More stories

  • in

    Those Voters Who Are Still Undecided

    More from our inbox:Michelle Obama’s Plea to American MenAn Ex-N.F.L. Player, on Marijuana ReformBipartisan Action Needed to Support Our Children Rob VargasTo the Editor:Re “These Voters Aren’t Exactly Undecided. They’re Cringing,” by Megan K. Stack (Opinion guest essay, Oct. 20):I am struck by undecided voters who are still, at this point, paralyzed by the feeling that neither of the candidates are “good” options, or that they don’t “like” either choice.To those struggling to vote outside their party affiliation, or to vote at all: The cognitive dissonance you feel is uncomfortable, yes, but consider who benefits most from the resulting inaction. It’s not the voter, it’s individuals and groups who use political power and tribalism for their own gain.This election is not a sporting event, it is real life, and we owe it to ourselves and to each other to use our hard-won right to vote thoughtfully, no matter how uncomfortable it is.Natasha Thapar-OlmosLos AngelesThe writer is a licensed psychologist and a professor at Pepperdine University.To the Editor:Re “Battle Is Fierce for Sliver of Pie: Undecided Votes” (front page, Oct. 22):Women can save our country, and I believe they will. They know what is at stake — not only free choice regarding their bodies but also a democracy that celebrates the diversity of its citizens.As the online summary said of the undecided voters: “Both campaigns are digging through troves of data to find these crucial Americans. They both think many are younger, Black or Latino. The Harris team is also eyeing white, college-educated women.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    ¿Son legales los selfis electorales? Depende de dónde vivas

    Según un informe reciente, Nueva York es uno de los estados donde está prohibido hacerse selfis en las urnas. Los californianos sí pueden.Puede que tu pelo esté perfecto. Puede que sientas el espíritu de la democracia corriendo por tus venas. Pero deberías pensártelo dos veces antes de publicar un selfi con tu papeleta marcada el día de las elecciones o antes.Según un informe reciente de la organización sin fines de lucro Lawyers for Good Government, los selfis con la papeleta de voto están prohibidos en 13 estados. Entre ellos se encuentra Nueva York, cuya fiscala general, Letitia James, recordó la semana pasada a los votantes que no se hicieran selfis con las papeletas marcadas.Siete estados permiten hacerse selfis con los votos por correo, pero no en los recintos de votación, y nueve tienen leyes poco claras, dijo el informe.¿Por qué no podemos simplemente sonreír a la cámara, como pueden hacer sin problemas los votantes de Alabama, California y otros 23 estados? La respuesta tiene su origen en antiguos debates sobre la inviolabilidad de la cabina de votación y la protección de la expresión política.“Para algunas personas puede parecer una estupidez, como que solo quiero hacerme un selfi”, dijo Anthony Michael Kreis, profesor de derecho constitucional en la Universidad Estatal de Georgia. “Pero es un asunto serio”.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    Millions of Movers Reveal American Polarization in Action

    Aside from their political views, Joshua Fisher and Ryan Troyer have a lot in common. In 2020, they lived across the street from each other in Sioux Falls, S.D. They are both white men of a similar age. Mr. Fisher, 42, is an auto technician; Mr. Troyer, 39, is a sanitation worker. They are both […] More

  • in

    Nicky Jam, estrella del reguetón, retira su apoyo a Trump

    Otras destacadas celebridades puertorriqueñas —entre ellas Ricky Martin y Bad Bunny— han utilizado las redes sociales para condenar los comentarios del mitin y mostrar su apoyo a la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris.Nicky Jam, un músico puertorriqueño que anunció su apoyo al expresidente Donald Trump el mes pasado, retiró su respaldo apenas unos días después de que los comentarios racistas contra Puerto Rico y los latinos hechos por un orador en el mitin de Trump en el Madison Square Garden el domingo provocaron una oleada de indignación.La estrella del reguetón había estado al lado de Trump en un acto de campaña en Las Vegas en septiembre, cuando respaldó al expresidente. Antes de que Nicky Jam subiera al escenario, Trump elogió el aspecto del músico, creyendo al parecer que era una mujer. “¿Conocen a Nicky?”, preguntó al público. “Es muy atractiva. ¿Dónde está Nicky?”.Cuando Nicky Jam subió al escenario, Trump pareció estar un poco desconcertado.En un video publicado en las redes sociales el miércoles, Nicky Jam dijo que había apoyado a Trump porque creía que sería lo mejor para la economía.“Nunca en mi vida pensé que un mes después iba a venir un comediante a criticar a mi país”, dijo en el video.El distanciamiento de Nicky Jam con Trump refleja el daño que las declaraciones en el mitin del Madison Square Garden podrían infligir a los esfuerzos de la campaña de Trump por cortejar a los votantes latinos. Nicky Jam fue solo uno de los músicos negros y latinos que Trump ha presentado en los mítines de campaña en un esfuerzo por reclutar nuevos representantes que puedan influir en los hombres de color más jóvenes, un grupo demográfico importante en una contienda que podría decidirse por el más estrecho de los márgenes.Otras destacadas celebridades puertorriqueñas —entre ellas Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin y el fenómeno pop Bad Bunny— han utilizado las redes sociales para condenar los comentarios del mitin y mostrar su apoyo a la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris a sus decenas de millones de seguidores. Harris había anunciado un plan para traer oportunidades económicas a Puerto Rico horas antes del mitin en el Madison Square Garden.Chris Cameron cubre política para el Times, enfocándose en noticias de última hora y en la campaña de 2024. Más de Chris CameronJazmine Ulloa es reportera de política nacional para el Times y cubre la campaña presidencial de 2024. Tiene su base en Washington. Más de Jazmine Ulloa More

  • in

    Airbus, With Eye on U.S. Race, Says It Will Be Ready for Higher Tariffs

    The giant European airplane maker’s chief executive said it would pass along any higher charges to its customers.Airbus, the world’s largest commercial airplane manufacturer, said on Wednesday that it was preparing for the possibility that the United States would impose new tariffs on all imports, and that the company would deal with the higher charges by passing them along to its airline customers.In a call with reporters, Airbus’s chief executive, Guillaume Faury, said the European company was monitoring the U.S. presidential election next week and would be prepared for the possibility of a new 10 percent tariff. Former President Donald J. Trump, the Republican candidate, has made sweeping tariffs a critical plank of his economic platform if he wins.Mr. Faury said any new tariff would be passed along to Airbus’s airline customers, in much the same way that Airbus dealt with a tariff that Mr. Trump put on European aircraft in 2020 as part of a long-running airplane subsidy dispute.“So that’s something we will be discussing with our customers” if necessary, Mr. Faury said. “But it puts them in a difficult place of adding an additional cost on what they have ordered and what they’re procuring,” he said. “That’s basically mainly a decision of the state that has to be borne by the companies.”He added: “So we are prepared. We know what it feels like. We don’t believe that’s helping aviation and the competitiveness of the airlines and the aviation industry, but it’s something we would be able to manage.”Airbus on Wednesday announced a 22 percent jump in its net profit for the first nine months of the year despite major problems in its supply chain. Mr. Faury said that Airbus’s net profit rose to 983 million euros, or $1.1 billion, through September, and that its third-quarter adjusted earnings before interest and taxes were €1.4 billion.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    Mike Johnson’s Vow to Overhaul ACA Draws Attention to Unpopular Stance

    Speaker Mike Johnson said Tuesday that Republicans would embark on a “massive reform” of the Affordable Care Act if former President Donald J. Trump is elected again, putting an unpopular policy position back in the spotlight just days before the election.“Health care reform’s going to be a big part of the agenda,” Mr. Johnson said, speaking at a campaign stop in Pennsylvania and describing what Republicans would do with their first 100 days in office if they are successful in keeping control of the House.“No Obamacare?” a voter called out.“No Obamacare,” Mr. Johnson responded. “The A.C.A. is so deeply ingrained, we need massive reform to make this work, and we’ve got a lot of ideas on how to do that.”Mr. Johnson added that there was a “docs caucus” made up of Republican physicians who serve in the House who have “a menu of options” they were reviewing, including a sweeping overhaul.“We want to take a blowtorch to the regulatory state,” Mr. Johnson said. His comments were first reported by NBC News.Mr. Trump’s campaign quickly disavowed the statement, which a spokeswoman said was “not President Trump’s policy position.” But it signaled that, should he win the presidency and Republicans take both houses of Congress, there would be major pressure from some corners of the party to make major changes to former President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    Harris Tries to Distance Herself and Move On From Biden’s ‘Garbage’ Remark

    Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday tried to separate herself from President Biden after he made muddled remarks that appeared to call supporters of former President Donald J. Trump “garbage.”“Let me be clear: I strongly disagree with any criticism of people based on who they vote for,” Ms. Harris told reporters as she prepared to board Air Force Two outside Washington, D.C., although she said Mr. Biden had “clarified his comments.”Ms. Harris has been pressed to distance herself more broadly from Mr. Biden, an unpopular incumbent who is also her boss, putting her in a difficult position. Her campaign has resisted having them appear together on the trail. Mr. Biden is seen as an undisciplined communicator, and his comments on Tuesday undercut a speech Ms. Harris delivered that same night in which she made unity a major theme.Her response on Wednesday — quickly pivoting to her campaign trail schedule and her plans for the economy — made it clear that she and her campaign would like to move on from Mr. Biden’s comments. The Trump campaign has made equally clear its intention to keep the remarks in the news cycle.On Sunday, Tony Hinchcliffe, a comedian and Trump supporter who spoke at the Trump rally in New York, had made a joke onstage that disparaged Puerto Rico as a “floating island of garbage.” Mr. Biden tried to denounce that racist language in a video call with Hispanic supporters on Tuesday night. But he garbled his words, saying: “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters — his, his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”The White House and Mr. Biden later argued that he was describing the racist language as “garbage,” not Trump supporters.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

  • in

    In Election’s Final Days, Dark Money and ‘Gray Money’ Fund Hidden Agendas

    Big-money operatives are taking advantage of lax rules at the end of the campaign to hide the true source of their money until after the election is called — or for forever.The campaign literature that landed in Republican mailboxes in North Carolina this week was jarring. On one side was a sonogram image of a human fetus, with this message: “Her heart is beating. We all know it. Only the courageous few will protect her.” On the other side was a call to action: “You have the courage and the conviction to vote for Randall Terry.”But the mailer did not come from supporters of Mr. Terry, a third-party presidential candidate and longtime leader in the anti-abortion movement.Rather, the fine print showed it was the work of a nascent super PAC with the anodyne name of Civic Truth Action that was funded by millions of dollars in difficult-to-trace money linked to Democrats trying to elect Vice President Kamala Harris as the next president.The final days of a high-stakes election are often a time of political mischief. The message pushed by Civic Truth Action — purportedly to help Mr. Terry but aimed at siphoning votes from former President Donald J. Trump — may be among the most cynical. But it is far from unique. Across the country, supporters of Ms. Harris and Mr. Trump are taking advantage of a patchwork of lax laws that allow partisans to funnel millions of dollars through daisy chains of opaque entities into hard-hitting campaign tactics, all to try to sway the tiny slice of swing-state voters who could make the difference.Campaign operatives and donors have long deployed creative accounting to mask the flow of money into politics. But in the decade and a half since the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision paved the way for unlimited spending on political advertising, it has become particularly difficult to follow the big-money flow in the weeks before Election Day, despite the majority opinion’s assertions that “prompt disclosure” of political spending would enable voters “to make informed decisions.”“Now it’s sort of undeniable that the court was wrong with those predictions,” said Ian Vandewalker, a lawyer at the Brennan Center for Justice, a progressive nonprofit that works to reduce the influence of big money in politics. Mr. Vandewalker published an analysis this week of the increase in difficult-to-trace funding to super PACs. “The ability to hide funding for those types of things is attractive for people who want to engage in dirty tricks,” he said in an interview.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More