Latest poll finds Harris ‘narrowly’ wins enough swing states to become first female president: Election live updates

Vice President Kamala Harris woke up to some mixed news on the final Friday before Election Day. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the US economy added only 12,000 jobs. That number came largely because of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton as well as labor strikes. Nonetheless, the Trump campaign criticized the low jobs numbers as a sticking point, even though they know this is likley to happen amid natural disasters.

At the same time she got a goodie in her trick-or-treat bag at the end of Halloween: a new poll from Marist showed that she leadsDonald Trump by 2 points in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin while leading Trump by three points in Michigan. Throughout the campaign, Trump has led on the economy by a wide margin as many people continue to feel the pain of inflation at the gas pump or the grocery.

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The Supreme Court of the United States has rejected the Republican National Committee’s challenge to provisional ballots in Pennsylvania.

In this case, two voters in Butler County were told their mail-in ballots wouldn’t be counted because they weren’t placed in a secrecy sleeve before going into the mailing envelope. They were then told at a polling place that they couldn’t cast provisional ballots, because the voters had already been marked off as having voted, despite their ballots being invalid.

They went to the state supreme court, which agreed that they should be able to vote. The RNC jumped in and took the case to the Supreme Court. Republicans asked the justices to block the counting of provisional ballots from those voters. The justices rejected their case.

Read the opinion here.

Barack Obama has revealed how he really feels about his daughter Malia dropping her last name.

The former US president described his daughter as “sensitive and stubborn” when he appeared on the Pivot podcast.

Malia has dropped her surname Obama and has gone with Malia Ann on the credits of her new movie, The Heart.

The 63-year-old explained he will “be a dad and brag a little bit” about his daughters’ successes, but also wants them to keep their lives private as much as possible.

Lessie Benningfield Randle, one of two living survivors of the Tulsa race massacre, has cast her vote for Kamala Harris. She will turn 110 on November 10 and voted absentee.

The only other survivor, 110-year-old Viola Fletcher, plans to vote for Harris on Election Day.

A statement from Randle, via their attorneys:

“I don’t know how much longer I have left. But if this is my last ballot, then I’m grateful that it’s for Kamala Harris … I have five children and more than 20 grandbabies. VP Harris has the better chance of building the nation I want them to inherit.

“My grandchildren deserve a world where taking care of their parents isn’t a financial struggle, medication is affordable, and women are free. And all of our children deserve a president who will inspire them to learn from history, not a tyrant who will try to erase it.

“The mob that murdered my neighbors in Greenwood was so angry, and this country is at risk of allowing that same anger to take over its soul again. But voters can say no to a politician that incites white folks to turn against their darker skin neighbors. Voters can say no to giving rogue police officers full immunity to terrorize us. We can say no to the candidates who are taking away students’ freedom to learn about our country’s past. As voters, we must protect our children from politicians who believe that retribution and violence are virtues. Because I have lived through that nightmare. And trust me, we can’t afford to go back.”

New York Republican Rep Brandon Williams says in a statement that House Speaker Mike Johnson “apologized profusely” for saying he expects the House would try to repeal the CHIPS Act and told Williams he “misheard the question.”

The CHIPS Act is of great benefit to New York’s 22nd District which Williams is trying to retain for the party so they can keep control of the House of Representatives.

As Donald Trump and Kamala Harris make their final pitches to voters ahead of Election Day, ballots are already pouring in as early voting continues.

More than 67 million Americans have already made their choice, according to the University of Florida’s early voting tracker.

Both campaigns and their supporters, predictably, are looking to project a hopeful message ahead of Tuesday.

The Trump campaign, for instance, has put out a battleground state analysis claiming the former president is on the “verge” of victory in a majority of toss-up states needed to win the Electoral College.

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Today’s election gaffe — so far that is, there are still four major rallies to go, plus other events — comes from House Speaker Mike Johnson, who told reporters in Syracuse, New York, that the Republican Party would try and repeal the CHIPS Act — which funds microelectronics research, manufacturing, and training.

Given the act’s importance to the economy of New York’s 22nd District, Rep Brandon Williams, who is fighting to keep his seat from falling back to the Democrats (whose bill it was in the first place) had to jump in and say: “I will remind him night and day how important the CHIPS Act is.”

Watch the clip below and keep an eye on Johnson’s face as Williams begins speaking:

The Harris campaign was quick to point out which states benefit from the CHIPS Act the most, and of course, it included four key swing states:

The congressman's team says Speaker Johnson misheard the question and issued the following statement: “As I have further explained and clarified, I fully support Micron coming to Central NY, and the CHIPS Act is not on the agenda for repeal...”