usatoday--2020-10-21--19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Here's what their stories have in common.

Today , writer E. Jean Carroll goes to court in a unique case : she accused the sitting president of defamation .
But when she came forward in 2019 to say Trump had raped her in a department store dressing room in the mid-1990s , her story started with a familiar detail .
`` The moment the dressing-room door is closed , he lunges at me , pushes me against the wall , hitting my head quite badly , and puts his mouth against my lips , '' she wrote in June 2019 .
Former model Amy Dorris , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to allege that Trump had sexually assaulted her in 1997 at the US Open tennis tournament , said it began in a similar way .
“ He just grabbed me .
And he just shoved his tongue down my throat , ” Dorris told the Guardian .
“ His grip was hard , you know , you couldn ’ t pull away.
” Trump campaign legal adviser Jenna Ellis said Dorris ' claim was `` totally false '' and an attempt to attack Trump before the election .
Thirteen of the 19 women @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or non-consensual physical contact said he kissed them without consent , often out of the blue , sometimes holding them firmly in place .
Another reason the scene is familiar : It ’ s how Trump himself described his approach to women in a 2005 recording of what he thought was a private conversation , released in 2016 .
“ You know I 'm automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them , ” he said in the now-infamous Access Hollywood recording .
“ It 's like a magnet .
Just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Carroll brought a defamation case against Trump after he allegedly slandered her in denying her claims .
Last month , the U.S. Department of Justice attempted to intervene in the case by putting the federal government , rather than Trump himself , in the position of defendant .
Today , oral arguments begin between Carroll 's attorneys and the Justice Department to consider whether the DOJ can move forward .
In their own words , here is how Carroll and other women describe their encounters with Trump : What can be learned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 19 women 's allegations — the number who allege non-consensual physical contact — as well as more than 4,000 words that Trump has spoken , tweeted or released in written statements since 2016 addressing their allegations , show patterns in both the allegations and Trump 's reactions to them .
Patterns in the behavior of alleged sexual abusers may be used by prosecutors to try to lay out a modus operandi , or `` something about the way a defendant operates that is akin to a signature , '' said Deborah Tuerkheimer , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Law and a former assistant district attorney in New York , speaking generally .
`` How do you show that a person has , let 's just say , a sense of entitlement that leads him to just take what he thinks he deserves ?
Is that something that can be reflected in multiple instances of misconduct ? ''
she said .
`` Some sexual predators who engage in patterned behavior have certain things that they say repeatedly or often .
Sometimes they do the same kinds of things , so there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part or a preoccupation with doing something in a certain way . ''
Election 2020 : Accusations against both Trump and Biden leave survivors disappointed In the case of Trump , the Access Hollywood tape is unique in that it is `` a shining example of the kind of words that could be used to help explain what 's going on in someone 's head , '' Tuerkheimer said .
`` It is really uncommon ... to have the man accused provide a window into his thinking , where you actually get a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , be it women or be it an entitlement to women 's bodies , '' she said .
However , Trump is not on trial for sexual assault , as Carroll 's case is for defamation .
Carroll is the only one of the 19 women to accuse Trump of rape , although his first wife , Ivana Trump , accused him of marital rape in a 1990 deposition .
Trump denied it and she later said she did not mean it in a criminal sense .
Jill Harth , a makeup artist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , had a business relationship with Trump , accused Trump of attempted rape in a 1997 lawsuit which she withdrew from court , though she said in 2016 she stood by her claims .
From 2005 to early 2007 , there were seven incidents when women alleged Trump sexually attacked or forcibly touched them .
That ’ s at the very start of his marriage to model Melania Trump , and it ’ s in the early – and peak ratings years – of Trump ’ s hit television show , `` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the immediate wake of when the Access Hollywood tape was recorded .
Two of the allegations took place in July 2006 — the same month Trump had his affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels , who received a $ 130,000 payment just before the 2016 election by the president ’ s former lawyer and signed a nondisclosure agreement about the affair .
It is now part of a larger investigation into Trump 's finances .
That same weekend , Jessica Drake said , Trump kissed her without permission and offered to pay @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the former Miss Finland , said that he grabbed her butt that same month before an appearance on the David Letterman show .
Though our analysis focused on 19 women who alleged physical contact , more women have alleged other inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature from Trump , including a number of participants in pageants he owned like former Miss North Carolina Samantha Holvey , who said he made her feel `` like a piece of meat . ''
And former Miss Teen Vermont Mariah Billado and former Miss Arizona Tasha Dixon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unannounced while young women were topless or naked .
Trump 's own comments about `` inspecting '' Miss USA contestants and claims he would touch them , Tuerkheimer said , are an example of entitlement that `` can lead to an inference that a person is more willing to just touch , just grab , just grope , just kiss . ''
Ten women say it happened at Trump ’ s properties More than half of the cases are alleged to have happened at Trump ’ s properties in New York and Florida @ @ @ @ @ @ @ private spaces or more control over the environment .
Like Dorris , Karen Johnson said Trump caught her outside the restroom .
However , Johnson was at a Mar-a-Lago party when Trump allegedly groped her , pulled her behind a tapestry and kissed her , she told journalists Barry Levine and Monique El-Faizy in their book `` All the President 's Women . ''
Cathy Heller said Trump grabbed and kissed her when she attended a Mother ’ s Day Brunch at Mar-a-Lago in 1997 .
In Harth 's lawsuit she alleged one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Trump 's daughter Ivanka 's bedroom at Mar-a-Lago .
Natasha Stoynoff , a reporter for People magazine , published a story in the magazine alleging that Trump pushed her against the wall and forced his tongue into her mouth while giving her a tour of Mar-a-Lago in December 2005 .
She was visiting to interview Trump for an article .
In a 2016 Palm Beach Post article , Mindy McGillivray said she was groped by Trump during an event at Mar-a-Lago in 2003 .
Most of the women were in their 20s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their twenties when they say the incidents occurred .
In many cases , they were decades younger than Trump .
Dorris was 24 and Trump 51 at the time the alleged assault took place .
Kristin Anderson , an aspiring model who said Trump groped her in the early 1990s , was in her early 20s at the time ; Trump would have been in his mid- to late-40s .
Then-Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks denied the incident with Anderson occurred and called it a `` political attack designed to tear down Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ say Trump kissed or groped them while they were meeting for a job interview or as part of a business deal .
Former `` Apprentice '' contestant Jennifer Murphy , who said she plans to vote for Trump , told Grazia magazine he unexpectedly kissed her on the lips while she was leaving a job interview in 2005 .
Summer Zervos , another former contestant on `` The Apprentice , '' said her incident with Trump also happened as part of a job interview , which Trump had scheduled in his private hotel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at Bayrock Group , a Trump Tower client , in 2005 when she introduced herself to Trump outside an elevator where , she alleges , he kissed her on the mouth .
Trump called it `` Another False Accusation '' in a 2018 tweet .
Juliet Huddy , a former Fox News host , said Trump kissed her after a lunch .
On at least four occasions , Trump has falsely stated he 'd never met women who accused him of sexual assault , despite video or photo evidence to the contrary .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ him interacting with at least 11 of the accusers .
“ I have no idea who these women are , have no idea , ” he said at a rally in Greensboro , North Carolina , on Oct. 14 , 2016 .
“ Never met this person , these people , I don ’ t know who they are , ” he added later in the rally .
We found that Trump had been photographed or appeared on national television interacting with Dorris , Murphy , Stoynoff , Zervos , Searles , McDowell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ ve never met this person in my life , ” Trump said in a written statement responding to Carroll ’ s rape allegation , even though New York magazine had already published a photograph of Carroll and Trump together a social event in 1987 .
At least seven times , Trump has claimed , without evidence , that allegations against him have been discredited .
On Oct. 14 , 2016 Trump said `` eyewitnesses already debunked to a People Magazine story.
” But there is no evidence eyewitnesses to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Stoynoff said Trump ’ s butler walked in , but he has never spoken publicly and would have been the sole eyewitness .
Two days later , Trump said `` those stories have been largely debunked ” and on Oct. 17 he tweeted twice , saying `` these totally phoney stories , 100 % made up by women ( many already proven false ) '' and `` media has deceived the public by putting women front and center with made-up stories and lies , and got caught.
” There is no evidence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at this point had been “ largely debunked ” or `` proven false . ''
On Sept. 27 , 2018 , Trump said : “ I was accused by four or five women who got paid a lot of money to make up stories about me .
We caught them , and the mainstream media refused to put it on television . ''
But there is no evidence any women were paid `` to make up stories ” or were “ caught ” making up allegations .
Democratic nominee former Vice President Joe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conduct with women .
The majority of claims against him include unwanted touching or inappropriate displays of physical affection .
Eight women spoke up in 2019 to say they were on the receiving end of uncomfortable touching , such as Lucy Flores ’ claim that Biden smelled her hair and kissed the back of her head .
The claims forced Biden to publicly acknowledge that times have changed and say he would be “ more mindful ” going forward .
However , one of the women , Tara Reade , claims that Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it took place in 1993 while she worked for his Senate office , a claim the former vice president denies .
Asked about Reade ’ s claim against Biden shortly after she came forward with it this year , voters were split on whether they believed her .
Half of Republicans and only 20 % of Democrats said it was probably true .
Just as numerous similar stories suggest the public should pay attention , the absence of a group of survivors sharing like accounts about a person in power does not mean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Emily Martin , vice president for education and workplace justice at the National Women ’ s Law Center .
“ It is important not to react to the Harvey Weinsteins and Charlie Roses , where so many women came forward , with the conclusion that if someone is making an allegation on her own… that that is false , ” Martin said .
“ That simply isn ’ t the case in law or real life.
” Though Martin did not comment on the particular allegations against Trump or Biden , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take any allegation seriously while still asking questions to get to the truth .
As the Me Too movement has gained traction since 2017 , “ it ’ s made a tremendous amount of difference for public perception when multiple women come forward telling similar stories , ” Martin said .
Martin said when looking at incidents of alleged sexual harassment or abuse , when there are similarities in the accounts coming from multiple alleged victims about the same perpetrator , “ it ’ s certainly hard to dismiss.
” In the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for example , Martin noted the many common threads in survivors ’ accounts spanning decades , even when the women came forward many years after they were abused .
“ Coming forward has a lot of cost , and so the willingness of multiple women to go on the record to share their story and to expose themselves both to the embarrassment of having to share these traumatic incidents and to the backlash and the attacks that you see when survivors of sexual violence come forward with allegations against powerful people… it seems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do that for any other reason than telling the truth , ” Martin said , though she was not referring to Trump 's accusers specifically .
However , 13 of the 19 women accusing Trump went public with their stories prior to the 2016 election and Trump still won the votes of about 42 % of women .
Currently , women favor Biden by a 53 % -40 % margin , according to Investor 's Business Daily/TIPP poll out Monday .
As the 2020 presidential election draws near , the question remains : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do they care ?
If you are a survivor of sexual assault , you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE ( 4673 ) or visit hotline.rainn.org/online and receive confidential support 24/7 .
Contributing : Steve Reilly reported for this story for USA TODAY in 2019 .

Jeanine Santucci, Jim Sergent and George Petras, USA TODAY

E. Jean Carroll's victory in her sexual abuse and defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump will cost the former president millions in damages. It might be priceless to at least a dozen other women.
A federal jury sided Tuesday with Carroll, a professional writer, who said Trump suddenly attacked her shortly after the two met in 1996 at a Bergdorf Goodman department store in New York City. The jury found Trump not liable for rape but instead sexual abuse that injured Carroll.
Trump and his attorneys countered that Carroll fabricated the story for financial gain and political revenge.
The swift verdict bolsters the claims of 18 other women – 13 who have accused Trump of sexual assault or non-consensual physical contact, often out of the blue, sometimes holding them firmly in place.
In their own words, here is how Carroll and other women describe their encounters with Trump:
What can be learned from patterns
A USA TODAY review of 19 women's allegations — the number who allege non-consensual physical contact — as well as more than 4,000 words that Trump has spoken, tweeted or released in written statements since 2016 addressing their allegations, show patterns in both the allegations and Trump's reactions to them.
Patterns in the behavior of alleged sexual abusers may be used by prosecutors to try to lay out a modus operandi, or "something about the way a defendant operates that is akin to a signature," said Deborah Tuerkheimer, professor at the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law and a former assistant district attorney in New York, speaking generally.
"How do you show that a person has, let's just say, a sense of entitlement that leads him to just take what he thinks he deserves? Is that something that can be reflected in multiple instances of misconduct?" she said. "Some sexual predators who engage in patterned behavior have certain things that they say repeatedly or often. Sometimes they do the same kinds of things, so there's a particular interest in a body part or a preoccupation with doing something in a certain way."
Key elements of Trump accusers' stories reveal similarities
Carroll is the only one of the 19 women to accuse Trump of rape, although his first wife, Ivana Trump, accused him of marital rape in a 1990 deposition. Trump denied it and she later said she did not mean it in a criminal sense. Jill Harth, a makeup artist who, along with a male associate, had a business relationship with Trump, accused Trump of attempted rape in a 1997 lawsuit which she withdrew from court, though she said in 2016 she stood by her claims.
From 2005 to early 2007, there were seven incidents when women alleged Trump sexually attacked or forcibly touched them. That’s at the very start of his marriage to model Melania Trump, and it’s in the early – and peak ratings years – of Trump’s hit television show, "The Apprentice."
Two of the allegations took place in July 2006 — the same month Trump had his affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels, who received a $130,000 payment just before the 2016 election by the president’s former lawyer and signed a nondisclosure agreement about the affair. It is now part of a larger investigation into Trump's finances.
That same weekend, Jessica Drake said, Trump kissed her without permission and offered to pay her for sex. Ninni Laaksonen, the former Miss Finland, said that he grabbed her butt that same month before an appearance on the David Letterman show.
Though our analysis focused on 19 women who alleged physical contact, more women have alleged other inappropriate behavior of a sexual nature from Trump, including a number of participants in pageants he owned like former Miss North Carolina Samantha Holvey, who said he made her feel "like a piece of meat." And former Miss Teen Vermont Mariah Billado and former Miss Arizona Tasha Dixon who both say Trump entered dressing rooms unannounced while young women were topless or naked.
Trump's own comments about "inspecting" Miss USA contestants and claims he would touch them, Tuerkheimer said, are an example of entitlement that "can lead to an inference that a person is more willing to just touch, just grab, just grope, just kiss."
Ten women say it happened at Trump’s properties
More than half of the cases are alleged to have happened at Trump’s properties in New York and Florida, places where he had access to private spaces or more control over the environment.
Like Dorris, Karen Johnson said Trump caught her outside the restroom. However, Johnson was at a Mar-a-Lago party when Trump allegedly groped her, pulled her behind a tapestry and kissed her, she told journalists Barry Levine and Monique El-Faizy in their book "All the President's Women."
Cathy Heller said Trump grabbed and kissed her when she attended a Mother’s Day Brunch at Mar-a-Lago in 1997.
In Harth's lawsuit she alleged one of the incidents of groping took place in Trump's daughter Ivanka's bedroom at Mar-a-Lago.
Natasha Stoynoff, a reporter for People magazine, published a story in the magazine alleging that Trump pushed her against the wall and forced his tongue into her mouth while giving her a tour of Mar-a-Lago in December 2005. She was visiting to interview Trump for an article.
In a 2016 Palm Beach Post article, Mindy McGillivray said she was groped by Trump during an event at Mar-a-Lago in 2003.
Most of the women were in their 20s
Ten of the 19 women were in their twenties when they say the incidents occurred. In many cases, they were decades younger than Trump.
Dorris was 24 and Trump 51 at the time the alleged assault took place.
Kristin Anderson, an aspiring model who said Trump groped her in the early 1990s, was in her early 20s at the time; Trump would have been in his mid- to late-40s. Then-Trump campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks denied the incident with Anderson occurred and called it a "political attack designed to tear down Mr. Trump" in 2016.
10 women allege the incidents happened in business settings
Ten women say Trump kissed or groped them while they were meeting for a job interview or as part of a business deal.
Former "Apprentice" contestant Jennifer Murphy, who said she plans to vote for Trump, told Grazia magazine he unexpectedly kissed her on the lips while she was leaving a job interview in 2005.
Summer Zervos, another former contestant on "The Apprentice," said her incident with Trump also happened as part of a job interview, which Trump had scheduled in his private hotel room.
Rachel Crooks was a receptionist at Bayrock Group, a Trump Tower client, in 2005 when she introduced herself to Trump outside an elevator where, she alleges, he kissed her on the mouth. Trump called it "Another False Accusation" in a 2018 tweet.
Juliet Huddy, a former Fox News host, said Trump kissed her after a lunch.
Trump’s denials contain false info
On at least four occasions, Trump has falsely stated he'd never met women who accused him of sexual assault, despite video or photo evidence to the contrary. There is photographic or video evidence of him interacting with at least 11 of the accusers.
“I have no idea who these women are, have no idea,” he said at a rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, on Oct. 14, 2016. “Never met this person, these people, I don’t know who they are,” he added later in the rally. We found that Trump had been photographed or appeared on national television interacting with Dorris, Murphy, Stoynoff, Zervos, Searles, McDowell, Laaksonen, Drake and Harth.
“I’ve never met this person in my life,” Trump said in a written statement responding to Carroll’s rape allegation, even though New York magazine had already published a photograph of Carroll and Trump together at a social event in 1987.
At least seven times, Trump has claimed, without evidence, that allegations against him have been discredited.
On Oct. 14, 2016 Trump said "eyewitnesses already debunked to a People Magazine story.” But there is no evidence eyewitnesses to the alleged assault debunked Stoynoff’s story. Stoynoff said Trump’s butler walked in, but he has never spoken publicly and would have been the sole eyewitness.
Two days later, Trump said "those stories have been largely debunked” and on Oct. 17 he tweeted twice, saying "these totally phoney stories, 100% made up by women (many already proven false)" and "media has deceived the public by putting women front and center with made-up stories and lies, and got caught.” There is no evidence any allegation of sexual assault against Trump at this point had been “largely debunked” or "proven false."
On Sept. 27, 2018, Trump said: “I was accused by four or five women who got paid a lot of money to make up stories about me. We caught them, and the mainstream media refused to put it on television."
But there is no evidence any women were paid "to make up stories” or were “caught” making up allegations.
If you are a survivor of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org/online and receive confidential support 24/7.
Contributing: Steve Reilly reported for this story for USA TODAY in 2019.


usatoday--2020-10-21--Called out for 'voter intimidation,' Florida officer faces discipline for wearing 'Trump 2020' mask

A uniformed police officer who was photographed wearing a `` Trump 2020 '' mask at a Florida early voting site could face suspension .
Miami-Dade County Democratic Chairman Steve Simeonidis said a photo of the armed officer in the mask was `` city funded voter intimidation '' in a Tuesday tweet .
About an hour later , the Miami Police Department condemned the behavior and promised to address the situation .
The officer , photographed while in line to vote , violated department and polling place policy by promoting a political candidate , Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been `` much more serious '' had the officer not been voting , Suarez said .
Voting across the US live updates : Poll workers prep for bad behavior ; California sues GOP over ballot boxes ; 1.2M New York voters inactive '' There were people claiming it was voter intimidation , ” Suarez said .
“ Officers have a responsibility … to protect our residents and they have to do that in an impartial manner and they can ’ t be making political statements or making political stances while they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are allowed to vote while in uniform .
It 's unknown if the officer was on duty at the time .
Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina described the officer 's behavior as “ unacceptable ” and a violation of departmental policy in Tuesday statement .
He said the action was being `` addressed immediately.
” Tommy Reyes , president of the officer 's union , said in a statement that police officers have free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution , and state law allows officers to vote in uniform .
Reyes also pointed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Police , has endorsed Donald Trump 's reelection bid at the national level .

Called out for 'voter intimidation,' Florida officer faces discipline for wearing 'Trump 2020' mask at polling place
Show Caption Hide Caption Early voter turnout breaks records, leads to long lines in many states The surge in voting has led to hours long wait times in states, like Georgia and Wisconsin, that have in-person early voting. USA TODAY
A uniformed police officer who was photographed wearing a "Trump 2020" mask at a Florida early voting site could face suspension.
Miami-Dade County Democratic Chairman Steve Simeonidis said a photo of the armed officer in the mask was "city funded voter intimidation" in a Tuesday tweet. About an hour later, the Miami Police Department condemned the behavior and promised to address the situation.
The officer, photographed while in line to vote, violated department and polling place policy by promoting a political candidate, Miami Mayor Francis Suarez said at a Tuesday press conference. The situation would have been "much more serious" had the officer not been voting, Suarez said.
Voting across the US live updates:Poll workers prep for bad behavior; California sues GOP over ballot boxes; 1.2M New York voters inactive
"There were people claiming it was voter intimidation,” Suarez said. “Officers have a responsibility … to protect our residents and they have to do that in an impartial manner and they can’t be making political statements or making political stances while they are wearing a uniform.”
Suarez said officers are allowed to vote while in uniform. It's unknown if the officer was on duty at the time.
Here is @CityofMiami Police Officer Daniel Ubeda, in full uniform with badge and gun wearing his Trump mask inside of the polling location in government center.
This is city funded voter intimidation.
Ubeda should be suspended immediately. pic.twitter.com/TbJxu6mcem — Steve Simeonidis (@stevesimeonidis) October 20, 2020
Miami Police Chief Jorge Colina described the officer's behavior as “unacceptable” and a violation of departmental policy in Tuesday statement. He said the action was being "addressed immediately.”
Tommy Reyes, president of the officer's union, said in a statement that police officers have free-speech rights under the U.S. Constitution, and state law allows officers to vote in uniform. Reyes also pointed out that the union, Fraternal Order of Police, has endorsed Donald Trump's reelection bid at the national level.
Contributing: The Associated Press


usatoday--2020-10-21--'No more excuses': Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse urging Americans in Canada to vote

Having spent most of his professional career outside the United States , Nick Nurse knows all the reasons expats give for not voting .
Heck , he ’ s used a few of them himself .
Too hard to follow election news from afar .
Didn ’ t like the candidates .
Missed the deadline to register .
Missed the deadline to get a ballot .
Missed the deadline to return a ballot .
Didn ’ t think one vote would matter .
Calling the Nov. 3 election “ the most important of our lifetime , ” the Toronto Raptors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very public campaign to get Americans living in Canada to vote .
ELECTION 2020 : Sports team owners listen to players , but support Republicans to the tune of millions of dollars “ There ’ s no more excuses this time around , ” Nurse told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday .
“ I gave you all mine .
Everybody ’ s got excuses , but we ’ ve all got to put excuses aside and make sure we all do our part and vote .
That ’ s it .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matters a lot .
I think it ’ s important , ” he added .
“ I think not voting would weigh heavy on my conscience .
Let ’ s put it that way.
” While Nurse said his players were already talking about the importance of voting back in March , before the NBA season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic , it took on greater urgency following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor .
Chris Paul teams up with Michelle Obama ’ s When We all Vote .
LeBron @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up 10,000 new poll workers , and is now working with When We All Vote to get people registered and to vote .
And after less than a quarter of eligible players voted in the 2016 election , the NBA Players Association said that just over 96 percent of the league is now registered to vote .
The Raptors are one of 20 teams with 100 percent of eligible players registered .
“ People are asking for change in a lot of different areas , ” Nurse said .
“ One of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voting and getting through government officials and legislation .
If you ’ re asking for a law to be changed , you need to vote the people you think will change those laws into office.
” “ It ’ s the most effective way for change , which I think is what the players and coaches in the NBA and a lot of people in our country are feeling.
” While Scotiabank Arena could n't be a voting site , the Raptors had hoped it could serve as a voter registration center .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and around Toronto forced them to scrap that plan .
So they ’ ve been pushing the importance of voting on their Twitter account , and Nurse , the NBA ’ s coach of the year for the 2019-20 season , has been amplifying the message personally , hoping to reach as many Americans living in Canada as he can .
And there are plenty .
According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program ’ s analysis of overseas voting in the 2016 election , Canada had more Americans of voting age — more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Yet less than 7 % requested ballots for the last presidential election .
“ Let ’ s just say there is some room for improvement , ” Nurse said .
While the Raptors won ’ t know the results of their efforts until after the election , Nurse said the Federal Voting Assistance Program ’ s website , www.fvap.gov , is getting three times the traffic it normally does in Canada .
The website provides information on voting for service members and their families as well as Americans overseas .
Voting overseas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the United States , Nurse said .
He requested his ballot online — he 's registered to vote in Iowa — and sent it back Monday , using FedEx to ensure there were no delays .
“ It ’ s not required , but I tend to do that with anything ( important ) I ’ m mailing to the States , ” Nurse said .
“ I wanted to make sure I get it down there quick.
” This election , there is no room for error .
Or excuses .

'No more excuses': Toronto Raptors coach Nick Nurse urging Americans in Canada to vote
Having spent most of his professional career outside the United States, Nick Nurse knows all the reasons expats give for not voting. Heck, he’s used a few of them himself.
Too hard to follow election news from afar. Didn’t like the candidates. Missed the deadline to register. Missed the deadline to get a ballot. Missed the deadline to return a ballot. Didn’t think one vote would matter.
No more.
Calling the Nov. 3 election “the most important of our lifetime,” the Toronto Raptors coach has joined with his team in a very public campaign to get Americans living in Canada to vote.
ELECTION 2020: Sports team owners listen to players, but support Republicans to the tune of millions of dollars
“There’s no more excuses this time around,” Nurse told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “I gave you all mine. Everybody’s got excuses, but we’ve all got to put excuses aside and make sure we all do our part and vote. That’s it.
“I think it does matter. It matters a lot. I think it’s important,” he added. “I think not voting would weigh heavy on my conscience. Let’s put it that way.”
While Nurse said his players were already talking about the importance of voting back in March, before the NBA season was halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it took on greater urgency following the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Chris Paul teams up with Michelle Obama’s When We all Vote. LeBron James’ More Than a Vote signed up 10,000 new poll workers, and is now working with When We All Vote to get people registered and to vote.
And after less than a quarter of eligible players voted in the 2016 election, the NBA Players Association said that just over 96 percent of the league is now registered to vote. The Raptors are one of 20 teams with 100 percent of eligible players registered.
“People are asking for change in a lot of different areas,” Nurse said. “One of the real ways to affect change is through voting and getting through government officials and legislation. If you’re asking for a law to be changed, you need to vote the people you think will change those laws into office.”
“It’s the most effective way for change, which I think is what the players and coaches in the NBA and a lot of people in our country are feeling.”
While Scotiabank Arena couldn't be a voting site, the Raptors had hoped it could serve as a voter registration center. But a spike in COVID cases in and around Toronto forced them to scrap that plan. So they’ve been pushing the importance of voting on their Twitter account, and Nurse, the NBA’s coach of the year for the 2019-20 season, has been amplifying the message personally, hoping to reach as many Americans living in Canada as he can.
And there are plenty.
According to the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s analysis of overseas voting in the 2016 election, Canada had more Americans of voting age — more than 622,000 — than any other country. Yet less than 7% requested ballots for the last presidential election.
Just 5.3% voted.
“Let’s just say there is some room for improvement,” Nurse said.
While the Raptors won’t know the results of their efforts until after the election, Nurse said the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s website, www.fvap.gov, is getting three times the traffic it normally does in Canada. The website provides information on voting for service members and their families as well as Americans overseas.
“Hopefully we’re helping influence that,” Nurse said.
Voting overseas is no more complicated than it is in the United States, Nurse said. He requested his ballot online — he's registered to vote in Iowa — and sent it back Monday, using FedEx to ensure there were no delays.
“It’s not required, but I tend to do that with anything (important) I’m mailing to the States,” Nurse said. “I wanted to make sure I get it down there quick.”
This election, there is no room for error. Or excuses.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on Twitter @nrarmour.


usatoday--2020-10-21--Election 2020 live updates: Obama campaigning in Philadelphia as poll finds Biden up 7 points in Pen

Election 2020 live updates: Obama campaigning in Philadelphia as poll finds Biden up 7 points in Pennsylvania

Former President Barack Obama steps onto the campaign trail Wednesday with a drive-in rally in Philadelphia as Joe Biden and President Donald Trump battle for key swing state Pennsylvania .
Trump , who rallied in Erie on Tuesday and narrowly won the Keystone State in 2016 , finds himself trailing there just 13 days before Election Day .
A new USA TODAY/Suffolk poll released Wednesday found the former vice president leading Trump by 7 points .
Trump and Biden will meet for the final time before the election on Thursday during a debate in Nashville .
It appears it will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ organizers will cut microphones at certain portions to prevent interruptions , which were prevalent at the September debate .
• None 19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct .
Here 's what their stories have in common .
• None President Donald Trump 's campaign said Joe Biden 's town hall last week felt like an episode of `` Mister Rogers ' Neighborhood . ''
But Biden leaned into the comparison .
• None The Marine Corps fired a two-star general for allegedly making a racist remark about Black troops .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Neary had been relieved as commander of Marine Corps Forces , Europe and Africa on Oct. 19 .
The reason : loss of trust and confidence .
📆 13 days until Election Day , one day until the final presidential debate , 91 days until Inauguration Day , 73 days left in 2020 .
🗳 Voting : See USA TODAY 's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote , when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues .
We will update this article throughout the day .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter .
President Donald Trump cut short an interview with `` 60 Minutes '' on Tuesday , and threatened to protest by posting a tape of the session before the program 's scheduled broadcast on Sunday .
`` This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about , '' Trump said in a series of tweets that also attacked `` 60 Minutes '' correspondent Lesley Stahl .
Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 60 Minutes , '' did not provide any examples of bias .
Trump abruptly ended the session – he did n't do the traditional `` walk-and-talk '' with Stahl , and said the `` 60 Minutes '' crew had been given enough time – nor did he return for a joint interview with Vice President Mike Pence , said two people familiar with the incident .
Trump 's `` 60 Minutes '' interview : Trump leaves contentious '60 Minutes ' interview with Lesley Stahl , goes on Twitter attack Senate Majority Leader Mitch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , told fellow Republicans he urged the White House not to strike a deal with Democrats on a COVID-19 relief package , according to a Senate source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door discussions .
The Kentucky Republican , who has blasted Democrats in negotiations , voiced concerns there would not be enough GOP votes to back a package and worries that voting on such legislation could negatively affect the timing on Judge Amy Coney Barrett 's confirmation vote to the Supreme Court , the source said .
Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an aid bill .
Some Republicans rejected Democratic offers they said are too costly and will add to the federal deficit , though President Donald Trump has pushed for Republicans to offer even more than Democrats .
Stimulus talks : McConnell urges White House against large stimulus deal as Pelosi and Mnuchin continue talks

Election 2020 live updates: Trump says debate mute button is 'unfair,' but 'that's my life'
Show Caption Hide Caption How a contentious election affects a peaceful transition of power What history has shown us about contested elections and peaceful transitions of power. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
Former President Barack Obama met Wednesday in Philadelphia with local officials and Black community leaders to discuss the importance of voting as a way to improve their lives.
Trump, who rallied in Erie on Tuesday and narrowly won the Keystone State in 2016, finds himself trailing there just 13 days before Election Day. A new USA TODAY/Suffolk poll released Wednesday found the former vice president leading Trump by 7 points.
Trump and Biden will meet for the final time before the election on Thursday during a debate in Nashville.
☕ The latest:
Congress and the White House have still not come to a deal on more COVID-19 relief. What that means for you.
19 women have accused Trump of sexual misconduct. Here's what their stories have in common.
There may be continuing delays with U.S. mail two weeks before an election where mail-in ballots are being used at unprecedented levels. Of 64 letters and packages sent short distances within battleground states since mid-September, 14 took longer than the U.S. Postal Service’s own three-day service standard for first-class local mail, a USA TODAY and University of Maryland tracking effort found.
📊 What the polls are saying: Democrat Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump among likely voters in Iowa, which Trump won in 2016.
📆 13 days until Election Day, one day until the final presidential debate, 91 days until Inauguration Day, 73 days left in 2020.
🗳 Voting: See USA TODAY's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote, when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues.
We will update this article throughout the day. You can follow all of USA TODAY's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter.
Donald Trump: I'm not 'begging' suburban women to vote for me
President Donald Trump used a pre-debate rally Wednesday to detail one of his complaints with this week's "60 Minutes" interview, saying correspondent Lesley Stahl claimed he is "begging" for the votes of suburban women.
Maybe not begging – but definitely asking.
Speaking to supporters in Gastonia, N.C., near Charlotte, Trump talked about how he solicits votes: "I joke and I say, 'women of the suburbs, please, please love me! I've done so good!'"
According to Trump, Stahl said the request for "love" amounts to "begging;" the president said he explained he was being "sarcastic," and mocked the premise of the question.
Said Trump: "From now on, when I say, 'women of the suburbs. please love me,' I've got to say, 'I'm only kidding! I'm only kidding!'"
Trump spoke a day after abruptly ending the "60 Minutes" interview, claiming it was biased and unfair.
Trump has not released a video, as he said on Tuesday he might do, but teased the interview on Wednesday by tweeting images of Stahl interviewing him.
The CBS program doesn't plan to air the interview until Sunday as part of a special program devoted to the presidential election.
In the meantime, Trump engages in his second and final debate with Democratic opponent Joe Biden in Nashville on Thursday.
— David Jackson and Courtney Subramanian
Trump: Mute button and other debate details are 'unfair,' but 'that's my life'
President Donald Trump prepared Wednesday for the final debate of the election season by complaining about it.
"I think the mute is very unfair," Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a pre-debate campaign rally in Gastonia, N.C., which is near Charlotte.
Trump also complained, again, about moderator Kristen Welker and the fact that the topic of Thursday's debate in Nashville was changed from foreign affairs to a more general discussion of the issues.
"But," he added philosophically, "that’s my life. In the meantime, that’s the White House standing behind me, right?”
After Trump constantly interrupted opponent Joe Biden during their Sept. 29 showdown, the Commission on Presidential Debates said it will mute each candidate's microphone for two minutes as their rival answers questions.
While the mute option appears directed at him, Trump said he still plans to show up in Nashville on Thursday and hopes to get in more preparation time earlier in the day.
– David Jackson
Obama: ‘If you don’t vote, you’re not at the table’
Former President Barack Obama encouraged people to learn what interests their residents have and then to describe how those might be affected by the president, or state legislature or city officials. Obama acknowledged that young people face many distractions, but he suggested they will vote if they see others voting.
“The government is us: of, by and for the people,” Obama said at his first in-person campaign event of the 2020 election. “It wasn’t always for all of us. But the way it’s designed, it works based on who is at the table. If you do not vote, you’re not at the table.”
Obama was also scheduled to give a speech supporting his vice president, Joe Biden, against President Donald Trump.
The Biden campaign launched “Shop Talk” sessions for its surrogates to encourage voting after the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The shooting led to peaceful protests and violent rioting in the city, as part of a summer of racial justice protests about policing.
Policing has been a flashpoint between the two campaigns. Trump campaigns as the law-and-order president vowing to end urban violence. He noted that unemployment was low for Black and Hispanic communities before the pandemic shuttered the economy. Biden has proposed greater police training, to reduce tensions during confrontations between officers and residents, and economic changes to spur Black homeownership and businesses.
Other Biden surrogates who have held “Shop Talk” programs include one of his campaign’s co-chairmen, Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes and former basketball star Earvin “Magic” Johnson.
Obama’s event was at the Hank Gathers Youth Access Center in North Philadelphia, a community suffering from discriminatory lending dating to the 1930s and from high rates of poverty, unemployment and gun violence.
Biden’s economic proposals aim to reduce discriminatory lending, offer $15,000 to first-time home buyers and reduce the costs of college. But he would need congressional legislation for many of his proposals, while Republicans have criticized Biden’s plan to overturn Trump’s tax cuts on businesses and on individuals earning more than $400,000 per year.
Tamir Harper, co-founder of UrbEd Inc., a non-profit that advocates for public schools, asked Obama how to design a curriculum to get young people involved in politics and voting.
Obama said demonstrating the power of voting – even if just on what flavor pizza to order or which book to read from a class syllabus – is a way to demonstrate results from voting.
“People are more likely to vote if they’ve participated in something like that when they were younger,” Obama said. “Giving kids a sense that they have a voice, that piques their interest.”
Isaiah Thomas, a Philadelphia City Council member, asked how to inspire voters who see problems magnified during the pandemic without any signs of change.
“All of our problems will not go away with one election,” Thomas said. “But at the same time, we have to recognize that this is a step in a direction of progress and change.”
Obama said listening to voters is a way to learn their priorities. Then, he said incremental change is possible – if people vote. He noted African American voter turnout set a record with his election in 2008 at 60%, but that the country hasn’t seen what would happen at 80%.
“What I say to young people is: give it a shot,” Obama said. “We can make things better. Better is good.”
— Bart Jansen
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden holds a massive cash-on-hand advantage over President Donald Trump for the final stretch before the Nov. 3 election.
The Biden campaign reported having more than $177 million on hand to spend, nearly three times the $63 million the Trump campaign reported, according to filings submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Tuesday. Figures, which do not include joint fundraising committees, were as of the end of September.
It comes as the former vice president has dominated Trump in fundraising the past two months, erasing a one-time fundraising advantage Trump enjoyed earlier in the campaign.
Biden last week announced raising 383 million in campaign funds in September, breaking the one-month record for a presidential candidate that he set the month before. The Trump campaign raised $247.8 million in September. In August, Biden raised $364.5 million, beating the $210 million raised by the Trump campaign. These figures include joint fundraising committees.
Biden has a significantly larger war chest despite outspending the Trump campaign significantly last month. The Biden campaign spent nearly $285 million in September, giving them a major edge in television advertising, compared to $139 million spent by the Trump campaign last month.
Trump said in August he would drop his own money into the race if he felt it was needed, but he has not done so.
— Joey Garrison
Vice President Mike Pence spoke to a crowd in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on Wednesday as polls show the president and Republican candidates for Congress polling behind Democrats in the Granite State.
While more traditional in tone than the blockbuster rallies of President Trump, Pence revisited familiar territory, touting the administration’s record on energy, trade, manufacturing, immigration, law enforcement and conservative appointments to the judiciary.
“I’ve got news for the Democrats: The dogma lives loudly in the Constitution of the United States of America,” Pence declared while criticizing opposition to the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
The vice president also frequently criticized Joe Biden’s time as a senator and vice president, knocking the former vice president and Senator Kamala Harris’ policy agenda.
Pence also criticized Biden’s healthcare and economic policies. “We’re going to pass the best healthcare in the world and we will never be a socialist country,” Pence promised to a crowd cheering “USA!”
Pence, the chair of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, defended the administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, stating “While Joe Biden is talking about shutting down the economy, we’re opening up again.”
Pence listed a number of priorities for the administration’s potential second term, including turning the country into the “manufacturing superpower of the world” while banning “sanctuary cities and increasing support for the military and law enforcement.
“Some say the choice is not whether America becomes more Democrat or Republican, more liberal of conservative…New Hampshire, the choice in this election is whether America remains America,” he warned to chants of “Four more years!"
— Matt Brown
Sen. Mitt Romney, one of the president’s harshest critics among Republicans in Congress, has already cast his ballot in the November election but did not vote for the leader of his party: President Donald Trump.
The Utah Republican told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday he did not vote for Trump but wouldn’t elaborate on whether he’d voted for former Vice President Joe Biden or written in someone else. A group of former Romney staffers backed Biden earlier this year.
“I did not vote for President Trump,” Romney said.
Romney, the Republican party’s nominee for president in 2012, also did not vote for Trump in the 2016 cycle, choosing to instead write in the name of his wife, Ann Romney. He has had a contentious relationship with the president, calling Trump a “phony” and a “fraud” ahead of the 2016 election and continuing to rail against the president’s rhetoric and actions on a host of issues while serving in the U.S. Senate, including on foreign policy, mail-in voting, race and the administration’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Romney was the sole Republican to vote to convict Trump on one article of impeachment earlier this year. The criticisms have drawn Trump’s ire, calling Romney a host of names on Twitter, including a “loser” and a “grandstander.”
Most recently, Romney was critical of both the president and Democrats for the “hate-filled” rhetoric during this election cycle.
“I have stayed quiet with the approach of the election," Romney said in a statement. "But I'm troubled by our politics, as it has moved away from spirited debate to a vile, vituperative, hate-filled morass that is unbecoming of any free nation – let alone the birthplace of modern democracy."
—Christal Hayes
The Senate on Wednesday failed to pass a $500 billion COVID-19 stimulus package as relief negotiations drag on less than two weeks before Election Day.
The bill would have given a federal boost to weekly unemployment benefits, sent $100 billion to schools, and allocated funding for testing and vaccine development. It failed in a 51-44 vote, unable to reach the 60 votes required to allow the legislation to move forward as nearly all Democrats opposed it over concerns that more money was needed to combat the virus and help Americans.
– Christal Hayes
The Republican-controlled Senate on Wednesday will take up a $500 billion COVID-19 stimulus package, a bill unlikely to make it out of the Senate as relief negotiations drag on less than two weeks before Election Day.
The bill would give a federal boost to weekly unemployment benefits, send over $100 billion to schools, and allocate funding for testing and vaccine development. Democrats are expected to block the legislation, arguing more money is needed to combat the virus and help Americans.
The bill's $500 billion price tag is far less than the roughly $1.8 trillion package the White House has offered and the $2.2 trillion package Democrats have backed. The two parties have spent months attempting to find a bipartisan agreement for one last batch of coronavirus stimulus relief before the election.
– Christal Hayes and Nicholas Wu
Stimulus update: Senate to take up $500 billion COVID-19 stimulus package as relief talks continue
President Donald Trump cut short an interview with "60 Minutes" on Tuesday, and threatened to protest by posting a tape of the session before the program's scheduled broadcast on Sunday.
"This will be done so that everybody can get a glimpse of what a FAKE and BIASED interview is all about," Trump said in a series of tweets that also attacked "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl.
Trump, who has often criticized coverage of "60 Minutes," did not provide any examples of bias.
Trump abruptly ended the session – he didn't do the traditional "walk-and-talk" with Stahl, and said the "60 Minutes" crew had been given enough time – nor did he return for a joint interview with Vice President Mike Pence, said two people familiar with the incident.
– David Jackson
Trump's "60 Minutes" interview: Trump leaves contentious '60 Minutes' interview with Lesley Stahl, goes on Twitter attack
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, in a closed-door lunch Tuesday, told fellow Republicans he urged the White House not to strike a deal with Democrats on a COVID-19 relief package, according to a Senate source who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door discussions.
The Kentucky Republican, who has blasted Democrats in negotiations, voiced concerns there would not be enough GOP votes to back a package and worries that voting on such legislation could negatively affect the timing on Judge Amy Coney Barrett's confirmation vote to the Supreme Court, the source said.
Republicans disagree about the size and details of an aid bill. Some Republicans rejected Democratic offers they said are too costly and will add to the federal deficit, though President Donald Trump has pushed for Republicans to offer even more than Democrats.
– Nicholas Wu and Christal Hayes
Stimulus talks: McConnell urges White House against large stimulus deal as Pelosi and Mnuchin continue talks


usatoday--2020-10-21--Trump cut short '60 Minutes' interview with Lesley Stahl and threatened to leak clips

Trump cut short '60 Minutes ' interview with Lesley Stahl and threatened to leak clips President Trump cut short an @ @ @ @ @ correspondent Lesley Stahl and threatened to leak the session before its Oct. 25 airing .

Trump cut short '60 Minutes' interview with Lesley Stahl
President Trump cut short an interview with '60 Minutes' correspondent Lesley Stahl and has since leaked the session before its Oct. 25 airing.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-10-21--Election 2020 updates: Donald Trump says he 'wasn't coming to Erie' in a pre-COVID world

The end of the 2020 presidential campaign is near .
With just two weeks until Election Day , President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are making final appeals to voters key to winning what has been a contentious contest .
Trump holds a rally Tuesday in Erie , Pennsylvania , as both he and Biden fight for the Keystone State .
The Supreme Court ruled Monday that Pennsylvania absentee ballots can be received up to three days after Election Day .
In Florida , which began in-person early voting Monday , Democrats are making a late push @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overwhelmingly supported Trump .
Meanwhile , both sides prepare for Thursday 's final presidential debate in Nashville , where the candidates ' mics will be cut while the other speaks .
• COVID stimulus : House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set the end of the day Tuesday as the deadline to get a COVID-19 stimulus deal done before Election Day .
She and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin are still in talks .
• Pentagon : As Election Day violence becomes a concern , leaders at the Pentagon have sought to shelter the military from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ top leaders reiterating that troops hold no role in elections .
• Boffo : Trump used the word in a tweet Monday .
Here 's what it means .
📊 What the polls are saying : Joe Biden holds a narrow 1-point lead over President Donald Trump in Florida , according to a poll released Tuesday .
Trump leads Biden by 17 percentage points in Kentucky , a a far smaller advantage compared to 2016 , when he beat Hillary Clinton by 30 percentage points in the state .
In North Carolina , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ holding a 1-point edge in a survey of likely voters .
📆 14 days until Election Day , two days until the final presidential debate , 92 days until Inauguration Day , 74 days left in 2020 .
🗳 Voting : See USA TODAY 's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote , when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues .
We will update this article throughout the day .
You can follow all of USA TODAY 's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump told a rally crowd in battleground Pennsylvania on Tuesday that he wouldn ’ t have to campaign so much for reelection were it not for the coronavirus pandemic .
`` Before the plague came in , I had it made .
I was n't coming to Erie .
I mean , I have to be honest : There 's no way I was coming ... .I would have called you and said , ‘ Hey , Erie , you know , if you have a chance get out and vote , ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ audience .
“ We had this thing won , '' Trump asserted about the election , `` and then we got hit with the plague and I had to go back to work .
‘ Hello , Erie , may I please have your vote ?
’ ” Trump joked about the cold weather and spent less time on stage than usual , just about an hour .
He ’ s made similar remarks about the weather as he has stepped up his schedule considerably in recent days , telling a rally audience @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t speaking on a `` freezing night with 45 degree winds '' because it was fun .
“ What do you think ?
” he asked .
“ Think I 'm doing this for my health ?
” Polls show Trump is running slightly behind in battleground states such as Pennsylvania .
Nationally , 58 % of voters disapprove of how Trump has handled the virus , according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll earlier this month , a figure that has been essentially unchanged since the summer .
Even if the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hard as it has and raised questions about his administration 's response , Trump almost certainly would have campaigned in Pennsylvania .
He held one of his first rallies there after becoming president in 2017 and held at least four political events in the state in 2018 .
Amy Coney Barrett : Full Senate to vote on Supreme Court confirmation on Monday Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will vote on Amy Coney Barrett ’ s confirmation to the Supreme Court on Monday , likely allowing Barrett to take her place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Election Day .
The Kentucky Republican outlined a schedule at his weekly news conference Tuesday that would mean the Senate would remain in session this weekend to debate her confirmation before voting on Monday .
“ We 'll be voting to confirm justice to-be Barrett next Monday , ” McConnell said .
`` And I think that will be another signature accomplishment in our effort to put on the courts , the federal courts , men and women who believe in a quaint notion that maybe the job of a judge is to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sailed through the confirmation process .
After four days of hearings and hours of questioning by senators last week , a vote on her nomination is set to be taken up by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday .
The hearings were largely without controversy or drama , allowing Barrett to retain enough Republican support that is likely to lead to her confirmation .
McConnell plans to take up her confirmation on Friday , setting up two days of debate over the weekend and a final vote by the chamber on Monday – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to back away from a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal on a COVID-19 stimulus plan before the election .
Pelosi said in an interview with Bloomberg her Tuesday ultimatum was not actually a deadline to have a deal but in fact `` the day where we would have our terms on the table , to be able to go to the next step . ''
Asked how a bill could come together , Pelosi left open the possibility a bill might not be passed until after the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the negotiations .
It might not be finished by Election Day . ''
Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said Monday the speaker hoped she would `` have clarity on whether we will be able to pass a bill before the election '' by the end of Tuesday .
COVID stimulus update : Senate to vote on PPP as deadline nears The Republican-controlled Senate is set to vote on the reauthorization of the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses as Congress runs up against a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal on COVID-19 stimulus before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ round of the small business loans but is likely to be blocked by Democrats , who have opposed standalone relief bills .
Meanwhile , Congress and the White House face a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal before the election .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set the deadline for both sides to reach a deal to restore urgently needed benefits before Nov. 3 .
Senate vote on PPP : Senate to vote on PPP reauthorization Tuesday as COVID-19 stimulus deadline nears President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Attorney General William Barr should `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden and his son Hunter .
`` We ’ ve got ta get the attorney general to act , '' Trump said during an interview on `` Fox & Friends . ''
`` He ’ s got ta act .
And he ’ s got ta act fast . ''
The comments echo the president 's past demands that Barr take action against members of the Barack Obama administration – including the former vice president – for investigating the Trump campaign team over Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign .
This time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ laptop computer and alleged emails regarding Hunter Biden 's business dealings in Ukraine and China .
Trump and his supporters claim the emails show Joe Biden 's involvement in his son 's business affairs , but there is no evidence of a direct connection .
FBI probe : FBI probing whether emails in New York Post story about Hunter Biden are tied to Russian disinformation There is also concern about the origins of the emails and the laptop that was provided to the New York Post by Rudy Giuliani , Trump 's personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation of the Bidens .
Federal authorities are investigating whether the material may be tied to a Russian disinformation aimed at undercutting the Democratic nominee , according to a person familiar with the matter .
Biden backers said Trump is trying to use the investigative powers of the federal government to dump dirt right before Election Day .
`` With the election 14 days away we wake up to trump shouting for bill barr to arrest his political opponent ’ s family , '' tweeted Rep. Bill Pascrell , Jr. , D-N.J. Tennessee @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Black Lives Matter shirts , masks A Shelby County , Tennessee , poll worker was fired Friday after election officials learned that he had turned away voters who were wearing masks and T-shirts that said Black Lives Matter .
“ What he did was patently wrong , and he was fired , ” said Suzanne Thompson , spokeswoman for the Shelby County Election Commission .
State law prohibits people from wearing items with the name of a political party or candidate currently on the ballot while in a polling place , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or “ I Can ’ t Breathe ” are not violations of that law .
A manager of operations went to the Dave Wells Community Center in Memphis during early voting and fired the worker on the spot after confirming the reports , Thompson said .
Poll worker fired : Tennessee poll worker fired after turning away voters in Black Lives Matter shirts , masks Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Monday that recently published emails purporting to document the business dealings of Hunter Biden are not connected to a Russian disinformation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to review whether the material was part of such a campaign .
Ratcliffe , in an interview with Fox Business , did not elaborate on the basis of his conclusion , though he acknowledged knowing `` little '' about the material published by the New York Post .
The FBI , according to a person familiar with the matter , has been investigating at least in part whether the material , allegedly drawn from a laptop owned by Biden and provided to the newspaper by Rudy Giuliani , President Donald Trump 's personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian influence operation aimed at undercutting Biden 's father and Democratic nominee Joe Biden .

Election 2020 updates: Donald Trump says he 'wasn't coming to Erie' in a pre-COVID world
Show Caption Hide Caption Harris returns to campaign trail with Fla. stops Kamala Harris has returned to the campaign trail with rallies in Florida to mark the first day of voting in the Sunshine State. She was briefly absent when people connected with her team tested positive for the coronavirus. (Oct. 19) AP
The end of the 2020 presidential campaign is near. With just two weeks until Election Day, President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are making final appeals to voters key to winning what has been a contentious contest.
Trump holds a rally Tuesday in Erie, Pennsylvania, as both he and Biden fight for the Keystone State. The Supreme Court ruled Monday that Pennsylvania absentee ballots can be received up to three days after Election Day.
In Florida, which began in-person early voting Monday, Democrats are making a late push to woo Cuban Americans, who have overwhelmingly supported Trump.
Meanwhile, both sides prepare for Thursday's final presidential debate in Nashville, where the candidates' mics will be cut while the other speaks.
☕ The latest:
📊 What the polls are saying: Joe Biden holds a narrow 1-point lead over President Donald Trump in Florida, according to a poll released Tuesday. Trump leads Biden by 17 percentage points in Kentucky, a a far smaller advantage compared to 2016, when he beat Hillary Clinton by 30 percentage points in the state. In North Carolina, voters are nearly split, with Biden holding a 1-point edge in a survey of likely voters.
📆 14 days until Election Day, two days until the final presidential debate, 92 days until Inauguration Day, 74 days left in 2020.
🗳 Voting: See USA TODAY's Voter Guide for information on registering to vote, when your state begins voting and what the candidates think about the issues.
We will update this article throughout the day. You can follow all of USA TODAY's politics reporters on Twitter or subscribe to our daily On Politics newsletter.
Trump: 'I wasn't coming to Erie' without COVID-19
President Donald Trump told a rally crowd in battleground Pennsylvania on Tuesday that he wouldn’t have to campaign so much for reelection were it not for the coronavirus pandemic.
"Before the plague came in, I had it made. I wasn't coming to Erie. I mean, I have to be honest: There's no way I was coming....I would have called you and said, ‘Hey, Erie, you know, if you have a chance get out and vote,’” Trump said to laughter from the audience.
“We had this thing won," Trump asserted about the election, "and then we got hit with the plague and I had to go back to work. ‘Hello, Erie, may I please have your vote?’”
Trump joked about the cold weather and spent less time on stage than usual, just about an hour. He’s made similar remarks about the weather as he has stepped up his schedule considerably in recent days, telling a rally audience in Wisconsin this weekend that he wasn’t speaking on a "freezing night with 45 degree winds" because it was fun.
“What do you think?” he asked. “Think I'm doing this for my health?”
Polls show Trump is running slightly behind in battleground states such as Pennsylvania. Nationally, 58% of voters disapprove of how Trump has handled the virus, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll earlier this month, a figure that has been essentially unchanged since the summer.
Even if the virus had not struck the U.S. as hard as it has and raised questions about his administration's response, Trump almost certainly would have campaigned in Pennsylvania. He held one of his first rallies there after becoming president in 2017 and held at least four political events in the state in 2018.
— John Fritze
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate will vote on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation to the Supreme Court on Monday, likely allowing Barrett to take her place as the ninth justice just days before Election Day.
The Kentucky Republican outlined a schedule at his weekly news conference Tuesday that would mean the Senate would remain in session this weekend to debate her confirmation before voting on Monday.
“We'll be voting to confirm justice to-be Barrett next Monday,” McConnell said. "And I think that will be another signature accomplishment in our effort to put on the courts, the federal courts, men and women who believe in a quaint notion that maybe the job of a judge is to actually follow the law.”
Barrett has sailed through the confirmation process. After four days of hearings and hours of questioning by senators last week, a vote on her nomination is set to be taken up by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday. The hearings were largely without controversy or drama, allowing Barrett to retain enough Republican support that is likely to lead to her confirmation.
McConnell plans to take up her confirmation on Friday, setting up two days of debate over the weekend and a final vote by the chamber on Monday – eight days before the election.
– Christal Hayes
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to back away from a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal on a COVID-19 stimulus plan before the election.
Pelosi said in an interview with Bloomberg her Tuesday ultimatum was not actually a deadline to have a deal but in fact "the day where we would have our terms on the table, to be able to go to the next step."
Asked how a bill could come together, Pelosi left open the possibility a bill might not be passed until after the election, saying "we could still continue the negotiations. It might not be finished by Election Day."
Pelosi spokesperson Drew Hammill said Monday the speaker hoped she would "have clarity on whether we will be able to pass a bill before the election" by the end of Tuesday.
– Nicholas Wu
The Republican-controlled Senate is set to vote on the reauthorization of the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses as Congress runs up against a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal on COVID-19 stimulus before the election.
The bill reauthorizes another round of the small business loans but is likely to be blocked by Democrats, who have opposed standalone relief bills.
Meanwhile, Congress and the White House face a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal before the election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set the deadline for both sides to reach a deal to restore urgently needed benefits before Nov. 3.
– Nicholas Wu
Senate vote on PPP: Senate to vote on PPP reauthorization Tuesday as COVID-19 stimulus deadline nears
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Attorney General William Barr should "appoint somebody" to investigate immediately Joe Biden and his son Hunter.
"We’ve gotta get the attorney general to act," Trump said during an interview on "Fox & Friends." "He’s gotta act. And he’s gotta act fast."
The comments echo the president's past demands that Barr take action against members of the Barack Obama administration – including the former vice president – for investigating the Trump campaign team over Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
This time, Trump wants an investigation into a laptop computer and alleged emails regarding Hunter Biden's business dealings in Ukraine and China. Trump and his supporters claim the emails show Joe Biden's involvement in his son's business affairs, but there is no evidence of a direct connection.
FBI probe: FBI probing whether emails in New York Post story about Hunter Biden are tied to Russian disinformation
There is also concern about the origins of the emails and the laptop that was provided to the New York Post by Rudy Giuliani, Trump's personal lawyer who has been conducting his own investigation of the Bidens.
Federal authorities are investigating whether the material may be tied to a Russian disinformation aimed at undercutting the Democratic nominee, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Biden backers said Trump is trying to use the investigative powers of the federal government to dump dirt right before Election Day.
"With the election 14 days away we wake up to trump shouting for bill barr to arrest his political opponent’s family," tweeted Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr., D-N.J.
– David Jackson
A Shelby County, Tennessee, poll worker was fired Friday after election officials learned that he had turned away voters who were wearing masks and T-shirts that said Black Lives Matter.
“What he did was patently wrong, and he was fired,” said Suzanne Thompson, spokeswoman for the Shelby County Election Commission.
State law prohibits people from wearing items with the name of a political party or candidate currently on the ballot while in a polling place, but statements like “Black Lives Matter” or “I Can’t Breathe” are not violations of that law.
A manager of operations went to the Dave Wells Community Center in Memphis during early voting and fired the worker on the spot after confirming the reports, Thompson said.
– Katherine Burgess (Memphis Commercial Appeal)
Poll worker fired: Tennessee poll worker fired after turning away voters in Black Lives Matter shirts, masks
Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe said Monday that recently published emails purporting to document the business dealings of Hunter Biden are not connected to a Russian disinformation effort, even as federal authorities continued to review whether the material was part of such a campaign.
Ratcliffe, in an interview with Fox Business, did not elaborate on the basis of his conclusion, though he acknowledged knowing "little" about the material published by the New York Post.
The FBI, according to a person familiar with the matter, has been investigating at least in part whether the material, allegedly drawn from a laptop owned by Biden and provided to the newspaper by Rudy Giuliani, President Donald Trump's personal lawyer, may be tied to a Russian influence operation aimed at undercutting Biden's father and Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
– Kevin Johnson
Ratcliffe: Russia disinformation not behind published emails targeting Biden; FBI reviewing


usatoday--2020-10-21--Obama says Trump couldn't 'protect himself' from COVID, has failed to protect the nation

Former President Barack Obama gave a fiery speech Wednesday in Philadelphia that attacked President Donald Trump as incompetent and surrounded by `` hacks '' , while promoting his former vice president , Joe Biden , as someone who would better deal with the pandemic and heal the economy .
Obama , in his first in-person campaign event two weeks before the end of 2020 voting , noted 220,000 Americans died from COVID-19 , millions of jobs were lost and said the country ’ s reputation is in tatters around the world under Trump .
“ He hasn ’ t shown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helping anybody but himself and his friends , or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention , ” Obama said .
“ This is not a reality show – this is reality .
The rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.
” But Obama said Biden and his running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris , care about people and know how to build coalitions with officials who don ’ t always agree with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tonight to ask you to deliver the White House for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris , ” Obama said in the 40-minute speech .
Obama joked that if things had gone better under Trump , the audience for his speech to people in cars outside Lincoln Financial Field , where the Eagles play football , would be tailgating before a game rather than listening to him .
But Pennsylvania is one of the most hotly contested states because Trump won in 2016 and Biden is trying to wrestle back .
An average of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump by 6 percentage points , according to tracking site FiveThirtyEight.com .
Biden leads Trump by 7 percentage points the state , according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll released Wednesday .
Trump held a rally Tuesday in Erie .
Vice President Mike Pence was in New Cumberland on Monday .
Besides visiting Philadelphia repeatedly , Biden traveled to Erie on Oct. 10 , Gettysburg on Oct. 6 and a whistle-stop tour through New Alexandria , Latrobe and Johnstown .
Tim Murtaugh , a Trump campaign spokesman , said Biden called on Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t help Biden defend his own record of putting foreign interests ahead of working Americans in bad trade policies , crushing our energy jobs under massive regulations , killing manufacturing jobs , and refusing to enforce our borders , '' Murtaugh said .
Much of Obama 's speech was leavened with humor .
Obama said his administration left a pandemic playbook for how to respond to the emergency , but with the number of cases rising again after eight months , Trump “ probably used it to prop up a wobbly table somewhere.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ suddenly going to protect all of us , ” Obama said of the president who became infected .
“ He can ’ t even take the basic steps to protect himself.
” Obama said the pandemic would have challenged any president .
But he said other countries demonstrated how to deal with it better , including South Korea with 1.3 % of the per capita U.S. death toll and Canada with 39 % .
“ If he ’ d have been working the whole time , it never would have gotten this bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this up is just not true.
” While Trump promotes the recovering economy , Obama said his administration created 1.5 million more jobs in its final three years than the Trump administration during its first three years before the pandemic .
“ Just like everything else he inherited , he messed it up , ” Obama said .
Obama contrasted his administration ’ s expansion of Medicaid and insurance protection for people with preexisting conditions to Trump ’ s efforts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Affordable Care Act during a pandemic .
“ It ’ s shameful , ” Obama said as car horns honked and people cheered .
“ What is the logic of that ?
There is no logic.
” Obama slammed Trump ’ s cabinet as hacks and lobbyists .
The Environmental Protection Agency that is supposed to protect air and water run by energy lobbyist , the Labor Department is run by corporate lobbyist gutting protections for workers , the Interior Department is run by an oil lobbyist determined to sell to the highest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by a billionaire who guts rules protecting students from for-profit colleges , Obama said .
“ When Joe and Kamala are in charge , they are not going to surround themselves with hacks and lobbyists , ” Obama said .
Obama recorded a video with Biden in July discussing the federal response to coronavirus and racial justice protests .
Obama delivered a virtual speech for Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August .
Obama recorded a message this month encouraging voters to make a plan about how to vote .
Obama held @ @ @ @ @ @ @ running mate , Sen. Kamala Harris of California .
`` I trust him to be a great president , '' Obama said of Biden in a video tweeted Tuesday .
`` He 's different .
He 's on the right side of the issues .
He 'll get the job done . ''
But Wednesday 's speech was Obama 's first in-person campaign event for Biden , in a year when the coronavirus pandemic kept the party conventions online and prevented typical campaigning .
Before the speech , Obama met with local officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ importance of voting as a way to improve their lives .
“ The government is us : of , by and for the people , ” said Obama , who wore a mask throughout the 40-minute roundtable .
“ It wasn ’ t always for all of us .
But the way it ’ s designed , it works based on who is at the table .
If you do not vote , you ’ re not at the table.
” The Biden campaign launched “ Shop Talk ” sessions for its surrogates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha , Wisconsin .
The shooting led to peaceful protests and violent rioting in the city , as part of a summer of racial justice protests about policing .
Obama ’ s event was at the Hank Gathers Youth Access Center in North Philadelphia , a community suffering from discriminatory lending dating to the 1930s and from high rates of poverty , unemployment and gun violence .
Tamir Harper , co-counder of UrbEd Inc. , a non-profit that advocates for public schools , asked Obama how to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ involved in politics and voting .
Obama said demonstrating the power of voting – even if just on what flavor pizza to order or which book to read from a class syllabus – is a way to demonstrate results from voting .
“ People are more likely to vote if they ’ ve participated in something like that when they were younger , ” Obama said .
“ Giving kids a sense that they have a voice , that piques their interest.
” Isaiah Thomas , a Philadelphia City Council member , asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ magnified during the pandemic without any signs of change .
“ All of our problems will not go away with one election , ” Thomas said .
“ But at the same time , we have to recognize that this is a step in a direction of progress and change.
” Obama said listening to voters is a way to learn their priorities .
Then , he said incremental change is possible – if people vote .
He noted African American voter turnout set a record with his election in 2008 at 60 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ t seen what would happen at 80 % .
“ What I say to young people is : give it a shot , ” Obama said .
“ We can make things better .
Better is good.
” State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta asked Obama is he still believed in “ hope , ” a slogan from his own campaigns .
“ I ’ ve never lost hope over these last four years , ” Obama said .
“ I ’ ve been mad .
I ’ ve been frustrated .
But I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the reason is because I never expected progress to move in a straight line.
” After the roundtable , Obama stopped briefly at a canvassing event on Carlisle Street .
He was greeted by two young children and tried to keep his stance , but gave one an elbow bump .
“ At the end of the day , people connect with people , ” Obama said .
“ And obviously this is an extraordinary election , because we ’ re in the midst of a pandemic , and we ’ ve got @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doing it safely , which is the only reason I ’ m not hugging and squeezing this cutie-pie .
”

Obama says Trump couldn't 'protect himself' from COVID, has failed to protect the nation
Show Caption Hide Caption Former Pres. Obama slams Trump's COVID-19 responses at Biden rally Former President Barack Obama took aim at President Donald Trump's COVID-19 response at a rally in Philadelphia for Joe Biden. USA TODAY, Associated Press
Former President Barack Obama gave a fiery speech Wednesday in Philadelphia that attacked President Donald Trump as incompetent and surrounded by "hacks", while promoting his former vice president, Joe Biden, as someone who would better deal with the pandemic and heal the economy.
Obama, in his first in-person campaign event two weeks before the end of 2020 voting, noted 220,000 Americans died from COVID-19, millions of jobs were lost and said the country’s reputation is in tatters around the world under Trump.
“He hasn’t shown any interest in doing the work or helping anybody but himself and his friends, or treating the presidency like a reality show that he can use to get attention,” Obama said. “This is not a reality show – this is reality. The rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.”
But Obama said Biden and his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris, care about people and know how to build coalitions with officials who don’t always agree with him.
“I am back here tonight to ask you to deliver the White House for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” Obama said in the 40-minute speech.
Obama joked that if things had gone better under Trump, the audience for his speech to people in cars outside Lincoln Financial Field, where the Eagles play football, would be tailgating before a game rather than listening to him. But Pennsylvania is one of the most hotly contested states because Trump won in 2016 and Biden is trying to wrestle back.
An average of Pennsylvania polls through Wednesday suggests Biden leads Trump by 6 percentage points, according to tracking site FiveThirtyEight.com. Biden leads Trump by 7 percentage points the state, according to a USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll released Wednesday.
Obama mocks Pres. Trump's reported 'secret' Chinese bank accounts While campaigning for former Vice President Joe Biden, President Obama reacts to reports that President Trump has a hidden Chinese bank account. USA TODAY
Trump held a rally Tuesday in Erie. Vice President Mike Pence was in New Cumberland on Monday. Besides visiting Philadelphia repeatedly, Biden traveled to Erie on Oct. 10, Gettysburg on Oct. 6 and a whistle-stop tour through New Alexandria, Latrobe and Johnstown.
Tim Murtaugh, a Trump campaign spokesman, said Biden called on Obama for reinforcement.
“Obama can’t help Biden defend his own record of putting foreign interests ahead of working Americans in bad trade policies, crushing our energy jobs under massive regulations, killing manufacturing jobs, and refusing to enforce our borders," Murtaugh said.
Much of Obama's speech was leavened with humor. Obama said his administration left a pandemic playbook for how to respond to the emergency, but with the number of cases rising again after eight months, Trump “probably used it to prop up a wobbly table somewhere.”
“Donald Trump isn’t suddenly going to protect all of us,” Obama said of the president who became infected. “He can’t even take the basic steps to protect himself.”
Obama said the pandemic would have challenged any president. But he said other countries demonstrated how to deal with it better, including South Korea with 1.3% of the per capita U.S. death toll and Canada with 39%.
“If he’d have been working the whole time, it never would have gotten this bad,” Obama said. “But this idea that somehow this White House has done anything but completely screw this up is just not true.”
While Trump promotes the recovering economy, Obama said his administration created 1.5 million more jobs in its final three years than the Trump administration during its first three years before the pandemic.
“Just like everything else he inherited, he messed it up,” Obama said.
Obama contrasted his administration’s expansion of Medicaid and insurance protection for people with preexisting conditions to Trump’s efforts in the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act during a pandemic.
“It’s shameful,” Obama said as car horns honked and people cheered. “What is the logic of that? There is no logic.”
Obama slammed Trump’s cabinet as hacks and lobbyists. The Environmental Protection Agency that is supposed to protect air and water run by energy lobbyist, the Labor Department is run by corporate lobbyist gutting protections for workers, the Interior Department is run by an oil lobbyist determined to sell to the highest bidder and the Education Department is run by a billionaire who guts rules protecting students from for-profit colleges, Obama said.
“When Joe and Kamala are in charge, they are not going to surround themselves with hacks and lobbyists,” Obama said.
Obama recorded a video with Biden in July discussing the federal response to coronavirus and racial justice protests. Obama delivered a virtual speech for Biden at the Democratic National Convention in August. Obama recorded a message this month encouraging voters to make a plan about how to vote. Obama held several virtual fundraisers with Biden or his running mate, Sen. Kamala Harris of California.
"I trust him to be a great president," Obama said of Biden in a video tweeted Tuesday. "He's different. He's on the right side of the issues. He'll get the job done."
But Wednesday's speech was Obama's first in-person campaign event for Biden, in a year when the coronavirus pandemic kept the party conventions online and prevented typical campaigning.
Before the speech, Obama met with local officials and Black community leaders to discuss the importance of voting as a way to improve their lives.
“The government is us: of, by and for the people,” said Obama, who wore a mask throughout the 40-minute roundtable. “It wasn’t always for all of us. But the way it’s designed, it works based on who is at the table. If you do not vote, you’re not at the table.”
The Biden campaign launched “Shop Talk” sessions for its surrogates to encourage voting after the Aug. 23 police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The shooting led to peaceful protests and violent rioting in the city, as part of a summer of racial justice protests about policing.
Obama’s event was at the Hank Gathers Youth Access Center in North Philadelphia, a community suffering from discriminatory lending dating to the 1930s and from high rates of poverty, unemployment and gun violence.
Tamir Harper, co-counder of UrbEd Inc., a non-profit that advocates for public schools, asked Obama how to design a curriculum to get young people involved in politics and voting.
Obama said demonstrating the power of voting – even if just on what flavor pizza to order or which book to read from a class syllabus – is a way to demonstrate results from voting.
“People are more likely to vote if they’ve participated in something like that when they were younger,” Obama said. “Giving kids a sense that they have a voice, that piques their interest.”
Isaiah Thomas, a Philadelphia City Council member, asked how to inspire voters who see problems magnified during the pandemic without any signs of change.
“All of our problems will not go away with one election,” Thomas said. “But at the same time, we have to recognize that this is a step in a direction of progress and change.”
Obama said listening to voters is a way to learn their priorities. Then, he said incremental change is possible – if people vote. He noted African American voter turnout set a record with his election in 2008 at 60%, but that the country hasn’t seen what would happen at 80%.
“What I say to young people is: give it a shot,” Obama said. “We can make things better. Better is good.”
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta asked Obama is he still believed in “hope,” a slogan from his own campaigns.
“I’ve never lost hope over these last four years,” Obama said. “I’ve been mad. I’ve been frustrated. But I haven’t lost hope, and the reason is because I never expected progress to move in a straight line.”
After the roundtable, Obama stopped briefly at a canvassing event on Carlisle Street. He was greeted by two young children and tried to keep his stance, but gave one an elbow bump.
“At the end of the day, people connect with people,” Obama said. “And obviously this is an extraordinary election, because we’re in the midst of a pandemic, and we’ve got to make sure that we’re doing it safely, which is the only reason I’m not hugging and squeezing this cutie-pie.”