Friday morning news: November 1, 2024

KENT COVINGTON, NEWS ANCHOR: Russia latest » The United States and its allies are watching Russia very closely, where some 10,000 North Korean troops are now on the ground: most of them deployed near the border with Ukraine.

Secretary of State Tony Bllinken told reporters:

BLINKEN - We've not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days.

Blinken's comments came during a meeting with South Korean officials visiting Washington. He said it was the first time in 100 years that Russia has invited foreign troops onto its soil, and added that it reeked of desperation.

BLINKEN - Putin has been throwing more and more Russians into a meat grinder of his own making in Ukraine. Now he's turning to North Korean troops. And that is a clear sign of weakness.

CHO - In Korean

South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Cho Tae-yul also condemned the troop deployment as a violation of U-N Security Council resolutions.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to tighten its military ties with another key ally: Iran.

LAVROV: [In Russian]

Speaking from the Minsk Security Conference yesterday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow plans to sign a new strategic partnership with Iran.

Spain flooding » The death toll continues to rise in Spain from monstrous flash floods. WORLD’s Kristen Flavin has more.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: In Valencia, tree branches, downed power lines and household items litter the streets in muddy mounds of debris. And cars have been left stacked atop one another, many upside down. That after torrents of water raged through city streets.

And responders now have the grim task of searching those cars — and sodden buildings — for bodies.

The flooding was blamed on Thursday for at least 158 deaths. And that number could rise further.

It’s still unclear how many people remain missing.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

Presidential politics » It is the final weekend before election day, and both presidential campaigns are making a full court press in key swing states.

Kamala Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz rallied supporters just outside of Philadelphia:

WALZ:  We have to go out and fight for this thing, because I'll tell you what, the vice president is right when she says this, when we fight, we win. Now for the next five days, when we vote, we win. Pennsylvania, win this thing for America. Let's go!

The latest polls give Donald Trump a narrow 1-point advantage in Pennsylvania.

And the former president is looking to expand the electoral map, campaigning in a state where Vice President Harris has held a comfortable lead in the polls. He told supporters in Albuquerque Thursday he believes he can win New Mexico…

TRUMP: But you have to turn out the record numbers that we need in order to really demand a better future. And you have to go out, you have to vote. We want to win, win win.

An average of recent polls still gives Trump at least a slight edge in every major swing state, with two exceptions, Michigan and Wisconsin, where the polls suggest the race is a dead heat.

House and Senate politics » And the battle for control of House of Representatives is every bit as tight. In fact, it may be a virtual coin flip.

An analysis by FiveThirtyEight.com puts the percentage odds at 52 to 48 with Republicans holding the slight edge.

And GOP Senator John Thune says the race is tight in the upper chamber as well.

THUNE:  I think every one of those races is just really, they're tighter than a tick right now and it is all going to come down to that handful of undecided voters and the closing arguments our candidates are able to make.

About a half-dozen Senate races are considered toss-ups right now. Polls suggest races in Ohio and Wisconsin are the tightest of all, with polling margins of 1 point or less.

Still, most forecasters believe Republicans will likely claim a narrow majority in the Senate.

Musk sweepstakes » A judge in Philadelphia has put a state challenge of Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes on hold … while lawyers for Musk’s political action committee try to move the lawsuit to federal court.

Philadelphia’s district attorney filed a suit to halt the giveaway. John Summers is an attorney with the DA’s office.

SUMMERS: We will proceed to federal court, and we will address the issues there and seek to have the matter remanded back to the state court.

Musk is giving away a million dollars a day to registered voters who sign a petition supporting the Constitution.

Critics say it’s an effort to get around a federal law that prohibits paying people to register to vote.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner says it’s illegal in his state … because it’s basically a lottery, and only the government has authority to operate lotteries in Pennsylvania.

Dodgers World Series parade » The Los Angeles Dodgers will celebrate their 8th World Series Championship today … with a downtown parade followed by a celebration at Dodger Stadium.

They defeated the New York Yankees this week in 5 games. Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy described the feeling.

MAX MUNCY: Unbelievable. It’s pure, spectacular enjoyment. Top of the world. It’s hard to explain.

The Dodgers will travel through downtown atop double-decker buses before trekking to Dodger Stadium.

I'm Kent Covington.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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