President Biden addressed the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday for the final time as president, underscoring the divergent paths the nation faces in the November election as global tensions rise. -
A new survey from the nonpartisan Institute for Global Affairs at the Eurasia Group found that 53 percent of voters nationally trust Vice President Harris more on foreign policy. But in the seven battleground states that will determine the outcome of the election, 53 percent say they’re more trusting of former President Trump’s foreign policy.
- Trump’s isolationist stance has fundamentally changed both parties, with Democrats now advocating for more U.S. intervention abroad. Fifty-eight percent of Harris supporters think the U.S. should maintain or increase the number of troops stationed overseas, while 58 percent of Trump’s supporters say the U.S. should draw back its international presence.
In his Tuesday address, Biden said the U.S. remains “determined to prevent a wider war” in the Middle East, while acknowledging the situation has devolved since Hamas attacked Israel nearly one year ago.
The Biden administration has not been able to reach a peace agreement between Israel and Hamas as war rages in Gaza.
Biden hewed closely to his administration’s stance of supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, while also acknowledging the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which is of primary concern to the Democratic base.
“The world must not flinch from the horrors of Oct. 7,” Biden said. “Any country, any country, would have the right and responsibility to ensure that such an attack would never happen again.”
“Innocent civilians in Gaza are also going through hell… they didn’t ask for this war, that Hamas started,” he added.
Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been exchanging fire in an escalating series of attacks. The Pentagon announced Monday it will send additional U.S. troops to the Middle East as the conflict grows.
“Full-scale war is not in anyone’s interest, even as the situation has escalated, a diplomatic solution is still possible,” Biden said. “In fact, it remains the only path to lasting security, to allow the residents from both countries to return to their homes, to their border safely, and that’s what we’re working tirelessly to achieve.”
Biden reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to backing Ukraine in the conflict with Russia.
Ukraine is pressuring the U.S. to allow it to strike deeper into Russia, although Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that would ignite a much larger war. “The world now has another choice to make,” Biden said. “Will we sustain our support to help Ukraine win this war and preserve its freedom? Or walk away and let aggregation be renewed and a nation be destroyed. I know my answer, we cannot grow weary, we cannot look away and we will not let up with our support for Ukraine.”
Biden’s address underscores the vastly different foreign policy views held by Trump and Harris, as well as some of the political baggage they carry as they seek to convince voters they have the right vision for the world. -
There are questions about whether the intense fighting in the Middle East could hurt Harris on Election Day, with some Democrats worried that global instability could be laid at the feet of the Biden-Harris administration. There are ongoing concerns that left-wing Democrats will stay home on Election Day out of frustration with the Biden administration’s continued support for Israel, as the death toll mounts in Gaza.
- Polls show a tight race in Michigan, which has a large Arab-American population. More than 100,000 Michigan Democrats voted “uncommitted” in the presidential primary to protest Biden’s handling of the war.
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Republicans have been skeptical of U.S. involvement in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Some are seething over Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s latest trip to the U.S. Zelensky sat for a New Yorker profile, in which he disputed Trump’s claim that he could end the war. He also called Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), “dangerous” and “too radical.”
- Zelensky toured an Army Ammunition plant in Scranton, Pa., with Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Penn.), who signed artillery shells in front of cameras. Harris will meet with Zelensky on Thursday.
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Welcome to Evening Report! I’m Jonathan Easley, catching you up from the afternoon and what’s coming tomorrow. Not on the list? Subscribe here. |
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© AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin/Frank Franklin II |
Gallup finds a strong environment for Republicans; majority of voters plan to vote early
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A few interesting polling tidbits shed light on the race for the White House… -
Gallup finds that nearly every indicator favors Republicans this cycle, from party identification to the most important issues on the minds of voters. According to Gallup, 48 percent nationwide describe themselves as Republicans, compared to 45 percent for Democrats. Democrats typically have the advantage in party identification. Republicans have traditionally won the Electoral College in years when the Democratic advantage in party identification was narrow.
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A majority of voters say they will vote early this year, either by mail or in-person, as changes made during the COVID-19 election cycle become permanent. The survey finds that Vice President Harris leads by 26 points among voters who will cast ballots early, while former President Trump leads by 20 points among those who plan to vote on Election Day. Trump has been skeptical of mail-in voting, alleging that it’s rife with fraud. But as greater numbers adopt the practice, Trump has taken to encouraging Republicans to vote by mail. At a campaign stop in Pennsylvania on Monday, Trump urged voters to cast their ballots early, before calling mail voting “stupid.”
More from the campaign trail… -
Harris on Tuesday told Wisconsin Public Radio that she’d eliminate the filibuster to codify Roe V. Wade into law. Harris has made abortion the centerpiece of her campaign, believing it to be a weak spot for Trump. Retiring Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.V.), who left the Democratic Party earlier this year, blasted Harris, telling CNN: “Shame on her. She knows the filibuster is the Holy grail of democracy. It’s the only thing that keeps us talking and working together. If she gets rid of that, then this would be the House on steroids.” Sen. Kirsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), another retiring former Democrat, also panned the idea: “Eliminating the filibuster to codify Roe v Wade also enables a future Congress to ban all abortion nationwide. What an absolutely terrible, shortsighted idea.” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Democrats will weigh filibuster changes if they maintain their majority in the next Congress.
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Harris will skip the Al Smith dinner, the latest sign of her extremely cautious media strategy. Trump plans to attend the Oct. 17 New York Catholic Charities fundraiser, which has been a tradition for both presidential candidates for 40 years. The roast-style dinner featured both Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Trump and President Biden attended virtually in 2020. Harris’s team says she’ll be campaigning in a battleground state that day. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, expressed disappointment: “We’re not used to this, we don’t know how to handle it. This hasn’t happened in 40 years since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation. And remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states.”
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CNN reports that Harris is considering a trip to the Southern border as polls show immigration is a top issue on the minds of voters. There’s nothing set in stone yet, but Trump alleged that his opponent would only be making her first trip to the border as vice president for “political reasons.”
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Trump promised voters in Georgia on Tuesday that his commitment to punitive tariffs for companies manufacturing outside the U.S. would lead to a “manufacturing boom.” Trump took his tariffs pitch to Savannah, which is home to one of the busiest ports in the country. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters he disagrees with Trump: “I’m not a fan of tariffs. They raise the prices for American consumers. I’m more of a free-trade kind of Republican that remembers how many jobs are created by the exports that we engage in. So, I’m not a tariff fan.”
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Pressure is growing on Trump to accept Harris’s offer for a second debate, including from some Republicans who believe he should take advantage of another opportunity to speak to the American people. The Hill’s Niall Stanage reports on why Trump might change his mind. The latest Quinnipiac University survey finds that nearly two-thirds of voters would like to see a second debate between Trump and Harris.
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Republicans are worried about Trump’s ground game. Instead of using the Republican National Committee to get out the vote, as is customary, Trump is gambling big on outside groups, including one run by Elon Musk, to herd voters to the polls on Election Day. The Hill’s Brett Samuels reports: “Campaign officials argued the change is allowing Republicans to reach voters more efficiently while focusing on those who may not be locked into supporting a candidate in November. But even some allies are unsure if it will pay off.”
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House preps government funding vote under suspension of rule
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Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will hold a vote Wednesday on a government funding stopgap measure to avoid a shutdown, as the clock ticks toward the Sept. 30 deadline. -
Johnson will bring the continuing resolution (CR) to the floor under a suspension of House rules after hard-line conservatives threatened to block the regular procedural process.
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The suspension of rules means the funding measure will need two-thirds support in the House. Johnson will need Democratic votes to pass the CR, which funds the government through Dec. 20. That shouldn’t be a problem, as the White House is backing the measure.
- Hard-line conservatives are furious at the suspension of rules and disappointed that the bill will not include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act. The SAVE Act requires voters to show proof-of-citizenship at the polls.
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Former President Trump had called for a shutdown if the funding bill did not include the SAVE Act, but GOP leaders believe a shutdown would be political malpractice this close to an election.
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The likely passage of the short-term CR sets up another funding fight around Christmas. Johnson is already vowing not to pass a massive spending bill in December that funds the government for the entire fiscal year, likely kicking the spending fight to the next administration and Congress.
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A grassroots immigrant advocacy group filed a complaint seeking criminal charges in Springfield, Ohio, against former President Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R) over their role in elevating false allegations about Haitian immigrants abducting and eating local pets. The Hill’s Rafael Bernal has the full story here.
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Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen (R) will not call a special session to change the way the state awards its Electoral College votes, saying the GOP efforts fell just shy of the filibuster-proof majority it needs to secure the change. State Sen.
Mike McDonnell (R) announced his opposition to the change, effectively sinking the GOP’s renewed efforts to make Nebraska a winner-take-all state at the presidential level. McDonnell said it’s too close to the election to make such a significant change to the way votes are apportioned.
“It is clear to me that right now, 43 days from Election Day, is not the moment to make this change,” he said. Trump blasted McDonnell on TruthSocial: “Unfortunately, a Democrat turned Republican(?) State Senator named Mike McDonnell decided, for no reason whatsoever, to get in the way of a great Republican, common sense, victory,” he said. “Just another ‘Grandstander!”
Currently, Nebraska awards its votes to the winner of each congressional district. Most of the state votes red, but
Vice President Harris could pick up one Electoral College vote if she wins the 2nd District, which contains Omaha. President Biden in 2020 and former President Obama in 2008 are the only Democrats to win an Electoral College vote in Nebraska going back to 1968.
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Ohio Senate nominee Bernie Moreno stepped into controversy with his remarks on abortion. Columbus-based NBC affiliate WCMH reports that Moreno said it’s “a little crazy” that there are women past the age of 50 who consider themselves one-issue voters when it comes to supporting abortion rights. “I don’t think it’s an issue for you,” he said. Former GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley blasted the remarks. “Are you trying to lose the election?,” she asked on Twitter.
Moreno’s campaign said the remark was a “tongue-in-cheek” jab at Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) for fixating on abortion as “the only issue that matters to women voters.” Polls show Brown is in the lead, but Axios reports that Senate Republicans are quietly confident about their chances to flip the Senate seat in the Buckeye State, which Trump should win handily.
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North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson (R) is threatening to sue CNN over a report alleging he posted salacious and racist messages on a porn website. Robinson’s campaign leadership has quit and top Republicans are pulling their money and support, as fears grow Robinson could be a drag on the GOP in a critical battleground state that Trump needs to win.
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“The perils of corporate political engagement,” by Andrew Abela for Forbes.
“There are no easy answers for U.S. steel,” by Rana Foroohar for The Financial Times. |
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6 days until a federal shutdown if Congress doesn’t pass a funding bill.
7 days until the vice-presidential debate.
42 days until the 2024 general election.
118 days until Inauguration Day 2025. |
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Wednesday - Trump delivers remarks in Mint Hill, N.C.
- Harris campaigns in Pennsylvania.
- Biden is in New York City for meetings with world leaders at the second day of the United Nations General Assembly.
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