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Prosecutors had called sweepstakes a scam that violates state election law and asked for it to be shut down

Ex-president hurtles through four rallies across three states as vice-president puts focus on Pennsylvania

Storm expected to bring heavy rain to US Gulf coast later this weekForecasters posted a hurricane warning in the Caribbean on Monday afternoon after a late-season disturbance south of Cuba strengthened into Tropical Storm Rafael and set its sights on the US Gulf coast.The 17th named storm of an overactive Atlantic hurricane season will bring heavy rain to Jamaica and the Cayman Islands before strengthening to a hurricane and probably hitting Cuba, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Continue reading...

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration investigates discovery of remains of common dolphinThe butchered remains of a dolphin were found on a New Jersey beach, and federal authorities are investigating.The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, which responds to reports of dead or distressed marine animals that come ashore in New Jersey, said the remains of a common dolphin were found on Wednesday on the beach in Allenhurst, just north of Asbury Park. Continue reading...

Ex-Fox News host makes bizarre claim on Steve Bannon's podcast, days after saying a demon attacked him in his sleepDemons that Tucker Carlson claimed attacked him as he slept were also responsible for the invention of nuclear technology, the conservative former Fox News host said on Monday in another bizarre contention.Carlson made the claim on the War Room podcast hosted by his fellow rightwing extremist Steve Bannon, a former White House adviser in the Trump administration who was released from prison last week after serving a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress. Continue reading...

One teenager found dead and one boy, 11, rescued alive after boat carrying three adults and three children capsizedThe United States Coast Guard has suspended a huge search for four boaters who went missing in northern California after their boat capsized over the weekend when search crews found an 11-year-old boy alive and recovered the body of a teenager, officials said on Monday.Crews began searching by land, sea and air on Saturday evening after the coastguard received a report that a 21ft boat carrying three adults and three children had failed to return to shore in Sonoma county, north of San Francisco, Chief Petty Officer Levi Readof the US Coast Guard said. Continue reading...

Suit, part of Newsom's effort to push back on what he sees as defiance of state laws, alleges ban violates fair housing lawsCalifornia filed a lawsuit against a Los Angeles suburb on Monday, alleging the city's recent moratorium on homeless shelters and temporary housing violated the state's fair housing and anti-discrimination laws.The lawsuit is part of an ongoing effort by Governor Gavin Newsom to push back against what he sees as local resistance and defiance of state laws in the face of California's desperate need for new housing. The crisis has prompted a surge in the homeless population in the country's most populous state. Continue reading...

Staunchly pro-Trump Uihleins gave anonymous survey to workers at Uline, headquartered in swing state of WisconsinThe Republican mega-donors Dick and Liz Uihlein, who are the third largest donors in this year's US presidential election, have sought information about who employees at their company Uline will be voting for in Tuesday's ballot.A screenshot seen by the Guardian shows how employees at the private Wisconsin paper and office products distributor were asked to take part in what was called an anonymous survey to track who the employees were voting for on 5 November. Continue reading...

Former US president has tried to distance himself from conservative guide for a second term. Here's what it is about and his links to itHeavyweight conservatives joined together to create a roadmap for a potential second Trump presidency, and they are working to recruit and train the people who would work in an incoming conservative administration.Project 2025 details across more than 900 pages how Trump and his allies could dismantle and disrupt the US government. It suggests ridding the federal ranks of many appointed roles and stacking agencies instead with more political appointees aligned with and more beholden to Trump's policy prescriptions. Continue reading...

Concerns about US democracy grow with the electoral college's role in enabling presidents to win without the popular vote, potentially benefiting Donald Trump in 2024The last two presidential elections have raised serious questions about the strength of American democracy and, unfortunately, Tuesday's election may deepen these concerns. Central to this issue is the electoral college, which allows Americans to elect their president indirectly through state-appointed electors. Though the electoral college has stirred controversy for more than 200 years, Donald Trump's 2016 victory - despite losing the popular vote by 3 million - intensified the sense that the system undermines democratic principles. It would be gut-wrenching to see the unhinged, vengeful and power-hungry Mr Trump win because of the electoral college's antidemocratic result.Yet that might happen. Post-civil war, four presidents - all Republicans - have lost the popular vote yet won the White House via the electoral college. Mr Trump's 2024 campaign has seemed intent on repeating this feat or creating enough chaos to push the election to the House of Representatives, where Republican delegations are likely to prevail. His strategy relies on divisive rhetoric, marked by inflammatory and often discriminatory themes. Rather than bridging divides, he aims to deepen them - seeking an electoral college win by rallying his most fervent supporters.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

On election day eve we checked in with the people, many in swing states, working to ensure all votes are countedIn Fulton county, Georgia, they're on guard for efforts to undermine democracy from Republican members of the state elections board. In Luzerne county, Pennsylvania, they're defending themselves as conspiracy theories swirl. And in Cochise county, Arizona, they're preparing to certify the results shortly after one of their colleagues pleaded guilty to refusing to do so in the last election.Election officials are the first line of defense for democracy this election - and their job is anything but easy.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

John Rodgers also received written reprimand for posting: If you support the Democrat Party I will not help you'An Ohio sheriff's lieutenant has apologized - and been merely reprimanded - after authoring social media posts boasting about how he would refuse to assist people who voted for Democrats during Tuesday's elections - and would require proof of a person's voting choice before providing aid.John Rodgers, a veteran lieutenant with the Clark county sheriff's office, reportedly posted on Facebook that he would consider a person's voting record when responding to calls for service in his jurisdiction, which includes the city of Springfield that has recently been at the center of conservative conspiracy theories, according to the Ohio news outlet WHIO. Continue reading...

Roughly 50,000 racing fans packed the grounds of Martinsville Speedway for the penultimate race of the Nascar season - as enthusiasm for another big American showdown reached a fever pitch Continue reading...

As the gender divide among US voters deepens, we're keen to hear from men and women in America what has influenced their current political standingThe 2024 presidential election has revealed deep divisions and polarisations across American society. The political gender divide, however, is perhaps the deepest: Donald Trump has a substantial lead among male voters, while female voters are flocking to Kamala Harris.It's a divide that is particularly pronounced among younger voters: a poll of six battleground states last month found a gender gulf of 51 points among gen Z voters. Continue reading...

Trump has warned of enormous tariffs for items imported into US, apparently to create more domestic jobsDonald Trump's social media company outsourced jobs to Mexico despite the Republican presidential candidate's threats to punish businesses who outsource jobs in such a fashion - and racist comments about Latinos during his campaign, ProPublica has reported.A spokesperson for the company, Trump Media, confirmed the outsourced jobs to ProPublica - whose report arrived amid the former US president's threats to impose steep tariffs on all items imported into the US, ostensibly to create more domestic jobs. Continue reading...

Challenges in key state aren't valid, says ACLU, and appear to be mass effort through mail-merge process

Sheehy, who is running in Montana, says he was shot during combat in Afghanistan, but ex-ranger says he shot himself at US national park

Georgia will be among the first key states to close at 7pm ET, while Hawaii and Alaska will collect ballots until 12am ETAfter a historic US election cycle that saw the incumbent president step down from his party's ticket and two assassination attempts against the Republican presidential nominee, voters are (finally) casting their ballots.Tens of millions of Americans will have already voted by the time that polls close on 5 November, but tens of millions more will cast ballots in person on election day. In 2020, more than 200 million Americans voted in the presidential race, as turnout hit its highest level since 1992. Continue reading...

From seeding doubt about voter fraud to using legal means, the efforts stand in contrast to last election's more haphazard efforts. Plus, authorities seize massive amounts of fentanyl in CaliforniaGood morning.Experts are preparing for Donald Trump to stage an aggressive attempt to challenge the election results if he appears to be losing Tuesday's vote, warning that such efforts will be far more organized than his attempt at overturning the result following the 2020 race.Just how close could the vote be? Analysts are predicting the closest election since 2000, when George W Bush won by 537 votes, and warning of the threat of civil unrest and political violence.Where will Trump and Harris be on the final day of campaigning? Harris will be in three cities in Pennsylvania; Trump will make appearances in North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan. Continue reading...

Even if Trump can't really mobilize large numbers of people to the streets, just prolonging a sense of chaos might be enoughWhatever happens next, one day historians will have to explain why a candidate who earlier this year had been presented as disciplined started to veer off into unrestrained racist rhetoric and dancing for 40 minutes to his own playlist. Was it age, as plenty of commentators have speculated? Was it a brilliant attempt to balance dehumanizing attacks on minorities with an effort to make himself look human?A much more sinister explanation must be taken seriously. We still assume that we are witnessing two campaigns for the presidency. But what if we are witnessing one campaign and one slow-motion coup, whose organizers need to go through the motion of campaigning for the plan to work? Since winning at the ballot box does not matter, taking a break to listen to Pavarotti isn't a problem; conversely, a festival of racism and conspiracy theories, as at Madison Square Garden, is not about convincing any undecided voter, but motivating committed Trumpists to go along with another coup attempt. Continue reading...

The college basketball season tips off on Monday across the United States. Will the UConn men do a rare three-peat? Can anyone replace Caitlin Clark? Our writers weigh inThe dissolution of the Pac-12 means some new and unusual conference battles that look like midseason Sweet 16 matchups. UCLA v Indiana in Bloomington? Arizona v Kansas in Lawrence? Regular-season basketball in the Big Ten and Big 12 will either produce battle-tested teams for the NCAA tournament ... or exhausted ones. Gabriel Baumgaertner Continue reading...

City Of Troy did not take to the track when trailing home eighth behind Sierra Leone in the Breeders' Cup ClassicThe most predictable line in the aftermath of the Breeders' Cup Classic on Saturday was the one where Aidan O'Brien blamed himself for City Of Troy's failure to run to form - or, let's face it, to run any kind of race at all - in the meeting's showpiece event.He lost it at the start and obviously I didn't have him prepared to come out quick enough," O'Brien said. We thought we did, but we didn't. He missed it and left Ryan [Moore] with no chance, really." Continue reading...

Unlike 2020, experts say there's a much more organized effort to subvert the vote this time - here's what to knowDonald Trump has left little doubt that he will contest the results of the 2024 election if he loses.Election lawyers and voting rights experts are bracing for an aggressive effort by the former president in the days after the election to challenge the results while votes are still being counted. But unlike 2020, when Trump's effort after the election seemed a bit haphazard, experts say they're seeing a much more organized effort that stretches from the courts to local groups organizing election deniers to work the polls.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

The composer, arranger and producer who worked with stars from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson has died aged 91. We look back at his career highs Continue reading...

The Detroit Lions look like a complete team this season. And their quarterback has risen to become one of the best at his professionThe Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFL. They walked into a stormy Lambeau Field on Sunday and did what legitimate contenders do: handled their business against a talented yet inconsistent opponent, winning 24-14 on the road against the Packers.There is plenty of credit to go around. Dan Campbell's culture. The aggressive fourth-down calls. A pass rush that is still sizzling despite losing Aidan Hutchinson for the season. The team's versatile secondary. The Sonic and Knuckles" running back duo. Ben Johnson's creative play-calling. The best offensive line in the NFL. But it's time to recognize the person who makes it all tick: Jared Goff. Continue reading...

Republican effort comes despite criticism that the efforts could threaten the voting rights of recently naturalized US citizens in the electionA federal judge ruled Sunday that Iowa can continue to challenge the validity of hundreds of ballots from potential noncitizens despite criticism that the efforts could threaten the voting rights of recently naturalized US citizens.In the ruling, US district judge Stephen Locher sided with the state in a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of an Iowa Latino group and four recent citizens who had been placed on a list of questionable registrations by local elections officials. Continue reading...

Kamala Harris holds marginal leads over Donald Trump in swing state polls with less than 48 hours before polls close in the 5 November election

Speaking in Macon city, the former president said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1790 if he won electionDonald Trump's final Georgia rally filled the Atrium Health amphitheater in the city of Macon on Sunday, with early voting tallies showing that supporters from the state's middle could prove to be decisive in the waning days of the election.Trump was an hour and a half late to the event and wore a black-and-gold Make America Great Again" cap. Sticking to familiar themes, the former president said he would invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1790, the law under which Japanese, Italian and German Americans were interned during the second world war, and would pursue the death penalty for undocumented immigrants who kill an American. Continue reading...

This blog has now closed. You can find all our US election coverage hereWe have already covered the presidential nominees' schedules but what are their running mates up to?Tim Walz will be in North Carolina this evening. The Queen City News says details are limited but according to a press release, Walz will hold an event in Gastonia to encourage voters to cast their ballots. Earlier in the day, former president Bill Clinton will hold a campaign rally at a church in Charlotte at 10am, it says. Continue reading...

VP tries to appeal to state's Arab and Muslim Americans as polling suggests they are gravitating towards Jill SteinKamala Harris pledged to do everything in my power to end the war in Gaza" in her final rally in Michigan on Sunday, as she attempted to appeal to the state's large Arab American and Muslim American population two days out from the election.Michigan is home to about 240,000 registered Muslim voters, a majority of whom voted for Biden in 2020, helping him to a narrow victory over Donald Trump. But Arab Americans and Muslim Americans in the state have expressed dissatisfaction over the vice-president's stance on Israel's war on Gaza, and polling suggests that these voters are gravitating towards Jill Stein, the Green party candidate.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

Kamala Harris told voters that their vote will count 'and it does matter'. The Democratic nominee said she trusts the US election system and the 'systems that are in place for this election in 2024 have integrity'. 'They are good systems. And the vote of the people will determine the outcome of this election. And everyone must know that their vote is their power to determine the outcome of the election and their vote will count. It does matter,' Harris said

Supporters in Kinston back ex-president as he claims he's well ahead in polls and repeats conspiracy of election fraudAs Republicans, we are locked and loaded and ready to go."The startling comment came from a mother of five and grandmother of two, Vikki Westbrook, as she lined up on Sunday outside an aircraft hangar in rural North Carolina. She had come to hear Donald Trump make one of his last pitches of the 2024 presidential election.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

VP dodges question on whether she voted for measure that would increase sentences for drug and theft crimes in stateKamala Harris dodged a question on Sunday if she voted for California's Proposition 36, a controversial ballot measure that increases sentences for certain drug and theft crimes.I am not gonna talk about the vote on that because, honestly, it's the Sunday before the election and I don't intend to create an endorsement one way or the other," the US vice-president and Democratic presidential nominee, who votes in California, told reporters at a rally in Detroit. Continue reading...

Former president also denounces polls showing him trailing Harris at one of his final rallies of campaign in PennyslvaniaDonald Trump said with two days until the presidential election that he should never have left the White House after his defeat in 2020 and joked darkly he would be fine with reporters getting shot, dredging up grievances that overshadowed his attack lines against Kamala Harris.The closing themes of the former president's campaign at a rally in Lititz in the battleground state of Pennsylvania brought him full circle with his 2016 campaign that went after the news media and his 2020 campaign that was defined by his attempts to overturn the result. Continue reading...

Selzer poll, widely respected organization with good record in Iowa, shows vice-president leading Trump 47% to 44%Donald Trump has passionately disputed a shock Iowa poll that found Kamala Harris leading the former president in the typically red state 47% to 44%.No President has done more for FARMERS, and the Great State of Iowa, than Donald J. Trump," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network on Sunday morning. In fact, it's not even close! All polls, except for one heavily skewed toward the Democrats by a Trump hater who called it totally wrong the last time, have me up, BY A LOT."Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

But a spokesperson says the FCC has not made any determination regarding political programming rules'A US government communications regulator has claimed that Vice-President Kamala Harris's surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live violates equal time" rules that govern political programming.Brendan Carr, a commissioner with the federal communications commission (FCC), claimed on the social platform X that Harris's appearance on the show is a clear and blatant effort to evade the FCC's Equal Time rule". Continue reading...

Officials uncovered alarming amount of fentanyl-laced pills' during routine traffic stop in state's central valleyA routine traffic stop in California's central valley turned into a major fentanyl bust when authorities seized enough lethal doses to kill a quarter of California's population, according to California highway patrol (CHP).In a statement released on Friday, CHP officers in Stockton, about 50 miles south of the capitol city of Sacramento, said that last month, while conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 5 highway near Airport Boulevard, officers uncovered an alarming amount of fentanyl-laced pills" after a K9 signaled the scent of narcotics. Continue reading...

Women's access to abortion is a top issue, as activists rush to convince men they also have stake in the fightWhen Maxwell Frost bounded on stage at a Saturday morning rally in support of Florida abortion rights, the 27-year-old congressman was quick to explain why he had shown up.I'm so proud to be here as an ally and partner in this fight!" he yelled to the roughly hundred-strong crowd who had gathered in an Orlando church courtyard, clutching handwritten sings with messages like abortion bans are killing us" and womb-tang clan ain't nothing to fuck with". Continue reading...

Kennedy, who Trump promised to let lead health programs, makes claims against fluoride, which strengthens teethRobert F Kennedy Jr, a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that the former president would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected.Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear-and-tear, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.Don't miss important US election coverage. Get our free app and sign up for election alerts Continue reading...

The ex-president and vice-president converge on a unifying message: if I lose, the country will not be the sameIn a speech filled with promises, falsehoods, insults and jokes delivered by Donald Trump to a packed Wisconsin arena six days before the presidential election, one line stood out: November 5 will be the most important day in the history of our country."Hyperbole? Undoubtedly, and exactly the sort that the former president has used repeatedly in the past months, as he plots a return to the White House that Joe Biden ousted him from four years ago. Did it ring true to his supporters? For many, the answer was yes. Continue reading...

University of California, Berkeley, research shows people are committed to protecting democratic institutions despite differencesYou know that uncle whose political takes threaten to turn family gatherings into food fights? Don't decline his Thanksgiving invitation just yet. When it comes to support for democracy, left and right in America are much closer than you might think.As a historic US election approaches, both sides see each other as working to upend democracy. But it's our assumptions about our political opponents - rather than their actual views - that drive polarization, according to new research. And if Democrats want to prove to voters on the fence that they're acting in good faith, they might want to consider a surprising grand gesture". Continue reading...

Ashes of 28-year-old female grizzly bear returned to Grand Teton national park where she spent much of her lifeThe remains of a beloved grizzly bear who died last month after being hit by a car in Wyoming have been returned to Grand Teton national park.In a statement released on Friday, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it returned the ashes of Grizzly No 399, a 28-year old female grizzly bear, to the Pilgrim Creek area of the national park where she spent much of her life. Continue reading...

More than 80,000 customers were without power as damage included downed power lines, gas lines and treesSevere storms and reported tornadoes swept across Oklahoma early on Sunday, injuring at least six people, and causing injuries and widespread power outages.Those injured were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries, the Oklahoma city police department captain Valerie Littlejohn said.

Both Harris and Trump ignore harm reduction strategies, trying to outdo each other on border policy and law enforcementOverdoses killed 108,000 people in the US last year, more than Covid-19 or diabetes, yet overdose prevention has barely gotten mention this election cycle.On the relatively rare occasions when presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris discuss opioids, they draw from war on drugs" rhetoric - suggesting that tougher border and law enforcement policies are the answer to the problem. Continue reading...

Find out who's up and who's down in the latest US presidential election opinion pollsOn 5 November 2024, millions of Americans will head to the polls to choose between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump for president of the United States. The two candidates have offered starkly different visions for the future of the nation. As the election enters the final stretch, the Guardian US is averaging national and state polls to see how the two candidates are faring. Continue reading...