A US election watch party in Kenya, excitement at first, followed by disappointment

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nairobi, kenya — In a vibrant Nairobi community center, American citizens living in Kenya gathered with palpable excitement early Wednesday to watch the U.S. election results unfold. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as expatriates shared snacks and stories, their eyes glued to screens displaying real-time updates. As the results of the U.S elections trickled in, a mix of American citizens and local Kenyan friends anxiously monitored the results. Robyn Emerson, an American expatriate in Nairobi and chairperson of Democrats Abroad Kenya, which organized the event, said all American citizens were invited to the event, regardless of the party they support. “Americanmore

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 Russia paints doomsday portrayal of US elections 

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The FBI said more than 50 election sites across five battleground states received hoax bomb emails on Election Day in the U.S., and the emails in four of these states came from a Russian domain. None of the threats sent to polling sites in Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Arizona were deemed credible, and while causing a brief disruption, they did not affect the voting, the FBI said. “We identified the source, and it was from Russia,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger said in a news conference, adding that the Russians “don’t want us to have free, fair andmore

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Donald Trump re-elected 47th president

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VOA is projecting that former U.S. President Donald Trump has defeated current Vice President Kamala Harris following key victories in several key states. VOA’s Senior Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti was at the election night celebration in Florida where Trump celebrated his win before most news networks had decided the race. Camera: Henry Hernandez …

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Trump wins US presidential election 

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to earn a new four-year term as the country’s leader. In a tightly contested race, Trump secured at least 277 of the 538 available electoral votes in Tuesday’s election, giving him the necessary majority to become the first U.S. leader to win non-consecutive terms since the 1890s. Harris, the Democratic candidate who joined the race late after President Joe Biden dropped out in July, was trying to become the first woman elected to the U.S. presidency. Trump claimed victory early Wednesday as he thanked his supporters at a rally inmore

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World leaders congratulate Trump on election win

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — World leaders offered congratulations to Donald Trump after news media projections showed he secured a decisive victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Trump defeated his Democratic rival Kamala Harris, marking a historical political comeback for the former Republican president following four years out of office. Early Wednesday, many world leaders took to the social media website X to congratulate Trump, whose unpredictable “America First” foreign policy approach complicated relations with many U.S. allies and foes alike during his first term in office. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was one of the first U.S. allies to sendmore

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Trump nears US presidential win

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump moved close to an election victory early Wednesday with wins in several key states, including Pennsylvania, leaving former Vice President Kamala Harris with a narrowing path to a White House term. In the U.S. system, where the presidential election is tallied in a series of state-by-state contests, both Harris and Trump were quickly declared winners after polls closed Tuesday in states where their parties enjoy clear majority support. Meanwhile, seven so-called battleground states were expected to tip the balance and determine the winner. Trump pushed ahead with important wins in those areas, combining his victorymore

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Iran uses open and covert methods to sway US voters

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Foreign adversaries used increasingly sophisticated meddling operations to target the November 5 U.S. presidential race between Democratic party candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and her Republican party opponent, former President Donald Trump. Iran has sought to influence and interfere with the results of the poll by promoting disinformation narratives favorable to its own foreign policy goals. The societal division in the U.S. and predictions of “post-election unrest,” as well as depictions of the United States’ support for Israel in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war as Americans’ historic “support for genocide,” dominated the Iranian state-controlled media coverage of the U.S. elections. Anmore

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VOA talks with US presidential 3rd party candidates

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Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have spent the past few months battling for the White House, and experts say that votes for third party candidates could be a deciding factor for who will become the next president of the United States.   With the latest polls showing Harris and Trump in a dead heat in battleground states around the country, ballots cast for third-party candidates Jill Stein of the Green Party, independent Cornel West and Libertarian Chase Oliver could be enough to tip the scales.   VOA Persian spoke with all three of them. Their responsesmore

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Trump campaign blocks some journalists from watch party

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Washington  — At least six journalists have been denied media credentials to cover Donald Trump’s election night watch party in Florida, at least one of whom was told it was because of her coverage of the Republican presidential candidate. VOA confirmed that the six journalists work for the media sites Axios, Politico and Puck. In the case of Politico, three reporters and a photographer had been approved to attend the event in Florida. On Monday, Politico Magazine reported that a White nationalist had been fired from working on the Trump campaign in Pennsylvania. The following morning, the Politico reporters and photographermore

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Control of US Congress at stake in Tuesday voting

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Control of the U.S. Congress is at stake in Tuesday’s voting, with the outcome likely to play a key role in the fate of legislative proposals advanced by whomever wins the presidency, Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican former President Donald Trump. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are at stake in elections throughout the U.S. for new two-year terms, while 34 of the 100 seats in the Senate are being contested for new six-year terms. Democrats now narrowly control the Senate and Republicans the House, but the majorities in both chambers could flip, or possibly staymore

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Officials: Bomb threats against US voting locations coming from Russia

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WASHINGTON — A series of Election Day bomb threats sent to polling locations across the United States appears to be coming from Russia, according to new assessments from federal and state officials. The initial bomb threats early Tuesday put a temporary stop to voting at some locations in parts of the southeastern state of Georgia. State officials quickly determined the threats were not credible. “We identified the source, and it was from Russia,” Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger told reporters. “They’re up to mischief, and it seems they don’t want us to have a smooth, fair and accurate election,” Raffenspergermore

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US presidential election in the hands of voters as Harris, Trump battle for White House

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Millions of U.S. voters are set to cast their ballots Tuesday as they decide whether Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump will be the country’s next leader. Polls heading into Election Day indicated a tight race, particularly in a group of battleground states that will be key to deciding the winner. Both candidates made stops Monday in Pennsylvania, one of those closely watched states, holding a series of rallies including nearby each another in the Pittsburgh area as they projected confidence in their own campaigns. “Tomorrow is Election Day, and the momentum is on our side,” Harrismore

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Key county in swing state of Georgia counting ballots ahead of Election Day

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Lawrenceville, Georgia — One of the most ethnically diverse counties in the Southeastern United States will be among those issuing early voting results Tuesday night, a reveal that could indicate which of the presidential candidates is in the lead in the crucial count of 538 electoral votes. The victor must receive at least 270 of those electoral votes, and Georgia, seen as one of the seven states where the outcome is uncertain, has 16 of those precious votes. Only Pennsylvania has more — 19 — among the battleground states. North Carolina also has 16. The other wild cards are Arizona (11),more

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Somali Americans gear up for US elections

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Somali Americans in Minnesota last month took part in a town hall involving Democratic and Republican party representatives encouraging them to participate in the 2024 election, arguing the stakes are high for them and their grandchildren. During a VOA town hall event in Minneapolis, Somali Americans listened to remarks by panelists from both political parties, who answered questions about the economy, immigration, and foreign policy, explaining what their candidate would do to win the votes of Somali Americans. Economic policy While many Somali Americans are traditionally Democratic-leaning, there are rising numbers who support former President Donald Trump, creditingmore

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