usatoday--2020-10-24--Trump, Biden step up campaigning in closing election push after final presidential debate

WASHINGTON – Coming off the final debate with Democratic opponent Joe Biden , President Donald Trump began the closing push of his re-election campaign Friday by returning to one of the most crucial states in presidential politics : Florida .
`` Eleven days from now , we 're going to win the state of Florida , we 're going to win four more years , '' Trump told supporters at a retirement community as he bashed Biden over threats to the oil industry , immigration policies , and his son Hunter 's business activities .
Recent polls show Biden with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more nationally , though Trump is looking to string together enough battleground states to repeat his 2016 upset with another Electoral College victory .
As Trump stumped Florida , Biden delivered a speech in Wilmington , Del , to propose a COVID-19 recovery plan that the incumbent president has failed to deliver .
“ I know how much President Trump has damaged faith in our institutions , ” Biden said .
`` We have to rebuild the trust between the public and its public servants .
It ’ s one of the most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the coming years.
” In his rally at The Villages , a large retirement community in northern Florida , Trump replayed what he viewed as the highlights from the debate .
They included a moment when Biden said the nation was preparing for a much more difficult battle with the pandemic as the weather turns cold and infections begin to increase again .
`` Darkness , darkness .
It 's always darkness , '' Trump said .
`` It ’ s a gloomy vision . ''
The president also went after Biden 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fracking .
Biden offered confusing remarks on the issue during the primary .
He said at one point he opposed `` new fracking '' but his campaign later clarified that he only opposed new fracking and oil drilling on public lands .
`` Texas , are you watching ? ''
Trump told supporters in Florida , echoing lines from the debate .
`` Pennsylvania , Oklahoma , Ohio , are you watching ? '
'' After Biden said during the debate he had never opposed fracking , Trump posted a video to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggesting he supports phasing out the nation 's reliance on fossil fuels .
`` That could be one of the worst mistakes made in presidential debate history , '' Trump asserted in Florida .
`` We hope it is . ''
Biden has also said that phasing out the nation 's over-reliance on oil will take years , and that development of alternative energy sources will spawn millions of news jobs .
Trump continued to hammer Biden during an evening rally in Pensacola , returning to many of the same themes he raised @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democratic foe would `` lose five or six states '' over his comments on energy .
`` Even you do n't like it , '' Trump told the crowd in Pensacola during about 70 minutes of remarks .
`` You know why you do n't like it ?
Because you like your gasoline at $ 2 and less a gallon , right ? ''
Even as he criticized the Biden campaign for seeking to limit some fossil fuel production , Trump repeatedly touted his order this fall extending a prohibition on offshore oil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump also played a video for supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , quizzing Biden on his past remarks about reducing Social Security and Medicare benefits – reprising a line of attack the Trump campaign has been pushed for weeks .
Biden has indicated support for changes to those programs in the past , though that was not the case during his vice presidency or his current campaign .
Both Trump and Biden are focusing on key states in the final days of the race , with Trump holding an ever more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ several days in Florida , North Carolina , Wisconsin and Pennsylvania .
The last push of campaigning follows a debate in which many analysts said Trump performed well , even if they question the impact it will have on a race that has remained largely frozen in place for weeks .
Matt Mackowiak , a Texas-based Republican political consultant , said Trump `` won more of the exchanges than he lost '' in the debate with Biden , and he expects the president to pick up in the polls .
After campaigning Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina , Ohio , and Wisconsin .
His campaign is planning a Monday tour of Pennsylvania .
Trump `` can still win , '' but is `` slightly behind , '' Mackowiak said , adding that `` he will get a polling bump out of the debate . ''
The president is expected to echo his debate strategy , as he did during his Florida rally : Defend his handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while attacking his Democratic opponent politically and personally – painting him as a career politician with a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ More than 50 million people have already voted .
Here 's how that compares .
Accusing Biden and allies of pursuing `` socialist '' policies , Trump claimed a Democratic victory would produce a variety of economic ills , from higher taxes to elimination of the oil and natural gas industry .
Trump and his allies , citing unverified emails published by the New York Post , are also accusing Biden of involvement in son Hunter 's business dealings in Ukraine and China .
The emails in question do not mention the former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is investigating their origin and Biden has dismissed them as Russian disinformation .
In the debate , Biden said he has not earned a `` penny '' from foreign sources .
He also noted that Trump is the one who has done business with foreign entities , noting the president had a previously undisclosed Chinese bank account .
Specifically what that account was used for is unclear , and Trump said it is no longer being used .
The Democratic nominee also said Trump 's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic helped lead to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the deaths of more than 220,000 Americans .
In his speech on Friday , Biden noted that the U.S. has 20 % of the world 's COVID-19 deaths , and only 4 % of its population .
Mocking Trump 's claims that his coronavirus strategy is working , Biden said , `` If this is a success , what does a failure look like ? ''
Speaking with reporters at the White House , Trump said , `` I thought I did great ” at the debate .
Jack Pitney , author of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Donald J. Trump , '' said the president `` did better in the second debate than in the first , '' but that probably wo n't be enough .
`` He had to clobber Biden , and he fell way short , '' said Pitney , a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College .
`` With every passing day , it gets harder to see how he could win . ''
Before leaving for Florida , Trump , seeking to burnish his foreign policy credentials , spoke with the leaders of Israel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the latest in a string of Middle East agreements .
“ There are many , many more coming , '' Trump said .
`` This is one where there ’ s no blood in the sand.
” Trump brought up U.S. election politics during the call , asking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Biden would have made such a deal .
The prime minister did not criticize Biden , saying : `` Well ... Mr. President , one thing I can tell you is we appreciate the help for peace from @ @ @ @ @

David Jackson and John Fritze, USA TODAY

Trump, Biden step up campaigning in closing election push after final presidential debate
Show Caption Hide Caption Presidential debate: Candidates argue over tax returns, foreign money President Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden get heated over tax returns and financial dealings with foreign countries. USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – Coming off the final debate with Democratic opponent Joe Biden, President Donald Trump began the closing push of his re-election campaign Friday by returning to one of the most crucial states in presidential politics: Florida.
"Eleven days from now, we're going to win the state of Florida, we're going to win four more years," Trump told supporters at a retirement community as he bashed Biden over threats to the oil industry, immigration policies, and his son Hunter's business activities.
Recent polls show Biden with a lead of eight percentage points or more nationally, though Trump is looking to string together enough battleground states to repeat his 2016 upset with another Electoral College victory.
As Trump stumped Florida, Biden delivered a speech in Wilmington, Del, to propose a COVID-19 recovery plan that the incumbent president has failed to deliver.
“I know how much President Trump has damaged faith in our institutions,” Biden said. "We have to rebuild the trust between the public and its public servants. It’s one of the most difficult tasks we’ll face in the coming years.”
In his rally at The Villages, a large retirement community in northern Florida, Trump replayed what he viewed as the highlights from the debate. They included a moment when Biden said the nation was preparing for a much more difficult battle with the pandemic as the weather turns cold and infections begin to increase again.
"Darkness, darkness. It's always darkness," Trump said. "It’s a gloomy vision."
The president also went after Biden's position on energy independence and the issue of fracking. Biden offered confusing remarks on the issue during the primary. He said at one point he opposed "new fracking" but his campaign later clarified that he only opposed new fracking and oil drilling on public lands.
"Texas, are you watching?" Trump told supporters in Florida, echoing lines from the debate. "Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Ohio, are you watching?'"
After Biden said during the debate he had never opposed fracking, Trump posted a video to Twitter hours later with clips of Biden suggesting he supports phasing out the nation's reliance on fossil fuels.
"That could be one of the worst mistakes made in presidential debate history," Trump asserted in Florida. "We hope it is."
Biden has also said that phasing out the nation's over-reliance on oil will take years, and that development of alternative energy sources will spawn millions of news jobs.
Trump continued to hammer Biden during an evening rally in Pensacola, returning to many of the same themes he raised during the debate and predicted that his Democratic foe would "lose five or six states" over his comments on energy.
"Even you don't like it," Trump told the crowd in Pensacola during about 70 minutes of remarks. "You know why you don't like it? Because you like your gasoline at $2 and less a gallon, right?"
Even as he criticized the Biden campaign for seeking to limit some fossil fuel production, Trump repeatedly touted his order this fall extending a prohibition on offshore oil drilling off the coast of Florida.
Trump also played a video for supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., quizzing Biden on his past remarks about reducing Social Security and Medicare benefits – reprising a line of attack the Trump campaign has been pushed for weeks. Biden has indicated support for changes to those programs in the past, though that was not the case during his vice presidency or his current campaign.
Both Trump and Biden are focusing on key states in the final days of the race, with Trump holding an ever more intense schedule of rallies over the next several days in Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
The last push of campaigning follows a debate in which many analysts said Trump performed well, even if they question the impact it will have on a race that has remained largely frozen in place for weeks.
Matt Mackowiak, a Texas-based Republican political consultant, said Trump "won more of the exchanges than he lost" in the debate with Biden, and he expects the president to pick up in the polls.
After campaigning Friday in Florida, Trump spends Saturday in North Carolina, Ohio, and Wisconsin. His campaign is planning a Monday tour of Pennsylvania.
Trump "can still win," but is "slightly behind," Mackowiak said, adding that "he will get a polling bump out of the debate."
The president is expected to echo his debate strategy, as he did during his Florida rally: Defend his handling of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic while attacking his Democratic opponent politically and personally – painting him as a career politician with a mixed record at best.
More: More than 50 million people have already voted. Here's how that compares.
More: Even if Biden misspoke about 'Proud Boys,' social media embraces 'poor boys'
Accusing Biden and allies of pursuing "socialist" policies, Trump claimed a Democratic victory would produce a variety of economic ills, from higher taxes to elimination of the oil and natural gas industry.
Trump and his allies, citing unverified emails published by the New York Post, are also accusing Biden of involvement in son Hunter's business dealings in Ukraine and China. The emails in question do not mention the former vice president by name, the FBI is investigating their origin and Biden has dismissed them as Russian disinformation.
In the debate, Biden said he has not earned a "penny" from foreign sources. He also noted that Trump is the one who has done business with foreign entities, noting the president had a previously undisclosed Chinese bank account. Specifically what that account was used for is unclear, and Trump said it is no longer being used.
The Democratic nominee also said Trump's mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic helped lead to the loss of millions of jobs and the deaths of more than 220,000 Americans.
In his speech on Friday, Biden noted that the U.S. has 20% of the world's COVID-19 deaths, and only 4% of its population. Mocking Trump's claims that his coronavirus strategy is working, Biden said, "If this is a success, what does a failure look like?"
Speaking with reporters at the White House, Trump said, "I thought I did great” at the debate.
Jack Pitney, author of "Un-American: the Fake Patriotism of Donald J. Trump," said the president "did better in the second debate than in the first," but that probably won't be enough.
"He had to clobber Biden, and he fell way short," said Pitney, a professor of government at Claremont McKenna College. "With every passing day, it gets harder to see how he could win."
Before leaving for Florida, Trump, seeking to burnish his foreign policy credentials, spoke with the leaders of Israel and Sudan about their new peace deal, the latest in a string of Middle East agreements.
“There are many, many more coming," Trump said. "This is one where there’s no blood in the sand.”
Trump brought up U.S. election politics during the call, asking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Biden would have made such a deal.
The prime minister did not criticize Biden, saying: "Well ... Mr. President, one thing I can tell you is we appreciate the help for peace from anyone in America.”


usatoday--2020-10-23--Pres. Trump and Biden debate details, point fingers over immigration policy

President Trump and former Vice President Biden disagree on the statistics regarding immigration reform .

Presidential debate: Trump, Biden argue immigration policy
President Trump and former Vice President Biden disagree on the statistics regarding immigration reform.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-10-23--'I am home': Biden's roots could run from a Scranton kitchen table to the presidency

SCRANTON – This is where Joe Biden said he learned everything he needed to know about politics .
The general election on Nov. 3 will determine if North Washington Avenue is just the leafy street where he grew up or the blue-collar neighborhood that made a U.S. president .
Biden and his friends who live in Green Ridge , and other parts of Scranton , are counting on the latter .
But it ’ s not just home .
It ’ s a bellwether .
How Biden fares in the working-class northeast corner of Pennsylvania – where President Donald J.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lackawanna County , home to Scranton , four years ago – could be a deciding factor in which presidential candidate wins the battleground state ’ s coveted 20 electoral votes .
Biden has guaranteed he ’ ll win his native Scranton , as Sen. Bob Casey did two years ago by 40 points and a long list of Democrats have before that .
More : Why the Biden and Trump campaigns both claim they won the final 2020 presidential debate In a tight race where Biden ’ s lead in Pennsylvania is within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could be a difference-maker .
It ’ s also the place that shaped his personal and public life and where he learned life lessons that will shape his presidency .
“ No matter where I ’ ve gone in life , I ’ ve always been led by the values that Scranton instilled in me at a young age – values of hard work , faith and a commitment to the middle-class , ” Biden said to the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capitol Bureau .
Both presidential candidates are wealthy men , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where he came from or the people who live there .
He repeated his Scranton vs. Park Avenue comparison first coined last month during a CNN drive-in town hall at PNC Field in Moosic .
“ Right now , we have a president who doesn ’ t see the world from places like Scranton , he sees the world from Park Avenue – a president who is only looking out for corporations and the wealthy , while trying to strip away health care from Americans at a time when they need it most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for his part , has said Biden had nearly 50 years in public office to help Scranton , but didn ’ t .
Instead , the president accused his Democratic challenger of signing “ bad trade deals ” in the 1990s that cut jobs in Pennsylvania – deals the president said he renegotiated with Canada and Mexico .
The Republican nearly won reliably blue Lackawanna County four years ago by positioning himself as the candidate running for the forgotten man , but he ultimately lost there to Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 3 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with Biden as his running mate , won Scranton by double digits in 2008 and 2012 .
Biden believes he can repeat those margins .
“ I will win Scranton , ” Biden said .
“ This is home .
I know these people.
” Despite his ascent from blue-collar roots to the presidential ticket , Biden said he ’ s still a guy from Scranton and that ’ s how he would govern as president .
“ As president , I will lead this country as I ’ ve led my entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden said Friday .
“ I will be a president who works for working people , who stands up for union workers and their collective bargaining rights , and who gives the people of Scranton and all Americans the dignity they deserve.
” Biden ’ s friends say they can prove his words are more than just campaign pandering .
“ Joe ’ s been the same his whole life , ” said Larry Orr , a retired electrician in Scranton and a friend of Biden ’ s for more than 70 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us.
” His friends also say Trump is wrong when he claims Biden “ abandoned ” Scranton , moved to Wilmington , Delaware , when he was 10 and never looked back .
“ Even when he moved , he was still coming back on weekends to visit family and friends , ” Orr said .
“ He came to town a lot through the years , even when he wasn ’ t running for something.
” Pennsylvania : Biden said he will win Scranton .
Trump said he will only lose if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
The guys at the table There was only one kind of scotch on Tommy Phillips ’ kitchen table : J & B Scotch whisky , a backbar classic befitting of the late newsman and his eclectic mix of friends .
There was nothing pretentious about that scotch or the Scranton neighbors who gathered at Phillips ’ table for off-the-record conversations with the city editor of the old Scranton Tribune .
The idea men in that makeshift saloon included union workers , lawyers who went on to become district attorneys , judges who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a senator who could be the next president of the United States .
Always a battleground : Is Pennsylvania the most important swing state in the 2020 election ?
At least that ’ s what Phillips predicted decades ago about Biden , then a freshman senator from Delaware who regularly traded the more expensive scotch and Washington , D.C. , parties for his familiar hometown in northeastern Pennsylvania .
“ When Joe ’ s wife and daughter died , he came back a lot more on weekends , ” said John M. Hart @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who knew the late Phillips and calls Biden a friend .
“ He ’ d come back to the neighborhood .
He ’ d come home.
” That was in the early 1970s , when Biden ’ s first wife , Neila , and daughter , Naomi , were killed in a car crash while they were out shopping for a Christmas tree .
His sons , Beau and Hunter , then 4 and 3 respectively , were badly injured .
After they recovered and went home from the hospital , Biden would @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Scranton .
Men for Trump vs. women for Biden : Which voting group could swing Pennsylvania ?
Biden would swing by the newspaper office to see Phillips and sometimes ended up at that kitchen table , often while Ada Phillips , Tommy ’ s wife , made a roast dinner .
Whatever they discussed at that table remains off the record , but Biden has described that painful period of his life in public speeches and in his books .
“ Neila ’ s absence was like a companion that never left my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Promises to Keep.
” Sometimes he ’ d feel “ almost normal , ” and other times he said the despair was as powerful as the day of the accident .
“ There were triggers I could understand , a holiday , an anniversary , her birthday ; but on other days the despair would be on for no reason – none , ” he said in the book .
He focused on his sons and his daily commutes from Delaware to D.C. , which have been widely discussed during the last four @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wilmington , his sister was helping him raise his sons and manage life as a single parent .
Biden has written about a family rule and guiding principle : “ If you have to ask for help , it ’ s too late.
” His family and friends made sure he didn ’ t have to ask .
Going home was healing to Biden , whether it was in Wilmington or Scranton , his friends say .
Both the Scranton Tribune office and the Phillips ’ house were familiar to Biden .
His @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spent years there in the old Tribune and Scrantonian “ morgue , ” which is newsroom jargon for “ library.
” And at Finnegan ’ s house on North Washington Avenue , a young Biden would watch as his grandfather hosted informal roundtable discussions .
It was there in “ Grandpop Finnegan ’ s ” house that Biden said he learned the first principles of politics : no group is above others and politics is a matter of personal honor .
Biden started a book that way and wrote about it extensively in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ man ’ s word is his bond , ” Biden said in those pages .
“ You give your word , you keep it.
” Nothing less would ’ ve been acceptable to Finnegan , who didn ’ t like the fickle Scranton elite , according to Biden .
He liked the guys at the kitchen table .
Biden ’ s father , the late Joseph R. Biden Sr. , also liked the guys at kitchen table and was one of the guys at Phillips ’ table .
The same could be said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who passed away in 2010 .
“ Tommy Phillips was like another father to me , ” Jean Finnegan Biden said in a Scranton Tribune story in June 1987 .
The story was about Biden ’ s presidential run that year .
A file photo that appeared in the paper showed a 13-year-old Biden in a sea of onlookers in Scranton as President Harry Truman ’ s motorcade rode past during an official visit on St. Patrick ’ s Day .
Phillips , who dubbed Biden as “ Pennsylvania ’ s third @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cutline that he thought Biden ’ s presidential aspirations were born that day .
“ Tommy Phillips called it in 1956 , ” Hart said .
More : Was your voter registration purged ?
Why it might , and what you can do about it More : In Gettysburg , Biden invokes Lincoln in call to heal the American soul When Anne Kearns bought her home at 2446 N. Washington Ave. in Green Ridge , she found some doodles on the wall in an upstairs bedroom .
Biden and his brother , Jimmy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Kilroy was here ” that had become an emblem during World War II .
Kearns bought the house from the Biden family for $ 13,500 in 1962 , mainly for its proximity to Marywood University , where she taught art education and interior design .
She never imagined that people would be stopping by her house 58 years later to take selfies outside or see where Biden used to live .
Biden toured his old home for the first time during the 2008 campaign , Kearns said .
`` It was emotional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` They left under hard circumstances . ''
Biden and his parents moved to Wilmington when he was 10 after his father lost his job in Pennsylvania and found work in Delaware .
Kearns removed the new , brown carpeting after the Bidens moved , but she kept the steel bed frames in the attic bedroom .
She also painted over Kilroy .
But when Biden visited in 2008 , she and her kids asked the then-vice presidential nominee to add a new doodle to the wall in his old room .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ above his signature on Sept. 1 , 2008 .
Biden has been back to his old house numerous times since then — sometimes when he 's in town to stump for a Democrat or to propel his own campaign , but also when he travels to the area for friendship , family and funerals .
Sen. Casey grew up two blocks away , and Biden would stop by to visit Casey 's mom when he was in town .
Other friends said he would always say hello to the moms in town and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ died .
`` I think he 's just wonderful , '' Kearns said .
`` He makes you feel good when you 're in the room with him . ''
Biden has visited Kearns more than a dozen times since 2008 , she said .
`` He calls this 'the homestead , ' '' Kearns said .
She is also getting a lot of other visitors , as well as daily calls from local and national media , and her sons are managing her busy calendar .
They also bought a camera system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and look out for her safety .
`` As soon as he announced he was running for president , we get people here all the time , '' Kearns said .
Her cheeks raised and her eyes thinned as if to indicate a smile beneath her mask .
At 85 , she 's not exhausted by the busy campaign season .
She 's buoyed by it , and she said she 's willing to help Biden however she can .
`` This is a pretty political city , '' Kearns said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
Biden seemed to recognize her effort during a visit last month .
`` I love you , Anne , '' he said from the front yard .
On Sunday , Nov. 4 , 2018 , former federal Judge Richard P. Conaboy was clinging to life at Regional Hospital of Scranton , surrounded by his wife and their 12 children .
A day earlier , the senior U.S. district judge had suffered a mild heart attack after choking on pasta during dinner at a local restaurant , according to his son , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health system .
Judge Conaboy was 93 , in good health and still serving on the bench at the time of the incident , his son said .
In his lifetime , he had met and mentored many people , including Biden , who was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee when Judge Conaboy was named chairman of the U.S .
Sentencing Commission in 1994 .
`` He often called my dad to deliberate on issues he was facing in his life , '' Conaboy said .
His dad was a moral compass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ advice — `` do the right thing . ''
`` Dad would always say to go with that feeling in your gut , that deep sense of right and wrong , '' Conaboy said .
On that Sunday nearly two years ago , Biden learned his mentor was in the hospital and asked the family if he could come and visit .
The former vice president was out of office and had n't yet declared his candidacy in the 2020 presidential race .
The family was `` honored '' that Biden was willing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the judge remained in critical but stable condition .
Biden arrived at about 10 p.m. on that night in Scranton , where there were clear skies and temperatures hovering in the high 40s .
He walked in , said his hellos to the family and headed straight to the hospital bed , Conaboy said .
Biden , who childhood friends remember as a devout Catholic , kneeled next to the bed and held the judge 's hand .
He looked up to see the judge 's wife , daughters and sons .
What @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family since that night .
`` I want you to know this guy made me a better man , '' Biden said .
Judge Conaboy died days later , and the ache that loss left behind was somewhat lessened by knowing he made an impact in so many lives , his son said .
Biden has been called a `` healer-in-chief '' during this campaign because of his empathy , and on that Sunday in November two years ago the Conaboy family saw it firsthand .
`` He 's a good and decent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We have a long history of watching him through the years , and he has n't changed for political expediency .
He 's held onto his Scranton values , and we are honored to know him . ''
Biden has traveled back to Scranton several times to say goodbye , eulogize his friends and in 2011 tried to raise spirits after a flood .
On Sept. 16 , 2011 , then-Vice President Biden toured Duryea after the community was hit hard after Tropical Storm Lee caused record-level flooding .
`` There @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you whole in the sense that a piece of your life and a chunk of your heart had got ripped out here , '' Biden said there that day , according to an Associated Press story .
He told the people of Duryea to not lose hope and promised federal aid would help them get back on their feet .
`` The federal government is not stepping away , '' Biden said .
`` We 're stepping in . ''
it was also a bipartisan moment with Republican Lou Barletta , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Tea Party movement in 2010 .
Barletta was one of Trump 's earliest and most vocal supporters during the 2016 election .
After losing his U.S. Senate bid to Casey in 2018 , he now works on Trump 's reelection campaign .
But in Duryea in 2011 , he talked about how Biden helped the community .
`` I told the vice president before he went , I said , ' I 've been here in Duryea maybe five , six times .
This is the first time I saw these people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the Standard-Speaker .
`` It did help .
He brought these people hope .
He inspired them . ''
'The Joey we know' In this Minooka living room , there are pictures on a gallery wall that include Joe Paterno , Nancy Pelosi , Bob Weir , Michael Bolton , Gloria Estefan and many other politicians and musicians .
That eclectic mix of people may not have much in common other than their celebrity and that they posed in photos with former Scranton Mayor Jimmy Connors , who served the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'm almost out of wall space , '' Connors said .
Connors said he would take down the whole gallery of wall-to-wall photos for only one man .
`` Once Joe gets in , all bets are off , '' the former mayor said .
`` I 'm going to clear the space .
He gets top priority . ''
If the signs in his front yard that say `` Scranton loves Joe '' and `` Minooka loves Joe '' are n't enough of an indication , Connors is talking about Biden .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ was rising through the government ranks .
`` I knew his career and was proud of him , '' Connors said .
`` When he came home to visit , I came to see him .
I remember one of my predecessors ( in the 1970s ) gave him the key to the city . ''
Connors saw a politician who not only never forgot Scranton , but never stopped loving the city .
`` The idea that he left when he was 10 and never came back is farcical to the people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` We know him .
We saw him as he visited his home and lifelong friends .
Sometimes the visits were announced , and other times he slipped in quietly . ''
Before Connors was a Scranton mayor , Biden recognized him as `` Jimmy from Minooka . ''
`` He 'd always ask , 'How is everyone in Minooka ? '
'' Connors said .
`` And the way Joe said it made you feel like he really wanted to know . ''
What political analysts might describe as retail politics Connors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` He was our friend , and he was a leader of the people here in Scranton , '' the former mayor said .
`` We were always proud . ''
Connors took a train to Washington , D.C. , to see the first Obama-Biden inauguration .
And this year , he was a delegate for Biden .
`` I 'm doing it because I love him , not because of politics , '' Connors said .
Even though Biden moved to Delaware decades ago , `` we 've always claimed him as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ He ’ s one of us .
He ’ s what ’ s best about Scranton . ''
When Connors listened to Biden 's Gettysburg speech earlier this month , he heard Scranton .
When he hears stories about Biden taking a train from Washington , D.C. , to Delaware every night so he could read stories to his boys before bed , Connors hears Scranton .
`` I get emotional because those are the same values I was taught , '' Connors said .
`` That 's Scranton .
This is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tag .
It 's who we are . ''
Susie Blum Connors , Jimmy 's wife , calls Biden a `` mensch . ''
In her Jewish faith , it 's another way of saying `` a good person . ''
She needed no further proof than a year ago when Biden was in town for a campaign stop .
Afterward , Susie Blum Connors told him her 95-year-old mother was a big fan of his .
Biden wanted to call her , and when he did , the mayor 's mother-in-law @ @ @ @ @ @ @ him .
`` I love you , too , '' he said to her .
`` He had a little conversation .
That 's who he is .
That 's our Joey , '' Jimmy Connors said .
`` I do n't think Trump has an ounce of that in him .
Joe has it in spades , and this is what our country needs right now .
Somebody who cares .
Somebody who calls a 95-year-old woman to say , ' I love you , too . '
'' The fall colors @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and so has the presidential campaign in Pennsylvania .
Biden , Trump and their surrogates have been making multiple campaign stops in the state with less than two weeks until Election Day .
`` I have my fingers crossed , '' Orr said .
`` I 've had my fingers crossed for the last four years . ''
When Biden was in the White House with Obama , Orr accepted an invitation to visit his childhood friend .
`` He gave me a pair of his vice presidential cufflinks , and I joked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ come back for his presidential cufflinks , '' Orr said .
`` I really believe he can do it .
Joe 's a fighter . ''
Casey believes he can do it , too .
`` I think he ’ s going to run ahead of where we were in 2016 , '' the third-term senator said during an interview with the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capitol Bureau .
`` Part of that is because people in the region know him , and I think they trust him . ''
One of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is because of his approach to the pandemic and jobs , Casey said .
`` If you don ’ t tackle the virus , you can ’ t rebuild the economy , '' he said .
More than 1,400 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Pennsylvania Health Department on Wednesday , pushing the statewide total past 186,000 .
More than 8,500 people have died since the first two cases were announced in March .
As the fall resurgence continues , the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent in Pennsylvania .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` The job issue is urgent for people , '' Casey said .
`` They 've seen the persistence of unemployment since April . ''
That gives Biden , who has been in public office for most of the last 50 years , the chance to be the change candidate in a change environment , the senator said .
`` The Republicans already failed as a party to respond to the virus appropriately , '' Casey said .
`` They sat on their hands since the CARES Act .
( Since April ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to help people out of work , done nothing to keep people safe from the virus .
State and local governments are laying people off .
I think there will be consequences on Election Day . ''
Trump said recently that he would n't change anything about his response to the coronavirus and has said in multiple campaign stops in the last week that the country is rounding the corner on the pandemic .
That 's in contrast to the majority of states with rising case counts .
`` I think people are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They are tired of the chaos and division .
People are very concerned .
That 's why you 've got ta have leaders who are calm .
There has to be a unified voice . ''
The people who know Biden , `` the real Joe , '' believe he 's the candidate with that unifying voice .
They 're predicting his victory in the state and nation .
But if they 're all wrong , Kearns thinks he 'll come back to Scranton for another visit .
Kearns has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who has `` something special '' inside that has never changed .
And no matter how far away he goes or how high on the political ladder he climbs , there 's always this special place he comes back to .
From her vantage point in Biden 's childhood home , Kearns sees a man who , no matter how great he became , never forgot where he came from .
And whether he 's in the middle of a hard-fought campaign or mourning the loss of a loved one , Biden always @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who knew him at his core .
`` Win or lose , '' Kearns said , `` he is welcome home anytime . ''
Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA Today Network .
She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @ candynotcandace .
This coverage is only possible with support from our readers .
Sign up today for a digital subscription .

Candy Woodall, USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capitol Bureau

'I am home': Biden’s roots could run from a Scranton kitchen table to the presidency
Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden’s childhood friend gives a tour of his Scranton roots Larry Orr grew up with Joe Biden in Scranton, Pa. The pair went to the same elementary school and played baseball for the Green Ridge Little League. Dan Rainville, drainville@eveningsun.com
SCRANTON – This is where Joe Biden said he learned everything he needed to know about politics.
The general election on Nov. 3 will determine if North Washington Avenue is just the leafy street where he grew up or the blue-collar neighborhood that made a U.S. president.
Biden and his friends who live in Green Ridge, and other parts of Scranton, are counting on the latter.
But it’s not just home. It’s a bellwether.
Scranton could be a difference-maker
How Biden fares in the working-class northeast corner of Pennsylvania – where President Donald J. Trump flipped Luzerne County and almost won Lackawanna County, home to Scranton, four years ago – could be a deciding factor in which presidential candidate wins the battleground state’s coveted 20 electoral votes.
Biden has guaranteed he’ll win his native Scranton, as Sen. Bob Casey did two years ago by 40 points and a long list of Democrats have before that.
More: Why the Biden and Trump campaigns both claim they won the final 2020 presidential debate
In a tight race where Biden’s lead in Pennsylvania is within the margin of error, his hometown could be a difference-maker.
It’s also the place that shaped his personal and public life and where he learned life lessons that will shape his presidency.
“No matter where I’ve gone in life, I’ve always been led by the values that Scranton instilled in me at a young age – values of hard work, faith and a commitment to the middle-class,” Biden said to the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capitol Bureau.
Both presidential candidates are wealthy men, but Biden said he’s never forgotten where he came from or the people who live there. He repeated his Scranton vs. Park Avenue comparison first coined last month during a CNN drive-in town hall at PNC Field in Moosic.
“Right now, we have a president who doesn’t see the world from places like Scranton, he sees the world from Park Avenue – a president who is only looking out for corporations and the wealthy, while trying to strip away health care from Americans at a time when they need it most,” Biden said.
Trump, for his part, has said Biden had nearly 50 years in public office to help Scranton, but didn’t. Instead, the president accused his Democratic challenger of signing “bad trade deals” in the 1990s that cut jobs in Pennsylvania – deals the president said he renegotiated with Canada and Mexico.
The Republican nearly won reliably blue Lackawanna County four years ago by positioning himself as the candidate running for the forgotten man, but he ultimately lost there to Democrat Hillary Clinton by about 3 points.
Former President Barack Obama, with Biden as his running mate, won Scranton by double digits in 2008 and 2012. Biden believes he can repeat those margins.
“I will win Scranton,” Biden said. “This is home. I know these people.”
'Scranton values'
Despite his ascent from blue-collar roots to the presidential ticket, Biden said he’s still a guy from Scranton and that’s how he would govern as president.
“As president, I will lead this country as I’ve led my entire career – with Scranton values,” Biden said Friday. “I will be a president who works for working people, who stands up for union workers and their collective bargaining rights, and who gives the people of Scranton and all Americans the dignity they deserve.”
Biden’s friends say they can prove his words are more than just campaign pandering.
“Joe’s been the same his whole life,” said Larry Orr, a retired electrician in Scranton and a friend of Biden’s for more than 70 years. “He’s one of us.”
His friends also say Trump is wrong when he claims Biden “abandoned” Scranton, moved to Wilmington, Delaware, when he was 10 and never looked back.
“Even when he moved, he was still coming back on weekends to visit family and friends,” Orr said. “He came to town a lot through the years, even when he wasn’t running for something.”
Pennsylvania: Biden said he will win Scranton. Trump said he will only lose if it's rigged. Who's right?
The guys at the table
There was only one kind of scotch on Tommy Phillips’ kitchen table: J&B Scotch whisky, a backbar classic befitting of the late newsman and his eclectic mix of friends.
There was nothing pretentious about that scotch or the Scranton neighbors who gathered at Phillips’ table for off-the-record conversations with the city editor of the old Scranton Tribune. The idea men in that makeshift saloon included union workers, lawyers who went on to become district attorneys, judges who became state Supreme Court justices – and a senator who could be the next president of the United States.
Always a battleground: Is Pennsylvania the most important swing state in the 2020 election?
At least that’s what Phillips predicted decades ago about Biden, then a freshman senator from Delaware who regularly traded the more expensive scotch and Washington, D.C., parties for his familiar hometown in northeastern Pennsylvania.
“When Joe’s wife and daughter died, he came back a lot more on weekends,” said John M. Hart Jr., a former Scranton Tribune reporter who knew the late Phillips and calls Biden a friend. “He’d come back to the neighborhood. He’d come home.”
That was in the early 1970s, when Biden’s first wife, Neila, and daughter, Naomi, were killed in a car crash while they were out shopping for a Christmas tree. His sons, Beau and Hunter, then 4 and 3 respectively, were badly injured.
After they recovered and went home from the hospital, Biden would travel to see family and friends in Scranton.
Men for Trump vs. women for Biden: Which voting group could swing Pennsylvania?
Biden would swing by the newspaper office to see Phillips and sometimes ended up at that kitchen table, often while Ada Phillips, Tommy’s wife, made a roast dinner.
Whatever they discussed at that table remains off the record, but Biden has described that painful period of his life in public speeches and in his books.
“Neila’s absence was like a companion that never left my side,” he said in “Promises to Keep.”
Sometimes he’d feel “almost normal,” and other times he said the despair was as powerful as the day of the accident.
“There were triggers I could understand, a holiday, an anniversary, her birthday; but on other days the despair would be on for no reason – none,” he said in the book.
He focused on his sons and his daily commutes from Delaware to D.C., which have been widely discussed during the last four decades of his political life. In Wilmington, his sister was helping him raise his sons and manage life as a single parent.
Biden has written about a family rule and guiding principle: “If you have to ask for help, it’s too late.”
His family and friends made sure he didn’t have to ask.
Going home was healing to Biden, whether it was in Wilmington or Scranton, his friends say.
Both the Scranton Tribune office and the Phillips’ house were familiar to Biden.
His maternal grandfather, Ambrose Finnegan, had spent years there in the old Tribune and Scrantonian “morgue,” which is newsroom jargon for “library.” And at Finnegan’s house on North Washington Avenue, a young Biden would watch as his grandfather hosted informal roundtable discussions.
It was there in “Grandpop Finnegan’s” house that Biden said he learned the first principles of politics: no group is above others and politics is a matter of personal honor. Biden started a book that way and wrote about it extensively in “Promises to Keep.”
“A man’s word is his bond,” Biden said in those pages. “You give your word, you keep it.”
Nothing less would’ve been acceptable to Finnegan, who didn’t like the fickle Scranton elite, according to Biden.
He liked the guys at the kitchen table.
Biden’s father, the late Joseph R. Biden Sr., also liked the guys at kitchen table and was one of the guys at Phillips’ table. The same could be said for his mother, Jean Finnegan Biden, who passed away in 2010.
“Tommy Phillips was like another father to me,” Jean Finnegan Biden said in a Scranton Tribune story in June 1987.
The story was about Biden’s presidential run that year. A file photo that appeared in the paper showed a 13-year-old Biden in a sea of onlookers in Scranton as President Harry Truman’s motorcade rode past during an official visit on St. Patrick’s Day.
Phillips, who dubbed Biden as “Pennsylvania’s third senator,” wrote in a photo cutline that he thought Biden’s presidential aspirations were born that day.
“Tommy Phillips called it in 1956,” Hart said.
More: Was your voter registration purged? Why it might, and what you can do about it
More: In Gettysburg, Biden invokes Lincoln in call to heal the American soul
The homestead
When Anne Kearns bought her home at 2446 N. Washington Ave. in Green Ridge, she found some doodles on the wall in an upstairs bedroom.
Biden and his brother, Jimmy, had drawn the peeking face and “Kilroy was here” that had become an emblem during World War II.
Kearns bought the house from the Biden family for $13,500 in 1962, mainly for its proximity to Marywood University, where she taught art education and interior design.
She never imagined that people would be stopping by her house 58 years later to take selfies outside or see where Biden used to live.
Biden toured his old home for the first time during the 2008 campaign, Kearns said.
"It was emotional for him," she said. "They left under hard circumstances."
Biden and his parents moved to Wilmington when he was 10 after his father lost his job in Pennsylvania and found work in Delaware.
Kearns removed the new, brown carpeting after the Bidens moved, but she kept the steel bed frames in the attic bedroom. She also painted over Kilroy.
But when Biden visited in 2008, she and her kids asked the then-vice presidential nominee to add a new doodle to the wall in his old room.
"I am home," Biden wrote above his signature on Sept. 1, 2008.
Biden has been back to his old house numerous times since then — sometimes when he's in town to stump for a Democrat or to propel his own campaign, but also when he travels to the area for friendship, family and funerals.
Sen. Casey grew up two blocks away, and Biden would stop by to visit Casey's mom when he was in town.
Other friends said he would always say hello to the moms in town and pay his respects after their spouses had died.
"I think he's just wonderful," Kearns said. "He makes you feel good when you're in the room with him."
Biden has visited Kearns more than a dozen times since 2008, she said.
"He calls this 'the homestead,'" Kearns said.
She is also getting a lot of other visitors, as well as daily calls from local and national media, and her sons are managing her busy calendar. They also bought a camera system to keep an eye on the property and look out for her safety.
"As soon as he announced he was running for president, we get people here all the time," Kearns said.
Her cheeks raised and her eyes thinned as if to indicate a smile beneath her mask. At 85, she's not exhausted by the busy campaign season. She's buoyed by it, and she said she's willing to help Biden however she can.
"This is a pretty political city," Kearns said. "It's in all of our veins."
Biden seemed to recognize her effort during a visit last month.
"I love you, Anne," he said from the front yard.
The healer-in-chief
On Sunday, Nov. 4, 2018, former federal Judge Richard P. Conaboy was clinging to life at Regional Hospital of Scranton, surrounded by his wife and their 12 children.
A day earlier, the senior U.S. district judge had suffered a mild heart attack after choking on pasta during dinner at a local restaurant, according to his son, Bill Conaboy, CEO of an area health system.
Judge Conaboy was 93, in good health and still serving on the bench at the time of the incident, his son said.
In his lifetime, he had met and mentored many people, including Biden, who was chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee when Judge Conaboy was named chairman of the U.S. Sentencing Commission in 1994.
"He often called my dad to deliberate on issues he was facing in his life," Conaboy said.
His dad was a moral compass that always seemed to give the same advice — "do the right thing."
"Dad would always say to go with that feeling in your gut, that deep sense of right and wrong," Conaboy said.
On that Sunday nearly two years ago, Biden learned his mentor was in the hospital and asked the family if he could come and visit. The former vice president was out of office and hadn't yet declared his candidacy in the 2020 presidential race.
The family was "honored" that Biden was willing to drive over that evening, as the judge remained in critical but stable condition.
Biden arrived at about 10 p.m. on that night in Scranton, where there were clear skies and temperatures hovering in the high 40s.
He walked in, said his hellos to the family and headed straight to the hospital bed, Conaboy said.
Biden, who childhood friends remember as a devout Catholic, kneeled next to the bed and held the judge's hand. He looked up to see the judge's wife, daughters and sons. What he said next has stayed with the family since that night.
"I want you to know this guy made me a better man," Biden said.
Judge Conaboy died days later, and the ache that loss left behind was somewhat lessened by knowing he made an impact in so many lives, his son said.
Biden has been called a "healer-in-chief" during this campaign because of his empathy, and on that Sunday in November two years ago the Conaboy family saw it firsthand.
"He's a good and decent man," Conaboy said of Biden. "We have a long history of watching him through the years, and he hasn't changed for political expediency. He's held onto his Scranton values, and we are honored to know him."
Biden has traveled back to Scranton several times to say goodbye, eulogize his friends and in 2011 tried to raise spirits after a flood.
On Sept. 16, 2011, then-Vice President Biden toured Duryea after the community was hit hard after Tropical Storm Lee caused record-level flooding.
"There is nothing we can do to make you whole in the sense that a piece of your life and a chunk of your heart had got ripped out here," Biden said there that day, according to an Associated Press story.
He told the people of Duryea to not lose hope and promised federal aid would help them get back on their feet.
"The federal government is not stepping away," Biden said. "We're stepping in."
it was also a bipartisan moment with Republican Lou Barletta, who was then a U.S. House representative elected during the Tea Party movement in 2010. Barletta was one of Trump's earliest and most vocal supporters during the 2016 election. After losing his U.S. Senate bid to Casey in 2018, he now works on Trump's reelection campaign.
But in Duryea in 2011, he talked about how Biden helped the community.
"I told the vice president before he went, I said, 'I've been here in Duryea maybe five, six times. This is the first time I saw these people smile,'" Barletta said, according to the Standard-Speaker. "It did help. He brought these people hope. He inspired them."
'The Joey we know'
‘The friendly city’: Former Scranton mayor talks about Joe Biden’s upbringing James "Jimmy" Connors served as the Republican, and later Democratic, mayor of Scranton from 1990-2002. Dan Rainville, drainville@eveningsun.com
In this Minooka living room, there are pictures on a gallery wall that include Joe Paterno, Nancy Pelosi, Bob Weir, Michael Bolton, Gloria Estefan and many other politicians and musicians.
That eclectic mix of people may not have much in common other than their celebrity and that they posed in photos with former Scranton Mayor Jimmy Connors, who served the city from 1990 to 2002.
"I'm almost out of wall space," Connors said.
Connors said he would take down the whole gallery of wall-to-wall photos for only one man.
"Once Joe gets in, all bets are off," the former mayor said. "I'm going to clear the space. He gets top priority."
If the signs in his front yard that say "Scranton loves Joe" and "Minooka loves Joe" aren't enough of an indication, Connors is talking about Biden.
Connors knew Biden as the former senator was rising through the government ranks.
"I knew his career and was proud of him," Connors said. "When he came home to visit, I came to see him. I remember one of my predecessors (in the 1970s) gave him the key to the city."
Connors saw a politician who not only never forgot Scranton, but never stopped loving the city.
"The idea that he left when he was 10 and never came back is farcical to the people of Scranton," Connors said. "We know him. We saw him as he visited his home and lifelong friends. Sometimes the visits were announced, and other times he slipped in quietly."
Before Connors was a Scranton mayor, Biden recognized him as "Jimmy from Minooka."
"He'd always ask, 'How is everyone in Minooka?'" Connors said. "And the way Joe said it made you feel like he really wanted to know."
What political analysts might describe as retail politics Connors sees as 'the real Joe."
"He was our friend, and he was a leader of the people here in Scranton," the former mayor said. "We were always proud."
Connors took a train to Washington, D.C., to see the first Obama-Biden inauguration.
And this year, he was a delegate for Biden.
"I'm doing it because I love him, not because of politics," Connors said.
Even though Biden moved to Delaware decades ago, "we've always claimed him as ours," Connors said. "He’s one of us. He’s what’s best about Scranton."
When Connors listened to Biden's Gettysburg speech earlier this month, he heard Scranton. When he hears stories about Biden taking a train from Washington, D.C., to Delaware every night so he could read stories to his boys before bed, Connors hears Scranton.
"I get emotional because those are the same values I was taught," Connors said. "That's Scranton. This is the friendly city. That's not just a tag. It's who we are."
Susie Blum Connors, Jimmy's wife, calls Biden a "mensch." In her Jewish faith, it's another way of saying "a good person."
She needed no further proof than a year ago when Biden was in town for a campaign stop. Afterward, Susie Blum Connors told him her 95-year-old mother was a big fan of his.
Biden wanted to call her, and when he did, the mayor's mother-in-law told the candidate how much she loved him.
"I love you, too," he said to her.
"He had a little conversation. That's who he is. That's our Joey," Jimmy Connors said. "I don't think Trump has an ounce of that in him. Joe has it in spades, and this is what our country needs right now. Somebody who cares. Somebody who calls a 95-year-old woman to say, 'I love you, too.'"
The finish
The fall colors have reached their peak in Scranton, and so has the presidential campaign in Pennsylvania.
Biden, Trump and their surrogates have been making multiple campaign stops in the state with less than two weeks until Election Day.
Biden's supporters are unsurprisingly predicting his win.
"I have my fingers crossed," Orr said. "I've had my fingers crossed for the last four years."
When Biden was in the White House with Obama, Orr accepted an invitation to visit his childhood friend.
"He gave me a pair of his vice presidential cufflinks, and I joked with him that next time I'd come back for his presidential cufflinks," Orr said. "I really believe he can do it. Joe's a fighter."
Casey believes he can do it, too.
"I think he’s going to run ahead of where we were in 2016," the third-term senator said during an interview with the USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania Capitol Bureau. "Part of that is because people in the region know him, and I think they trust him."
One of the reasons Biden will fare better than Clinton is because of his approach to the pandemic and jobs, Casey said.
"If you don’t tackle the virus, you can’t rebuild the economy," he said.
More than 1,400 new positive cases of COVID-19 were reported by the Pennsylvania Health Department on Wednesday, pushing the statewide total past 186,000. More than 8,500 people have died since the first two cases were announced in March.
As the fall resurgence continues, the unemployment rate is 8.1 percent in Pennsylvania. It's 11.7 in the Scranton area.
"The job issue is urgent for people," Casey said. "They've seen the persistence of unemployment since April."
That gives Biden, who has been in public office for most of the last 50 years, the chance to be the change candidate in a change environment, the senator said.
"The Republicans already failed as a party to respond to the virus appropriately," Casey said. "They sat on their hands since the CARES Act. (Since April) the national Republican party has done nothing to help people out of work, done nothing to keep people safe from the virus. State and local governments are laying people off. I think there will be consequences on Election Day."
Trump said recently that he wouldn't change anything about his response to the coronavirus and has said in multiple campaign stops in the last week that the country is rounding the corner on the pandemic. That's in contrast to the majority of states with rising case counts.
"I think people are tired of this," Casey said. "They are tired of the chaos and division. People are very concerned. That's why you've gotta have leaders who are calm. There has to be a unified voice."
The people who know Biden, "the real Joe," believe he's the candidate with that unifying voice. They're predicting his victory in the state and nation.
But if they're all wrong, Kearns thinks he'll come back to Scranton for another visit.
Kearns has been able to see Biden as a man who has "something special" inside that has never changed. And no matter how far away he goes or how high on the political ladder he climbs, there's always this special place he comes back to.
From her vantage point in Biden's childhood home, Kearns sees a man who, no matter how great he became, never forgot where he came from.
And whether he's in the middle of a hard-fought campaign or mourning the loss of a loved one, Biden always found comfort in the counsel of people who knew him at his core.
"Win or lose," Kearns said, "he is welcome home anytime."
Candy Woodall is a reporter for the USA Today Network. She can be reached at 717-480-1783 or on Twitter at @candynotcandace.
This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription.


usatoday--2020-10-23--Is Philadelphia a presidential battleground? Why Obama campaigned there and why it's so critical

About a mile north of the Philadelphia Phillies ' ballpark , where former President Barack Obama would soon address supporters in cars , a man swung a long stick at pro-Biden and anti-Trump signs that appeared to be improperly posted high up on utility poles .
Watching was a friend who said he was taking down illegal signs posted by an out-of-state group , not making a political statement .
But onlookers who heard the slapping sounds reverberate down Broad Street yelled in protest – and in opposition of President Donald Trump .
Others chuckled , helplessly shaking their heads @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest city of what could be the most important state in November 's presidential election .
Dan Lanzilloti , a Democrat who sat watching from a stoop on Broad Street , said the coming election is escalating anger in an already `` angry city . ''
More : Voting 2020 live updates : Ohio 's legal battle over drop boxes is officially over ; Trump to cast ballot in Florida ; turnout could reach 62 % Scranton , Erie and Reading attract attention as key Pennsylvania presidential battlegrounds .
But Philadelphia , because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , may be the real home of election-tipping numbers of voters with potentially shifting allegiances .
Even marginal changes in the overwhelmingly Democrat-tilting city can have consequential outcomes on what is expected to be another narrow finish in the race for the 20 electoral votes in Pennsylvania , a state seen by many as the most consequential of the election .
In 2016 , almost 109,000 Philadelphians voted for Trump , about 12,000 more votes than Mitt Romney mustered in 2012 .
While Hillary Clinton won about 584,000 votes , it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ years earlier .
Those swings bucked trends in much of the city 's suburbs as people in Delaware , Chester and Montgomery counties voted more heavily Democratic in 2016 than in 2012 .
Bucks County saw a small Republican gain from 2012 and 2016 Ultimately , Trump won Pennsylvania by a margin of 44,000 votes , helped by significant favorable shifts in Philadelphia , as well as counties such as Erie and Luzerne .
Now , less than two weeks before the next presidential election , the open question is how new political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : 'They are so well taken care of ' : Trump defends separating migrant children from parents Given the city was hit harder than average by the pandemic and social unrest , it may not follow Pennsylvania 's overall shifts most recently measured by state presidential opinion polls showing Biden holding onto a roughly 5 % lead over Trump .
Lanzilloti said he has seen Trump supporters more vocal this year that in the past .
`` They ’ re firing up people that were angry before Trump was even a thing here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , an attorney and Republican leader of Philadelphia 's 8th ward , said he expects a shift to Trump to continue in 2020 .
Helping Trump , he said , is the impact of `` burning and looting '' that occurred alongside recent racial justice protests .
Hurting him could be new voting methods implemented in the city this election cycle , such as widespread vote-by-mail , he said .
THE SWING STATE : Pennsylvania is a target for both Trump and Biden .
But what do voters want ?
Republican city councilman @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shifts , unlike those in its suburbs , is a near impossible task .
It depends heavily on hyper-local issues of gentrification and what Oh described as a potential backlash to recent progressive shifts in city government .
He said there are minorities of vocal progressives and Trump supporters .
The former will vote reliably for left-wing candidates , such as District Attorney Larry Krasner , and the latter will vote for the president .
But looming over the election are questions of turnout among potentially dissatisfied people in Black communities , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Democratic strongholds who will vote for Trump , he said .
`` These are Democrats that are so pissed off that they became Republicans for Trump , '' Oh said .
`` They 're not that different from the people who voted for Obama ... they hate politics in America . ''
Democratic Party pushback against any such potential shifts , however marginal , likely fueled former President Barack Obama 's decision to stage his first live rally in support of Joe Biden in Philadelphia on Wednesday .
Rudy Giuliani 's choice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an “ Italian Americans for Trump ” rally , earlier this month in the Republican stronghold of Northeast Philadelphia was also likely motivated by a similar political calculus .
The events , aimed at committed partisans , may not have had an impact on many voters wavering between candidates .
While staged at Citizens ' Bank Park near to some of the city 's more pro-Trump neighborhoods , Obama 's speech was attended only by invited guests .
Republican demonstrators outside the stadium also didn ’ t provide much indication of political trends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ but loud .
One protester drove a bus with bullhorns mounted to the top around the ballpark in apparent attempt to shout down the former president speaking in the adjacent parking lot .
Lanzilloti , who describes himself as a Philadelphian who likes a `` good fight , '' said such activists should adopt a more empathetic approach .
“ Without empathy , you have nothing , ” he said .
Contact Karl Baker at kbaker @ delawareonline.com or ( 302 ) 324-2329 .
Follow him on Twitter @ kbaker6 .

Is Philadelphia a presidential battleground? Why Obama campaigned there and why it's so critical
Show Caption Hide Caption 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
About a mile north of the Philadelphia Phillies' ballpark, where former President Barack Obama would soon address supporters in cars, a man swung a long stick at pro-Biden and anti-Trump signs that appeared to be improperly posted high up on utility poles.
Watching was a friend who said he was taking down illegal signs posted by an out-of-state group, not making a political statement.
But onlookers who heard the slapping sounds reverberate down Broad Street yelled in protest – and in opposition of President Donald Trump.
Others chuckled, helplessly shaking their heads at the increasing political tensions enveloping the largest city of what could be the most important state in November's presidential election.
Dan Lanzilloti, a Democrat who sat watching from a stoop on Broad Street, said the coming election is escalating anger in an already "angry city."
More: Voting 2020 live updates: Ohio's legal battle over drop boxes is officially over; Trump to cast ballot in Florida; turnout could reach 62%
Scranton, Erie and Reading attract attention as key Pennsylvania presidential battlegrounds. But Philadelphia, because of its sheer size at 1.6 million people, may be the real home of election-tipping numbers of voters with potentially shifting allegiances.
Even marginal changes in the overwhelmingly Democrat-tilting city can have consequential outcomes on what is expected to be another narrow finish in the race for the 20 electoral votes in Pennsylvania, a state seen by many as the most consequential of the election.
In 2016, almost 109,000 Philadelphians voted for Trump, about 12,000 more votes than Mitt Romney mustered in 2012. While Hillary Clinton won about 584,000 votes, it was nearly 5,000 fewer than Obama received four years earlier.
Those swings bucked trends in much of the city's suburbs as people in Delaware, Chester and Montgomery counties voted more heavily Democratic in 2016 than in 2012. Bucks County saw a small Republican gain from 2012 and 2016
Ultimately, Trump won Pennsylvania by a margin of 44,000 votes, helped by significant favorable shifts in Philadelphia, as well as counties such as Erie and Luzerne.
Now, less than two weeks before the next presidential election, the open question is how new political trends may form in Philadelphia.
More: 'They are so well taken care of': Trump defends separating migrant children from parents
Given the city was hit harder than average by the pandemic and social unrest, it may not follow Pennsylvania's overall shifts most recently measured by state presidential opinion polls showing Biden holding onto a roughly 5% lead over Trump.
Lanzilloti said he has seen Trump supporters more vocal this year that in the past.
"They’re firing up people that were angry before Trump was even a thing here," he said.
Lindsay Doering, an attorney and Republican leader of Philadelphia's 8th ward, said he expects a shift to Trump to continue in 2020. Helping Trump, he said, is the impact of "burning and looting" that occurred alongside recent racial justice protests.
Hurting him could be new voting methods implemented in the city this election cycle, such as widespread vote-by-mail, he said.
THE SWING STATE: Pennsylvania is a target for both Trump and Biden. But what do voters want?
Republican city councilman David Oh said predicting Philadelphia's marginal shifts, unlike those in its suburbs, is a near impossible task. It depends heavily on hyper-local issues of gentrification and what Oh described as a potential backlash to recent progressive shifts in city government.
He said there are minorities of vocal progressives and Trump supporters. The former will vote reliably for left-wing candidates, such as District Attorney Larry Krasner, and the latter will vote for the president.
But looming over the election are questions of turnout among potentially dissatisfied people in Black communities, and the number of white working class people in Democratic strongholds who will vote for Trump, he said.
"These are Democrats that are so pissed off that they became Republicans for Trump," Oh said. "They're not that different from the people who voted for Obama ... they hate politics in America."
Democratic Party pushback against any such potential shifts, however marginal, likely fueled former President Barack Obama's decision to stage his first live rally in support of Joe Biden in Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Rudy Giuliani's choice to hold a smaller gathering, called an “Italian Americans for Trump” rally, earlier this month in the Republican stronghold of Northeast Philadelphia was also likely motivated by a similar political calculus.
The events, aimed at committed partisans, may not have had an impact on many voters wavering between candidates. While staged at Citizens' Bank Park near to some of the city's more pro-Trump neighborhoods, Obama's speech was attended only by invited guests.
Republican demonstrators outside the stadium also didn’t provide much indication of political trends, as their numbers were small, but loud. One protester drove a bus with bullhorns mounted to the top around the ballpark in apparent attempt to shout down the former president speaking in the adjacent parking lot.
Lanzilloti, who describes himself as a Philadelphian who likes a "good fight," said such activists should adopt a more empathetic approach.
“Without empathy, you have nothing,” he said.
Contact Karl Baker at kbaker@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2329. Follow him on Twitter @kbaker6.


usatoday--2020-10-23--Trump defends child separation policy, asks Biden 'who built the cages' at final debate

Trump defends child separation policy , asks Biden 'who built the cages ' at final debate President Trump defended his @ @ @ @ @ immigration policies during the final 2020 presidential debate .

President Trump defends immigration policies, bashes Biden at final debate
President Trump defended his administration's child separation and immigration policies during the final 2020 presidential debate.
USA TODAY


usatoday--2020-10-23--Fact check: Post claiming Joe Biden wants to put farms in 'land banks' is missing context

The claim : Joe Biden wants American farmers to put their farmland into government land banks and to tell farmers what 'sustainable ' plants they are allowed to grow Similar posts shared thousands of times on Facebook suggest that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wants American farmers to put their land into government land banks .
The posts also claim the government would dictate which crops farmers would be allowed to grow .
Three such posts , which were shared by individuals but had identical text , read , “ Biden wants American farmers to put their farmland into Gvt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gvt would then tell farmers what 'sustainable ' plants they could grow .
Are you ok with this ” Marcus Huey of Phoenix said he is the original author of the post and that it stems from a town hall Biden held in September .
He told USA TODAY that he watched the video multiple times before writing the post on Facebook .
`` I 'm not sure how it happened , but somehow the post made it to the midwest farming community and took off like wildfire , '' Huey told USA @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is the most widely shared thing he 's ever written on Facebook .
Other users who apparently copied Huey 's post have not responded to USA TODAY ’ s requests for comment .
Biden 's answer less detailed than his platform Biden brought up land banks in response to a question posed at a Sept. 17 town hall about reducing regulatory burdens for farmers .
“ We should provide for your ability to make a lot more money , as farmers , by dealing with you being able to put land in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do that to provide for more open space and provide for the ability of you to be able to be in a position that we are going to pay you for planting certain crops that in fact absorb carbon from the air , ” he said .
It remains unclear what Biden meant when he said `` land banks . ''
The Biden campaign did not respond to questions sent by USA TODAY about the phrase or about what his answer was actually referring to .
It appears , however , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for rural America .
The campaign has confirmed to Reuters that Biden was referring to his intentions to “ dramatically expand and fortify ” the Conservation Stewardship Program .
It ’ s one of a few programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that pays farmers to implement conservation practices on their property .
Farmers retain full ownership of their property and are given financial assistance from the USDA with the goal of improving natural resources that have been degraded through agriculture .
The program does pay farmers to plant certain crops @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these programs are voluntary .
Thousands of farmers already participate in this and other USDA programs that help them pay for conservation practices on their land .
In the 2019 fiscal year , the federal government committed more than $ 1.4 billion on the program .
Currently , the Conservation Stewardship Program addresses issues such as soil and water quality .
Biden ’ s plan would expand the program to include payments for crops that sequester carbon , according to his campaign website .
We rate the claim as MISSING CONTEXT , based @ @ @ @ @ @ @ post is not incorrect , but it is missing important context about Biden 's platform related to agriculture and conservation .
Thank you for supporting our journalism .
You can subscribe to our print edition , ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here .
Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook .
This fact check is available at IFCN ’ s 2020 US Elections FactChat # Chatbot on WhatsApp .
Click here , for more .

Fact check: Post claiming Joe Biden wants to put farms in 'land banks' is missing context
Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Biden talks systemic racism and COVID-19 at town hall Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke about systematic racism at a town hall in Pennsylvania hosted by CNN's Anderson Cooper. USA TODAY
The claim: Joe Biden wants American farmers to put their farmland into government land banks and to tell farmers what 'sustainable' plants they are allowed to grow
Similar posts shared thousands of times on Facebook suggest that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden wants American farmers to put their land into government land banks. The posts also claim the government would dictate which crops farmers would be allowed to grow.
Three such posts, which were shared by individuals but had identical text, read, “Biden wants American farmers to put their farmland into Gvt (sic) 'land banks'. Gvt would then tell farmers what 'sustainable' plants they could grow. Are you ok with this”
Marcus Huey of Phoenix said he is the original author of the post and that it stems from a town hall Biden held in September. He told USA TODAY that he watched the video multiple times before writing the post on Facebook.
"I'm not sure how it happened, but somehow the post made it to the midwest farming community and took off like wildfire," Huey told USA TODAY via Facebook Messenger. He said it is the most widely shared thing he's ever written on Facebook.
Other users who apparently copied Huey's post have not responded to USA TODAY’s requests for comment.
Biden's answer less detailed than his platform
Biden brought up land banks in response to a question posed at a Sept. 17 town hall about reducing regulatory burdens for farmers.
“We should provide for your ability to make a lot more money, as farmers, by dealing with you being able to put land in land banks, and you get paid to do that to provide for more open space and provide for the ability of you to be able to be in a position that we are going to pay you for planting certain crops that in fact absorb carbon from the air,” he said.
It remains unclear what Biden meant when he said "land banks." The Biden campaign did not respond to questions sent by USA TODAY about the phrase or about what his answer was actually referring to. It appears, however, that this was a reference to his platform for rural America.
The campaign has confirmed to Reuters that Biden was referring to his intentions to “dramatically expand and fortify” the Conservation Stewardship Program. It’s one of a few programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that pays farmers to implement conservation practices on their property. Farmers retain full ownership of their property and are given financial assistance from the USDA with the goal of improving natural resources that have been degraded through agriculture.
Programs are voluntary
The program does pay farmers to plant certain crops, such as cover crops, but these programs are voluntary. Thousands of farmers already participate in this and other USDA programs that help them pay for conservation practices on their land. In the 2019 fiscal year, the federal government committed more than $1.4 billion on the program.
Currently, the Conservation Stewardship Program addresses issues such as soil and water quality. Biden’s plan would expand the program to include payments for crops that sequester carbon, according to his campaign website.
Our rating: Missing context
We rate the claim as MISSING CONTEXT, based on our research. The original Facebook post is not incorrect, but it is missing important context about Biden's platform related to agriculture and conservation.
Our fact-check sources:
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.


usatoday--2020-10-24--Voting 2020 live updates: President Trump expected to cast Florida ballot; Delaware voters won't be

Voting 2020 live updates: President Trump expected to cast Florida ballot; Delaware voters won't be forced to wear masks

Months ago , some questioned whether the U.S. could pull off an election during the height of the coronavirus pandemic .
But despite COVID-19 , early voting is smashing records : North Carolina , Georgia and Michigan , to name a few crucial states , have either surpassed or were approaching 40 % of their overall 2016 turnout , USA TODAY 's Joey Garrison reported earlier this week .
That 's a lot of voters .
A perhaps record number are expected to cast ballots this weekend , either by mail or at early in-person voting sites across the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Check our guide . )
As voters head to the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election , here are important headlines to keep in mind .
If you want a long read : We mailed 64 letters and packages in battleground states to check on mail delays .
Here ’ s what we found .
Quick take : Nationwide , states are grappling with legal challenges surrounding voting policies .
• North Carolina Republicans are requesting an intervention over rules permitting mail-in ballots to be received 48 hours after the election @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , state courts upheld modified election rules — created by state and city legislatures to curb the spread of COVID-19 .
• President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are lawyered up , bracing for an epic post-election legal battle .
And the likely confirmation of Amy Comey Barrett to the Supreme Court is a key piece of chess .
More on this from the Associated Press .
Also at play : Foreign hackers are at it again , trying to interfere in the election .
• Hackers from Russia and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by sending false emails from the far-right , authoritarian group Proud Boys .
• Russian hackers have been coming after various networks in the U.S. since September , the FBI has said .
• When Lillian Rozsa got the so-called Proud Boys email , she said she knew better .
Still , the University of Florida law student said `` it was shocking and scary . ''
Voters are already casting ballots : Numbers compiled by @ electproject show 54 million people have voted .
In other numbers , the Guardian and ProPublica @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swing states have had their mail-in ballots accepted .
We 're 10 days from Election Day .
USA TODAY is keeping track of what 's happening as voters around the country cast ballots .
Keep refreshing this page for updates .
Trump to vote Saturday in Florida , Pence votes in Indianapolis President Donald Trump plans to early vote on Saturday in West Palm Beach , officials said earlier this week .
It 's the first time an incumbent president will cast his vote in Florida .
That is a departure for Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March presidential primary and then in the Aug. 18 primary election .
Meanwhile , Vice President Mike Pence and his wife , Karen , cast their ballots Friday in Indianapolis .
They used the absentee ballots they had requested in early September .
He moved out in 2016 .
Why Mike Pence uses the Indiana governor 's mansion address to vote Trump casting a vote in Palm Beach County will be part of a historic , blockbuster political weekend in Florida .
Trump spoke Friday in The Villages , a conservative community north @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pence also stumped in Florida .
On Saturday , former President Barack Obama will rally the Democratic faithful in Miami .
Michigan ban on hiring transportation to bring voters to the polls upheld The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has ruled in favor of Michigan 's Republican-led legislature , reinstating the state 's ban on hiring transportation to carry voters to the polls after a state court issued an injunction against the Michigan law .
The law prohibits voter advocacy organizations from paying for transportation to bring voters to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Uber from offering discounted rides to Michigan voters on Election Day .
It does not prohibit volunteers from driving voters to the polls for free .
Voters in Delaware do n't have to wear masks at the polls Despite Delaware Gov .
John Carney 's requirement that residents wear face coverings in public , mask-less voters will be able to walk into polling places to cast their ballots on Election Day .
Masks are strongly encouraged , but not required when voting .
Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence said the decision was made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice .
( Read also : At the polls in New York , Joe2020 hats are a no but BLM shirts and MAGA hats are OK. ) While elections officials want to provide the safest environment possible , voting is a fundamental right , Albence said .
He described the rule as `` trying to balance everyone ’ s needs and everyone ’ s concerns . ''
`` We don ’ t deny anyone ’ s right to vote if they don ’ t wear a mask , '' Albence said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not an absolute requirement . ''
Election problems : What to keep in mind This cheat sheet from Columbia Journalism Review offers tips for media organizations reporting on Election 2020 .
• Voting problems are n't failures .
They happen every year and , as CJR notes , hiccups such as voting machines not working or polling places opening late do n't mean anything is `` rigged . ''
• Some problems , however , are significant .
CJR recommends the media scrutinize areas that have a history of voter suppression or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a place to monitor .
• Do n't expect a winner on Election Night .
This year is different because mail-in ballots could be as high as 30 % .
Previously , that number was 3 % -5 % .
It will take a while to tally .
• Seriously , expect to wait .
State vote certification deadlines differ and do n't have to be reported to the federal level until Dec. 8 .
Additionally , the Electoral College doesn ’ t meet until Dec. 14 .
Federal case over where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After two lawsuits and months of legal arguments , Ohio 's battle over multiple drop boxes is officially over .
Ohio Democrats and voting rights groups can claim one victory : Multiple courts found Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose , a Republican , could install multiple drop boxes for voters to deposit their ballots .
But he was not required to do so and in the end , LaRose did n't allow off-site drop boxes this election .
On Friday , the federal case disputing where drop boxes could be installed was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Earlier in the month , a three-judge panel from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a ruling that would have allowed multiple collection sites for Ohioans ' ballots .
How to vote in 2020 ?
This is the best way , according to experts and activists With the election less than two weeks away , voting rights advocates , conservatives and community activists are urging the millions of voters who have n't voted yet to cast their ballots in person at the polls or at absentee ballot drop boxes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for record voter turnout as the nation battles the COVID-19 pandemic , a fight for racial equality and an economic recession .
More than 53 million people have already voted .
But voters , particularly people of color and the elderly , are concerned about the health risk of voting in person and their vote being fairly counted .
People of color are dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than white people .
Voting rights groups have accused Republican lawmakers of suppressing Black and Latino voters with long lines in urban communities and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maintains that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud .
Read more .

Joshua Bote and Cara Richardson, USA TODAY

Voting 2020 live updates: Unprecedented lines at early voting polls in New York; Supreme Court blocks curbside voting in Alabama
Show Caption Hide Caption Important voting rules you need to know before heading to the polls Voting is important, so there are rules to protect it. Here's what you need to know before you go to vote. USA TODAY
Months ago, some questioned whether the U.S. could pull off an election during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. But despite COVID-19, early voting is smashing records: North Carolina, Georgia and Michigan, to name a few crucial states, have either surpassed or were approaching 40% of their overall 2016 turnout, USA TODAY's Joey Garrison reported earlier this week.
That's a lot of voters. A perhaps record number are expected to cast ballots this weekend, either by mail or at early in-person voting sites across the country. (Need help registering to vote? Check our guide.)
As voters head to the polls ahead of the Nov. 3 election, here are important headlines to keep in mind.
If you want a long read: We mailed 64 letters and packages in battleground states to check on mail delays. Here’s what we found.
Know your voting rights: If you encounter intimidation at the polls on Election Day, here's what to do.
Quick take: Nationwide, states are grappling with legal challenges surrounding voting policies.
The Supreme Court blocked curbside voting in Alabama .
blocked in . North Carolina Republicans are requesting an intervention over rules permitting mail-in ballots to be received 48 hours after the election.
are requesting an intervention over rules permitting mail-in ballots to be received 48 hours after the election. In Texas and New Jersey , state courts upheld modified election rules — created by state and city legislatures to curb the spread of COVID-19.
and , state courts upheld modified election rules — created by state and city legislatures to curb the spread of COVID-19. President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden are lawyered up, bracing for an epic post-election legal battle. And the likely confirmation of Amy Comey Barrett to the Supreme Court is a key piece of chess. More on this from the Associated Press.
Also at play: Foreign hackers are at it again, trying to interfere in the election.
Hackers from Russia and Iran are attempting to undermine the election by sending false emails from the far-right, authoritarian group Proud Boys.
and are attempting to undermine the election by sending false emails from the far-right, authoritarian group Proud Boys. Russian hackers have been coming after various networks in the U.S. since September , the FBI has said.
have been coming after various networks in the U.S. , the FBI has said. When Lillian Rozsa got the so-called Proud Boys email, she said she knew better. Still, the University of Florida law student said "it was shocking and scary."
Voters are already casting ballots: Numbers compiled by @electproject show 56 million people have voted.
We're 10 days from Election Day. USA TODAY is keeping track of what's happening as voters around the country cast ballots. Keep refreshing this page for updates.
Nearly 24,000 lawyers are volunteering to help voters across the country navigate changes in what has become an unprecedented election cycle. Organizers of Election Protection, a national coalition of civil rights and voting rights groups, said the number of volunteers has quadrupled since the 2016 presidential election and the 2018 midterm elections. They’re bracing for even more calls as Election Day nears and in the days and weeks following.
The Election Protection hotline (866-OUR-VOTE) is available all year, but calls have ramped up in recent weeks as millions started casting ballots early in some states. The hotline has received more than 100,000 calls since July, averaging about 7,000 a day, organizers said. At this point in 2016, the group had fielded 21,000 calls since January of that year.
– Deborah Barfield Berry
On the first day of early voting in New York, people waited on lines that were blocks longs and wrapped around polling places to cast their ballots. Many were on line hours before the official noon kickoff and waited between two and four hours to vote.
Heidi Chisholm in Yonkers knitted while waiting to vote in front of the Yonkers Public Library. She said she was there around 11 a.m. and there were already "several hundred" people ahead of her.
Long lines were seen at every polling place set up for early voting in Westchester and Rockland counties.
– Christopher J. Eberhart, Rockland/Westchester Journal News
President Donald Trump voted Saturday in West Palm Beach, he tweeted Saturday morning. Officials said earlier this week that he had plans to vote there while campaigning. It's the first time an incumbent president cast his vote in Florida. That is a departure for Trump, who cast absentee ballots in the March presidential primary and then in the Aug. 18 primary election.
Meanwhile, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife, Karen, cast their ballots Friday in Indianapolis. They used the absentee ballots they had requested in early September.
Trump casting a vote in Palm Beach County is part of a historic, blockbuster political weekend in Florida. Trump spoke Friday in The Villages, a conservative community north of Orlando, and in Pensacola. Pence also stumped in Florida. On Saturday, former President Barack Obama rallied the Democratic faithful in Miami.
– Antonio Fins, The Palm Beach Post and Chris Sikich, Indianapolis Star
He moved out in 2016. Why Mike Pence uses the Indiana governor's mansion address to vote
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit has ruled in favor of Michigan's Republican-led legislature, reinstating the state's ban on hiring transportation to carry voters to the polls after a state court issued an injunction against the Michigan law.
The law prohibits voter advocacy organizations from paying for transportation to bring voters to the polls and ride-sharing companies such as Lyft and Uber from offering discounted rides to Michigan voters on Election Day. It does not prohibit volunteers from driving voters to the polls for free.
– Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press
Despite Delaware Gov. John Carney's requirement that residents wear face coverings in public, mask-less voters will be able to walk into polling places to cast their ballots on Election Day. Masks are strongly encouraged, but not required when voting. Elections Commissioner Anthony Albence said the decision was made in consultation with the state Department of Justice. (Read also: At the polls in New York, Joe2020 hats are a no but BLM shirts and MAGA hats are OK.)
While elections officials want to provide the safest environment possible, voting is a fundamental right, Albence said. He described the rule as "trying to balance everyone’s needs and everyone’s concerns."
"We don’t deny anyone’s right to vote if they don’t wear a mask," Albence said. "We really strongly encourage it. It is not an absolute requirement."
– Sarah Gamard, Delaware News Journal
This cheat sheet from Columbia Journalism Review offers tips for media organizations reporting on Election 2020.
Voting problems aren't failures. They happen every year and, as CJR notes, hiccups such as voting machines not working or polling places opening late don't mean anything is "rigged."
They happen every year and, as CJR notes, hiccups such as voting machines not working or polling places opening late don't mean anything is "rigged." Some problems, however, are significant. CJR recommends the media scrutinize areas that have a history of voter suppression or obstructing minority voters, calling out Georgia as a place to monitor.
CJR recommends the media scrutinize areas that have a history of voter suppression or obstructing minority voters, calling out Georgia as a place to monitor. Don't expect a winner on Election Night . This year is different because mail-in ballots could be as high as 30%. Previously, that number was 3%-5%. It will take a while to tally.
. This year is different because mail-in ballots could be as high as 30%. Previously, that number was 3%-5%. It will take a while to tally. Seriously, expect to wait. State vote certification deadlines differ and don't have to be reported to the federal level until Dec. 8. Additionally, the Electoral College doesn’t meet until Dec. 14.
After two lawsuits and months of legal arguments, Ohio's battle over multiple drop boxes is officially over.
Ohio Democrats and voting rights groups can claim one victory: Multiple courts found Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, a Republican, could install multiple drop boxes for voters to deposit their ballots.
But he was not required to do so and in the end, LaRose didn't allow off-site drop boxes this election. On Friday, the federal case disputing where drop boxes could be installed was dismissed, ending a several-month legal fight.
Earlier in the month, a three-judge panel from the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily blocked a ruling that would have allowed multiple collection sites for Ohioans' ballots.
– Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer
With the election less than two weeks away, voting rights advocates, conservatives and community activists are urging the millions of voters who haven't voted yet to cast their ballots in person at the polls or at absentee ballot drop boxes.
The 2020 election is on track for record voter turnout as the nation battles the COVID-19 pandemic, a fight for racial equality and an economic recession. More than 53 million people have already voted. But voters, particularly people of color and the elderly, are concerned about the health risk of voting in person and their vote being fairly counted.
People of color are dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than white people. Voting rights groups have accused Republican lawmakers of suppressing Black and Latino voters with long lines in urban communities and restrictive voter laws while President Donald Trump maintains that mail-in voting is susceptible to fraud. Read more.
– Nicquel Terry Ellis
Contributing: Associated Press