeks.

Trump also blamed Haitian migrants for problems in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, a Rust Belt town that has long been struggling with blight and population loss since the collapse of the steel industry and other manufacturing.

‘We live for our kids and our grandkids’

Tony and Karri Reda walked out feeling impressed after a Vance appearance in Johnstown. Vance spoke to a crowd of a couple hundred supporters Oct. 12 at JWF Industries, a manufacturer of tactical military vehicles and fuel storage tanks.

The married couple, both 60, who live just outside Pittsburgh in Collier Township, said “all the rhetoric about J.D. Vance and Donald Trump being weird” frustrates them.

“I was so impressed with him that if he were president I would be fine with it. I watched him in the debate. He blew me away,” Tony said. “I wasn’t real excited when Trump chose him. I thought he could have taken Nikki Haley and done something to bridge the female gap that he suffers with. But this guy’s as impressive as it comes.”

The couple — simply wearing red, no campaign gear — described themselves as “not crazy Trumpers.” They’re voting for the former president based on concerns over border security, fentanyl overdose deaths and inflation.

“We’ve seen so many people that we know, our friends’ kids that have passed away, we have family members that have passed away from fentanyl, and I think that’s a huge issue,” Karri said.

The drug overdose epidemic, driven by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, has afflicted the U.S. for years. Overdose deaths decreased in 2023 for the first time since 2018.

Tony added that concern about fentanyl overdose deaths “goes along with the border.” Chemicals to make illicit fentanyl follow the path from China to Mexico, where they are processed into the drug and then smuggled over the U.S. southern border.

“And the single biggest issue for me is keeping the border secure. I think there was a total lack of focus from this current administration with the border,” Tony said.

Choking up with emotion, Tony added “We want our grandkids to have what we had growing up.”

“We didn’t have all of this crazy rhetoric, with all the hatred back and forth, and inflationary cost and the border. We grew up in a great country, and I believe it’s gonna be a great country. I worry about our grandkids. We’re 60 years old. We’re not going to be here forever.”

‘All the good Republicans are gone’

Robin Kemling was headed into the Harris rally in Erie when she told States Newsroom she’s voting for the vice president to protect abortion access, and because she’s tired of “mean” rhetoric from Trump and his supporters.

“It’s us who care, I feel especially now, against those that just feel that they have a right to be oppressing. They’re mean. They’re mean-spirited people,” Kemling, 60, said.

“I’ve driven by a house since 2020, it has a huge sign up — It says ‘F,’ then has an American flag before ‘K,’ then ‘Biden.’ I mean, our kids ride them school buses by it,” she said.

“All the good Republicans are gone.”

She and her husband Greg Kemling, 68, who accompanied her to the rally, live in the Butler area. Greg criticized Trump as “just no good.”

“He’s useless, a liar, and lies about everything,” said Greg, a retired union worker at Hammermill Paper in Erie.

‘God knows he’s the best’

Debbie Cragle, 57, of Johnstown, said she believes a higher power has chosen Trump to lead the U.S.

“He’s going to be our president,” said Cragle, who attended Vance’s rally.

“What happened to Trump in Butler, thank God he survived. But it happened for a reason because God knows he’s the best man for the job, and he’s going to put him in office.” A gunman attempted to assassinate Trump on July 13 at a rally in Butler.

Cragle said she’s voting for Trump based on border policy, the economy and health care for veterans “first and foremost, because they are the heart of this country, and they are why we’re here.”

“We need to get Kamala out of office. We need to secure our borders, lower our taxes, lower inflation. We need to get this country back on the track that it was four years ago. And I believe that Donald Trump will definitely do it. He is the best man for the job,” she said.

Cragle said she’s “thinking about” voting by mail but prefers to vote in person because she believes the 2020 election was stolen from Trump.

Though Trump regularly repeats that he won the 2020 presidential election over Biden, there was no evidence of widespread voter fraud.

Early voting has been underway in Pennsylvania for several weeks. The commonwealth’s 67 counties began distributing mail-in ballots after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court finalized which candidates could appear on the ballot.

‘No business in the bedrooms’

Theresa Zoky and Cindy Hoover were also waiting in a long line to enter the Harris rally on Oct. 14.

The two Benedictine Sisters of Erie said they’re voting for Harris for numerous reasons — protecting U.S. democracy, privacy rights and concern over Trump’s age.

“She will honor the Constitution. That’s basically what my whole thing is, because our government needs somebody that will know what the Constitution is about and follow it,” 82-year-old Zoky said, adding that Trump “breeds negativity.”

“He’s just not fit for office, simple as that.”

Hoover said she believes Harris “will take us forward instead of taking us backwards.”

“She will spread hope for our country, for our world, and I think she is very supportive of women, especially women to have a right to their own bodies. Men have no business, the government has no business in the bedrooms. It is a family issue,” Hoover said.

“I don’t believe Trump can run this country,” she continued. “I think he’s an old man. He’s ready to retire. If you talk about Biden being old, he’s worse.”

Jan. 6 ‘means nothing’

Walking out of Vance’s rally Saturday, Missy Brodt told States Newsroom that she’s over what happened on Jan. 6, 2021, when a violent mob of Trump supporters breached the U.S. Capitol.

The rioters injured about 140 police officers and delayed by several hours the certification of the 2020 presidential victory for President Joe Biden. More than 1,500 defendants have been charged with crimes associated with the attack.

“The Democrats, they just keep bringing up the same stuff over and over again with January 6th. It means nothing. You know what, it happened. As a human you’re allowed to protest. Okay, some things went out of the way, but leave it alone,” Brodt said.

“The Democrats still haven’t told me what they’re gonna do when they get in the office, all I hear is all joy and happy, happy,” Brodt said.

When asked by States Newsroom during his Johnstown rally if he would commit to a peaceful transfer of power no matter who wins in November, Vance said, “Look, this is very simple. Yes, there was a riot at the Capitol on January 6, but there was still a peaceful transfer of power in this country, and that is always going to happen.”

Ed Sedei, a 56-year-old Trump voter in Johnstown, criticized the multiple journalists, including States Newsroom’s, who asked Vance questions about the 2020 election.

“They had some valuable time to ask some good questions today, but they asked the same old tired questions about if you think the election was rigged and whatnot,” said Sedei, who wore a t-shirt bearing the words “F- -k Harris & Walz.”

Traveling to Pennsylvania to see Harris

Renetta Johnson, 63, and her 88-year-old mother, Dorothy, will not be able to sway the Pennsylvania contest for Harris. The pair viewed themselves as lucky to live close enough to a swing state to see the vice president in person. They drove the nearly two hours from Buffalo, New York, to the Harris event in Erie.

Harris has been campaigning pretty much exclusively in the battlegrounds of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“(My mother) was born in 1936 in Gadsden, Alabama, and so in her lifetime? she’s seen the colored-only fountains, the white-only fountains. She’s seen someone hanging from a tree. And to come from that in her lifetime to come see the first woman vice president, and first woman vice president of color,” said Johnson, a Desert Storm veteran.

“So I brought her for all that she’s done, and to remind people that, you know, in her lifetime, those terrible things happened. And now look where we are today.”

Morning commuter traffic waits to cross into the United States from Tijuana, Mexico, in March. South of San Diego, the San Ysidro Port of Entry is the largest land crossing between the two countries and the most transited in the Western Hemisphere. Some 70,000 vehicles and 20,000 pedestrians pass through there daily. Border and immigration issues have become dominant themes in the 2024 presidential election. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

MYTH: Immigrants increase crime rates

Among the most persistent political talking points raised by opponents of immigration is that migrants bring crime with them into the U.S.

“When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” former President Donald Trump famously said on the campaign trail in 2016.

Amendment 1: ‘Proactive’ or ploy to stir up anti-immigrant vote?

“Has anybody ever seen the movie ‘Gangs of New York’?” Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance asked during a meeting with the Milwaukee Police Association in August. “We know that when you have these massive ethnic enclaves forming in our country, it can sometimes lead to higher crime rates.”

In reality, the opposite is true. Immigrants are far less likely than U.S.-born citizens to commit crimes, numerous studies show. One study of incarceration rates going back over 150 years — between 1870 and 2020 — found that U.S.-born citizens were consistently more likely to end up in prison than immigrants. And the gap between the two groups has only increased in recent years, with immigrants 60% less likely to be incarcerated than U.S.-born citizens today, according to the nonpartisan National Bureau of Economic Research.

Assertions that immigrants have caused spikes in crime in the areas where they settle have also been proven false. Overall, incidents of crime, including violent crime, have fallen in cities across the country since peaking during the pandemic, FBI data shows. And while politicians have claimed that border cities have been overwhelmed by lawlessness and chaos, the data shows that crime rates, including for homicide, are far lower than the national average.

The equation of immigrants with criminals is exhausting to hear for Irayda Flores, a businesswoman in Phoenix, Arizona. Flores moved to the Grand Canyon State from Sonora, Mexico, in 2004, hoping to make her entrepreneurial dreams a reality. Since then, her seafood wholesale business, El Mar de Cortez Corp, has thrived, serving restaurants across the city and employing more than a dozen people. But despite the example she and other immigrants provide, politicians continue to frame them as villains.

The rhetoric is the same every election year, she said, and it ignores the positive contributions of many of the immigrants who left their home countries to seek a better future.

“Politicians talk about the migrant community like they’re criminals, like they are really awful people,” Flores said. “But when migrants leave their country — their culture and the land that they were born and grew up in — they do it because they’re searching for opportunity. And searching for a new opportunity means they come here with the intention to work and get ahead.”

Dismissing all immigrants as criminals is harmful, she added, and unfair to the work many immigrants have put in to make a difference in their host communities.

“You can’t generalize or treat an entire immigrant group as criminals because there are people who’ve lived in the country for decades, and they bring benefits to the table,” Flores said. “They benefit the economy, they benefit their communities, and they deserve to be treated with respect.”

[subhed]MYTH: There’s an invasion at the U.S.-Mexico border

While the campaign season has prompted politicians to stir up voters about an “invasion” at the country’s southern border, the situation is more complex. In late 2023, the number of migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border hit record highs. In December 2023, more than 300,000 encounters between border officials and migrants occurred at the country’s southern border — an all-time high. Experts believe the surge was, in part, the result of a global spike in migration patterns caused by economic strains during the pandemic.

In January 2024 the record high set in December plummeted to about 176,000 encounters. The number eventually fell to a three-year low not seen since before the pandemic. In August, the month for which the most recent data is available, encounters increased slightly from to 107,503 from 104,101 in July.

MYTH: Fentanyl is smuggled into the country by migrants

The U.S.-Mexico border stretches across nearly 2,000 miles and includes 26 land ports of entry. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents monitor both ports and the spaces in between. The vast majority of fentanyl is smuggled into the U.S. via legal routes by citizens, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reports. More than 90% of interdicted fentanyl is confiscated by border officials at land ports of entry, according to DHS, and cartels mainly seek to move the drug across the border with the help of U.S. citizens. In fiscal year 2023, the latest year for which there is data, 86.4% of fentanyl trafficking convictions were citizens.

MYTH: Immigrants take advantage of public benefits?

In most cases, immigrants who aren’t citizens of the United States are ineligible for public benefits. Federal programs like Section 8 housing aid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)? are all strictly reserved for U.S. citizens.

Immigrants who aren’t citizens also can’t receive subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, and they can’t apply for federal health insurance coverage through the marketplace.

People with legal permanent residency status, however, may be able to access some public benefits after reaching the five-year residency mark.

Some federal protections are in place to ensure that migrants have access to care if they are facing life-threatening circumstances. Emergency Medicaid helps migrants without legal status receive urgent medical treatment, and some benefits are available to migrant women under the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

Eligibility for state public benefit programs varies across the country and can range from access to driver’s licenses to in-state tuition rates and scholarships.

MYTH: It’s easy to gain U.S. citizenship?

Gaining citizenship is a costly, multistep and complicated process. And backlogged naturalization and asylum systems mean long wait times for hopeful migrants.

Those seeking to achieve legal status through marriage must pass a number of hurdles meant to verify that the marriage is genuine, including periodic interviews with immigration officials. Couples often spend hundreds or thousands of dollars and years in the application process.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals grants people without legal status who were brought to the country as minors protection from deportation and a temporary work permit, but recipients must meet strict criteria to qualify. That includes living in the U.S. since 2007, having arrived in the country before turning 16, no significant criminal convictions and either current enrollment in a high school, a diploma or a GED.

DACA recipients who were accepted into the program must reapply for a renewal every two years. And while recipients can apply for legal residency status if they are eligible through their family or via employment-based immigration, the DACA program is currently frozen. Though applications are still being accepted, they aren’t being processed while the program is under ongoing litigation that threatens to end it altogether.

Asylum seekers must undergo fear screenings with immigration officials to determine if their concerns about persecution or threats to their lives warrant being granted protection in the U.S. New guidance issued by the Biden administration barring the consideration of asylum claims when high numbers of migrant encounters occur has made it more difficult for people to request asylum.

Those hoping for a resolution in their asylum or refugee cases might wait years. In 2019, the immigration backlog ballooned to more than 1 million cases, a number that only doubled in the following years. As of September, the number of pending immigration cases exceeded 3 million. The average time it takes to close a case is four years, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, an organization that compiles and analyzes federal immigration data.

MYTH: Immigrants don’t pay taxes

Roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States, and all of them pay some form of taxes. An analysis of the 2022 American Community Survey, an annual demographics survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, estimated that immigrants contributed $383 billion in federal taxes, and $196 billion in state and local taxes. And while people without legal status can’t benefit from Social Security, the administration receives about $13 billion from the paychecks of workers without citizenship status every year.

Saúl Rascón moved to the U.S. with his family when he was 5-years-old. He became a DACA recipient in high school and has been employed ever since. Today, he works with Aliento Votes, a pro-immigrant voter outreach campaign. Accusations that immigrants don’t pay their taxes irritate Rascón, who views it as a way to diminish the demographic group’s contributions.

“It’s particularly frustrating when immigrants are pinned as this economic deficit and harm when it’s been proven time and time again that they’re not,” he said.

The problem, Rascón said, is that the claim is believable to the average voter who doesn’t do additional research. And that claim is dangerous for all immigrants, including himself, because it could engender hostility towards the community as a whole.

The spread of disinformation about immigrants is harmful, he added, not just because it fosters anti-immigrant sentiment, but also because it makes it more difficult to find common ground when it comes to changing the country’s immigration system. While Republican politicians have focused on riling up their base against immigrants, Democrats have shifted to the right on the issue, increasingly spotlighting enforcement policy to capture as many votes as possible.

“We’re no longer focusing our energy on our Dreamers and DACA, on undocumented people who’ve been here, and contributing taxes,” Rascón said. “We’ve seen a shift towards border security, which isn’t unproductive but it’s not the best use of our time and resources.”

Guns are shown at Caso’s Gun-A-Rama in Jersey City, New Jersey, which has been open since 1967. (Photo by Aristide Economopoulos/NJ Monitor)

This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race.

WASHINGTON — A mass shooting at a Georgia high school in September thrust the issue of gun violence to the forefront of the presidential race.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump agree that gun violence is a major problem, but they offer strikingly different views on how to address it.

Two 14-year-old students and two math teachers were killed at Apalachee High School.

While at a campaign rally in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, shortly after the Apalachee shooting, Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, renewed calls for an assault weapons ban, universal background checks and red flag laws.

Students should not have to be frightened of school shootings, she said. “They are sitting in a classroom where they should be fulfilling their God-given potential, yet some part of their big, beautiful minds is worried about a shooter breaking through the door,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, expressed his condolences.

“Our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event in Winder, GA,” Trump wrote on his social media site Truth Social. “These cherished children were taken from us far too soon by a sick and deranged monster.”

Trump has survived two assassination attempts, one where he was injured in the ear, but has not changed his stance on guns.

After the first assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, Trump campaign senior adviser Chris LaCivita said at the Republican National Convention that the party won’t back away from its support of Second Amendment rights.

During a Univision town hall with undecided Latino voters that aired Wednesday night, an audience member asked Trump how he would explain his gun policy to “parents of the victims of school shootings.”

“We have a Second Amendment and a right to bear arms,” Trump said. “I’m very strongly an advocate of that. I think that if you ever tried to get rid of it, you wouldn’t be able to do it. You wouldn’t be able to take away the guns, because people need that for security, they need it for entertainment and for sport, and other things. But they also, in many cases, need it for protection.”

A majority of Americans view gun violence as a problem — about 60% — and they expect it to only get worse over the next five years, according to a Pew Research Center study.

This year there have been 421 mass shootings, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks gun violence in the U.S.

For a third year in a row, in 2022 — the most recent year of finalized data — firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens ages 1 to 17, according to a report from the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Harris’ record

In the aftermath of two mass shootings in 2022, Congress passed the most comprehensive bipartisan gun safety legislation in decades.

In Uvalde, Texas, 19 children and two teachers were murdered, making it the second-deadliest mass shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in 2012. In Buffalo, a white supremacist targeted a Black neighborhood and killed 10 Black people in a grocery store.

The package that Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law provided $11 billion in mental health funds and $750 million for states to enact red flag laws. It also closed loopholes and established a White House Office for Gun Violence Prevention, among other provisions.

Red flag laws allow courts to temporarily remove a firearm from an individual who is a threat to themselves or others, among other provisions.

Biden tasked Harris with leading the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention, which helps local communities implement that 2022 bipartisan gun legislation and aids communities impacted by gun violence.

Trump’s record

During Trump’s first presidency, he had a mixed record on gun policy.

After a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Trump administration moved to ban bump stocks, which allow a semi-automatic rifle to quickly fire bullets.

However, the U.S. Supreme Court, to which Trump appointed three conservative justices, struck down the ban on bump stocks.?

Trump also threatened to veto legislation from Congress that would have enhanced background checks on guns.

Promise: a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines

Democrats have long called for a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, which are typically used in mass shootings.

The U.S. used to have a ban on assault weapons, but it expired in 2004 and Congress failed to renew the ban.

“I am in favor of the Second Amendment, and I believe we need to reinstate the assault weapons ban,” Harris said at the White House in late September.

Fulfilling this promise would come down to the makeup in Congress and overcoming the Senate’s 60-vote threshold to advance legislation.

Promise: a rollback of Biden regulations

During a forum with the National Rifle Association in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in February, Trump promised to roll back all gun-related regulations that the Biden administration has implemented.

“Every single Biden attack on gun owners and manufacturers will be terminated on my very first week back in office, perhaps my first day,” Trump said.

Trump specifically said he would cancel the Biden administration’s “zero-tolerance” policy, which revokes federal licenses from gun dealers who violate firearm laws.

Brian Hughes, a Trump campaign senior adviser, said in a statement to States Newsroom that if Trump wins a second term, “he will terminate every single one of the Harris-Biden’s attacks on law-abiding gun owners his first week in office and stand up for our constitutionally enshrined right to bear arms.”

Promise: tax credits, no gun-free zones

During an NRA event in April 2023, Trump said that he was supportive of a tax credit for teachers who wanted to carry a firearm in schools.

Trump has also previously voiced his disapproval of schools being gun-free zones. Days after the Uvalde school shooting, Trump attended another NRA event in Houston, Texas, where he argued that a gun-free zone does not allow people to protect themselves.

“As the age-old saying goes, the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” Trump said. “The existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens.”

He argued that schools should have metal detectors, fencing and an armed police officer.

The Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, takes questions from Latino voters at a town hall hosted by Univision on Oct. 16, 2024. (Photo by Felipe Cuevas/TelevisaUnivision)

WASHINGTON — With less than three weeks to Election Day, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump spent Wednesday evening zeroing in on undecided voters, in a race that polls have in a dead heat.

In Doral, Florida, Trump made his pitch to undecided Latino voters for an hour-long Univision town hall and Vice President Harris waded into? conservative waters in a 30-minute Fox News interview with news anchor Bret Baier.

Undecided Latino voters from across the country asked Trump 12 questions focused on the economy, immigration and reproductive rights, among other issues. Trump rarely answered the questions, often meandering off topic and joking that the hardest question he was asked was to list three virtues he admired of his opponent.

“She seems to have an ability to survive,” Trump said of Harris.

In an effort to reach moderate and undecided Republicans, Harris engaged in a somewhat testy interview with Baier that focused on the Biden administration’s immigration policies and Trump’s rhetoric.

The interview also provided Harris with a rare opportunity to distinguish herself from President Joe Biden, a question that she faltered with when asked earlier on the daytime show “The View.”

“My presidency will not be a continuation of Joe Biden’s presidency, and like every new president that comes into office, I will bring my life experiences, my professional experiences, and fresh and new ideas,” she said. “I represent a new generation of leadership.”

Harris spars with Baier

The start of the interview with Baier brought a barrage of questions about migration at the southern border, and he often interrupted Harris during her answers. He pressed her on why the Biden administration rolled back Trump-era immigration policies.

Immigration has become a top issue for voters and one that Trump has centered in his reelection campaign.

Harris focused on how U.S. immigration needs to be fixed and how the White House brokered a border security deal with the U.S. Senate that was bipartisan until Trump instructed GOP lawmakers to walk back on the deal.

Harris said that Americans “want solutions and they want a president of the United States who’s not playing political games with the issue.”

She also tried to emphasize how she would unite the country, touting endorsements from Republicans.

The Harris campaign has aligned with Republicans who have rebuked Trump, such as launching Republicans for Harris and having former GOP U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming serve as a campaign surrogate to court moderate Republicans.

The Harris campaign has also often pointed to the dozens of Trump administration officials who no longer support the former president.

‘The enemy within’

Harris also blasted Trump’s recent remarks that referred to Democrats as “the enemy within.”

The most combative part of the interview came when Baier played a clip from a Fox News town hall that Trump held with women where the host Harris Faulkner asked him about those comments about “the enemy within.”

In the town hall, Trump said “it is the enemy from within, and they are very dangerous; they are Marxists and communists and fascists and they’re sick.”

But the clip Baier played showed a different response from Trump, and in which he was not making threats.

“I’m not threatening anyone,” Trump said in the clip that Baier played for Harris. “They’re the ones doing the threatening. They do phony investigations. I’ve been investigated more than Alphonse Capone was.”

Harris pointed out that the clip “was not what he has been saying about the enemy within.”

“You and I both know that he has talked about turning the American military on the American people. He has talked about going after people who are engaged in peaceful protest,” Harris said.

“He has talked about locking people up because they disagree with him. This is a democracy and in a democracy, the president of the United States, in the United States of America, should be willing to be able to handle criticism without saying he would lock people up for doing it.”

Latino voters question Trump

Both campaigns have tried to attract Latino voters, the second-largest group of eligible voters.

Before the Univision town hall started, Trump said that he was making inroads with Latinos.

Latino voter preferences still largely resemble the 2020 presidential election, when Biden defeated Trump 61% to 36% in earning the Latino vote, according to the Pew Research Center.?

Harris currently has a smaller lead over Trump with Latinos, 57% to 39%, according to the Pew Research Center.

Harris already had a Univision town hall with the undecided voters, but Trump’s was postponed due to Hurricane Milton.

One of the audience members, Carlos Aguilera, who works as a public utilities manager in Florida, said he’s seen climate change affect his industry and asked Trump if he still thinks climate change is a hoax.

Trump didn’t answer the question, and said he’s not concerned about weather but instead about nuclear weapons. He said if Harris wins, the U.S. will end up in another world war.

Several voters asked Trump about his plan for bringing down inflation and for job creation.

Trump mainly blamed the Biden administration for inflation. He said he would drill for oil, in order to bring down the cost of living. Trump also said he would implement a mix of tax breaks and tariffs to bring companies to the U.S. to create jobs.

“Under this administration, we are going to bring companies in through a system of taxes — positive we call it — positive taxation,” Trump said. “We are going to bring companies in at a level that you’ve never seen in this country before.”

Mass deportations

Several voters asked Trump questions relating to immigration.

A former farmworker, Jorge Valazquez, from California, said that for many years he picked strawberries and cut broccoli in the fields. He said many of those workers are undocumented and he asked Trump what his plans for mass deportations of those workers would mean, especially for food prices.

Trump said he backs legal migration and those jobs would be available for Black and Hispanic workers. In addition to promising a mass deportation of millions of immigrants in the country without authorization, Trump has proposed ending several legal pathways for immigrants such as humanitarian parole and Temporary Protected Status.

“A lot of the jobs that you have, and that other people have, are being taken by these people that are coming in,” Trump said of immigrants. “And the African American population and the Hispanic population in particular are losing jobs now because millions of people are coming in.”

Another audience member, Guadalupe Ramirez from Illinois, asked Trump what his plan is to fix the U.S. immigration system. She asked why he did not support the bipartisan border security deal the Senate and White House struck.

Trump praised his previous immigration policies and then criticized cities with Democratic leadership like Chicago.

“The Democrats are weak,” Trump said. “Don’t forget, the Democrats run Chicago.”

Trump did not answer the question as to why he instructed congressional GOP lawmakers to walk away from the border deal.

The last question on immigration came from Jose Saralegui of Arizona, who said he’s a registered Republican but undecided. He asked about Trump’s comments about Springfield, Ohio, where not only Trump, but several GOP lawmakers have falsely claimed that legal Haitian immigrants were eating people’s pets.

Saralegui said that he’s concerned that Trump has called for revoking those immigrants’ legal status — as many have TPS due to unstable conditions in Haiti — and asked Trump, “Do you really believe that these people are eating the people’s pets?”

Trump didn’t answer as to whether he believed that claim, but said he’s just “saying what was reported,” and that Haitians are “eating other things too, that they’re not supposed to be, but this is all I do, is report.”

These claims have been widely debunked. The Wall Street Journal found the Ohio woman who filed a police report for her missing cat and accused Haitian immigrants in the neighborhood of stealing people’s pets and eating them. The woman later found her cat, but the Trump campaign ran with the rumor even though it was found to be baseless.

“You have a town, a beautiful little town with no problems, all of a sudden they have 30 or 32,000 people dropped into the town, most of whom don’t speak the language, and what they’re doing is they’re looking all over for interpreters,” Trump said. “Well, I mean, I think you can’t just destroy our country.”

Saralegui, and many of the audience members who asked questions, had interpreters.

Reproductive rights

Trump was asked about reproductive rights by Yaritza Kuhn of North Carolina. Kuhn said that Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, wrote about her support of abortion and reproductive rights in her recent book. Kuhn asked Trump if he agreed with his wife.

Trump did not answer whether he agreed with his wife, but said, “I told Melania that she has to go with her heart.”

“I want her to do what she wants to do,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to oppose what I think.”

Donald Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as people try to storm the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — The threat of political violence will likely hang over the nation’s capital in the weeks following Election Day, security experts say, despite intensive preparations by law enforcement officials determined to avoid another Jan. 6 insurrection.

The 2,000-plus officers who make up the U.S. Capitol Police, as well as other federal law enforcement agencies like the Secret Service, have responded to a surge in threats against elected officials during the last few years, including two assassination attempts against Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump just this year.

But the threats, attacks and shooting have led to questions about whether the two agencies are truly prepared for the presidential transition, especially after a report released this week said the Secret Service “requires fundamental reform to carry out its mission.”

The agency is tasked with planning and coordinating security for Congress’ certification of the Electoral College on Jan. 6 —the first time it’s been designated a National Special Security Event — and Inauguration Day on Jan. 20.

Experts interviewed by States Newsroom said there is a very real chance of political violence in the weeks and months ahead, though they said law enforcement agencies have learned from recent events. The unrest could build after what is expected to be a very close presidential election, with results possibly delayed for days or longer or even litigated in the courts.

“Unfortunately, you can never have 100% security,” said Javed Ali, associate professor of practice at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan.

“It’s nice to think that would exist. But, if you’re trying to consider all the different kinds of variables that you have to plan for, there’s always going to be a gap or vulnerability — now what you try to do is kind of minimize the big one and hope that the small ones don’t get exploited.”

Darrell M. West, the Douglas Dillon Chair in Governmental Studies at the Brookings Institution, said the risk of political violence could increase following Election Day if one or more political leaders object to the outcome.

“For months, we’ve been hearing extreme and sometimes violent rhetoric,” West said. “And rhetoric has consequences — it can encourage some people to take action.”

Trump has refused to accept the 2020 election results, and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, declined to say Trump lost the election. Vance on Oct. 12 said there was a “peaceful transfer of power” in January 2021.

Trump has repeatedly recycled false claims he made following his loss that the system is rigged — a talking point he’s likely to use to rile up supporters should he lose this year’s election. Trump has been charged by special counsel Jack Smith with four felony counts in connection with 2020 election interference, in a complex case that will continue after the election.

Threats against lawmakers

Members of Congress are more vulnerable than presidential candidates, in part because most lawmakers live in normal houses and don’t have security details anywhere close to the kind the Secret Service provides for high-ranking officials.

And unlike the presidency, which has a long line of succession to avoid gaps in authority following a death or a crisis, Congress has been criticized for not having better plans in place to address continuity of government following a mass casualty or similar event.

U.S. Capitol Police Chief J. Thomas Manger testified in April the agency was looking for ways to bolster protection for lawmakers in the line of presidential succession, like the speaker of the House and Senate president pro tempore.

Manger told the panel that security for those two officials was substandard to that provided for the Secretary of State, who sits below them in the line of succession.

“We can’t just go back to the days when we said, ‘Well, we’ll just follow them around and we’ll make sure they’re well protected wherever they are,’ because their homes, their families are at risk,” he testified.

Members of Congress who haven’t risen to the ranks of leadership don’t get security details unless there are specific threats to their safety. And those aren’t permanent.

That could present challenges for lawmakers who have higher profiles or who regularly receive threats, especially if people respond violently to the election results and encourage their supporters to take matters into their own hands.

Trump assassination attempts

Making the situation more complicated, this year has shown that substantial levels of security aren’t a guarantee of safety.

Trump has some of the highest levels of protection in the country, if not the world, but that did not stop a man from shooting at the former president during a rally in Pennsylvania this summer. A separate would-be gunman was spotted and apprehended just off Trump’s Florida golf course with a semi-automatic weapon in September.

Both instances raised questions about the Secret Service’s ability to protect Trump as well as others, though agency leaders maintain they’re up to the task.

Trump’s experiences, as the subject of political violence, haven’t deterred him from spreading disinformation about Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris as well as other lawmakers who disagree with him on policy issues.

Trump’s comments about immigrants have also led to threats against everyday people, including Haitian immigrants in Ohio, who are in the country legally.

During an interview with Maria Bartiromo on “Sunday Morning Futures” on Fox News earlier this month, Trump said he may use the National Guard or the military against his political opponents should he win reelection, calling them “the enemy from within.”

“We have some very bad people,” Trump said. “We have some sick people. Radical left lunatics. And it should be very easily handled by, if necessary, by National Guard, or if really necessary by the military, because they can’t let that happen.”

The military and National Guard have significantly different training programs and missions than local, state, or federal law enforcement, making Trump’s comments somewhat darker than previous claims he’d try to put his political opponents in prison if reelected.

Trump hasn’t committed to respecting the results of the election or supporting a peaceful transition in power should he lose his bid for the White House.

Trump’s comments could indicate that violence is likely following the election, if he loses, or after he regains the powers of the presidency, if he wins.

Delayed election results predicted

West from the Brookings Institution said violence isn’t likely to take place in the days immediately following the end of voting on Nov. 5, since it’s unlikely anyone learns the results of the presidential election for a few days.

The Associated Press didn’t call the race for President Joe Biden until the Saturday after the election in 2020, following days of speculation and ballot counting.

Mail-in ballots, which Democrats tend to submit in larger numbers than Republicans, could lead to confusion in swing states, especially if people don’t understand they tend to boost numbers for Democratic candidates over GOP politicians as they’re counted, he said.

“We could end up in a situation where on election night, Trump is ahead, because we know Republicans tend to vote in person on Election Day, and Democrats often vote via mail ballots,” West said. “And then as the mail ballots get counted on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the numbers may shift from Trump to Harris.

“And I think that’s a very bad combination, because it will look to some individuals like voter fraud, even though there’s a perfectly logical explanation for the change. But that’s a scenario that could lead to violence, because it’ll look like the election is being stolen from Trump.”

While the presidential candidates will play a significant role in stirring up or calming down their supporters, members of Congress, many of whom sought to legitimize misinformation and disinformation four years ago, have responsibilities as well.

“We need leaders who act responsibly, but unfortunately, in the last few months, we have not seen that,” West said. “We’ve seen members of Congress who have promoted misinformation. There’s been a lot of it surrounding the hurricane, and so the fear is that there will be blatant lies that then will incite people to take action.”

Learning from 2020

Ali, from the University of Michigan, said he expects federal law enforcement will be better prepared for post-election violence than they were four years ago, though there are still chances for violent people to slip through the cracks.

The most likely scenario, Ali said, is a single actor or “lone wolf” attack and not a mob marching to the Capitol, the way Trump supporters did on Jan. 6.

“I still think it’s relatively low,” Ali said of the likelihood of violence. “But as we’ve seen, all it takes is one person to really shake up the perception of security. And if they’re aiming at President Trump or Vice President Harris, well then, you know the stakes are even higher.”

Ali said he’s confident that the Secret Service, U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies in the Washington, D.C., area are preparing for various scenarios, though he’s less sure about what would happen if there’s violence at state capitals.

“There might be a little more vulnerability there,” Ali said. “But I still think, at least when we’re getting to the Electoral College (certification) day, that January 6th-type insurrection will be almost impossible to pull off.”

When it comes to spreading disinformation, Ali said, he expects there will be a combination of foreign adversaries, including Iran and Russia, as well as domestic actors.

“You’ll probably see a lot of disinformation, especially if Vice President Harris wins, sort of casting doubt on the integrity of the voting, the credibility of the process, maybe going after specific individuals and key swing states, or even counties,” Ali said.

“All those things that were happening in 2020. But there were also costs to doing that, as we’ve seen too, with the civil charges and some of the potential criminal ones as well,” he added. “So I think that’s also an area domestically, where people will have to tread very cautiously. That doesn’t mean that you won’t see it, but again, there might be a line that gets crossed where people will be held accountable for that.”

‘More prepared than ever before’

U.S. Capitol Police Inspector General David T. Harper said USCP leadership has implemented the 100-plus recommendations put forward by his predecessor following the Jan. 6 attack, closing gaps that existed that day.

“I think they’ve made a lot of improvements, and I think that they’re more prepared than ever before,” Harper said, though he later added he couldn’t “say for certain that they are prepared to handle anything that can come up” due to the unpredictable nature of domestic terrorism and political violence.

The OIG is also “prepared to be all hands on deck” in the event of another attack on the Capitol or lawmakers takes place, to analyze what went wrong and make recommendations for USCP to implement, he said.

Harper, whose tenure as inspector general began earlier this year, noted during the interview that much of what he can publicly discuss is restricted by national security concerns.

The U.S. Capitol Police declined an interview request from States Newsroom, but provided written information about changes that it’s implemented during the last few years.

Among those is a law approved by Congress that allows the USCP chief to request the National Guard without the approval of the three-member Capitol Police board.

USCP has also overhauled its intelligence-gathering activities and established partnerships with other law enforcement agencies to bolster its ranks ahead of major events.

Secret Service planning for Jan. 6

The Secret Service is one of those partners and it will take the lead this year planning security for major events during the presidential transition, even those undertaken by Congress inside the Capitol.

While Inauguration Day has traditionally been categorized as a National Special Security Event, the Department of Homeland Security has extended that classification for the first time for Congress certifying the winner of the presidential race on Jan. 6.

Nate Herring, spokesperson for the United States Secret Service, said part of the process includes planning with other law enforcement agencies for “various scenarios” that could take place, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Metropolitan Police Department.

“We work very closely with our partners throughout the whole planning process,” Herring said. “And D.C. is especially unique because National Special Security Events occur fairly frequently.”

But the Secret Service’s leadership and structure have come under scrutiny during the last few months.

The four-member panel tasked with investigating the Pennsylvania assassination attempt against Trump wrote in the 52-page report released in mid-October that the Secret Service “has become bureaucratic, complacent, and static even though risks have multiplied and technology has evolved.”

“This is a zero-fail mission, for any failure endangers not only the life of the protectee, but also the fundamentals of our government itself,” they wrote.

Without substantial changes to the Secret Service, the independent review panel wrote, it believes the type of deadly attack that took place in Butler, Pennsylvania, “can and will happen again.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas released a written statement after the report’s release, saying the department had begun “taking the actions needed to advance the Secret Service’s protection mission,” including addressing the “systemic and foundational issues” described by the review panel.

D.C. planning

District of Columbia Assistant City Administrator Chris Rodriguez said that city officials will be watching for any indications people intent on violence begin traveling or gathering inside the city following Election Day.

“We are obviously attuned to what happened last time. I mean, I don’t think we can ignore that, and we’re not,” Rodriguez said, referring to the Jan. 6 attack. “But we also are in a place where we have great relationships among our agencies within the region, with the federal government in terms of coordination, and we will be prepared to adapt our operational posture in any way that we need to.”

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser originally requested the NSSE designation for Jan. 6, which Rodriguez said has increased planning and coordination, in hopes of avoiding any violence.

Rodriguez also stressed D.C. officials and the city’s police department are used to planning for the large crowds and protests that tend to take place whenever there’s a presidential transition.

“We are a city that prides itself, as the nation’s capital, to ensuring that there is a peaceful transition of power,” he said. “And we will do our part to ensure that.”

How to address projected shortfalls for both the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will become an increasingly important topic for the president and Congress during the next decade.?(Photo by Getty Images)

This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race.

WASHINGTON — The presidential debate in early September included just one mention of Social Security and three references to Medicare, making the safety net programs a minuscule part of the policy discussion, despite their importance to tens of millions of Americans.

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump have both mentioned the programs numerous times during appearances, though neither campaign has sought to elevate the financial stability of the two programs as a core issue.

More often than not, Harris and Trump rebuke their opponent, while committing to “save” Social Security and Medicare — skipping over the details or the role Congress must play in the discussion.

How to address projected shortfalls for both the Social Security and Medicare trust funds will become an increasingly important topic for the president and Congress during the next decade.

The latest Social Security trustees report expects the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and the Disability Insurance trust funds will be able to pay full benefits until 2035, after which, without action by lawmakers, benefits would drop to about 83%.

The trustee report for Medicare shows the funding stream for the hospital insurance trust fund can cover all of its bills through 2036 before it would only be able to cover 89% of costs.

There are currently 67.5 million people enrolled in Medicare, which provides health insurance and prescription drug coverage for people over the age of 65 as well as younger people who have certain severe illnesses or disabilities.

Nearly 68 million people receive some level of benefit from Social Security each month, accounting for about $1.5 trillion in spending by the federal government annually, according to a fact sheet.

While the issue is somewhat less pressing for Trump, who would be term limited to another four years, Harris could theoretically spend the next eight years in the Oval Office, making the solvency of the trust funds an issue she would likely need to address with Congress.

Protecting seniors

During the September debate, Harris brought up Social Security and Medicare following a question about how her policy beliefs on fracking, assault weapons and border security have changed over time.

“My work that is about protecting Social Security and Medicare is based on long-standing work that I have done. Protecting seniors from scams,” Harris said as part of a longer answer. “My values have not changed. And what is important is that there is a president who actually brings values and a perspective that is about lifting people up and not beating people down and name-calling.”

Harris later brought up Medicare again, noting that legislation Congress approved during Biden’s term in office allowed program administrators to negotiate certain prescription drug prices for the first time. That law, known as the Inflation Reduction Act, also capped the cost of insulin for Medicare enrollees at $35 per month.

Trump didn’t broach the subject of Social Security or Medicare during the September debate with Harris, but he did speak about the two programs during an earlier summer debate with President Joe Biden, before he stepped aside as the Democratic nominee.

During that debate, Trump claimed the Biden administration was going to “destroy” the two programs by allowing noncitizens to draw down benefits.

FactCheck notes on its website that comments and viral posts about noncitizens receiving Social Security benefits don’t always represent reality and sometimes confuse different programs.

“Immigrants who are lawfully living or authorized to work in the U.S. are eligible for a Social Security number and, in some cases, Social Security benefits. But viral posts make the false claim that ‘illegal immigrants’ can receive Social Security numbers and retirement benefits, and they confuse two programs managed by the Social Security Administration.”

KFF writes on its website that whether legal immigrants are eligible for Medicare depends on several factors, including how long they’ve paid into the system.

“New immigrants are not eligible for Medicare regardless of their age. Once immigrants meet the residency requirements, eligibility and enrollment work the same as they do for others.”

Trump on entitlement programs

Trump’s comments on entitlement programs haven’t always been consistent or entirely clear, but his campaign and he both maintain they will “save” the program.

During an interview with CNBC in March, Trump said that there are numerous things lawmakers could do to address solvency.

“There is a lot you can do in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and the bad management of entitlements,” Trump said, declining to list any of those policy proposals.

Trump’s campaign website posted a video of him back in January 2023, saying Republicans “should not cut a penny” from Medicare or Social Security to pay for other legislation.

The problems facing Social Security and Medicare aren’t related to Congress reducing the amount of tax dollars flowing into the programs. Rather it is the structure for the programs lawmakers set up previously.

Without action by Congress, the trust funds won’t be able to account for benefit payments in the long term.

So the challenge for the next president won’t be preventing lawmakers from taking action related to Social Security and Medicare, but helping find a bipartisan path forward on legislation to change revenue, spending, or both.

Trump does want to end taxes on Social Security benefits, writing on social media in July that “SENIORS SHOULD NOT PAY TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY!”

Henry Aaron, the Bruce and Virginia MacLaury Chair and senior fellow in the Economic Studies Program at the Brookings Institution, wrote in a detailed analysis of the platform that Trump’s proposal to end income tax on Social Security benefits “would accelerate trust fund depletion by about two years and deepen the long-run funding gap by more than 7%.”

Harris policies

Harris’ campaign website says she would “protect Social Security and Medicare against relentless attacks from Donald Trump and his extreme allies.”

“She will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the long haul by making millionaires and billionaires pay their fair share in taxes,” the policy page states. “She will always fight to ensure that Americans can count on getting the benefits they earned.”

Harris announced in early October during an appearance on “The View” that if elected she would work toward including long-term home care for seniors enrolled in Medicare.

“There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle: They’re taking care of their kids and they’re taking care of their aging parents, and it’s just almost impossible to do it all, especially if they work,” Harris said during the live interview. “We’re finding that so many are then having to leave their job, which means losing a source of income, not to mention the emotional stress.”

The proposals would likely need partial, if not complete, buy-in from Congress to move forward and could come with a $40 billion annual price tag, though the campaign noted in a fact sheet that there are pay-fors.

“These new benefits will be fully paid for and extend the life of the Medicare Trust Fund by expanding Medicare drug price negotiations, increasing the discounts drug manufacturers cover for certain brand-name drugs in Medicare and addressing Medicare fraud,” it states.

A Harris administration would also “crack down on pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) to increase transparency, disclose more information on cost, and regulate other practices that raise prices” and “implement international tax reform” to pay for the changes.

The Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, attends a Fox News town hall with women voters hosted by Harris Faulkner and taped on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024 in Cumming, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

Former President Donald Trump fielded questions from women voters during a Fox News town hall in Georgia that aired Wednesday, and dubbed himself “the father of IVF” while discussing the fertility treatment that grabbed the spotlight after an Alabama court’s ruling earlier this year.

The GOP presidential nominee — who’s also called himself a “protector” of women — has sought to win over the critical voting bloc as he and Vice President Kamala Harris poll neck and neck in a race that’s largely been marked by a gender gap.

Trump faced a friendly crowd in Cumming, Georgia, an exurb of Atlanta, during the event that Fox News billed as centered on “women’s issues.”

The former president made multiple false claims throughout the town hall hosted by Fox News’ Harris Faulkner and often responded with long-winded answers to questions surrounding the economy, immigration and abortion.

On abortion and IVF

Trump has walked a fine line on abortion in recent months, often zigzagging on his positions, though he currently maintains he would veto a federal abortion ban.

During his administration, Trump nominated three U.S. Supreme Court justices who all voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, ending nearly half a century of the constitutional right to an abortion.

Asked by an audience member why the government is “involved in women’s basic rights,” Trump said that abortion is now “back in the states.” The conservative justices actually wrote that ending Roe v. Wade meant the “authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives,” which includes Congress and the president.

Trump noted that some states’ abortion restrictions are “too tough” and predicted that those measures “are going to be redone because already there’s a movement in those states.”

He said he believes in “exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother.”

Trump, in claiming his leadership on IVF, also said “we really are the party for IVF.” Republicans in Congress, however, have prevented the advancement of legislation on in vitro fertilization, including an attempt by U.S. Senate Democrats in March to expand access for military service members and veterans.

In September, Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill that could have prevented states from enacting “harmful or unwarranted limitations” on the fertility procedure and bolstered access for military members and veterans.

But Trump insisted at the town hall his party backs IVF. “We want fertilization, and it’s all the way, and the Democrats tried to attack us on it, and we’re out there on IVF, even more than them, so we’re totally in favor,” he said.

Contrary to Trump’s assertion he is the “father of IVF,” it was pioneered in 1978 by a gynecologist and scientist, one of whom who received the Nobel Prize.

Alabama ruling

The debate over IVF erupted in Alabama earlier this year after the Alabama state Supreme Court issued an opinion in February that frozen embryos constitute children under state law.

That ruling forced the state’s IVF clinics to halt their work until the state legislature passed a bill providing criminal and civil protections for those clinics.

Trump, a few days after the ruling, called on Alabama lawmakers to “find an immediate solution,” and national Republicans running for Congress sought to distance themselves from the controversial Alabama decision as well.

Trump, replaying the timeline of events at the town hall, said: “So I got a call from Katie Britt, a young, just a fantastically attractive person from Alabama. She’s a senator, and she called me up like ‘emergency, emergency’ because an Alabama judge had ruled that the IVF clinics were illegal and they have to be closed.” Britt, a Republican and member of the U.S. Senate from Alabama, was also picked to deliver the State of the Union response to President Joe Biden.

Trump continued, “And I said, ‘explain IVF very quickly,’ and within about two minutes, I understood it. I said, ‘No, no, we’re totally in favor of IVF.’ I came out with a statement within an hour, a really powerful statement, with some experts, really powerful. And we went totally in favor, the Republican Party, the whole party. (The) Alabama Legislature, a day later, overturned, meaning approved it … the judge essentially approved it.”

Harris clapped back at Trump’s description of himself as the “father of IVF” later Wednesday, saying she found it “quite bizarre.”

“And if what he meant is taking responsibility, well then, yeah, he should take responsibility for the fact that 1 in 3 women in America lives in a Trump abortion ban state,” she said.

On immigration and border security?

Immigration was a central topic during the town hall, and Trump repeated several false claims on the issue, including that Harris was made “border czar.”

Though President Joe Biden tasked Harris with addressing the “root causes” of migration in Central America in 2021, he did not give her the title of “border czar.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is in charge of border security.

Trump also reiterated his promise to ban all sanctuary cities, saying they’re “really meant for one thing: to protect criminals” and “that’s what they’ve become.” Such cities have declared their resistance to cooperating with federal immigration authorities.

“We’re going to end all sanctuary cities in the United States, and we’re going to go back to normalcy, and we’re going to have law and order … we have to reinvigorate our police,” he said.

On the economy and energy

Trump also said that under his administration, the U.S. had “the greatest economy in the history of our country.”

This claim has been proven false when evaluating factors such as the unemployment rate, annual gross domestic product increases and wage growth during his presidency compared to other administrations, per PolitiFact.

He also reiterated his plans to end taxes on Social Security benefits and to cut energy costs in half if reelected.

Harris campaign pre-buttal?

Ahead of Trump’s town hall, the Harris campaign hosted a press call Tuesday that featured Georgia’s Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, and the family members of Amber Thurman. A ProPublica investigation linked Georgia’s restrictive abortion law to Thurman’s death.

Ossoff said that in Trump, “you have the architect of the nationwide campaign to overturn Roe v. Wade and end decades of protection for the privacy of women’s health care and the ability of doctors to provide necessary care — and in Vice President Harris, you have a clear and leading commitment to stand up for the health of pregnant women and to empower physicians to provide necessary care.”

Harris was set to deliver remarks at a campaign event Wednesday in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She was also set to appear in a sit-down interview with Fox News’ Bret Baier, airing Wednesday.

People demonstrate and call out words of encouragement to detainees held inside the Metropolitan Detention Center after marching to decry Trump administration immigration and refugee policies on June 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON —Top advisers to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign held a Wednesday press conference including children who were separated from their parents under the highly criticized Trump administration immigration policy, as a warning of what a second term under the former president could bring for the Latino community.

The press conference in Doral, Florida, came ahead of a late Wednesday Univision town hall at which GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump will talk with undecided Latino voters.

Four children at the press conference recounted stories of being separated from a parent by immigration officials during the Trump administration and the lasting trauma it caused. Their full names and ages were not provided by the campaign.

With 20 days until Nov. 5 and early voting underway in many states, both campaigns have tried to court Latino voters, as they are the second-largest group of eligible voters.

“The Latino vote will decide this election,” Democratic Texas U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar, who serves as co-chair for the Harris campaign, said at the press conference.

Harris campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said that for the next 20 days, Democrats will continue to reach out to Latinos and stress “the threat that Donald Trump is to Latino communities everywhere.”

Harris looks for Latino support

The 2024 presidential election is essentially a dead heat between Harris and Trump. Latino voter preferences largely resemble the 2020 presidential election, when President Joe Biden defeated Trump 61% to 36% in earning the Latino vote, according to the Pew Research Center.?

Harris, the Democratic nominee, currently has a smaller lead over Trump with Latinos, 57% to 39%, according to the Pew Research Center.

Escobar warned what a second Trump administration could bring to the Latino community.

“I hear a lot of Latinos who say that they want to vote for Donald Trump, that they appreciate some of his policies,” she said.

Escobar said that Trump has not only promised to carry out mass deportations, but go after pathways to legal immigration. She argued that architects of some of the former president’s harshest immigration policies are top level advisers, like Stephen Miller, who has proposed eliminating legal immigration like humanitarian parole programs and Temporary Protected Status.

Miller has also proposed a program to strip naturalized citizens of their U.S. citizenship — an initiative that Miller said would be “turbocharged” under a second Trump administration.

“For Latinos who think that when Donald Trump insults immigrants, or when he talks about mass deportation that you’re thinking he’s talking about somebody else, oh no, no, he’s talking about you,” Escobar, who represents the border town of El Paso, said.

Escobar said there would be no guardrails for a second Trump administration and programs like family separation could be implemented. The separation occurred at the border as asylum-seeking parents were put into criminal detention and sometimes deported.

“These kids who have lived through horrific trauma, through the pain of being separated from their parents, what you heard from them moments ago will be far worse if Trump gets a second term,” she said. “In Donald Trump’s first term, he had people around him who actually tried to stop him. In a second term, not only will those guardrails not exist, but those people who were there to stop him in the first place are long gone.”

Trump has declined to say whether he would resume family separations if given a second term, also known as the zero-tolerance policy.

“Well, when you have that policy, people don’t come. If a family hears that they’re going to be separated, they love their family. They don’t come. So I know it sounds harsh,” Trump said during a CNN town hall in May 2023.?

Escobar said that she is hoping that at Wednesday night’s town hall, Trump will be pressed on whether he would reimplement his family separation policy.

The Biden administration established a task force to reunite the 3,881 children who were separated from their families from 2017 to 2021.

The Department of Homeland Security has reunited about 74% of those families, but there are still 998 children who have not been reunited.

Amendment 2 would change Kentucky's Constitution to allow the General Assembly to spend tax dollars for educating students at private schools. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

FRANKFORT — A multimillion-dollar television advertising campaign supporting the so-called “school choice” amendment on the November ballot is being single-handedly funded by Jeff Yass, a Pennsylvania billionaire and Republican mega donor.

In early September a political action committee called Protect Freedom began running television ads advocating passage of Amendment 2 which would change Kentucky’s Constitution to allow the General Assembly to spend tax dollars for educating students at private schools. One of those ads features Republican U.S. Sen. Rand Paul making the pitch for the amendment.

Protect Freedom is a national PAC closely affiliated with Paul and largely funded by Yass since it was formed by Paul’s political associates in 2017.

A report filed by Protect Freedom with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday shows that it got $5,000,250 in total contributions during the period between July 1 and Sept. 30. Of that total, $5 million (99.99 percent) was donated by Yass on Sept. 6.

The report also shows that it paid $2,031,418 in September to Strategic Media Placement, an Ohio media company that has placed Protect Freedom’s ads advocating for the school choice amendment with Kentucky television stations.

Protect Freedom as of Wednesday morning has bought $4.1 million in ads promoting the amendment, according to a representative of Protect Our Schools, a group opposing the amendment that has been tracking advertising buys in the race.

Yass is managing director and co-founder of the Philadelphia-based trading firm Susquehanna International Group. He is worth $44.3 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. His holdings include a major investment in the China-based ByteDance, the parent company of the hugely popular social media site TikTok.

Yass also is the country’s second largest political donor, having made $79.7 million in political contributions since Jan. 1, 2023 — nearly all of that to Republican causes, according to Open Secrets, a website that tracks political contributions. (That total does not include the $5 million he gave in September to Protect Freedom.)

And for many years Yass has made big contributions to political committees — particularly in Pennsylvania but also in many other states — advocating school choice.

He is no stranger to donating in Kentucky.?

Last year he donated millions to PACs that unsuccessfully supported Republican Daniel Cameron’s campaign for governor.

And he has long been a massive donor to PACs affiliated with Paul. The $5 million he gave to Protect Freedom in September brings his total contributed to Protect Freedom to $34 million since 2017. In? 2021 he gave $5 million to a PAC that successfully supported Paul’s reelection in 2022.

Advocates for Amendment 2 say it will improve education by making it possible for more parents to have a choice in deciding where to send their children to school.?

Another pro-amendment group called Kentucky Students First recently reported that it had raised about $1.5 million to promote the amendment. Kevin Broghamer, who is treasurer? of Kentucky Students First, declined to immediately answer questions from Kentucky Lantern Wednesday morning. Broghamer, who is also treasurer of Paul’s campaign committee, said someone with the group would call back if it had any comment. As of early Wednesday afternoon the group did not call Kentucky Lantern back.

Opponents of the amendment say that it would divert tax dollars from already under-funded public schools to private schools.

A PAC called Protect Our Schools has recently reported raising about $3.1 million from teacher unions for its advertising campaign to defeat the amendment. Of that total $2.4 million came from the National Education Association, and $250,000 each from the Kentucky Education Association and Jefferson County Teachers Association.

Eddie Campbell, president of the Kentucky Education Association and board member of Protect Our Schools, said of Yass’s donation, “A billionaire is giving our politicians in Frankfort a blank check to divert our tax dollars from public schools. … He’s flooding the airwaves with misleading ads.”

Campbell said the difference between the big contributions to each side is that Yass is just one person, while the teacher unions are made up of tens of thousands of “members of local communities who are concerned about the harmful effect this amendment will have.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz rallied before a few hundred spectators at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, and her running mate, Walz, have been blanketing Pennsylvania, a key swing state in the 2024 presidential race. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

PITTSBURGH — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz urged a crowd of Pittsburgh Steelers fans to vote early as he rallied a few hundred of them Tuesday night at the professional football team’s home at Acrisure Stadium.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ Democratic presidential running mate campaigned in the southwestern Pennsylvania city as the campaign continues its blitz of the coveted swing state that could decide the 2024 presidential contest.

The race between Harris and former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, remains razor-thin in the Keystone State.

Former Steeler Will Allen introduced Walz to a cheering crowd dotted with Steelers hats, jerseys and Terrible Towels, the team’s official rally towel.

“Give me my moment here, yesterday I made my first trip to Lambeau Field,” Walz said, referring to his trip to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and the home of the Green Bay Packers football team. “Today, I’m making my first trip into Steeler territory, so thank you.”

The former high school football coach and teacher visited Wisconsin Monday, which is alongside Pennsylvania on the list of must-win swing states. The others include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina.

Early mail-in ballot voting is already underway in Pennsylvania.

“If you’re voting by mail, get the damn thing in the mail as soon as possible,” Walz said.

Harris campaigned in Erie, Pennsylvania, Monday night before heading to Michigan Tuesday.

Attacks on Trump

Like Harris did in the state’s northwestern corner the previous night, Walz roused the Pittsburgh crowd by attacking Trump’s mental fitness.

“I would not usually encourage this, but go watch this guy, watch his town hall. He stopped taking questions and stood frozen on stage for 30 minutes while they played his Spotify list,” Walz said, referring to Trump’s Monday night town hall outside of Philadelphia.

“If this were your grandfather, you would take the keys away,” Walz said to laughter. “And I tell you this, look, it would be funny if this guy weren’t running for president of the United States.”

In Erie, Harris warned that Trump is “unhinged” and played video clips of the former president explaining his potential plans to use the military to silence “the enemy from within.”

Trump wrote on his social media platform Tuesday morning that Harris’ own health report is “really bad.”

“With all of the problems that she has, there is a real question as to whether or not she should be running for President!” he wrote on Truth Social.

Harris’ medical report released Saturday describes her “in excellent health.”

Walz on the farm

While Walz wore a white shirt and sports jacket when talking to the football fans, earlier in the day he donned a flannel shirt and told supporters gathered outside a barn in Lawrence County that he and Harris would fight for American farmers and resources for rural residents.

The governor also highlighted his bona fides as a veteran, hunter and gun owner. His speech can be viewed in full on C-SPAN.

The Harris-Walz campaign released a plan Tuesday for rural America that promised to shore up rural health care and support small farms.

Walz also stopped at a garden center and cafe in Butler County before heading into the city.

The pro-Democrat Rural USA political action committee highlighted economic analyses Tuesday that show Trump’s promised tariffs would cause farmers to lose business as exports would decline.

Pennsylvania farmers could lose $111 million in soy exports, $50 million in corn exports, $22 million in beef exports and $20 million in wheat exports, according to the analysis from the University of Illinois Department of Agriculture and Consumer Economics.

“These new studies literally show that Trump’s tariffs will put Pennsylvania farmers out of business,” Chris Gibbs, an Ohio corn and soybean farmer and president of Rural Voices USA, said in a statement Tuesday. “Exports are vital for Pennsylvania farmers and they cannot absorb the sharp fall in exports and prices these studies foreshadow.”

Trump defended his tariff proposals at the Economic Club of Chicago earlier Tuesday.? He told Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait during an hour-long interview that he would spur a manufacturing boom in the U.S. by making tariffs “so high, so horrible, so obnoxious” that companies would relocate.

Republican vice presidential nominee Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio is scheduled to campaign in Pittsburgh Thursday.

he Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, right, walks into the studio with Charlamagne Tha God before “We The People: An Audio Townhall With Kamala Harris and Charlamagne Tha God” on Oct. 15, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris on a popular radio show Tuesday encouraged Americans to vote this year even if they don’t believe all of the issues they’re concerned about can be fixed in the immediate future.

“The solutions are not going to happen just overnight, and the solutions that we all want are not going to happen in totality because of one election,” Harris said during a live interview in Detroit with Charlamagne Tha God, co-host of the nationally syndicated “The Breakfast Club.”

“But here’s the thing — the things that we want, and are prepared to fight for, won’t happen if we’re not active and if we don’t participate.”

Harris said she didn’t “subscribe” to the idea that just because something takes a long time that it can’t be achieved, pointing to the years of struggle before the 1965 Voting Rights Act became law.

“It took the brutality of what happened when John Lewis and all those (who) were trying to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge,” Harris said, referring to Bloody Sunday. “It took a lot of work over our history to do what we have accomplished thus far, and we have to remain committed.”

Harris, who’s targeting outreach to Black male voters, encouraged listeners who have been disillusioned or traditionally disenfranchised by politics to vote this year, arguing that if they stayed home they would send a message to “obstructionists, who are standing in the way of change, they’re winning because they’re convincing people that it can’t be done.”

“Look at that circle, look at that vicious circle,” Harris said. “So let’s not fall for it.”

Harris said during the hour-long radio town hall that while the race between her and Republican candidate Donald Trump is extremely close, she expects to win once all the ballots are counted.

She also criticized him for making false statements about her career, actions taken by the Biden administration and policy proposals she’s put forward during her bid for the Oval Office.

“One of the biggest challenges that I face is mis- and disinformation, and it’s purposeful, because it is meant to convince people that they somehow should not believe that the work that I have done has occurred and has meaning,” Harris said.

Trump and his allies, she said, are trying to “scare people away” from voting for her in the presidential race “because they know they otherwise have nothing to run on.”

Police brutality

Harris spoke in detail about her proposals to expand the child tax credit, help first-time home buyers afford a down payment, increase access to capital for startup small business owners and decriminalize cannabis.

She said that if elected she would work with Congress to address police brutality through legislation, and noted that President Joe Biden signed an executive order more than two years ago that made several changes to how federal law enforcement agencies operate.

The executive order required the Justice Department to establish a database of “official records documenting instances of law enforcement officer misconduct as well as commendations and awards.”

Harris said during her interview that, as well as other provisions in the executive order addressing how federal law enforcement can use “no-knock warrants” and language barring chokeholds, marked significant change.

“This is no small issue … because, as we know, we’ve seen plenty of examples of a police officer who committed misconduct in one jurisdiction and then goes to another jurisdiction and gets hired because there’s no place that’s tracking their misconduct,” Harris said, adding if elected she would press Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

That bill, which passed the House in March 2021, would have made substantial changes to how law enforcement officers at the local, state and federal level operate, including to racial profiling.

‘Running to be president for everybody’

Harris was asked during the interview how her policies would affect the Black community and whether she planned to establish ways for people to access new education and career opportunities.

“I am running to be president for everybody. But I am clear eyed about the history and the disparities that exist for specific communities. And I’m not going to shy away from that,” Harris said. “It doesn’t mean that my policies aren’t going to benefit everybody, because they are. Everything I just talked about will benefit everybody.”

“Small business owners — whatever their race, their age, their gender, their geographic location — are going to benefit from the fact that I’m going to extend tax deductions to $50,000,” she added.

“Every first time homeowner — wherever they are, whatever their race — will benefit if they are a first-time home buyer with a $25,000 down payment assistance. Everyone is going to benefit from my plan to extend the child tax credit to $6,000 for the first year of their child’s life. That’s going to benefit everybody.”

The Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, on Tuesday, Oct. 15, spoke to the Economic Club of Chicago. In this photo, he speaks to attendees during a campaign rally at the Mosack Group warehouse on Sept. 25 in Mint Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump defended his plans for steep tariffs on Tuesday, arguing economists who say that those higher costs would get passed onto consumers are incorrect and that his proposals would benefit American manufacturing.

During an argumentative hour-long interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait hosted by the Economic Club of Chicago, Trump vehemently denied tariffs on certain imported goods would lead to further spikes in inflation and sour America’s relationship with allies, including those in Europe.

“The higher the tariff, the more likely it is that the company will come into the United States, and build a factory in the United States so it doesn’t have to pay the tariff,” Trump said.

Micklethwait questioned Trump about what would happen to consumer prices during the months or even years it would take companies to build factories in the United States and hire workers.

Trump responded that he could make tariffs “so high, so horrible, so obnoxious that they’ll come right away.” Earlier during the interview, Trump mentioned placing tariffs on foreign-made products as high as 100% or 200%.

Harris-Walz 2024 spokesperson Joseph Costello wrote in a statement released following the interview that “Trump showed exactly why Americans can’t afford a second Trump presidency.”

“An angry, rambling Donald Trump couldn’t focus, had to be repeatedly reminded of the topic at hand, and whenever he did stake out a position, it was so extreme that no Americans would want it,” Costello wrote. “This was yet another reminder that a second Trump term is a risk Americans simply cannot take.”

Smoot-Hawley memories

Micklethwait noted during the interview that 40 million jobs and 27% of gross domestic product within the United States rely on trade, questioning how tariffs on those products would help the economy.

He also asked Trump if his plans for tariffs could lead the country down a similar path to the one that followed the Smoot-Hawley tariff law becoming law in June 1930. Signed by President Herbert Hoover, some historians and economists have linked the law to the beginning of the Great Depression.

Trump disagreed with Micklethwait, though he didn’t detail why his proposals to increase tariffs on goods from adversarial nations as well as U.S. allies wouldn’t begin a trade war.

The U.S. Senate’s official explainer on the Smoot-Hawley tariffs describes the law as being “among the most catastrophic acts in congressional history.” And the Congressional Research Services notes in a report on U.S. tariff policy that it was the last time lawmakers set tariff rates.

Desmond Lachman, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, wrote last month that Trump’s proposal to implement tariffs of at least 60% on goods imported from China as well as 10 to 20% on all other imports could have severe economic consequences.

“It is difficult to see how such a unilateral trade policy in flagrant violation of World Trade Organization rules would not lead to retaliation by our trade partners with import tariff increases of their own,” Lachman wrote. “As in the 1930s, that could lead us down the destructive path of beggar-my-neighbor trade policies that could cause major disruption to the international trade system. Such an occurrence would be particularly harmful to our export industries and would heighten the chances of both a US and worldwide economic recession.”

CRS notes in its reports that while the Constitution grants Congress the authority to establish tariffs, lawmakers have given the president some authority over it as well.

The United States’ membership in the World Trade Organization and various other trade agreements also have “tariff-related commitments,” according to CRS.

“For more than 80 years, Congress has delegated extensive tariff-setting authority to the President,” the CRS report states. “This delegation insulated Congress from domestic pressures and led to an overall decline in global tariff rates. However, it has meant that the U.S. pursuit of a low-tariff, rules-based global trading system has been the product of executive discretion. While Congress has set negotiating goals, it has relied on Presidential leadership to achieve those goals.”

The presidency and the Fed

Trump said during the interview that he believes the president should have more input into whether the Federal Reserve raises or lowers interest rates, though he didn’t answer a question about keeping Jerome Powell as the chairman through the end of his term.

“I think I have the right to say I think he should go up or down a little bit,” Trump said. “I don’t think I should be allowed to order it. But I think I have the right to put in comments as to whether or not interest rates should go up or down.”

Trump declined to answer a question about whether he’s spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin since leaving office.

“I don’t comment on that,” Trump said. “But I will tell you that if I did, it’s a smart thing. If I’m friendly with people, if I have a relationship with people, that’s a good thing, not a bad thing.”

Journalist Bob Woodward wrote in his new book “War” that Trump and Putin have spoken at least seven times and that Trump secretly sent Putin COVID-19 tests during the pandemic, which the Kremlin later confirmed, according to several news reports.

Trump said the presidential race will likely come down to Pennsylvania, Michigan and possibly Arizona.

The Economic Club of Chicago has also invited Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris for a sit-down interview.

Gov. Andy Beshear, flanked by opponents of Amendment 2, spoke at a news conference Tuesday at Consolidated Baptist Church in Lexington. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Jamie Lucke)

LEXINGTON —? Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear joined teachers union president Randi Weingarten Tuesday to rally opponents of a constitutional amendment that they warned would defund Kentucky’s public schools.

Beshear took issue with what he called “misinformation” being spread by supporters of Amendment 2. “You don’t have to read very far to know that those trying to get you to vote ‘yes’ on Amendment 2 aren’t telling you the truth,” Beshear said — a criticism later disputed by Jim Waters of the conservative Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, which supports the amendment.

If voters approve the measure’s changes to the state Constitution, Kentucky’s legislature would for the first time be free to put public money into private schools. Kentucky is one of three states with similar questions on the ballot this fall.

Weingarten, president of the 1.8 million-member AFT which represents teachers, nurses and other professions, stopped for a news conference at Consolidated Baptist Church as part of a pre-election bus tour through multiple states where AFT is supporting political allies including the Democratic presidential ticket.

Weingarten, an attorney and former history teacher, praised the protections for public schools in Kentucky’s Constitution. “I’m here to say to Kentucky, if we want to have that Kentucky culture of public schooling being the equalizer for all? kids, we need to vote ‘no’ on Amendment 2.”

She said that in states that have funded vouchers to help pay private school tuition, most of the parents using them were already sending their kids to private schools. “And, in fact, many private schools in the country have raised their tuition.”

Thirteen states and the District of Columbia fund some? form of vouchers that provide a set amount of money for private? school tuition, according to the Education Commission of the? States. Thirty-three states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have some form of “school choice” program, according to EdChoice, a nonprofit that advocates for the programs.

Josh Cowen, a professor of education policy at Michigan State University, told the gathering that voucher programs are failing students. He said 20 years of research led him to “call vouchers the education equivalent of predatory lending” because kids who leave public schools to attend the non-elite private schools that will accept them suffer declines in academic performance.

Cowen, formerly a professor at the University of Kentucky, is the author of “The Privateers: How Billionaires Created a Culture War and Sold School Vouchers” published recently by Harvard Education Press.

“When it comes to vouchers, it isn’t the school choice at all. It’s the school’s choice. The schools are doing the choosing,” Cowan said, adding that “30% of kids who do come to a voucher school from a public school end up leaving within the first couple of years … because they’re pushed out, asked to leave or they just can’t make it work.”

The movement toward school vouchers has been fueled by a network of super wealthy individuals and their nonprofit advocacy groups, most prominently Americans for Prosperity linked to Charles and David Koch. Another champion of school choice, Jeff Yass, a billionaire options? trader who lives near Philadelphia, has also put millions into a political action committee associated with Republican Kentucky U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, who is featured in television ads supporting Amendment? 2.

Saying he wanted to address “three pieces of misinformation,” Beshear ?said a pro-Amendment 2 flier had implied that he supported the measure because it would give him more options. “Let me be clear, I’m fully opposed to Amendment 2.”

Beshear also disputed assertions in advertising for Amendment 2 that its passage would raise teachers’ pay, saying “that? fails math.” Beshear also said that even though supporters ?argue that Amendment 2 in itself makes no policy changes, Republican lawmakers through their past votes for charter schools and a tax credit to support private schools have made their intentions clear, even as their commitment to further cuts in the state income tax will reduce revenue available for education.

“Amendment 2 would allow Frankfort politicians to take taxpayer money away from public schools and send it to unaccountable? private schools,” Besher said. “Let me tell you the people of Kentucky do not want that and when they are educated on what this amendment will actually do, they will vote against it as many? times as you’ll let them.”

Waters? of the Bluegrass Institute disputed Beshear’s assertion that Amendment 2 supporters are spreading misinformation.

“Voters are not voting on vouchers or any type of policy. The amendment removes barriers so legislators can create school choice policies without being struck down by the courts.”

Waters also said data show that teacher pay is “positively affected by choice policy.” The Bluegrass Institute in August published a brief by John Garren, a University of Kentucky emeritus professor of? economics, that found “increased school choice raises the demand for teachers’ services” and that “this increased? demand pushes up pay for teachers generally in public, private, and charter schools.”

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, holds a town hall at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center with South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem on October 14, 2024 in Oaks, Pennsylvania. His rival, Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, spoke in the Western Pennsylvania city of Erie. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

UPPER PROVIDENCE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Former President Donald Trump planned a town hall for his first public campaign appearance in the Philadelphia suburbs of 2024. But after two apparent medical emergencies shortened the question and answer portion, Trump remained on stage for more than a half hour swaying along to some of his favorite songs.

“It’s a nice crowd,” Trump said as he took the stage shortly before 7 p.m., nearly an hour later than scheduled.

A few thousand supporters filled the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center & Fairgrounds in Montgomery County for the event moderated by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem.

Trump answered only five questions from attendees before the two incidents with audience members requiring medical attention.

While medical professionals attended to the first person, some in the audience sang God Bless America. After a few minutes, Trump asked if they could play Ave Maria on the speakers, a song he mentioned was played at his recent rally in Butler.

Audience questions from former Democrats

If there was a theme among the audience questions, it appeared to be disgruntled former Democrats. The conversation touched on familiar Trump campaign themes of border security, inflation, and some international conflicts.

An audience member named Heather, who said she was a registered Democrat most of her life, asked Trump at 7:34 p.m. how he would handle deportations of undocumented migrants, which has become a cornerstone of his campaign.

A second person appeared to need medical attention during Trump’s answer, so he asked for the music to resume.

“Would anyone else like to faint?” Trump asked after a few minutes. This was nearly 45 minutes after Trump took the stage.

Nearly an hour into the program Trump suggested that they end the questions, and instead make the rest of the night a “music fest.”

Trump didn’t take any questions after that, but emphasized the importance of Pennsylvania in the upcoming election, saying if whoever wins the commonwealth wins the election.

Trump took jabs at Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s nominee, over a number of issues, once again claiming that she is “more dangerous” than President Joe Biden and that “she’s not a smart woman.”

By 8 p.m., Trump and Noem were still on stage as music — which included “YMCA”, “November Rain”, and “Rich Men North of Richmond” — played loudly. Some supporters towards the back made their way to the exits by this point, but many supporters near the front remained put.

“Nobody’s leaving, what’s going on,” Trump said as “Hallelujah” began playing at 8:06 PM. “There’s nobody leaving.”

“Turn that music up,” he said.

Trump and Noem remained onstage until 8:31 p.m., and even after he stepped off of the stage, Trump appeared to be conversing with supporters who were still present near the front.

Montgomery County, the third most populated county in Pennsylvania, has been a reliably blue area for decades, but it has shifted to the left during the Trump era. Barack Obama carried the county by 14 points over Republican Mitt Romney in 2012. Trump lost Montgomery County by 21 points to Hillary Clinton in 2016, and by 26 points to Joe Biden in 2020. Biden only carried Philadelphia and Delaware counties by larger margins than Montgomery County.

Democrats are counting on big numbers in Philadelphia and its collar counties to carry the state.

Former Democratic Congressman Peter Deutsch, of Florida, endorsed Trump’s candidacy on Oct. 7. He delivered brief remarks at Monday’s event citing his belief that the GOP nominee would be better suited to “keep and maintain world peace” than his Democratic opponent.

Gwen Walz, spouse of Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, was campaigning on behalf of the ticket in Pennsylvania on Monday alongside Pennsylvania first lady Lori Shapiro.

Prior to his rally, Walz criticized Trump’s record on abortion rights.

“For nine long years, Trump has been trying to divide us — pitting neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend,” Walz said according to a press release from the Harris campaign. “In fact, I hear Trump is also here in the Collar Counties today, peddling his same old gripes and grievances.”

“He may even try to rewrite history on his record of attacking our reproductive freedom,” she added. “Well, I’m a longtime teacher. And in my classroom, we believe in facts. So here are a few: Donald Trump overturned Roe — that’s a fact.”

Abortion was not mentioned once during the Trump town hall.

Polling consistently shows Harris and Trump neck and neck statewide. National ratings outlets describe the race for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes as a “toss-up.”

While Trump’s campaign event was one of the most unusual this cycle, which includes him revealing the sale of golden sneakers on stage in Philadelphia, the town hall turned concert was not the only campaign event in Pennsylvania on Monday. Harris held a rally in Erie County in? the opposite end of the commonwealth.

Monday kicks off another busy week as the campaign enters the home stretch.

On Tuesday, Trump’s running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), will also be in Montgomery County for a town hall hosted by Moms for America, a conservative organization. Walz will be in western Pennsylvania. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be in Philadelphia, as well.

Harris will be in Philadelphia on Wednesday, while Vance will hold a rally in Williamsport.

This story is republished from the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.

The Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during a campaign rally at Erie Insurance Arena on Oct. 14, 2024 in Erie, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

ERIE, Pa. — Vice President Kamala Harris packed an arena Monday night in Erie, Pennsylvania, a swing corner of the key swing state in the 2024 presidential election.

Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, told thousands of spectators, “You are a pivot county.”

“How you all vote in presidential elections often ends up predicting the national result,” Harris said.

Harris, attacking the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, urged the crowd to watch Trump’s recent rallies and interviews.

“Please roll the clip,” she said before compilations of Trump appearances showed on two big screens in the arena.

Several showed him talking about the “enemy from within,” including a Sunday interview on Fox News where he said “radical left lunatics” could be “very easily handled, if necessary, by the National Guard, or if really necessary, by the military.”

Obama to Trump to Biden

Erie County, at the northwestern tip of Pennsylvania, with just under 270,000 residents, has been a “pivot” county in the battleground state for the last several presidential elections.

Former President Barack Obama won the majority of the lakeside county’s voters in 2012. The county turned for Trump in 2016. And, in 2020, just 1,319 voters delivered a win for President Joe Biden over Trump, turning the county blue again.

This is Harris’ seventh visit to the western side of Pennsylvania, according to her campaign.

Trump was on the other side of the state Monday night, speaking in Upper Providence Township, 18 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

Mail-in voting is already underway in the Keystone State — one of a handful that will decide who wins the Oval Office. The others include Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

Both the Harris and Trump campaigns are blanketing Pennsylvania — Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Trump’s running mate, stumped in Johnstown Saturday, where in response to a question, he told States Newsroom he considered what happened in January 2021 to be a “peaceful transfer of power.”

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, will hold a campaign rally in Pittsburgh Tuesday.

Party-like atmosphere

Long lines began to snake outside the arena as early as four-and-a-half hours before Harris’ Monday rally.

A DJ played party music inside as spectators filled the floor and the stands of the roughly 9,000-seat arena.

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania told the loud crowd, “Erie, my God, have you showed up.”

“The national media’s here, and you want to know why?? Because you pick the next president,” Fetterman said.

“Erie is the ultimate bellwether county, not just in Pennsylvania, in the nation right now. Right now the nation is all thinking about you and wondering where you’re gonna go,” Fetterman continued, to cheering. “And we know what you’re gonna do, and you’re gonna make sure that Harris and Walz is the team that’s gonna lead our nation.”

‘Born from personal experience’

Harris spoke for just under a half hour, highlighting her usual themes of a middle-class upbringing and her vision for an “opportunity economy.”

She outlined her platform of tax cuts for new parents, first-time home buyers and entrepreneurs, and a policy plan to “take out corporate price gouging.”

Harris also laid out her plan to expand Medicare to help pay for in-home senior care so “more seniors can live at home with dignity.”

“And like so many of my priorities it is born out of a personal experience,” she said, prefacing the story of how she cared for her mother, who died of colon cancer in 2009.

“But far too many people who want and need to take care of family members — either you have to leave your job or spend down everything you have to be able to qualify for Medicaid. That’s not right.”

“I will always put middle-class and working families first. I came from the middle class, and I will never forget where I come from,” Harris said as the crowd broke into chants of “U.S.A.”

Harris also told the crowd that Trump threatens health insurance for tens of millions of Americans with his platform to overhaul the Affordable Care Act.

During the single presidential debate of the election cycle, the former president said he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the insurance program that ushered in an era of covered medical care for pre-existing conditions.

“The seriousness of this cannot be overlooked. Think about that, taking us back to a time we all remember when insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions, you remember what that was? Well, we are not going back,” she said, repeating a common rally cry at her events.

‘Brutally serious’ consequences

Harris slammed Trump as an “unserious man” with a “very different plan” if he wins in November.

“But the consequences of him ever being president again are brutally serious,” she said.

The vice president highlighted the July U.S. Supreme Court opinion that granted former presidents immunity for core constitutional duties, and presumptive immunity for other actions, except for personal ones.

“Now just imagine Donald Trump with no guard rails,” she said. “He who has vowed that he would be a dictator on day one, that he would weaponize the Department of Justice against his enemies.”

Republican response

The Republican National Committee issued a statement ahead of Harris’ rally in Erie, attacking her specifically on energy policy.

“The Keystone State will reject another four years of Kamala Harris’ dangerously liberal policies because Pennsylvanians trust President Trump to unleash American energy and provide economic relief,” read a statement from RNC Chairman Michael Whatley.

The Trump campaign attacked the vice president on two fronts in its daily press release Monday. The campaign accused her of being on an “anti-fracking crusade” and of failing “to deliver to Black voters.”

Harris earlier Monday unveiled an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men” that would legalize recreational marijuana and introduce a “regulatory framework for cryptocurrency,” according to a release from the Harris campaign.

Kentucky Senate President Robert Stivers, left, and House Speaker David Osborne are among the Republicans who declined to answer the Right to Life candidate survey this year. They conferred during the State of the Commonwealth address in the House chambers on Jan. 3, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Arden Barnes)

LOUISVILLE — Kentucky Right to Life is endorsing in fewer legislative races this year — 45 candidates for the General Assembly received an endorsement from the anti-abortion group, down from 86 in 2022 and 88 in 2020.

Planned Parenthood’s Tamarra Wieder said the decrease in endorsements is a sign that Kentucky politicians no longer want to take the unpopular stands required to win a Right to Life endorsement.??

Wieder, state director of Planned Parenthood Alliance Advocates Kentucky, said it’s an “incredible indictment on the brand and on the movement.”?

“What this shows is that they have become too extreme, even for their followers,” Wieder said. “They are out of step with Kentuckians, and I think it also shows the legislature is afraid of putting their name on anti-abortion policies.”?

Addia Wuchner, Kentucky Right to Life executive director, did not respond to a Lantern reporter’s voicemail and an email sent to an address posted on Kentucky Right to Life’s website last week.

In a newsletter sent in response to the story, the organization acknowledged “challenges” facing Kentucky’s anti-abortion movement … “as public opinion evolves.”

“While we respect diverse opinions, it’s crucial to clarify that (Kentucky Right to Life) does not measure its mission by popularity or changing political winds,” the email said. “We remain guided by a steadfast moral compass, prioritizing the protection of life over convenience.”?

In order to be considered for an endorsement, the Kentucky Right to Life Victory PAC requires candidates to answer questions about issues important to the group and sign the survey. The organization also considers voting record, a candidate’s involvement in organizations related to abortion, electability and background.?

In 2024, about 50 Republican candidates “declined” to answer the survey, according to the endorsement report. Right to Life endorsed 45 legislative candidates and “recommended” others based on their voting history.?

All 100 House seats and half of the 38 Senate seats are on the ballot every two years, although many seats go uncontested.

The Lantern used information from VoteSmart to count endorsements from earlier elections; Kentucky Right to Life Victory PAC’s voter guides from prior elections are not posted on its website.

It’s unclear if everyone marked as “declined” this year received the survey.?

Although endorsed by Right to Life at times in the past, the top Republicans in both chambers of the legislature are not endorsed this year. Among those listed as declining to answer the group’s questions: Senate President Robert Stivers, House Speaker David Osborne, Senate President Pro Tem David Givens and Speaker Pro Tem David Meade.

Other prominent Republicans listed as declining to respond are House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy and Senate budget committee chairman Chris McDaniel.?

All of them were still recommended by Right to Life based on their voting records.

A Senate GOP spokesperson said Stivers and Givens “agree that their voting record speaks for itself.”?

No Democrats answered the Right to Life survey this year and none were endorsed.

Candidates wary of surveys in general

Political considerations about abortion changed after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the federally-guaranteed right to abortion in 2022. The ruling allowed a near-total abortion ban that Republican lawmakers had already put on the books to take effect in Kentucky. It has no exceptions for victims of rape or incest and a narrow exception to protect the life of a pregnant patient.?

Morgan Eaves, the executive director of the Kentucky Democratic Party, said the decline in candidates taking the Right to Life survey shows that “Kentucky Republicans know that their extreme anti-choice and zero exceptions policy is unpopular, and that’s why they’re running away from it now.”?

Republicans, however, gave little sign of backing off the abortion ban during this year’s legislative session. Although lawmakers of both parties sponsored bills to loosen abortion restrictions, none of the measures made any headway. Bills protecting in vitro fertilization also failed to advance, after the temporary suspension of the fertility treatment in Alabama stirred a political storm.?

Republican Trey Grayson, a former Kentucky secretary of state, was reluctant to say if the decline in GOP candidates responding to the Right to Life survey signaled a rift with the organization. Candidates, he said, have become more wary of surveys in general. Advocacy interest groups are trying to advance an agenda and elect people who are part of their causes, Grayson said. A? lawmaker seeking reelection recently complained to him about “gotcha” questions on candidate surveys.?

Challengers are more likely to respond to surveys, Grayson said, while incumbents can point to their voting records, floor speeches and websites.

‘ … not that much more to give’

Last year Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear used the abortion ban to his advantage against Republican challenger Daniel Cameron. Cameron had been endorsed by Right to Life but waffled on abortion after Beshear aired ads attacking him as extreme for opposing rape and incest exceptions. (Kentuckian Hadley Duvall, who spoke in a Beshear ad about being impregnated by her stepfather when she was 12, is now playing a prominent role in the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic? candidate for president.)

The year before, in November 2022, Kentuckians had defeated an anti-abortion constitutional amendment that Republicans put on the ballot before Roe v. Wade was overturned.

Republican strategist Tres Watson, a former spokesperson for the Republican Party of Kentucky, said it’s not Republican politicians who have changed but Right to Life. Having gained its long-time goal of outlawing? abortion in Kentucky, the organization is “continuing to ask for more when there’s just not that much more to give.”

“I think that the leadership over there needs to reconsider their relationship with candidates and with the legislature if they want to continue to be an influencer in Frankfort,” Watson said of the group.?

Weider of Planned Parenthood said the Right to Life questionnaire “is more extreme than ever.”?

Watson said he thinks Republican lawmakers support adding exceptions for rape and incest to the abortion ban. “I think that if you were to remove elections from the equation, I think that an exceptions bill would pass easily among Republicans,” Watson said. “But I think that the threat of Kentucky Right to Life coming out and attempting to make pro-life legislators appear to be pro-abortion liberals is preventing that from passing.”?

Watson said when he worked for the state Republican Party candidates were advised not to respond to a survey from Northern Kentucky Right to Life “because it asked you to take extreme positions that didn’t sit well with independent voters and center right Republicans.”?

IVF among the questions

Kentucky Right to Life’s 2024 questionnaire asks candidates about their support for maintaining a ban on assisted suicide, banning mail-in abortion pills, adding a “Human Life” amendment to the U.S. Constitution to include “all human beings, born and unborn” and more. It highlights issues surrounding in vitro fertilization in which unused frozen embryos are discarded.?

Questions included:?

• If you are in a position to do so, would you advocate, support, sign into law and/or defend against legislation that would permit the cloning of human embryos or laboratory-created life for the purpose of the harvesting their stem cells for research or therapeutic cloning? (procedures requiring the creation and destruction of human lives)
• Do you believe that embryos created through IVF (in vitro fertilization) should be protected as all other lives??
• Do you believe medical schools and nursing programs operating in conjunction with universities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that receive state funding should have mechanisms in place such as conscience exceptions that permit students to be excused from participating in specific curricular activities and training, i.e. abortion procedures that violate the student’s religious or ethical beliefs?
• Are you morally and/or medically opposed to chemical abortions, such as RU-486, the abortion pill, and other drugs known to prevent the newly created human being from attaching (implantation) to his/her mother’s womb or medications that cause the woman’s body to expel her developing child in the early stages of her pregnancy?
• Do you agree that the personal protection afforded to every member of the human race under the Fourteenth Amendment should be extended equally to the preborn?

Eaves, the Kentucky Democratic Party chief, said most Kentuckians and Americans “believe in some form of pro-choice policy.”

Is IVF protected in Kentucky? Depends on whom you ask.

In May, the Pew Research Center reported that 63% of Americans “say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 36% say it should be illegal in all or most cases.”?

Gallup polling also shows the majority of Americans think abortion should be legal in certain cases.?

Additionally, 54% of those surveyed by Gallup in May considered themselves “pro choice” and 41% considered themselves “pro life,” the largest gap since 1995.?

Weider of Planned Parenthood said the effects of the abortion ban on health care, especially for? people who are experiencing miscarriages or nonviable pregnancies, will continue to push politicians away from Right to Life.

?“You are starting to see pushback on what was once, I would say, a badge of honor for the majority of conservative politicians in Kentucky,” she said. “And I think it is an indictment on what has happened to Kentucky and health care. And we are seeing the daily fallout.”??

This story was updated with response from Kentucky Right to Life.?

Aerial view of the Bridge of the Americas Land Port of Entry. One of four crossings in El Paso, the Bridge of the Americas is located on the international border separating El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico and connects with the Mexican port of “Cordova” in Juarez, Chihuahua. (Photo by Jerry Glaser/U.S. Customs and Border Protection)

This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race.

WASHINGTON — Immigration remains at the forefront of the 2024 presidential election, with both candidates taking a tougher stance than in the past on the flow of migrants into the United States.

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump has made immigration a core campaign issue, as he did in his two previous bids for the White House, and has expanded his attacks this time around to include false claims about migrants with legal status in specific locations like Springfield, Ohio.

He’s often demonized immigrants in speeches and at rallies, and has vowed to enact the mass deportation of millions of people living in the United States without authorization.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, like the Biden administration, has shifted to the right on immigration, embracing limits to asylum and advocating for added border security, as migrant encounters hit a record high at the end of 2023. With those new policies in place, migrant encounters have sharply fallen this year.

Vice President Harris in her remarks on immigration has mainly stuck to her promise to sign into law a bipartisan border security deal that three senators struck earlier this year. That legislation, if enacted, would have been the most drastic change in U.S. immigration law in decades.

The deal never made it out of the Senate. Once Trump expressed his displeasure with the bill, House Republicans pulled their support, and the GOP in the upper chamber followed suit.

Harris has not detailed her positions on immigration beyond her support of the border security bill.

Regardless of who wins the White House, the incoming administration will be tasked with the fate of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects a little over half a million undocumented people brought into the United States as children without authorization. A Texas legal challenge threatens the legality of the program, and the case could make its way up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Additionally, work visas, massive backlogs in U.S. immigration courts and renewing those individuals in Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, will fall to the next administration. Neither candidate has laid out how they would handle those issues.

The Trump campaign did not respond to States Newsroom’s request for comment.

The Harris campaign pointed to the vice president’s remarks from an Arizona campaign rally where she acknowledged the U.S. has a broken immigration system and put her support behind border security and legal pathways to citizenship.

Harris also took a September trip to the southern border.?

Promise: border security deal

Harris has made the bipartisan border deal a centerpiece of her campaign. She’s often promised to sign it into law and has used the proposal to criticize Trump.

“We can create an earned pathway to citizenship and secure our border,” Harris said during the Democratic National Convention in August.

The bill negotiated by senators would need to reach the 60-vote threshold to advance through the chamber. But after Trump came out against it and it was brought to the floor, the Republican who handled negotiations with Democrats and the White House, Oklahoma’s James Lankford, voted against his own bill.

Additionally, House Democrats in the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and immigration groups were not supportive of the bill.

“I will bring back the bipartisan border security bill that he killed, and I will sign it into law,” Harris said at the DNC.

The measure raises the bar for asylum, and would require asylum seekers to provide greater proof of their fear of persecution.

The bill would have also provided $20 billion for the hiring of more than 4,000 asylum officers, legal counsel for unaccompanied minors and the purchase of drug screening technology at ports of entry. It would also have provided $8 billion for detention facilities to add 50,000 detention beds.

The plan did include some legal pathways to citizenship for Afghans who aided the U.S. and fled in 2021 after the U.S. withdrew from the country. It also provided up to 10,000 special visas for family members of those Afghan allies.

It also would have added 250,000 green-card employee and family-based visas over the next five years.

Promise: mass deportations

“Send them back,” is chanted at Trump’s rallies, where he often promises to carry out mass deportations.

There are roughly 11 million people in the U.S. without legal authorization.

“We’re going to have the largest deportation,” Trump said at a June campaign rally in Racine, Wisconsin. “We have no choice.”

Under Trump’s vision, mass deportation would be a broad, multipronged effort that includes invoking an 18th-century law; reshuffling law enforcement at federal agencies; transferring funds within programs in the Department of Homeland Security; and forcing greater enforcement of immigration laws.

Promise: an end to birthright citizenship

In a May 2023 campaign video, Trump said if he wins the White House, one of his first moves would be to issue an executive order ending birthright citizenship, which means anyone born in the U.S., regardless of their parents’ status, is an American citizen.

This is enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and would likely face legal challenges.

“As part of my plan to secure the border, on Day One of my new term in office, I will sign an executive order making clear to federal agencies that under the correct interpretation of the law, going forward, the future children of illegal aliens will not receive automatic U.S. citizenship,” Trump said.

Promise: deportation of pro-Palestinian students on visas

Across the country, students on college campuses during the past year have set up encampments and protests calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and an end to the Israel-Hamas war.

In the initial attack on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel and hundreds taken hostage. As the war has continued, researchers estimate that as many as 186,000 Palestinians have been killed, directly and indirectly.

At a private dinner in May, Trump told donors that “any student that protests, I throw them out of the country,” according to the Washington Post.

“You know, there are a lot of foreign students,” Trump said. “As soon as they hear that, they’re going to behave.”

Trump also made that vow during a campaign rally in October 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“We’ll terminate the visas of all of Hamas’ sympathizers, and we’ll get them off our college campuses, out of our cities and get them the hell out of our country, if that’s OK with you,” he said.

The Republican party made it part of its party platform in July.?

Promise: an end to parole programs

With immigration reform stalled in Congress, one way the Biden administration has handled mass migration is the use of humanitarian parole programs. Those humanitarian parole programs have been used for Ukrainians fleeing the war with Russia, Afghans fleeing after the U.S. withdrawal and for Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans.

More than 1 million people have been paroled into the U.S. under the executive authority extended by the Biden administration.

Trump said in a November 2023 campaign video? he would end this policy on his first day in office.

“I will stop the outrageous abuse of parole authority,” Trump said.

Promise: green cards for foreign students

In a June podcast interview, Trump said that he was supportive of giving green cards to foreign students if they graduate from a U.S. college.

“What I will do is, if you graduate from a college, I think you should get, automatically as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country,” Trump said. “That includes junior colleges, too.”

This would be done through rulemaking from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

On the podcast, Trump also said he would extend H-1B visas for tech workers. Those visas allow employers to hire foreign workers for specialized occupations, usually for a high skill role.

Promise: more screenings of immigrants

On social media, the Trump campaign said it would put in place an “ideological screening” for all immigrants and bar those who have sympathies toward Hamas.

Promise: Trump-era immigration policies?

Trump has stated in various campaign speeches that he plans to reinstate his immigration policies from his first term.

That would include the continuation of building a wall along the southern border; reissuing a travel ban on individuals from predominantly Muslim countries; suspending travel of refugees; reinstating a public health policy that barred migrants from claiming asylum amid the coronavirus pandemic; and reinstating the remain in Mexico policy that required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while awaiting their cases.

Vance in Pennsylvania says there was a ‘peaceful transfer of power’ in January 2021?

CAPTION: Republican vice presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, of Ohio, speaks at a rally at JWF Industries on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance campaigned Saturday in the key battleground of Pennsylvania, where early mail-in voting is already underway as just 25 days remain in the heated 2024 race that will be decided by a handful of states.

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate rallied a crowd of a few hundred at a sprawling riverside manufacturing facility in Johnstown, adhering to the ticket’s main themes of immigration and the economy.

During a question-and-answer session with the press following his prepared remarks, States Newsroom asked Vance if he will commit to the peaceful transfer of power no matter the winner in November.

The coming presidential election is the first since a mob of Trump supporters violently breached the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, delaying Congress from certifying the 2020 presidential election results. More than 1,500 defendants have been charged with crimes associated with the attack on the Capitol, during which 140 police officers were assaulted.

“Yes, of course,” Vance replied. “Look, this is very simple. Yes, there was a riot at the Capitol on January 6, but there was still a peaceful transfer of power in this country, and that is always going to happen.”

Vance, Ohio’s junior U.S. senator, in his speech painted Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, as “a tax-and-spend San Francisco liberal who wants to open our borders and destroy American manufacturing.”

“Are we going to give Kamala Harris a promotion to president of the United States? Hell no. We are going to tell Harris ‘You are fired,’ and we are voting Donald J. Trump to be our next president,”? Vance said to cheers.

Vance spoke from a stage inside JWF Industries, a local plant that manufactures transportation, energy and defense equipment and vehicles.

Four military tactical utility vehicles framed the stage, where roughly 80 spectators lined the stage behind and to each side of Vance. A couple hundred people sat below the stage, with several empty rows behind them and an empty section to the left.

New poll numbers

Both campaigns and their surrogates are blanketing seven must-win swing states, as the presidential contest remains incredibly tight.

Trump holds an advantage in Arizona, while Harris has a slight lead in Pennsylvania, according to the latest poll results for the key battleground states released Saturday morning by The New York Times/Philadelphia Inquirer/Siena College.

Vance urged the crowd to check their voter registration status and talk to family and friends about going to the polls.

“It’s the only way that we’re going to make Donald Trump the next president, so let’s get out there and vote, my friends,” he said.

Vance spent the majority of his remarks faulting Harris and President Joe Biden for economic suffering, including inflation and credit card debt delinquency.

A consumer price index report released Friday by the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed inflation is at its lowest since February 2021.

Vance also attacked Harris for participating in “softball interviews,” citing her recent appearances on podcasts, as well as daytime and late-night TV.

Vance took credit for the Trump campaign ad that features a clip from Harris’ interview on “The View” in which she declined to distance herself from decisions of the Biden presidency.

“The problem with a softball interview is that you still have to be able to hit a softball,” Vance said.

In addition to appearances this week on the podcast “Call Her Daddy” and “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” as well as a town hall for Univision, Harris also sat for an interview with CBS News’ “60 Minutes” on Monday. Trump backed out of his own promised appearance on “60 Minutes.”

Jan. 6 protesters ‘knuckleheads’

Vance implied accusations of voter fraud during his speech, telling the crowd that “you have to make the margins so big in Pennsylvania that it doesn’t matter what shenanigans Democrats pull at the last minute.”

“We will never have the fake media or the Democrats telling the truth. We do have our own voices, and our own networks, our family and friends. That is the people power that is going to make Donald Trump the next president,” Vance said.

During the reporter Q and A, the crowd jeered when a student journalist from a Pittsburgh university asked if Vance condemned the Jan. 6 violence.

Vance defended Trump’s actions on that day, saying the former president encouraged the crowd to protest “peacefully.”

“And the fact that a few knuckleheads went off and did something they shouldn’t do, that’s not on him. That’s on them,” Vance said to cheers.

Vance chafed at journalists asking more than once about Trump’s refusal to accept that Biden won the 2020 race. The former president continues to repeat the falsehood that he won. Trump challenged election results across dozens of lawsuits in multiple states following the 2020 election and lost them all.

“What Kamala Harris and the media are doing is trying to tell us that we should hear more about what happened four years ago than about her failure in governance,” Vance said. “I think that on November the 5th, we are going to reject it.”

Other questions from the press focused on western Pennsylvania, veterans’ benefits and Project 2025, the 900-page “mandate” for the next government, produced by the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Vance said the conservative project has “no relation” to the Trump campaign. An CNN investigation in June found at least 140 several former Trump administration officials were involved in the project.

Vance spoke for 23 minutes and addressed reporter questions for just under the same amount of time.

Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, answers questions at a Univision town hall on Oct. 10, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Felipe Cuevas/TelevisaUnivision)

Vice President Kamala Harris fielded a series of questions from undecided Latino voters on Thursday during an emotional town hall in Las Vegas hosted by Univision.

Harris continues to court this key voting bloc as Election Day rapidly approaches and she and former President Donald Trump vie for the Oval Office in an extremely close race.

Thursday’s town hall — featuring questions on subjects ranging from immigration and health care, to abortion and the economy — came as the Harris campaign launched the “Hombres con Harris” initiative this week to mobilize Latino men in battleground states.

Trump’s town hall with Univision was postponed to next week due to Hurricane Milton.

A ‘broken’ immigration system?

Harris heard from one audience member who said her mother died six weeks ago without being able to obtain legal status and could not get the medical care she needed.

The veep expressed her sympathy and pointed to the country’s “broken immigration system.”

“The reality is that in terms of having access to health care, had your mother been able to gain citizenship, she would have been entitled to health care that may have alleviated her suffering and yours,” she said.

Harris also mentioned her own mother and her immigration to the United States, saying: “I know what it is like to have a hardworking mother who loves you and to lose that, but I know that her spirit is alive.” Harris’ mother, Shyamala Gopalan, emigrated from India and was a cancer researcher.

During the town hall, Harris also repeated her vow she would, if elected, bring back and sign into law a major bipartisan border security bill, while blaming its legislative failure on Trump.

She also said she will “do the work of focusing on what we must do to have an orderly and humane pathway to earn citizenship for hardworking people.”

Harris was also asked about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that is currently under threat and designed to protect children — also known as Dreamers — who were brought into the country illegally from deportation.

“I just think it’s important that we recognize who this population of young people are and agree that they have been so productive, they are prepared to do what is necessary by law, and I think it should compel us to agree they should not have to live in fear, but should have an ability to be on a pathway to earn their citizenship,” she said.

“So, it is one of my priorities, and I’ve worked on this in terms of Dreamers for many, many years, and I’ll continue to fight for them.”

Health care, abortion access and the economy?

Harris said she firmly and deeply believes “access to health care is a right and should be a right, and not just a privilege of those who can afford it or have access to it easily” when asked how she plans to improve the health care system.

She also echoed her commitment to reproductive rights, saying if elected, she will “probably sign back into law the protections of Roe v. Wade, which basically just says it’s the person’s decision, not the government’s decision.”

Harris also touched on the broad Medicare plan she unveiled earlier this week that would strengthen the insurance program’s coverage to include long-term care for seniors in their homes.

The plan focuses on the “sandwich generation,” which refers to Americans who are raising their children while also caring for their aging parents.

Asked about how she would help the middle class, Harris highlighted her economic plan, including $6,000 in tax relief for new parents for the first year of their child’s life, as much as $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers and an up to $50,000 tax break for first-time small businesses.

Trump in Aurora, Colorado?

Trump was set to appear at a rally Friday in Aurora, Colorado — which he falsely claims is overrun by Venezuelan gangs.

Last month, Trump pledged to carry out the “largest deportation in the history of our country” if elected — noting that Aurora would be one of the two places he’d start with.

The other, Trump said back in September, would be Springfield, Ohio — the center of false claims he’s made surrounding legal Haitian migrants.

Trump is set to hold several other rallies this weekend, including in: Reno, Nevada, later on Friday; Coachella, California, on Saturday; and Prescott Valley, Arizona, on Sunday.

A young boy walks down a hallway at Carter Traditional Elementary School in Louisville, Ky. Kentucky is one of three states with school choice questions on the ballot this fall. (Jon Cherry/Getty Images)

Supporters of school choice in Kentucky are hoping voters will do what the state courts wouldn’t — allow a new path for state-supported payments to private schools.

Kentucky is one of three states, along with Colorado and Nebraska, with school choice questions on the ballot this fall. Voters will be asked to decide whether public money should go to support private education. Opponents say the measures would undermine public schools by shifting money from them, while backers maintain that state aid would give parents more control over their kids’ education.

In West Kentucky, people like their schools, ponder ‘choice’ amendment’s implications

The measures come as school choice gains momentum across the country. Thirty-three states plus Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico already have at least one kind of school choice program, according to EdChoice, a nonprofit that advocates for the programs. They range from education savings accounts sponsored by the state to voucher programs to various types of tax credits that help provide scholarships or cover educational expenses for private schools.

But the measures have sparked some controversy. In Arizona, which in 2023 became the first state to make all students, regardless of family income, eligible for a school voucher, parents have tried to use the voucher money for dune buggies and expensive Lego sets.

Teachers unions and other public school professionals generally oppose the school choice plans, while many conservative politicians, religious institutions and private educational groups are in favor, along with some people of color in districts with underperforming public schools.

The choice programs have had difficulty gaining traction in rural areas, where there are fewer private schools than in cities and suburbs.

To overcome that resistance in Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has worked hard to elect like-minded allies to the state’s legislature. He led a multimillion-dollar political offensive that resulted in six Republican House members who opposed his school choice initiative being defeated in primaries this year. Stateline reported earlier this year that Abbott is within a couple of votes of being able to enact a school choice program when the legislature reconvenes in January.

Ballot measures

In Kentucky, the Republican-dominated legislature approved a program in 2021 to give tax credits to individuals or businesses for donations to nonprofits that provide scholarships for students who attend private schools.

GOP leaders say policy debates are to come as Democrats decry Amendment 2 as ‘blank check’

Lawmakers narrowly overrode Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of the measure. But the state’s Supreme Court ruled the plan unconstitutional in December 2022.

And last year, a circuit court judge struck down a 2022 Kentucky law that would have allowed public funding of charter schools. Kentucky currently has no operating charter schools. Such schools are publicly funded but run by outside organizations that operate them autonomously, without many of the rules governing traditional public schools.

Now, advocates want Kentucky voters to approve Amendment 2, which would change the state Constitution to ?allow the tax credits and public funding of charter and private schools.

The proposed constitutional amendment would give the legislature authority to pass laws providing state funding for the education of students outside the public school system. It says lawmakers could do so despite the parts of the Kentucky Constitution that forbid state funds to be used for “any church, sectarian or denominational school.”

The ballot measure would give the legislature the authority to pass laws similar to the ones that were thrown out, according to Republican state Sen. Damon Thayer, a strong supporter of the referendum.

“We passed [private education] scholarships in the past,” Thayer said in a phone interview. “Those would be on the table in the near future if the amendment is passed.”

He said it would give parents “the ability to send a child to a different school if the public school isn’t giving them what they need, private or parochial.”

But a coalition of public education advocates formed the group Protect Our Schools KY to oppose the amendment. Tom Shelton, a retired Kentucky school superintendent and a leader in the campaign effort, said it is a travesty to send public money “to unaccountable private schools” when public schools in the state could use the funds.

He said rural areas would fare particularly poorly under a proposal that would allow public money to go to private educational entities. Shelton said the vast majority of the private schools in Kentucky are in the two biggest cities of Louisville and Lexington — meaning that rural public schools would lose money diverted to private schools and that rural students would be less able to take advantage of the change.

“Who’s going to lose most? The rural poor kids,” Shelton said.

In some cases, private schools have raised tuition in states with school choice. And The Wall Street Journal has reported that vouchers tend to mostly benefit families who already have students in private schools.

In Nebraska, voters will choose whether to partially repeal a law enacted this year that allows the state to run a $10 million educational scholarship program for private school students.

The state’s highest court determined in September that the referendum can stay on the ballot.

State Sen. Dave Murman, a proponent of school choice who identifies as a Republican in the nonpartisan Nebraska legislature, said he’s disappointed that the referendum was allowed to proceed.

Murman said he expects the referendum vote to be close.

He postulated that public schools are “afraid of the competition. They are afraid they will lose students to private schools.” But he said he hopes public schools will improve in the face of competition.

But Tim Royers, president of the Nebraska State Education Association, which supports the referendum, said there is already competition among public schools.

“In 1989, Nebraska created ‘option enrollment’ that allows any family to attend any public school in the state as long as they are not at capacity,” he told Stateline.

He said the teachers union could have fought the law directly in the courts, but thought it would be better to put it on the ballot and let the voters decide. Teachers think parents and students are happy with the public school choices they have now, he said.

In Colorado, the ballot measure would enshrine a school choice option in the state constitution. It would add language saying that each “K-12 child has the right to school choice” and that “parents have the right to direct the education of their children.” School choice would explicitly include neighborhood schools, charter schools, private schools, homeschools, open enrollment options and future innovations in education.

Northern Kentucky developers, teachers unions fuel Amendment 2 money race

Conservative advocacy group Advance Colorado proposed?the amendment. Colorado already allows students to attend any public school — even outside their district — for free and has long had charter schools. Critics of the ballot measure say it would open the door to private school vouchers, though backers argue that’s not their intent and that it’s simply meant to protect charter schools. Some Colorado Democrats last year proposed tightening requirements on charter schools.

Ongoing disputes

States with existing school choice programs have encountered pushback this year.

The South Carolina Supreme Court last month threw out the state’s voucher program, leaving parents who already have received funds scrambling. State education officials and Republican Gov. Henry McMaster asked the court to reconsider the ruling, but the high court refused to rehear the case in early October, likely ending any possibility of resuming private tuition payments this year.

In Arizona, reports of misuse of funds to buy equipment not directly tied to a curriculum prompted the state attorney general to open an investigation. The state’s Empowerment Scholarship Account program allows parents to use state money for various educational costs, including tuition and school supplies.

School voucher proponents spend big to overcome rural resistance

But after the school system clarified documentation requirements that purchases be tied to a curriculum, the Goldwater Institute, a conservative Arizona think tank, sued the state Department of Education over the requirements, on behalf of some homeschool parents. The institute called the verification requirements an “absurd new burden” on homeschooling parents that would prevent them from buying pencils, flash cards and other equipment not specifically called for in homeschool curricula.

The Grand Canyon Institute, a centrist think tank focused on economics, found in a report last month that Arizona’s voucher accounts had $360 million unspent by parents as of June.

“These parents have chosen not to spend the money on their children’s education,” Dave Wells, research director for the institute, said in a phone interview. “There’s no follow-up to see if the kids are doing well.”

The institute recommended that the state follow up on the money to see whether and where it is being spent.

Responding to the report, education department spokesperson Doug Nick told Arizona radio station KJZZ that the department administers the program as directed under state law.

“If the legislature makes changes to the law, we will comply with those changes,” he said.

This story is republished from Stateline, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds an American flag as he addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 21, 2022 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race.

WASHINGTON — The next U.S. president must steer the nation through crises across the globe, including worsening violence in the Middle East, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s refusal to retreat from Ukraine and U.S-China trade relations.

The Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, largely built her career as a prosecutor, but once in Washington she sat on the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, a position that comes with access to highly classified national security files.

As vice president she’s represented the U.S. at high-profile international meetings, including the Munich Security Conference and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

The Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, who followed his wealthy father’s path into real estate and ascended to the status of celebrity businessman, has already held the elected position of Commander-in-Chief for four years — though high-ranking officials who served under him say he should not occupy that seat again.

Trump and Harris’ track records can provide clues on how, if elected, they would handle complex and challenging national and economic security policies.

But overall on the campaign trail, foreign policy “has played a back seat role to domestic politics in the 2024 election,” James M. Lindsay, a senior fellow in U.S. foreign policy for the Council on Foreign Relations, told States Newsroom in an interview.

That’s not unusual, Lindsay said, as presidential year politics generally tend to have a domestic focus.

“This has been more a campaign about personalities than about specific policy prescriptions. It’s safe to say that the two candidates have very different world views,” Lindsay said.

Relationships with allies

Harris centers relationship building, and promised in her Democratic National Convention acceptance speech to “stand strong” with NATO allies.

In Trump’s convention speech he lamented that the U.S. has “long been taken advantage of” by “so-called allies.”

Observers say the former president leads with a transactional outlook: In other words, nations must pay for access to U.S. markets and security.

“Trump thinks that U.S. support to allies is a bad deal for America, whereas Harris realizes that the United States benefits immensely from them,” Matthew Waxman, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and chair of Columbia Law School’s National Security Law Program, told States Newsroom.

But predicting how a presidential candidate would act on the global stage, if elected, is tricky. Conflicts continue to evolve, and those in top defense and diplomatic jobs are likely to turn over.

“It’s partly because a President Harris or President Trump could face a very different situation in the Middle East or in Ukraine come Inauguration Day, but it’s also because in Washington personnel are policy, people are policy,” Lindsay said.

Here are some of the serious international situations either administration will face:

Middle East

The deadly Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, launched from the Palestinian territory of the Gaza Strip, reignited smoldering regional tensions and highlighted the inextricable U.S. role. Hamas militants killed roughly 1,200 in the brutal and unexpected incursion, and took 250 hostages, many of whom still remain in captivity.

President Joe Biden immediately surged weapons and security aid to the key U.S. defense partner, and in April Congress approved his request for $8.7 billion more in foreign military financing and missile defense.

Israel’s year-long campaign to completely eliminate Iranian-allied Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip has resulted in a staggering death toll, now over 41,000, according to Gaza health officials.

Hamas’ assault also set in motion attacks from other Iranian-backed militias, opening up a war front between Israel and Hezbollah fighters to the north in Lebanon. And for months, Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis have terrorized commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

Biden has faced fierce criticism for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war tactics.

Harris, as early as March, publicly criticized Israel over the humanitarian “catastrophe” in Gaza and called for an immediate six-week cease-fire.

Harris, who became the Democratic presidential nominee in mid-summer after Biden dropped his bid, has repeatedly said she defends Israel’s right to defend itself but that “how it does so matters.”

Protesters could be heard in the distance Monday as Harris planted a memorial tree at the vice president’s residence to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack. Pro-Palestinian activists protesting the death toll in Gaza have marched and rallied throughout the U.S. during the past year.

Harris told reporters that the administration is “not giving up” on negotiating a cease-fire deal and release of hostages, an effort that has so far floundered.

“It’s one of the most important ways we will be able to end this war and bring any type of stability to the region. It’s one of the highest priorities of this administration,” she said.

She has not indicated any slowdown or conditions on assistance to Israel if elected — though she continues to advocate for a two-state solution.

“Trump may give Jerusalem less public chastising and criticism, but I’m not sure the policy differences would be that great either,” Michael O’Hanlon, senior fellow and foreign policy research director at the Brookings Institution, told States Newsroom. O’Hanlon recently published an article arguing the Trump and Harris defense strategies would at least “partially” converge.

Trump maintains that Oct. 7 “would never have happened” had he been in office, and he accuses the Biden administration of inviting the attack because of its “weak” relationship with Iran.

“What is needed more than ever is a return of unwavering American leadership and unquestioned American strength. We were strong, we were powerful … That’s what I intend to deliver as the 47th president of the United States,” he said Monday while in Miami marking one year since the ambush on Israel.

The attack also wrecked any forward progress on the Abraham Accords — Trump’s signature Middle East achievement that created full diplomatic relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco. While those established channels remain steady, the Biden administration’s efforts to strike a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia are now at a standstill.

Trump is increasingly selling himself on the campaign trail as the candidate of stability who can quash Iran’s aggression — which is pretty much a “standard approach to campaigning,” Lindsay said.

“He is not the first challenger to argue that the incumbent president has been weak.”

But Lindsay said, “the important question isn’t whether he was tougher, it’s whether his policies were more effective.”

For example, the Iranian-backed so-called “axis of resistance” militias currently upending the Middle East were also operating during Trump’s presidency.

“(They) pre-dated his coming into office but it’s not that a Trump administration ended that network of anti-Western, anti-Israeli groups,” Lindsay said. “And during the Trump administration it was the case that Iran both underwrote attacks on American troops and actually launched attacks on American troops.”

Trump drew attention last week to an early January 2020 barrage on U.S. troops in Iraq when he again described the traumatic brain injuries they suffered as “headaches.”

U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, already a target, have come under increasing fire from Iran-backed militants, with more than 100 attacks on U.S. service members since Israel began its post-Oct. 7 offensive. A drone strike in January killed three U.S. soldiers and injured 30 at an outpost in Jordan on the Syrian border. The U.S. retaliated by launching more than 100 precision rockets at 85 of Iran military sites in Iraq and Syria.

The U.S. assisted Israel twice in 2024 in intercepting rockets fired directly from Iran — once in April following Israel’s bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, and again in September after Israel’s assassination of Iranian-backed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, Lebanon.

“We’re in the last months of the Biden presidency, and Biden’s own, I think, personal influence here is quite diminished. And you know, I can’t predict what Trump policy really would be. I assume he would be less likely to be trying to restrain the Israelis, but so is the Biden administration. And maybe that is a Biden-Harris policy,” Elliott Abrams, CFR’s senior fellow for Middle Eastern Studies, told reporters on Oct. 2, the day after Iran launched its second direct attack.

Ukraine and NATO

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with both Harris and Trump in recent weeks to shore up continued U.S. support for his country’s ongoing war against Russia’s occupation.

Harris’ meeting with the Ukrainian leader was her seventh, and she pledged continued aid for the eastern European nation on the principle that Putin would continue marching into Europe if allies relent on Ukraine.

Harris supports continued U.S. assistance, which has totaled roughly $175 billion since 2022. At the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland in June, Harris pledged nearly $2 billion, some new and some redirected, to bolster the country’s energy sector and add to humanitarian efforts.

The vice president has represented the U.S. three times at the annual Munich Security Conference in Germany, where she praised the NATO alliance and said the U.S. commitment to its principles is “ironclad.”

When facing Harris on the presidential debate stage in September, Trump refused to answer whether he wants Ukraine to be victorious over Russia.

Trump’s rhetoric and past behavior “spells bad news for Ukraine,” Waxman said.

“He is likely to reduce American support for Ukraine and push Ukraine to make concessions to Russia. Overall, Trump’s transactional approach to leader-to-leader diplomacy is likely to benefit Putin,” Waxman continued. “Whereas Harris wants to invest in alliances like NATO, Trump is skeptical of them.”

That type of leader-to-leader communication was notoriously highlighted in 2019 when U.S. House lawmakers impeached Trump for directly threatening to withhold Ukraine aid if Zelenskyy did not announce an investigation into Biden — Trump’s presidential campaign rival at the time. The Senate acquitted Trump.

Like his campaign line on the Israel attack, Trump also repeatedly claims that had he been in office, instead of Biden, Russia would have never launched its February 2022 attack on Ukraine.

“The war in Ukraine did not begin in February of ‘22, it began back in 2014,” Lindsay said, referring to Putin’s forced annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Trump’s own administration expanded Obama-era sanctions meant to punish Russia’s actions in Crimea.

“Experts can argue about how to dole out criticism across administrations, but clearly the issue of Russian support for a notionally independent insurrection in eastern Ukraine was not solved during the Trump presidency,” Lindsay continued.

China and trade

Foreign trade is a “political hot potato,” and neither Harris nor Trump are offering much clarity for U.S. trading partners around the world, Mary E. Lovely, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, told States Newsroom in an interview.

Lovely described the Biden-Harris approach as multipronged, in that they’ve instituted policies to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. while also aiming to maintain good trade relationships with partner nations.

The tightrope walk becomes even trickier as U.S. policy also disincentivizes materials and components from China — one of the world’s largest trading nations — in the final products imported from trading partners. Think: components in solar panels and electric vehicles.

The Biden administration’s major legislative accomplishments — the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act — provided major subsidies for “reshoring,” or returning to the U.S., clean energy and semiconductor production. But the policies were not without risks to U.S. trading partners.

“We had a lot of things (in the legislation), including things that upset the allies — you know, subsidies for American businesses, that they saw potentially as pulling investment out of their economies,” Lovely said.

“These are things that the European Union, Japan, Korea were concerned about,” Lovely continued. “So we’ve seen it there — this tension between foreign policy and this idea of economic security.”

While Lovely said she worries about how some of the Biden-Harris trade policies might affect competition and the nation’s ability to sign timely trade agreements, she said Trump’s plans are overall “destabilizing.”

“The increased use of tariffs is misguided at best,” Lovely said.

Trump’s promise to not only increase tariffs on Chinese imports to 60%, but also to slap flat 10% to 20% tariffs on all imports across the board is akin to “starting a trade war with the entire world.”

“We’re not going to see those kinds of tariffs without retaliation,” Lovely said.

If enacted, the tariffs would be particularly challenging for Indo-Pacific countries that rely on U.S. partnership in the face of China’s regional dominance.

“I mean, you can imagine how this will go down in, say, Japan and Korea, two countries which rely on the U.S. for a security umbrella, which is why Trump thinks that he can do stuff to them. But they also have to protect their own economies,” Lovely said. “So it’s going to put them in a really terrible position because it’s very important for them to maintain their alliance with the U.S., economic as well as military.”

But one thing is for sure, Lovely said: “Everybody wants to know what’s going to happen. Everybody in every embassy here in Washington.”

The Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, speaks at the Detroit Economic Club on October 10, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. Trump is campaigning in Michigan, a key battleground state, ahead of the upcoming presidential election. (Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump promised to “save the American auto industry” Thursday during a meandering speech to the Detroit Economic Club, during which he insulted his host city as a “mess” and announced a new plan to make car loan interest payments fully deductible.

Trump unveiled the new plank of his tax plan near the close of his remarks that included berating the United States as “dumb” on trade and pledging, if elected, to “have a lot of fun” renegotiating a trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

The former president spoke for nearly two hours to the economic club in Michigan, a key swing state.

Trump is already running on a platform to impose across-the-board tariffs, up to 20%, on all imported goods, and at 60% on goods from China. On Thursday he said cars imported from Mexico could see tariffs as high as 200% if he wins in November.

He told the crowd that his newest plan to make interest on car loans fully deductible is “going to revolutionize your industry.”

“This will stimulate massive domestic auto production and make car ownership dramatically more affordable for millions and millions of working American families. This is a phenomenal thing, if I do say so myself,” Trump said.

However, it’s unclear whether the deduction would only be available to taxpayers who itemize, or also to those who take the standard deduction. For example, some deductions, like student loan interest, can be a special exception.

Another question would be the price tag of Trump’s proposal: Americans owe about $1.6 trillion in car loans, according to the quarterly consumer report issued in February by the Federal Reserve of New York.

R&D tax credits

The former president also promised — to applause from the crowd — that U.S.-based carmakers “will be rewarded with expanded research and development tax credits, very substantial, where they will be able to write off 100% of their cost of heavy machinery and other equipment necessary to build a plant in the first year, and full expensing for manufacturing investments.”

The Trump campaign did not respond to emails asking whether the proposals were new, or would be an extension of expiring policies enacted under Trump’s signature 2017 tax law, titled the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Erica York, senior economist and research director for the Tax Foundation, wrote on X that “R&D tax credits are an entirely separate policy from deductions for R&D expenses or capital expenditures.”

“(B)ut if I had to guess, Trump is probably talking about bringing back immediate R&D expenses and restoring 100 percent bonus depreciation,” wrote York, who’s been closely following the tax debate during the 2024 presidential election.

Except for wanting to change the corporate tax rate — lowering it to 15% — Trump is campaigning on fully renewing the TCJA, which cleared Congress strictly along party lines. The law sunsets at the end of 2025.

‘Take a look at Detroit’

Trump also used his speech to attack trading partners and competitors, at one point describing the European Union as “brutal” and recalling an alleged conversation with former German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“‘Angela, how many Chevrolets do we have in the middle of Berlin?’ ‘Oh, I do not know. Perhaps, perhaps none.’ ‘You’re right. Angela,’” Trump said he recalled.

“And yet, they send their cars to us. Like a bunch of dummies we are — BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen, by the millions and millions and millions. We’re not doing that crap anymore,” Trump said. “Now they’re gonna have to play by our rules.”

It is a fact that American cars are on the streets of Europe.

But China was the “biggest abuser” of trade while he was president, he said.

“They were a professional abuser. They did things to us, and they go down as a ‘developing nation,’” he said, as if talking in another’s voice. “‘We are a developing nation.’ But we’re (the U.S. is) a developing nation too — just take a look at Detroit.”

His campaign did not answer an email asking for clarification about the remark.

Harris campaign responds to Detroit visit

Ahead of Trump’s Detroit appearance, Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign organized a press call featuring Shawn Fain, president of the United Auto Workers.

Fain told reporters Trump “has done nothing” to help autoworkers.

“The job-killer-in-chief is once again back in Michigan to do what he does best. He’s going to lie about bringing our jobs back,” Fain said.

The union leader endorsed President Joe Biden in January, and promptly endorsed Harris in July when Biden exited the race.

Biden became the first sitting U.S. president to walk a picket line when he joined striking UAW members in September 2023.

Harris was in Las Vegas, Nevada, Thursday to record a live town hall for Spanish-language network Univision. The question-and-answer session for undecided Hispanic voters was organized by the network’s news division and moderated by TelevisaUnivision’s Enrique Acevedo.

Harris was scheduled to speak at a campaign event Thursday night in Phoenix, Arizona.

‘There will be no rematch!’?

Once again, the question of another presidential debate has come, and apparently gone.

Fox News on Wednesday issued a final offer to host a live 90-minute presidential debate in Pennsylvania on either Oct. 24 or 27, with moderators Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum.

“THERE WILL BE NO REMATCH!” Trump posted Wednesday evening on his online platform Truth Social.

On Thursday, CNN offered to host live town halls with each candidate.

Ahead on the campaign trail

Harris returns to Washington, D.C., Friday while Trump continues west for rallies in Aurora, Colorado, and Reno, Nevada.

The former president then travels for rallies in Coachella, California, on Saturday and in Prescott, Arizona, on Sunday.

Trump’s running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, will host a rally in Johnston, Pennsylvania, Saturday.

Harris is also set to visit Pennsylvania, hosting a rally Monday in the commonwealth’s northwestern city of Erie.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will campaign in Wisconsin on Monday, hitting both Eau Claire and Green Bay.

President Joe Biden speaks about the federal government’s response and recovery efforts to hurricane season in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s South Court Auditorium on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday urged Congress to end its recess early and return to Capitol Hill to approve emergency funding for hurricane recovery, even though his budget office hasn’t released the supplemental request that would kick off the process.

Biden also rebuked Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for spreading misinformation about the federal government’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, saying it was irresponsible.

“Mr. President Trump, former President Trump, get a life man, help these people,” Biden said, later adding he has no plans to speak directly with Trump.

Biden criticized Trump and others for saying the $750 payment people in the hardest-hit areas are eligible for from the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be the only aid they get from the federal government.

“Mr. Trump and all those other people know it’s a lie to suggest that’s all they’re going to get. That’s bizarre,” Biden said. “They’ve got to stop this. I mean, they’re being so damn un-American with the way they’re talking about this stuff.”

Biden said the public would hold Trump accountable and then told the small group of reporters allowed to listen to his remarks in person that journalists better “hold him accountable, because you know the truth.”

Helene brought devastation to multiple states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and? Virginia. More than 230 deaths have been reported.

At least 12 deaths ?have been reported after Milton struck Florida this week.

Trump video

Trump released a video on social media Thursday addressed to Florida residents, saying that he was praying for them and that they would receive help if he’s elected president. Trump is in the last weeks of a tight contest with the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Hopefully on January 20th you’re going to have somebody that’s really going to help you and help you like never before because help is on the way,” Trump said. “Together we will rebuild, we will recover and we will come back stronger, bigger, better than ever before.”

Trump has repeatedly claimed that FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to help natural disaster survivors because money is being directed to noncitizens.

FEMA wrote that is not true, on a webpage designed to address a spike in misinformation and disinformation following the hurricanes.

“No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.”

Misinformation and disinformation about natural disaster recovery have been spreading through other avenues as well, including social media and podcasts.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said earlier this week she expected combating rumors and lies will become a regular part of natural disaster recovery.

SBA in need of funding

Speaking from the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Biden said the cost of recovery would be in the billions of dollars, but declined to put a specific number on how much emergency funding he’ll ask lawmakers to approve.

While FEMA has the funding it needs for now, with about $20 billion in its disaster relief fund, Biden said the Small Business Administration is in urgent need of emergency money from Congress so that it can provide assistance to natural disaster survivors.

“In terms of the SBA, it’s pretty right at the edge right now,” Biden said. “And I think the Congress should be coming back and moving on emergency needs immediately. They’re going to have to come back after the election as well because this is going to be a long haul for total rebuilding.”

Congress left Capitol Hill in late September for a six-week election break and isn’t scheduled to return until Nov. 12.

Numerous lawmakers have called on congressional leaders to bring the two chambers back into session to approve emergency spending legislation.

So far, Republican leadership in the House and Democratic leaders in the Senate have decided against summoning lawmakers back to Washington, D.C., in part, because they don’t yet have a request from the Biden administration.

Typically, emergency spending bills begin to move forward in Congress after the White House budget office sends lawmakers a supplemental spending request.

That agency, also known as the Office of Management and Budget, hasn’t yet released the request, which will detail how much in extra funding it would like Congress to approve for various agencies, like the Small Business Administration and FEMA.

The Office of Management and Budget didn’t respond to a request from States Newsroom asking when it plans to send lawmakers the supplemental spending request.

Kentuckians will be voting this fall on two constitutional amendments. This is the view approaching the Sugar Maple Square polling site in Bowling Green, May 21, 2024. (Kentucky Lantern photo by Austin Anthony)

One of the two constitutional amendments Kentucky voters will decide this November would prohibit people who are not citizens of the United States from voting in Kentucky elections — something that already does not happen.

The amendment’s sponsor, state Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, called it a “proactive” measure to protect election integrity. Others say the amendment could discourage immigrants who are citizens from exercising their right to vote and that Republicans are using it to fan anti-immigrant fears to turn out their base.

If approved, Amendment 1 would bar noncitizens from voting in Kentucky elections. Election officials, including Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams, told lawmakers this summer that the state already has safeguards in place to keep that from happening.?

During the 2024 legislative session, Howell’s bill was one of two proposing to amend the state constitution to specifically prevent noncitizens from voting in Kentucky elections. Rep. Michael Meredith, R-Oakland, introduced the other bill, which gained support in the House.?

Similar measures are on the ballot this fall in other states, including Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Wisconsin. In Congress, House Republicans have sought to push a provision to bar noncitizens from voting in federal elections, which is already unlawful.?

Former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for president, has repeatedly falsely claimed that noncitizens voting are costing Republicans elections, a claim refuted by former Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson, a Republican, among many others.?

Noncitizens voting in elections across the country is rare. Some state officials in Texas, Ohio, Alabama and Georgia have flagged some noncitizens who have registered to vote or did vote in an election. Some local governments in California, Maryland, Vermont and the District of Columbia allow noncitizens to vote in their elections, such as for school board or city council.?

In an interview with the Lantern, Howell said if a local government in Kentucky allowed noncitizens to vote in a local election, “the administrative complexities associated with that, with our county clerks and secretary of state’s office, would be significant.”

“The reality of the situation — if a governmental entity decided to do this anywhere in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, a huge majority of our citizens would lose their minds over it, and I think rightly so,” the senator said.?

Anti-immigrant sentiments

Some have criticized measures like Kentucky’s Amendment 1 as a ploy to churn anti-immigrant sentiments among GOP base voters.?

Corey Shapiro, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky, called it “an attempt to divide and fearmonger more than anything else” as federal law already prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections.?

Shapiro said the amendment will bring “additional attention to anybody who people think might not be a citizen” and could increase voter suppression among immigrants who have gained citizenship.?

“We’re seeing attacks on immigrants all across the country, and this is yet another attack, and it’s unfortunate because people who are registered to vote in Kentucky have probably one of the fewest opportunities to vote compared to other states, and instead of working to actually improve our election laws, make it easier for people to access the ballot, we are spending time and money talking about … made-up problems and casting doubt on the legitimacy of our elections,” Shapiro said.?

Kentucky has fewer days of early voting than most states. Voters also have fewer hours to get to the polls on Election Day in Kentucky, where polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., than in most states.?

Shapiro said giving Kentucky voters “more access to the ballot and more ability to vote … would be a much better use of our politics.”?

However, Howell said that he did not think the amendment could spur anti-immigrant sentiments among Kentuckians, but non-citizens voting in elections could.?

“Sometimes, it’s very controversial when a particular immigrant community expands within a community,” Howell said. “And I can see anti-immigrant sentiment being stirred up against that particular immigrant community if they were given the opportunity to vote for their mayor, or their school board where their children are educated, or something like that. To me, that has a much greater risk of anti-immigrant backlash than this constitutional amendment ever could.”?

The campaign for Amendment 1 has had a much lower profile than Amendment 2, which would give the General Assembly the ability to fund nonpublic schools if passed. Nine issue committees have registered with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance to spend dollars to support or oppose Amendment 2, but none have filed to campaign on Amendment 1.?

House Democratic Caucus Chair Cherlynn Stevenson of Lexington said during a Kentucky Democratic Party press conference a couple of weeks ago that she does “absolutely believe that (Amendment 1) is probably on the ballot to help drive turnout” for the nonpublic schools amendment as voters who will support Amendment 1 will be encouraged to vote for Amendment 2.?

“It is a solution in search of a problem that doesn’t exist because noncitizens can already not vote,” Stevenson said.?

Howell said the amendments are “pretty mutually exclusive” as they deal with separate issues. He said he has not heard people talk about the amendments together.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which was issued electronically, is seen on June 24, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The court’s decision overturned the landmark Roe v Wade case and erases a federal right to an abortion. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

This is one in a series of States Newsroom reports on the major policy issues in the presidential race.

WASHINGTON — This year’s election marks the first time voters are casting ballots for president since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to an abortion and made reproductive rights a pivotal issue for many voters.

Democratic nominee Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump have spoken about reproductive rights and abortion access numerous times during the last few months.

Trump’s stance has evolved during his bid for the White House. He now contends he wouldn’t sign legislation implementing nationwide abortion restrictions and wants regulation left up to the states.

Harris has consistently said a nationwide law guaranteeing access would ensure the choice is left up to women, not politicians.

“I pledge to you, when Congress passes a bill to put back in place the protections of Roe v. Wade, as president of the United States, I will proudly sign it into law,” Harris said during the September presidential debate.

Trump patted himself on the back during the same debate for nominating three justices to the Supreme Court who later ruled with their conservative colleagues that the Constitution didn’t provide the privacy rights that two former high court rulings said insulated women’s choices about abortion.

“I did something that nobody thought was possible,” Trump said about nominating the three justices. “The states are now voting. What she says is an absolute lie. And as far as the abortion ban, no, I’m not in favor of (an) abortion ban. But it doesn’t matter because this issue has now been taken over by the states.”

Harris had just said that Trump would sign a nationwide abortion ban if elected and cited Project 2025, the blueprint for a second Trump administration released by the conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation. Trump and his campaign have repeatedly tried to distance themselves from the document and many of its proposals.

Many politicians have misrepresented the Supreme Court’s ruling two years ago as sending abortion regulation back to the states. What the conservative justices wrote was that ending Roe v. Wade meant the “authority to regulate abortion is returned to the people and their elected representatives.”

That, of course, includes Congress and the president.

Trump position varies

Trump’s stance on abortion hasn’t always been linear or consistent. He told Republicans earlier this year that they should avoid discussing the topic in order to win elections, while also courting organizations that view him as one avenue to ending abortion outright.

Trump got himself into hot water with several anti-abortion organizations and conservative Republicans in April when he announced he didn’t want Congress to take action on a nationwide law.

Trump had previously said he would support a 16-week nationwide ban. He reiterated in his April announcement that he supported exceptions to state abortion bans in cases of rape, incest and the life of the pregnant patient.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser released a statement following Trump’s April announcement that she was “deeply disappointed.”

“Saying the issue is ‘back to the states’ cedes the national debate to the Democrats who are working relentlessly to enact legislation mandating abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy,” Dannenfelser wrote. “If successful, they will wipe out states’ rights.”

About a month later, in May, Trump, Dannenfelser, President of the Family Research Council Tony Perkins and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham had a “terrific meeting,” according to a statement released afterward.

Then, this summer, Trump muddied the waters on his abortion stance yet more, when he spoke to an organization in June that describes abortion as the “greatest atrocity facing” the United States that should be “eradicated entirely.”

“These are going to be your years because you’re going to make a comeback like just about no other group,” Trump said to The Danbury Institute’s inaugural Life & Liberty Forum. “I know what’s happening. I know where you’re coming from and where you’re going. And I’ll be with you side by side.”

Then, most recently, Trump posted on social media during the vice presidential debate in early October that he would veto any nationwide abortion restrictions.

Trump wrote in all capital letters that he “would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it, because it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters (the will of the people!).”

Trump added that he didn’t support access to abortion during the seventh, eight or ninth months of pregnancy, nor did he support killing babies, which is already illegal.

During 2021, about 93% of abortions took place within the first 13 weeks of gestation, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed by the Pew Research Center.

Another 6% of abortions took place between 14 and 20 weeks with the remaining 1% taking place after 21 weeks gestation, according to the data.

“Almost half of individuals who obtained an abortion after 20 weeks did not suspect they were pregnant until later in pregnancy, and other barriers to care included lack of information about where to access an abortion, transportation difficulties, lack of insurance coverage and inability to pay for the procedure,” according to analysis from KFF Health.

Harris position?

Harris has repeatedly criticized Trump for celebrating the Supreme Court’s decision to end Roe v. Wade and said during the presidential debate that state restrictions have harmed women in innumerable ways.

“Trump abortion bans that make no exception even for rape and incest,” Harris said. “Understand what that means — a survivor of a crime, a violation to their body, does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to their body next. That is immoral.

“And one does not have to abandon their faith or deeply held beliefs to agree the government, and Donald Trump certainly, should not be telling a woman what to do with her body.”

Harris has called for Democrats to eliminate the Senate’s legislative filibuster to ease the passage of a bill that would restore nationwide abortion protections.

That Senate rule requires at least 60 lawmakers vote to advance legislation before that bill can move on to a simple majority passage vote. It is different than the so-called talking filibuster, when one senator, or a group of like-minded lawmakers, talk on the floor for hours to delay a vote.

Democrats would have to maintain their majority in the Senate against long odds to actually carve out an exception to the legislative filibuster, in order to pass a bill restoring Roe v. Wade. Democrats would also need to regain control of the House of Representatives.

A divided Congress, or a few Democrats objecting to rule changes in the Senate, would hinder Harris’ efforts to sign nationwide abortion protections.

Democrats tried to pass legislation through the Senate that would have provided nationwide protections for abortion when they had unified control of government in 2022, but were blocked by the filibuster.

Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, Virginia Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, Alaska GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski and Arizona independent Sen. Kyrsten Sinema later introduced a bipartisan bill that would have had a similar result, but it wasn’t scheduled for a floor vote.

The legislation of two years ago likely would again fail to advance if Democrats sweep in the November elections, unless they carved out an exception in the Senate filibuster.

Swing state voters

Harris’ and Trump’s stance on abortion access will likely play a role in determining which candidate wins the Electoral College in crucial swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Democrats are optimistic that abortion access ballot questions in 10 states will bolster Harris’ chances through increased voter turnout and higher spending by reproductive rights organizations.

While many of the referendums are in solidly blue or red states, the proposals in Arizona and Florida could affect turnout and motivation.

Louis Jacobson, senior columnist at Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, wrote earlier this month that a key question on Election Day will be whether “abortion-rights advocates extend their perfect 7-for-7 record since Roe v. Wade was overturned.”

Voters will decide on numerous other ballot questions as well, including recreational cannabis, increases in the minimum wage and ranked-choice voting.

In an earlier post about the abortion ballot questions, Jacobson and Samantha Putterman wrote that “(e)very post-Roe measure has been on the ballot during a relatively low turnout election—either the November midterm, a primary ballot, or an off-year election.”

“Any measure that makes the ballot in 2024 will face voters in November of a presidential year, when turnout is far higher,” they wrote. “This has the potential to hurt abortion rights backers, because moderate and liberal voters have recently flexed their electoral muscles more when turnout is low.”

Public opinion polls conducted by the Pew Research Center for the past three decades have consistently shown support for keeping abortion legal outpacing support for making the procedure illegal in most or all cases.

The 2024 survey showed that 63% of people want abortion legal in most or all cases while 36% believe it should be illegal in all or most cases.

People toss buckets of water out of a home as the streets and homes are flooded near Peachtree Creek after Hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night on Sept. 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Hurricane season has not only wreaked havoc on people’s lives throughout much of the country, but could also make it more difficult for voters to cast their ballots in hard-hit regions.

Other election threats include misinformation and even terrorism, with warnings from the Department of Homeland Security and an arrest in Oklahoma allegedly connected with an Election Day plot.

Election officials in states regularly affected by hurricane season have considerable experience ensuring residents can vote following natural disasters, but those in other parts of the country less accustomed to the destruction this year are learning as they go.

Voters used to a quick drive to their polling place or a drop box might need to spend more time getting there amid washed-out roads, while some may be so bogged down in rebuilding their lives, they simply choose not to cast a ballot. Regular mail service may be disrupted for mail-in ballots.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said earlier this week he didn’t expect recovery from Hurricane Helene to have a significant impact on voting, lauding county election officials for troubleshooting power outages and a loss of internet during the storm, the Georgia Recorder reported.

Local election officials throughout the state, he said, were ready to ship mail-in ballots on time and didn’t expect any delays to the start of early voting on Oct. 15.

County election officials “really put public service first because they understand how important voting is in 53 counties that so far have been declared federal disaster areas,” he said during a press briefing.

North Carolina’s legislature unanimously passed an emergency funding package Wednesday that includes $5 million for the Board of Elections to help it recover from the hurricane and ensure the election goes forward somewhat smoothly, according to NC Newsline.

Elections officials in the state will be allowed to make changes to early voting and polling locations throughout 25 western counties, an increase from the 13 counties previously authorized to make changes.

“While the Board of Elections made a good effort, we want to extend it to additional counties that were impacted,” Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger said during a press conference.

The Trump campaign released a list of 10 requests for voting in North Carolina on Tuesday evening, including that voters “who have been displaced to another North Carolina county to have the ability to vote a provisional ballot on election day, which will be delivered back to and processed at the voter’s correct County Board of Elections.”

That specific request was not approved by the state, according to NC Newsline.

In Florida, where residents barely began addressing damage from Hurricane Helene before Hurricane Milton emerged, there are disagreements about how best to proceed, the Florida Phoenix reported.

The League of Women Voters of Florida Education Fund and the Florida State Conference of the NAACP have filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to extend the voter registration deadline, which ended on Monday.

The organizations argue that Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis should have allowed more time for voter registration, since residents have been focused on storm preparation, evacuation and recovery.

“While issuing mandatory evacuation orders, he has refused to extend the voter registration deadline, disenfranchising many Floridians who were unable to register due to a disaster beyond their control,” the organizations wrote in a statement. “Voters should not have to worry about registering to vote while they are trying to protect their lives and communities.”

Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett announced Wednesday that there would be changes throughout six counties to address impacts from Hurricane Helene, though he committed to ensuring residents in the state would be able to vote in person or by mail.

“The devastation experienced in northeast Tennessee is heartbreaking and unimaginable,” Hargett said in a written statement. “However, I continue to be amazed at the planning and resiliency of our local election officials.

“We have been working with our local elections administrators — Josh Blanchard, Sarah Fain, Tracy Harris, Dana Jones, Cheri Lipford, and Justin Reaves — throughout the entirety of this disaster, and their unwavering leadership and commitment will ensure this election proceeds as planned, so registered voters have the opportunity to vote.”

Hargett reiterated in the statement that early voting would still begin on Oct. 16 and run through Oct. 31.

Specific changes to voting throughout the six counties were posted on the Secretary of State’s website, which will be updated with any additional alterations in the days ahead. Tennessee voters who sent in absentee ballots can track the status here or by calling 877-850-4959.

Elections and artificial intelligence

Kentucky secretary of state urges lawmakers to protect election officials from AI impersonations

In Kentucky, elections officials are warning state lawmakers that artificial intelligence has the “potential for significant impact” on elections in the months and years ahead, the Kentucky Lantern reported.

Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams urged lawmakers during a meeting of the General Assembly’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force to take the technology seriously.

“Should you take up AI legislation when you return in 2025, I would encourage you to consider prohibiting impersonation of election officials,” Adams said during the meeting. “It is illegal to impersonate a peace officer, and for good reason. It should be equally illegal to impersonate a secretary of state or county clerk and put out false information in any format about our elections.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security released a report earlier this month saying officials expected “state actors will continue to pose a host of threats to the Homeland and public safety,” including through artificial intelligence.

“Specifically, China, Iran, and Russia will use a blend of subversive, undeclared, criminal, and coercive tactics to seek new opportunities to undermine confidence in US democratic institutions and domestic social cohesion,” the 46-page report states.

“Advances in AI likely will enable foreign adversaries to increase the output, timeliness, and perceived authenticity of their mis-, dis-, and malinformation designed to influence US audiences while concealing or distorting the origin of the content.”

Terrorism and the election?

Oklahoma City man faces charges related to planned Election Day terrorist attack, authorities say

DHS also expects threats from terrorism to remain high throughout the year, including around the elections, according to the report.

“Lone offenders and small groups continue to pose the greatest threat of carrying out attacks with little to no warning,” the report states.

That appears to be the case in Oklahoma, where federal officials allege a 27-year-old Afghanistan national living in the state purchased an AK-47 and ammunition as part of a plot to conduct an attack on Election Day in the name of ISIS, the Oklahoma Voice reported.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi and a co-conspirator under the age of 18 allegedly met with an FBI asset in rural western Oklahoma to purchase two AK-47 assault rifles, 10 magazines and 500 rounds of ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.

An FBI search of Tawhedi’s phone found communications with a person who Tawhedi believed was affiliated with ISIS. He also “allegedly accessed, viewed, and saved ISIS propaganda on his iCloud and Google account, participated in pro-ISIS Telegram groups, and contributed to a charity which fronts for and funnels money to ISIS,” according to the complaint.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s campaign has sought to blame Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris for Tawhedi’s presence within the United States.

Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt released a written statement claiming that Harris “rolled out the red carpet for terrorists like Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi.”

“President Donald Trump will deport illegal immigrants on the terror watch list and secure our borders from foreign threats,” Leavitt wrote.

Tawhedi entered the United States on Sept. 9, 2021, on a special immigrant visa and “is currently on parole status pending adjudication of his immigration proceedings,” according to the criminal complaint.

The co-defendant is Tawhedi’s wife’s younger brother. While unnamed because he is a juvenile, the criminal complaint says he is a citizen of Afghanistan with legal permanent resident status who entered the United States on March 27, 2018, on a special immigrant visa.

Leavitt’s statement didn’t comment on the co-defendant entering the United States during the Trump administration.

Harris has not yet commented publicly on the arrest.

This story has been updated with new information from North Carolina.

Republican women are falling behind in candidacies, nominations and primary contest success when it comes to running for Congress, political experts said Tuesday. In this photo, the U.S. Capitol Building is seen on Oct. 22, 2021 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Republicans are struggling to recruit and elect women to Congress, lagging behind Democrats in ensuring women, who make up half the population, have a strong voice in the halls of power, experts on women in politics said Tuesday.

“This year’s data shows clearly that Republican women are falling behind in candidacies, nominations and even primary contest success,” Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University in New Jersey, said on a call with reporters.

Democratic women, on the other hand, “are not only outperforming their male counterparts, but are also reaching near parity with Democratic men in nominations and office holding.”

The 435-member U.S. House currently has 126 women, 34 of whom are Republicans. The 100-member Senate has 25 female lawmakers, with nine belonging to the GOP.

CAWP Director of Data Chelsea Hill explained on the call that while women overall account for just 31.1% of general election nominees for the House, the breakdown shows a stark difference for Democratic and Republican politicians.

“Women continue to be significantly underrepresented as a percentage of all U.S. House and Senate candidates and nominees,” Hill said. “But Republican women are a significantly smaller percentage of their party’s candidates and nominees than are Democratic women.”

Democratic women running for the House represent 45.9% of candidates within their party, coming close to parity with their male colleagues and increasing female candidate percentages over 2022, she said.

Republican women, however, make up 16.2% of GOP House candidates this election cycle, a lower share than during 2020 and 2022, Hill said.

In the Senate, female candidates account for 30.9% of general election nominees, with a similar split between Democrats and Republicans.

Democratic women account for 46.9% of the party’s candidates for that chamber of Congress, also near parity, though women make up 17.6% of Republican Senate nominees, “a smaller share than in the three previous cycles,” according to Hill.

Why are fewer Republican women running?

CAWP experts said the difference in female candidates is predominantly due to structural differences as well as differing beliefs about the importance of women holding office among leadership and voters.

CAWP Director of Research Kelly Dittmar said if party leadership doesn’t believe women’s underrepresentation in government is a problem in need of a solution, that will make “it hard to build the type of support infrastructure — whether it be for women’s PACs, trainings, recruitment programs — that would ensure that those numbers stay high.”

Dittmar said one example of this was House Republican leaders’ decision to roll a program called “Project Grow” that was aimed at recruiting female GOP lawmakers into the “Young Guns” program, which is focused more on general recruitment.

“Young Guns” is also the title of a book published in 2010 by former House Republican leaders Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor and Kevin McCarthy, all of whom are men.

Dittmar said the evolution of the Republican Party under former President Donald Trump and the change in abortion access stemming from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022 are not significant factors accounting for the lower numbers of female Republican candidates.

“I would suggest that when we get to the candidate level, there are enough conservative Republican women in the country that could be recruited and supported as candidates,” Dittmar said.

Walsh said one of the reasons GOP leaders don’t focus on recruiting and encouraging women in public office is that there is a “reluctance” within the Republican Party to engage in identity politics.

“The Democratic Party places value on that, versus the Republican Party, which says the best candidate will rise to the top and let the best person win,” Walsh said. “So it is a deeply philosophical difference that plays out in candidate recruitment, candidate support.”

Dittmar added that Democrats aren’t necessarily recruiting and advancing female candidates “out of the goodness of their hearts,” but are doing so because it’s expected by their voters.

“There’s an electoral incentive, partly due to the gender gap in voting, as well as racial and ethnic differences in terms of the Democratic base, where there is more demand on the Democratic Party to say, ‘Look, we’re bringing you votes, you need to prioritize and value this level of representation.’”

Medicare open enrollment is underway until Dec. 7. (Photo by Getty Images)

Vice President Kamala Harris unveiled a plan Tuesday that would strengthen Medicare coverage to include long-term care for seniors in their homes, tackling one of the biggest challenges in U.S. health care.

The Democratic presidential nominee revealed the proposal while on “The View” — one of several high-profile media appearances this week as she and the GOP presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, sprint to the November finish line.

“There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle: They’re taking care of their kids and they’re taking care of their aging parents, and it’s just almost impossible to do it all, especially if they work,” Harris said during the live interview. “We’re finding that so many are then having to leave their job, which means losing a source of income, not to mention the emotional stress.”

Harris is focusing on the “sandwich generation,” which refers to Americans who are caring for their children while also caring for aging parents.

Under the plan, Medicare — the nation’s health insurance program for people 65 and older and some under 65 with certain disabilities or conditions — would cover an at-home health benefit for those enrolled in the program, as well as hearing and vision benefits, according to her campaign in a Tuesday fact sheet.

Medicare for the most part now does not cover long-term care services like home health aides.

The benefits would be funded by “expanding Medicare drug price negotiations, increasing the discounts drug manufacturers cover for certain brand-name drugs in Medicare, and addressing Medicare fraud,” per her campaign.

Harris also plans to “crack down on pharmaceutical benefit managers (PBMs) to increase transparency, disclose more information on costs, and regulate other practices that raise prices,” according to her campaign, which said she will also “implement international tax reform.”

The campaign did not cite a price tag but noted similar plans have been estimated to cost $40 billion annually, “before considering ??savings from avoiding hospitalizations and more expensive institutional care, or the additional revenues that would generate from more unpaid family caregivers going back to work if they need to.”

The proposal comes along with the nominee’s sweeping economic plan, part of which involves cutting taxes for more than 100 million Americans, including $6,000 in tax relief for new parents in the first year of their child’s life.

Trump responds

In response to the proposal, the Trump campaign said the former president “will always fight for America’s senior citizens — who have been left behind by Kamala Harris,” per a Tuesday news release.

The campaign also cited Medicare Advantage policies extended by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Trump’s first term.

The campaign reiterated the 2024 GOP platform’s chapter on protecting seniors, saying Trump will “prioritize home care benefits by shifting resources back to at-home senior care, overturning disincentives that lead to care worker shortages, and supporting unpaid family caregivers through tax credits and reduced red tape.”

Harris and Howard Stern

While appearing live on “The Howard Stern Show” on Tuesday shortly after “The View,” Harris dubbed Trump an “unserious man,” saying the consequences of him serving another term are “brutally serious.”

She also again criticized Trump for nominating three of the five members to the U.S. Supreme Court who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022 — a reversal that ended nearly half a century of the constitutional right to abortion.

“And it’s not about abortion, you have basically now a system that says you as an individual do not have the right to make a decision about your own body. The government has the right to make that decision for you,” she said.

Harris, who said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet if elected, was asked whether she would choose former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney.

Cheney was the vice chair of the U.S. House Jan. 6 committee tasked with investigating the 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Harris did not disclose a preference, but said Cheney is “smart,” “remarkable” and a “dedicated public servant.”

Cheney is among some prominent Republicans to endorse Harris. She campaigned with the veep in Ripon, Wisconsin — the birthplace of the Republican Party — just last week.

Trump talks with Ben Shapiro

Meanwhile, Trump said Harris is “grossly incompetent” during an interview that aired Tuesday on “The Ben Shapiro Show.”

“Biden was incompetent, she is equally incompetent and in a certain way, she’s more incompetent,” Trump told Shapiro, a conservative political commentator and co-founder of The Daily Wire, referring to President Joe Biden.

Trump also criticized Harris’ Monday interview on CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” saying the veep “answers questions like a child.”

“She’s answering questions in the most basic way and getting killed over it,” Trump added.

Look ahead for Harris, Trump campaigns

Harris was also set to also appear on CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” on Tuesday night. She will also appear at a Univision town hall in Las Vegas, Nevada, that airs Thursday.

Trump was slated to participate in a roundtable with Latino leaders and a Univision town hall on Tuesday in Miami, but both events were postponed due to Hurricane Milton.

Trump is set to give remarks Wednesday in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Later that day, he will continue campaigning in the Keystone State with a rally in Reading.

The Rocky Broad River flows into Lake Lure and overflows the town with debris from Chimney Rock, North Carolina after heavy rains from Hurricane Helene on Sept. 28, 2024, in Lake Lure, North Carolina. Approximately 6 feet of debris piled on the bridge from Lake Lure to Chimney Rock, blocking access. (Photo by Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — ? Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that rumors and disinformation will become a regular part of natural disaster response moving forward, and rebuked those seeking to benefit politically from spreading false information.

The volume and type of disinformation spreading about FEMA, as Southeast states struggle to recover from Hurricane Helene, is the worst Criswell said she has ever seen, following a “steady increase” in rumors following previous natural disasters.

Incorrect information about FEMA and its response to natural disasters has been spreading through numerous avenues, including social media, podcasts and Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s numerous comments and posts. Criswell did not name any politicians or other individuals during the call with reporters.

Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton is barrelling toward Florida’s Gulf Coast and expected to make landfall by Wednesday night. Meteorologists are warning the storm could be one of Florida’s worst. Thousands of people were evacuating Tuesday.

Criswell said she’s concerned the lies about various aspects of FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene may have a chilling effect on whether people harmed by natural disasters apply for assistance. It could also potentially endanger first responders on the ground.

“It’s just really demoralizing to them. It hurts their morale and they’ve left their families to be able to come in here and help people,” she said of first responders and FEMA staff.

While no one has physically attacked FEMA staff or other emergency responders so far, Criswell said, she and others are closely monitoring misinformation as well as how people in areas hit by natural disasters react to it.

FEMA’s collaboration with local law enforcement can help to monitor safety and security issues, though rumors and disinformation could make matters worse, she said.

“If it creates so much fear that my staff don’t want to go out in the field, then we’re not going to be in a position where we can help people,” Criswell said, adding that she does have concerns about “the safety of our folks that are walking around in neighborhoods that may or may not have full confidence in the government.”

“And so we are watching that closely to make sure that we’re providing for their safety as well,” she said.

Helene brought devastation to multiple states including Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and ?Virginia. ?More than 230 deaths have been reported.

Storm victims

The rumors and inaccurate information about FEMA’s response and recovery efforts are “creating fear in some” people who are trying to navigate their way through the hurricane recovery process, Criswell said.

“I worry that they won’t apply for assistance, which means I can’t get them the necessary items they need,” Criswell said. “And so those are the biggest impacts I see as a result of this constant narrative that is more about politics than truly helping people.”

She said the current situation is worse than ever.

“We have always put up rumor control pages because there’s always been people that have been out there trying to take advantage of those that have just lost so much in creating false websites and trying to get their information and defrauding people and the federal government,” Criswell said. “And so not something that’s new, but the level of rhetoric just continues to rise.”

Following the Maui wildfires in August 2023, federal officials worked with local officials to help reassure Hawaiians the rumors and disinformation that spread following that disaster were not true.

Some of the disinformation about the Maui wildfires was from “foreign state actors,” Criswell said.

FEMA was eventually able to get federal assistance to everyone who needed it, but it took much longer than it would have otherwise, she said.

The first assistance people in hard-hit areas often receive from FEMA is a $750 payment meant to help with immediate needs like water, food, clothing and medicine.

There has been significant misinformation around that amount. Criswell clarified on the call that it’s the first installment from FEMA and that more assistance goes out to people affected by natural disasters as the recovery process moves forward.

“We know that they have immediate needs in the first few days, and it’s just an initial jump start to help them replace some of that,” Criswell said.

As FEMA gathers more information about property damage and other problems related to natural disasters, people will likely receive additional assistance for home repairs as well as the cost of staying in a hotel if their home was badly damaged.

FEMA then continues to work with people on longer-term needs, like rental assistance, if that’s needed.

FEMA has set up a webpage seeking to dispel rumors and disinformation about its response and recovery efforts.

It says that in most cases the money FEMA gives to disaster survivors does not have to be paid back and notes that the agency “cannot seize your property or land.”

“There are some less common situations in which you may have to pay FEMA back if you receive duplicate benefits from insurance or a grant from another source. For example, if you have insurance that covers your temporary housing costs, but you ask FEMA to advance you some money to help you pay for those costs while your insurance is delayed, you will need to pay that money back to FEMA after you receive your insurance settlement.”

The webpage also says that no funding for disaster recovery was diverted to address border security or immigration issues.

“This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.”

Funding questions

FEMA has plenty of funding to cover response and recovery efforts for the 100-plus open natural disasters throughout the country, but will need supplemental funding from Congress in the months ahead.

“I have enough funding to continue to support the response efforts for both of these events, and then continue to support the recovery efforts from all of the storms across the nation,” Criswell said, referring to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“However, I’m not going to be able to support those recoveries for long without a supplemental,” she added. “And we anticipate needing additional funding in the December, January time frame, or I’ll have to go back into what we call immediate needs funding again, where we pause obligations in our recovery projects to ensure that I can respond to an event like we’re seeing today.”

The first step for Congress to approve emergency funding for FEMA or any other federal agency is typically when the Office of Management and Budget sends a supplemental spending request to lawmakers on behalf of the White House.

Lawmakers can then choose to write legislation providing some, all, or more money than requested. They can also choose not to fund the emergency request, though that appears unlikely this time.

For the moment, FEMA has about $20 billion in its disaster relief fund, she said.

People who need assistance from FEMA should call 1-800-621-3362, register on https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or fill out an application on the FEMA app.

Vice President Kamala Harris was interviewed on the CBS news show “60 Minutes” that aired Monday night. In this photo, she speaks at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th National Convention on July 25, 2024 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Montinique Monroe/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said during an interview with the CBS News show “60 Minutes” that aired Monday she believes Congress would work with her to implement economic and tax policies if she’s elected.

She also criticized Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for declining to sit for an interview with the news program, but noted that voters interested in his goals for the country should just listen to one of his rallies.

“You’re going to hear conversations that are about himself and all of his personal grievances — and what you will not hear is anything about you, the listener,” Harris said. “You will not hear about how he’s going to try to bring the country together, find common ground. And that is why I believe in my soul and heart, the American people are ready to turn the page.”

Harris reinforced her support for Ukraine during the interview, saying she wouldn’t sit down to bilateral talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin about the conflict.

“Ukraine must have a say in the future of Ukraine,” Harris said, though she declined to say if her administration would support bringing Ukraine into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Harris argued that were Trump president when Russia invaded Ukraine, “Putin would be sitting in Kyiv right now,” the Ukrainian capital.

“He talks about, ‘Oh, he can end it on day one.’ You know what that is? It’s about surrender,” Harris said of Trump.

Trump and immigration

Harris focused many of her answers to questions about immigration and border security on Trump, criticizing him for working behind the scenes to scuttle bipartisan legislation that took months to negotiate.

She also noted more than once that Congress is responsible for writing laws governing immigration policy and questioned why lawmakers didn’t approve a bill President Joe Biden sent up in the first days of his administration.

Harris said she believes Americans will vote for her over Trump, in part, because they want a president who doesn’t make the types of comments about immigrants that Trump regularly makes on the campaign trail.

“I believe that the people of America want a leader who’s not trying to divide us and demean,” Harris said. “I believe that the American people recognize that the true measure of the strength of a leader is not based on who you beat down, it’s based on who you lift up.”

Harris said she was confident that members of Congress would work with her, if she’s elected president, to implement some of her core policy proposals, including expanding the Child Tax Credit and establishing a tax credit for first-time home buyers.

She said paying for those proposals could be achieved through making “sure that the richest among us, who can afford it, pay their fair share in taxes.”

“It is not right that teachers and nurses and firefighters are paying a higher tax rate than billionaires and the biggest corporations, and I plan on making that fair,” she said.

When Harris talks with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, many of them understand the points she’s making about the tax code, she said.

“There are plenty of leaders in Congress who understand and know that the Trump tax cuts blew up our federal deficit,” Harris said. “None of us, and certainly I, cannot afford to be myopic in terms of how I think about strengthening America’s economy.”

Harris provided more details during the interview on her gun ownership, revealing that she owns a Glock and has fired it at shooting ranges.

“I have a Glock, and I’ve had it for quite some time,” Harris said. “And I mean, look, Bill, my background is in law enforcement. And so there you go.”

U.S. flags fly outside FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. The FBI’s latest national crime report, released in late September, shows an overall 3% decline in violent crime in 2023 compared with the previous year. Property crime also was down nationwide, dropping by 2.4% in 2023 compared with the previous year. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Violent crime and property crime in the United States dropped in 2023, continuing a downward trend following higher rates of crime during the pandemic, according to the FBI’s latest national crime report.

Murders and intentional manslaughter, known as non-negligent manslaughter, fell by 11.6% from 2022. Property crime dropped by 2.4%.

Overall, FBI data shows that violent crime fell by 3%.

Violent crime has become a major issue in the 2024 presidential race, with former President Donald Trump claiming that crime has been “through the roof” under the Biden administration.

On the campaign trail, Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, has cited findings from a different source — the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics’ National Crime Victimization Survey — to argue that crime is out of control.

While the FBI’s data reflects only crimes reported to the police, the victimization survey is based on interviews conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and includes both reported and unreported crimes. Interviewees are asked whether they reported the crime to the police. But the survey does not include murder data and only tracks crimes against individuals aged 12 and older.

The victimization survey, released in mid-September, shows that the violent crime victimization rate rose from 16.4 per 1,000 people in 2020 to 22.5 per 1,000 in 2023. The report also notes that the 2023 rate is statistically similar to the rate in 2019, when Trump was in office.

Despite what some politicians say, crime rates are decreasing

Many crime data experts consider both sources trustworthy. But the agencies track different trends, measure crimes differently and collect data over varying time frames. Unlike the victimization survey, the FBI’s data is largely based on calls for service or police reports.

Still, most crimes go unreported, which means the FBI’s data is neither entirely accurate nor complete. The victimization surveys released throughout the peak years of the pandemic were particularly difficult to conduct, which is a key reason why, according to some experts, the FBI and the survey may show different trends.

As a result, these differences, which are often unknown or misunderstood, make it easier for anyone — including politicians — to manipulate findings to support their agendas.

Political candidates at the national, state and local levels on both sides of the aisle have used crime statistics in their campaigns this year, with some taking credit for promising trends and others using different numbers to flog their opponents. But it’s difficult to draw definitive conclusions about crime trends or attribute them to specific policies.

“There’s never any single reason why crime trends move one way or another,” said Ames Grawert, a crime data expert and senior counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice’s justice program. The Brennan Center is a left-leaning law and policy group.

“When an answer is presented that maybe makes intuitive sense or a certain political persuasion, it’s all too natural to jump to that answer. The problem is that that is just not how crime works,” Grawert told Stateline.

At an August rally in Philadelphia, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, said: “Violent crime was up under Donald Trump. That’s not even counting the crimes he committed.”

During Trump’s first three years in office, the violent crime rate per 100,000 people actually decreased each year, according to the FBI, from 376.5 in 2017, to 370.8 in 2018, to 364.4 in 2019.

It wasn’t until 2020 that the rate surged to 386.3, the highest under Trump, which is when the country experienced the largest one-year increase in murders.

Walz’s comments overlook the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the social upheaval following George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020. And despite the increase that year, the violent crime rate in Trump’s final year remained slightly lower than in the last year of President Barack Obama’s administration. In 2016, the rate was 386.8 per 100,000 people.

Following the release of the FBI’s annual crime report last month, U.S. Rep. Dan Bishop, a Republican running for attorney general in North Carolina, shared and later deleted a retweet on X that falsely claimed the FBI’s data showed zero homicides in Los Angeles and New Orleans last year. In fact, FBI data showed that the Los Angeles Police Department reported 325 homicides, while New Orleans police reported 198 in 2023.

Voters worry

Crime has emerged as a top issue on voters’ minds.

A Gallup poll conducted in March found that nearly 80% of Americans worry about crime and violence “a great deal” or “a fair amount,” ranking it above concerns such as the economy and illegal immigration. In another Gallup poll conducted late last year, 63% of respondents described crime in the U.S. as either extremely or very serious — the highest percentage since Gallup began asking the question in 2000.

Crime data usually lags by at least a year, depending on the agency or organization gathering and analyzing the statistics. But the lack of accurate, real-time crime data from official sources, such as federal or state agencies, may leave some voters vulnerable to political manipulation, according to some crime and voter behavior experts.

There are at least three trackers collecting and analyzing national and local crime data that aim to close the gap in real-time reporting. Developed by the Council on Criminal Justice, data consulting firm AH Datalytics and NORC at the University of Chicago, these trackers all show a similar trend of declining crime rates.

“We live in a world of sound bites, and people aren’t taking the time to digest information and fact check,” Alex Piquero, a criminology professor at the University of Miami and former director of the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics, said in an interview with Stateline. “The onus is on the voter.”

Crime trends and limitations

In 2020, when shutdowns in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic kept people at home, homicides surged by nearly 30% — the largest single-year increase since the FBI began tracking crime.

In 2022, violent crime had fallen back to near pre-pandemic levels, and the FBI data showed a continued decline last year. The rate of violent crime dropped from about 377 incidents per 100,000 people in 2022, to around 364 per 100,000 in 2023, slightly below the 2019 rate.

Politicians love to cite crime data. It’s often wrong.

The largest cities, those with populations of at least 1 million, saw the biggest drop in violent crime — nearly 7% — while cities with populations between 250,000 and 500,000 saw a slight 0.3% increase.

Rape incidents decreased by more than 9% and aggravated assault by nearly 3%. Burglary and larceny-theft decreased by 8% and 4%, respectively.

Motor vehicle theft, however, rose by 12% in 2023 compared with 2022, the highest rate of car theft since 2007, with 319 thefts per 100,000 people.

Although national data suggests an overall major decrease in crime across the country, some crime-data experts caution that that isn’t necessarily the case in individual cities and neighborhoods.

“It can be sort of simplistic to look at national trends. You have to allow the space for nuance and context about what’s happening at the local level too,” said Grawert, of the Brennan Center.

Some crime experts and politicians have criticized the FBI’s latest report, pointing out that not all law enforcement agencies have submitted their crime statistics.

The FBI is transitioning participating agencies to a new reporting system called the National Incident-Based Reporting System or NIBRS. The FBI mandated that the transition, which began in the late 1980s, be completed by 2021. This requirement resulted in a significant drop in agency participation for that year’s report because some law enforcement agencies couldn’t meet the deadline.

In 2022, the FBI relaxed the requirement, allowing agencies to use both the new and older reporting systems. Since the 2021 mandate, more law enforcement agencies have transitioned to the new reporting system.

Reporting crime data to the FBI is voluntary, and some departments may submit only a few months’ worth of data.

Although the FBI’s latest report covers 94% of the U.S. population, only 73% of all law enforcement agencies participated, using either reporting system, according to Stateline’s analysis of the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program participation data. This means that 5,926 agencies, or 27%, did not report any data to the FBI.

The majority of the missing agencies are likely smaller rural departments that don’t participate due to limited resources and staff, according to some crime data experts.

But participation in the FBI’s crime reporting program has steadily increased over time, particularly after the drop in 2021. Many of the law enforcement agencies in the country’s largest cities submitted data for 2023, and every city agency serving a population of 1 million or more provided a full year of data, according to the FBI’s report.

This article is republished from Stateline, a sister publication to the Kentucky Lantern and part of the nonprofit States Newsroom network.