In the news today: Voters are split on trusting Harris or Trump to handle economic issues; Elon Musk offers $1 million a day to voters who sign his petition; and Israel targets Beirut and Hezbollah’s financial operations. Also, how to stay safe from scams online.
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Kamala Harris on Aug. 7, 2024 and Donald Trump on July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
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Most voters think the economy is poor, but split on whether Trump or Harris can fix it, AP-NORC poll finds
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Voters remain largely divided over whether they prefer Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris to handle key economic issues. Overall, voters remain pessimistic about the state of the economy, with a majority of registered voters in the survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research describing the economy as poor. Read more.
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The findings reaffirm that Trump has lost what had been an advantage on the economy, which many voters say is the most important issue this election season. The poll found that 46% of voters prefer Harris on middle-class taxes, compared to 35% for Trump. Harris also has a slight advantage on the cost of housing.
Voters are about evenly divided on whether Trump or Harris is better on prices for everyday essentials like groceries and gas, and neither candidate has an edge on jobs and unemployment. Voters, meanwhile, are slightly more likely to prefer Trump on the issue of tariffs, which were defined in the poll as taxes on imported goods.
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The poll also shows a gender gap in views of the candidates heading into the final days of the election. About half of women voters have a favorable impression of Harris, while only around one-third see Trump favorably. Among men, about half have a favorable view of Harris and a similar share have a positive opinion of Trump.
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Musk offers $1 million a day to a signer of his petition, but some say he could be breaking the law
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Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla and Space X and owner of X who’s gone all-in on Republican Donald Trump’s candidacy for the White House, has already committed at least $70 million to help the former president. Now he’s pledging to give away $1 million a day to voters for signing his political action committee’s petition backing the Constitution. Read more.
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Musk’s America PAC has launched a tour of Pennsylvania, a critical election battleground. He’s aiming to register voters in support of Trump, whom Musk has endorsed. The PAC is also pushing to persuade voters in other key states.
The giveaway is raising questions and alarms among some election experts who say it is a violation of the law to link a cash handout to signing a petition that also requires a person to be registered to vote. Musk awarded a check during an event Saturday in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and gave out another check Sunday.
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Typically coordination between campaigns and so-called super PACs had been forbidden. But a recent opinion by the Federal Election Commissioner, which regulates federal campaigns, permitted candidates and these groups to work together in certain cases, including getting out the vote efforts. A message seeking comment was left with the PAC on Sunday, as was a request for comment from the Justice Department.
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Israel targets Hezbollah’s financial arm and begins striking Beirut
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Israel’s military announced Sunday it is now taking aim at the Lebanon-based Hezbollah’s financial arm and is attacking a “large number of targets” in Beirut and elsewhere. Explosions began in Beirut’s southern suburbs about an hour later. Read more. |
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The strikes will target al-Qard al-Hassan “all over Lebanon,” a senior Israeli intelligence official said. Al-Qard al-Hassan is a Hezbollah unit that’s used to pay operatives of the Iran-backed militant group and help buy arms, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with army regulations. The registered nonprofit, which has been sanctioned by the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, also provides financial services used by ordinary Lebanese.
Al-Qard al-Hassan in a statement called the decision to target it a sign of Israel’s “bankruptcy” and assured customers it had taken “measures” to ensure their funds were safe. A stream of people left the areas surrounding its branches in Beirut.
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Israel’s announcement came a day after U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called civilian casualties in Lebanon “far too high,” and urged Israel to scale back some strikes, especially in and around Beirut.
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A woman looks at her phone on a train in New Jersey. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
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October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Here’s how to stay safe from scams online
Cybersecurity Awareness Month is the perfect time to learn how to protect yourself from scams online. Whether it’s romance scams or job scams, impersonators are looking for ways to trick you into giving them money or sharing your personal information. |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah
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