By Betsy Klein, CNN Milwaukee, Wisconsin (CNN) — President Joe Biden took a major step toward eliminating the national scourge of lead pipes, unveiling a new rule mandating the removal of all lead pipes within the next decade, in addition to $2.6 billion in new funding toward the environmental and public health goal. “It’s taken
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Election night won’t be all nail-biters. Chances are some winners will be declared before a single vote has been tallied just as the polls close in those states. Race calls at the time polls close have been a routine part of election nights for decades, even though competitive races that
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Elections are a foundation of democracy, but they’re also human exercises. Despite all the laws and rules governing how they should run, elections can sometimes appear to be messy. The U.S. election system is highly decentralized, carried out by thousands of municipal and county voting jurisdictions. Despite its imperfections, it
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly 50 years ago, about 95% of voters cast their ballots in person on Election Day. That number has fallen gradually as states have provided Americans with more options on how and when to cast their ballots. For most of that time, advance voting was a nonpartisan feature of elections.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. general election on Nov. 5 is far from a nationally administered contest. The 50 states and the District of Columbia run their own elections, and each does things a little differently. For example, Maine and Nebraska allocate electoral votes by congressional district. Alaska and Maine used ranked choice
Continue ReadingAP Media Writer NEW YORK (AP) — Television morning show interviews often don’t stray beyond celebrities and food segments. But questions about the tone of a “CBS Mornings” interview by host Tony Dokoupil with author Ta-Nehisi Coates about Israel and Palestinians is lingering a week after it was conducted. CBS News management took the unusual
Continue ReadingBy Paul P. Murphy and Michelle Krupa, CNN Anna Maria Island, Florida (CNN) — Carol Whitmore couldn’t pack her big SUV to leave this barrier island as Hurricane Milton aimed Tuesday for Florida’s west coast with already-historic fury. Hurricane Helene took it two weeks ago. “Up to the door panels” the surge crashed in from
Continue ReadingLOS ANGELES (AP) — California tenants who held Section 8 housing vouchers were refused rental contracts by more than 200 landlords, including major real estate firms, according to an undercover investigation that found widespread discrimination in the state. The investigative nonprofit Housing Rights Initiative announced Tuesday that it has filed complaints with the California Civil
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Two weeks ago, Hurricane Helene “spared” the Tampa Bay region a direct hit and yet storm surge still caused catastrophic damage, flooding homes, drowning people who decided to stay near the coast and leaving massive piles of debris that still sit along roadsides. Now that Hurricane Milton, a more
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In the 2020 presidential election, Florida reported the results within a few hours of poll close of more than 99% of ballots cast. In California, almost one-third of ballots were uncounted after election night. The state was making almost daily updates to its count through Dec. 3, a full month
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — When it comes to understanding elections, it’s not just about who won and lost. To explain what really happened, it’s important to understand who voted and how, what they cared about and how they felt about important issues facing the country. At The Associated Press, AP VoteCast is an important
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ATLANTA (AP) — Voting machines have been at the center of a web of conspiracy theories that erupted after the 2020 election, with false claims that they were manipulated to steal the presidency from Donald Trump. There was no evidence of widespread fraud or rigged voting machines in that election, and multiple reviews
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) — The Small Business Administration could run out of money to fund disaster loans in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation. As is typical after a disaster, the government is offering aid to small businesses that were in Helene’s path. The SBA is offering disaster loans for small businesses
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Rows of folding tables and empty chairs appear on Ballot Processing View 2. Over on Tabulation View 2, a man in a black T-shirt and shorts is seen shuffling papers near a waist-high machine. The livestream scenes from Maricopa County, Arizona, of the 2024 election process may not be the most riveting video.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Rows of folding tables and empty chairs appear on Ballot Processing View 2. Over on Tabulation View 2, a man in a black T-shirt and shorts is seen shuffling papers near a waist-high machine. The livestream scenes from Maricopa County, Arizona, of the 2024 election process may not be the most riveting video.
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump and many Republican elected officials say they want to have ballots counted by hand rather than trusting machines to tabulate the vote. But research shows that hand-counting is more prone to error, delays results and costs more. Paper records of every vote already are produced in nearly every
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Who can vote in U.S. elections? Generally, if you’re a U.S. citizen and at least 18 years old, you can vote. But each state can impose its own requirements and restrictions on voting. In most states, people incarcerated for felony crimes cannot vote. And most states require people to register their names and
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s usually possible to determine who won an election before the vote counting is 100% complete. But doing so requires determining how many ballots still need to be tabulated at any point in the vote count, and that’s not as straightforward or clear-cut as it might seem. In fact, it’s
Continue ReadingAssociated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — One question will be asked over and over on election night: Who won? The Associated Press will answer that question for nearly 5,000 contested races across the United States and up and down the ballot, from president and state ballot measures to a variety of local offices. The AP has
Continue ReadingAssociated Press NEW YORK (AP) — Voter fraud does happen occasionally. And when it does, we tend to hear a lot about it. Fraud also gets caught, and people are prosecuted. The nation’s multilayered election processes provide many safeguards that keep voter fraud generally detectable and rare. That’s the assessment of current and former election
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