US Presidential Debate Set For Thursday With New Rules

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The second and final debate before the U.S. presidential election appears set to go forward with new rules in place meant to prevent the candidates from talking over each other. President Donald Trump expressed his displeasure with the overall setup, telling reporters Monday that while he thinks “it is very unfair,” he will be a part of Thursday’s event in Nashville, Tennessee. “I will participate but it’s very unfair that they changed the topics and it’s very unfair that again we have an anchor who is totally biased,” Trump said. Kristen Welker, a respected NBC White House reporter, is moderating the debate and has chosenmore

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Trump Objects to ‘Mute’ Button in Next Biden Matchup, But Debate Will Go On

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Thursday’s debate between President Donald Trump and Democratic challenger former Vice President Joe Biden will feature a mute button to allow each candidate to speak uninterrupted, organizers said Monday, in a bid to avoid the disruptions that marred the first matchup. The Presidential Commission on Debates said each candidate’s microphone would be silenced to allow the other to make two minutes of opening remarks at the beginning of each 15-minute segment of the debate. Both microphones will be turned on to allow a back-and-forth after that time. Trump’s campaign objected to the change but said the president would still take part. “President Trump is committed to debatingmore

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Trump Goes After Fauci, Tries to Buck Up His Campaign Team

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President Donald Trump heaped criticism Monday against Dr. Anthony Fauci, the press and the polls that show him trailing Democrat Joe Biden in key battleground states two weeks before Election Day. On the third day of a Western campaign swing, Trump is hoping for the type of last-minute surge that gave him a come-from-behind victory four years ago.  His aggressive travel comes as Trump plays defense in states he won four years ago, though the president insisted he was confident as he executed a packed schedule despite the pandemic. “We’re going to win,” he told campaign staff on a morning conference call from Las Vegas. He went on to acknowledge: “I wouldn’t havemore

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Trump Campaign Tries to Hold on to Reliably Republican Arizona

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“If we win this state, we win it all,” U.S. President Donald Trump declared Monday at a political rally in the state of Arizona, which has 11 electoral votes out of the 270 needed to win the presidency.  Trump won the state by 4 percentage points in 2016.  “We’re in first place in Arizona,” Trump said at the political rally in Prescott, his first of two during the day in the southwestern state, two weeks before the general election.  An average of major polls that have been released this month shows Democratic Party nominee Joe Biden leading in Arizona bymore

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Trump, Biden Campaign in Swing States They are Trying to Flip

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President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden campaigned Sunday in swing states they are trying to flip during the Nov. 3 election that is just more than two weeks away. Trump began his day in Nevada, making a visit to church before a fundraiser and an evening rally in Carson City. Once considered a battleground, Nevada has not swung for a Republican presidential contender since 2004. The rally drew thousands of supporters who sat elbow to elbow, cheering Trump and booing Biden and the press. The vast majority wore no masks to guard against the coronavirus, though cases in the state are on the rise, with more thanmore

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Muslim Americans Could Determine Whether Trump or Biden Wins Michigan

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When Michigan voter Dr. Mahmoud Al-Hadidi casts his ballot in the November election, there is one issue that rises above all others as he makes his choice — respect.   “In this election, honestly, respect and recognition,” the emergency room physician told VOA during a recent interview at his lakefront home in the southeastern part of the state. “The Muslim community would like to be acknowledged as part of this great American nation, and not as an alien culture to this nation. The Muslim community would like to be treated with respect.”   Al-Hadidi supported Democratic former secretary of statemore

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Biden Raises More Funds Than Trump in September

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President Donald Trump was outraised by Democrat Joe Biden in September and is being outgunned financially by his rival with just weeks to go until Election Day.   Trump’s campaign, along with the Republican National Committee and associated groups, raised $247.8 million in September, short of the $383 million raised by Biden and the Democratic National Committee in the same period. Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh tweeted that the Trump effort had $251.4 million on hand at the end of September, compared with $432 million for Biden.   Trump’s financial disadvantage was once unthinkable — incumbent presidents traditionally vastlymore

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Plot to Kidnap Michigan Governor Raises Alarm Over US Election Violence

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In the U.S. state of Michigan, authorities have apprehended 13 men accused of conspiring to abduct and possibly kill the state’s governor. The plot, which involved a self-styled militia group armed with semi-automatic weapons and explosives, was timed to disrupt the U.S. election and incite an insurrection. Matt Dibble spoke to experts who are warning that provocative messaging from leaders and under-regulated social media could be driving the American political climate towards violence. Camera: Sam Paakkonen        Producer: Matt Dibble …

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Plot to Kidnap Governor Raises Alarm Over US Election Violence

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In the U.S. state of Michigan, authorities have apprehended 13 men accused of conspiring to abduct and possibly kill the state’s governor. The plot, which involved a self-styled militia group armed with semi-automatic weapons and explosives, was timed to disrupt the U.S. election and incite an insurrection. Matt Dibble spoke to experts who are warning that provocative messaging from leaders and under-regulated social media could be driving the American political climate towards violence. Camera: Sam Paakkonen        Producer: Matt Dibble …

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Losing Ground to Biden, Trump Courts Seniors

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On Friday, President Donald Trump campaigned in Fort Myers, Florida, a state with one of the highest populations of elderly voters, delivering remarks aimed at reassuring older Americans that he will protect them from the pandemic. “I am honored to be here in Fort Myers to reaffirm my solemn pledge to America’s seniors,” Trump said. “I will protect you, I will defend you, and I will fight for you with every ounce of energy and conviction that I have.” Trump delivered his speech in front of an indoor crowd, some of them not socially distanced and many not wearing masks. “My message tomore

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Women’s March Planned in Cities Across US Amid Pandemic

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The Women’s March returns to cities across the United States on Saturday, with organizers hoping thousands will turn out despite the pandemic.Organizers of the march in Washington are focusing on a range of left-leaning political issues, including urging Americans to vote President Donald Trump out of office and protesting the Supreme Court nomination of conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett, following the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.According to a permit issued by the National Park Service, organizers expect between 6,000 and 10,000 people to gather on Freedom Plaza for a midday rally, followed by a march to the Suprememore

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Losing Ground to Biden, Trump Courts Seniors

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On Friday, President Donald Trump campaigned in Florida — a state with one of the highest populations of elderly voters — promising that he would protect American seniors from the coronavirus pandemic. Trump handily won senior citizens’ votes in 2016, but the latest polls show that Democratic nominee Joe Biden is leading by a significant margin among Americans 65 and older. White House Correspondent Patsy Widakuswara has the story. …

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Justices to Weigh Trump Census Plan to Exclude Noncitizens

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The Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up President Donald Trump’s policy, blocked by a lower court, to exclude people living in the U.S. illegally from the census count that will be used to allocate seats in the House of Representatives.Never in U.S. history have immigrants been excluded from the population count that determines how House seats, and by extension Electoral College votes, are divided among the states, a three-judge federal panel said in September when it held Trump’s policy illegal.The justices put the case on a fast track, setting arguments for Nov. 30. A decision is expected by themore

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DC Court Rules in Dispute Over Open Technology Fund Board

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The Superior Court in Washington, D.C., has ruled that actions taken by the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s chief executive against the board of the Open Technology Fund are invalid.The court ruling came in response to a July lawsuit regarding who controls the OTF. The suit was filed by the office of the District of Columbia’s attorney general under the district’s Nonprofit Corporations Act.OTF, an independent, nonprofit grantee of USAGM, In one of his first acts as chief executive of USAGM, the federal agency that oversees Voice of America and other networks and grantees, including OTF, Michael Pack fired themore

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Trump, Biden Return to Campaign Trail After Separate Town Hall Events

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U.S. Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden return to the campaign trail Friday after sparring the night before in separate televised town hall events.   Trump and Biden visit three battleground states as the November 3 presidential election draws closer in an ongoing effort to capture support from voters, 18 million of whom have already cast ballots, according to the U.S. Elections Project at the University of Florida.   Trump makes stops in Florida and Georgia, two southern states that are considered crucial to his chances of winning a second term in the White House. Themore

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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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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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