Trump and Harris Battle for Pennsylvania
Also, remembering Quincy Jones. Here’s the latest at the end of Monday.
by https://www.nytimes.com/by/matthew-cullen · NY TimesWith Election Day just hours away, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump and their running mates spent today blitzing across battleground states. Trump held two rallies this afternoon in Pennsylvania before a late-night event in Michigan. Harris is spending her entire day in Pennsylvania.
It is no accident that both campaigns are focusing their final push on Pennsylvania. The state has long been seen as the most important battleground, in large part because it carries more electoral votes than the rest. Harris and Trump have directed more money there than anywhere else, flooding the airwaves with ads — Harris focusing on the economy, Trump on fear.
In several states a majority of voters have already cast their ballots, and you can see the breakdown here. But that’s not the case in Pennsylvania, where most of the votes will be cast tomorrow. The state’s remaining voters could prove to be decisive: Trump has broad support among people who are less likely to vote, making turnout especially important for him and other Republicans.
In other battlegrounds:
- Trump is leaning on an unusual canvassing effort funded by Elon Musk.
- A crumbling Republican stronghold in Wisconsin could determine who wins the state.
- Georgia’s relatively new status as a swing state has been overwhelming for residents.
- Republicans believe Democrats are too optimistic in North Carolina.
- Saginaw County, in Michigan, recognizes its crucial role in the election.
- Fights over places like suburban Arizona are set to be important.
- We took a look at crime rates in swing states.
Presidential races are rarely, if ever, this close
Polls show the race to be essentially tied, both nationwide and across the battleground states. Never in the history of modern polling has a race been so close up to Election Day.
However, as Nate Cohn, our chief political analyst, wrote, polls tend to err one way or another, even if slightly. Either candidate could win in a manner that feels fairly decisive, for example by securing more than 300 electoral votes.
With so much uncertain, Americans are entering Election Day on edge. Harris and Trump have framed it as an existential battle, and in dozens of interviews over the final weekend of the campaign, voters expressed concerns about post-election violence.
The Times reviewed messages from right-wing groups on Telegram across a dozen states. Their posts overwhelmingly spewed disinformation and violent imagery, a harbinger of potential chaos.
In other politics news:
- Here’s where Trump and Harris stand on the biggest issues.
- Harris is counting on many right-leaning voters to shift to the left.
- The U.S. election could have a significant effect on Ukraine.
- In an interview, JD Vance explained his vice-presidential agenda.
- In ballot measures, voting and democracy are having a moment.
- The early voting period has been flooded with falsehoods.
- We mapped out how Red and Blue America shop, eat and live.
What’s at Stake: Still More Scandals
The presidential election is 1 day away. Each day, The Times has featured one story that focuses on the impact of the choice voters will make.
By Peter Baker
Donald Trump has been enveloped in more scandals than any other president. A new term could bring more allegations and retribution. But now he’d have immunity granted by the Supreme Court, a firmer grip on the Justice Department and little fear of impeachment after two failed efforts to remove him.
Leaked documents caused an uproar in Israel
The Israeli authorities are investigating a spokesman for the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is suspected of illegally obtaining and leaking classified documents to the news media. The documents helped support Netanyahu’s reasoning for adding tough new conditions for a cease-fire deal with Hamas over the summer.
The case has caused an uproar in Israel, where critics have accused Netanyahu of blocking a deal to return hostages and of prolonging the war in Gaza for political reasons. Here’s what else to know.
In related news, Israeli strikes damaged a major hospital in northern Gaza, local officials said.
Anger in Spain over flooding catastrophe
Parts of Spain were deluged with more heavy rains today, as the country continued to grapple with the aftermath of last week’s catastrophic floods that killed at least 215 people.
The disaster has sparked an angry debate in Spain over accountability, with some people accusing government officials of acting too slowly in the face of a crisis. Yesterday, protesters screamed insults and flung mud at King Felipe VI and local leaders.
More top news
- China: Foreclosures have soared, the legal system is struggling to keep up with evictions and the country’s housing crash threatens the financial system.
- Ohio: A former police officer was found guilty of murder in the 2020 shooting of Andre Hill, a Black man. Backlash after his death spurred police reform.
- Health: The Mpox epidemic in Africa is growing, raising fears of another outbreak in the U.S. But vulnerable Americans are going without the vaccine, which is no longer free.
- California: Strong winds have residents bracing for wildfires.
- Moldova: Maia Sandu, the country’s pro-Western president, won re-election against a candidate she had denounced as “Moscow’s man.”
- San Francisco: Residents are feuding over whether to turn a two-mile stretch of road along the Pacific Ocean into a bikeway and walking path.
TIME TO UNWIND
Quincy Jones was a giant of American music
Quincy Jones, who died last night at 91, was a colossus of American music for more than half a century. He left a profound influence on nearly every genre he touched — jazz, funk, soundtracks, syrupy R&B and chart-topping pop — and created the conditions for other Black musicians to flow between styles, outlets and markets.
Jones began his career as a jazz trumpeter and was later in great demand as an arranger, a composer and a record producer. He produced Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” the best-selling album of all time, as well as one of Sinatra’s greatest records.
Listen to some of Jones’s most iconic songs and check out his life in photos.
How to tell if you’re sleep-deprived
It’s not unusual or concerning to occasionally feel tired during the day, especially after setting your clocks back. But long-term sleep deprivation can have serious effects on physical and mental health.
It’s not always easy to tell the difference between drowsiness and deprivation. But one method to see if you’re sleeping enough is to compare how many hours of sleep you get when you’re busy with how many you get when you have no plans or obligations.
For more health tips, we asked experts if Bruce Springsteen’s one-meal-a-day diet actually works.
Dinner table topics
- Popular and prestigious: Peruvian food has become a global sensation.
- Cia-Cia: An Indonesian tribe adopted the Korean alphabet to preserve its language, which has been passed down orally for centuries.
- Joy in a terror bird: In Colombia, a fossil-collecting rancher found a giant, flightless killer from 13 million years ago.
- Surprising fashion: Would you wear pants made with 200 stuffed animals?
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
Cook: Bake these chewy brown butter cookies for Election Day.
Watch: Stream these movies and TV shows before they leave Netflix this month.
Read: A new book tries to break through Johnny Carson’s closed-book personality.
Plan: This is a golden age for parks. Here are four to check out.
Wear: These are the best chore coats.
Compete: Take this week’s Flashback history quiz.
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here.
ONE LAST THING
Bookstores want to set you up on a ‘blind date’
The first thing customers see when they walk into the Strand, Manhattan’s largest independent bookstore, is a table of paper-wrapped books. The books are all given vague, handwritten descriptions — like “Slow burn rom-com” or “For fans of ‘Inception’” — enticing readers to shop by their interests rather than sticking to famous authors and fancy covers.
The store calls it “Blind Date With a Book,” and many booksellers around the country have embraced similar concepts. The anonymous books sell “like gangbusters,” one seller said.
Have a serendipitous evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow for a special Election Day edition of The Evening. — Matthew
Philip Pacheco was our photo editor today.
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.