Pennsylvania judge extends ballot deadline after Trump campaign sues
It is less than a week until Election Day and candidates are making their final push for votes. In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, a judge sided with Donald Trump’s campaign and extended one of its voting options after long lines led to voters allegedly being turned away.
People in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, have until Friday, Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. to participate in the state’s “on demand” voting.
Pennsylvania doesn’t offer early in-person voting. However, it does allow voters to apply for and get mail-in ballots in person at county election offices.
The Trump campaign filed a lawsuit against the Bucks County Board of Elections on Wednesday, Oct. 30, asking for an extension of the program.
The lawsuit claims election officials turned away people as early as 2:40 p.m. when they were in line before the 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday, Oct. 29.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which doesn’t often side with Republicans in legal issues, praised the judge’s decision. The ACLU said it also had received complaints from people in Bucks County.
Pennsylvania’s Secretary of State Office said election officials received 120,000 in-person requests for mail-in ballot applications, including almost 20,000 on Tuesday.
Kamala Harris’ campaign has not commented on the lawsuit.
Harris and Trump both head west to campaign in key swing states
Both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump are heading west on Thursday, Oct. 31, to campaign in two key battleground states. Each candidate has appearances scheduled in Nevada, where six electoral votes are at stake, and Arizona where 11 electoral votes are in play.
Harris will appear in Las Vegas with pop star Jennifer Lopez. Joe Biden won Nevada in 2020 by about 2.5%. However, RealClearPolitics polling has Trump ahead in Nevada by a half a percentage point this time around, making the race essentially a dead heat. Latinos make up approximately 20% of registered voters statewide.
Trump will be campaigning in Henderson, Nevada, outside of Las Vegas. About 850,000 voters have voted early in Nevada. Around 39% are registered Republicans, 35% are registered Democrats. John Ralston, editor of the Nevada Independent, told Newsweek, “thanks to a rural tsunami, the GOP has moved out to a substantial ballot lead.”
Later, Trump will head to Glendale, Arizona, for an appearance with conservative host Tucker Carlson. Harris will be in Phoenix for a rally with the Mexican band, Los Tigres del Norte. Latinos make up 25% of the vote in Arizona. Joe Biden won the state by less than 11,000 votes in 2020.
NBC News is reporting that 1.7 million Arizonans have voted early, with 42% Republican and 34% Democrat. That’s a big change from 2020 when Democrats outnumbered Republicans by close to 10,000 in early voting.
Polls show Donald Trump leading in Arizona by a small enough margin that the state is considered a toss-up.
Trump brings trash truck to rally as Harris distances from Biden’s comment
Former President Donald Trump donned an orange vest and took a ride on a trash truck after President Joe Biden’s recent comments. And Subway is being sued over what some customers say is not in their sandwiches. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.
Trump brings trash truck to rally as Harris distances from Biden’s comment
With the presidential election just now five days away, the candidates are visiting as many states as possible to reach undecided voters and make sure their supporters get out to vote.
On Wednesday, Oct. 30, Republican nominee Former President Donald Trump canvassed North Carolina and Wisconsin while Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris hit those two states as well as Pennsylvania.
However, it was the words of President Joe Biden that had both campaigns reacting throughout the day. During a virtual call with Voto Latino on Tuesday, Oct. 29, President Biden said, “Just the other day, a speaker at his [Trump’s] rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage.’ The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
“That’s like ‘deplorable’ for Hillary. This is the ‘deplorable’ for Hillary and I think this is worse, actually. For Joe Biden to make that statement, it’s really a disgrace.,” Trump said during an impromptu press conference. “This is in honor of Kamala and Joe Biden.”
Trump then continued to wear his orange safety vest while addressing the crowd in Green Bay during a rally that featured former Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
“I have to begin by saying 250 million Americans are not garbage,” Trump said.
Earlier in the day, the White House press secretary looked to explain Biden’s comments beyond a statement released by the president. Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden was responding to remarks made by a comedian about Puerto Rico during Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, Oct. 27.
“Just to clarify, he was not calling Trump supporters garbage,” Jean-Pierre said, “which is why he wanted to make sure that we put out a statement that clarified what he meant and what he was trying to say.”
She added, ”[The president] does not view Trump supporters or anybody who supports Trump as garbage. That is not what he views.”
On her way to her campaign events Wednesday, Vice President Harris was asked about where she stands on the matter.
“Listen, I think, first of all, he clarified his comments but let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” she told reporters. “You heard my speech last night and continuously throughout my career I believe that the work that I do is about representing all the people whether they support me or not.”
Thursday, former President Trump is set to hold a rally in New Mexico, then head to Nevada and Arizona, while Vice President Harris will hold a rally in Las Vegas with entertainer Jennifer Lopez.
As of Wednesday night, about 59 million Americans had cast their 2024 ballots, with 31 million voting early in-person and nearly 28 million returning their mail-in ballot.
Elon Musk to attend court in Philadelphia over $1M voter lottery lawsuit
Pig tests positive for H1N5 bird flu for first time in U.S.
For the first time in the U.S., a pig has tested positive for the H5N1 bird flu, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA also said it’s awaiting results for two other pigs from the same farm in Oregon, while another two tested negative.
Officials said the pig that tested positive did not show any signs of illness. They added the five pigs were tested for H5N1 out of an abundance of caution after other animals from the same farm had tested positive for the virus.
Officials said while there are no concerns about the safety of the U.S. pork supply, the positive test is concerning because pigs can get bird flu and human viruses at the same time, which might create strains of the virus that infect humans more easily.
A class-action lawsuit filed Monday, Oct. 28, claims the restaurant chain’s ads show customers getting at least three times more meat than they do. It argues the commercials lead customers to buy the food when they would not have if they’d expected to get less meat than shown.
The lawsuit specifically mentions Subway’s steak and cheese sandwiches, saying the company’s ads make it appear the sandwich “contains at least 200% more meat than the actual sandwiches that customers receive.”
Grammys moving to ABC in 2027 after 50+ years on CBS
After five decades on CBS, the Recording Academy announced Wednesday, Oct. 30, it signed a 10-year deal with Disney. The new deal also means the awards show will be streamed on Hulu and Disney+.
With this addition, ABC will now host three major television events in 2027: the Grammys, the Oscars, and the Super Bowl.
Dodgers win World Series in Game 5 comeback victory over Yankees
Trailing at one point 5-0, LA scored five runs in the fifth and then took the lead for good in the eighth defeating the New York Yankees 7-6. First baseman Freddie Freeman, who homered in each of the first four games, was named World Series MVP.
This is the second championship for Dave Roberts as a manager — he also won as a player — and the first for baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani. The Dodgers’ last championship came during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
US Supreme Court allows Virginia to continue its purge of voter registrations
After a series of legal setbacks, a major victory for Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Wednesday, Oct. 30, days before the U.S. presidential election. The U.S. Supreme Court granted an emergency appeal to allow the state to resume the purge of more than 1,600 voter registrations.
As is tradition in emergency appeals, the high court gave no rationale for the ruling.
Voting rights advocates called the ruling “outrageous.” They said the governor’s order removes known eligible citizens from voter rolls days before the election.
A lawyer for the groups that sued the state alongside the U.S. Department of Justice said people can still register to vote on Election Day and cast ballots.
Previous rulings from lower courts struck down Virginia’s voter removal, finding it illegal to initiate mass voter registration purges 90 days before a federal election.
Youngkin’s now resumed executive order requires daily checks of Department of Motor Vehicles records to identify suspected noncitizens and remove them from voter rolls.
Drop box burning devices in Ore. and Wash. had ‘Free Gaza’ message
Officials said the devices used in the ballot box arson incidents in Oregon and Washington were marked with the words “Free Gaza.” Early Monday, Oct. 28, fire crews responded to two separate ballot box fires in Portland and Vancouver that happened about a half of an hour apart.
More than 100 ballots were destroyed in Vancouver, while a fire suppressant system in the Portland ballot box saved all but three of the ballots.
Law enforcement officials said the “Free Gaza” message was not only on the two devices from Monday, but also on a third device found at a ballot box earlier this month in Vancouver. That device also included a “Free Palestine” message.
Now, investigators are working to determine if the suspect is a pro-Palestinian activist or if it’s someone trying to heighten divisions that already exist in the United States.
Police identified the suspect’s vehicle from the Portland incident, which is a dark early 2000s Volvo. They believe the Volvo is tied to the two other incidents in Vancouver as well.
Florida teen accused of threatening Democratic voters with machete
A Florida teen is facing aggravated assault charges after he allegedly wielded a machete to intimidate Democratic voters outside a polling place. Caleb Williams, 18, was arrested Tuesday, Oct. 29, outside a voting precinct in Neptune Beach — which is in the Jacksonville area.
Police said the registered Republican was among a group of teens accused of intimidating Democratic voters. Neptune Beach Police Chief Michael Key said the group approached people waving Harris-Walz signs and an argument ensued.
Investigators said Williams “brandished a machete in an aggressive, threatening posture over his head.”
“This goes way beyond expressing freedom of speech,” Key said. “To say your piece is a First Amendment-protected right, but that goes out the window the moment you raise a machete over your head in a threatening manner.”
Authorities say right now, none of the other members of the group are facing charges. They said their actions didn’t “cross the criminal threshold,” however, the investigation is ongoing.
Harris campaign cancels ad buy in NC in final week before election
In a big development in a key swing state, the advertisement tracking company AdImpact is reporting that Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign canceled $2.7 million in ad buys in North Carolina. The surprising move comes in the final week of the presidential campaign.
North Carolina is considered by most political experts to be one of seven battleground states, with 16 electoral votes. Former President Donald Trump won the state in 2020 and 2016. However, Kamala Harris has made multiple campaign appearances in the state in hopes of flipping it.
Trump is slated to make a campaign stop in North Carolina on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
The Carolina Journal reports the race for North Carolina is still in a dead heat with the candidates tied at 47% each. However, the Journal also says Trump leads Harris from Charlotte to western North Carolina by 12 points and leads Harris by 9 points in the coastal area.
The same poll shows Harris is ahead in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area by 15 points. Harris is slated to make a campaign appearance in Raleigh on Wednesday.
Supreme Court rules RFK Jr. will remain on ballot in 2 swing states
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected former presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s emergency appeal to withdraw his name from ballots in Michigan and Wisconsin, two battleground states, Tuesday, Oct. 29. Kennedy, who ended his independent campaign and endorsed former President Donald Trump, argued that keeping his name on the ballot implied he was still running, infringing on his First Amendment rights.
State officials in Michigan and Wisconsin countered that it was too late to remove Kennedy’s name, as voting was already underway. Michigan reported that more than 1.5 million absentee ballots had been returned, with an additional 264,000 early votes cast. In Wisconsin, more than 858,000 absentee ballots had been returned.
The justices did not explain their decision, as is common on emergency appeals. Justice Neil Gorsuch, however, dissented in the Michigan case, noting concerns over the timing of Kennedy’s initial request.
Previously, Kennedy sought to stay on the ballot in New York but later shifted his approach to request removal in swing states, hoping to consolidate votes for Trump. Michigan and Wisconsin are the final states where his name will appear.
With six days until the election, former President Donald Trump stumped in Allentown, Pennsylvania as Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her “closing argument.” We have what each said about what’s at stake next Tuesday. Also, details on what happened after a gunman opened fire from a hotel in Atlanta. These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024.
Harris gives closing argument as Trump addresses Biden’s comments
Some twists on the campaign trail with under a week to go now to Election Day and already more than 50 million ballots cast. Both presidential candidates gave dueling speeches Tuesday night, Oct. 29.
The Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris delivered what she described as her “closing argument” to the American people near the White House as the Republican nominee former President Donald Trump looked to court Latino voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.
During her address at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., the vice president emphasized its significance as the same site where former President Trump spoke to his supporters right before the riots on the capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
“So tonight, I will speak to everyone about the choice and stakes in this election,” she said. “Look, we know who Donald Trump is. He is the person who stood at this very spot nearly four years ago and sent an armed mob to the United States Capitol to overturn the will of the people in a free and fair election.”
The vice president also told voters she will seek common ground, saying she will give those who disagree with her a “seat at the table.”
“As Americans, we rise and fall together,” she said. “America, for too long, we have been consumed with too much division, chaos and mutual distrust. And it can be easy then to forget a simple truth: it doesn’t have to be this way. It doesn’t have to be this way. We have to stop pointing fingers and start locking arms.”
In Pennsylvania, former President Trump reached out to voters during a rally in the majority Hispanic town of Allentown.
“I’m here today with a message of hope for all Americans,” he said. “With your vote this election — oh, do I look forward to this election. We — I’m going to say ‘we’ because we are going to do it as a group. We will end inflation. Wwe will stop the invasion of criminals into our country. And we will bring back the American dream. We’re doing it together, Pennsylvania.”
During his rally, the former president asked his supporters to vote and send in their mail-in ballots early, saying “they’ve already cheated” in the state — a reference to law enforcement in Lancaster County announcing they were investigating around 2,500 voter registration forms for alleged fraud.
Trump turned his attention to President Joe Biden after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio joined him on stage.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but I have breaking news for you Mr. President,” Rubio told Trump. “You may not have heard this: just moments ago, Joe Biden stated that our supporters are garbage, are garbage. He’s talking about the border patrol, he’s talking about nurses, he’s talking about teachers, he’s talking about everyday Americans who love their country and want to dream big again and support you Mr. President.”
“Remember Hillary [Clinton], she said ‘deplorable’ and then she said ‘irredeemable,’ right?” Trump responded. “But she said ‘deplorable.’ That didn’t work out. Garbage, I think, is worse right?”
What they were referring to were comments made by President Biden during a Voto Latino campaign call Tuesday night. Biden spoke about the comedian who made controversial jokes about Puerto Rico during Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally over the weekend.
“Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a ‘floating island of garbage,’” the president said. “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters.”
The White House issued a statement saying, “The president referred to the hateful rhetoric at the Madison Square Garden rally as ‘garbage.’” President Biden himself followed up on his comments with a post on X saying, “Earlier today I referred to the hateful rhetoric about Puerto Rico spewed by Trump’s supporter at his Madison Square Garden rally as garbage…the comments at that rally don’t reflect who we are as a nation.”
During an appearance on Fox News Tuesday night, Trump told host Sean Hannity nobody from his campaign vetted the comedian before the MSG rally.
As it pertains to the alleged voter fraud in Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro told CNN there will be safe elections in the state and when asked about Biden’s “garbage” comment, Shapiro said, “It’s certainly not the words I would choose.”
Supreme Court rules RFK Jr. will remain on ballot in 2 swing states
It was unlikely the Supreme Court would have ruled in his favor, because voting is already underway in both states. Kennedy’s name also remains on the ballot in some other states, but he did not ask the Supreme Court to take it off anywhere but Wisconsin and Michigan in an apparent move to secure more voters for his ally Trump.
Steve Bannon spends first day out of prison stumping for Trump
Longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon wasted no time showing his support for the former president after being released from prison early Tuesday morning. Bannon just finished serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from Congress during its investigation into the U.S. Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
Bannon’s first order of business was to resume his podcast “WarRoom.” He then held a news conference urging Republicans to turn out in droves to vote for Trump on Tuesday, Nov. 5.
“I’ve been empowered by my four months at Danbury Federal Prison,” Bannon said during the news conference.
He added, “Obviously with seven days or six days left, you have to have a convergence of the get out the vote effort. I am not a huge believer in our ability to actually participate in rallies or do rallies because right now I think President Trump does great and he has people long there are going to do rallies in the different states. Our focus is one thing to make sure that we get as many American citizens, either early voting when they can or to the polls next Tuesday.”
He has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. His trial in that case is scheduled to begin in December.
Paul Pelosi attacker sentenced to life term on state charges
A judge sentenced the man who broke into former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s northern California home and attacked her husband, Paul, with a hammer to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
David DePape, 44, was already serving 30 years in federal prison for the attack when a San Francisco jury found him guilty of multiple state charges in June.
Both the prosecution and defense said the life without parole sentence will be served concurrently with DePape’s federal sentence. It has not yet been determined where he will serve his punishment.
Suspect in custody after shots fired at Atlanta Four Seasons
A police officer and a suspected shooter are recovering after gunfire broke out at a building that houses a Four Seasons Hotel and residences in Atlanta Tuesday. The Atlanta police chief said the officer was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
UPDATE: Barricaded Gunman turned Active Shooter Situation Zone 5 at 75 14th Street Sound from Mayor Andre Dickens & Chief Darin Schierbaumhttps://t.co/TjSDcj3YTj
Authorities say the man fired at least once from the balcony of a residence on the 33rd floor of the 53-story high-rise building. They say he also shot through walls and doors, but no other injuries were reported.
Police said the suspect lives in the residential portion of the building and was not a guest at the Four Seasons hotel portion.
Yankees deny Dodgers a World Series sweep with Game 4 win
Despite another Freddie Freeman home run — becoming the first player to homer in games 1, 2, 3, and 4 — the Yankees crushed the Dodgers 11-4 in Game 4 Tuesday night in the Bronx, highlighted by three home runs including a grand slam by shortstop Anthony Volpe.
The game also featured an odd moment when Yankees fans tried to pry a foul ball out of the glove of Dodgers’ Mookie Betts. The fans were escorted from their seats by stadium security after that play.
The 11 runs were the most by the Yankees in a World Series game since Game 5 of the 1978 series when they scored 12 against the Dodgers.
Now the Yankees are hoping to do what no other team has done in Major League Baseball history: come back from being down 3-0 in the Fall Classic to win it all.
The Dodgers still just need one more win to claim the championship.
At least three counties in Pennsylvania are conducting investigations into potentially fraudulent mail-in ballot and voter registration applications just one week out from the presidential election. The investigations are taking place in Lancaster County and York County, in addition to one other county that was not identified.
In Lancaster County, District Attorney Heather Adams said the elections department received 2,500 voter applications suspected to be fraudulent. As of their latest update, the investigators determined 60% were fraudulent, while some are legitimate. The inquiry is ongoing.
“Lancaster County detectives began investigating the voter registration applications, and immediately found applications that were indeed fraudulent,” DA Adams said. “Indicators of fraud included: inaccuracies with the address listed on the applications, false personal identification information, as well as false names. A number of the applications also contain names that did not match the provided Social Security information.”
According to Adams, there were also applications with correct information, but the individual listed on the application said they didn’t fill it out.
“At this point, it is believed that the fraudulent voter registrations are connected to a large-scale canvassing operation for voter registrations that date back to June,” Adams said.
In York County, officials are investigating what they describe as an “overabundance” of voter registration forms and requests for mail-in ballots from a third-party organization.
York County President Commissioner Julie Wheeler issued a statement obtained by the York Daily Record which said, “As with all submissions, our staff follows a process for ensuring all voter registrations and mail-in ballot requests are legal. That process is currently underway. If suspected fraud is identified, we will alert the District Attorney’s Office, which will then conduct an investigation.”
“It’s not unusual to get large stacks of voter registrations or large stacks of requests for mail-in ballots, it’s just this was an overabundance of registrations from one particular organization,” Wheeler told Fox 43. “We need to do our homework before we go and make accusations when we don’t have the data to back it up.”
Canvassing itself is legal. According to the ACLU, Supreme Court precedent allows groups to run programs that help people register to vote, encourage voting, and explain how, when and where to vote. An appeals court ruling states towns cannot require canvassers to get permits.
