As Midterms Near, Political Ads Seize on Voters’ Fears about Crime

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Crime statistics are notoriously hard to interpret. They’re often incomplete, out of date and ambiguous. But that hasn’t stopped candidates running in the midterms this year from cherry-picking data to score political points. Take a Republican attack ad against Josh Riley, a Democrat running for a competitive congressional seat in upstate New York. The ad, sponsored by the Congressional Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, cites a New York Post article about “violent crime surging in New York.” But the June 22 article is about rising violent crime in New York City — and five other U.S. cities — notmore

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Poll Workers Train for Conflict: ‘A Little Nervous? I Am.’

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Milwaukee’s top election official surveyed about 20 poll workers gathered in a classroom in a city building stuffed with election supplies, then spoke frankly about the tense environment they may face next week when the city expects more people watching their work than ever before. “So who is worried about observer disruptions?” Claire Woodall-Vogg, head of the Milwaukee Election Commission, asked the group. “Who has read things or heard things on the news, and you’re a little nervous? I am. I’ll raise my hand,” she said, smiling. A few of the workers raised their hands, too. They’re not alone inmore

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With US Midterm Vote, Massachusetts Cambodians Flex Local Power

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For Cambodian American residents of Lowell, Massachusetts, the upcoming midterm vote is chance to voice concerns on a list of local concerns familiar throughout the U.S. — potholes, schools and housing costs. Sreang Heng, the Cambodia-born owner of Heng Heng Auto Repair near Lowell’s Koumantzelis Park-Roberto Clemente Baseball Field, said potholes are taking a toll on his customers’ vehicles, which come to him with damaged tires and tie rods. While this means more work for auto repair shops like his, he’d rather not have it because of the social cost, especially to those who cannot afford to make all themore

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Economy, Abortion Top Concerns as Voters Elect New US Congress

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U.S. voters are weighing heavy issues as they head to the polls this November. From inflation to abortion rights, to border security and crime, concerns about the direction of the country will motivate voters to either keep Democrats in power or give Republicans a chance to control both the U.S. Senate and House. VOA’s Congressional Correspondent Katherine Gypson has more from the voters. Videographer: Scott Stearns …

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Pennsylvania’s Pivotal Senate Race Could Determine Fate of Biden Agenda

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If opposition Republicans capture both the U.S. House and Senate in the November 8 midterm election, the legislative agenda of President Joe Biden, a Democrat, will be derailed. One of the most closely watched and tightest races is for an open Senate seat in Pennsylvania. It features Republican Party nominee Mehmet Oz against Democratic Party nominee John Fetterman, who is the state’s lieutenant governor. Fetterman’s campaign has issued social media memes mocking Oz’s apparent lack of knowledge about Pennsylvania, portraying him as a wealthy, out-of-touch carpetbagger from over the border, in New Jersey. Oz, a physician and political novice, hasmore

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Election Push to Turn Out Voters  

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Young volunteers walk down a neighborhood street knocking on doors in Washington. Their message is short and simple: “Please vote.”  Similar scenes are happening around the United States as political parties and a broad spectrum of advocacy groups try to persuade Americans to vote in the November 8 midterm elections.  “I know the election is important and a lot of people have approached me about making sure I vote,” said Evelyn Newman, a retired African American health care worker who believes the country is heading in the wrong direction. “I think people are upset about inflation hitting everybody hard, especially those on limitedmore

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Fetterman Faces Oz at Senate Debate 5 Months after Stroke

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More than five months after experiencing a stroke, Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman struggled at times to explain his positions and often spoke haltingly throughout a highly anticipated debate Tuesday against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz as they vie for a critical Senate seat. In the opening minutes of the debate, Fetterman addressed what he called the “elephant in the room.” “I had a stroke. He’s never let me forget that,” Fetterman said of Oz, who has persistently questioned his ability to serve in the Senate. “And I might miss some words during this debate, mush two words together, but it knockedmore

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In Polarized 2022 Midterms, US Candidates Find Common Ground Opposing China

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As American voters get ready for the midterm elections next month, candidates from both parties are pledging tough policies on China in hopes of wooing voters. American attitudes toward China have worsened in recent years, especially since the 2020 coronavirus outbreak. New data from Pew Research Center said that this year, 82% of Americans have an unfavorable view of China, a historical high. Five years ago, that number was about half, standing at 47%. Polls indicate those negative views are shared by Republicans and Democrats, which is why candidates from both parties are talking about China and Beijing’s formidable economicmore

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US Supreme Court’s Thomas Temporarily Blocks Graham Election Case Testimony

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U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas on Monday temporarily blocked a judge’s order requiring Senator Lindsey Graham to testify to a grand jury in Georgia in a criminal investigation into whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies unlawfully tried to overturn 2020 election results in the state.  Thomas put the case on hold pending further action either from the justice or the full Supreme Court on a request by Graham, a Republican from South Carolina and Trump ally, to halt the order for testimony. Graham filed the emergency application to the Supreme Court on Friday after a federal appeals courtmore

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Republican Committee Sues Google Over Email Spam Filters

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The Republican National Committee has filed a lawsuit against tech giant Google, alleging the company has been suppressing its email solicitations ahead of November’s midterm elections – an allegation Google denies. The lawsuit, filed in the District Court for the Eastern District of California Friday evening, accuses Gmail of “discriminating” against the RNC by unfairly sending the group’s emails to users’ spam folders, impacting both fundraising and get-out-the-vote efforts in pivotal swing states. “Enough is enough – we are suing Google for their blatant bias against Republicans,” said RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in a statement to The Associated Press. “Formore

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Somali Americans, Many Who Fled War, Now Seek Elected Office

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It’s a busy Friday afternoon at a Somali restaurant on the northeast side of Columbus, home to second-largest Somali population in the United States. The smell of spices is just as robust as the loud conversation, and the East African restaurant is crowded after afternoon prayers at the nearby mosque. The hubbub grows when a familiar face swaggers in — Ismail Mohamed, a young Somali lawyer and candidate for the Ohio Legislature. Elders and youth alike clamor to say hello. The excitement that someone from their community could represent them in the legislature is palpable. “It’s humbling to, you know,more

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After Midterms, Pressure for Biden to Stay Tough on China

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Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping did not mention the United States during the CCP’s 20th National Congress this week. But his message was clear: Beijing will double down in the face of Western threats, including those concerning Taiwan. “We are not committed to abandoning the use of force, and we reserve the option of taking all necessary measures,” Xi said, slamming the “serious provocations of external forces interfering in Taiwan.” The U.S. Congress is considering the Taiwan Policy Act, a bill aimed at boosting the military capability of the self-governed island, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, against amore

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After Midterms, Pressure for Biden to Stay Tough on China

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With polls suggesting that Republicans may retake control of the House of Representatives in the November midterm elections, the United States appears set to continue its “tough on China” policy. White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara looks at how a GOP-led Congress might exert more pressure on the Biden administration on various issues from trade relations with Beijing to support for Taiwan. …

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Court Temporarily Blocks Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness

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A federal appeals court late Friday issued an administrative stay temporarily blocking President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel billions of dollars in federal student loans.  The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued the stay while it considers a motion from six Republican-led states to block the loan cancellation program. The stay ordered the Biden administration not to act on the program while it considers the appeal.  The order came just days after people began applying for loan forgiveness.  It’s unclear what the decision means for the 22 million borrowers who have applied for relief. The Biden administration had promisedmore

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Appeals Court: Graham Must Testify in Georgia Election Probe

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U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham must testify before a special grand jury investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and others illegally tried to influence the 2020 election in Georgia, a federal appeals court said Thursday. The ruling by a three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paves the way for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to bring Graham in for questioning. She wants to ask the South Carolina Republican about phone calls he made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who said Graham asked him whether he had the power to reject certain absentee ballots. Raffensperger saidmore

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Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Survives 2 Legal Challenges

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A federal judge on Thursday dismissed a Republican-led challenge to President Joe Biden’s plan to cancel billions of dollars in student debt, shortly after U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett rejected a request in another case to block it.  U.S. District Judge Henry Autrey in St. Louis, Missouri, said that while the six Republican-led states had raised “important and significant challenges to the debt relief plan,” they lacked the necessary legal standing to be able to pursue the case.  Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas and South Carolina had alleged Biden’s plan skirted congressional authority and threatened the states’more

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New Forward Party Seeks Center Stage in US Politics 

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When Americans vote on November 8 in the midterm elections, most will choose candidates from either the Democratic or Republican parties. Some ballots will include political hopefuls from so-called third parties, which traditionally have had scant success. One new party is hoping to shake up the system in the years ahead: the Forward Party, led by a former Democratic Party presidential hopeful, an ex-Republican governor of New Jersey and a previous member of Congress, also a Republican, from Florida. Every U.S. president since the mid-19th century has been either a Republican or a Democrat. The last exception was Millard Fillmore,more

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Republican Party Targeting Hispanic Voters in Texas

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In this year’s midterm elections in the United States, the Republican Party is pushing to expand recent gains among Hispanic voters. VOA’s Scott Stearns narrates this story from Christian von Preysing-Barry in Texas, where Republicans this year won a congressional seat long held by the Democratic Party. Videographer: Christian von Preysing-Barry …

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Emails Show Trump Knowingly Pressed False Voter Fraud Claims, Judge Says 

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A California federal judge on Wednesday said then-U.S. President Donald Trump had signed a sworn statement asserting that voter fraud numbers included in a 2020 election lawsuit were accurate, despite being told the numbers were not correct.  U.S. District Judge David Carter made the disclosure in ordering lawyer John Eastman to provide more emails to the congressional committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump’s supporters.  Eastman was one of Trump’s attorneys when the former president and his allies challenged his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.  Representatives for Trump and Eastman did not immediatelymore

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Why US Courts Are Allowing Voters in 4 States to Use Rejected Congressional Maps

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When midterm elections get under way next month, voters in several Republican-controlled states will be casting their ballots in congressional districts with borders that courts have rejected. In Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and Ohio, the congressional maps were drawn by Republican legislators in the aftermath of the 2020 census. Judges later ruled that the maps were illegally drawn or likely to be proven illegal at trial. But the U.S. Supreme Court, and other federal courts following its precedent, have allowed the rejected maps to be used for this election, rejecting proposals to make them fairer. Their rationale? A little-known legal conceptmore

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Biden Vows Abortion Legislation as Top Priority Next Year

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President Joe Biden promised Tuesday that the first bill he sends to Capitol Hill next year will be one that writes abortion protections into law — if Democrats control enough seats in Congress to pass it — as he sought to energize his party’s voters three weeks ahead of the November midterms.  Twice over, Biden urged people to remember how they felt in late June when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion, fresh evidence of White House efforts to ensure the issue stays front of mind for Democratic voters this year.  “Imore

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