Election 2024 live updates: Harris and Trump making closing arguments in busy weekend
There are three days left until Election Day. Former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are out making their final pitches to voters this closing weekend.
Trump will be in the sunbelt, with stops in North Carolina and Virginia Saturday afternoon. He’ll then head back to North Carolina for a rally in the evening.
Meanwhile, Harris will also be making stops in the South. The vice president has a rally planned in Atlanta this afternoon, followed by an event in Charlotte.
Keep up with the YSL News Network’s live coverage from the campaign trail.so
Air Force Two meets Trump Force One in North Carolina
As Harris climbed down the steps of Air Force Two, her opponent’s plane sat about 50 yards away.
Harris landed in Charlotte, N.C. on Saturday where she plans to hold a rally Saturday evening. Trump held a rally in Gastonia, N.C., near Charlotte earlier Saturday. He is then headed to Salem, Virginia and back to the Tarheel State to close the day with an event in Greensboro.
Harris did not look back at Trump’s plane, according to a pool report.
– Rebecca Morin
Jill Biden campaigns in Macon, Georgia, for Harris
First lady Jill Biden campaigned in Georgia on Saturday for Harris recalling her tie-breaking vote for the American Rescue Plan in March 2021 that provided relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jill Biden recalled her last visit to Macon in October 2020, when former President Donald Trump was still in office.“We were in masks, we were seated six feet apart,” Biden said. “The pandemic was raging, schools were closed, and with Donald Trump creating chaos at every turn, that was four years ago.”
– Bart Jansen
Biden makes case for Harris in Pennsylvania
President Joe Biden returned to his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, three days before Election Day, to participate in a get-out-the-vote event.He stopped by the Carpenters Local 445 meeting hall, a venue he’d stopped by on Election Day 2020, 10 blocks from where he was born in south Scranton. He also visited the site twice as a sitting president.
He urged union members to vote for Harris saying she’d be good for the unions.“A lot of people have trouble saying the word union. I am not one of them,” he said. “And Kamala, I wouldn’t have picked her as vice president if she had that trouble.”
Biden criticized the GOP for wanting to cut Affordable Care Act, the CHIPS Act, cut Social Security so as to help cut taxes for the wealthy: “These are the kinds of guys you like to smack in the ass,” he said.– Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy
Harris makes final pitch to Georgia voters: ‘You will make the difference in this election’
In her final visit to Georgia ahead of Election Day, Harris told voters in Atlanta that she would win the presidency but she urged those who have not voted to cast their ballots for her in the razor-thin close election.
Reciting her typical stump speech, Harris told voters that bringing down the cost of living for Americans “will be my focus every single day,” citing her plan for a federal ban on corporate price gouging on groceries.
Harris and former Trump are in a dead heat in the state, with the Republican presidential nominee at 48% and Harris at 47% among likely voters, according to a CNN poll published Thursday.
“Atlanta, we have three days to get this thing done, and no one can sit on the sidelines,” Harris said. “Let’s spend the next three days knowing that when we look back on these three days, we will have no regrets about what we could have done.”
– Rebecca Morin
Trump focuses on a must-have state: North Carolina
Trump is spending Saturday in both a must-have state (North Carolina) and a long shot state (Virginia).
The former president kicked off with a rally in Gastonia, N.C., near Charlotte; he plans to close tonight in Greensboro, N.C.
Exuding confidence about carrying the Tar Heel state, Trump told the crowd in Gastonia that “this will happen on Tuesday.”
Polls show a very tight race in a state that Trump carried in both 2016 and 2020; a loss next week would likely sink the former president’s chances in 2024.
In between Gastonia and Greensboro, Trump holds an afternoon rally in Salem, Va.
Polls show Harris to be the favorite in Virginia.
– David Jackson
Obama heading to Milwaukee to persuade undecided voters, Harris campaign says
Former President Barack Obama is heading to Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday to help persuade undecided voters in the key swing state ahead of Tuesday’s election, the Harris campaign said.
Harris Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said the campaign has been looking at states where early voting remains and is getting key surrogates to those states to remind people how to vote and make sure they know they can still vote. O’Malley Dillon added that surrogates, like Obama, are being used to persuade undecided voters that the campaign believes “over the course of the last week, have been breaking in our direction.”
“We still know there’s some left, and we want to make sure we are the last people that voters are hearing from before they go vote,” she told reporters on a press call.
– Rebecca Morin
The ‘Squad’ Congresswoman Tlaib declines to endorse Harris
U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich. steered clear of endorsing Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris at a United Auto Workers union rally on Friday.
Tlaib is the only member of the progressive group the “Squad” that has not endorsed Harris, and as the only Palestinian American in Congress has been outspoken about her criticism of the Biden administration’s support of Israel’s retaliatory war on the militant group Hamas in Gaza.
She took to X Friday to call Republican presidential nominee, Trump, a “proud Islamophobe + serial liar who doesn’t stand for peace.”
She added: “The reality is that the Biden admin’s unconditional support for genocide is what got us here. This should be a wake-up call for those who continue to support genocide. This election didn’t have to be close.”
Michigan has the highest population of Arab Americans and the uncommitted protest vote garnered over 100,000 primary votes in February.
– Max Reinhart and Sam Woodward
Harris campaign praises Supreme Court decision to allow some provisional ballots in Pennsylvania
The Harris campaign on Saturday praised the Supreme Court’s decision to decline an emergency request from the Republican Party to block Pennsylvania from counting some provisional ballots cast by voters who failed to submit an absentee ballot correctly.
Dana Remus, outside counsel for the Harris campaign, said the decision confirms that every eligible voter has the right to vote and have their vote counted. “That decision, of course, makes sense. It’s fair, and it demonstrates that our democracy is so much stronger than (Donald) Trump’s shameful attacks,” Remus said, referencing former President Donald Trump’s efforts to sow doubt in the election results. “The Supreme Court didn’t take the bait, and that is our system working.”
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the GOP’s request to intervene after the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said voters should be able to cast provisional ballots if they failed to encase an absentee ballot in the required secrecy sleeve.
– Rebecca Morin and Maureen Groppe
LeBron James talks postgame about endorsing Harris
Basketball legend LeBron James told reporters after his game Friday night that his support for Democratic presidential nominee Harris is, in part, influenced by the women in his life.
“I have a daughter, I have a wife, and I have a mother,” he told reporters. “What (Harris) believes in when it comes to women’s rights” is “where I think our country should be.”
He jokingly added: “C’mon, you guys know me, I’m damn sure not going the other way.”
The 39-year-old endorsed Harris in a video on X this week that highlighted accusations of racism against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“What are we even talking about here??,” the post read. “When I think about my kids and my family and how they will grow up, the choice is clear to me. VOTE KAMALA HARRIS!!!”
–Sam Woodward
What will the forecast be on Election Day?
Election Day is around the corner, and so are storms and showers that could make it a little harder to get to the polls in some parts of the country.
Forecasters say the majority of the country will have mild weather on Tuesday, Nov. 5, but some places will see thunderstorms, persistent rain or even snow. That includes a rainy forecast in the key swing states of Wisconsin and Michigan.
While serious weather can have an impact on voter turnout, forecasters say the outlook for Tuesday isn’t severe enough to cause big issues. And in an election year with a tight presidential contest on the ballot, most voters won’t be dissuaded, said AccuWeather senior meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
“People should be able to get out there without major weather disruptions,” Pastelok told YSL News.
– Jeanine Santucci
Harris: Repealing Obamacare, CHIPS Act is ‘not popular’
Harris on Saturday criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson for sayingTrump and Republicans will try to repeal Obamacare and the CHIPS and Science Act if they win in Nov. 5.
“It is just further evidence of everything that I’ve actually been talking about for months now about Trump’s intention to implement Project 2025,” Harris told reporters in Milwaukee on Saturday. Johnson earlier this week told a crowd of supporters there will be “no Obamacare” if Trump wins and Republicans take control of Congress. On Friday, Johnson said that he expects the GOP “probably will” repeal the CHIPS Act while campaigning for Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y. Williams said he does not support repealing the act, and will remind Johnson “night and day how important the CHIPS Act is.” Johnson later said that he supports reforming the legislation.
Harris said Johnson walked back his initial comment of repealing the legislation because “it’s not popular.”
“Let’s be clear why he walked it back, because it’s not popular,” Harris said. “And their agenda is not popular.”
— Rebecca Morin
Harris to spend election night at alma mater, Howard University
Harris will watch the votes come in at her alma mater, Howard University, the campaign announced this week.
Harris, who graduated from the historically Black college in Washington D.C. in 1986, was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and has mobilized fellow alumnae to campaign for her since being added top of the ticket in July.
– Sam Woodward
Women outpacing men in early voting
Women have outpaced men in early-voting turnout by nearly 10 percentage points − a trend the Harris campaign and Democrats see as reason for optimism.
But Trump’s campaign insists it isn’t concerned, arguing the gap is simply the result of male Democratic voters so far staying home.
Four days from Election Day, 53% of early voters nationally as of Friday have been women and 44% men, according to TargetSmart, a Democratic-aligned firm that tracks early voting data.
The margin is about the same as the 2020 election won by Biden when the gap at this same point in early voting also rounded to 53%-44%. But Democrats are bullish because women − who polls show back Harris over Trump by a sizable margin − have maintained the 9-point edge even though Republican voters have formed a larger share of the preliminary vote this year.
“The Democratic women, especially, appear to be just more fired up. Even though the Republicans’ vote share is increasing, you’re still seeing those gender gaps hold,” said Tom Bonier, CEO of TargetSmart.
– Joey Garrison
Here’s how the candidates are doing in swing states, polls
With just three days until Election Day, the race is still razor-thin in a number of key swing states that could determine the winner.
In Pennsylvania, an exclusive poll from YSL News/Suffolk University found that Harris and Trump are tied at 49%.
The two are also deadlocked in Michigan at 47% each, according to another exclusive poll from YSL News/Suffolk.
A poll by UMass Lowell/YouGov released this week shows Trump with a slim lead within the margin of error in North Carolina.
– Sam Woodward
A star-studded Saturday for Harris in North Carolina, Georgia
Harris has a packed Saturday in Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina two key battleground states, where she will campaign at star-studded rallies.
In Atlanta, the vice president will be joined by director Spike Lee and singer Victoria Monét and performances from rappers 2 Chainz, Big Tigger, Monica, and Pastor Troy.
In Charlotte, actress and campaign surrogate Kerry Washington will give remarks and artists Jon Bon Jovi, Khalid, Brittney Spencer, and The War and Treaty will perform.
– Sam Woodward
Walz to canvass with actress Eva Longoria Saturday
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz will campaign with actress Eva Longoria Saturday morning in Las Vegas, Nevada, a key swing state to win next week to secure a victory.
Longoria, a Democratic political player, has been present on and off the campaign trail for the Harris-Walz ticket and spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
– Sam Woodward
6 types of misinformation circulating ahead of Election Day
With Election Day bearing down, guarding against misinformation is more vital than ever.
In the coming days and weeks, election officials across the country will tally millions of ballots and declare the winners and losers. That means your social media feed likely will be filled with baseless claims of fraud – many of which we’ve seen before. Some common narratives:
- The election was stolen due to voter fraud
- Noncitizens are voting in large numbers
- Votes were added/subtracted due to the “hacking” of machines
- Changing vote totals prove cheating occurred
- Partisan election officials skew vote tallies
- There were more votes than registered voters
YSL News has debunked dozens of such claims in recent election cycles. Here’s a rundown of what these narratives miss, so you’re prepared when they crop up again. Read more here.
Pennsylvania court orders Erie County to offer new absentee ballots
A Pennsylvania court ordered the Erie County Board of Elections on Friday to offer new absentee ballots to nearly 20,000 voters who didn’t receive them and stay open for longer office hours until Election Day to receive them.
Court of Common Pleas Judge David Ridge ordered the remedy after holding a hearing Thursday about problems the election office and its vendor, ElectionIQ, had in delivering ballots through the U.S. Postal Service.
The number of missing ballots in just one county of the key battleground state is potentially significant. Former President Donald Trump won the state by about 40,000 votes in 2016 and President Joe Biden won it by about 80,000 votes in 2020.
–Bart Jansen
Where is Harris today?
Harris will be in Atlanta Saturday afternoon for a Get Out the Vote campaign rally. She travels next to Charlotte for a similar event in the evening.
− Savannah Kuchar
Where is Trump today?
Trump will make a stop in Gastonia, N.C., for a rally at noon. The former president heads then to Salem, Virginia, a couple hours north of the Tar Heel State border.
For Saturday evening, Trump is back in North Carolina, this time at a rally in Greensboro.
− Savannah Kuchar