Trump rallies in battleground state of Wisconsin before VP debate

WAUNAKEE, Wisconsin — Former President Donald Trump spent more than an hour ahead of Tuesday night’s vice presidential debate campaigning in a Democratic county crucial to Kamala Harris’ hopes for winning the key battleground state of Wisconsin.  Republican Trump appeared at a manufacturing facility in Waunakee, a suburb of Wisconsin’s capital city of Madison in the Democratic stronghold of Dane County. Trump had never campaigned in Dane County nor visited as president.  In an event advertised as economic-themed, Trump bounced from subject to subject, also taking on Democratic nominee Harris on issues, including foreign policy, crime and immigration, while intermittently pivotingmore

Leave a comment

Hurricane damage creates uncertainty about how voters will cast ballots in swing state

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — North Carolina election officials say they will do everything in their power to ensure that voters in the crucial presidential swing state will be able to cast their ballots despite the devastation of Hurricane Helene and the destruction of basic infrastructure only about a month before the November election. Karen Brinson Bell, the executive director of the state’s election board, said Tuesday that 12 county election offices in the hard-hit western part of the state remain closed after the storm unleashed “unprecedented” damage. Absentee ballots, some of which already have been mailed to voters who requested them,more

Leave a comment

Former US ‘China House’ official: Taiwan conflict not inevitable

Washington — China has been one of the most-discussed international topics during the U.S. presidential campaign. VOA spoke with Rick Waters, former head of the Office of China Coordination at the State Department and deputy assistant secretary of state for China and Taiwan, about the Biden administration’s China policy. Waters spoke about his experience dealing with his Chinese counterparts, and how he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump would handle China, if elected. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity. VOA: How do you evaluate the progress made in U.S.-China relations after U.S. President Joemore

Leave a comment

Arkansas sues YouTube over claims it’s fueling mental health crisis

little rock, arkansas — Arkansas sued YouTube and parent company Alphabet on Monday, saying the video-sharing platform is made deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth in the state. Attorney General Tim Griffin’s office filed the lawsuit in state court, accusing them of violating the state’s deceptive trade practices and public nuisance laws. The lawsuit claims the site is addictive and has resulted in the state spending millions on expanded mental health and other services for young people. “YouTube amplifies harmful material, doses users with dopamine hits, and drives youth engagement and advertising revenue,” the lawsuit said. “Asmore

Leave a comment

Harris to campaign again in swing-state Nevada

Los Angeles — Vice President Kamala Harris is set to rally in Las Vegas on Sunday night as both she and Republican Donald Trump continue to make frequent trips to Nevada, looking to gain momentum in the swing state as Election Day nears. The rally is part of Harris’ latest West Coast swing, which included making her first trip to the U.S.-Mexico border since taking over for President Joe Biden atop the Democratic presidential ticket. On Friday, the vice president walked alongside a towering, rust-colored border wall fitted with barbed wire in Douglas, Arizona, and met with federal authorities. She attendedmore

Leave a comment

California governor vetoes bill to create first-in-nation AI safety measures

Sacramento, California — California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a landmark bill aimed at establishing first-in-the-nation safety measures for large artificial intelligence models Sunday. The decision is a major blow to efforts attempting to rein in the homegrown industry that is rapidly evolving with little oversight. The bill would have established some of the first regulations on large-scale AI models in the nation and paved the way for AI safety regulations across the country, supporters said. Earlier in September, the Democratic governor told an audience at Dreamforce, an annual conference hosted by software giant Salesforce, that California must lead in regulating AImore

Leave a comment

Trump lists his grievances in a Wisconsin speech intended to link Harris to illegal immigration

PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, Wisconsin — Former President Donald Trump meandered Saturday through a list of grievances against Vice President Kamala Harris and other issues during an event intended to link his Democratic opponent to illegal border crossings. A day after Harris discussed immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump spoke to a crowd in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, about immigration. He blamed Harris for migrants committing crimes after entering the U.S. illegally, alleging she was responsible for “erasing our border.” “I will liberate Wisconsin from the mass migrant invasion,” he said. “We’re going to liberate the country.” Trump hopes frustration over illegalmore

Leave a comment

Probe finds Beijing seeking to mislead, sow distrust ahead of US election

washington — U.S. intelligence agencies this week emphasized that Russia, Iran and China remain the primary external forces attempting to influence American voters ahead of the November presidential election.  The Office of the Director of National Intelligence reported that the Kremlin is the most active player, using artificial intelligence, fake accounts and fabricated images to promote narratives favorable to Donald Trump’s candidacy.  In contrast, China has not sought to directly influence the outcome of the 2024 presidential race. Sarah Cook, an independent analyst specializing in disinformation, noted that this restraint stems partly from a strong bipartisan consensus in Washington regarding themore

Leave a comment

Brazil imposes new fine, demands payments before letting X resume

SAO PAULO/BRASILIA BRAZIL — Brazil’s Supreme Court said on Friday that social platform X still needs to pay just over $5 million in pending fines, including a new one, before it will be allowed to resume its service in the country, according to a court document.  Earlier this week, the Elon Musk-owned U.S. firm told the court it had complied with orders to stop the spread of misinformation and asked it to lift a ban on the platform.  But Judge Alexandre de Moraes responded on Friday with a ruling that X and its legal representative in Brazil must still agree tomore

Leave a comment

Harris visits Border Patrol leaders in Arizona

DOUGLAS, Arizona — U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris walked a scrubby stretch of fence line along Arizona’s border with Mexico on Friday, seeking to project an image of strength against illegal migration as she confronts one of her biggest vulnerabilities in the November election. In her first trip to the international boundary since becoming the Democratic presidential nominee, Harris chatted with local Border Patrol leaders as they strode along a rust-colored stretch of wall built during Barack Obama’s presidency. Temperatures in Douglas, Arizona, neared 37.7 degrees Celsius during a conversation that lasted about half an hour. “They’ve got a tough job,more

Leave a comment

US charges Iranians with hacking attempt to disrupt US election

WASHINGTON — The U.S. government said Friday it filed criminal charges against three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for hacking attempts aimed at disrupting the U.S. presidential election. The indictment is the latest effort by President Joe Biden’s administration to counter foreign efforts to interfere in the November 5 presidential election between Republican Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris. The U.S. Treasury Department also said it was imposing sanctions on seven members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has previously denied involvement. The Trump campaign said in August it had been hacked by Iran butmore

Leave a comment

How do JD Vance and Tim Walz differ on foreign policy?

The foreign policy positions of the two vice presidential candidates are coming into sharper focus. Democratic nominee Tim Walz and Republican nominee JD Vance present distinctly different approaches to global challenges. These contrasting views underscore how each candidate’s foreign policy priorities could influence America’s role on the world stage. …

Leave a comment