Coronavirus Fuels Unprecedented Early Voting in US

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The US is seeing unprecedented numbers of voters who are choosing to cast ballots ahead of the November 3rd presidential election.  More than 14 million Americans have voted already, at least 10 times the norm at this point, and millions more are expected to do so before Election Day.  VOA’s Carolyn Presutti examines who is voting and how that could affect the outcome of the presidential election. Camera: Miguel Amaya, Aleksandr Bergan   Producer: Miguel AmayaLesia Bakalets contributed to this report in Miami …

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Young People Tire of Coronavirus Stereotypes

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Darla Veitch, a 19-year-old student attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is not the stereotypical college student, gathering in crowds at the beach or in bars. The farthest she strays from home, she said, is her backyard. “The last time I went out was probably three months ago, to Home Depot to get some plants to put in our garden,” said Veitch. “Very crazy.” Images of parties and bars frequently paint a picture of young people who are ignoring social distancing guidelines, like wearing masks during the coronavirus pandemic. As students have returned to college campuses, cases have risen.   But not allmore

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Avalanche of Early Votes Transforming 2020 Election

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More than 17 million Americans have already cast ballots in the 2020 election, a record-shattering avalanche of early votes driven both by Democratic enthusiasm and a pandemic that has transformed the way the nation votes.   The total represents 12% of all the votes cast in the 2016 presidential election, even as eight states are not yet reporting their totals and voters still have more than two weeks to cast ballots. Americans’ rush to vote is leading election experts to predict that a record 150 million votes may be cast and turnout rates could be higher than in any presidentialmore

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Biden, Trump Hold Competing Town Halls

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U.S. President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden held competing town halls Thursday, reaching out to voters in separate forums at the same time. Mike O’Sullivan has more on the televised events, just weeks before the election Nov. 3. Producers: Mike O’Sullivan, Rod James …

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Trump Supreme Court Pick Nears Confirmation Vote

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Judge Amy Coney Barrett, U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee to fill the vacancy left on the Supreme Court by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month, cleared the first hurdle to her confirmation this week. In four marathon hearing days, Barrett deflected questions on how she would rule on issues from abortion to the election to gun rights. VOA Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on the next steps in the process. Camera: Adam Greenbaum      Producers: Katherine Gypson, Emma Morris, Michael Rummel  …

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In Split-Screen Town Halls, Trump and Biden Squabble over Coronavirus Response

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Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday criticized what he called President Donald Trump’s “panicked” response to the coronavirus pandemic, while Trump defended his handling of a crisis that has killed more than 217,000 Americans.The rivals spoke in simultaneous town halls broadcast on separate television networks after a debate originally scheduled for Thursday was called off after Trump contracted COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.The split-screen showdown offered a stark reminder of the many ways the campaign season has been changed by a pandemic that has prompted more than 18 million people to cast ballots more than two weeksmore

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In Blocking Tweets, Is Twitter Protecting the Election or Interfering?

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The decision by Twitter to block the dissemination of a story on its site about Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice President Joe Biden, has added to an already heated discussion in the U.S. about whether internet companies have too much power and are making decisions that could affect the U.S. elections.Some have applauded Twitter’s move as a stand against misinformation. Others have criticized Twitter’s decision as biased, curtailing speech in a way that could affect the outcome of the U.S. election.In recent weeks, Twitter, Facebook and Google, the owner of YouTube, have increasingly taken steps to restrict themore

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Harris Suspends Campaign Travel After 2 in Her Entourage Test Positive for COVID

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Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris has suspended campaign travel until Monday after two people associated with the campaign tested positive for COVID-19, Joe Biden’s presidential campaign announced Thursday. The campaign said Biden was not exposed to the coronavirus, although he and his running mate campaigned together on Oct. 8 in the southwestern U.S. state of Arizona.   Biden and Harris have tested negative for COVID-19 several times since then, the campaign said.   Harris’ communications director, Liz Allen, tested positive on Wednesday, as did a flight crew member who was on the campaign trip to the southwest, according tomore

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Senate Panel Wraps Confirmation Hearings for Trump’s Supreme Court Pick

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The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee heard arguments Thursday supporting and opposing the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett as the panel finishes four days of hearings to fill a vacancy on the country’s highest court.   Democrats invoked committee rules to push a final vote by the panel on Barrett’s nomination by a week until next Thursday. A vote in the full Senate could come by the end of the month, just days ahead of the Nov. 3 national presidential and congressional elections.   Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters in his home state of Kentucky,more

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Mnuchin Says White House Open to Compromise on COVID Bill

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday the Trump administration will not let disagreements over Democrats’ demands for a national coronavirus testing strategy foil attempts to agree on coronavirus relief legislation.Mnuchin said in an interview with CNBC television he would tell House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the administration generally agrees with a strategy to test people for COVID-19 throughout the U.S.“When I speak to Pelosi today, I’m going to tell her that we’re not going to let the testing issue stand in the way, that we’ll fundamentally agree with their testing language subject to some minor issues, Mnuchin said.Mnuchin also clarifiedmore

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Trump Supreme Court Nominee Confirmation Hearings Reach Final Day

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Members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee are set to hear Thursday from witnesses supporting and opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the panel finishes its confirmation hearings.Democrats are expected to invoke committee rules to push a final vote on Barrett’s nomination by a week to Oct. 22. A vote in the full Senate could come by the end of the month.Wednesday marked the third day of the hearings, with Democrats again pressing Barrett on a key upcoming case that if overturned could impact healthcare for millions of Americans.Barrett reiterated she is not hostile tomore

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North Carolina Starts In-Person Early Voting as Judge Tightens Mail-In Ballot Rules

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Voters in the electoral battleground state of North Carolina are the latest in the United States to get their chance to cast early ballots in person for the Nov. 3 election.   The start of early voting Thursday coincides with campaign events in the state for President Donald Trump and Democratic vice-presidential candidate Sen. Kamala Harris. Trump is visiting Greenville, while Harris is making stops in Charlotte and Asheville.   Many states have seen a surge in early voting, with concerns about crowds at polling places in the middle of a pandemic driving many voters’ decisions to find a waymore

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Confirmation Hearings for Trump Supreme Court Nominee Reach Final Day

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Members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee are set to hear Thursday from witnesses supporting and opposing the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as the panel finishes its confirmation hearings.Democrats are expected to invoke committee rules to push a final vote on Barrett’s nomination by a week to Oct. 22. A vote in the full Senate could come by the end of the month.Wednesday marked the third day of the hearings, with Democrats again pressing Barrett on a key upcoming case that if overturned could impact healthcare for millions of Americans.Barrett reiterated she is not hostile tomore

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Supreme Court Justice Confirmation Flashpoint for Trump, Biden

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This week, the U.S. Senate is holding confirmation hearings for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett to fill the seat left empty by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who passed away last month. Supreme Court justices receive lifetime positions, and the battle to fill the seat has become a focus of the contest between President Donald Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden. Patsy Widakuswara reports. …

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College Revenues Shrinking During Coronavirus Pandemic

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U.S. colleges and universities are bearing a greater financial impact from the coronavirus pandemic than anticipated, education officials say.And they are asking for help.The schools received $2.9 billion in federal support through the FILE – A building at the University of Maryland’s Baltimore campus is seen after sunset, Aug. 19, 2019, in Baltimore.The University of Maryland (UMD) has also taken a hard hit as it faces a $292 million budget cut in the next fiscal year. Some employees will see a salary cut, but those who earn less than $150,000 annually will not face reductions, according to FILE – Amore

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Judge Extends Virginia Voter Registration

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A federal judge on Wednesday extended the deadline for registering to vote in the U.S. state of Virginia by 48 hours. The order came one day after an accidentally severed fiber optic cable at a field project site caused the state’s online portal to shut down on the last day of registration before the November 3 general election.U.S. District Judge John Gibney, in the state capital of Richmond, issued the order extending the deadline to make up for several hours of lost time. He said the disruption caused “a tremendous harm” to those who wanted to register.Gibney’s order came aftermore

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Trump, Biden to Stage Dueling Televised Town Halls on Thursday 

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With their once-planned Thursday night debate canceled, Republican U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, instead are staging dueling town hall question-and-answer sessions with voters. NBC News said Wednesday it would broadcast an 8 p.m. prime-time town hall Thursday, with Trump facing voters in the southern city of Miami, Florida. ABC News had already scheduled a town hall with Biden for the same time in the eastern city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally at Orlando Sanford International Airport, Oct. 12, 2020, in Sanford, Florida.Florida and Pennsylvania are key battleground statesmore

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University Students Room in Chic Hotels, Apartments During Pandemic

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Cristina Lozano, a junior at New York University (NYU), has been staying at the chic W New York Hotel, a 1911 beaux arts-style building that overlooks Union Square Park and offers a short walk to the Empire State Building.The hotel is booked until next summer, when prices are advertised from the $400s to the $600s a night. For now, the place belongs to Lozano and others like her, who are living in single rooms that her university is using as campus housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.“Living in the hotel is the exact same price as most of the dorms, whichmore

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US Justice Department Accuses Melania Trump Book Author of Breaking Nondisclosure Pact

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The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday accused Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, author of a tell-all book about first lady Melania Trump, of breaking their nondisclosure agreement and asked a court to set aside profits from the book in a government trust.   In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, Justice Department lawyers said Wolkoff, a former aide who fell out with the first lady, failed to submit to government review a draft of her book, “Melania and Me: The Rise and Fall of My Friendship with the First Lady,” which offers an unflattering portrayal of President Donald Trump’smore

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Trump Supreme Court Nominee Faces Another Day of Questioning

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U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett returns to the U.S. Capitol Wednesday for more questioning after a nearly 12-hour session Tuesday in which she declined to answer a range of questions from senators on how she might rule on legal disputes she would face if confirmed to fill a crucial vacancy on the country’s highest courtBarrett told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee conducting her confirmation hearing that she wouldn’t let her personal and religious views determine how she would decide cases.  “I have no agenda,” Barrett said. “I’ll follow the law.” Abortion, gun ownership Barrett, in initial queries from two Republicans, the panel chairman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, and Sen.more

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US Election, Healthcare Dominate First Day of Barrett Questions

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U.S. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett told the US Senate Tuesday she would not bring her own agenda to the bench if she is confirmed to the nation’s highest court. In the first full day of questioning from senators, Barrett deflected a range of inquiries on issues impacting a wide range of Americans, from abortion to healthcare to gun rights. VOA’s Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson has more.Produced by: Katherine Gypson                               Camera: Adam Greenbaum   …

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Donald Trump and Joe Biden Set Their Sights on Battleground States

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It is Presidential Donald Trump’s first week back on the campaign trail since his COVID-19 diagnosis and after his doctor said he is no longer infectious to others. With three weeks left to go until election day, Trump and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden are crisscrossing battleground states this week to energize their supporters. VOA’s Elizabeth Lee has the details. …

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Biden, Trump Continue Battle in Swing States

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Former Vice President Joe Biden took his campaign to a county in Florida he called crucial for victory in the presidential election just three weeks away.  Broward County, the second most populous in the state, is “where this election will be determined,” Biden said Tuesday afternoon at a senior citizens’ center in Pembrook Pines.  In 2016, Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump by a 2-to-1 margin in the county. But the Republican candidate edged her out in the state total to capture all of Florida’s 29 electoral votes, helping him to become president.  On Monday, Trump held a large rally at an airport in Florida’s Seminole County, which he won four years ago by less than 4,000more

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University Students Room in Hotels, Apartments During COVID

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Cristina Lozano, a junior at New York University (NYU), has been staying at the chic W New York Hotel, a 1911 beaux arts-style building that overlooks Union Square Park and offers a short walk to the Empire State Building.The hotel is booked until next summer, when prices are advertised from the $400s to the $600s a night. For now, the place belongs to Lozano and others like her, who are living in single rooms that her university is using as campus housing during the COVID-19 pandemic.“Living in the hotel is the exact same price as most of the dorms, whichmore

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