US election: Musk sued in Pennsylvania over voter giveaways

Republican Donald Trump told campaign supporters in the swing state of Georgia that he is "not a Nazi," pushing back against critics' accusations that he aspires to be an authoritarian American leader.

"I'm not a Nazi. I'm the opposite of a Nazi," Trump told a boisterous crowd in Atlanta, a day after holding a mega-rally at New York's famed Madison Square Garden. 

Trump was widely condemned for racist remarks made by his allies during the New York event, which drew comparisons to a 1939 Nazi rally in the same venue.

He also criticized Harris for "using the f-word." After Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly said the former president met the definition of a fascist, Harris said she agreed with the assessment.

Trump said of Harris, "She's a fascist, okay? She's a fascist."

Incendiary devices were set off at two ballot drop boxes in the Pacific Northwest, destroying hundreds of ballots.

The early morning fire at the drop box in Portland, Oregon, was extinguished quickly thanks to a suppression system inside the box as well as a nearby security guard, police said, and just three ballots were damaged there.

But within a few hours, another fire was discovered at a transit center drop box across the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. 

The ballot box in Vancouver also had a fire suppression system inside, but that failed to prevent hundreds of ballots from burning, said Greg Kimsey, the longtime elected auditor in Clark County, which includes Vancouver. 

He urged voters who dropped their ballots in the transit center box after 11 a.m. Saturday to contact his office for a replacement ballot. "Heartbreaking," Kimsey said. "It's a direct attack on democracy."

US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Corning Inc.'s Hemlock Semiconductor plant in the Midwestern swing state of Michigan to talk to workers, tour the assembly line and talk about the importance of investing in manufacturing jobs.

The company recently received a preliminary investment of up to $325 million (€300.6 million) through the Chips and Science Act, which a Harris campaign official noted Republican candidate Donald Trump had criticized and Harris helped pass.

"When we can find a way to have meaningful partnerships with the private sector, with industries, but to do the kind of work that is happening here, everybody wins," she said.

Harris also appeared at a rally in Ann Arbor, Michigan, later Monday night with her running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.

In her speech, Harris urged young voters, many of whom were in the audience from the nearby University of Michigan, to take up the baton from "generations of Americans" who have preserved freedom and liberty and support her over Trump.

"I love your generation," Harris told the young audience. "You are rightly impatient for change."

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has appealed to religious voters at a campaign event in the southern swing state of Georgia.

Millions of Americans have already cast their ballots ahead of the 5 November election. In Georgia, in-person early voting is expected to account for up to 70% of ballots cast before Election Day.

"I think this is a country that needs religion," Trump said during an event hosted by the National Faith Advisory Board. "They're trying to stymie you, this new administration, this new radical left group of people."

Trump spoke of his upbringing in New York and said that he sometimes enjoyed religious ceremonies, but largely avoided questions about his own faith.

Trump praised conservative Christians as a key part of his administration and said that a revamped faith office would have a direct line into the Oval Office. 

"I shouldn't scold anyone, but Christians aren't known for being very solid voters," Trump said to the crowd. "We have to save religion in this country. No, honestly religion is under threat," he warned.

 

Recent opinion polls have shown that voters care the most about the economy. But immigration remains a hot topic, with supporters of both Trump and Harris ranking it among the top 10 issues for this election. 

During his campaign, Trump has blamed the Joe Biden administration for record migration numbers across the Mexico border. Is that really the case? Watch DW's report:

 

The district attorney of Philadelphia, Larry Krasner, has filed a lawsuit seeking to stop Elon Musk and his pro-Trump political action committee (or "PAC") giving away $1 million each day to a random registered voter in a US swing state. 

He described the action as an "illegal lottery" and also said it might interfere with the integrity of the elections. 

Philadelphia is in Pennsylvania, one of the more hotly contested swing states, which Donald Trump won in 2016 and Joe Biden won in 2020. 

Krasner is himself a Democratic party politician who has described himself as a "progressive prosecutor."

The US Justice Department also sent a letter to Musk's "America PAC" last week warning that the daily giveaways could violate federal law, which prohibits paying people to register to vote. 

Musk has become a prominent supporter of Trump during the election campaign, setting up the America PAC to fundraise and reportedly donating millions of his own fortune to it.

He was also in Pennsylvania at a Trump rally earlier in October.

Latinos make up around 15% of the eligible voters in the US and could possibly play a key role in swing states. Although Harris and Trump are trying to win them over, some don't want to be seen as a standalone voter demographic. DW asked some Latino voters why:  

Voters head to the polls across the US on November 5. When to expect the results is certainly less certain.

With the race being tight in many states, many may not be declared on election night or possibly for several days. Some states may also have a runoff vote. 

Since 1848, the results have been declared by the media. The long-standing tradition still exists today. Read DW's explainer on why media outlets declare the US election results.

Donald Trump will head to Atlanta, Georgia to address the National Faith Advisory Summit and also to hold a rally with his supporters, as the former president  tries to win over in the critical swing state.

Trump is expected to deliver remarks at the gathering of over 1,000 pastors, with his campaign saying he will "address the importance of standing for biblical principles in these crucial times."

Harris and Trump are neck-and-neck in the polls of Georgia, where Joe Biden eeked out a win in the 2020 presidential election with just over 11,000 votes.

The 2020 election results in Georgia triggered a battle between Trump and Republicans in the state, as Trump denied losing the contest, challenging officials over the results. The matter is now part of a major legal case against Trump, where he stands accused of 10 felonies, including racketeering, for allegedly pressuring state officials to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

Democratic nominee and Vice President Kamala Harris is expected to hold an event in the city of Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan, where she will be joined by her running mate Tim Walz. The rally could serve as an opportunity for Harris to make a pitch to younger, college-age voters.

The current US Vice President is expected to travel across Michigan with an economic message. She will highlight her support for manufacturing jobs and union workers, a campaign official said.

Hoping to contrast her economic vision with that or Trump and to highlight the achievements of the Biden administration, Harris will visit Corning Inc's Hemlock Semiconductor facility to talk to workers and tour the assembly line.

The company recently received a preliminary investment of up to $325 million (€300 million) via the Chips and Science Act, which the Biden-Harris administration passed.

Republican presidential Donald Trump delivered his vision to US voters at a major rally in New York City, but the event drew backlash over derogatory jokes about the Hispanic community.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked on stage about Hispanics in the US who "love making babies" and demeaned the Caribbean US territory of Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage."

Hinchcliffe's comments drew backlash from Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, Democratic lawmakers and popular celebrities of Puerto Rican origin.  

"Puerto Ricans deserve a president who sees and invests in (their) strength," Harris said in a clip published on social media alongside Hinchcliffe's comments.

Singer Ricky Martin, one of the most successful artists from the island, shared a video of Harris's appeal to Puerto Rican voters, along with a clip of Hinchcliffe's remarks, writing in "this is what they think of us," in Spanish, urging his 18 million followers to vote for Harris.

Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who is widely popular among younger Hispanics in the US, also showed support for the vice president by sharing one of her videos to his 45.6 million followers on Instagram.

But Hinchcliffe's remarks also drew criticism from Republican and Trump-affiliated politicians. 

"Disgusted by "@TonyHinchcliffe's racist comment calling Puerto Rico a 'floating island of garbage.' This rhetoric does not reflect GOP values. Puerto Rico sent 48,000+ soldiers to Vietnam, with over 345 Purple Hearts awarded. This bravery deserves respect. Educate yourself!" Florida House representative Maria Salazar wrote on X.

Trump campaign spokeswoman Danielle Alvarez sought to distance the former president from the controversy, saying in a statement said "this joke does not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign."

The backlash comes as Puerto Rican voters have emerged as a key voting bloc in swing states like Pennsylvania, where 450,000 reside. Both campaigns are seeking their votes, as the margin of victory in the state remains thin in what is predicted to be a close contest, in a must-win state.

jcg/wd (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)