Tuesday morning news: November 5, 2024

Election Day » Americans are heading to the polls across the country, that is, those not among the more than 80 million who voted early.

Voters in Pennsylvania, like much of the country, appear sharply divided on whether Kamala Harris or Donald Trump should lead the country forward.

VOTER 1: There’s no question that at the very least, she will preserve our democracy. And that’s what this is about more than anything.

VOTER 2: I voted for President Trump. It’s common sense. We’re going in the wrong direction.

And on the final day of campaigning on Monday, the candidates showed us which states they believe will decide the race.

Former President Trump held his final rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan last night, after campaigning in Raleigh, North Carolina, and in Pittsburgh.

TRUMP: With your vote tomorrow, we can fix every single problem our country faces and lead America, and indeed the whole world, to new heights of glory.

Vice President Harris also rallied supporters in Pittsburgh, one of several events in Pennsylvania.

HARRIS: And we are not going back because America is ready for a fresh start.

The vice presidential candidates appeared in Wisconsin and Georgia.

Final polls, polling accuracy » The polls suggest a very close election. The final RealClearPolitics average of recent national polls has the race dead even.

At the state level, the polls give Donald Trump a lead of just under 2 points in both Georgia and North Carolina.

If his estimated lead in those two states is confirmed at the ballot box, it could all come down to the so-called “blue wall.” WORLD’s Kristen Flavin explains.

KRISTEN FLAVIN: The ‘blue wall’ is a handful of states in the Great Lakes region that a Democratic candidate traditionally must win.

Trump broke through that wall in 2016 to defeat Hillary Clinton.

And Kamala Harris needs that wall to hold up for her, as it did—narrowly—for Joe Biden 4 years ago.

She can ill afford to lose Pennsylvania, Michigan, or Wisconsin — any of the three.

And the final polling there shows a virtual tie in each of those three states.

It’s also worth noting that in 2020, pollsters underestimated Trump’s performance in those states by an average of more than 3 points.

And in 2016, the polls missed the mark in those ‘blue wall’ states by nearly five points.

For WORLD, I’m Kristen Flavin.

The national polls also underestimated Trump by 3.5 points in 2020.

For Harris to win, the polls will have to have at least slightly overestimated Trump this time.

House » The battle for control of the House could also rest on a knife’s edge.

The University of Virginia’s Center for Politics projects that the most likely outcome is a 1-seat advantage for Democrats. But FiveThirtyEight.com gives Republicans a little over a 50% chance of retaining narrow control of the House.

Senate » And there are some close Senate races. Political science professor Jenna Bednar with the University of Michigan says one of those races is in her home state.

BEDNAR:  On the Democratic side is Alyssa Slotkin. She currently is in, um, in her third term in Congress. Uh, and the other is Mike Rogers, who, uh, was a member of Congress from the same seat that Alyssa Slotkin now is in.

The last three polls conducted in that race have it effectively tied.

But overall, analysts are largely in agreement that Republicans are very likely to claim a slim majority in the Senate.

Israel latest » Israel has officially notified the United Nations that it has canceled a 1967 agreement allowing the UN Palestinian aid group UNRWA to operate on its soil.

That decision follows a vote by Israel's parliament late last month to do just that.

The Biden administration is not happy about it. State Dept spokesman Matthew Miller says UNRWA is essential to getting desperately needed aid to Palestinians.

MILLER - There are other humanitarian organizations that operate inside Gaza that are delivering aid. There are other UN agencies that are operating inside, Gaza. But we see UNRWA as continuing to play a critical role.

But Israel insists that UNRWA has become a front for the Gaza-based terror group Hamas...and that some of its employees actually participated in the October 7th terror attacks against Israel.

Quicy Jones obituary » Music industry titan Quincy Jones has died. Jones was, among other things, a prolific producer, working with hundreds of artists, from Frank Sinatra, to Michael Jackson.

He also wrote or co-wrote prize-winning film and television scores, including the theme to Sanford and Son.

The Sanford and Son theme song among his credits.

He died at his home in Los Angeles. Quincy Jones was 91 years old.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: counting votes… it’s no small task. We’ll learn why. Plus, a persecuted homeschool family from Germany are allowed to stay in the US another year.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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