It is not clear if the success was successful and what data, if any, has been taken, but US officials are investigating. It comes amid staff anger at two major US publications over decisions to block endorsements for Kamala Harris.
Saturday 26 October 2024 04:20, UK
Barack Obama is back on the campaign trail for Kamala Harris, holding a rally in North Carolina.
This is the former president’s second rally in two days as election day rapidly approaches.
Watch live in the stream above, at the link below – and follow key updates right here.
At a town hall event in North Carolina, Donald Trump’s VP pick was asked by an attendee when the southern US border will be “closed” in order to stop illegal immigration.
JD Vance replied: “I think that President Trump will close the border – I’m just guessing here – but January 20, 2025 is when Donald Trump is going to close the border.”
January 20 is when the new president will be sworn in.
Mr Vance went on to claim that the media and Democrats try to make Republicans “feel like bad people for believing in border security” and say it’s “not compassionate”, while ignoring crimes committed by illegal migrants.
He did not state how the entire 3,145 kilometer (1,954 mile) southern border would be closed to illegal immigration in one swoop.
Donald Trump’s pick for vice president is currently holding an event in North Carolina.
JD Vance is speaking at a town hall with Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, in the city of Raeford.
Watch live in the stream above, at the link below – and follow key updates below.
Democrat candidate for vice president, Tim Walz, is currently holding a rally in Pennsylvania.
He is in Joe Biden’s hometown of Scranton.
Watch live in the stream above, at the link below – and follow key updates below.
More than 32 million people have voted early so far, according to the University of Florida.
The college’s dedicated “Election Lab” said some 15 million voted in person, while more than 17 million mailed in their ballots.
Some 155 million people cast ballots in total in 2020 – about 66% of the eligible voting pool.
Stats show that Democrats are more likely to make up more of the early voters, although Republicans are now trying to encourage more mail-in and early voting.
Our partnern NBC News has produced this chart to show you how the early voting is looking…
In the video below are pictures from outside the Kamala Harris rally in Georgia on Thursday night, taken while she was finishing her stage address inside.
A packed crowd attended the James R Hallford stadium in Clarkston for a star-studded event that included appearances by Bruce Springsteen, Samuel L Jackson, Spike Lee, Tyler Perry and former President Barack Obama – every one a hard act to follow.
The overwhelming majority stayed to hear the Kamala Harris speech that concluded the proceedings, to loud acclaim.
However, several hundred began to leave the stadium immediately after the preceding address by former president Obama.
During the election campaign, Kamala Harris and her team have repeatedly taunted Donald Trump over attendees leaving his events early.
In the lead up to the 5 November, our correspondents stateside are answering your questions on the election.
Do you feel the election result has the potential to cause unrest or has the US learnt its lesson?
Gary, Kilmarnock
US correspondent Mark Stone says…
You hear the phrase ‘civil war’ far too much these days here in America.
Uncomfortable as this is, we are not there. That’s the good news.
But we are now in a realm where something once considered impossible in modern America is now being contemplated. The tensions and anxieties in America right now are profound.
The nation is divided. There is an urban-rural split too. Nothing much new there. But it runs deeper now.
The nation is siloed as well. Different sides do not trust each other; they do not listen to each other’s perspectives.
It’s easy perhaps to miss this deep societal fracture precisely because of the siloed nature of the country. It’s only as an outsider, living here, looking in and having the conversations across the spectrum that I notice this profound mess.
The mainstream media in America, which has become deeply partisan, is not trusted. “I get my news online” is a phrase I hear all the time. That’s not healthy.
The institutions which act as balancing guardrails are creaking, some would say they are compromised.
One of the two candidates in this election consistently undermines the electoral process and the judicial process, sowing doubt among his followers. All this was dangerous even before Donald Trump propelled himself back to within an inch of the White House again.
During Mr Trump’s last presidency, the institutions which act as guardrails upholding a democracy – like the courts, the military, state level officials – stood their ground.
The danger this time is that a victorious Donald Trump would hire only those officials who are fully loyal to him. He has made this clear. Remember, too, that the power of the American presidency under a president who doesn’t care about the law is huge.
Some experts argue that America has already entered a zone where it is no longer a fully-fledged democracy. It’s not an autocracy, but in a middle zone they call an ‘anocracy’ because of an erosion within some of the key pillars.
That’s the important context through which the ‘civil war’ question should be considered.
This result of this election will almost certainly be very close. Recounts and claims of fraud (compounded on the Trump side by baked in mistrust) are very likely.
A narrow Harris victory would probably prompt Trumpian accusations of fraud.
These would be examined by courts he has already undermined and maybe then elevated to the highest court – the Supreme Court – which he loaded with his aligned judges in his last term.
We all remember the January 6th nightmare on Capitol Hill. A dress-rehearsal? Let’s hope not. But the prospect of unrest in state Capitol buildings in various states, where Trump-aligned politicians hold key positions, is real.
Another scenario: Trump wins, perhaps comfortably. Then, the danger is protests – which could turn violent – from the left who may react against Mr Trump’s policies which they will see as a slide to authoritarianism.
So – do I feel the election result has the potential to cause unrest? Yes. Has the US learnt its lesson? No.
Donald Trump has threatened prosecutions against people involved in what he called “unscrupulous behaviour” if he wins November’s election.
In a post titled “cease and desist” on his own social media page – Truth Social – he repeated his widely debunked claims of “rampant cheating” in the 2020 election.
“I am watching the sanctity of the 2024 election very closely,” he wrote.
“The 2024 election, where votes have just started being cast, will be under the closest professional scrutiny.
“And when I win, those people that cheated will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, which will include long term prison sentences.
He said lawyers, political operatives, doors, illegal voters and “corrupt” election officials would be among those facing prosecution.
“Those involved in unscrupulous behaviour will be sought out, caught and prosecuted at levels, unfortunately, never seen before in our country.”
Chinese hackers targeted cellphones used by Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, two people familiar with the matter have told Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
People affiliated with the Harris-Walz campaign have also been targeted, we understand.
They are among several people whose phone numbers are believed to have been targeted as part of a wider Chinese cyber spying campaign.
It is not clear what data, if any, has been taken, but US officials are investigating, according to the sources, who were not authorised to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The New York Times first reported the news.
The FBI said in a statement that the US government is investigating the “unauthorised access to commercial telecommunication infrastructure by actors affiliated with China”.
The agency added: “Agencies across the US government are collaborating to aggressively mitigate this threat and are coordinating with our industry partners to strengthen cyber defences across the commercial communications sector.”
Trump campaign spokesman Steven Cheung did not offer any details about the Chinese operation but issued a statement accusing the campaign of Democrat Kamala Harris of having emboldened foreign adversaries, including China and Iran.
A former editor of the Washington Post has reacted furiously to the paper’s decision not endorse a candidate in the presidential election, and reports that the paper’s owner, Jeff Bezos, personally intervened to block an endorsement for Kamala Harris.
Marty Baron, who served as the paper’s editor from 2013 to 2021, wrote on X: “This is cowardice, with democracy as its casualty.
“Donald Trump will see this as an invitation to further intimidate owner Jeff Bezos (and others).
“Disturbing spinelessness at an institution famed for courage.”
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