© Gerald Herbert, Associated Press |
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Hurricane Helene collides with campaign politics
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More than 100 people are dead and 600 missing in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, which has created a humanitarian crisis across the Southeast only weeks before the election. President Biden and Vice President Harris are marshaling the resources of the federal government to address the devastation, while former President Trump received a briefing in Valdosta, Ga., where he swiped at the Biden administration’s response. - Helene’s devastation spanned more than 500 miles from Florida to Appalachia.
- Homes, businesses, roads and bridges are destroyed. Communications are down in parts of the country and fresh water is in short supply.
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Power companies are racing to repair damaged infrastructure, and the federal government is coordinating the delivery of supplies to those who are stranded or isolated.
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The federal government has deployed more than 3,600 personnel so far to clear debris and provide supplies, with the National Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and Department of Defense activated in response.
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Biden has approved emergency declarations in North Carolina, Florida and South Carolina to unlock government resources. Federal search and rescue teams are looking for the missing and the dead.
Deanne Criswell, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), surveyed damage in Georgia and Florida over the weekend. -
Criswell is on the ground now in Asheville, N.C., where many are stuck without food, water or power. Shelters are overrun and supplies are being airlifted into the region.
- The devastation is horrific in North Carolina, a pivotal swing state that both Trump and Harris have lavished with attention.
Biden gave an address Monday from the Roosevelt Room, saying he spoke with the governors of Georgia and North Carolina, as well as officials in Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina. Biden, who is battling a cold, said he’d visit impacted areas later this week, but he wants to wait so that his visit isn’t a burden on first responders. “We’re not leaving until the job is done... I’m committed to traveling to the impacted areas as soon as possible, but I’m told it would be disruptive if I did right now. We will not do that at the risk of diverting or delaying any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis.” Congress is out, but Biden said he’d consider calling a special session for lawmakers to return and pass a hurricane funding bill.
Harris returned to Washington on Monday, canceling planned campaign stops out West so she could be briefed on the devastation. -
Harris will visit FEMA headquarters for a briefing later today.
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Harris’s team released a picture of her being briefed on Air Force Two, saying she has spoken with FEMA director Criswell and North Carolina Gov. Rory Cooper (D) about the relief efforts.
Trump over the weekend bashed Biden and Harris for being outside of Washington while the crisis unfolded. Trump claimed Biden had been “sleeping” at home in Delaware.
On Monday, Biden was asked by reporters why he wasn’t “commanding from Washington” over the weekend.
“I was commanding. I was on the phone for at least two hours yesterday and the day before, as well. I commanded. It’s called a telephone.”
Trump continued his attacks Monday during a stop in Valdosta, Ga., where he was briefed on the devastation and the federal response. - Trump praised Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), who he's feuded with in the past.
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Georgia lawmakers — including the two Democratic senators — sent a letter to Biden on Monday urging him to quickly approve Kemp's disaster declaration request.
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Trump said he's spoken to Elon Musk about getting Starlink set up for areas damaged by the hurricane. He hopes to visit North Carolina later this week.
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Welcome to Evening Report! I'm Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what's coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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U.S. eastern ports are preparing to close with labor talks stalled ahead of a Tuesday deadline. A potential dockworkers strike could mean product shortages and high prices ahead of the holidays.
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U.S. officials say Israel has informed them a ground invasion of Lebanon is imminent. The U.S. is boosting air support and telling troops to be prepared to deploy to the Middle East as tensions escalate. Here are five pressing questions as Israeli attacks on Hezbollah roil the Middle East.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-Calif.) vetoed an AI safety bill that would have required developers create protocols aimed at preventing catastrophes.
America's young men are falling behind. Men in their 20s and 30s are much more likely than their female peers to live with their parents.
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Kris Kristofferson, the singer-songwriter who changed country music, is dead at 88. Hall of Fame basketball player Dikembe Mutombo died of brain cancer at age 58.
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© AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin |
Trump makes inroads with Latinos, union workers
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Vice President Harris is the slight favorite to win the White House according to most polling aggregation models, but former President Trump is making inroads among key Democratic constituencies that could propel him to victory in November.
The latest survey from NBC News, Telemundo and CNBC found Harris leading Trump 54-40 among Latinos. That marks the lowest level of support among Latinos for a Democratic nominee in recent presidential cycles. - Latinos are one of the fastest growing demographic groups, with one recent survey finding they make up about half of the growth in new eligible voters.
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Latinos are projected to account for nearly 15 percent of the total electorate in 2024, which would be a new high.
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The states with the highest population of Latinos include battlegrounds such as Arizona and Nevada.
NBC’s Steve Kornacki lays out the preelection polling of Latino voters from previous races: 2024: Harris +14 2020: Biden +36 2016: Clinton +50
2012: Obama +39 And there’s another key demographic where Trump is surprisingly outperforming…
According to CNN election analyst Harry Enten, Harris leads Trump by only 9 points among union households, making her the worst performing Democrat in about 30 years: “Trump has more working class support than any GOP presidential candidate in a generation. He's on track for the best performance among union voters in 40 years. He's up 31 points among trade school grads. He's doing 17 pts better among nonwhite non-college voters than in 2020.” Harris’s troubles with this demographic were underscored by the Teamsters declining to endorse her after releasing internal polling showing a majority of the rank and file support Trump.
This has stoked concern among Democrats about how Harris will ultimately fare in Nevada, which has outsized representation among both Latinos and union members. But, so far, things are leaning in her favor: - Nevada hasn't voted for the GOP presidential nominee in 20 years.
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The Hill/DecisionDeskHQ average of polls finds Harris leading Trump by 2.2 points in Nevada.
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The Biden administration expanded asylum restrictions at the Southern border on Monday, cementing tougher standards that will cut off access to protections for many migrants.
Harris currently has a 55 percent chance of winning the White House, according to The Hill/DecisionDeskHQ model. The Hill’s Niall Stanage has the biggest takeaways from the most recent batch of polling: -
The big picture is positive for Harris overall.
- Harris has turned the Southeastern battlegrounds into a true jump-ball.
- A bright spot for Trump in Arizona.
- Harris has a tiny edge in the big prize of Pennsylvania.
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Trump’s edge on the economy appears to be eroding.
Which leads to the big question of 2024… Trump’s polling support has been underestimated both times he ran for president. Should we expect a similar polling error in 2024?
The Hill’s Jared Gans says pollsters believe they’ve adequately adjusted, and there’s no reason to expect Trump will outperform surveys this time around. From Chris Jackson, the senior vice president of public affairs for Ipsos:
“We don’t always see the misses in the same direction. I can tell you that the polling industry has done substantial changes to how we do our surveys to try to account for what we think was driving those errors in 2020. So while there undoubtedly will be errors in the future, they’re probably going to be driven by different things and go in different directions.” Read more: |
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Veeps prepare to debate; October surprise lookout
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The vice presidential candidates will take the spotlight Tuesday night for their only debate.
Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) take the stage for the biggest moment in each of their careers, highlighting the divergent paths these two Midwesterners have taken on their way to the presidential ticket. Both campaigns are playing the expectations game:
The debate will be moderated by CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell and “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan. The microphones will be on at all times for both candidates.
Former President Trump says he’ll do a personal play-by-play on his social media platform TruthSocial.
The debate kicks off the first day of October, provoking questions about whether one of the wildest campaign cycles in modern times might have a few surprises left in the month before the election.
Hillary Clinton warned Monday that Democrats need to be prepared to deal with an October surprise that could damage Vice President Harris before Election Day.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be, but it will be something, and we’ll have to work very, very hard to make sure that it is exposed as the lie that it is.” Read more: More from Washington: |
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"The Democrats's shameful surrender on immigration," by Felipe De La Hoz for The New Republic. "Men are flocking to Trump because the left has demonized them," by Sasha Stone on Substack. "The next GOP leader must reform a broken system," by Brian Darling for The Hill. "How different are Trump and Harris on foreign policy?," by Steven A. Cook for The Liberal Patriot. |
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The vice presidential debate is tomorrow. 36 days until the 2024 general election.
112 days until Inauguration Day 2025. |
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Tuesday - Trump campaigns in Wisconsin.
- Vance and Walz debate on CBS at 9 p.m.
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There a story you think should be getting more attention? Something people should be talking about? Drop me a line: jeasley@thehill.com | |
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