Page 16 - Us President

US officials fear Postal Service can't handle crush of mail-in ballots

State election directors from across the country voiced serious concerns to a top U.S. Postal Service official Tuesday that the system won't be able to handle an expected crush of mail-in ballots in the November election. Steven Carter, manager of election and government programs for the postal service, attempted to reassure the directors at a meeting in Minneapolis that the system's Office of Inspector General will publish an election mail report next week containing encouraging" performance numbers for this year so far. The data that that we're seeing showing improvements in the right direction," Carter told a conference of the National Association of State Election Directors. "And I think the OIG report is especially complimentary of how we're handling the election now. But state election directors stressed to Carter that they're still worried that too many ballots won't be delivered in time to be counted in November. They based their fears on past problems and a disruptive ...

Biden passed the torch slowly, hanging on until the wheels finally came off

As the pass the torch drumbeat thumped on from lawmakers wanting him to quit the race, President Joe Biden maintained a brave face. Publicly, he vowed he was all in, until the day he got out. But there were telling indications he was listening to that beat long before he ended his campaign for reelection. One sign was over a week ago, when Chuck Schumer visited his Delaware beach house as an emissary of gloom. The Senate majority leader had spoken with Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries, a few days earlier. He had heard from nearly every Democratic senator, pinging him over the last three weeks on his old-school flip phone. He wasn't speaking for all of them, but for many. Think about what's bound to happen to Democrats in Congress, Schumer implored the president. Think about the generations-long impact of a Supreme Court with Donald Trump in the White House. Think about your legacy. I need a week, Biden said. The two men hugged. That scen

US election: Can Harris win the presidency after Joe Biden's withdrawal?

It's not certain, but very likely Harris will now be the Democratic candidate to face former Republican president Donald Trump in November

US election: Ex-Speaker Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris as prez candidate

Top Democratic leader and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the party's presidential nominee after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Harris, 59, is mostly likely to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic party now that she has been endorsed by President Joe Biden, who announced on Sunday that he will not seek re-election, as well as other top party leaders including former president Bill Clinton. Today, it is with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country's future that I endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for President of the United States, Pelosi said in a statement. The endorsement from Pelosi, 84, is significant given that she is a towering personality within the Democratic Party. Officially, I have seen Kamala Harris's strength and courage as a champion for working families, notably fighting for a woman's right t

Left in policies, views on foreign policy not known: US media on VP Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris, all set to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party, leans towards the left in her domestic policies, a major American financial publication has said while another daily said she would hold former President Donald Trump to account for his lies and destructive policies. Harris, 59, is the only Democratic Party candidate to have announced her candidacy after incumbent President Joe Biden's shocking announcement on Sunday to back out and endorse her. A fair conclusion is that Ms Harris is a standard California progressive on most issues, often to the left of Mr Biden. Perhaps as she reintroduces herself to the public in the coming weeks, she will modify some of those views. She would be wise to do so if she wants to win, the Editorial Board of the Wall Street Journal said Monday, a day after President Biden withdrew from the race and endorsed her as the party's nominee for the November 5 election. Given the rush by Democrats to anoint Ms Harris

Trump's VP nominee Vance slams Kamala Harris during his solo campaign debut

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance used his first solo campaign rallies Monday to throw fresh barbs at Vice President Kamala Harris a day after President Joe Biden threw the presidential election into upheaval by dropping out and endorsing his second-in-command to lead Democrats against Donald Trump. The Ohio senator campaigned at his former high school in Middletown before an evening stop in Radford, Virginia, two venues intended to play up his conservative populist appeal across the Rust Belt and small-town America that he said the Biden-Harris administration has forgotten. History will remember Joe Biden as not just a quitter, which he is, but as one of the worst presidents in the history of the United States of America," Vance said in Virginia. But my friends, Kamala Harris is a million times worse and everybody knows it. She signed up for every single one of Joe Biden's failures, and she lied about his mental capacity to serve as president. Vance sought to saddle ...

Biden to campaign for VP Harris, justifies decision to opt out of prez race

US President Joe Biden has described his decision to drop out of the presidential race as "the right thing to do" and said he would campaign with his deputy Kamala Harris, whom he has endorsed as the Democratic Party's new nominee, for the November general elections. In a telephonic address on Monday to his former campaign team, which has now been rechristened Harris Campaign, Biden urged the members to "embrace" Vice President Harris (59) while asserting that the name of the campaign has changed but the mission remains the same -- defeating Donald Trump. Biden's decision to nominate Harris follows weeks of intense pressure from fellow Democrats after his disastrous presidential debate performance against his Republican rival and former US President Donald Trump last month. The 82-year-old US president, who is in self-isolation after testing positive for COVID-19, called the campaign headquarters on Monday moments before Harris made the maiden address to the team. "If I didn't have

US election: DNC Chair says party will select a president nominee by Aug 7

Earlier on Monday, Vice President Kamala Harris swiftly consolidated support for her presidential bid and secured commitments from hundreds of convention delegates

Black voters express a mix of hope and worry as Harris takes centre stage

Black voters expressed a mix of hope and worry on Monday over Joe Biden's exit from the presidential race and the prospect of Vice President Kamala Harris becoming the Democratic nominee. A key Democratic constituency, Black voters helped power Biden to victory in the 2020 primaries and ultimately to the White House, and they were among his most steadfast supporters, even as calls for him to quit grew. But as much pride as some Black Americans feel about the possibility of Harris, who is of Black and Indian descent, becoming president, the upending of the race has some voters feeling scared. I felt like we were doomed, said Brianna Smith, a 24-year-old school counselor from Decatur, Georgia, recounting her reaction to Biden's announcement. I don't see America actually accepting the fact that a Black woman is running for president. Cyria Adams, a 37-year-old hairstylist from Smyrna, Georgia, called Biden's decision heartbreaking. As speculation spread last week that the president mig

JD Vance calls Democrats threat to democracy after Biden exits 2024 race

Vance joked that he was upset he doesn't get to debate Harris now because she will face Trump on the debate stage in September

Trump allies looking to sue democrats for choosing anyone other than Biden

Even before President Joe Biden's long-speculated withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, allies of former President Donald Trump floated the possibility of suing to block Democrats from having anyone other than Biden on the ballot in November. But election administration and legal experts said the timing of Biden's exit on Sunday makes it unlikely that any Republican ballot access challenges will succeed, with some calling the idea ridiculous and frivolous. Democrats are on safe legal ground as they identify a new standard-bearer, they say, because the party hasn't officially chosen its nominee. That typically occurs with a vote of delegates at the party's convention. It's ridiculous for people to talk about replacing Biden.' He hasn't been nominated yet, said Richard Winger, a leading expert on state ballot access laws and the longtime editor of the Ballot Access News newsletter. Talk of possible Republican legal challenges has been swirling since Democrats began discussing

VP Harris has a daunting to-do list as she starts up presidential campaign

It's a daunting to-do list. Vice President Kamala Harris suddenly needs to whip up a presidential campaign almost from scratch. It's a process that usually takes months, even years. Harris has only about two months before early voting starts. And, of course, nothing is guaranteed, despite her getting the endorsement of President Joe Biden - and significant pieces of his campaign - after he exited the race on Sunday. That means she is in a rush to raise money, figure out a strategy, hire staff, win delegates, set up a website, make some ads, plan a convention and on and on. The checklist is long, but at least, as of Monday morning, she has a campaign logo. And Harris does have a big advantage in that she's already on the Democratic ticket as the vice presidential nominee and had run previously in 2020 for the presidency. With Biden's endorsement, she's piling up delegates at a rapid pace. It's less of a lift to do it with Harris, who has been on the national stage," says Democratic

Kamala Harris praises Biden's unmatched legacy, looks to lock up nomination

Vice President Kamala Harris moved swiftly to lock up Democratic delegates behind her campaign for the White House after President Joe Biden stepped aside amid concerns from within their party that he would be unable to defeat Republican Donald Trump. Biden's exit Sunday, prompted by Democratic worries over his fitness for office, was a seismic shift to the presidential contest that upended both major political parties' carefully honed plans for the 2024 race. Aiming to put weeks of intraparty drama over Biden's candidacy behind them, prominent Democratic elected officials, party leaders and political organisations quickly lined up behind Harris in the hours after Biden announced he was dropping his reelection campaign. Biden's departure frees his delegates to vote for whomever they choose. Harris, whom Biden backed after ending his candidacy, is thus far the only declared candidate and was working to quickly secure endorsements from a majority of delegates. Additional endorsements

Who is Kamala Harris? US VP and Joe Biden's 2024 Presidential nominee

Joe Biden ends re-election campaign, endorses Kamala Harris for 2024 Presidential bid. Here's everything you need to know about Harris, her Indian heritage, background, and political stance

Chinese social media embraces Trump after Kamala Harris steps into race

The American election dominated the top four slots of China's X-like Weibo platform early Monday, as China awoke to President Joe Biden's departure from the 2024 race

Republicans demand Biden's resignation; says not 'mentally fit enough'

Republicans led by their vice presidential nominee Senator J D Vance have asked President Joe Biden to resign from his post after he decided not to seek re-election in November, saying his move to withdraw from the race is a clear admission that he is not "mentally fit enough" to serve as the commander-in-chief. Biden, 81, announced on Sunday that he decided to give up running for re-election as president of the United States and endorsed his deputy Kamala Harris to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party with just 107 days left until the November 5 elections. If Joe Biden ends his reelection campaign, how can he justify remaining President? Not running for reelection would be a clear admission that President Trump was right all along about Biden not being mentally fit enough to serve as commander-in-chief. There is no middle ground, Vance said. Last week, the 39-year-old Ohio Senator was picked as a running mate by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Joe Bide

Will have to start all over again: Trump slams Biden for ending campaign

His scathing remarks came after Biden (81), in a stunning decision on Sunday, announced that he was withdrawing from the race to be the next president in 2024 and endorsed Kamala Harris

US election: 'As much of joke as Biden,' Trump campaign targets Harris

Trump and his campaign later also attacked Biden and Harris on social media while saying Biden was unfit to continue serving as president

Obama, Pelosi refrain from immediately endorsing Harris as Prez nominee

Former US president Barack Obama and ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Sunday praised President Joe Biden for deciding to step aside from the presidential race but stopped short of endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's nominee for the November 5 general elections. Biden (81) announced that he was withdrawing from the race to be the next president, following mounting pressure from Democrats after a faltering debate performance against Republican candidate Trump last month. He has endorsed 59-year-old Harris to be the new Democratic nominee. Though Biden's endorsement almost seals Harris' position as the presidential nominee of her party, she still needs to get elected by the party's delegates during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next month. Biden has 3,896 delegates in his kitty, as against 1,976 required to win the nomination. Harris immediately secured the endorsement of former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clint

US election: World leaders react to Biden ending reelection campaign

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that Joe Biden has achieved a great deal: for his country, for Europe, for the world