theguardian--2020-10-24--California ‘shattering prior election returns’ with 6m ballots already cast

On 22 October , almost three weeks before one of the most consequential presidential election days in recent American history , more than 6 million Californians had already voted .
The number was several times that of people who had cast their ballot at the same point in 2016 .
The pandemic , the massive wildfires and the ongoing fight against police brutality have galvanized voters in America ’ s most populous state to cast their vote early .
“ We knew the Covid-19 pandemic would pose significant challenges , but elections officials have prepared and voters have responded , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state , said in a recent statement .
California has sent mail-in ballots to 22 million registered voters , and the flood of votes that have been returned so far make up about 25 % .
It ’ s still unclear whether voter turnout in the state overall will be higher this year than in previous years .
But the early turnout is “ shattering prior election returns ” , said Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc , a bipartisan voter data firm based in California .
“ We ’ ve been tracking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ decade , and there ’ s just nothing that compares to how quickly voters have been returning their ballots this election cycle , ” he said .
That more people are now homebound due to the pandemic , and all voters have been mailed ballots this year is probably part of the reason so many are voting early , Mitchell said .
Fears that their votes won ’ t be counted , and ballots getting stuck in the mail as the postal service is under duress are accelerating returns , he added .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
For the liberal and progressive voters who constitute the majority in this deep-blue Democratic state , Donald Trump ’ s attacks on science , the environment , the immigration system and healthcare have been motivating , particularly in a year marked by historic wildfires and a global pandemic .
Just last week , the president drew ire for tweeting , “ California is going to hell .
Vote Trump !
” and vacillating on whether to approve major disaster relief for several regions wrecked by the wildfires .
Since Trump took office @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against the administration in legal battles over its policies .
“ There ’ s six months of Californians being in their houses , coupled with essential workers risking their lives on the frontlines .
There ’ s the cruelty and apathy from the highest levels of government and the lack of trust that people have in this administration to protect people and protect democracy , ” said Aimee Allison , the founder and president of She the People , a non-profit that aims to elevate the political power of women of color .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ waiting for this moment , ” she said .
The inclusion on the ticket of Kamala Harris , a Californian and the first Black and Asian American woman to be nominated for national office by a major political party , was helping , too , Allison added .
But personally , she said she had been motivated by frustration this election cycle .
“ I woke up very angry .
I ’ m pissed .
And I know I ’ m not the only Black woman who must feel this way.
” In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admitted , “ I would put Winnie-the-Pooh in office over Trump .
You know – he ’ s the United Nations ’ ambassador of friendship.
” Though Hammonds said Biden and Harris weren ’ t her top choice in the Democratic primaries , “ They ’ ll do , ” she said .
Whether Californians vote early or late , the outcome of the presidential race here is almost guaranteed for Biden .
Republicans make up 24 % of registered voters in the state .
But down the ballot , Democrats are hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to boost the party ’ s congressional candidates in the state ’ s rare swing districts .
In the Los Angeles region , Republican Mike Garcia and Democrat Christy Smith are having a rematch after Garcia narrowly won the congressional seat vacated by Democrat Katie Hill , who resigned amid allegations of an inappropriate affair with a staffer .
In Orange county , Republican Young Kim is challenging incumbent Democrat Gil Ciseneros for a seat the latter narrowly won two years ago .
As the party makes a final pitch to voters in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a full-force showing of liberal voters will send a bigger message : “ As California goes , so goes the country .
For a lot of people , around the county , we can be that shiny , blue beacon of hope , ” said Drexel Heard , director of the Los Angeles County Democratic party .
Meanwhile , many Republicans running in local races are seeking to distance themselves from the president , said Bill Whalen , a Republican political consultant in California and a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institute .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been looking for a national figure that relates to Californians , ” he said .
“ And that figure has not emerged.
” More than the national or congressional elections , how the state votes on a host of progressive ballot proposals , including ones seeking to reinstate affirmative action and allowing people on parole to vote , will be a true indication of whether the California electorate is shifting further to the left – or whether voters are simply repelled by Trumpism , Whalen said .
Trump ’ s far-right ideology doesn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative , business-minded conservatives in the Golden State .
He agrees with Heard that , “ California is where you ’ ll see previews of national coming attractions.
” Post election , Republicans will have to “ adapt to changing sensibilities ” .
So far , Democrats have been returning ballots at slightly higher rates than Republicans , per data that Mitchell has been tracking .
He suspects that older Republicans – who have traditionally voted early and by mail in past elections – may wait to vote in person , as Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s impossible to predict how turnout overall and electoral trends will shift based on early voting data , he noted .
On an unseasonably hot afternoon in Oakland , 26-year-old Tobi Akomolede sought a sliver of shade while waiting at an early voting station .
“ I didn ’ t want to miss my chance to vote , ” he said , adding that he wanted to cast his ballot in person to ease worries about postal service delays .
“ Why is it important to vote ?
Because everything , ” @ @ @

On 22 October, almost two weeks before one of the most consequential presidential election days in recent American history, more than 6 million Californians had already voted.
The number was several times that of people who had cast their ballot at the same point in 2016. The pandemic, the massive wildfires and the ongoing fight against police brutality have galvanized voters in America’s most populous state to cast their vote early.
“We knew the Covid-19 pandemic would pose significant challenges, but elections officials have prepared and voters have responded,” Alex Padilla, the secretary of state, said in a recent statement.
California has sent mail-in ballots to 22 million registered voters, and the flood of votes that have been returned so far make up about 25%. It’s still unclear whether voter turnout in the state overall will be higher this year than in previous years. But the early turnout is “shattering prior election returns”, said Paul Mitchell of Political Data Inc, a bipartisan voter data firm based in California.
“We’ve been tracking this kind of stuff for over a decade, and there’s just nothing that compares to how quickly voters have been returning their ballots this election cycle,” he said.
That more people are now homebound due to the pandemic, and all voters have been mailed ballots this year is probably part of the reason so many are voting early, Mitchell said. Fears that their votes won’t be counted, and ballots getting stuck in the mail as the postal service is under duress are accelerating returns, he added.
And then there’s the incumbent. For the liberal and progressive voters who constitute the majority in this deep-blue Democratic state, Donald Trump’s attacks on science, the environment, the immigration system and healthcare have been motivating, particularly in a year marked by historic wildfires and a global pandemic. Just last week, the president drew ire for tweeting, “California is going to hell. Vote Trump!” and vacillating on whether to approve major disaster relief for several regions wrecked by the wildfires. Since Trump took office, California has filed dozens of lawsuits against the administration in legal battles over its policies.
Election workers at the Orange county registrar of voters process stacks of mail-in ballots. Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images
“There’s six months of Californians being in their houses, coupled with essential workers risking their lives on the frontlines. There’s the cruelty and apathy from the highest levels of government and the lack of trust that people have in this administration to protect people and protect democracy,” said Aimee Allison, the founder and president of She the People, a non-profit that aims to elevate the political power of women of color. “We here in California have been waiting for this moment,” she said.
The inclusion on the ticket of Kamala Harris, a Californian and the first Black and Asian American woman to be nominated for national office by a major political party, was helping, too, Allison added. But personally, she said she had been motivated by frustration this election cycle. “I woke up very angry. I’m pissed. And I know I’m not the only Black woman who must feel this way.”
In Oakland, Jackie Hammonds, 73, admitted, “I would put Winnie-the-Pooh in office over Trump. You know – he’s the United Nations’ ambassador of friendship.” Though Hammonds said Biden and Harris weren’t her top choice in the Democratic primaries, “They’ll do,” she said.
Whether Californians vote early or late, the outcome of the presidential race here is almost guaranteed for Biden. Republicans make up 24% of registered voters in the state. But down the ballot, Democrats are hoping this rush of enthusiasm will trickle down to boost the party’s congressional candidates in the state’s rare swing districts.
In the Los Angeles region, Republican Mike Garcia and Democrat Christy Smith are having a rematch after Garcia narrowly won the congressional seat vacated by Democrat Katie Hill, who resigned amid allegations of an inappropriate affair with a staffer. In Orange county, Republican Young Kim is challenging incumbent Democrat Gil Ciseneros for a seat the latter narrowly won two years ago.
As the party makes a final pitch to voters in the region, Democrats also hope that a full-force showing of liberal voters will send a bigger message: “As California goes, so goes the country. For a lot of people, around the county, we can be that shiny, blue beacon of hope,” said Drexel Heard, director of the Los Angeles County Democratic party.
Meanwhile, many Republicans running in local races are seeking to distance themselves from the president, said Bill Whalen, a Republican political consultant in California and a fellow at the conservative Hoover Institute. “Since Ronald Reagan, Republicans have been looking for a national figure that relates to Californians,” he said. “And that figure has not emerged.”
More than the national or congressional elections, how the state votes on a host of progressive ballot proposals, including ones seeking to reinstate affirmative action and allowing people on parole to vote, will be a true indication of whether the California electorate is shifting further to the left – or whether voters are simply repelled by Trumpism, Whalen said.
Trump’s far-right ideology doesn’t tend to appeal to fiscally conservative, business-minded conservatives in the Golden State. He agrees with Heard that, “California is where you’ll see previews of national coming attractions.” Post election, Republicans will have to “adapt to changing sensibilities”.
So far, Democrats have been returning ballots at slightly higher rates than Republicans, per data that Mitchell has been tracking. He suspects that older Republicans – who have traditionally voted early and by mail in past elections – may wait to vote in person, as Trump told his supporters to do. It’s impossible to predict how turnout overall and electoral trends will shift based on early voting data, he noted.
On an unseasonably hot afternoon in Oakland, 26-year-old Tobi Akomolede sought a sliver of shade while waiting at an early voting station. “I didn’t want to miss my chance to vote,” he said, adding that he wanted to cast his ballot in person to ease worries about postal service delays.
“Why is it important to vote? Because everything,” he said.


theguardian--2020-10-24--US Senate elections: the key races that will determine power in Washington

While the world ’ s attention is on Donald Trump ’ s attempt to win re-election as president over challenger Joe Biden , the battle for the US Senate that will culminate on 3 November is equally dramatic .
Even if Biden defeats Trump , he will be unable to pass legislation on key issues such as healthcare , immigration and climate change unless the Democrats simultaneously seize the Senate , where the Republicans now have a 47-53 majority .
The Democrats could pull it off .
Democratic challengers in two states , Arizona and Colorado , appear to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , while only one Democratic incumbent , in Alabama , looks especially vulnerable , according to the latest forecast from the Cook Political Report .
The number of additional seats the Democrats need to win for a voting majority depends on who wins the White House , since any Senate tie of 50-50 is broken by the sitting vice-president .
If Trump wins re-election , the Democrats probably need three states , in addition to Arizona and Colorado , for the majority ; if Biden wins , the Democrats probably need only two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is enough time for races not mentioned here to shift and change the calculus .
Where will those seats come from ?
There are seven races currently judged as tossups by the Cook Political Report ’ s Senate forecasts .
The Democrats ’ top targets are Maine , North Carolina and Iowa .
In all three races , incumbent Republicans appear to be weighed down by the unpopularity of Trump , while their Democratic opponents could benefit from high turnout among voters who wish to see Trump defeated .
Broad demographic trends are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with fewer women saying they will support Trump in 2020 , suburban voters likewise abandoning him , according to the polls , and support for Trump falling off even among whites without a college degree .
In Maine , the longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins appears at last to have fallen out with the electorate , a majority of whom say they disapprove of Collins ’ vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh , Trump ’ s second pick to join the supreme court .
In North Carolina , the Republican incumbent , Thom Tillis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the coronavirus crisis , while a majority of voters say they supported the state ’ s Democratic governor in his clash with Trump over public health rules for hosting the Republican national convention .
While the Republican Joni Ernst had looked difficult to beat earlier this election cycle , she also appears to have suffered from defending Trump ’ s pandemic policies , and challenger Theresa Greenfield has shown unexpected strength .
But with the campaign still ongoing , these and other races still have time to change .
Republicans are hoping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court nominee Amy Coney Barrett will galvanize conservative voters , just as the fight over Kavanaugh did in the 2018 midterm elections .
And last-minute political fallout from the debates , the Covid crisis , the economy or some unforeseen twist could change the races yet again .

Ashley Kirk, Tom McCarthy and Helena Robertson

While the world’s attention is on Donald Trump’s attempt to win re-election as president over challenger Joe Biden, the battle for the US Senate that culminates on 3 November is equally dramatic.
Even if Biden defeats Trump, he will be unable to pass legislation on key issues such as healthcare, immigration and climate change unless the Democrats simultaneously seize the Senate, where the Republicans now have a 47-53 majority.
The Democrats could pull it off. Democratic challengers in two states, Arizona and Colorado, appear to have a good chance in defeating Republican incumbents, while only one Democratic incumbent, in Alabama, looks especially vulnerable, according to the latest forecast from the Cook Political Report.
The number of additional seats the Democrats need to win for a voting majority depends on who wins the White House, since any Senate tie of 50-50 is broken by the sitting vice-president. If Trump wins re-election, the Democrats probably need three states, in addition to Arizona and Colorado, for the majority; if Biden wins, the Democrats probably need only two more.
“Probably” because there is enough time for races not mentioned here to shift and change the calculus.
Where will those seats come from? There are seven races currently judged as tossups by the Cook Political Report’s Senate forecasts.
Top Democratic targets: the seven tossups
The Democrats’ top targets are Maine, North Carolina and Iowa.
In all three races, incumbent Republicans appear to be weighed down by the unpopularity of Trump, while their Democratic opponents could benefit from high turnout among voters who wish to see Trump defeated.
Broad demographic trends are also making trouble for Republicans nationally, with fewer women saying they will support Trump in 2020, suburban voters likewise abandoning him, according to the polls, and support for Trump falling off even among whites without a college degree.
In Maine, the longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins appears at last to have fallen out with the electorate, a majority of whom say they disapprove of Collins’ vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh, Trump’s second pick to join the supreme court.
In North Carolina, the Republican incumbent, Thom Tillis, has defended Trump’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, while a majority of voters say they supported the state’s Democratic governor in his clash with Trump over public health rules for hosting the Republican national convention.
While the Republican Joni Ernst had looked difficult to beat earlier this election cycle, she also appears to have suffered from defending Trump’s pandemic policies, and challenger Theresa Greenfield has shown unexpected strength.
With the campaign in its final week, there is still a chance that these and other races will change course – although time is running out for the Republicans to turn the tide.


theguardian--2020-10-23--'It's decorated for Halloween': New Yorkers rally after Trump calls city 'ghost town'

Donald Trump is no stranger to making throwaway comments that don ’ t stand up to scrutiny , but last night he made one that New Yorkers couldn ’ t abide .
In the last of the presidential debates , Trump set his sights toward cities that he deemed overzealous in their response to the pandemic .
Turning to New York , where the US president is from , Trump said : “ Take a look at New York and what ’ s happened to my wonderful city .
For so many years , I loved it , it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everyone ’ s leaving New York.
” At one point earlier this year , New York had the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world .
Its death toll currently sits around 24,000 .
The city enacted a shutdown order that lasted for months as a result , one of the strictest across the US .
But New Yorkers rallied against the idea that their city has died .
People mocked Trump ’ s comment , pondering out loud why it was still so difficult to park , if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York city ’ s non-essential businesses were closed for a number of months during the pandemic ( and some still are closed partially – such as gyms and restaurants ) , but measures were brought in to keep businesses alive – such as extending outside dining areas , relaxed liquor laws and pedestrianized streets .
Walking through Manhattan ’ s Upper West Side , New York City councillor Mark Levine shared a video of a buzzy atmosphere , with people dining out at restaurants , with some separated from one another in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City ’ s mayor , Bill de Blasio , responded to the comments on MSNBC , saying , “ The only ghost town is going to be Mar-a-lago after this election when Donald Trump is forced into retirement there.
” Others took a lighter approach .
Full Frontal ’ s Samantha Bee responded to Trump ’ s comments , asking whether “ he thinks New York is a ghost town because every time he ’ s here all he hears is ‘ Boooo ’ .
” Some questioned whether the Halloween season @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confused .
“ Maybe Trump thinks NYC is a ghost town because it ’ s decorated for Halloween ?
” ask the former RuPaul Drag Race contestant Aquaria .
But others seemed downright offended that a city that acted swiftly while mourning the deaths of tens of thousands of people should be mocked for its tight Covid-19 restrictions .
“ New York is not a ghost town .
New York flattened the curve , ” said an NYC doctor .

Donald Trump is no stranger to making throwaway comments that don’t stand up to scrutiny, but last night he made one that New Yorkers couldn’t abide.
In the last of the presidential debates, Trump set his sights toward cities that he deemed overzealous in their response to the pandemic. Turning to New York, where the US president is from, Trump said:
“Take a look at New York and what’s happened to my wonderful city. For so many years, I loved it, it was vibrant. It’s dying, everyone’s leaving New York.”
At one point earlier this year, New York had the highest number of coronavirus cases and deaths in the world. Its death toll currently sits around 24,000. The city enacted a shutdown order that lasted for months as a result, one of the strictest across the US.
But New Yorkers rallied against the idea that their city has died. People mocked Trump’s comment, pondering out loud why it was still so difficult to park, if the city is so dead.
Parking on the street is still fricken hard in the ghost town just fyi. — Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) October 23, 2020
Some of New York city’s non-essential businesses were closed for a number of months during the pandemic (and some still are closed partially – such as gyms and restaurants), but measures were brought in to keep businesses alive – such as extending outside dining areas, relaxed liquor laws and pedestrianized streets.
Walking through Manhattan’s Upper West Side, New York City councillor Mark Levine shared a video of a buzzy atmosphere, with people dining out at restaurants, with some separated from one another in plastic domes for their safety.
Trump: NYC is "ghost town" that's "totally shut down"
Manhattan tonight:pic.twitter.com/zVb5Gi8fC7 — Mark D. Levine (@MarkLevineNYC) October 23, 2020
New York City’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, responded to the comments on MSNBC, saying, “The only ghost town is going to be Mar-a-lago after this election when Donald Trump is forced into retirement there.”
Others took a lighter approach. Full Frontal’s Samantha Bee responded to Trump’s comments, asking whether “he thinks New York is a ghost town because every time he’s here all he hears is ‘Boooo’.”
He thinks New York is a ghost town because every time he’s here all he hears is “Booo” #Debates2020 — Full Frontal (@FullFrontalSamB) October 23, 2020
Some questioned whether the Halloween season had just left Trump feeling a little confused. “Maybe Trump thinks NYC is a ghost town because it’s decorated for Halloween?” ask the former RuPaul Drag Race contestant Aquaria.
Maybe Trump thinks that NYC is a ghost town because it’s decorated for Halloween? — Aquaria 🖤 (@aquariaofficial) October 23, 2020
But others seemed downright offended that a city that acted swiftly while mourning the deaths of tens of thousands of people should be mocked for its tight Covid-19 restrictions. “New York is not a ghost town. New York flattened the curve,” said an NYC doctor.


theguardian--2020-10-24--Obama campaigns for Biden in Florida as Trump heads to battleground Ohio – as it happened

Here ’ s our last report on Barack Obama ’ s rally in Florida on behalf of Joe Biden today .
In his speech , which lasted almost an hour , he worked through several major election issues , such as the economy and the pandemic and touched on others as he continued to lash Trump .
“ Let me just see a show of hands , how many people here have a secret Chinese bank account ?
” Obama asked , referring to a story that emerged in the week that Trump had paid more than $ 200,000 in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ emerged his federal income tax liability in the US was far less .
“ His first year in the White House he only paid $ 750 in federal income tax , ” Obama said .
“ You ’ ve got secretaries , you ’ ve got construction workers , you got your health care workers , nurses , who pay a lot more in income taxes than that.
” There was a staunch defense of Obamacare , his signature Affordable Care Act , which provided millions more Americans with affordable health insurance , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dismantle during the Trump administration .
“ When they ’ re asked about it they say , ‘ Well look , we ’ re gon na have a great replacement .
It ’ s coming .
It ’ s gon na be there in two weeks.
’ They ’ ve never had a replacement .
Nothing .
Nada .
Zero .
Zilch .
“ They ’ ve attacked the Affordable Care Act and every time they ’ ve driven up costs , they ’ re driving up the uninsured .
Now they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take away your health care as we speak , in the middle of a pandemic , ” referring to the high court ’ s hearing into the constitutionality of the ACA on 10 November .
Appealing to Florida ’ s sizeable Hispanic demographic , Obama had harsh words for Trump ’ s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria , which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 , and efforts by some among Miami ’ s Cuban and Venezuelan communities to portray Biden as an extreme socialist .
“ Listening to the Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more communist than the Castros .
Don ’ t fall for that garbage , ” Obama said .
“ Folks would know if he was a secret socialist by now .
What is true is he ’ ll promote human rights in Cuba and around the world and he won ’ t coddle dictators the way our current president does.
” The former prescient ended on an upbeat note .
“ I ’ m here to report that America is a good and decent place .
We just see so much noise and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sometimes it ’ s hard for us to remember but I ’ ve been all across this country .
There are a lot of good people here .
There are a lot of folks who share the values of looking out for one another and doing right by one another .
”

Joanna Walters in New York (now) and Bryan Armen Graham and Martin Pengelly (earlier)

24 Oct 2020 23.03 BST Evening summary It’s been a lively day on the election trail. We’re closing this blog now but will be back with all the developments in US political news, as it happens, tomorrow. Here are the main events of the day: Alaska’s Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has hopped off the fence and says she will confirm Amy Coney Barrett for the US supreme court in the vote expected on Monday.
has hopped off the fence and says she will confirm for the US in the vote expected on Monday. Barack Obama , speaking at a drive-in rally to support Joe Biden in the key swing state of Florida, laid into Donald Trump for his response to the coronavirus pandemic.
, speaking at a drive-in rally to support in the key swing state of Florida, laid into for his response to the coronavirus pandemic. Democratic vice-presidential nominee Kamala Harris, campainging in Ohio, also decried the Trump administration’s handling of Covid-19 and lamented that the crushed economy has led to a “hunger crisis” in America.
also decried the Trump administration’s handling of and lamented that the crushed economy has led to a “hunger crisis” in America. Campaigning at two rallies in Pennsylvania today, Joe Biden said at each that he would not ban fracking - a very active industry in the swing state.
today, said at each that he would not ban - a very active industry in the swing state. Top infectious disease public health official Anthony Fauci supports the idea of a national face mask mandate if that’s the only way to get people to wear them and curb the spread of coronavirus.
supports the idea of a national if that’s the only way to get people to wear them and curb the spread of coronavirus. Both Donald Trump and his most controversial coronavirus adviser Scott Atlas have been spreading misleading info on Twitter about Covid-19.
24 Oct 2020 22.53 BST Democratic vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris is calling for an administration that is frank about racist police brutality in America. “There isn’t a Black man I know, be it a relative or friend, who has not had some sort of experience with police that’s been about an unreasonable stop, some sort of profiling or excessive force,” she said. Kamala Harris campaigning in Cleveland, Ohio, earlier today. Photograph: David Dermer/AP She said Donald Trump “says people who are protesting are looters and they are violent, and talking about law and order, not understanding that peaceful protest is part of how this nation was founded.” Harris said peaceful protest is what has allowed her to become only the second Black woman elected to the United States Senate (hat tip to groundbreaker Carol Moseley Braun). “But there is still a lot of work to be done” not just to speak out about police brutality but to do something about it.” She said she had spoken out about Breonna Taylor, shot dead by police in March during a botched raid on her Louisville, Kentucky, apartment, “but there are many Breonnas and Georges”, referring to George Floyd who was killed by police in Minneapolis this spring when an officer kneeled on his neck on the ground for almost nine minutes, reinvigorating the Black Lives Matter movement. “There needs to be ban on chokeholds and carotid holds, across the board. Let’s have a national registry of police officers who break the law.” She added that there needed to be “accountability and consequences” not just for individual police but for “the system”. We can’t just speak the truth about police brutality in our nation—we must act to change our systems of justice and demand accountability. pic.twitter.com/arSdFLi7Wj — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 24, 2020 The latest CNN opinion poll in Ohio has Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Republican candidate Donald Trump in a statistical dead heat, with 46% of those surveyed backing Biden for the White House in November, 47% favoring Trump. No Republican in modern history has lost Ohio but won the White House.
24 Oct 2020 22.21 BST The 2020 race continues. Donald Trump is on his way to begin another rally in Circleville, Ohio, about a 30-minute drive from Columbus, and Joe Biden is speaking now in Dallas, north-eastern Pennsylvania. This Dallas is not far from Scranton, Biden’s birthplace. The Democratic candidate for president just said “maybe it’s the Scranton in me” that gives him “a bit of a chip on my shoulder” about Trump’s flaunting of and focus on his own wealth. Biden at his drive-in rally at Dallas High School in Dallas, Pennsylvania, moments ago. Photograph: Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Biden is at his most fired up on the campaign trail right now, he doesn’t have the oratory skills of Obama, but he is impassioned. After so many months in the basement, campaigning online, it’s truly exciting to see Biden, as well as Harris and Obama out on the trail in person talking to motivated voters - not leaving it all to Trump. Biden just said once again that he won’t ban fracking. And he’s slamming Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. He’s using what has become one of his standard lines, bringing up the revelation from Bob Woodward’s book Rage that the president told him very early on in the outbreak that he knew exactly how dangerous Covid-19 was but downplayed it to the public because he didn’t want to spread panic (instead his stance just spread coronavirus). “The American people don’t panic,” Biden said. “Donald Trump panicked.” He called the president’s approach to controlling the outbreak “weak and chaotic”. Biden said he is determined to shut down the virus if he is president, without shutting down the economy, although it’s not entirely clear yet how he would thread that needle for the nation. Biden said Trump “hasn’t delivered on a damn thing”. Voters honking their car horns and cheering.
Updated at 22.23 BST
24 Oct 2020 22.00 BST Alaska's Murkowski will confirm Barrett for supreme court Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett won crucial backing this afternoon when one of the last Republican holdouts announced her support for Donald Trump’s pick ahead of a confirmation vote expected Monday. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska said during today’s Senate session that while she opposed her party’s decision to push ahead with the nomination process so close to the November 3 presidential election, she supported the federal judge, who is on track to lock in a conservative court majority for years to come, The Associated Press reports. Lisa Murkowski on Capitol Hill last month. Photograph: Alex Edelman/AFP/Getty Images Barrett already appeared to have enough votes for confirmation from Senate Republicans who hold the majority in the chamber and are racing to install her on the high court before Election Day. But Murkowski’s nod gives her a boost of support. Only one Republican, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, is now expected to oppose the conservative judge.
“While I oppose the process that has led us to this point, I do not hold it against her,” Murkowski said.
The Senate opened the rare weekend session despite Democratic efforts to stall Trump’s nominee. Democrats mounted more procedural hurdles during the day, but the party has no realistic chance of stopping Barrett’s advance. Barrett, a federal appeals court judge from Indiana, is expected to be confirmed Monday and quickly join the court.
The fast-track confirmation process is like none other in US history so close to a presidential election. Democrats, notably the vice-presidential nominee and California Senator Kamala Harris, who sits on the judiciary committee, call it a “sham” and say the winner of the presidential election should name the nominee to fill the vacancy left by the recent death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Senators planned to stay in session Saturday and Sunday. Read the Guardian’s latest report on the Amy Coney Barrett. Not only is her confirmation process controversial but she is a controversial judge and individual. Amy Coney Barrett faces recusal questions over links to Shell Read more
24 Oct 2020 21.51 BST Richard Luscombe Here’s our last report on Barack Obama’s rally in Florida on behalf of Joe Biden today. Former president Barack Obama campaigning for Joe Biden In Florida this afternoon. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images In his speech, which lasted almost an hour, he worked through several major election issues, such as the economy and the pandemic and touched on others as he continued to lash Trump. “Let me just see a show of hands, how many people here have a secret Chinese bank account?” Obama asked, referring to a story that emerged in the week that Trump had paid more than $200,000 in taxes in China, weeks after it emerged his federal income tax liability in the US was far less. “His first year in the White House he only paid $750 in federal income tax,” Obama said. “You’ve got secretaries, you’ve got construction workers, you got your health care workers, nurses, who pay a lot more in income taxes than that.” There was a staunch defense of Obamacare, his signature Affordable Care Act, which provided millions more Americans with affordable health insurance, that Republicans have tried numerous times to dismantle during the Trump administration. “When they’re asked about it they say, ‘Well look, we’re gonna have a great replacement. It’s coming. It’s gonna be there in two weeks.’ They’ve never had a replacement. Nothing. Nada. Zero. Zilch. “They’ve attacked the Affordable Care Act and every time they’ve driven up costs, they’re driving up the uninsured. Now they’re trying to get the Supreme Court to take away your health care as we speak, in the middle of a pandemic,” referring to the high court’s hearing into the constitutionality of the ACA on 10 November. Appealing to Florida’s sizeable Hispanic demographic, Obama had harsh words for Trump’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, and efforts by some among Miami’s Cuban and Venezuelan communities to portray Biden as an extreme socialist. “Listening to the Republicans, you’d think Joe was more communist than the Castros. Don’t fall for that garbage,” Obama said. “Folks would know if he was a secret socialist by now. What is true is he’ll promote human rights in Cuba and around the world and he won’t coddle dictators the way our current president does.” The former prescient ended on an upbeat note. “I’m here to report that America is a good and decent place. We just see so much noise and nonsense,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard for us to remember but I’ve been all across this country. There are a lot of good people here. There are a lot of folks who share the values of looking out for one another and doing right by one another.” Voters listening to Obama at the drive-in rally in North Miami today. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
24 Oct 2020 21.40 BST Here we go again with Donald Trump’s antipathy to the wearing of face masks to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Having just arrived in Columbus, Ohio, for his next campaign trail event, the president had a few words with reporters and is talking utter nonsense. First he said there are so many cases of coronavirus being reported in Wisconsin, where the disease is surging, at the moment because of all the testing. So if no testing, then no coronavirus? This is a highly misleading and wrongheaded argument that the president of the United States has tried numerous times over the months in order to downplay the coronavirus pandemic. And at a question from another reporter, Trump barked: “I can’t hear you with your mask on” and moved to the next reporter without waiting for the person to repeat the question. What kind of face mask best protects against coronavirus? Read more
24 Oct 2020 21.27 BST The Texas state supreme court this afternoon temporarily reinstated the governor’s ban on multiple drop-off sites for mail ballots, in a short-term victory for Donald Trump. People waiting in line last week to cast their ballots for the upcoming presidential election as early voting begins in Houston, Texas. Photograph: Go Nakamura/Reuters The ban will remain in effect while the state supreme court fully reviews a Friday appeals court ruling that overturned the order by Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican like the president, who faces Democrat Joe Biden in a race for the White House on November 3, Reuters writes.
The Texas 3rd court of appeals had unanimously agreed with a lower court that limiting the number of drop boxes would lengthen lines, increase the risk that voters could get infected with Covid-19, and infringe on their right to vote. Trump has repeatedly criticized mail-in ballots, claiming - without evidence - they would lead to widespread fraud. Abbott issued his order limiting mail-in ballot drop boxes to one per county on October 1, saying it was aimed at preventing fraud. The move, which closed more than a dozen satellite locations in at least two counties, drew condemnation from Democrats and voting rights advocates. Texas, which Trump won by nine percentage points in 2016, has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in more than four decades. But opinion polls have suggested it might be in reach for Biden, in part because of dissatisfaction over Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. The Guardian’s Erum Salam noted in this story from earlier in the month that large, populous counties such as Travis and Harris county will be disproportionately affected by Abbott’s order. These counties includes Texas’s most diverse cities: Austin and Houston, respectively. Nine per cent of Travis county’s population are black and 33% are Hispanic. In Harris county, 20% of the population are black and 43% Hispanic. Harris county is the third most populous county in the country with more than 4.7 million residents. As of 2018, it has nearly 2.4 million registered voters. After Abbott’s new order, the vast county has gone from having 12 ballot drop-off sites to just one, located at the NRG Stadium in central Houston. Full story here.
24 Oct 2020 21.10 BST Richard Luscombe writes that Barack Obama is delivering a sparky speech at a drive-in rally for Joe Biden in North Miami, Florida. His event continues with him highlighting the difference between Trump’s “empty promises” for a second term and Biden’s plans for his first. Michelle Obama once famously said, "When they go low, we go high."
Barack Obama is taking the approach of going for the jugular.pic.twitter.com/3XWw7z2nxa — Ted Corcoran (RedTRaccoon) (@RedTRaccoon) October 24, 2020 “Tweeting… doesn’t fix things. Inventing conspiracies doesn’t make people’s lives better,” he said. “You’ve got to have a plan. You’ve got to do the work. And along with the experience of getting things done, Joe Biden has concrete plans and policies that are going to turn our vision of a better, fairer, stronger country into reality.”
Seeking to heap blame on Trump’s lack of response for a coronavirus pandemic that has killed almost 225,000 Americans and cost millions of jobs, Obama pointed out that his own administration had left plans. “We literally left this White House a pandemic playbook that showed them how to respond before a virus reached our shores,” Obama said. “It must be lost along with the Republican health care plan. We can’t find it, eight months into this pandemic.” Also squandered, Obama said, was the nation’s strong economy: “Unemployment was steadily going down during the Obama-Biden presidency. And then he gets elected and it keeps on going down and suddenly he says, ‘Look what I did there.’ “He did inherit the longest streak of job growth in American history that we got started but just like everything else he inherited he fumbled it. “The economic damage inflicted by [his] pandemic response means that Donald Trump will be the first president since Herbert Hoover that actually loses jobs.” Obama also teased Trump for ending his interview early for 60 Minutes, with journalist Lesley Stahl, early. The interview airs tomorrow night, ditto one with Biden. Barack Obama. “If you’re too scared of Leslie Stahl, and 60 minutes, you’re not that tough” 😂 pic.twitter.com/XBM18HnsnR — Tanya - Black Widow 🕷🕸🖤 864511032020 (@BlackWidow_WF) October 24, 2020
Updated at 21.16 BST
24 Oct 2020 20.55 BST Obama speaks in Florida: slams Trump, says Biden made Obama himself "a better president" Richard Luscombe Barack Obama is wasting no time in mocking Donald Trump during the former Democratic president’s appearance in North Miami, Florida this afternoon. “He’s had a tough week. Everybody has been very unfair to Donald Trump, this week,” the former president said to joyous honks of car horns at a drive-in rally. Referring to the final presidential debate between Trump and Joe Biden on Thursday, Obama said: “Trump was asked, ‘What is your plan for the new phase of Covid?’ which is a pretty good question considering that we just saw the highest number of cases spike up yesterday. “So you think he’d be ready for a response. Instead, he just said it wasn’t his fault, he didn’t have one. He said, ‘It’s now gone and a bunch of states.’ Just as states are reaching new record highs nationwide he doesn’t have a plan. He doesn’t even acknowledge the reality of what’s taking place all across the country.” As he did earlier in the week at a rally in Pennsylvania for Biden, his former vice-president, Obama kept the focus firmly on Trump. “It’s a good idea to have an answer to this question. It’s a good idea if you’re running for reelection to say, ‘Here’s what I want to accomplish.” What did Trump say? He got mad and walked out of the interview,” Obama said, referring to an ill-tempered 60 Minutes due to air on CBS Sunday night but already posted on Trump’s Facebook site. “He thought the questions were too tough. If he can’t answer a tough question like, ‘What would you like to do in your second term?’ then it’s our job to make sure he doesn’t get a second term.” Obama said he didn’t know Biden very well when he picked him to be his Veep. But he said he got to know his character as their administration proceeded, and that Biden “made me a better president”. Supporters of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris presidential ticket await Barack Obama’s rally for the Democrats in Florida this afternoon. Photograph: Chandan Khanna/AFP/Getty Images
Updated at 21.17 BST
24 Oct 2020 20.37 BST More from Edward Helmore… Facebook has demanded that New York University stop collecting data about its political ad targeting practices, arguing the engineering project violates its terms of service. The argument between the social media giant and NYU’s Ad Observatory project, which launched last month with more 6,500 volunteers assigned to collect data about political ads, flared up on Friday, according to the Wall Street Journal. In a letter to the engineering department, Facebook said “scraping tools, no matter how well-intentioned, are not a permissible means of collecting information from us”. Facebook went on to say that if the university does not cease harvesting the data and delete it, it “may be subject to additional enforcement action”. Last month, Facebook said it would stop political advertising for a month ahead the 3 November presidential election, seeking to prevent the spread of misinformation. After the 2016 election of Donald Trump, Facebook was accused of allowing Russian disinformation and political profiling to flow almost unchecked. NYU has said the Ad Observatory is designed to provide the public, journalists, researchers and policy makers with the ability to search political ads floated to specific audiences and to see how those ads are funded. Facebook’s demand that NYU cease the program met with criticism. “Facebook is making it harder for Americans to get information about online political ads,” Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar, a sponsor of a bill called the Honest Ads Act, said in a statement to the Journal. Social media platforms, she added, have pledged to make online advertising more transparent – but Facebook’s threatened action “is further evidence that voluntary standards are insufficient”. After the Journal’s article was published, Facebook partially retracted its threat, signaling the sensitivity of the issue. It said it would not take any action until after the election. Facebook says it rejected 2.2m ads for breaking political campaigning rules Read more


theguardian--2020-10-24--Trump tells GOP donors that holding Senate will be 'tough' – report

Shortly after Donald Trump insisted to reporters in Ohio he expected a “ red wave ” on election day , 3 November , it was reported on Saturday that he told Republican donors this week it would be “ tough ” for the party to hold on to the Senate .
Trump trails Joe Biden in most national and battleground state polls .
Democrats hold the House of Representatives and expect to keep it , while many forecasters think they have a good chance of re-taking the Senate , which Republicans hold 53-47 , thereby achieving unified government .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” the Washington Post said Trump told donors in Nashville , Tennessee , on Thursday , before his last debate against Biden , according to an anonymous attendee .
“ The Senate is very tough.
” The Post said Trump also insisted Republicans “ are going to take back the House ” .
As Democrats hold that chamber by 232-197 , few forecasters think there is much chance of that .
Senate Republicans face defeat in Colorado , Maine , Arizona and perhaps North Carolina .
Supposedly safer seats in Georgia , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Trump reportedly told donors North Carolina would hold and Alabama would be taken back , but said there were “ a couple ” of senators he did not want to help .
“ There are a couple senators I can ’ t really get involved in , ” the Post quoted him as saying .
“ I just can ’ t do it .
You lose your soul if you do .
I can ’ t help some of them .
I don ’ t want to help some of them.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sasse of Nebraska , who offered harsh criticism and predicted “ a Republican bloodbath in the Senate ” .
Sasse is among conservatives eyeing post-Trump presidential runs .
Others usually loyal but under pressure at the polls , such as John Cornyn in Texas and Martha McSally in Arizona , have mounted cautious bids to be seen as independent .
Even Mitch McConnell , the ruthless architect of the Republicans ’ push to install federal judges under Trump , has said he thinks his party has a “ 50-50 ” chance of keeping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , set for re-election despite a tough fight in Kentucky , has rebuffed questions about his health after he appeared with severe bruising to his hands and face .
Control of the Senate has allowed Republicans to rush through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the supreme court , thereby tipping it 6-3 in favour of conservatives .
If the White House and Senate are lost , a reactionary court would be Republicans ’ bulwark against a Biden legislative agenda that could include reform to the court @ @ @ @ @ @ @ due to hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act , also known as Obamacare , on 10 November .
Trump has said he wants the justices to bring the ACA down , thereby depriving millions of healthcare in a pandemic and kneecapping his own drive to defeat HIV .
One senator who initially stood against the push for Barrett said during debate on Saturday she would vote to confirm .
When the nomination comes to the floor on Monday , said Lisa Murkowski of Alaska , “ I will be a yes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intellect … I have no doubt about her capability to do the job.
” Generally a defender of abortion rights Democrats say Barrett will threaten , Murkowksi had said no new justice should be named before the election .

Shortly after Donald Trump insisted to reporters in Ohio he expected a “red wave” on election day, 3 November, it was reported on Saturday that he told Republican donors this week it would be “tough” for the party to hold on to the Senate.
Trump trails Joe Biden in most national and battleground state polls. Democrats hold the House of Representatives and expect to keep it, while many forecasters think they have a good chance of re-taking the Senate, which Republicans hold 53-47, thereby achieving unified government.
“I think the Senate is tough actually,” the Washington Post said Trump told donors in Nashville, Tennessee, on Thursday, before his last debate against Biden, according to an anonymous attendee. “The Senate is very tough.”
The Post said Trump also insisted Republicans “are going to take back the House”. As Democrats hold that chamber by 232-197, few forecasters think there is much chance of that.
Senate Republicans face defeat in Colorado, Maine, Arizona and perhaps North Carolina. Supposedly safer seats in Georgia, Iowa and Montana look far from secure. Trump reportedly told donors North Carolina would hold and Alabama would be taken back, but said there were “a couple” of senators he did not want to help.
“There are a couple senators I can’t really get involved in,” the Post quoted him as saying. “I just can’t do it. You lose your soul if you do. I can’t help some of them. I don’t want to help some of them.”
Trump has clashed with senators including Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who offered harsh criticism and predicted “a Republican bloodbath in the Senate”.
Sasse is among conservatives eyeing post-Trump presidential runs. Others usually loyal but under pressure at the polls, such as John Cornyn in Texas and Martha McSally in Arizona, have mounted cautious bids to be seen as independent.
Even Mitch McConnell, the ruthless architect of the Republicans’ push to install federal judges under Trump, has said he thinks his party has a “50-50” chance of keeping control. The majority leader, 78, set for re-election despite a tough fight in Kentucky, has rebuffed questions about his health after he appeared with severe bruising to his hands and face.
Control of the Senate has allowed Republicans to rush through the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to succeed Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the supreme court, thereby tipping it 6-3 in favour of conservatives.
If the White House and Senate are lost, a reactionary court would be Republicans’ bulwark against a Biden legislative agenda that could include reform to the court and the Senate.
The court is due to hear a challenge to the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, on 10 November. Trump has said he wants the justices to bring the ACA down, thereby depriving millions of healthcare in a pandemic and kneecapping his own drive to defeat HIV.
One senator who initially stood against the push for Barrett said during debate on Saturday she would vote to confirm. When the nomination comes to the floor on Monday, said Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, “I will be a yes. I have no doubt about her intellect … I have no doubt about her capability to do the job.”
Generally a defender of abortion rights Democrats say Barrett will threaten, Murkowksi had said no new justice should be named before the election.


theguardian--2020-10-24--'On the brink': US coronavirus cases surge in final days before election

The US is surging towards record numbers of new coronavirus infections above 100,000 a day , health experts have warned , just as a presidential campaign with the pandemic as its core issue enters its final week .
In a further blow to Donald Trump ’ s hopes of keeping the White House , the US death toll from Covid-19 will pass 225,000 by early this week , bringing extra scrutiny to the president ’ s repeated but evidently false claims that the crisis is “ rounding the turn ” .
With only 10 days remaining before election day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 56 million Americans having voted by mail or in person , the Republican incumbent is short on time and resources to convince a dwindling number of undecideds he is the best choice to lead the country out of the pandemic .
National polls continue to show Democratic challenger Joe Biden with a substantial lead , although the races are noticeably tighter in several of the crucial swing states both candidates need to secure victory in the electoral college .
The country set a record daily number of new coronavirus cases on Friday at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high set on 16 July by more than 6,000 .
Dozens of states have reported surges in numbers .
The Republican governor of Utah , Gary Herbert , warned that health services are at breaking point .
“ Up until now , our hospitals have been able to provide good care to all Covid and non-Covid patients who need it , ” he said .
“ But today we stand on the brink .
If Utahans do not take serious steps to limit group gatherings and wear masks , our healthcare providers will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care for everyone who needs it.
” Health experts see the crisis worsening , in contrast to the rosy picture painted by Trump at campaign rallies that the US is “ rounding the corner beautifully ” and will not see the dark winter Biden foresaw in this week ’ s final presidential debate .
“ We easily will hit six-figure numbers [ daily ] in terms of the number of cases , ” Michael Osterholm , the director of the center for infectious disease research and policy at the University of Minnesota , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are going to go up precipitously in the next three to four weeks , following usually new cases by about two to three weeks.
” Trump was in his home state of Florida on Saturday , casting his vote at a library in West Palm Beach – “ I voted for a guy named Trump , ” he told reporters – before departing for large campaign rallies in North Carolina , Ohio and Wisconsin .
On Sunday he will speak in New Hampshire .
Biden has maintained a less frantic schedule , preferring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Aides have said he will be “ campaigning aggressively ” in battleground states in the coming days , and he was scheduled to appear at two drive-in events in Pennsylvania on Saturday , one attended by the singer Jon Bon Jovi .
At the first event , in Bristol , Biden addressed supporters gathered in pickups or cars , many with windows or sunroofs down .
“ It ’ s going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways , ” he repeated .
Biden was due to get some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who was to hold a drive-in rally in Miami .
Obama delivered a blistering attack on Trump ’ s leadership on Wednesday in Pennsylvania , his 2020 campaign debut .

The US is surging towards record numbers of new coronavirus infections above 100,000 a day, health experts have warned, just as a presidential campaign with the pandemic as its core issue enters its final week.
In a further blow to Donald Trump’s hopes of keeping the White House, the US death toll from Covid-19 will pass 225,000 by early this week, bringing extra scrutiny to the president’s repeated but evidently false claims that the crisis is “rounding the turn”.
With only 10 days remaining before election day, 3 November, and with more than 56 million Americans having voted by mail or in person, the Republican incumbent is short on time and resources to convince a dwindling number of undecideds he is the best choice to lead the country out of the pandemic.
National polls continue to show Democratic challenger Joe Biden with a substantial lead, although the races are noticeably tighter in several of the crucial swing states both candidates need to secure victory in the electoral college.
The country set a record daily number of new coronavirus cases on Friday at more than 83,000, eclipsing the previous high set on 16 July by more than 6,000. Dozens of states have reported surges in numbers. The Republican governor of Utah, Gary Herbert, warned that health services are at breaking point.
“Up until now, our hospitals have been able to provide good care to all Covid and non-Covid patients who need it,” he said. “But today we stand on the brink. If Utahans do not take serious steps to limit group gatherings and wear masks, our healthcare providers will not have the ability to provide quality care for everyone who needs it.”
Health experts see the crisis worsening, in contrast to the rosy picture painted by Trump at campaign rallies that the US is “rounding the corner beautifully” and will not see the dark winter Biden foresaw in this week’s final presidential debate.
“We easily will hit six-figure numbers [daily] in terms of the number of cases,” Michael Osterholm, the director of the center for infectious disease research and policy at the University of Minnesota, told CNN. “And the deaths are going to go up precipitously in the next three to four weeks, following usually new cases by about two to three weeks.”
Trump was in his home state of Florida on Saturday, casting his vote at a library in West Palm Beach – “I voted for a guy named Trump,” he told reporters – before departing for large campaign rallies in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin. On Sunday he will speak in New Hampshire.
Biden has maintained a less frantic schedule, preferring smaller, drive-in or virtual events. Aides have said he will be “campaigning aggressively” in battleground states in the coming days, and he was scheduled to appear at two drive-in events in Pennsylvania on Saturday, one attended by the singer Jon Bon Jovi.
At the first event, in Bristol, Biden addressed supporters gathered in pickups or cars, many with windows or sunroofs down.
“It’s going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways,” he repeated.
Biden was due to get some help from former President Barack Obama, who was to hold a drive-in rally in Miami. Obama delivered a blistering attack on Trump’s leadership on Wednesday in Pennsylvania, his 2020 campaign debut.


theguardian--2020-10-24--We’re endlessly told why populism works. Now see how it might fail | Nick Cohen

We have heard lectures on why radical rightwing movements win for what feels like an age .
A more pressing subject gains less attention .
Like catching a glimpse of the path from a dangerous mountain when the mist parts , we can begin to see how they may lose .
When liberals treat their enemies as evil geniuses , they bestow a backhanded compliment .
They imply that , however wicked it may be , the right has a supernatural power to manipulate the electorate and rig the system .
Donald Trump is many things , but he ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
If Trump were a beggar screaming at passersby on a Washington sidewalk , rather than a billionaire in the White House , we would have no difficulty in saying he was mentally ill .
I accept Boris Johnson has the superficial charm and rat-like cunning of the journalist-conman .
But if he were a political mastermind , he would never have confirmed the deep suspicion of northern voters that southern snobs view them with contempt .
One day , their obituaries may record that Trump and Johnson destroyed the base of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ; that they no more understood the forces that brought them to power than plastic sheeting blowing down a street understands the wind .
Age does not bring wisdom and before it is anything else Trump and Johnson ’ s base is old .
Sixty per cent of voters over 65 supported Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum .
American pensioners preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton 53 % -45 % in the 2016 presidential election .
You don ’ t need me to tell you that Covid-19 targets the old .
And you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ genius to know that politicians shouldn ’ t give their supporters the impression they are happy to see them die .
Trump ’ s failure to get a grip on the pandemic and the Republican party ’ s dismissal of basic health protections gives exactly that impression .
Joe Biden can now tell old , white voters , whose backing Trump could once have counted on : “ You ’ re expendable , you ’ re forgettable , you ’ re virtually nobody .
That ’ s how he sees seniors .
That @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US polls bear out the staggering political insight that voters don ’ t want to die by showing that Biden has taken a substantial lead among pensioners .
Far from making the clever choice and downplaying an issue that only harms him , Trump reveals his compulsive narcissism by refusing to let Covid-19 go .
Moving on to talk about , say , the economy would entail accepting that he was in the wrong about the pandemic .
Rather than bite his tongue , last week he was ridiculing the head of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , whom Trump loathes for the childish reason that Americans trust his medical advice more than they trust Trump .
Johnson ’ s failure to protect the British is equal to Trump ’ s failure to protect Americans , as the near-identical per capita death rates show .
Johnson is also displaying Trumpian levels of political ineptitude , although the reason for his blundering is different .
If Trump is driven by a narcissistic compulsion , Johnson is driven by power hunger .
Perhaps you have to be from the north of England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as if the south can humiliate the north .
I moved away from Manchester in the 1980s and even I found myself overcome by volcanic rage as ministers issued ultimatums that Manchester must accept the government ’ s miserly Covid-19 relief or pay the price .
Johnson ’ s behaviour is incomprehensible because he knows the power of northern resentment .
Since the Brexit referendum , the right has spun the story that elitist Remainers , lounging in their Islington ivory towers , had the nerve to denounce honest northerners as “ thick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pages of the Daily Telegraph have been filled with little else these past four years .
Exploiting anti-metropolitan feeling helped the Conservatives win .
Now northern Labour politicians can turn the years of physical and economic suffering that coronavirus will bring into the story of how Westminster ’ s Tory elite refused to treat the north with common decency .
The Manchester Evening News ’ s Jennifer Williams wrote of her incredulity that , as reports of Tories refusing the support the north needed cut through to such an extent that pubs were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not a single cabinet minister visited Manchester to make the government ’ s case .
Perhaps it isn ’ t such a puzzle .
This government hates and wants to crush anyone who argues back : judges , broadcasters , civil servants , regional mayors .
When the mayor of Greater Manchester stood up for his region , the right ’ s hatred of a rival source of power blinded it to the danger of confirming every northern suspicion about the south .
A deterministic explanation of contemporary society has taken a deep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ governments do not matter , we are told .
The material reality of whether you have a job or are unemployed , whether you expect to live or die , no longer determines how you vote .
If you went to university , you back the left .
If you didn ’ t , you back the right .
Or so the story goes .
Johnson can break his promises about Brexit bringing a new dawn .
Trump can break his promises about fighting for working-class Americans .
It doesn ’ t matter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could “ stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn ’ t lose voters ” encapsulates our age .
If Trump wins , the cultural determinists will be vindicated .
If he does not , however , the reasons for his defeat won ’ t be a mystery .
Astonished US journalists won ’ t be wondering how to explain it .
They will know that , far from helping him , Trump ’ s vicious culture war politics alienated white women , who came to find him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Covid-19 crisis alienated elderly people and many others besides .
Northern Labour politicians I speak to still believe that Corbyn and the far left gifted the Conservatives another 10 years in 2019 .
But even they are wavering now and , like lost walkers when the mist parts on the fells , are catching the faintest glimpse of a way through the murk .

We have heard lectures on why radical rightwing movements win for what feels like an age. A more pressing subject gains less attention. Like catching a glimpse of the path from a dangerous mountain when the mist parts, we can begin to see how they may lose.
When liberals treat their enemies as evil geniuses, they bestow a backhanded compliment. They imply that, however wicked it may be, the right has a supernatural power to manipulate the electorate and rig the system. Donald Trump is many things, but he’s no genius, evil or otherwise. If Trump were a beggar screaming at passersby on a Washington sidewalk, rather than a billionaire in the White House, we would have no difficulty in saying he was mentally ill. I accept Boris Johnson has the superficial charm and rat-like cunning of the journalist-conman. But if he were a political mastermind, he would never have confirmed the deep suspicion of northern voters that southern snobs view them with contempt.
One day, their obituaries may record that Trump and Johnson destroyed the base of their support without realising they were doing it; that they no more understood the forces that brought them to power than plastic sheeting blowing down a street understands the wind.
Johnson’s failure to protect the British is equal to Trump’s failure to protect Americans, as the death rates show
Age does not bring wisdom and before it is anything else Trump and Johnson’s base is old. Sixty per cent of voters over 65 supported Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum. American pensioners preferred Trump over Hillary Clinton 53%-45% in the 2016 presidential election. You don’t need me to tell you that Covid-19 targets the old. And you don’t need to be a genius to know that politicians shouldn’t give their supporters the impression they are happy to see them die. Trump’s failure to get a grip on the pandemic and the Republican party’s dismissal of basic health protections gives exactly that impression. Joe Biden can now tell old, white voters, whose backing Trump could once have counted on: “You’re expendable, you’re forgettable, you’re virtually nobody. That’s how he sees seniors. That’s how he sees you.”
US polls bear out the staggering political insight that voters don’t want to die by showing that Biden has taken a substantial lead among pensioners. Far from making the clever choice and downplaying an issue that only harms him, Trump reveals his compulsive narcissism by refusing to let Covid-19 go. Moving on to talk about, say, the economy would entail accepting that he was in the wrong about the pandemic. Rather than bite his tongue, last week he was ridiculing the head of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, whom Trump loathes for the childish reason that Americans trust his medical advice more than they trust Trump.
Johnson’s failure to protect the British is equal to Trump’s failure to protect Americans, as the near-identical per capita death rates show. Johnson is also displaying Trumpian levels of political ineptitude, although the reason for his blundering is different. If Trump is driven by a narcissistic compulsion, Johnson is driven by power hunger.
Not a single cabinet minister visited Manchester to make the government’s case
Perhaps you have to be from the north of England to understand the suicidal politics of behaving as if the south can humiliate the north. I moved away from Manchester in the 1980s and even I found myself overcome by volcanic rage as ministers issued ultimatums that Manchester must accept the government’s miserly Covid-19 relief or pay the price. Johnson’s behaviour is incomprehensible because he knows the power of northern resentment. Since the Brexit referendum, the right has spun the story that elitist Remainers, lounging in their Islington ivory towers, had the nerve to denounce honest northerners as “thick” for backing Leave. The opinion pages of the Daily Telegraph have been filled with little else these past four years.
Exploiting anti-metropolitan feeling helped the Conservatives win. Now northern Labour politicians can turn the years of physical and economic suffering that coronavirus will bring into the story of how Westminster’s Tory elite refused to treat the north with common decency. The Manchester Evening News’s Jennifer Williams wrote of her incredulity that, as reports of Tories refusing the support the north needed cut through to such an extent that pubs were offering free pints to Andy Burnham, not a single cabinet minister visited Manchester to make the government’s case. Perhaps it isn’t such a puzzle. This government hates and wants to crush anyone who argues back: judges, broadcasters, civil servants, regional mayors. When the mayor of Greater Manchester stood up for his region, the right’s hatred of a rival source of power blinded it to the danger of confirming every northern suspicion about the south.
A deterministic explanation of contemporary society has taken a deep hold. The corruption and incompetence of governments do not matter, we are told. The material reality of whether you have a job or are unemployed, whether you expect to live or die, no longer determines how you vote. If you went to university, you back the left. If you didn’t, you back the right. Or so the story goes. Johnson can break his promises about Brexit bringing a new dawn. Trump can break his promises about fighting for working-class Americans. It doesn’t matter. Trump’s boast that he could “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters” encapsulates our age.
If Trump wins, the cultural determinists will be vindicated. If he does not, however, the reasons for his defeat won’t be a mystery. Astonished US journalists won’t be wondering how to explain it. They will know that, far from helping him, Trump’s vicious culture war politics alienated white women, who came to find him repulsive, and his mishandling of the Covid-19 crisis alienated elderly people and many others besides.
Northern Labour politicians I speak to still believe that Corbyn and the far left gifted the Conservatives another 10 years in 2019. But even they are wavering now and, like lost walkers when the mist parts on the fells, are catching the faintest glimpse of a way through the murk.