South Africans Watch US Election With Interest, Trepidation

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South Africa, Africa’s most mature democracy, is watching the American election with great interest — and trepidation.   Residents of the country, for the most part, say four years of U.S.-Africa relations under President Donald Trump have done nothing for their lives. VOA spoke to analysts and citizens in Johannesburg, the economic hub of the continent, about what matters to them as America votes.   VOA has, during the past four years, spoken to hundreds of South Africans of all backgrounds about U.S. politics and found few who openly support Trump. Most pin their disapproval on reports that he made disparaging commentsmore

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Judge: US Can’t Replace Trump in Columnist’s Slander Suit

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A federal judge on Tuesday denied President Donald Trump’s request that the United States replace him as the defendant in a defamation lawsuit alleging he raped a woman in a Manhattan department store in the 1990s.   The decision by U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan came after the Justice Department argued that the United States — and by extension the American people — should replace Trump as the defendant in a lawsuit filed by the columnist E. Jean Carroll. The government’s lawyers contended that the United States could step in as the defendant because Trump was forced to respondmore

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Senate Approves Trump’s Third Supreme Court Nominee

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The U.S. Senate approved President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, on Monday. VOA’s congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports on the crucial vote that is happening a little over a week before Election Day.Produced by: Katherine Gypson               Camera: Adam Greenbaum   …

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US Supreme Court Upholds Wisconsin Mail-In Ballot Deadline

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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that voters in the U.S. state of Wisconsin need to return their ballots to election officials by the time polls close on November 3 in order to be counted. The court sided with Republicans who challenged an earlier decision by a lower court judge to extend the deadline to accept any ballots that were postmarked by November 3 but arrived by November 9. Ballot deadlines vary by state, and as legal challenges have played out in recent weeks, the courts have generally supported rules put in place by state legislatures or election officials. “No one doubts thatmore

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Senate Approves Trump High Court Pick With Partisan Vote

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The U.S. Senate confirmed federal appellate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to a seat on the Supreme Court in a 52-48 vote late Monday.Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine  joined the entire Democratic caucus voting against Barrett’s confirmation. Collins said she would not vote for Barrett’s confirmation because of the proximity of the vote to next week’s presidential election. According to the AP, no other Supreme Court justice has been confirmed on a recorded vote with no support from the minority party in at least 150 years.Barrett is the third justice on the nine-member court to be nominated by President Donald Trumpmore

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Senate Set to Confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to Vacancy on US Supreme Court Monday

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The U.S. Senate is set to confirm federal appellate Judge Amy Coney Barrett to a seat on the Supreme Court in a vote late Monday. If confirmed, Barrett would be the third justice on the nine-member court to be nominated by President Donald Trump and significantly tip its ideological balance toward a 6-3 conservative majority.  Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and Senator Susan Collins of Maine is the only Republican to say she would not vote for Barrett’s confirmation because of the proximity of the vote to next week’s presidential election. Collins says either the Republican Trump or his Democratic challenger Joe Biden should make themore

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Thai Protest Leader: ‘Our Demands Are Supremely Clear’

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On Monday, the Thai parliament will open a special session called after protests swelling since August moved Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha to declare a weeklong state of emergency in the Bangkok area.Police say they are prepared to handle flare-ups during the session from protesters demanding Prayuth’s resignation and reform of the monarchy. Prayuth has described the special session as a step toward finding a “middle-of-the-road path.”Unlike past anti-government protests in Thailand that saw two political interests battling each other to assume power, the current movement is led by school and college students pushing for systemic changes. Their movement has evolvedmore

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Barrett Likely to be Confirmed to US Supreme Court Monday    

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The U.S. Senate is expected to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to a seat on the Supreme Court in a vote late Monday. If confirmed, Barrett would be the third justice on the nine-member court to be nominated by President Donald Trump and significantly tip its ideological balance toward a 6-3 conservative majority.  Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate, and Senator Susan Collins is the only Republican to indicate she would not vote on Barrett’s nomination due to the close proximity to next week’s presidential election. Democrats have opposed Barrett’s nomination both objecting to her credentials and to the process of filling the seat of late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg inmore

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Top Aide to US Vice President Pence Tests Positive for Coronavirus

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A close aide to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has tested positive for COVID-19, a spokesperson for the office said late Saturday.“Today, Marc Short, chief of staff to the vice president, tested positive for COVID-19, began quarantine and assisting in the contact tracing process,” Devin O’Malley said, adding that Pence and his wife, Karen, tested negative Saturday and were in good health.Pence “will maintain his schedule in accordance with the CDC guidelines for essential personnel,” O’Malley said. On Sunday the vice president is to address a campaign rally in North Carolina.Asked about Short when he returned to Washington Saturday evening,more

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Trump Holds Rallies in 3 States While Biden Focuses on Pennsylvania

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U.S. President Donald Trump was holding three large rallies in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin on Saturday while his challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, focused on the battleground state of Pennsylvania where he held two drive-in campaign events.Trump, the Republican incumbent, attacked the Democrats and the media for continuing to focus on the coronavirus, accusing them of deflecting what he termed scandals involving Biden and his son Hunter.“You’re trying to scare people” by reporting on the pandemic, the president told reporters at the Columbus airport before his second rally. “Don’t scare people.”At his first event in Lumberton, North Carolina,more

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Alaska’s Murkowski to Support Barrett for Supreme Court 

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U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski announced Saturday that she would vote to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, giving crucial support to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee before the conservative judge faces a final vote expected Monday.The Alaska Republican had been a rare holdout on Barrett, expressing concern that the nomination had proceeded so close to a presidential election. Even though Barrett already appeared to have sufficient support for confirmation from Senate Republicans who hold the majority in the chamber, Murkowski’s vote now gives Trump’s nominee additional backing.Murkowski announced her support for Barrett in a speech during Saturday’s session. “While I opposemore

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Trump Casts Vote in Florida Before Hitting Campaign Trail

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U.S. President Donald Trump cast his ballot for the November 3 presidential election in his adopted home state of Florida Saturday, while his Democratic challenger Joe Biden spends the day focusing on the key swing state of Pennsylvania.   Trump, who switched his official residence from New York to Florida last year, voted early in the day in West Palm Beach after spending the night at his nearby Mar-a-Lago resort.     “It was a very secure vote. Everything was perfect,” Trump told reporters as he left the Palm Beach county library, which serves as a polling location. “It’s anmore

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Where Trump, Biden Differ on COVID as Cases Resurge

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As the United States saw its highest number of new coronavirus cases reported in a single day, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that if he defeats President Donald Trump in next month’s election, he will push for a nationwide mask mandate.“I’ll go to every governor and urge them to mandate masks in their state. And if any refuse, I’ll go to the mayors and county executives to get local masking requirements in place nationwide,” Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, 11 days before the vote.“As president, I’ll mandate mask-wearing in all federal buildings and on interstate transportationmore

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Contrasting Views on the Coronavirus from Trump, Biden as Cases Resurge

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As the United States saw its highest number of new coronavirus cases reported in a single day, former Vice President Joe Biden announced that if he defeats President Donald Trump in next month’s election, he will push for a nationwide mask mandate.“I’ll go to every governor and urge them to mandate masks in their state. And if any refuse, I’ll go to the mayors and county executives to get local masking requirements in place nationwide,” Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, 11 days before the vote.“As president, I’ll mandate mask-wearing in all federal buildings and on interstate transportationmore

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Vice President Pence Casts Absentee Ballot in Indianapolis

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Vice President Mike Pence has voted in the general election in Indianapolis. Pence and his wife, Karen, cast absentee ballots about 8:15 a.m. Friday, shortly after the polls opened in the Indianapolis City-County Building. They voted in a drop-off ballot box outside the county clerk’s office. “It’s a great honor and great to be back home again,” Pence said, giving a thumbs-up sign toward cameras. Pence did not answer questions shouted at him from the news media. Indianapolis City-County Councilman Zach Adamson, a Democrat, was outside the building on behalf of Joe Biden’s campaign. “I’m glad he’s coming to vote.more

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US Voters Startled by Fake ‘Proud Boys’ Emails Blamed on Iran

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What the FBI and national intelligence officials described as fake “Proud Boys” emails targeting voters in Florida and several other states came in waves on Tuesday.Several University of Florida students reported receiving them beginning in the morning, according to local media reports.Bennett Ragan, a recent University of Florida graduate, said in an interview with VOA that the email hit his spam box twice, the first at 3 p.m. and the second at 5 p.m.Ragan, the campaign manager for a candidate for the Florida state legislature from the Gainesville area, shared a copy of the email with VOA.The email came frommore

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Trump, Biden Engage in Spirited Last Debate Before Election

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U.S. Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, engaged in a spirited debate Thursday night just ahead of the Nov. 3 national presidential election, presenting the nation with sharply divergent views of where they would take the country over the next four years.For 90 minutes, they traded barbs. They attacked each other’s positions on controlling the coronavirus and curbing the continual advance of the country’s world-leading death toll of more than 222,000. They argued over health care, wages for low-income workers, crime, race relations in the U.S., climate change and leadership in the Whitemore

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Trump Supreme Court Nominee Advances to Confirmation Vote Next Week

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U.S. Senate Judiciary Republicans on Thursday approved President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, to fill the vacancy left by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg last month, despite protests by Democrats the vote is too close to Election Day. VOA congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson looks ahead to the Senate confirmation vote next week. Camera: Adam Greenbaum    Producers: Katherine Gypson, Emma Morris, Victoria Sneeden, Michael Rummel …

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What They Said: Key Topics from Trump-Biden Debate

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Republican President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden met Thursday night in Nashville, Tennessee, in their final debate before the Nov. 3 presidential election.NBC News correspondent Kristen Welker was the moderator.Here are some quotes on key topics from each candidate:COVID-19 pandemic”We’re fighting it and we’re fighting it hard. … We’re rounding the corner. It’s going away,” Donald Trump”If you hear nothing else I say tonight, hear this. … Anyone who’s responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president of the United States of America,” Joe Biden”This is the same fellow who told you this is going to endmore

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Trump, Biden Spar as Last Debate Opens

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U.S. Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic challenger, former Vice President Joe Biden, sparred sharply Thursday night about the country’s world-leading coronavirus death toll at their second and final debate 12 days before the Nov. 3 national presidential election.“He says we’re rounding the corner” in dealing with the pandemic, Biden said of Trump, as the increasing U.S. death toll has topped more than 220,000. “Anyone responsible for that many deaths should not remain as president. This is the same fella who told you it would be gone by Easter.”Trump accused Biden of wanting to shut down the country tomore

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US Warns of More Election Meddling from Russia, Iran

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Russia and Iran are ramping up attacks on U.S. government networks and computer systems while also amplifying their disinformation campaigns, hoping to rattle the confidence of American voters with less than two weeks until the Nov. 3 presidential election.The warning Thursday from U.S. intelligence and election security officials came less than 24 hours after the director of national intelligence blamed Iran for launching the first sensational attack on the upcoming election, accusing Tehran of being behind thousands of spoofed emails designed to intimidate voters.Thursday’s advisories from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency suggested thatmore

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Harvard Sees Steep Decline in Revenue

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Harvard University lost $10 million in operating expenses at the end of the fiscal year in September, compared with a $308 million surplus last year.Revenue declined $138 million, mostly in the final quarter of the fiscal year that ended the last day of June 2020, according to the University’s Annual Financial Report. Refunds costlyThe biggest toll was from refunding student room and board fees — $32 million — when students were sent home because of the COVID-19 pandemic.Total student revenue decreased by 11% to $1.1 billion.Harvard also lost revenue from its lucrative executive education programs in which the university earned $500more

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