<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-nine-days-before-election-day-us-exceeds-early-vote-total-for-all-of-2016-337906">US election 2020: Nine days before Election Day, US exceeds early vote total for all of 2016</a> 
 
<img src="https://cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/styles/story_page/public/2020/09/05/158271-us-voting.jpg?itok=9MQqM01g" />

According to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, this is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in 2016.

 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/after-imran-khan-recep-erdogan-doubles-down-in-backlash-against-macrons-islam-comments-337912">After Imran Khan, Recep Erdogan doubles down in backlash against Macron's Islam comments</a> 
 
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The backlash against President Emmanuel Macron's comments on Islam intensified Sunday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again urging him to have "mental checks" and protests in Muslim-majority nations.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/historic-treaty-to-prohibit-nuclear-weapons-to-enter-into-force-337907">'Historic' treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons to enter into force</a> 
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The "historic" international treaty banning nuclear weapons has passed an important threshold and is all set to enter into force after 90 days. 
&nbsp;

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US election 2020: Nine days before Election Day, US exceeds early vote total for all of 2016 According to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, this is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in 2016.

US election 2020: Nine days before Election Day, US exceeds early vote total for all of 2016 According to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, this is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in 2016. After Imran Khan, Recep Erdogan doubles down in backlash against Macron's Islam comments The backlash against President Emmanuel Macron's comments on Islam intensified Sunday, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan again urging him to have "mental checks" and protests in Muslim-majority nations. 'Historic' treaty to prohibit nuclear weapons to enter into force The "historic" international treaty banning nuclear weapons has passed an important threshold and is all set to enter into force after 90 days.

Morning news brief: US election, Macron's Islam comments and more

Exceeding the early vote total for all of 2016, more than 58.7 million Americans have voted so far. 
 
According to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, this is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in 2016. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-hit-trump-team-slams-failure-biden-337891">Also read: Covid-hit Trump team slams 'failure' Biden</a> 
 
Millions of Americans wary of crowded polling booths during the coronavirus pandemic and energized by an election fight that both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have framed as existential are smashing records for casting ballots, whether by mail or in person. 
 
The tally by the independent US Election Project, run by the University of Florida, said that as of Sunday more than 59 million people had voted so far. 
 
So far, Democrats -- who have encouraged early voting -- have been leading the way, but whether that means Biden can breathe easy remains to be seen. 
 
Trump for months has been claiming, without evidence that mail-in ballots lead to fraud and many Republicans are expected to vote on Election Day. 
 
With coronavirus cases spiking across the country, however, Michael McDonald -- a political science professor at the University of Florida who administers the Election Project -- warned that the strategy "looks all the riskier." 
 
"What if at least some of his voters decide not to vote? What if a polling place becomes unavailable or an election office shuts down?" he tweeted. 
 
The Election Project has predicted that turnout this year could top 150 million in total. Some 137 million ballots were cast in the 2016 election. 
 
Some states key to the 2020 outcome were also firmly on the path to breaking records, such as Texas, where the Election Project said Sunday that 80 per cent of the early 2016 vote had already turned out. 
 
"Folks, Texas still has in-person early voting until Friday, plus Election Day. No doubt Texas turnout will be above 2016. Question is, how much?" McDonald tweeted.

(With inputs from agencies)

Exceeding the early vote total for all of 2016, more than 58.7 million Americans have voted so far. According to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, this is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in 2016.

Exceeding the early vote total for all of 2016, more than 58.7 million Americans have voted so far. According to a survey of election officials in all 50 states and Washington, this is higher than the 57 million who voted early or by mail in 2016. Also read: Covid-hit Trump team slams 'failure' Biden Millions of Americans wary of crowded polling booths during the coronavirus pandemic and energized by an election fight that both President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joe Biden have framed as existential are smashing records for casting ballots, whether by mail or in person. The tally by the independent US Election Project, run by the University of Florida, said that as of Sunday more than 59 million people had voted so far. So far, Democrats -- who have encouraged early voting -- have been leading the way, but whether that means Biden can breathe easy remains to be seen. Trump for months has been claiming, without evidence that mail-in ballots lead to fraud and many Republicans are expected to vote on Election Day. With coronavirus cases spiking across the country, however, Michael McDonald -- a political science professor at the University of Florida who administers the Election Project -- warned that the strategy "looks all the riskier." "What if at least some of his voters decide not to vote? What if a polling place becomes unavailable or an election office shuts down?" he tweeted. The Election Project has predicted that turnout this year could top 150 million in total. Some 137 million ballots were cast in the 2016 election. Some states key to the 2020 outcome were also firmly on the path to breaking records, such as Texas, where the Election Project said Sunday that 80 per cent of the early 2016 vote had already turned out. "Folks, Texas still has in-person early voting until Friday, plus Election Day. No doubt Texas turnout will be above 2016. Question is, how much?" McDonald tweeted. (With inputs from agencies)

US election 2020: Nine days before Election Day, US exceeds early vote total for all of 2016

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden's $2 trillion plan to fight global warming is the most ambitious climate policy proposed by a leading presidential candidate, a political lightning rod spotlighted Thursday night when the Democratic nominee acknowledged during a debate that it would “transition” the country “from the oil industry.”

But no one knows better than Biden, the former vice president, that it almost surely will not be enacted, even if his party secures the White House and the Senate. Thirty-six years in the Senate and the searing experience of watching the Obama administration’s less ambitious climate plan die a decade ago have taught him the art of the possible.

Still, a President Biden could have real impact: solar panels and wind turbines spread across the country’s mountains and prairies, electric charging stations nearly as ubiquitous as gas stations and a gradual decrease in the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse pollution.

“The oil industry pollutes significantly,” Biden said at the final presidential debate, adding, “it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.”

Biden’s advisers insist that climate change is not just a political slogan. And on Capitol Hill, his team is already strategizing with Democratic leaders on how they can realistically turn at least some of those proposals into law.

“There are three things we have to do — climate, economic equality and democracy,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who would become the majority leader if his party wins control of the Senate. “All three are vital, and climate is not going to be the caboose.”

If Biden wins, he will face a dilemma he knows well — so much to do, and so little time. As a newly inaugurated vice president, he and Barack Obama dove first into passing an economic recovery bill in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, then focused on the Affordable Care Act. By the time that Congress moved to climate change, the White House’s political capital was exhausted.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2010 forced the House to approve complicated legislation to cap carbon emissions, but that “cap and trade” bill never even came to a vote in the Senate. Its passage in the House helped sweep Democrats from power months later.

“The biggest factor in not getting climate change done in 2010 was health care,” said Phil Schiliro, who was Obama’s liaison to Congress at the time. “And this could happen again, with the other things that have to come first. The coronavirus is such an enormous wild card.”

If Biden wins the White House but Republicans hold Senate control, Biden’s loftiest climate pledges will certainly die.

In that scenario, “All Biden can try to do is cobble back together the Obama environmental agenda,” said Douglas Brinkley, a historian who focuses on presidents’ environmental legacies.

That would include, he said, rejoining the international Paris accords — the agreement between nations to fight climate change, which President Donald Trump is withdrawing from — and reinstating Obama-era climate regulations. And with a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, even that could be thwarted.

But even a narrow Democratic majority in the Senate would leave a President Biden with options. And this time around, Biden wants to do it differently, not with a stand-alone climate bill but by tucking climate measures into broader, popular legislation to insulate them from partisan attack.

Democrats’ initial pass would most likely come in an economic recovery package. The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in 2009, which Biden was responsible for putting in effect, included about $90 billion in clean energy infrastructure spending.

With Congress arguing over a coronavirus relief bill measured in trillions of dollars, that $90 billion total is “going to look very small,” said Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass. “It’s going to be a big, big, big number that goes into that stimulus bill.”

An infrastructure bill, long promised by Trump, could follow and include language from Biden’s climate plan to promote construction of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations and build 1.5 million new energy-efficient homes. It is also expected that a Biden White House would push aggressively for provisions to promote trains and high-speed rail.

“I will fight for a big, bold climate package,” Schumer said, “and as leader, will be focused on assembling a climate package that meets the scale and the scope of the problem.”

If those spending measures cannot secure enough Republican support to beat a filibuster, Schumer plans to use a budgetary procedure, called reconciliation, to muscle through climate spending and tax policy. Trump and President George W. Bush used reconciliation to pass their huge tax cuts, and Obama passed part of the Affordable Care Act using the rule.

More than a year ago, Schumer tasked Democrats on the Senate committees responsible for climate policy to begin crafting climate-related tax legislation that could be bundled into a larger budget bill. Such policies could include extending tax credits for wind and solar power or increasing royalties for oil and gas drilling on public lands. They could possibly include a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, although passage of such a measure would violate Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on families with income below $400,000.

“Nothing is off the table,” Schumer said.

Many Republicans are expected to oppose those efforts, countering that they could harm the economy, but some gas-and-coal-state Democrats who balked at Obama’s cap-and-trade bill say they have shifted over the past decade as the politics and reality of climate change have grown more urgent.

“What’s changed is that it’s gotten worse,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who said in 2010 that he worried that Obama’s bill would harm his state’s agriculture and coal industries.

“We’re supposed to get our first frost tonight — in October, a month late,” Tester said, speaking by telephone from his farm in Big Sandy, Montana. “You really have to have your head buried in the sand not to see we’ve got a problem.”

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a Catholic, said his thinking had been shaped in part by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, which calls for transformational change to stop climate change and environmental degradation.

“We can’t wait 10 more years,” he said. “I don’t think we can wait five years.”

Other coal-state Democrats are not there. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who shot a copy of Obama’s climate bill in a campaign ad in 2010 and re-upped it in 2018, will play a key role in any climate debate, particularly if he becomes chairman of the Senate Energy Committee.

“I share Vice President Biden’s concern for tackling climate change,” Manchin wrote in an email, but added that major policy changes would not be accepted at face value. “The devil is in the details."

With so much legislative experience, Biden knows what he would be up against, but few would count him out.

“Joe Biden has proved throughout his career that he can bring people together to pass consequential legislation,” said Matt Hill, a spokesman for Biden.

Michael McKenna, who served as a liaison to Congress for Trump, compared a potential Biden administration to Bill Clinton’s negotiating team.

“They’d say, ‘Here’s what we can do,’ and then you start looking for the Venn diagram of what you could do and what they wanted,” said McKenna, a veteran energy lobbyist. Biden, he added, “gets the racket.”

But beyond spending and taxation, real policy changes cannot pass through reconciliation under Senate rules. They will need 60 votes and Republican support. One policy target is a “clean energy standard” — a law mandating a fast transition to zero-carbon electricity generation from wind, solar, hydro and nuclear power. That would go a long way toward ensuring that Biden meets his campaign pledge of eliminating planet-warming pollution from the electricity sector by 2035.

It would also be a tough sell.

“Not going to happen,” McKenna predicted. “The progressives are going to be disappointed.”

Other policy proposals that would need bipartisan support include the establishment of a new government research agency focused solely on solutions to climate change; a mandate for the federal government to purchase hybrid and electric vehicles; and a measure to promote the widespread use of farm equipment that captures planet-warming methane emissions from manure.

Some of the Senate Republicans that could be partners in such ventures are precisely the ones that Democrats need to lose in November if they are to capture the majority: Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado, for instance.

One Republican not up for reelection, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has spoken of the harm that climate change has wreaked on her state.

“She will remain highly engaged in discussions about clean energy and climate change,” said a spokeswoman for Murkowski, Tonya Parrish.

The rest of the world will be watching.

“If we have Biden as president, and he will announce very quickly that he will rejoin Paris and do pieces of regulation that he can control — if he can only muster that, we should remember that those will have an impact,” said Laurence Tubiana, who served as France’s chief climate ambassador during the 2015 Paris negotiations.

But, she said, spending money and reinstating rules will not be enough to meet the emission reductions needed from the world’s largest economy, nor will that secure the global influence the United States once had. For that, she said, “it will be essential to have a law.”

But Republican filibusters would stand in the way.

There is another option: eliminating the legislative filibuster to pass a climate policy bill with a simple 51-vote majority.

Although the Senate has gotten rid of the filibuster for judicial and executive branch confirmations, leaders in both parties have opposed ending it for legislation, fearing the prospect of absolute majority rule.

But climate change might lead Democrats to take a step that has been considered unthinkable, some Democrats say.

“If Republicans still think climate change is a hoax and won’t play ball, and they take the ball and go back to their court, we’ll find other ways to proceed,” said Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., who will become chairman of the Senate environment committee if his party wins the Senate.

Biden has designated Carper his climate point man on Capitol Hill, and the two enjoy a decadeslong friendship from Delaware politics.

“Getting rid of the filibuster — that shouldn’t be the first thing we should lead with,” Carper said. “But Republicans should have in the back of their minds that it could come to that.” 
&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden's $2 trillion plan to fight global warming is the most ambitious climate policy proposed by a leading presidential candidate, a political lightning rod spotlighted Thursday night when the Democratic nominee acknowledged during a debate that it would “transition” the country “from the oil industry.

WASHINGTON — Joe Biden's $2 trillion plan to fight global warming is the most ambitious climate policy proposed by a leading presidential candidate, a political lightning rod spotlighted Thursday night when the Democratic nominee acknowledged during a debate that it would “transition” the country “from the oil industry.” But no one knows better than Biden, the former vice president, that it almost surely will not be enacted, even if his party secures the White House and the Senate. Thirty-six years in the Senate and the searing experience of watching the Obama administration’s less ambitious climate plan die a decade ago have taught him the art of the possible. Still, a President Biden could have real impact: solar panels and wind turbines spread across the country’s mountains and prairies, electric charging stations nearly as ubiquitous as gas stations and a gradual decrease in the nation’s planet-warming greenhouse pollution. “The oil industry pollutes significantly,” Biden said at the final presidential debate, adding, “it has to be replaced by renewable energy over time.” Biden’s advisers insist that climate change is not just a political slogan. And on Capitol Hill, his team is already strategizing with Democratic leaders on how they can realistically turn at least some of those proposals into law. “There are three things we have to do — climate, economic equality and democracy,” said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who would become the majority leader if his party wins control of the Senate. “All three are vital, and climate is not going to be the caboose.” If Biden wins, he will face a dilemma he knows well — so much to do, and so little time. As a newly inaugurated vice president, he and Barack Obama dove first into passing an economic recovery bill in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, then focused on the Affordable Care Act. By the time that Congress moved to climate change, the White House’s political capital was exhausted. Speaker Nancy Pelosi in 2010 forced the House to approve complicated legislation to cap carbon emissions, but that “cap and trade” bill never even came to a vote in the Senate. Its passage in the House helped sweep Democrats from power months later. “The biggest factor in not getting climate change done in 2010 was health care,” said Phil Schiliro, who was Obama’s liaison to Congress at the time. “And this could happen again, with the other things that have to come first. The coronavirus is such an enormous wild card.” If Biden wins the White House but Republicans hold Senate control, Biden’s loftiest climate pledges will certainly die. In that scenario, “All Biden can try to do is cobble back together the Obama environmental agenda,” said Douglas Brinkley, a historian who focuses on presidents’ environmental legacies. That would include, he said, rejoining the international Paris accords — the agreement between nations to fight climate change, which President Donald Trump is withdrawing from — and reinstating Obama-era climate regulations. And with a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, even that could be thwarted. But even a narrow Democratic majority in the Senate would leave a President Biden with options. And this time around, Biden wants to do it differently, not with a stand-alone climate bill but by tucking climate measures into broader, popular legislation to insulate them from partisan attack. Democrats’ initial pass would most likely come in an economic recovery package. The $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed in 2009, which Biden was responsible for putting in effect, included about $90 billion in clean energy infrastructure spending. With Congress arguing over a coronavirus relief bill measured in trillions of dollars, that $90 billion total is “going to look very small,” said Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass. “It’s going to be a big, big, big number that goes into that stimulus bill.” An infrastructure bill, long promised by Trump, could follow and include language from Biden’s climate plan to promote construction of 500,000 electric vehicle charging stations and build 1.5 million new energy-efficient homes. It is also expected that a Biden White House would push aggressively for provisions to promote trains and high-speed rail. “I will fight for a big, bold climate package,” Schumer said, “and as leader, will be focused on assembling a climate package that meets the scale and the scope of the problem.” If those spending measures cannot secure enough Republican support to beat a filibuster, Schumer plans to use a budgetary procedure, called reconciliation, to muscle through climate spending and tax policy. Trump and President George W. Bush used reconciliation to pass their huge tax cuts, and Obama passed part of the Affordable Care Act using the rule. More than a year ago, Schumer tasked Democrats on the Senate committees responsible for climate policy to begin crafting climate-related tax legislation that could be bundled into a larger budget bill. Such policies could include extending tax credits for wind and solar power or increasing royalties for oil and gas drilling on public lands. They could possibly include a tax on carbon dioxide emissions, although passage of such a measure would violate Biden’s pledge not to raise taxes on families with income below $400,000. “Nothing is off the table,” Schumer said. Many Republicans are expected to oppose those efforts, countering that they could harm the economy, but some gas-and-coal-state Democrats who balked at Obama’s cap-and-trade bill say they have shifted over the past decade as the politics and reality of climate change have grown more urgent. “What’s changed is that it’s gotten worse,” said Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who said in 2010 that he worried that Obama’s bill would harm his state’s agriculture and coal industries. “We’re supposed to get our first frost tonight — in October, a month late,” Tester said, speaking by telephone from his farm in Big Sandy, Montana. “You really have to have your head buried in the sand not to see we’ve got a problem.” Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a Catholic, said his thinking had been shaped in part by Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical, which calls for transformational change to stop climate change and environmental degradation. “We can’t wait 10 more years,” he said. “I don’t think we can wait five years.” Other coal-state Democrats are not there. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who shot a copy of Obama’s climate bill in a campaign ad in 2010 and re-upped it in 2018, will play a key role in any climate debate, particularly if he becomes chairman of the Senate Energy Committee. “I share Vice President Biden’s concern for tackling climate change,” Manchin wrote in an email, but added that major policy changes would not be accepted at face value. “The devil is in the details." With so much legislative experience, Biden knows what he would be up against, but few would count him out. “Joe Biden has proved throughout his career that he can bring people together to pass consequential legislation,” said Matt Hill, a spokesman for Biden. Michael McKenna, who served as a liaison to Congress for Trump, compared a potential Biden administration to Bill Clinton’s negotiating team. “They’d say, ‘Here’s what we can do,’ and then you start looking for the Venn diagram of what you could do and what they wanted,” said McKenna, a veteran energy lobbyist. Biden, he added, “gets the racket.” But beyond spending and taxation, real policy changes cannot pass through reconciliation under Senate rules. They will need 60 votes and Republican support. One policy target is a “clean energy standard” — a law mandating a fast transition to zero-carbon electricity generation from wind, solar, hydro and nuclear power. That would go a long way toward ensuring that Biden meets his campaign pledge of eliminating planet-warming pollution from the electricity sector by 2035. It would also be a tough sell. “Not going to happen,” McKenna predicted. “The progressives are going to be disappointed.” Other policy proposals that would need bipartisan support include the establishment of a new government research agency focused solely on solutions to climate change; a mandate for the federal government to purchase hybrid and electric vehicles; and a measure to promote the widespread use of farm equipment that captures planet-warming methane emissions from manure. Some of the Senate Republicans that could be partners in such ventures are precisely the ones that Democrats need to lose in November if they are to capture the majority: Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado, for instance. One Republican not up for reelection, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, has spoken of the harm that climate change has wreaked on her state. “She will remain highly engaged in discussions about clean energy and climate change,” said a spokeswoman for Murkowski, Tonya Parrish. The rest of the world will be watching. “If we have Biden as president, and he will announce very quickly that he will rejoin Paris and do pieces of regulation that he can control — if he can only muster that, we should remember that those will have an impact,” said Laurence Tubiana, who served as France’s chief climate ambassador during the 2015 Paris negotiations. But, she said, spending money and reinstating rules will not be enough to meet the emission reductions needed from the world’s largest economy, nor will that secure the global influence the United States once had. For that, she said, “it will be essential to have a law.” But Republican filibusters would stand in the way. There is another option: eliminating the legislative filibuster to pass a climate policy bill with a simple 51-vote majority. Although the Senate has gotten rid of the filibuster for judicial and executive branch confirmations, leaders in both parties have opposed ending it for legislation, fearing the prospect of absolute majority rule. But climate change might lead Democrats to take a step that has been considered unthinkable, some Democrats say. “If Republicans still think climate change is a hoax and won’t play ball, and they take the ball and go back to their court, we’ll find other ways to proceed,” said Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., who will become chairman of the Senate environment committee if his party wins the Senate. Biden has designated Carper his climate point man on Capitol Hill, and the two enjoy a decadeslong friendship from Delaware politics. “Getting rid of the filibuster — that shouldn’t be the first thing we should lead with,” Carper said. “But Republicans should have in the back of their minds that it could come to that.”

Biden pledges ambitious climate action. Here’s what he could actually do.

Multiple reports claimed of Russian interference in the United States presidential election in 2016 and analysts say that Moscow is still trying its best to give Donald Trump another term despite the setback.&nbsp;

Russia was expecting better ties with the US when Trump was elected in 2016 as the relations during the term of Barack Obama were deteriorating.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="Has Trump team announced its surrender to the pandemic?">Has Trump team announced its surrender to the pandemic?</a>

US intelligence said Moscow in order to boost Trump campaign started attacking Democrats.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/kremlin-accuses-joe-biden-of-spreading-hatred-against-russia-with-threat-talk-338048">Kremlin accuses Joe Biden of spreading hatred against Russia with threat talk</a>

On Wednesday, US director of national intelligence accused Russia and Iran of getting US voter details and doing acts to influence public opinion in Nov. 3 election-- accusations the Kremlin rejected as "completely groundless."

Trump also raised eyebrows in 2018 when he said "I don't see any reason why it would be" Russia to meddle with US election.&nbsp;

However, since then, Washington took actions that were in odds with Moscow, including increasing military deployment in Syria and pulling out of centrepiece arms treaty.&nbsp;

In an interview in early October, Russian president complained that since the start of Trump's four-year rule, Russia has been sanctioned 46 times.

However, analysts believe that the screws will be tightened even more under Biden.&nbsp;

"After the usual rhetoric of the Democrats, which everybody heard in the past four years, it would be logical if they demanded tougher sanctions," said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Centre in Moscow, as reported by news agency AFP.&nbsp;

The Democrat-run Congress is also making things difficult for Moscow by imposing sanctions.

Analyst Alexander Shumilin of the Russian Academy of Sciences adds that Trump will be Moscow's preference as has shown "he is not ready to strengthen sanctions and even tried to soften them". 
&nbsp;

Multiple reports claimed of Russian interference in the United States presidential election in 2016 and analysts say that Moscow is still trying its best to give Donald Trump another term despite the setback.

Multiple reports claimed of Russian interference in the United States presidential election in 2016 and analysts say that Moscow is still trying its best to give Donald Trump another term despite the setback. Russia was expecting better ties with the US when Trump was elected in 2016 as the relations during the term of Barack Obama were deteriorating. Also read | Has Trump team announced its surrender to the pandemic? US intelligence said Moscow in order to boost Trump campaign started attacking Democrats. Also read | Kremlin accuses Joe Biden of spreading hatred against Russia with threat talk On Wednesday, US director of national intelligence accused Russia and Iran of getting US voter details and doing acts to influence public opinion in Nov. 3 election-- accusations the Kremlin rejected as "completely groundless." Trump also raised eyebrows in 2018 when he said "I don't see any reason why it would be" Russia to meddle with US election. However, since then, Washington took actions that were in odds with Moscow, including increasing military deployment in Syria and pulling out of centrepiece arms treaty. In an interview in early October, Russian president complained that since the start of Trump's four-year rule, Russia has been sanctioned 46 times. However, analysts believe that the screws will be tightened even more under Biden. "After the usual rhetoric of the Democrats, which everybody heard in the past four years, it would be logical if they demanded tougher sanctions," said Alexander Baunov of the Carnegie Centre in Moscow, as reported by news agency AFP. The Democrat-run Congress is also making things difficult for Moscow by imposing sanctions. Analyst Alexander Shumilin of the Russian Academy of Sciences adds that Trump will be Moscow's preference as has shown "he is not ready to strengthen sanctions and even tried to soften them".

Despite no favours, Russia still backs Trump as next US president, say analysts

The Kremlin Monday said US Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden’s assessment of Russia as the biggest threat to US national security encouraged hatred against Russia.

Biden named Russia as Washington’s most serious global threat in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, while calling China the biggest competitor.

“Well, I think the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up our security and our alliances is Russia,” Biden said.

In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call: “We absolutely do not agree."

“We can only regret that absolute hatred of the Russian Federation is spread in this way.”

The comments come just over a week before Biden faces Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 US presidential election. Biden is ahead in the polls.

Moscow’s ties with Washington sank to post-Cold War lows in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Biden was serving as vice president under President Barack Obama at the time.

Relations further soured after US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election to tilt the contest in Trump’s favour, an allegation Moscow has denied.

Russia has also dismissed accusations by US intelligence agencies of trying to interfere with this year’s election.

Putin, who has praised Trump in the past for saying he wanted better ties with Moscow, has said Russia will work with any US leader, while noting what he called Joe Biden’s “sharp anti-Russian rhetoric”.

The Russian leader said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in past business ties with Ukraine or Russia developed by Biden’s son Hunter, marking out his disagreement with one of Trump’s attack lines in the US election.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-vladimir-putin-rejects-donald-trumps-criticism-of-hunter-bidens-business-337930">Also read | US election 2020: Vladimir Putin rejects Donald Trump's criticism of Hunter Biden's business</a>

The Kremlin Monday said US Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden’s assessment of Russia as the biggest threat to US national security encouraged hatred against Russia.

The Kremlin Monday said US Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden’s assessment of Russia as the biggest threat to US national security encouraged hatred against Russia. Biden named Russia as Washington’s most serious global threat in an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, while calling China the biggest competitor. “Well, I think the biggest threat to America right now in terms of breaking up our security and our alliances is Russia,” Biden said. In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call: “We absolutely do not agree." “We can only regret that absolute hatred of the Russian Federation is spread in this way.” The comments come just over a week before Biden faces Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 US presidential election. Biden is ahead in the polls. Moscow’s ties with Washington sank to post-Cold War lows in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Biden was serving as vice president under President Barack Obama at the time. Relations further soured after US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election to tilt the contest in Trump’s favour, an allegation Moscow has denied. Russia has also dismissed accusations by US intelligence agencies of trying to interfere with this year’s election. Putin, who has praised Trump in the past for saying he wanted better ties with Moscow, has said Russia will work with any US leader, while noting what he called Joe Biden’s “sharp anti-Russian rhetoric”. The Russian leader said on Sunday that he saw nothing criminal in past business ties with Ukraine or Russia developed by Biden’s son Hunter, marking out his disagreement with one of Trump’s attack lines in the US election. Also read | US election 2020: Vladimir Putin rejects Donald Trump's criticism of Hunter Biden's business

Kremlin accuses Joe Biden of spreading hatred against Russia with threat talk

Over many decades, the United States has become an oligarchy, a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes.

The oligarchy is primarily composed of the Democrat Party, the media, academia, the permanent federal bureaucracy and the multinational interests that provide its financial support.

Republicans like Mitt Romney are also members of the oligarchy as well as the greedy political operatives, who profit from candidates like him.

Such Republicans falsely claim to be putting “country over party," but are actually putting oligarchy over democracy.

They do so because of their private dislike for Donald Trump or simply for their own power and profit, often both.

The “damage” Democrats and the anti-Trump Republicans claim he has done, has not been to the country, but to the power of the oligarchy and its growing attempts to control and exploit the American people for personal gain.

The oligarchy rejects democracy, preferring authoritarianism or, increasingly in the Democrat Party, the totalitarianism of Big Tech, Antifa and Black Lives Matter.

Like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden is the candidate of the oligarchy.

In a September 6, 2016 article in The Hill entitled “Why Donald Trump appeals to ordinary Americans,” I wrote:

“This election is not simply a contest between the Democrat and Republican ideologies, but a battle between the entrenched power of the bipartisan political establishment versus the freedom and well-being of the American people.”

Compared to four years ago, the threat to individual freedom, the Constitution and the rule of law emanating from the oligarchy is both greater and imminent.

In 2016, I said:

“The federal government and the media are, as institutions, hopelessly corrupt and, although we have elections, we no longer have representative government.”

Yet, even the most cynical among us, could not have imagined that politically-motivated elements within the federal government would use its immense law enforcement power in a coordinated attack with the media to destroy the lives of innocent citizens and patriots like General Michael Flynn and organize what amounted to a coup d'état against a sitting President.

Like what I stated in 2016, most of the social chaos and extremism we are currently witnessing in our Democrat-run cities is the product of a well-funded and well-organized anti-American, radical, leftist agenda.

It is the direct consequence of educational and media political indoctrination coupled to the divisive rhetoric and destructive policies of the Democrat Party.

In the face of the present turmoil, many in the Republican Party have chosen to stand idly aside, unwilling to defend the rights, liberties and well-being of American citizens.

Those anti-Trump Republicans have chosen to no longer represent the Americans who had once been their constituency, but, instead, have adopted the identity of junior partners in a ruling class.

It is a fundamental principle of democracy that the efficiency and effectiveness of government are directly dependent upon the trustworthiness of government officials as representatives and executors of the views and desires of the people.

Americans now believe that we are not citizens of a republic, but subjects of an elected aristocracy, composed of a self-absorbed permanent political class, which serves the interests of international financiers at the expense of the American people.

The oligarchy maintains its authority by an ever-expanding and increasingly intrusive government and uses a compliant media to manipulate public opinion in order to sustain the illusion of democracy.

Three years before the start of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said a government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free — that a house divided against itself cannot stand.

Likewise, a government separated from the people cannot stand.

There remains a winning coalition in America, one which Donald Trump represents, one inclusive of all Americans, and one for all those who believe in a simple proposition — honest, representative and effective government.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Over many decades, the United States has become an oligarchy, a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. The oligarchy is primarily composed of the Democrat Party, the media, academia, the permanent federal bureaucracy and the multinational interests that provide its financial support.

Over many decades, the United States has become an oligarchy, a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish purposes. The oligarchy is primarily composed of the Democrat Party, the media, academia, the permanent federal bureaucracy and the multinational interests that provide its financial support. Republicans like Mitt Romney are also members of the oligarchy as well as the greedy political operatives, who profit from candidates like him. Such Republicans falsely claim to be putting “country over party," but are actually putting oligarchy over democracy. They do so because of their private dislike for Donald Trump or simply for their own power and profit, often both. The “damage” Democrats and the anti-Trump Republicans claim he has done, has not been to the country, but to the power of the oligarchy and its growing attempts to control and exploit the American people for personal gain. The oligarchy rejects democracy, preferring authoritarianism or, increasingly in the Democrat Party, the totalitarianism of Big Tech, Antifa and Black Lives Matter. Like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden is the candidate of the oligarchy. In a September 6, 2016 article in The Hill entitled “Why Donald Trump appeals to ordinary Americans,” I wrote: “This election is not simply a contest between the Democrat and Republican ideologies, but a battle between the entrenched power of the bipartisan political establishment versus the freedom and well-being of the American people.” Compared to four years ago, the threat to individual freedom, the Constitution and the rule of law emanating from the oligarchy is both greater and imminent. In 2016, I said: “The federal government and the media are, as institutions, hopelessly corrupt and, although we have elections, we no longer have representative government.” Yet, even the most cynical among us, could not have imagined that politically-motivated elements within the federal government would use its immense law enforcement power in a coordinated attack with the media to destroy the lives of innocent citizens and patriots like General Michael Flynn and organize what amounted to a coup d'état against a sitting President. Like what I stated in 2016, most of the social chaos and extremism we are currently witnessing in our Democrat-run cities is the product of a well-funded and well-organized anti-American, radical, leftist agenda. It is the direct consequence of educational and media political indoctrination coupled to the divisive rhetoric and destructive policies of the Democrat Party. In the face of the present turmoil, many in the Republican Party have chosen to stand idly aside, unwilling to defend the rights, liberties and well-being of American citizens. Those anti-Trump Republicans have chosen to no longer represent the Americans who had once been their constituency, but, instead, have adopted the identity of junior partners in a ruling class. It is a fundamental principle of democracy that the efficiency and effectiveness of government are directly dependent upon the trustworthiness of government officials as representatives and executors of the views and desires of the people. Americans now believe that we are not citizens of a republic, but subjects of an elected aristocracy, composed of a self-absorbed permanent political class, which serves the interests of international financiers at the expense of the American people. The oligarchy maintains its authority by an ever-expanding and increasingly intrusive government and uses a compliant media to manipulate public opinion in order to sustain the illusion of democracy. Three years before the start of the American Civil War, Abraham Lincoln said a government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free — that a house divided against itself cannot stand. Likewise, a government separated from the people cannot stand. There remains a winning coalition in America, one which Donald Trump represents, one inclusive of all Americans, and one for all those who believe in a simple proposition — honest, representative and effective government. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL.)

Liberty is the key issue of the US 2020 election

The political bromance between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump leaves Britain and its transatlantic "special relationship" exposed if Joe Biden wins next week, just as the country needs all the friends it can get.

The UK is divorcing the European Union and looking to revitalise partnerships elsewhere,&nbsp;but has managed to antagonise President Trump's Democratic opponent over its Brexit plans for Northern Ireland.

French President Emmanuel Macron has at times also strived to keep Trump close. But the British prime minister is more closely associated with his fellow convention-shredding populist in Washington.

"There is a lot of frantic repositioning going on at the moment here in London by this administration in Britain," former Conservative finance minister George Osborne told CNN on Sunday.

"But I don't think Joe Biden will feel particularly warmly toward this British government, and they're going to have to work very hard to change that," he said.

Last December, as Johnson closed in on a general election victory, Biden showed his disdain in describing the Conservative politician as a "physical and emotional clone" of Trump.&nbsp;

The president has himself praised Johnson as "Britain('s) Trump", and the prime minister's own long trail of provocative comments has come back to haunt him.&nbsp;

Biden was vice president to Barack Obama when Johnson, in 2016, wrote that Obama was anti-UK owing to his "part-Kenyan" heritage and "ancestral dislike of the British Empire".

- Trump with better hair? -

That remark was highlighted recently on Twitter by Obama's deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, who sees Johnson as Trump "with better hair" and a higher IQ. Many veterans of the Obama administration are likely to populate a Biden White House.

If elected, it will be up to Biden and his team to decide whether "to litigate and punish the past or focus on the future", according to Heather Conley, director of the Europe programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"I am comforted that populists are chameleons: they take on the hue of the political moment. I trust should vice president Biden win, Mr Johnson's hue will change dramatically," she told AFP.

Trump's relationship with previous British prime minister Theresa May was awful. But he was effusive about the New York-born Johnson when the "tough" and "smart" former foreign secretary replaced her last year.&nbsp;

Johnson in turn has lauded Trump's "many, many good qualities", in marked contrast to the arm's-length mistrust displayed by others such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Yet Britain, next year's president of the G7, remains far more aligned with France and Germany -- as well as Biden -- on climate change, Iran, Russia and collective defence under the NATO umbrella.

A post-Brexit US-UK trade deal is still a work in progress under Trump, who characteristically is said to be driving a hard bargain after slapping tariffs on Scottish whisky amid a wider spat with the EU.

- Voting for Reagan -

Conley said that Biden, as a "dedicated transatlanticist", was likely to resolve Trump's trade row with the EU and Britain, as part of a wider fence-mending policy if elected.

"But certainly issues related to Brexit are going to be addressed much differently in a Biden administration than the Brexit enthusiasm of the Trump administration -- and even that hasn't been easy going," the expert added.

The US-UK trade negotiation has been attracting close attention from Democrats, since Johnson in September introduced legislation that unilaterally strips Brussels of a role in regulating future trade between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland.

Biden, who speaks passionately of his Irish roots, warned that the trade deal would be dead on arrival if Britain, via its Brexit policy, undermines Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace agreement.

In public, the British government refuses to take sides in the November 3 US election. But some Conservatives are showing no such reserve.

In 1992, Johnson's former finance minister Sajid Javid moved to New York to work as a banker. Writing in the Daily Telegraph last week, he reflected on hearing Ronald Reagan's final speech to the Republican convention that summer.

The former president appealed to "your best hopes, not your worst fears", Javid said.

"Only one of the candidates can credibly say the same. Britain is better off with Biden."

The political bromance between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump leaves Britain and its transatlantic "special relationship" exposed if Joe Biden wins next week, just as the country needs all the friends it can get.

The political bromance between Boris Johnson and Donald Trump leaves Britain and its transatlantic "special relationship" exposed if Joe Biden wins next week, just as the country needs all the friends it can get. The UK is divorcing the European Union and looking to revitalise partnerships elsewhere, but has managed to antagonise President Trump's Democratic opponent over its Brexit plans for Northern Ireland. French President Emmanuel Macron has at times also strived to keep Trump close. But the British prime minister is more closely associated with his fellow convention-shredding populist in Washington. "There is a lot of frantic repositioning going on at the moment here in London by this administration in Britain," former Conservative finance minister George Osborne told CNN on Sunday. "But I don't think Joe Biden will feel particularly warmly toward this British government, and they're going to have to work very hard to change that," he said. Last December, as Johnson closed in on a general election victory, Biden showed his disdain in describing the Conservative politician as a "physical and emotional clone" of Trump. The president has himself praised Johnson as "Britain('s) Trump", and the prime minister's own long trail of provocative comments has come back to haunt him. Biden was vice president to Barack Obama when Johnson, in 2016, wrote that Obama was anti-UK owing to his "part-Kenyan" heritage and "ancestral dislike of the British Empire". - Trump with better hair? - That remark was highlighted recently on Twitter by Obama's deputy national security advisor, Ben Rhodes, who sees Johnson as Trump "with better hair" and a higher IQ. Many veterans of the Obama administration are likely to populate a Biden White House. If elected, it will be up to Biden and his team to decide whether "to litigate and punish the past or focus on the future", according to Heather Conley, director of the Europe programme at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. "I am comforted that populists are chameleons: they take on the hue of the political moment. I trust should vice president Biden win, Mr Johnson's hue will change dramatically," she told AFP. Trump's relationship with previous British prime minister Theresa May was awful. But he was effusive about the New York-born Johnson when the "tough" and "smart" former foreign secretary replaced her last year. Johnson in turn has lauded Trump's "many, many good qualities", in marked contrast to the arm's-length mistrust displayed by others such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Yet Britain, next year's president of the G7, remains far more aligned with France and Germany -- as well as Biden -- on climate change, Iran, Russia and collective defence under the NATO umbrella. A post-Brexit US-UK trade deal is still a work in progress under Trump, who characteristically is said to be driving a hard bargain after slapping tariffs on Scottish whisky amid a wider spat with the EU. - Voting for Reagan - Conley said that Biden, as a "dedicated transatlanticist", was likely to resolve Trump's trade row with the EU and Britain, as part of a wider fence-mending policy if elected. "But certainly issues related to Brexit are going to be addressed much differently in a Biden administration than the Brexit enthusiasm of the Trump administration -- and even that hasn't been easy going," the expert added. The US-UK trade negotiation has been attracting close attention from Democrats, since Johnson in September introduced legislation that unilaterally strips Brussels of a role in regulating future trade between Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland. Biden, who speaks passionately of his Irish roots, warned that the trade deal would be dead on arrival if Britain, via its Brexit policy, undermines Northern Ireland's Good Friday peace agreement. In public, the British government refuses to take sides in the November 3 US election. But some Conservatives are showing no such reserve. In 1992, Johnson's former finance minister Sajid Javid moved to New York to work as a banker. Writing in the Daily Telegraph last week, he reflected on hearing Ronald Reagan's final speech to the Republican convention that summer. The former president appealed to "your best hopes, not your worst fears", Javid said. "Only one of the candidates can credibly say the same. Britain is better off with Biden."

Biden no lover of UK's 'Trump clone' Johnson

Looks like the Trump administration has finally announced its surrender to the Covid-19 pandemic.

"We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" on Sunday.

The statement is being considered as an unconditional surrender from the Trump team by publications like CNN and The Washington Post.

The pandemic has so far claimed 230,000 US deaths -- a toll that rises by around 1,000 each day of Trump's inaction.

Trump, it's being said, chose at every moment the economy over trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus. And hence, the number of cases rose exponentially.

To this end, a CNN analysis says that Trump's team echoed his false belief that the choice was Covid versus the economy.

Trump's handling of the pandemic is one of the major issues the November 3 presidential vote is being contested on.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-hit-trump-team-slams-failure-biden-337891">Also read |&nbsp;Covid-hit Trump team slams 'failure' Biden</a>

Just a day after the US recorded largest single day jump in coronavirus cases, Trump said it was 'foolish' to test for the deadly infection. He was speaking at election rally in Lumberton, North Carolina on Saturday.&nbsp;

In his speech, Trump again sought to blame huge number of coronavirus cases on testing.&nbsp;

“You know why we have cases? It’s because we test so much,” the president told his rally crowd. “In a lot of ways it’s good, and in a lot of ways it’s foolish.”&nbsp;

“If we tested half, cases would be half," Trump said.&nbsp;

In the past also, he has gone on record to say things like coronavirus was "just a flu". He later said the position he took at the start of the pandemic was to ensure that there was no panic in Americans.

His Democratic challenger Joe Biden has also accused Trump of surrendering to the pandemic.

In a statement released by his campaign, Biden seized on the above-mentioned&nbsp;comments, saying Meadows “stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic, that they’ve given up on their basic duty to protect the American people.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-many-ways-its-foolish-to-test-for-coronavirus-says-donald-trump-in-us-election-rally-337762">Also read |&nbsp;In many ways it's 'foolish' to test for coronavirus, says Donald Trump in US election rally</a>

“This wasn’t a slip by Meadows, it was a candid acknowledgement of what President Trump’s strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis: to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it, the virus would simply go away. It hasn’t, and it won’t,” Biden added.

The outbreak among Pence’s aides marked the latest White House COVID-19 cases, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son, Barron, and numerous aides and associates. The president was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19.

Ahead of the presidential election, both campaigns are scrambling to make their closing arguments and win over the few still undecided voters.&nbsp;

Biden has maintained a stable lead of around 10 points in national polls, and narrower leads in battleground states like Florida that typically decide the winner of US presidential elections.

(with inputs)

Looks like the Trump administration has finally announced its surrender to the Covid-19 pandemic. "We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" on Sunday.

Looks like the Trump administration has finally announced its surrender to the Covid-19 pandemic. "We are not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," White House chief of staff Mark Meadows told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union" on Sunday. The statement is being considered as an unconditional surrender from the Trump team by publications like CNN and The Washington Post. The pandemic has so far claimed 230,000 US deaths -- a toll that rises by around 1,000 each day of Trump's inaction. Trump, it's being said, chose at every moment the economy over trying to stop the spread of the coronavirus. And hence, the number of cases rose exponentially. To this end, a CNN analysis says that Trump's team echoed his false belief that the choice was Covid versus the economy. Trump's handling of the pandemic is one of the major issues the November 3 presidential vote is being contested on. Also read | Covid-hit Trump team slams 'failure' Biden Just a day after the US recorded largest single day jump in coronavirus cases, Trump said it was 'foolish' to test for the deadly infection. He was speaking at election rally in Lumberton, North Carolina on Saturday. In his speech, Trump again sought to blame huge number of coronavirus cases on testing. “You know why we have cases? It’s because we test so much,” the president told his rally crowd. “In a lot of ways it’s good, and in a lot of ways it’s foolish.” “If we tested half, cases would be half," Trump said. In the past also, he has gone on record to say things like coronavirus was "just a flu". He later said the position he took at the start of the pandemic was to ensure that there was no panic in Americans. His Democratic challenger Joe Biden has also accused Trump of surrendering to the pandemic. In a statement released by his campaign, Biden seized on the above-mentioned comments, saying Meadows “stunningly admitted this morning that the administration has given up on even trying to control this pandemic, that they’ve given up on their basic duty to protect the American people.” Also read | In many ways it's 'foolish' to test for coronavirus, says Donald Trump in US election rally “This wasn’t a slip by Meadows, it was a candid acknowledgement of what President Trump’s strategy has clearly been from the beginning of this crisis: to wave the white flag of defeat and hope that by ignoring it, the virus would simply go away. It hasn’t, and it won’t,” Biden added. The outbreak among Pence’s aides marked the latest White House COVID-19 cases, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son, Barron, and numerous aides and associates. The president was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19. Ahead of the presidential election, both campaigns are scrambling to make their closing arguments and win over the few still undecided voters. Biden has maintained a stable lead of around 10 points in national polls, and narrower leads in battleground states like Florida that typically decide the winner of US presidential elections. (with inputs)

Has Trump team announced its surrender to the pandemic?

A confluence of structural megatrends and issues like the emergent Cold War 2.0, the putative 4th Industrial Revolution and the uncertainties induced by the Covid 19 pandemic, geopolitical permutations and combinations and turbulence in financial markets, domestic political churns in many countries lend themselves to a cliched assessment and observation: ‘ we live in interesting times’. This leaves pundits baffled and unable to discern how the world, in all its dimensions, will look like, say, in the next five years? For now, however, the major thematic issue gripping the attention of powers that be in the world is the November election in the United States- a paradoxical nation when it sneezes, the world catches a proverbial cold.

So who among the two- Joseph Biden and Donald Trump- will win?

Even though opinion polls give Biden a lead and financial markets are factoring in a Biden victory, it still remains unclear as to who will win the US presidential elections. (The former are not an exact science and there is a lot of subjectivity to these and the latter appears to be premised on a reversion to the norms of the international system and relations if Biden wins).

Consider the chances of Trump first. While his chances of re-election are dimmed by many factors like the pandemic, impact on the economy thereof and many unfulfilled promises, but the primeval forces or even impulses that propelled him to the White House remain. Or, in other words, the populist instincts, premised as they were on the fading of the white superstructure of the United &nbsp;States, identity issues and politics thereof, globalization and immigrant are ever-present in the US body politic. Overlaying these is that Trump not only presented himself as a political leader who mirrored his constituents(or the base), but also an insurgent who defied and undermined the normative basis of international relations that had emerged after the Second Great War. This, in the Trumpian schema, was a natural complement to his domestic political agenda. That he won the 2016 elections and that he still retains significant support testifies to the power of these ideas.

Can Biden, if he wins, reverse these aspects of politics that are now ensconced in American political life? Unlikely. The reasons are both domestic and pertain to international political life. Domestically, Biden if he totally goes contra Trump and his policy political posture, &nbsp;risks alienating a substantial portion of the American population. This would mean further polarization of the country and crystallization of deep angst and disaffection. Biden then has very few choices: he can co-opt populism, so to speak, and then guide its impulses in a different direction. But, this carries obvious risks, popular sentiment is difficult to channelize and the law of unintended consequences also kicks in.

What happens to international relations in case of &nbsp;Biden victory?

Nothing much. &nbsp;It is, to state the obvious, a fact that the norms, or some of the norms defining international relations since the end of the second Great war, need a fundamental review and revision. The world in 2020, even though there are some residual similarities, stands in sharp contradistinction to that of the 20th century let alone the post-war world. But, international norms have not kept pace. This has led to both paradoxes and contradictions in international politics and, given that there is no neat distinction between the domestic and the external anymore, on domestic politics of most nations as well. This disjunction can only be remedied by a review and revision of the normative underpinnings of international relations. &nbsp;Biden, if he wins, cannot and, in all likelihood, will not revert to the normative consensus that held albeit in flawed manner pre-1916. There will be change and churn but the depth, form and shape of these cannot be foretold at this point in time.

Financial markets then might not be correct in assuming a reversion to the same in case of a Biden victory. This also holds for pundits and analysts who think along similar lines. All in all the 21st-century portents great change- even transformations- defined by deep uncertainties. So that the world retains or gains a degree of equipoise and is prepared to deal with these transformations, a new normative consensus that builds upon the old and adjusts some of these to the new realities is imperative. Fundamentally speaking, &nbsp;bold and beautiful leadership would be required to make this happen. While whether it is forthcoming remains to be seen, but those who think or feel a reversion to pre 2016 politics- domestically and internationally- in the United States, and by extension the world, are likely to be disappointed.

A confluence of structural megatrends and issues like the emergent Cold War 2.0, the putative 4th Industrial Revolution and the uncertainties induced by the Covid 19 pandemic, geopolitical permutations and combinations and turbulence in financial markets, domestic political churns in many countries lend themselves to a cliched assessment and observation: ‘ we live in interesting times’.

A confluence of structural megatrends and issues like the emergent Cold War 2.0, the putative 4th Industrial Revolution and the uncertainties induced by the Covid 19 pandemic, geopolitical permutations and combinations and turbulence in financial markets, domestic political churns in many countries lend themselves to a cliched assessment and observation: ‘ we live in interesting times’. This leaves pundits baffled and unable to discern how the world, in all its dimensions, will look like, say, in the next five years? For now, however, the major thematic issue gripping the attention of powers that be in the world is the November election in the United States- a paradoxical nation when it sneezes, the world catches a proverbial cold. So who among the two- Joseph Biden and Donald Trump- will win? Even though opinion polls give Biden a lead and financial markets are factoring in a Biden victory, it still remains unclear as to who will win the US presidential elections. (The former are not an exact science and there is a lot of subjectivity to these and the latter appears to be premised on a reversion to the norms of the international system and relations if Biden wins). Consider the chances of Trump first. While his chances of re-election are dimmed by many factors like the pandemic, impact on the economy thereof and many unfulfilled promises, but the primeval forces or even impulses that propelled him to the White House remain. Or, in other words, the populist instincts, premised as they were on the fading of the white superstructure of the United States, identity issues and politics thereof, globalization and immigrant are ever-present in the US body politic. Overlaying these is that Trump not only presented himself as a political leader who mirrored his constituents(or the base), but also an insurgent who defied and undermined the normative basis of international relations that had emerged after the Second Great War. This, in the Trumpian schema, was a natural complement to his domestic political agenda. That he won the 2016 elections and that he still retains significant support testifies to the power of these ideas. Can Biden, if he wins, reverse these aspects of politics that are now ensconced in American political life? Unlikely. The reasons are both domestic and pertain to international political life. Domestically, Biden if he totally goes contra Trump and his policy political posture, risks alienating a substantial portion of the American population. This would mean further polarization of the country and crystallization of deep angst and disaffection. Biden then has very few choices: he can co-opt populism, so to speak, and then guide its impulses in a different direction. But, this carries obvious risks, popular sentiment is difficult to channelize and the law of unintended consequences also kicks in. What happens to international relations in case of Biden victory? Nothing much. It is, to state the obvious, a fact that the norms, or some of the norms defining international relations since the end of the second Great war, need a fundamental review and revision. The world in 2020, even though there are some residual similarities, stands in sharp contradistinction to that of the 20th century let alone the post-war world. But, international norms have not kept pace. This has led to both paradoxes and contradictions in international politics and, given that there is no neat distinction between the domestic and the external anymore, on domestic politics of most nations as well. This disjunction can only be remedied by a review and revision of the normative underpinnings of international relations. Biden, if he wins, cannot and, in all likelihood, will not revert to the normative consensus that held albeit in flawed manner pre-1916. There will be change and churn but the depth, form and shape of these cannot be foretold at this point in time. Financial markets then might not be correct in assuming a reversion to the same in case of a Biden victory. This also holds for pundits and analysts who think along similar lines. All in all the 21st-century portents great change- even transformations- defined by deep uncertainties. So that the world retains or gains a degree of equipoise and is prepared to deal with these transformations, a new normative consensus that builds upon the old and adjusts some of these to the new realities is imperative. Fundamentally speaking, bold and beautiful leadership would be required to make this happen. While whether it is forthcoming remains to be seen, but those who think or feel a reversion to pre 2016 politics- domestically and internationally- in the United States, and by extension the world, are likely to be disappointed.

Even if Biden wins, the world will not be the same

Political tensions over the upcoming presidential election escalated on New York City’s streets Sunday, as supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with counterprotesters during a day of demonstrations.

Seven people were arrested during skirmishes between opposing sides in Manhattan, where Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer and the city’s former mayor, encountered protesters targeting a caravan of cars organized by a group that identifies itself as Jews for Trump.

In one video, Giuliani could be seen on the passenger side of a vehicle with the window rolled down as anti-Trump protesters screamed at him.

In an interview, Giuliani said that he had encountered the caravan and the protesters while driving down Fifth Avenue after taping his radio show.

“I would love to have had a campaign commercial of it and put it on in the middle of America and say, ‘Who would you prefer for the next four years?” he said. “This group of foul-mouthed people who don’t seem to have a vocabulary beyond three words, or these very nice Jewish people who are driving in the car and not saying anything back and not doing anything other than exercising their right to say they’re for Donald Trump.”

According to the police, the pro-Trump caravan passed through Times Square, where it converged with a group of anti-Trump protesters who had marched from Brooklyn. The cars in the convoy were then blocked by counterprotesters, and some drivers got out of their cars to confront the anti-Trump demonstrators.

The two sides hurled political slurs — calling each other “fascists” and “anarchists”— traded blows, and fought over the Trump supporters’ flags before police broke them apart, according to videos posted online.

In some videos, a group of people can be seen yelling expletives and throwing eggs and other projectiles at passing cars flying pro-Trump flags in midtown, while in another, a group of people holding pro-Trump banners march on one side of the street as people across the street yell, “New York hates you.”

The clashes came as the Police Department was preparing for more possible unrest as Election Day approached, including days or weeks of protests in the aftermath of the vote. Hundreds of police officers have been assigned to polling stations for both early voting and Election Day, with thousands more on standby for protests.

Top police officials have stressed the need for officers to remain neutral, despite their unions’ open embrace of Trump. But officials said an officer crossed the line late Saturday when he used a police loudspeaker to voice support for the president while arguing with a man on the street in Flatbush, Brooklyn, who called him a “fascist.”

“Trump 2020,” the officer responded. “Put it on YouTube. Put it on Facebook. Trump 2020.”

The officer, whose name the police withheld, was suspended without pay Sunday after videos of the incident went viral on social media. Department policy prohibits officers from engaging in political activity on duty or in uniform, including endorsing a candidate or party.

“One hundred per cent unacceptable. Period,” Commissioner Dermot F. Shea commented on one of the videos of the suspended officer on Twitter. “Law Enforcement must remain apolitical, it is essential in our role to serve ALL New Yorkers regardless of any political beliefs. It is essential for New Yorkers to trust their Police.”

The Police Benevolent Association, the officer’s labour union, declined to comment.

It is unclear whether two other officers who were with the suspended officer will face discipline.

His suspension is the beginning of a disciplinary process that can take months or even years to play out. But Mayor Bill de Blasio promised quick action.

“ANY NYPD Officer pushing ANY political agenda while on duty will face consequences,” he wrote on Twitter. “We will act fast here, and this will not be tolerated.”

State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, expressed concern over the incident, noting that police officers transport ballots from poll sites to the Board of Elections.

“There must be swift consequences and protections against election interference,” he said.

Despite the directives from the top, the city’s biggest police unions have heartily embraced Trump, whose law and order message resonates with those who feel Democrats have made the city too soft on crime. Patrick J. Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, endorsed the president in a speech before the Republican National Convention. Ed Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, has appeared at the White House and regularly praises Trump in his official messages to officers.

The demonstrators detained in Times Square on Sunday afternoon, five men and two women, were expected to be charged with disorderly conduct, police said. Investigators were also looking for at least two people seen throwing projectiles at a pro-Trump caravan as it travelled on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

The caravan, organized by Orthodox Jewish leaders, consisted of dozens of cars and trucks whose participants rode from Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Sunday. Drivers honked their horns and passengers waved American flags.

Political tensions over the upcoming presidential election escalated on New York City’s streets Sunday, as supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with counterprotesters during a day of demonstrations.

Political tensions over the upcoming presidential election escalated on New York City’s streets Sunday, as supporters of President Donald Trump clashed with counterprotesters during a day of demonstrations. Seven people were arrested during skirmishes between opposing sides in Manhattan, where Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer and the city’s former mayor, encountered protesters targeting a caravan of cars organized by a group that identifies itself as Jews for Trump. In one video, Giuliani could be seen on the passenger side of a vehicle with the window rolled down as anti-Trump protesters screamed at him. In an interview, Giuliani said that he had encountered the caravan and the protesters while driving down Fifth Avenue after taping his radio show. “I would love to have had a campaign commercial of it and put it on in the middle of America and say, ‘Who would you prefer for the next four years?” he said. “This group of foul-mouthed people who don’t seem to have a vocabulary beyond three words, or these very nice Jewish people who are driving in the car and not saying anything back and not doing anything other than exercising their right to say they’re for Donald Trump.” According to the police, the pro-Trump caravan passed through Times Square, where it converged with a group of anti-Trump protesters who had marched from Brooklyn. The cars in the convoy were then blocked by counterprotesters, and some drivers got out of their cars to confront the anti-Trump demonstrators. The two sides hurled political slurs — calling each other “fascists” and “anarchists”— traded blows, and fought over the Trump supporters’ flags before police broke them apart, according to videos posted online. In some videos, a group of people can be seen yelling expletives and throwing eggs and other projectiles at passing cars flying pro-Trump flags in midtown, while in another, a group of people holding pro-Trump banners march on one side of the street as people across the street yell, “New York hates you.” The clashes came as the Police Department was preparing for more possible unrest as Election Day approached, including days or weeks of protests in the aftermath of the vote. Hundreds of police officers have been assigned to polling stations for both early voting and Election Day, with thousands more on standby for protests. Top police officials have stressed the need for officers to remain neutral, despite their unions’ open embrace of Trump. But officials said an officer crossed the line late Saturday when he used a police loudspeaker to voice support for the president while arguing with a man on the street in Flatbush, Brooklyn, who called him a “fascist.” “Trump 2020,” the officer responded. “Put it on YouTube. Put it on Facebook. Trump 2020.” The officer, whose name the police withheld, was suspended without pay Sunday after videos of the incident went viral on social media. Department policy prohibits officers from engaging in political activity on duty or in uniform, including endorsing a candidate or party. “One hundred per cent unacceptable. Period,” Commissioner Dermot F. Shea commented on one of the videos of the suspended officer on Twitter. “Law Enforcement must remain apolitical, it is essential in our role to serve ALL New Yorkers regardless of any political beliefs. It is essential for New Yorkers to trust their Police.” The Police Benevolent Association, the officer’s labour union, declined to comment. It is unclear whether two other officers who were with the suspended officer will face discipline. His suspension is the beginning of a disciplinary process that can take months or even years to play out. But Mayor Bill de Blasio promised quick action. “ANY NYPD Officer pushing ANY political agenda while on duty will face consequences,” he wrote on Twitter. “We will act fast here, and this will not be tolerated.” State Sen. Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan, expressed concern over the incident, noting that police officers transport ballots from poll sites to the Board of Elections. “There must be swift consequences and protections against election interference,” he said. Despite the directives from the top, the city’s biggest police unions have heartily embraced Trump, whose law and order message resonates with those who feel Democrats have made the city too soft on crime. Patrick J. Lynch, the president of the Police Benevolent Association, endorsed the president in a speech before the Republican National Convention. Ed Mullins, the president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association, has appeared at the White House and regularly praises Trump in his official messages to officers. The demonstrators detained in Times Square on Sunday afternoon, five men and two women, were expected to be charged with disorderly conduct, police said. Investigators were also looking for at least two people seen throwing projectiles at a pro-Trump caravan as it travelled on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway. The caravan, organized by Orthodox Jewish leaders, consisted of dozens of cars and trucks whose participants rode from Brooklyn to Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Sunday. Drivers honked their horns and passengers waved American flags.

Fights erupt during ‘Jews for Trump’ rally in Manhattan

Democratic nominee Joe Biden substantially leads his Republican opponent Donald Trump as the Arab world's preferred candidate in next month's US presidential candidate, an opinion poll indicated Sunday.

Out of 3,097 people polled across 18 Middle East and North African countries, around 39 percent favoured Biden while only 12 percent opted for Trump, according to the survey carried out by British pollster YouGov and commissioned by Saudi daily Arab News.

"When asked which candidate would be better for the Arab World if elected president, most believe that neither candidate (49 percent) would fulfil such a description, yet Biden is still considered a better option to Trump," the survey said.

The November 3 election, in which incumbent Trump is fighting to secure a second term in office, is being closely watched across the Arab world, where the United States plays a key role.

Trump is widely seen as the preferred candidate among a slew of Arab governments, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for an array of reasons including his tough stance against their regional rival Iran.

In contrast to his predecessor Barack Obama, Trump also staunchly backed Arab rulers, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the face of serious allegations of human rights abuse.

But the poll reflects a different public opinion.

"If the Arab world were choosing the next president, Biden would win by a landslide," YouGov's chief Stephan Shakespeare told AFP.

"But that's partly because they don't know much about Biden -- only half say they have heard of them, while nearly everyone has heard of Trump."

Should Biden win, some 58 percent of Arabs said he "must distance himself from the Obama administration policies."

Biden served as vice president in the Obama administration.

Trump won some support in the poll for scrapping an Obama-era nuclear agreement with Tehran and imposing strict sanctions against the Iranian regime, but only 17 percent Arabs felt his stance would made the region safer.

The poll suggested Trump's 2017 decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem proved overwhelmingly unpopular, with 89 percent of Arabs opposing it.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The poll listed youth empowerment, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the global coronavirus pandemic among the top three concerns Arabs would like the next US president to focus on.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden substantially leads his Republican opponent Donald Trump as the Arab world's preferred candidate in next month's US presidential candidate, an opinion poll indicated Sunday.

Democratic nominee Joe Biden substantially leads his Republican opponent Donald Trump as the Arab world's preferred candidate in next month's US presidential candidate, an opinion poll indicated Sunday. Out of 3,097 people polled across 18 Middle East and North African countries, around 39 percent favoured Biden while only 12 percent opted for Trump, according to the survey carried out by British pollster YouGov and commissioned by Saudi daily Arab News. "When asked which candidate would be better for the Arab World if elected president, most believe that neither candidate (49 percent) would fulfil such a description, yet Biden is still considered a better option to Trump," the survey said. The November 3 election, in which incumbent Trump is fighting to secure a second term in office, is being closely watched across the Arab world, where the United States plays a key role. Trump is widely seen as the preferred candidate among a slew of Arab governments, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for an array of reasons including his tough stance against their regional rival Iran. In contrast to his predecessor Barack Obama, Trump also staunchly backed Arab rulers, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in the face of serious allegations of human rights abuse. But the poll reflects a different public opinion. "If the Arab world were choosing the next president, Biden would win by a landslide," YouGov's chief Stephan Shakespeare told AFP. "But that's partly because they don't know much about Biden -- only half say they have heard of them, while nearly everyone has heard of Trump." Should Biden win, some 58 percent of Arabs said he "must distance himself from the Obama administration policies." Biden served as vice president in the Obama administration. Trump won some support in the poll for scrapping an Obama-era nuclear agreement with Tehran and imposing strict sanctions against the Iranian regime, but only 17 percent Arabs felt his stance would made the region safer. The poll suggested Trump's 2017 decision to move the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem proved overwhelmingly unpopular, with 89 percent of Arabs opposing it. The poll listed youth empowerment, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the global coronavirus pandemic among the top three concerns Arabs would like the next US president to focus on.

Arabs favour Biden over Trump in US election, poll says

US President Donald's Trump's quip on 'filthy' India seems to have given his opponent Joe Biden to target him and score political points. Biden on Saturday tweeted from his personal handle and told Donald Trump calling India 'filthy' was not exactly how friends are regarded. The US has sizeable Indian-American population and his running mate Kamala Harris is of Indian origin. Trump's recent remark made news, especially in India.

In a reference to India Biden said in his tweet that he and Kamala Harris deeply valued the partnership.

"President Trump called India "filthy." It's not how you talk about friends—and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change. @KamalaHarris and I deeply value our partnership—and will put respect back at the center of our foreign policy," he tweeted.

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
President Trump called India "filthy." 
 
It's not how you talk about friends—and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change.<a href="https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KamalaHarris</a> and I deeply value our partnership—and will put respect back at the center of our foreign policy. <a href="https://t.co/TKcyZiNwY6">https://t.co/TKcyZiNwY6</a>
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1320081374448025600?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Donald Trump made the remark about India during the final presidential debate held just days ago. The remark came as Trump and Biden debated on environmental issues.

"We have best carbon emission numbers that we've had in 35 years," he said.

"But here's what we can't do.." he continued,

"..look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. It's filthy," he said with a look of disdain on his face.

Apparently realising what he said. Trump added that the air was filthy. But this quip of his appears likely to be discussed everywhere, including among Indian-American voters in the US.

Aso Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-calls-borat-actor-sacha-baron-cohen-creepy-and-phony-guy-337654">Donald Trump calls Borat actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, 'creepy' and 'phony guy'</a>

Donald Trump's remarks were not received well in India. They were widely discussed in news and also on social media.

Trump is known for his hawkish views even on climate change. Trump's main contention over years has been that USA must not be forced to bear greater burden as compared to other countries in the world. During the presidential debate, he appeared to reiterate his stance.

He has often in past, pointed at other countries whenever he was criticised for his actions such as US' withdrawal from the Paris Accords.

US President Donald's Trump's quip on 'filthy' India seems to have given his opponent Joe Biden to target him and score political points. Biden on Saturday tweeted from his personal handle and told Donald Trump calling India 'filthy' was not exactly how friends are regarded.

US President Donald's Trump's quip on 'filthy' India seems to have given his opponent Joe Biden to target him and score political points. Biden on Saturday tweeted from his personal handle and told Donald Trump calling India 'filthy' was not exactly how friends are regarded. The US has sizeable Indian-American population and his running mate Kamala Harris is of Indian origin. Trump's recent remark made news, especially in India. In a reference to India Biden said in his tweet that he and Kamala Harris deeply valued the partnership. "President Trump called India "filthy." It's not how you talk about friends—and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change. @KamalaHarris and I deeply value our partnership—and will put respect back at the center of our foreign policy," he tweeted. President Trump called India "filthy." It's not how you talk about friends—and it's not how you solve global challenges like climate change.@KamalaHarris and I deeply value our partnership—and will put respect back at the center of our foreign policy. https://t.co/TKcyZiNwY6 — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 24, 2020 × Donald Trump made the remark about India during the final presidential debate held just days ago. The remark came as Trump and Biden debated on environmental issues. "We have best carbon emission numbers that we've had in 35 years," he said. "But here's what we can't do.." he continued, "..look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. It's filthy," he said with a look of disdain on his face. Apparently realising what he said. Trump added that the air was filthy. But this quip of his appears likely to be discussed everywhere, including among Indian-American voters in the US. Aso Read | Donald Trump calls Borat actor, Sacha Baron Cohen, 'creepy' and 'phony guy' Donald Trump's remarks were not received well in India. They were widely discussed in news and also on social media. Trump is known for his hawkish views even on climate change. Trump's main contention over years has been that USA must not be forced to bear greater burden as compared to other countries in the world. During the presidential debate, he appeared to reiterate his stance. He has often in past, pointed at other countries whenever he was criticised for his actions such as US' withdrawal from the Paris Accords.

That's not how you talk about friends, says Biden on Trump's 'filthy' India remark

The US Vice President Mike Pence planned to press ahead with campaigning on Sunday, visiting the battleground state of North Carolina after multiple aides tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the pandemic front and centre in the presidential race.

With nine days to go before the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">November 3 election</a> in which Democrat Joe Biden is challenging Republican President Donald Trump, the White House cited Pence`s status as an "essential worker" as justification for his travel despite exposure to his chief of staff, Marc Short, who tested positive on Saturday.

Multiple other senior aides to Pence also tested positive for COVID-19, the White House chief of staff said, as new nationwide infections soared to record numbers in recent days amid a pandemic that has killed 225,000 Americans. 
It marked the latest coronavirus infections in the White House, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son Barron and numerous aides and associates.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-vice-president-mike-pences-chief-of-staff-tests-positive-for-covid-19-337780">Also read|&nbsp;US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff tests positive for COVID-19</a>

The new infections offered a reminder of the way Trump - who was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19 - and those around him have downplayed the advice of public health experts to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines to stem COVID-19 transmission.

In addition to dominating the campaign policy debate - with Trump insisting the United States is "rounding the turn" on the crisis while Biden has blasted Trump`s disjointed response - the pandemic has changed Americans` voting habits, with 58.7 million ballots already cast.

The pandemic has upended campaign traditions and its effects still are being felt. Americans may find themselves waiting days or potentially weeks to know who won as election officials count tens of millions of mail-in votes.

Trump is due to campaign in the New England states of New Hampshire and Maine on Sunday. Biden has no campaign events scheduled for Sunday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/as-us-election-near-white-house-starts-preparations-for-presidential-inauguration-337863">Also read|&nbsp;As US election near, White House starts preparations for presidential inauguration</a>

White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that White House doctors have cleared Pence to travel after Short tested positive. Pence is scheduled to address rallies in Kinston, North Carolina, later on Sunday and in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Monday.

While Biden holds a wide lead in national opinion polls, polls show closer contests in those two key states.

Devin O`Malley, a spokesman for the vice president, said late on Saturday that Pence and his wife tested negative. 
Asked on CNN`s "State of the Union" why Pence was not following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to quarantine for 14 days after such exposure, Meadows on Sunday cited the vice president`s status as "essential personnel."

Meadows said Pence would continue to campaign and speak at rallies.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-are-votes-counted-in-the-presidential-election-335422">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election?</a>

Meadows declined to say whether Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force, would be tested daily going forward, but did say "we do test on a regular basis."

Biden`s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, took four days off the campaign trail earlier this month after her communications director tested positive for COVID-19.

Speaking in Detroit as she campaigned in the battleground state of Michigan, Harris criticized Pence for continuing to travel, saying, "He should be following the guidelines."

Trump has mocked Biden for wearing a protective mask and has addressed packed rallies in which many of his supporters did not wearing masks.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-republicans-clash-with-california-officials-over-ballot-boxes-335425">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Republicans clash with California officials over ballot boxes</a>

'A free society'

Asked why the Trump campaign is not requiring people attending rallies to wear masks, Meadows said the campaign offers masks to attendees but, "We live in a free society."

"We`re not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," Meadows added.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who himself caught COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a week after spending several days at the White House without wearing a mask, on Sunday said he was "surprised" Pence would continue campaigning.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-the-states-vote-for-the-presidential-elections-335430">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections</a>

"Everybody`s gotta put the health of the people they`re going to be in touch with first," Christie told ABC`s "This Week" program.

Infectious diseases expert Dr. Sandra Nelson of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital said it appeared that Pence would be at high risk for becoming infected and transmitting infection.

"With multiple members of his office testing positive this would be considered a work-based cluster. Anytime there is a cluster like this I would advise that the entire office transition to remote work for 14 days," Nelson said.

Ahead of Trump`s arrival in the state, an influential newspaper in New Hampshire with a record of endorsing Republican presidential candidates endorsed Biden on Sunday.

"America faces many challenges and needs a president to build this country up. This appears to be outside of Mr. Trump`s skill set," the New Hampshire Union Leader said in an editorial.

The United States set a single-day record of more than 84,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with the spike in infections hitting election swing states Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

The US Vice President Mike Pence planned to press ahead with campaigning on Sunday, visiting the battleground state of North Carolina after multiple aides tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the pandemic front and centre in the presidential race.

The US Vice President Mike Pence planned to press ahead with campaigning on Sunday, visiting the battleground state of North Carolina after multiple aides tested positive for COVID-19, keeping the pandemic front and centre in the presidential race. With nine days to go before the November 3 election in which Democrat Joe Biden is challenging Republican President Donald Trump, the White House cited Pence`s status as an "essential worker" as justification for his travel despite exposure to his chief of staff, Marc Short, who tested positive on Saturday. Multiple other senior aides to Pence also tested positive for COVID-19, the White House chief of staff said, as new nationwide infections soared to record numbers in recent days amid a pandemic that has killed 225,000 Americans. It marked the latest coronavirus infections in the White House, which have included Trump, first lady Melania Trump, their son Barron and numerous aides and associates. Also read| US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff tests positive for COVID-19 The new infections offered a reminder of the way Trump - who was hospitalised for three nights this month after contracting COVID-19 - and those around him have downplayed the advice of public health experts to wear masks and observe social distancing guidelines to stem COVID-19 transmission. In addition to dominating the campaign policy debate - with Trump insisting the United States is "rounding the turn" on the crisis while Biden has blasted Trump`s disjointed response - the pandemic has changed Americans` voting habits, with 58.7 million ballots already cast. The pandemic has upended campaign traditions and its effects still are being felt. Americans may find themselves waiting days or potentially weeks to know who won as election officials count tens of millions of mail-in votes. Trump is due to campaign in the New England states of New Hampshire and Maine on Sunday. Biden has no campaign events scheduled for Sunday. Also read| As US election near, White House starts preparations for presidential inauguration White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told reporters that White House doctors have cleared Pence to travel after Short tested positive. Pence is scheduled to address rallies in Kinston, North Carolina, later on Sunday and in Hibbing, Minnesota, on Monday. While Biden holds a wide lead in national opinion polls, polls show closer contests in those two key states. Devin O`Malley, a spokesman for the vice president, said late on Saturday that Pence and his wife tested negative. Asked on CNN`s "State of the Union" why Pence was not following U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to quarantine for 14 days after such exposure, Meadows on Sunday cited the vice president`s status as "essential personnel." Meadows said Pence would continue to campaign and speak at rallies. Also read| US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election? Meadows declined to say whether Pence, who has headed the White House coronavirus task force, would be tested daily going forward, but did say "we do test on a regular basis." Biden`s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, took four days off the campaign trail earlier this month after her communications director tested positive for COVID-19. Speaking in Detroit as she campaigned in the battleground state of Michigan, Harris criticized Pence for continuing to travel, saying, "He should be following the guidelines." Trump has mocked Biden for wearing a protective mask and has addressed packed rallies in which many of his supporters did not wearing masks. Also read| US election 2020: Republicans clash with California officials over ballot boxes 'A free society' Asked why the Trump campaign is not requiring people attending rallies to wear masks, Meadows said the campaign offers masks to attendees but, "We live in a free society." "We`re not going to control the pandemic. We are going to control the fact that we get vaccines, therapeutics and other mitigation areas," Meadows added. Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who himself caught COVID-19 and was hospitalized for a week after spending several days at the White House without wearing a mask, on Sunday said he was "surprised" Pence would continue campaigning. Also read| US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections "Everybody`s gotta put the health of the people they`re going to be in touch with first," Christie told ABC`s "This Week" program. Infectious diseases expert Dr. Sandra Nelson of Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital said it appeared that Pence would be at high risk for becoming infected and transmitting infection. "With multiple members of his office testing positive this would be considered a work-based cluster. Anytime there is a cluster like this I would advise that the entire office transition to remote work for 14 days," Nelson said. Ahead of Trump`s arrival in the state, an influential newspaper in New Hampshire with a record of endorsing Republican presidential candidates endorsed Biden on Sunday. "America faces many challenges and needs a president to build this country up. This appears to be outside of Mr. Trump`s skill set," the New Hampshire Union Leader said in an editorial. The United States set a single-day record of more than 84,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, with the spike in infections hitting election swing states Ohio, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Mike Pence to keep up US election campaigning after close aides test positive for COVID-19

Donald Trump's re-election campaign on Sunday focussed on the US president's Democratic rival Joe Biden's intermittent rallies and accused him of "47 years of failure".

Trump has maintained a furious pace of campaigning for days -- including stops Sunday in New Hampshire and Maine -- while Biden has set a more cautious course, speaking less frequently and to smaller, socially distanced groups.

The stark contrast can be attributed to how the United States has been engulfed by a surge in Covid-19 cases nine days before the November 3 vote.

Even the list of the administration staff to have caught the virus burgeoned to include Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, as well as a number of other aides.

In an interview with Fox News, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh slammed Biden for his light campaign schedule. He said the Democratic challenger was "feeling the heat" and "took five out of six days off" before the last presidential debate on Thursday.

"President Trump has accomplished more in 47 months than Joe Biden has in 47 years of failure," Murtaugh added.

Biden planned on Sunday only to participate in a virtual "I will vote" concert. His deputy campaign manager defended him for this, telling NBC's "Meet the Press," that "we are campaigning incredibly hard."

"The difference between what we're doing and what Donald Trump is doing is that we're doing it safely," Kate Bedingfield said.

On Saturday, Biden and former president Barack Obama accused Trump of massively mishandling the pandemic.

"Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself," Obama said, referring to Trump's hospitalisation for Covid-19 three weeks ago.

But the president has projected confidence despite trailing in national polls.

Trump told supporters in North Carolina, "This election is a choice between a Trump super-recovery and a Biden depression."

Trump held three campaign rallies on Saturday even as he complained that the media was fixated on the problem.

Biden, in response, said, "Trump himself should be more fixated on the problem."

"We're not learning how to live with it. You're asking us to learn how to die with it," he added.

Ahead of the presidential election, both campaigns are scrambling to make their closing arguments and win over the few still undecided voters.&nbsp;

Biden has maintained a stable lead of around 10 points in national polls, and narrower leads in battleground states like Florida that typically decide the winner of US presidential elections.

By far, more than 57 million Americans have cast early votes.

Nearly 225,000 people in the US have died from Covid-19 -- the world's highest toll.

Donald Trump's re-election campaign on Sunday focussed on the US president's Democratic rival Joe Biden's intermittent rallies and accused him of "47 years of failure".

Donald Trump's re-election campaign on Sunday focussed on the US president's Democratic rival Joe Biden's intermittent rallies and accused him of "47 years of failure". Trump has maintained a furious pace of campaigning for days -- including stops Sunday in New Hampshire and Maine -- while Biden has set a more cautious course, speaking less frequently and to smaller, socially distanced groups. The stark contrast can be attributed to how the United States has been engulfed by a surge in Covid-19 cases nine days before the November 3 vote. Even the list of the administration staff to have caught the virus burgeoned to include Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, Marc Short, as well as a number of other aides. In an interview with Fox News, Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh slammed Biden for his light campaign schedule. He said the Democratic challenger was "feeling the heat" and "took five out of six days off" before the last presidential debate on Thursday. "President Trump has accomplished more in 47 months than Joe Biden has in 47 years of failure," Murtaugh added. Biden planned on Sunday only to participate in a virtual "I will vote" concert. His deputy campaign manager defended him for this, telling NBC's "Meet the Press," that "we are campaigning incredibly hard." "The difference between what we're doing and what Donald Trump is doing is that we're doing it safely," Kate Bedingfield said. On Saturday, Biden and former president Barack Obama accused Trump of massively mishandling the pandemic. "Donald Trump isn't suddenly going to protect all of us. He can't even take the basic steps to protect himself," Obama said, referring to Trump's hospitalisation for Covid-19 three weeks ago. But the president has projected confidence despite trailing in national polls. Trump told supporters in North Carolina, "This election is a choice between a Trump super-recovery and a Biden depression." Trump held three campaign rallies on Saturday even as he complained that the media was fixated on the problem. Biden, in response, said, "Trump himself should be more fixated on the problem." "We're not learning how to live with it. You're asking us to learn how to die with it," he added. Ahead of the presidential election, both campaigns are scrambling to make their closing arguments and win over the few still undecided voters. Biden has maintained a stable lead of around 10 points in national polls, and narrower leads in battleground states like Florida that typically decide the winner of US presidential elections. By far, more than 57 million Americans have cast early votes. Nearly 225,000 people in the US have died from Covid-19 -- the world's highest toll.

Covid-hit Trump team slams 'failure' Biden

A day after the nation hit a new high for coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail for a series of rallies and again sought to minimize the surging pandemic, mocking his rival, Joe Biden, for following the social distancing recommendations of public health officials.

In the face of spiking numbers, Trump on Saturday continued to lean into the idea that the news media and his critics were obsessing about the virus, even as polls show widespread public concern. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that a slim majority of voters (including half of independents) believed the worst of the pandemic was yet to come.

“That’s all I hear about now. That’s all I hear, turn on television,” Trump said at a campaign event in Lumberton, North Carolina. “COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID,” a refrain he recited in the state as well on Wednesday.

With 10 days left until the election and hundreds of thousands of voters expected to cast their ballots as long lines marked the first weekend of early in-person voting in Florida, New York, Wisconsin and other states, Trump and Biden presented sharply divergent cases, both in words and actions, for how they would handle the virus crisis still gripping the country.

Making two stops in the key battleground of Pennsylvania, Biden cited the milestone in cases and criticized Trump for asserting that the country was “rounding the corner” as cases spiked.

“You’re asking us to learn how to die with it, and it’s wrong,” Biden said at a drive-in rally in the Philadelphia suburbs, recalling his exchange with Trump on the subject at the debate Thursday. He added that there was “going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways.”

The beeping of car horns punctuated his remarks, a familiar soundtrack at his socially distanced drive-in events in the weeks before Election Day. “I wish I could go car to car and meet you all,” Biden said at a community college in Bucks County, where he spoke from a stage decorated with pumpkins and bales of hay. “I don’t like the idea of all this distance, but it’s necessary. I appreciate you being safe. What we don’t want to do is become superspreaders.”

In North Carolina, it seemed that Trump had watched his rival’s event, mocking Biden for his careful crowd limits. “People in cars,” Trump said. “I don’t get it.”

“You heard a couple of horns,” he added. “Honk, honk. It’s the weirdest thing.”

From there, Trump was off to Circleville, Ohio, outside Columbus, and then Waukesha, Wisconsin, as he sought to rally backers in suburban areas where polls show his support has slipped. On Sunday, he will fly to New Hampshire, the lone state on his weekend itinerary that he did not carry in 2016 and part of a hopscotching schedule reminiscent of his intense final push four years ago.

But the virus’ surge has ensured that even Trump’s well-attended rallies can be a political liability, a reminder to voters fearful of the pandemic of his regular disregard for expert and public health advice. Trump used his own contracting of the disease, his weekend of hospitalization and his subsequent recovery as a pitch to minimize the severity of a pandemic that has cost more than 224,000 lives in the United States out of more than 8 million cases.

“By the way, I had it, here I am,” he said.

Trump began his day in Florida, where he joined the more than 56 million Americans who have already voted. He cast his ballot in person at the Palm Beach County Main Library, declaring, “I voted for a guy named Trump.”

Afterward, he also continued to baselessly question the integrity of the election and in particular mail-in ballots. “It’s the only way we can lose,” Trump said, citing the size of crowds at his rallies. Most polls show Trump behind by a sizable margin nationally and in many of the critical battleground states.

Biden’s full day in Pennsylvania was a sign of the state’s crucial importance in his Electoral College calculations. After his rally in Bucks County, which Hillary Clinton won by less than 1 percentage point in 2016 — he flew to Luzerne County in the blue-collar northeastern part of the state, where he held a drive-in rally that included a performance by singer Jon Bon Jovi. Luzerne County is near Biden’s hometown, Scranton, and it is a historically Democratic county that Trump flipped by a wide margin in 2016.

Still, the day had its prickly moments. In a local television interview, Biden interjected when a reporter began to ask a question about “controversy” and his son Hunter Biden. “There is no controversy about my son,” Biden said. “It’s all a lie. It’s a flat lie, because the president has nothing else to run on.”

Along with Biden’s appearances this weekend, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, holding a get-out-the vote event in Pittsburgh and a drive-in rally with the state’s lieutenant governor, John Fetterman. And in another sign of Pennsylvania’s potential as the 2020 tipping point, the Biden campaign dispatched former President Barack Obama there this past week for his first in-person campaign trip of the general election. Obama campaigned in Florida on Saturday.

“It may come down to Pennsylvania,” Biden said in Bucks County. “And I believe in you. I believe in my state.”

For Trump, it may come down to the coronavirus. At the rally in Circleville on Saturday, along with his continuing focus on Biden’s stance on fracking and his attacks on Hunter Biden, Trump continued his efforts to redefine the virus and his own experience with it.

He played down the threat the pandemic posed, pointing to his own family’s experience as an example of why a virus that has killed more than 224,000 people in the United States is not so bad. “It worked out,” he said of his own hospitalization for the virus. “By the way, 99.9% is good and then you’re immune."

A day after the nation hit a new high for coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail for a series of rallies and again sought to minimize the surging pandemic, mocking his rival, Joe Biden, for following the social distancing recommendations of public health officials.

A day after the nation hit a new high for coronavirus cases, President Donald Trump returned to the campaign trail for a series of rallies and again sought to minimize the surging pandemic, mocking his rival, Joe Biden, for following the social distancing recommendations of public health officials. In the face of spiking numbers, Trump on Saturday continued to lean into the idea that the news media and his critics were obsessing about the virus, even as polls show widespread public concern. A recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that a slim majority of voters (including half of independents) believed the worst of the pandemic was yet to come. “That’s all I hear about now. That’s all I hear, turn on television,” Trump said at a campaign event in Lumberton, North Carolina. “COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID, COVID,” a refrain he recited in the state as well on Wednesday. With 10 days left until the election and hundreds of thousands of voters expected to cast their ballots as long lines marked the first weekend of early in-person voting in Florida, New York, Wisconsin and other states, Trump and Biden presented sharply divergent cases, both in words and actions, for how they would handle the virus crisis still gripping the country. Making two stops in the key battleground of Pennsylvania, Biden cited the milestone in cases and criticized Trump for asserting that the country was “rounding the corner” as cases spiked. “You’re asking us to learn how to die with it, and it’s wrong,” Biden said at a drive-in rally in the Philadelphia suburbs, recalling his exchange with Trump on the subject at the debate Thursday. He added that there was “going to be a dark winter ahead unless we change our ways.” The beeping of car horns punctuated his remarks, a familiar soundtrack at his socially distanced drive-in events in the weeks before Election Day. “I wish I could go car to car and meet you all,” Biden said at a community college in Bucks County, where he spoke from a stage decorated with pumpkins and bales of hay. “I don’t like the idea of all this distance, but it’s necessary. I appreciate you being safe. What we don’t want to do is become superspreaders.” In North Carolina, it seemed that Trump had watched his rival’s event, mocking Biden for his careful crowd limits. “People in cars,” Trump said. “I don’t get it.” “You heard a couple of horns,” he added. “Honk, honk. It’s the weirdest thing.” From there, Trump was off to Circleville, Ohio, outside Columbus, and then Waukesha, Wisconsin, as he sought to rally backers in suburban areas where polls show his support has slipped. On Sunday, he will fly to New Hampshire, the lone state on his weekend itinerary that he did not carry in 2016 and part of a hopscotching schedule reminiscent of his intense final push four years ago. But the virus’ surge has ensured that even Trump’s well-attended rallies can be a political liability, a reminder to voters fearful of the pandemic of his regular disregard for expert and public health advice. Trump used his own contracting of the disease, his weekend of hospitalization and his subsequent recovery as a pitch to minimize the severity of a pandemic that has cost more than 224,000 lives in the United States out of more than 8 million cases. “By the way, I had it, here I am,” he said. Trump began his day in Florida, where he joined the more than 56 million Americans who have already voted. He cast his ballot in person at the Palm Beach County Main Library, declaring, “I voted for a guy named Trump.” Afterward, he also continued to baselessly question the integrity of the election and in particular mail-in ballots. “It’s the only way we can lose,” Trump said, citing the size of crowds at his rallies. Most polls show Trump behind by a sizable margin nationally and in many of the critical battleground states. Biden’s full day in Pennsylvania was a sign of the state’s crucial importance in his Electoral College calculations. After his rally in Bucks County, which Hillary Clinton won by less than 1 percentage point in 2016 — he flew to Luzerne County in the blue-collar northeastern part of the state, where he held a drive-in rally that included a performance by singer Jon Bon Jovi. Luzerne County is near Biden’s hometown, Scranton, and it is a historically Democratic county that Trump flipped by a wide margin in 2016. Still, the day had its prickly moments. In a local television interview, Biden interjected when a reporter began to ask a question about “controversy” and his son Hunter Biden. “There is no controversy about my son,” Biden said. “It’s all a lie. It’s a flat lie, because the president has nothing else to run on.” Along with Biden’s appearances this weekend, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., was in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, holding a get-out-the vote event in Pittsburgh and a drive-in rally with the state’s lieutenant governor, John Fetterman. And in another sign of Pennsylvania’s potential as the 2020 tipping point, the Biden campaign dispatched former President Barack Obama there this past week for his first in-person campaign trip of the general election. Obama campaigned in Florida on Saturday. “It may come down to Pennsylvania,” Biden said in Bucks County. “And I believe in you. I believe in my state.” For Trump, it may come down to the coronavirus. At the rally in Circleville on Saturday, along with his continuing focus on Biden’s stance on fracking and his attacks on Hunter Biden, Trump continued his efforts to redefine the virus and his own experience with it. He played down the threat the pandemic posed, pointing to his own family’s experience as an example of why a virus that has killed more than 224,000 people in the United States is not so bad. “It worked out,” he said of his own hospitalization for the virus. “By the way, 99.9% is good and then you’re immune."

Virus surge shadows Trump and Biden campaign events after final debate

Indian-American Republican politician Nikki Haley on Saturday said that Indian-American community contributes a lot to the United States...we have to protect them. So we want the community to remember that President Trump has given us the lowest unemployment and has allowed businesses to thrive.

Former envoy to United Nations, Speaking during an event in Philadelphia said that in the aftermath of the coronavirus, there is more of a coalition that the United States is bringing in India along with Australia and Japan."

"India is the largest democracy that shares our values. And President Trump and Prime Minister Modi get along so well. But now we are actually partnering with them on defence and trade and other areas," she said at a fireside chat event organised by the Indian Voices for Trump in the battleground state of Philadelphia.&nbsp;

"And with COVID-19 coming from China. There's more of a coalition that the United States is bringing in India, along with Australia and Japan. And so, really, the foreign policy of President Trump has been gangbusters over any other president that we have had in decades, and that affects every one of us from national security," she added.&nbsp;

Haley, the two-term governor of South Carolina, was the first Cabinet-ranking Indian-American in any presidential administration. She is now campaigning for Trump ahead of the US election.&nbsp;

In a message for all Indian Americans, Haley told ANI: "The Indian American community contributes a lot to the United States, and it is the best country in the world but we have to protect them. So we need the American community to remember that President Trump was given us the lowest unemployment has allowed for businesses to thrive."

"It`s really allowed us the opportunity to excel in every field and every direction we need to go and continue to support him so that we can continue doing that for our children, our grandchildren right," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)

Indian-American Republican politician Nikki Haley on Saturday said that Indian-American community contributes a lot to the United States...we have to protect them.

Indian-American Republican politician Nikki Haley on Saturday said that Indian-American community contributes a lot to the United States...we have to protect them. So we want the community to remember that President Trump has given us the lowest unemployment and has allowed businesses to thrive. Former envoy to United Nations, Speaking during an event in Philadelphia said that in the aftermath of the coronavirus, there is more of a coalition that the United States is bringing in India along with Australia and Japan." "India is the largest democracy that shares our values. And President Trump and Prime Minister Modi get along so well. But now we are actually partnering with them on defence and trade and other areas," she said at a fireside chat event organised by the Indian Voices for Trump in the battleground state of Philadelphia. "And with COVID-19 coming from China. There's more of a coalition that the United States is bringing in India, along with Australia and Japan. And so, really, the foreign policy of President Trump has been gangbusters over any other president that we have had in decades, and that affects every one of us from national security," she added. Haley, the two-term governor of South Carolina, was the first Cabinet-ranking Indian-American in any presidential administration. She is now campaigning for Trump ahead of the US election. In a message for all Indian Americans, Haley told ANI: "The Indian American community contributes a lot to the United States, and it is the best country in the world but we have to protect them. So we need the American community to remember that President Trump was given us the lowest unemployment has allowed for businesses to thrive." "It`s really allowed us the opportunity to excel in every field and every direction we need to go and continue to support him so that we can continue doing that for our children, our grandchildren right," she added. (With inputs from agencies)

Indian-American community contributes a lot to the United States: Nikki Haley

As the opinion polls show that Democratic nominee Joe Biden holds substantial lead, US President Donald Trump's campaign is now trying to appeal to independent and this affected Republican voters.

US Election 2020: Opinion polls show Joe Biden holding substantial lead

Nancy Pelosi, the&nbsp;Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, declared that she will be re-running to lead as a speaker&nbsp; if the Democrats win majority of the chamber post the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US election</a>.

Pelosi, during an interview with American channel CNN on Sunday, was asked if she is planning to run for another term as the US House speaker if her political party wins majority, she said. Yes, I am".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/covid-19-vaccine-will-not-be-available-before-2021-fauci-declares-week-before-us-election-337855">Also read|&nbsp;COVID-19 vaccine will not be available before 2021, Fauci declares week before US election</a>

She also stated that she will anyhow be hoping for an agreement after the November 03 elections, regardless of who takes over the White House. However, she also added that&nbsp;anted to see a deal for another round of federal financial aid amid the novel coronavirus pandemic as soon as possible.

During the interview, she also talked about the coronavirus relief plan. She said the latest proposal of the COVID-19 relief package is being reviewed by the Trump administration.

The proposal will be reviewed by the President's administration over the weekend, and Pelosi is hoping she will have a positive response from her opposition party by Monday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-loss-joe-biden-breaks-television-spending-record-week-before-us-election-2020-337663">Also read|&nbsp;Trump's loss: Joe Biden breaks television spending record week before US Election 2020</a>

Pelosi has been an open critique of the current US President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>.&nbsp;The President, too, has often resorted to name-calling and poking fun of the Speaker.

The two have recently been clashing about the proposed COVID-19 relief package, which&nbsp;Pelosi&nbsp;says is being delayed due to stubbornness from&nbsp;Trump's&nbsp;side. President, however, is blaming&nbsp;Pelosi&nbsp;for the day claiming she has been uncooperative.

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, declared that she will be re-running to lead as a speaker if the Democrats win majority of the chamber post the US election.

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, declared that she will be re-running to lead as a speaker if the Democrats win majority of the chamber post the US election. Pelosi, during an interview with American channel CNN on Sunday, was asked if she is planning to run for another term as the US House speaker if her political party wins majority, she said. Yes, I am". Also read| COVID-19 vaccine will not be available before 2021, Fauci declares week before US election She also stated that she will anyhow be hoping for an agreement after the November 03 elections, regardless of who takes over the White House. However, she also added that anted to see a deal for another round of federal financial aid amid the novel coronavirus pandemic as soon as possible. During the interview, she also talked about the coronavirus relief plan. She said the latest proposal of the COVID-19 relief package is being reviewed by the Trump administration. The proposal will be reviewed by the President's administration over the weekend, and Pelosi is hoping she will have a positive response from her opposition party by Monday. Also read| Trump's loss: Joe Biden breaks television spending record week before US Election 2020 Pelosi has been an open critique of the current US President Donald Trump. The President, too, has often resorted to name-calling and poking fun of the Speaker. The two have recently been clashing about the proposed COVID-19 relief package, which Pelosi says is being delayed due to stubbornness from Trump's side. President, however, is blaming Pelosi for the day claiming she has been uncooperative.

Nancy Pelosi to re-run for US House speaker if Democrats hold control post US election

As the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election?page=1">US election</a>&nbsp;is coming near, the country is being bombarded with advertisements by the&nbsp;US President&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;the&nbsp;Democratic nominee and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>.&nbsp;Things are heating up in the White House and the authorities are running to complete all the due processes.

However, the election is not the only thing that the White House is preparing for right now. The authorities have also started planning and preparing for the&nbsp;inauguration ceremony of the next to-be President of the United States. The local media reported the White House has started preparing for the January 20 ceremony.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-the-states-vote-for-the-presidential-elections-335430">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections</a>

Low-flying helicopters can, now, be often spotted flying around the area as a part of the heightened security precautions.

The&nbsp;Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has started to decide and vote on decisions. The spokesperson for the committee told Associated Press that the construction work has already begun for the stage area. however, the construction is being done keeping in mind that they might have to scale down the event due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As per the committee's decision, the ceremony will be taking place on the&nbsp;West Front of the Capitol, and the architects will be rebuilding the stage from the scratch. This&nbsp;inaugural platform usually holds 1,600 people — which includes the President and&nbsp;Vice President (elected and outgoing),&nbsp;members of Congress and the&nbsp;Supreme Court justices. An additional attendance of 1,000 can be adjusted in the bleachers above the platform.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-how-are-votes-counted-in-the-presidential-election-335422">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election?</a>

The six-member committee will also be making a decision soon on whether or not the attendees will be asked to compulsorily wear a mask — a decision&nbsp;Trump&nbsp;has often opposed — or will they be asked to go through temperature checks and maintain social distance. The decision is not being finalised right away as the ceremony is three months away, and the decision is sensitive to the time frame.

“Traditionally, a second-term inauguration is not as big as the first, and if we have a new president taking office, numbers are typically larger,”&nbsp;Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, the district’s marketing organization told Associated Press. “However, visitation to Washington, DC, during inauguration will depend on what people are able to do in the city based on Covid-19’s impact this winter, which remains to be seen.”

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-republicans-clash-with-california-officials-over-ballot-boxes-335425">Also read|&nbsp;US election 2020: Republicans clash with California officials over ballot boxes</a>

A spokesperson for the committee said, they are&nbsp;“committed to traditional, inclusive, and safe ceremonies and will continue to monitor the situation and provide information as it comes available.”

As the custom goes, the elected President and Vice President will be directed to a&nbsp;luncheon in National Statuary Hall where they will meet and greet their well-wishers and indulge in speeches, toasts to success and gifts. The luncheon will be followed by&nbsp;the parade and Presidential inaugural ball.

More decisions will be soon made by the time the elections conclude on November 03 — after which the White House will be preparing be vote calculation and announcement.

As the US election is coming near, the country is being bombarded with advertisements by the US President Donald Trump and the Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden.

As the US election is coming near, the country is being bombarded with advertisements by the US President Donald Trump and the Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden. Things are heating up in the White House and the authorities are running to complete all the due processes. However, the election is not the only thing that the White House is preparing for right now. The authorities have also started planning and preparing for the inauguration ceremony of the next to-be President of the United States. The local media reported the White House has started preparing for the January 20 ceremony. Also read| US election 2020: How the States vote for the Presidential elections Low-flying helicopters can, now, be often spotted flying around the area as a part of the heightened security precautions. The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies has started to decide and vote on decisions. The spokesperson for the committee told Associated Press that the construction work has already begun for the stage area. however, the construction is being done keeping in mind that they might have to scale down the event due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. As per the committee's decision, the ceremony will be taking place on the West Front of the Capitol, and the architects will be rebuilding the stage from the scratch. This inaugural platform usually holds 1,600 people — which includes the President and Vice President (elected and outgoing), members of Congress and the Supreme Court justices. An additional attendance of 1,000 can be adjusted in the bleachers above the platform. Also read| US election 2020: How are votes counted in the presidential election? The six-member committee will also be making a decision soon on whether or not the attendees will be asked to compulsorily wear a mask — a decision Trump has often opposed — or will they be asked to go through temperature checks and maintain social distance. The decision is not being finalised right away as the ceremony is three months away, and the decision is sensitive to the time frame. “Traditionally, a second-term inauguration is not as big as the first, and if we have a new president taking office, numbers are typically larger,” Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, the district’s marketing organization told Associated Press. “However, visitation to Washington, DC, during inauguration will depend on what people are able to do in the city based on Covid-19’s impact this winter, which remains to be seen.” Also read| US election 2020: Republicans clash with California officials over ballot boxes A spokesperson for the committee said, they are “committed to traditional, inclusive, and safe ceremonies and will continue to monitor the situation and provide information as it comes available.” As the custom goes, the elected President and Vice President will be directed to a luncheon in National Statuary Hall where they will meet and greet their well-wishers and indulge in speeches, toasts to success and gifts. The luncheon will be followed by the parade and Presidential inaugural ball. More decisions will be soon made by the time the elections conclude on November 03 — after which the White House will be preparing be vote calculation and announcement.

As US election near, White House starts preparations for presidential inauguration

US Election 2020: FLOTUS Melania Trump and her recent controversies

The US Senate plans to move closer toward a final confirmation vote on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on Monday, just over a week before Election Day.

Barrett looks almost certain to take up a lifetime appointment on the bench over universal Democratic opposition -- with Republicans controlling the chamber 53-47 and no indication of an internal revolt.

With Barrett on board, the Supreme Court would have a solid 6-3 conservative majority that could last for years.

Notably, no nominee to the Supreme Court has ever been confirmed by the Senate this close to a presidential election.

Trump has said he believes the Supreme Court will decide the election's outcome and has made clear he wants Barrett on the bench for any election-related cases.

Barrett is also likely to participate in the November 10 oral arguments in which Trump and fellow Republicans are asking the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act, the health reform law known as Obamacare.

Barrett, nominated on September 26 to succeed liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has criticised previous rulings upholding Obamacare but said during her confirmation hearing she has no agenda to invalidate the measure.

More than 50 million ballots have already been cast ahead of Election Day on November 3.

The US Senate plans to move closer toward a final confirmation vote on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on Monday, just over a week before Election Day.

The US Senate plans to move closer toward a final confirmation vote on President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, on Monday, just over a week before Election Day. Barrett looks almost certain to take up a lifetime appointment on the bench over universal Democratic opposition -- with Republicans controlling the chamber 53-47 and no indication of an internal revolt. With Barrett on board, the Supreme Court would have a solid 6-3 conservative majority that could last for years. Notably, no nominee to the Supreme Court has ever been confirmed by the Senate this close to a presidential election. Trump has said he believes the Supreme Court will decide the election's outcome and has made clear he wants Barrett on the bench for any election-related cases. Barrett is also likely to participate in the November 10 oral arguments in which Trump and fellow Republicans are asking the court to strike down the Affordable Care Act, the health reform law known as Obamacare. Barrett, nominated on September 26 to succeed liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has criticised previous rulings upholding Obamacare but said during her confirmation hearing she has no agenda to invalidate the measure. More than 50 million ballots have already been cast ahead of Election Day on November 3.

With no indication of revolt, Barrett Supreme Court confirmation edges closer

As the 2020 presidential election enters its final week, a majority of Americans appear ready to accept the result of an exhausting campaign even if their preferred candidate loses, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

Its latest survey, conducted from Oct. 13-20, shows that 79% of all Americans, including 59% of those who want to re-elect President Donald Trump, will accept a win by Democratic challenger Joe Biden even if they may not support a Biden presidency.

Among those Trump supporters who said they would not accept a Biden victory, 16% said they would do something to challenge a Democratic win such as protesting in public or resorting to violence.

The poll also found that 73% of Americans, including 57% of Biden supporters, would similarly accept a Trump victory.

Among those who said they would not accept a Trump win, 22% said they would take action to challenge the result. 
U.S. election officials are dealing with a series of challenges this year that have raised concerns about the public`s confidence in the result.

Top national security officials warned last week that Russia and Iran have been hacking into U.S. voting systems and looking for ways to undermine the election.

Trump also has repeatedly questioned the integrity of U.S. elections, arguing that the process is "rigged" against him and repeatedly asserting without evidence that the surge in mail-in voting this year will increase the likelihood of voter fraud. He has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if the vote count indicates he has lost.

So far, at least, a majority of the U.S. public appears ready to accept the result.

Donald Green, a political scientist at Columbia University, said the poll results ease his concerns about post-election violence. But he warned that if the election is close, or one candidate can make a credible accusation of voter fraud, it could spark wider discontent and protests than the poll suggests.

"This is why many people who oppose Trump are holding their breath and hoping for a lopsided outcome that is not up for grabs," Green said.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Biden leads Trump by 8 percentage points nationally: 51% of likely voters say they are backing the Democratic challenger while 43% are voting for the president.

Biden also is ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan, but the race appears to be much closer in other battleground states including Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 2,649 American adults, including 1,039 who said they had voted for Trump or were planning to vote for him, and 1,153 who said they were similarly backing Biden.

The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points.

As the 2020 presidential election enters its final week, a majority of Americans appear ready to accept the result of an exhausting campaign even if their preferred candidate loses, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found.

As the 2020 presidential election enters its final week, a majority of Americans appear ready to accept the result of an exhausting campaign even if their preferred candidate loses, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Its latest survey, conducted from Oct. 13-20, shows that 79% of all Americans, including 59% of those who want to re-elect President Donald Trump, will accept a win by Democratic challenger Joe Biden even if they may not support a Biden presidency. Among those Trump supporters who said they would not accept a Biden victory, 16% said they would do something to challenge a Democratic win such as protesting in public or resorting to violence. The poll also found that 73% of Americans, including 57% of Biden supporters, would similarly accept a Trump victory. Among those who said they would not accept a Trump win, 22% said they would take action to challenge the result. U.S. election officials are dealing with a series of challenges this year that have raised concerns about the public`s confidence in the result. Top national security officials warned last week that Russia and Iran have been hacking into U.S. voting systems and looking for ways to undermine the election. Trump also has repeatedly questioned the integrity of U.S. elections, arguing that the process is "rigged" against him and repeatedly asserting without evidence that the surge in mail-in voting this year will increase the likelihood of voter fraud. He has refused to commit to a peaceful transfer of power if the vote count indicates he has lost. So far, at least, a majority of the U.S. public appears ready to accept the result. Donald Green, a political scientist at Columbia University, said the poll results ease his concerns about post-election violence. But he warned that if the election is close, or one candidate can make a credible accusation of voter fraud, it could spark wider discontent and protests than the poll suggests. "This is why many people who oppose Trump are holding their breath and hoping for a lopsided outcome that is not up for grabs," Green said. The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Biden leads Trump by 8 percentage points nationally: 51% of likely voters say they are backing the Democratic challenger while 43% are voting for the president. Biden also is ahead in Wisconsin and Michigan, but the race appears to be much closer in other battleground states including Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona and North Carolina. The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online, in English, throughout the United States. It gathered responses from 2,649 American adults, including 1,039 who said they had voted for Trump or were planning to vote for him, and 1,153 who said they were similarly backing Biden. The poll has a credibility interval, a measure of precision, of 4 percentage points.

Majority will accept result of US election, even if they dislike the winner: Reuters poll

'Look at India. It's filthy. The air is filthy' said Donald Trump in the final Presidential Debate 2020. WION's Palki Sharma asks: Should the world's 'biggest climate change denier' be talking about India?

Gravitas: North Korea warns against 'Coronavirus dust storm' from China

Gravitas: Should Trump be preaching India?

Democrat Joe Biden said Friday that if elected president he would mandate Covid-19 vaccines be free for all Americans, part of a national strategy to "get ahead" of the coronavirus.

Joe Biden pledges free coronavirus vaccine for everyone in US

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-trump-biden-press-on-in-the-final-leg-of-campaigning-337583">US Election 2020: Trump, Biden press on in the final leg of campaigning</a> 
 
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Donald Trump and Joe Biden both hit the campaign trail soon after the presidential debate. Donald Trump held rallies in Florida while Joe Biden gave a speech in Delaware.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/more-than-half-a-million-people-in-the-us-may-die-of-coronavirus-by-february-study-337577">More than half a million people in the US may die of coronavirus by February: Study&nbsp;</a> 
 
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The United States of America (USA) is facing a continued COVID-19 public health challenge through the winter and half million Americans could die from COVID-19 by the end of February next year, according to a study by University of Washington.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pak-to-remain-in-grey-list-of-fatf-till-feb-2021-337494">Pak to remain in 'grey' list of FATF till Feb 2021</a> 
 
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Pakistan will remain in FATF's 'grey' list till February 2021 as it has failed to fulfil six key obligations of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. 
&nbsp;

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US Election 2020: Trump, Biden press on in the final leg of campaigning Donald Trump and Joe Biden both hit the campaign trail soon after the presidential debate.

US Election 2020: Trump, Biden press on in the final leg of campaigning Donald Trump and Joe Biden both hit the campaign trail soon after the presidential debate. Donald Trump held rallies in Florida while Joe Biden gave a speech in Delaware. More than half a million people in the US may die of coronavirus by February: Study The United States of America (USA) is facing a continued COVID-19 public health challenge through the winter and half million Americans could die from COVID-19 by the end of February next year, according to a study by University of Washington. Pak to remain in 'grey' list of FATF till Feb 2021 Pakistan will remain in FATF's 'grey' list till February 2021 as it has failed to fulfil six key obligations of the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.

Morning news brief: US election, Coronavirus, Pakistan & more!

Cybersecurity officials watched with growing alarm in September as Russian state hackers started prowling around dozens of American state and local government computer systems just two months before the election.

The act itself did not worry them so much — officials anticipated that the Russians who interfered in the 2016 election would be back — but the actor did. The group, known to researchers as “Dragonfly” or “Energetic Bear” for its hackings of the energy sector, was not involved in 2016 election hacking. But it has in the past five years breached the power grid, water treatment facilities and even nuclear power plants, including one in Kansas.

It also hacked into Wi-Fi systems at San Francisco International Airport and at least two other West Coast airports in March in an apparent bid to find one unidentified traveler, a demonstration of the hackers’ power and resolve.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/opinions-blogs/is-the-trump-campaign-colluding-with-russia-again-336750">Also read|&nbsp;Is the Trump campaign colluding with Russia again?</a>

September’s intrusions marked the first time that researchers caught the group, a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, targeting states and counties. The timing of the attacks so close to the election and the potential for disruption set off concern inside private security firms, law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

“One possible explanation is that they are calling in the real pros — the A Team — who is used to operating in this really sensitive critical infrastructure where you want to keep quiet until you don’t,” said Suzanne Spaulding, the former undersecretary for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure at the Department of Homeland Security.

In 2016, Russian hackers from other groups were unusually noisy in their efforts to penetrate some state election databases. “You could argue they didn’t care about being quiet,” Spaulding said. But now that Russia has been called out and punished for interfering in the election, President Vladimir Putin “may want to keep this quiet until the circumstances are set for their use in information operations,” she added.

American officials described the hackings in an advisory on Thursday as “opportunistic,” rather than a clear attack on election infrastructure, but conceded the group had targeted dozens of state and local systems and stolen data from at least two targets’ servers.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-thought-he-had-a-nuclear-deal-with-putin-not-so-fast-russia-said-335455">Also read|&nbsp;Trump thought he had a nuclear deal with Putin. Not so fast, Russia said.</a>

“They’re broadly looking to scan for vulnerabilities and they’re working opportunistically,” said Christopher C. Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which issued the warning along with the FBI.

That hardly reassured researchers who have tracked Energetic Bear for years. “This appears to be preparatory, to ensure access when they decide they need it,” said Adam Meyers, the head of threat intelligence at CrowdStrike, a security firm that has monitored the group.

Energetic Bear typically casts a wide net, then zeros in on a few high-value targets. In Germany and the United States, the group has infected websites popular in the energy sector, downloading malware onto the machines of anyone who visited the sites, then searching for employees with access to industrial systems.

In other attacks, it has hijacked the software updates for computers attached to industrial control systems. It has also blasted targets with phishing emails in search of employees, or co-workers, who might have access to critical systems at water, power and nuclear plants.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/us-elections-look-at-russia-china-and-india-its-filthy-says-trump-on-carbon-emissions-337317">Also read|&nbsp;US elections: Look at Russia, China and India, it's filthy, says Trump on carbon emissions</a>

And it has done so with remarkable success. A disturbing screenshot in a 2018 Department of Homeland Security advisory showed the groups’ hackers with their fingers on the switches of the computers that controlled the industrial systems at a power plant.

The group has thus far stopped short of sabotage, but appears to be preparing for some future attack. The hackings so unnerved officials that starting in 2018, the U.S. Cyber Command, the arm of the Pentagon that conducts offensive cyberattacks, hit back with retaliatory strikes on the Russian grid.

Some called the counterattacks the digital era’s equivalent of mutually assured destruction. But any hope that U.S. officials had that their strikes would deter Russia dissipated when the group started targeting American airports in March.

Officials at San Francisco International Airport discovered Russia’s state hackers had breached the online system that airport employees and travelers used to gain access to the airport’s Wi-Fi. The hackers injected code into two Wi-Fi portals that stole visitors’ user names, cracked their passwords and infected their laptops.

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The attack began on March 17 and continued for nearly two weeks until it was shut down. By then, officials at two other airports discovered their Wi-Fi portals had also been compromised. Researchers would not name the other victims, citing nondisclosure agreements, but said they were on the West Coast.

As pervasive as the attacks could have been, researchers believe Russia’s hackers were interested only in one specific person traveling through the airports that day.

“Ostensibly, hundreds of thousands of people could have been compromised,” said Eric Chien, a cybersecurity director at Symantec, who examined the attack. “But only 10 were.”

Chien’s team discovered that the hackers were “fingerprinting” the machines of anyone who logged onto the Wi-Fi network in search of one older version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. If they found a match, the hackers infected those laptops. If the Wi-Fi visitors used any other browser, the hackers left them alone.

“From what we could see, they were going after a specific individual,” Chien said.

In the government alert on Thursday, officials said that the Russian group was again targeting aviation systems. It did not name the targets but did suggest in some technical language that one could have been the airport in Columbus, Ohio.

In a previous homeland security warning about the group, officials said it “targets low security and small networks to gain access and move laterally to networks of major, high-value asset owners within the energy sector.”

Security researchers warned that the spate of attacks on American state and local systems could mirror the trajectory of those attacks: Russia’s hackers using their foothold in seemingly random victims’ networks to mine for more interesting targets closer to the election on Nov. 3. They could take steps like pulling offline the databases that verify voters’ signatures on mail-in ballots, or given their particular expertise, shutting power to key precincts.

“The most disconcerting piece is that it demonstrates Russia’s intent and ability to target systems near and dear to us, but that shouldn’t surprise us,” said Frank Cilluffo, the director of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.

By deputizing the FSB’s stealthiest infrastructure hackers to target state and local systems, some security experts believe Russia may be hedging its bets.

If, for example, Putin believes President Donald Trump will be reelected and wants to forge a better relationship with the United States, he may want to limit the degree to which Russia is seen as interfering.

Likewise, the experts said, if former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, is elected, Russia may try to use its foothold in the systems to weaken or delegitimize him, or it may hold back so as not to provoke the new administration.

“By doing this more quietly, you give yourself more options,” Spaulding said.

Cybersecurity officials watched with growing alarm in September as Russian state hackers started prowling around dozens of American state and local government computer systems just two months before the election.

Cybersecurity officials watched with growing alarm in September as Russian state hackers started prowling around dozens of American state and local government computer systems just two months before the election. The act itself did not worry them so much — officials anticipated that the Russians who interfered in the 2016 election would be back — but the actor did. The group, known to researchers as “Dragonfly” or “Energetic Bear” for its hackings of the energy sector, was not involved in 2016 election hacking. But it has in the past five years breached the power grid, water treatment facilities and even nuclear power plants, including one in Kansas. It also hacked into Wi-Fi systems at San Francisco International Airport and at least two other West Coast airports in March in an apparent bid to find one unidentified traveler, a demonstration of the hackers’ power and resolve. Also read| Is the Trump campaign colluding with Russia again? September’s intrusions marked the first time that researchers caught the group, a unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, targeting states and counties. The timing of the attacks so close to the election and the potential for disruption set off concern inside private security firms, law enforcement and intelligence agencies. “One possible explanation is that they are calling in the real pros — the A Team — who is used to operating in this really sensitive critical infrastructure where you want to keep quiet until you don’t,” said Suzanne Spaulding, the former undersecretary for cybersecurity and critical infrastructure at the Department of Homeland Security. In 2016, Russian hackers from other groups were unusually noisy in their efforts to penetrate some state election databases. “You could argue they didn’t care about being quiet,” Spaulding said. But now that Russia has been called out and punished for interfering in the election, President Vladimir Putin “may want to keep this quiet until the circumstances are set for their use in information operations,” she added. American officials described the hackings in an advisory on Thursday as “opportunistic,” rather than a clear attack on election infrastructure, but conceded the group had targeted dozens of state and local systems and stolen data from at least two targets’ servers. Also read| Trump thought he had a nuclear deal with Putin. Not so fast, Russia said. “They’re broadly looking to scan for vulnerabilities and they’re working opportunistically,” said Christopher C. Krebs, the director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which issued the warning along with the FBI. That hardly reassured researchers who have tracked Energetic Bear for years. “This appears to be preparatory, to ensure access when they decide they need it,” said Adam Meyers, the head of threat intelligence at CrowdStrike, a security firm that has monitored the group. Energetic Bear typically casts a wide net, then zeros in on a few high-value targets. In Germany and the United States, the group has infected websites popular in the energy sector, downloading malware onto the machines of anyone who visited the sites, then searching for employees with access to industrial systems. In other attacks, it has hijacked the software updates for computers attached to industrial control systems. It has also blasted targets with phishing emails in search of employees, or co-workers, who might have access to critical systems at water, power and nuclear plants. Also read| US elections: Look at Russia, China and India, it's filthy, says Trump on carbon emissions And it has done so with remarkable success. A disturbing screenshot in a 2018 Department of Homeland Security advisory showed the groups’ hackers with their fingers on the switches of the computers that controlled the industrial systems at a power plant. The group has thus far stopped short of sabotage, but appears to be preparing for some future attack. The hackings so unnerved officials that starting in 2018, the U.S. Cyber Command, the arm of the Pentagon that conducts offensive cyberattacks, hit back with retaliatory strikes on the Russian grid. Some called the counterattacks the digital era’s equivalent of mutually assured destruction. But any hope that U.S. officials had that their strikes would deter Russia dissipated when the group started targeting American airports in March. Officials at San Francisco International Airport discovered Russia’s state hackers had breached the online system that airport employees and travelers used to gain access to the airport’s Wi-Fi. The hackers injected code into two Wi-Fi portals that stole visitors’ user names, cracked their passwords and infected their laptops. × The attack began on March 17 and continued for nearly two weeks until it was shut down. By then, officials at two other airports discovered their Wi-Fi portals had also been compromised. Researchers would not name the other victims, citing nondisclosure agreements, but said they were on the West Coast. As pervasive as the attacks could have been, researchers believe Russia’s hackers were interested only in one specific person traveling through the airports that day. “Ostensibly, hundreds of thousands of people could have been compromised,” said Eric Chien, a cybersecurity director at Symantec, who examined the attack. “But only 10 were.” Chien’s team discovered that the hackers were “fingerprinting” the machines of anyone who logged onto the Wi-Fi network in search of one older version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. If they found a match, the hackers infected those laptops. If the Wi-Fi visitors used any other browser, the hackers left them alone. “From what we could see, they were going after a specific individual,” Chien said. In the government alert on Thursday, officials said that the Russian group was again targeting aviation systems. It did not name the targets but did suggest in some technical language that one could have been the airport in Columbus, Ohio. In a previous homeland security warning about the group, officials said it “targets low security and small networks to gain access and move laterally to networks of major, high-value asset owners within the energy sector.” Security researchers warned that the spate of attacks on American state and local systems could mirror the trajectory of those attacks: Russia’s hackers using their foothold in seemingly random victims’ networks to mine for more interesting targets closer to the election on Nov. 3. They could take steps like pulling offline the databases that verify voters’ signatures on mail-in ballots, or given their particular expertise, shutting power to key precincts. “The most disconcerting piece is that it demonstrates Russia’s intent and ability to target systems near and dear to us, but that shouldn’t surprise us,” said Frank Cilluffo, the director of Auburn University’s McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security. By deputizing the FSB’s stealthiest infrastructure hackers to target state and local systems, some security experts believe Russia may be hedging its bets. If, for example, Putin believes President Donald Trump will be reelected and wants to forge a better relationship with the United States, he may want to limit the degree to which Russia is seen as interfering. Likewise, the experts said, if former Vice President Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, is elected, Russia may try to use its foothold in the systems to weaken or delegitimize him, or it may hold back so as not to provoke the new administration. “By doing this more quietly, you give yourself more options,” Spaulding said.

Russians who pose US election threat have hacked nuclear plants and power grid

United States President Donald Trump cast an early ballot Saturday in the US election before hitting another campaign trial ahead of the November 3 vote.

"I voted for a guy named Trump," he said with a smile as he emerged.

Trump shifted his permanent residence and voter registration from New York to Florida last year.

Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in the polls, voted at a library serving as a polling center in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Nearly 55 million Americans have now cast early votes as the coronavirus has made in-person voting more problematic.

"It was a very secure vote. Much more secure than when you send in a ballot, I can tell you that," said Trump, who insists without giving evidence that mail-in voting leads to fraud.

"Everything was perfect, very strict, right by the rules. When you send in your ballot, it could never be secure like that," he said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-to-vote-in-person-in-florida-before-hitting-campaign-trail-337640">Also read |&nbsp;Trump to vote in person in Florida before hitting campaign trail</a>

While voting, he wore a mask, which is rare for the president, who has played down the pandemic.

Trump is waging a frenetic last-ditch drive to catch up with Biden in the final days of the race, with rallies planned Saturday in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, all of them battleground states.

United States President Donald Trump cast an early ballot Saturday in the US election before hitting another campaign trial ahead of the November 3 vote. "I voted for a guy named Trump," he said with a smile as he emerged.

United States President Donald Trump cast an early ballot Saturday in the US election before hitting another campaign trial ahead of the November 3 vote. "I voted for a guy named Trump," he said with a smile as he emerged. Trump shifted his permanent residence and voter registration from New York to Florida last year. Trump, who is trailing Democrat Joe Biden in the polls, voted at a library serving as a polling center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Nearly 55 million Americans have now cast early votes as the coronavirus has made in-person voting more problematic. "It was a very secure vote. Much more secure than when you send in a ballot, I can tell you that," said Trump, who insists without giving evidence that mail-in voting leads to fraud. "Everything was perfect, very strict, right by the rules. When you send in your ballot, it could never be secure like that," he said. Also read | Trump to vote in person in Florida before hitting campaign trail While voting, he wore a mask, which is rare for the president, who has played down the pandemic. Trump is waging a frenetic last-ditch drive to catch up with Biden in the final days of the race, with rallies planned Saturday in North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, all of them battleground states.

US president casts early ballot in Florida, says he voted for 'a guy named Trump'

US President Donald Trump, during a discussion on climate change said India was 'filthy'. He squared off against his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in second and final presidential debate in the run up to US Elections 2020.

"We have best carbon emission numbers that we've had in 35 years," he said.

"But here's what we can't do.." he continued,

"..look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. It's filthy," he said with a look of disdain on his face.

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&nbsp;

Apparently realising what he said. Trump added that the air was filthy. But this quip of his appears likely to be discussed everywhere, including among Indian-American voters in the US.

Donald Trump is known for his hawkish views even on climate change. Under his watch, the US withdrew from Paris accords.

Trump's main contention over years has been that USA must not be forced to bear greater burden as compared to other countries in the world. During the presidential debate, he appeared to reiterate his stance.

"The Paris accords, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly," said Trump.

Lashing out at previous administrations, Trump said that they did a great 'disservice' by being part of the treaty and alleged that previous governments were going to take away our businesses.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/i-cannot-guarantee-donald-trump-backtracks-on-covid-19-vaccine-joe-biden-slams-his-approach-337283">'I cannot guarantee': Donald Trump backtracks on COVID-19 vaccine; Joe Biden slams his approach</a>

"I will not sacrifice tens and millions of jobs, thousands and thousands of companies because of the Paris accords," he said.

Donald Trump has been dismissive in past about climate issues. He has also termed climate change and global warming "a hoax".

During the presidential debate Trump said that the harsher limits on USA's carbon emissions would have destroyed American businesses. He decried the lax regulations other countries had to follow.

When asked about his stand on the issue, Joe Biden said that climate change and global warming were 'existential threat' to humanity and that everyone had moral responsibility to tackle it.

He said that he was able to get both,&nbsp;environmental organisations and labour on board over his climate plan and that it would create millions of good-paying jobs for the Americans.

Biden claimed his plans would create more jobs than the one Trump had.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-election-2020-joe-biden-calls-donald-trumps-immigration-policies-criminal-337306">US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal'</a>

Trump shot back by saying that BIden's plan was an "economic disaster".

"Do you know who made his plan? AOC plus three," said Trump, apparently referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Biden was smiling on number of occasions when Trump was making his point. When it was his turn to speak,&nbsp;Biden challenged the numbers Trump cited saying "I don't know where he comes up this with these numbers from".

"He is against wind," said Biden as he mentioned that wind and solar energy were one of the fastest-growing sectors in the US.

"(Wind energy) is very expensive, kills a lot of birds," said Trump as Biden burst into laughter.

Trump claimed that the fumes that come up in making wind turbines were dangerous, on which, Biden said "Find me a scientist who says this"

This was the last debate between the presidential candidates. They will square off against each in polls that are due to take place on November 3.

US President Donald Trump, during a discussion on climate change said India was 'filthy'. He squared off against his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in second and final presidential debate in the run up to US Elections 2020.

US President Donald Trump, during a discussion on climate change said India was 'filthy'. He squared off against his Democratic challenger Joe Biden in second and final presidential debate in the run up to US Elections 2020. "We have best carbon emission numbers that we've had in 35 years," he said. "But here's what we can't do.." he continued, "..look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia. Look at India. It's filthy," he said with a look of disdain on his face. × Apparently realising what he said. Trump added that the air was filthy. But this quip of his appears likely to be discussed everywhere, including among Indian-American voters in the US. Donald Trump is known for his hawkish views even on climate change. Under his watch, the US withdrew from Paris accords. Trump's main contention over years has been that USA must not be forced to bear greater burden as compared to other countries in the world. During the presidential debate, he appeared to reiterate his stance. "The Paris accords, I took us out because we were going to have to spend trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly," said Trump. Lashing out at previous administrations, Trump said that they did a great 'disservice' by being part of the treaty and alleged that previous governments were going to take away our businesses. Also Read | 'I cannot guarantee': Donald Trump backtracks on COVID-19 vaccine; Joe Biden slams his approach "I will not sacrifice tens and millions of jobs, thousands and thousands of companies because of the Paris accords," he said. Donald Trump has been dismissive in past about climate issues. He has also termed climate change and global warming "a hoax". During the presidential debate Trump said that the harsher limits on USA's carbon emissions would have destroyed American businesses. He decried the lax regulations other countries had to follow. When asked about his stand on the issue, Joe Biden said that climate change and global warming were 'existential threat' to humanity and that everyone had moral responsibility to tackle it. He said that he was able to get both, environmental organisations and labour on board over his climate plan and that it would create millions of good-paying jobs for the Americans. Biden claimed his plans would create more jobs than the one Trump had. Also Read | US election 2020: Joe Biden calls Donald Trump's immigration policies 'criminal' Trump shot back by saying that BIden's plan was an "economic disaster". "Do you know who made his plan? AOC plus three," said Trump, apparently referring to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Biden was smiling on number of occasions when Trump was making his point. When it was his turn to speak, Biden challenged the numbers Trump cited saying "I don't know where he comes up this with these numbers from". "He is against wind," said Biden as he mentioned that wind and solar energy were one of the fastest-growing sectors in the US. "(Wind energy) is very expensive, kills a lot of birds," said Trump as Biden burst into laughter. Trump claimed that the fumes that come up in making wind turbines were dangerous, on which, Biden said "Find me a scientist who says this" This was the last debate between the presidential candidates. They will square off against each in polls that are due to take place on November 3.

US elections: Look at Russia, China and India, it's filthy, says Trump on carbon emissions

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has declared the Chief Executive Officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter will have to testify in the court post <a href="https://www.wionews.com/us-election">US elections</a>.

This decision was announced after the Judiciary Committee held a vote on Thursday to subpoena <a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/mark-zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerberg</a> and&nbsp;Jack Dorsey.

As per the orders, the two CEOs will have to appear before the US&nbsp;Senate panel on November 17 — days after the US election 2020.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trumps-loss-joe-biden-breaks-television-spending-record-week-before-us-election-2020-337663">Also read|&nbsp;Trump's loss: Joe Biden breaks television spending record week before US Election 2020</a>

The two bosses of the social media giants have been&nbsp;subpoenaed over the allegations of taking the decision&nbsp;to block stories that made claims about the Democratic nominee and former Vice President&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a>'s son.

The two&nbsp;social media platforms,&nbsp;&nbsp;Facebook and Twitter, had gained criticism for reportedly&nbsp;flagging two New York Post stories as spreading disinformation.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/topics/donald-trump">Donald Trump</a>, the US President, had also criticised the social media platforms for flagging the New York Post stories.

Zuckerberg and Dorsey&nbsp;will testify on allegations of anti-conservative bias, the committee said.

The two CEOs along with the head of Alphabet will also be appearing before the US Senate Commerce Committee on October 28&nbsp;about a key law protecting internet companies.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has declared the Chief Executive Officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter will have to testify in the court post US elections.

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has declared the Chief Executive Officers of social media giants Facebook and Twitter will have to testify in the court post US elections. This decision was announced after the Judiciary Committee held a vote on Thursday to subpoena Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. As per the orders, the two CEOs will have to appear before the US Senate panel on November 17 — days after the US election 2020. Also read| Trump's loss: Joe Biden breaks television spending record week before US Election 2020 The two bosses of the social media giants have been subpoenaed over the allegations of taking the decision to block stories that made claims about the Democratic nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden's son. The two social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter, had gained criticism for reportedly flagging two New York Post stories as spreading disinformation. Donald Trump, the US President, had also criticised the social media platforms for flagging the New York Post stories. Zuckerberg and Dorsey will testify on allegations of anti-conservative bias, the committee said. The two CEOs along with the head of Alphabet will also be appearing before the US Senate Commerce Committee on October 28 about a key law protecting internet companies.

Facebook's Zuckerberg, Twitter's Dorsey to testify before US Senate panel after US election

Democrat Joe Biden said Friday that if elected president he would mandate Covid-19 vaccines be free for all Americans, part of a national strategy to "get ahead" of the coronavirus.

As he laid out his emergency plan to battle the pandemic, Biden assailed President Donald Trump for his response, saying the Republican incumbent has "given up" fighting the virus and has "quit on America."

Biden, who has made it a point to follow scientists' guidelines such as wearing facemasks and engaging in social distancing, said that if he is elected he would be focused on bringing the pandemic to heel, and to help struggling Americans with the costs.

"Once we have a safe and effective vaccine, it has to be free to everyone — whether or not you're insured," Biden said in a speech laying out his pandemic response plan just 11 days before the US presidential election.

Trump, who trails Biden in the polls, has also stressed that a vaccine — which he says will be ready in the coming weeks — should be free.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Covid-19 vaccine doses purchased with taxpayer dollars — through billions of dollars in funding approved by Congress — would be administered to the American people at no cost.

Trump, in his second and final debate with Biden, on Thursday tried to signal that the US was overcoming the pandemic.

"We're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner, it's going away," Trump said.

But Democrats led by Biden have hammered Trump for failing to layout and implement a nationwide response to a pandemic that has now killed more than 223,000 Americans.

"Covid-19 dwarfs anything that we've faced in recent history, and it isn't showing any signs of slowing down," Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, adding that the virus is "surging" in almost every state.

"We're more than eight months into this crisis and the president still doesn't have a plan," the 77-year-old former vice president said.

"He's given up. He's quit on you. He's quit on your family. He's quit on America."

Biden said that if elected he would "immediately" put in place a national strategy "to finally get ahead of this virus, and get back our lives."

That would include consulting governors of all 50 states during the presidential transition.

After the inauguration, Biden would urge Congress to pass major legislation addressing the country's needs to battle the pandemic, implement a national mask mandate in federal buildings and interstate transportation and launch a national testing plan equivalent to a seven-fold increase over today's testing level.

Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, told donors Friday that the coronavirus crisis is "probably one of the greatest mass casualty events we have ever experienced as a country."

Democrat Joe Biden said Friday that if elected president he would mandate Covid-19 vaccines be free for all Americans, part of a national strategy to "get ahead" of the coronavirus. As he laid out his emergency plan to battle the pandemic, Biden assailed President Donald Trump for his response, saying the Republican incumbent has "given up" fighting the virus and has "quit on America." Biden, who has made it a point to follow scientists' guidelines such as wearing facemasks and engaging in social distancing, said that if he is elected he would be focused on bringing the pandemic to heel, and to help struggling Americans with the costs. "Once we have a safe and effective vaccine, it has to be free to everyone — whether or not you're insured," Biden said in a speech laying out his pandemic response plan just 11 days before the US presidential election. Trump, who trails Biden in the polls, has also stressed that a vaccine — which he says will be ready in the coming weeks — should be free. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Covid-19 vaccine doses purchased with taxpayer dollars — through billions of dollars in funding approved by Congress — would be administered to the American people at no cost. Trump, in his second and final debate with Biden, on Thursday tried to signal that the US was overcoming the pandemic. "We're rounding the turn, we're rounding the corner, it's going away," Trump said. But Democrats led by Biden have hammered Trump for failing to layout and implement a nationwide response to a pandemic that has now killed more than 223,000 Americans. "Covid-19 dwarfs anything that we've faced in recent history, and it isn't showing any signs of slowing down," Biden said in a speech in Wilmington, Delaware, adding that the virus is "surging" in almost every state. "We're more than eight months into this crisis and the president still doesn't have a plan," the 77-year-old former vice president said. "He's given up. He's quit on you. He's quit on your family. He's quit on America." Biden said that if elected he would "immediately" put in place a national strategy "to finally get ahead of this virus, and get back our lives." That would include consulting governors of all 50 states during the presidential transition. After the inauguration, Biden would urge Congress to pass major legislation addressing the country's needs to battle the pandemic, implement a national mask mandate in federal buildings and interstate transportation and launch a national testing plan equivalent to a seven-fold increase over today's testing level. Biden's running mate, Kamala Harris, told donors Friday that the coronavirus crisis is "probably one of the greatest mass casualty events we have ever experienced as a country."

US election 2020: Joe Biden pledges free Covid vaccine for ‘everyone’ in the US if elected

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