As Florida prepares for its second major hurricane in two weeks, U.S. President Joe Biden is spreading an “onslaught of lies” about how the federal government is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helen. criticized President Donald Trump. Biden spoke as Hurricane Milton, which the president previously described as “like the storm of the century,” was making landfall in Florida.
“Frankly, these lies are un-American,” Biden said from the White House. “Former President Trump led this onslaught of lies.”
Biden said Donald Trump and his allies had misrepresented the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response and resources. The president singled out Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who argued that the federal government can control the weather.
Republican lawmakers representing areas affected by Hurricane Helen joined in Biden’s rebuke, as he delivered a scathing rebuttal of the misinformation and conspiracy theories spread by Trump and his supporters about the hurricane and the government’s response. Ta. Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina’s 11th District pushed back against Trump and others’ criticism of the Biden administration’s disaster response, praising the “level of assistance unmatched by any other disaster in the nation.”
Trump maintained his campaign schedule even as the storm threatened to cause devastating damage to Tampa and other parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast and cast a shadow over the presidential race. He said he would not stop even if it alienated women voters, and continued to insult Milton’s rivals and other women while praying for those who stood before Milton.
President Trump spoke in Scranton during the first of two rallies that day in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania. “Look, someone said, “You should be nicer.” Women wouldn’t like it.” I said, “I don’t care.” ”
President Trump also spoke hours before Fox News invited the two presidential candidates to participate in a second debate, which could take place on either October 24 or October 27. He announced that he would not hold another debate with Harris. “There will be no rematch,” President Trump said on his Truth Social platform. “So there’s nothing to discuss.”
Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris flew to Nevada, a battleground state with six electoral votes, but first attended a briefing at the White House about the storm and the federal response that Biden also received. .
In an interview with CNN, Harris criticized President Trump’s comments on aid, saying: “It’s dangerous. Frankly, it’s unconscionable that people who think of themselves as leaders can mislead desperate people so that desperate people can’t get help. They have the right to… There is. ”
Meanwhile, Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, called for the electoral system to be abolished, saying it “needs to be abolished” and replaced with the principle of popular voting. He made the comments to an audience gathered at a party fundraiser. A majority of American voters support abolishing the electoral college, but Harris has not taken a position on the issue.
Walz previously made similar remarks at another event in Seattle, where he described himself as a “national popular vote expert” and said, “That’s not the world we live in.” It was stated in a limited manner.
Elsewhere:
The FBI has arrested an Afghan man who officials say was inspired by the Islamic State terrorist group and was planning an election day attack on large crowds in the United States, the Justice Department said. did. After his arrest Monday, Nasir Ahmad Tawhidi, 27, of Oklahoma City, told law enforcement authorities that he planned the attack to coincide with Election Day in November and that he and his co-conspirators would be martyred, according to the indictment. He stated that he had expected to die as a prisoner.
Harris’ campaign and organizations supporting her have raised $1 billion in donations since she began her presidential campaign in July. A person familiar with the vice president’s fundraising confirmed to Reuters that the proceeds went to her campaign, the Democratic National Committee and Pax, which supports her candidacy. Mr. Trump raised about $853 million in 2024, according to a New York Times tally of public campaign statements. With less than three weeks left until Election Day, the Harris campaign and the Democratic Party had $404 million in cash, while the Trump campaign had $295 million.
The Florida Department of Health sent a cease-and-desist letter to a local news outlet over an ad urging people to vote yes on a ballot measure that would expand abortion rights, an issue people in the state vote on on Election Day. Ta. state.
A judge has ruled that three Georgia voting rights groups seeking to reopen voter registration have not proven that internet and power outages caused by Hurricane Helen unfairly deprived people of the opportunity to register. . She set another hearing for Thursday to consider the evidence and legal arguments. Georgia’s 2020 presidential election was decided by just 12,000 votes. State officials and the state Republican Party argue that mandating counties to register additional voters would be a huge burden on them.
Early voting began in Arizona on Wednesday, making it the first of this year’s presidential battleground states to allow all residents to vote at a traditional polling place before Election Day. Biden defeated Trump in the state in 2020 by just 10,457 votes. Early voting by mail, especially in Arizona, has long been popular, with nearly 80% of voters submitting their ballots before Election Day in 2020, according to the Secretary of State’s Office.
