America Reaches Election Day and a Stark Choice Between Trump and Harris
WASHINGTON (AP) — A presidential campaign marked by upheaval and rancor is approaching its finale. Americans are voting this Election Day whether to send Donald Trump back to the White House or elevate Kamala Harris to the Oval Office. Tens of millions of Americans had already cast their ballots, voting by mail and early in-person voting. They faced a stark choice between two candidates who have offered drastically different temperaments and visions. Harris, the Democratic candidate, stands to be the first female president if elected. She’s promised to work across the aisle to tackle economic worries. Trump, the Republican candidate, has vowed to replace thousands of federal workers with loyalists, impose sweeping tariffs on allies and foes, and stage the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.
The Latest: Trump and Harris Cede Stage to Voters Who’ll Also Decide Control of House and Senate
Election Day is here. Voters are gearing up to head to the polls to cast their ballots for either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris in one of the nation’s most historic presidential races. They’ll also be determining which party will control the House and Senate.
After All the Talk, Election Day Voting Is Going Mostly Smoothly
WASHINGTON (AP) — The final day of voting in the 2024 presidential election has arrived with tens of millions of Americans having already cast their ballots. Those include record numbers in battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina. As of Monday, Associated Press tracking of advance voting nationwide showed over 80 million ballots cast. That’s slightly more than half the total number of votes in the last presidential election. Despite long lines in some places and a few hiccups common to all elections, early in-person and mail voting has proceeded without major problems. Enthusiastic voters lined up early Monday, even braving pouring rain in Houston.
Voters Deciding Dozens of Ballot Measures Affecting Life, Death, Taxes and More
Voters are deciding dozens of state ballot measures affecting the way people live, work and die. While 10 states settle measures on abortion and reproductive rights, Tuesday’s ballot also features about a half-dozen measures legalizing marijuana for recreational or medical use. Other measures focus on minimum wages, taxes, housing, immigration and school choice. A West Virginia measure would ban physician-assisted suicide. Numerous measures would affect future elections, including several amending state constitutions to say that only citizens can vote — something that’s already the law for federal elections.
Abortion Is on the Ballot in Nine States and Motivating Voters Across the US
WASHINGTON (AP) — Voters are getting a say on abortion policy in Tuesday’s election with ballot measures and elections to offices from president to local prosecutors. The issue has been in the political spotlight since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending a nationwide right to abortion and opening the door to bans that most GOP-controlled states are now enforcing. Florida, Arizona and seven other states are asking voters whether they want to enshrine a right to abortion in their state constitutions. In some states, passage would mean rolling back bans that are in place now.
Control of Congress Is at Stake and With It a President’s Agenda
WASHINGTON (AP) — Control of Congress is stake this election. Races for the House and Senate will determine which party holds the majority — and the power to boost or block a new president’s agenda. Key contests are playing out alongside the White House race but also in unexpected corners of the country. In New York and California, Democrats are trying to win back Republican-held seats and House control. Vote counting in some races could extend well past Tuesday. Senate attention is focused on Montana and the “blue wall” turf of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, as Republicans try to wrest the majority from Democrats. A few seats could determine the outcome.
An Israeli Airstrike Kills 20 People in Northern Gaza, Palestinian Officials Say
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza has killed at least 20 people, mostly women and children. Israel is waging a nearly monthlong air and ground operation in what was already the most isolated and heavily destroyed part of the territory. The strike late Monday hit a home where several displaced families were sheltering in the town of Beit Lahiya, near the border with Israel. That’s according to the director of the recently raided and barely functioning Kamal Adwan Hospital, which received the casualties. The Israeli military said it targeted a weapons storage facility from which a militant had operated and that it took steps to minimize harm to civilians. Health officials say separate strikes elsewhere in Gaza early Tuesday killed another 10 people.
Ukrainian Troops Have Engaged With North Korean Units for the 1st Time in Russia, an Official Says
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s defense minister says Ukrainian troops have engaged for the first time with North Korean units that were recently deployed to help Russia in the war with its neighbor. Another Kyiv official said Ukraine’s army fired artillery at North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk border region. The comments Tuesday were the first official reports that Ukrainian and North Korean forces have engaged in combat, following a deployment that has given the war a new complexion as it approaches its 1,000-day milestone. Neither claim could be independently confirmed. U.S., South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments say up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops are being sent by Pyongyang to the war under a pact with Moscow.
A Week After Spain’s Floods, Families Hold Out Hope That Loved Ones Are Not Among the Dead
SEDAVI, Spain (AP) — One week after catastrophic flooding devasted eastern Spain, María Murgui still holds out hope that her father is alive and among the missing. He went out to save his motorbike during the deluge. He called his family to say he was OK but they have not heard from him again. At least 218 have been confirmed dead after the floods, which were caused by heavy rains on Oct. 29 and the next morning. They swamped entire communities in Spain’s Valencia region. Most people were caught most off guard. Regional authorities have been heavily criticized for having issued alerts to mobile phones some two hours after the disaster had started. Authorities have yet to any give an estimate of the missing. Recovery efforts are slowly moving forward.
Boeing Factory Strike Ends As Workers Vote to Accept Contract
SEATTLE (AP) — A strike by 33,000 Boeing factory workers is coming to an end after more than seven weeks. The aerospace giant’s unionized machinists voted on Monday to accept a company contract offer that includes a 38% wage increase over four years. The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers says 59% of its members who cast ballots agreed to approve the third Boeing offer put to a vote. The strike started in mid-September and deprived the company of much-needed cash by shutting down production at its factories in the Pacific Northwest. The union says the machinists it represents can return to work as soon as Wednesday. President Joe Biden congratulated the two sides.
