Polls show Trump and Harris tied in key battleground state of Pennsylvania
A Washington Post poll released this morning shows Donald Trump and Kamala Harris tied in Pennsylvania, the battleground state seen as most likely to determine the outcome of the presidential election.
A survey conducted after last week’s presidential debate found that 48% of eligible and registered voters support Harris, 47% support Trump, and the rest plan to vote for a third-party candidate. Excluding other candidates, Harris and Trump are tied with 48% support among eligible voters, but among registered voters, Harris has a slight lead with 48% to Trump’s 47%.
But the vice president impressed debate viewers in the state: 54% of those surveyed said she won last week’s showdown, while just 27% said the same about Trump.
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Updated 08.23 EDT
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A Washington Post poll in Pennsylvania also found the race for the Senate seat currently held by Democrat Bob Casey to be similarly close.
Democrats currently control the upper chamber of Congress, but they face an uphill task to maintain control beyond the end of the year: The party cannot afford to lose a single seat and would need to win reelection for senators representing two Republican-leaning states, Ohio and Montana.
So it’s likely to upset Democrats that the Post poll showed Casey nearly neck and neck with his opponent, Dave McCormick: Among likely voters, Casey has 47% approval, McCormick 46%. Excluding third-party candidates, the two are tied at 48%.
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Updated 08.46 EDT
Polls show Trump and Harris tied in key battleground state of Pennsylvania
A Washington Post poll released this morning shows Donald Trump and Kamala Harris tied in Pennsylvania, the battleground state seen as most likely to determine the outcome of the presidential election.
A survey conducted after last week’s presidential debate found that 48% of eligible and registered voters support Harris, 47% support Trump, and the rest plan to vote for a third-party candidate. Excluding other candidates, Harris and Trump are tied with 48% support among eligible voters, but among registered voters, Harris has a slight lead with 48% to Trump’s 47%.
But the vice president impressed debate viewers in the state: 54% of those surveyed said she won last week’s showdown, while just 27% said the same about Trump.
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Updated 08.23 EDT
Kamala Harris is scheduled to take part in a livestream with Oprah Winfrey today, according to the Associated Press.
Donald Trump is visiting Washington, where he will speak at an evening event dedicated to combating anti-Semitism in America and is also due to speak to the Israel-American Council.
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Updated 08.31 EDT
U.S. House fails to pass federal funding bill as shutdown deadline looms
Joan E. Grebe
A government budget bill pushed by Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson failed to pass Wednesday, leaving less than two weeks to avert a government shutdown that would begin on October 1.
The final vote was 202-220, with all but 14 House Republicans and three House Democrats voting against the bill. Two Republicans voted “abstain.”
The bill was not expected to pass, as several House Republicans had criticized the proposal before the vote. Given Republicans’ slim majority in the House and widespread Democratic opposition, Johnson could only afford a few defections from his own party. Johnson delayed a vote on the funding package last week in an effort to solidify Republican support, but that effort also did not help pass the bill.
Johnson’s proposed bill combined a six-month stopgap funding measure known as a continuing resolution with the Protect American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, a controversial proposal that would require people to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Donald Trump, who has defended unfounded claims of widespread foreign voting, had pressured Johnson to reject any funding measures unless they included an “election security” clause, with the former president toughening his stance just hours before the vote.
Read the full story.
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Report finds US health care system ranks last compared to other countries
Jessica Glenza
A new report from the Commonwealth Fund ranks the U.S. health care system last in an international comparison of 10 countries.
Americans spend nearly twice as much on health care as other countries, yet our health care system performs poorly in terms of health equity, access to care, and health outcomes.
“I see the human toll of these flaws every day,” said Joseph Betancourt, president of the Commonwealth Fund, a foundation that focuses on health research and policy.
“We see patients who can’t afford their medicines. We see older patients coming into the hospital who are sicker than they should be because they’ve been uninsured most of their lives,” Betancourt said. “It’s finally time to build a health care system that provides quality, affordable care to all Americans.”
Read the full story here.
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FBI says Iran sent hacked Trump documents to Biden campaign
Iranian hackers sought to meddle in the 2024 presidential election by sending spam emails to associates of the then-Democratic candidate, hoping to attract attention to President Joe Biden’s campaign with information stolen from rival Donald Trump’s campaign, the FBI and other U.S. government agencies said.
The FBI confirmed on August 12 that it was investigating allegations from the Trump campaign that Iran had hacked and distributed large amounts of sensitive election documents. On August 19, intelligence officials confirmed that Iran was behind the hack.
There is no indication that Biden campaign officials have responded, officials said Wednesday, and multiple media organizations contacted over the summer about the leak of the stolen information have not responded either.
Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign called the emails from Iran “unwelcome, unacceptable and malicious” and said only a small number of people received them, who viewed them as spam and a phishing attempt.
Click here for more details.
Associated Press
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President Trump holds first rally since assassination attempt
Ed Pilkington
Donald Trump held his first rally since being the target of two consecutive assassination attempts Wednesday night, telling supporters at a sports venue outside New York City that his “encounter with death” has only made him stronger.
“God has just saved my life. I’m sure he’s saved my life not once but twice,” Trump said to huge cheers from the ecstatic crowd.
The former president brought his usual assortment of lies, exaggerations and scurrilous, racist insults to the Nassau Coliseum in suburban Long Island, just seven miles from the New York City border — a bold choice of venue, given that with just 48 days until the election and New York is not a priority for either major political party.
The state is heavily Democratic and last voted for a Republican presidential candidate in 1984 for Ronald Reagan’s reelection. Even Nassau County, where the arena is located, voted 54% for Joe Biden and 45% for Trump in 2020. Meanwhile, the latest polls in New York state show Kamala Harris comfortably leading Biden by double digits.
But Trump apparently saw a method in his madness. Long Island, the leafy suburbs to the east of the city, has shifted to the right in recent years, becoming a hotbed of the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.
Read the full story here.
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