Some older working Americans bristle at calls for Biden to step aside

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NEW YORK — A swath of Americans watching U.S. President Joe Biden is seeing something beyond debate-stage stumbles and prime-time miscues: themselves. Debate about the 81-year-old Democrat’s fitness for another term is especially resonating with other older Americans who, like him, want to stay on the job. “People were telling me I should retire, too,” says 89-year-old D’yan Forest, a New York comedian. “But you’ve got to keep working, no matter what.” Forest has stumbled on an occasional joke and finds it more difficult to memorize her lines. But she’s busier than ever, drawing audiences and getting big laughs with bawdymore

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What happens if Biden drops out of presidential race?

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Washington — With major donors reluctant to keep campaign funds flowing and more Democrats publicly saying that his chances of winning the November election are dwindling, U.S. President Joe Biden is reportedly coming closer to bowing out of the race. As of Friday, there was no indication from the campaign nor the White House that Biden would drop out. But if he does, Democrats must make a swift decision on who would replace him on the top of their ticket, and how. The most orderly scenario would be for Biden to endorse an alternative candidate and ask the delegates to transfermore

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Republicans ponder who might replace Biden

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As some leading Democrats pressure incumbent President Joe Biden to abandon his reelection bid, Republicans are among those speculating about who might replace him on November’s ballot to face their nominee – former President Donald Trump. VOA’s chief national correspondent Steve Herman was at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee and filed this report. …

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Donald Trump accepts Republican nomination

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The Republican National Convention ended Thursday night with a speech by the party’s official presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump. He had been in the audience watching the convention all week, but Thursday was his first public speech since he was the target of an assassination attempt last Saturday. VOA’s Senior National Washington Correspondent Carolyn Presutti brings us the sights and sounds from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Kim Lewis and Tatiana Koprowitz contributed to this report. …

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JD Vance will introduce himself to the nation at the RNC as Trump’s running mate

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MILWAUKEE — Introducing himself to the nation after being tapped as Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance is planning to use his Wednesday night address to the Republican National Convention to share the story of his hardscrabble upbringing and make the case that his party best understands the challenges facing struggling Americans. The 39-year-old Ohio senator is a relative political unknown. In his first primetime speech since becoming the nominee for vice president, Vance is expected to talk about growing up poor in Kentucky and Ohio, his mother addicted to drugs and his father absent, and how he later went onmore

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Biden tests positive for COVID, cancels Nevada campaign event

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Washington — President Joe Biden on Wednesday tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said in a statement, shortly after he abruptly canceled a Las Vegas speech where he planned to appeal to Latino voters. The 81-year-old president tested positive before his first event in Las Vegas Wednesday and is experiencing “mild symptoms,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in the statement. She added that he is vaccinated and boosted against the virus and will return to his home in Rehoboth, Delaware, where he will self-isolate. “The White House will provide regular updates on the President’s status as he continuesmore

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Trump’s VP pick Vance is pro-Israel, anti-China and creating anxiety in Europe

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washington — Senator J.D. Vance, former President Donald Trump’s newly announced running mate, will take center stage Wednesday evening at the Republican National Convention, focusing on the day’s theme, “Make America Strong Again.” Vance, 39, a former venture capitalist, has less than two years in public office and little foreign policy background. His recent comments mostly align with Trump’s “America First” doctrine and have revealed a worldview that can be summed up as pro-Israel, anti-China and causing anxiety in Europe. A former U.S. Marine who was deployed in Iraq, Vance is skeptical of American military intervention overseas and, with the exceptionmore

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Democrats aim to nominate Biden in early August, as some push him to exit race

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washington — U.S. Representative Adam Schiff of California on Wednesday became the highest-profile Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his reelection bid, as the party pushed ahead with plans to formally nominate Biden via a virtual vote in early August before the party’s convention two weeks later. The move to schedule the vote comes after nearly 20 Democrats in Congress have called on Biden to exit the presidential race in the wake of his halting debate performance against Republican former President Donald Trump last month. Among Democrats nationwide, nearly two-thirds say Biden should let his party nominate amore

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Increased security around Trump is apparent, agents wall him off from RNC crowds

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Milwaukee —  On the floor of the Republican National Convention Tuesday evening, vice presidential candidate JD Vance greeted and shook hands with excited delegates as he walked toward his seat. It was a marked contrast from former President Donald Trump, who entered the hall a few minutes later and was separated from supporters by a column of Secret Service agents. His ear still bandaged after an attempted assassination, Trump closely hugged the wall. Instead of handshakes or hellos for those gathered, he offered fist pumps to the cameras. The contrast underscores the new reality facing Trump after a gunman opened firemore

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In speech to Black voters, Biden links violence on Trump to racial, gun violence

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President Joe Biden addressed Black supporters in the battleground state of Nevada Tuesday, his first campaign appearance since the assassination attempt on his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump. He linked the attack on Trump to racial and gun violence, imploring Americans to “condemn violence in any form.” White House Bureau Chief Patsy Widakuswara has this report. …

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Republicans lean into Trump’s border message during a convention night focused on immigration

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MILWAUKEE — Immigration took center stage as the Republican National Convention resumed Tuesday, with speakers spotlighting a key element of former President Donald Trump’s political brand that helped endear him to the GOP base when he began his first campaign in 2015. Among speakers slated for Tuesday night were families who’ve been impacted by violent crime — part of a GOP strategy to link crime to border policies. They include the family of Rachel Morin, a Maryland woman whom prosecutors say was killed and raped by a fugitive from El Salvador and whose story has been frequently highlighted by Trump onmore

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