Over the course of the month of May, three sectors will be allowed some degree of reopening. They are:
Retail stores not in shopping malls.
Retail stores that are in malls but have a direct door to the outside.
Construction and civil engineering.
Manufacturing.
Stores outside of the Montreal region will be permitted to reopen May 4, while those in the Montreal area will reopen May 11.
Construction projects, including road work, will fully resume May 11, with about 85,000 workers expected to be back to work.
Manufacturing companies will be allowed to reopen May 4 with some restrictions: those that have 50 or fewer workers will be allowed to reopen with full staff; those with more than 50 employees will only be allowed to have 50 workers plus 50 per cent of the total number of employees above that for any shift throughout the day.
Construction projects in Quebec will be able to resume in May under the province’s plan to reopen parts of the province’s economy. (Ryan Remiorz/The Canadian Press)
Legault said the idea is to reopen gradually and follow up to ensure there is no negative impact on infection rates or on hospitals.
And he said people will have to continue to follow physical distancing measures.
“Continue to act as if everybody you meet has the virus.”
WATCH | Legault says the plan is to restart the economy without restarting the pandemic:
Quebec Premier François Legault outlined his government’s plan to reopen the Quebec economy and says physical distancing will continue to be necessary. 1:24
Legault on Monday announced a plan that would allow children in daycare and primary school in most parts of Quebec to head back to class on May 11 — though attendance won’t be mandatory. Daycares and primary schools in the Montreal area would open on May 19.
High schools, CEGEPs and universities will reopen in the fall, Legault said, noting that officials felt primary-aged schoolchildren would benefit the most from additional weeks of class time.
“We will analyze the situation every day and adjust if necessary,” he said. “The watchword here is prudence.”
The province’s top doctor was quick to note that the easing of some restrictions did not mean that people should stop following public health measures and move around widely.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said that the federal government would soon be releasing shared guidelines on how to handle reopening.
“We need common guidelines to make sure that the decisions being taken across the country are grounded in a shared understanding and appreciation of what science and experts are telling us.”
The shared principles, which Trudeau said have been agreed to by the federal, provincial and territorial governments, won’t provide specific dates or measures. Instead, they will serve as a framework around what needs to happen before the economy is gradually restarted.
Federal health officials update projections
Trudeau spoke ahead of a Tuesday afternoon briefing from federal health officials, who delivered revised modelling and forecasts for COVID-19 in Canada.
Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said that ongoing public health measures, including physical distancing, are critical to staying at the lower end of projections.
“We are making clear progress to slow the spread and bring the epidemic under control thanks to the commitment of Canadians who are following public health advice to protect themselves and others,” she said.
The new modelling shows that while the number of new cases was doubling every three days previously, it is now doubling every 16 days.
Short-term projections predict between 53,191 and 66,835 cases by May 5, and between 3,277 and 3,883 deaths by that date.
Tam said the way the epidemic is unfolding varies across the country, “so when and how control measures are readjusted and are relaxed will need to be decided based on the local epidemiological situation.”
WATCH | Dr. Tam explains what goes into decisions about reopening schools and businesses:
Canada’s chief public health officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, talks about jurisdictions choosing to loosen public health measures to reopen certain facilities, including schools. 2:36
She said the new projections reflect the “heavy toll” COVID-19 is taking on vulnerable populations, including the elderly in long-term care homes and the homeless, and that relaxing controls too quickly will “squander” the efforts to date and put the population at risk of another wave of infection.
“We are actually going to be living with COVID-19 for the near future — and monitoring very carefully, so if there’s any upswing … any cases and contacts have to be identified and managed so you don’t get that upswing again.”
The problem areas continue to be long term care centres which make up 79% of deaths countrywide. Congregate living situations are also problematic. <a href=”https://t.co/1EHv0ARbw0″>pic.twitter.com/1EHv0ARbw0</a>
When asked whether he would send his own kids back to school if he were in Quebec, Trudeau said he would evaluate the situation at the time when schools actually open their doors.
“We know every single week we see changes in how we’re doing, on where there are outbreaks, on equipment and supports available,” he said, noting that he’d want to know what the school itself was planning to do to maintain physical distancing and create safe working conditions.
WATCH | Trudeau talks about Quebec’s plan to reopen some schools:
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with reporters on Tuesday. 1:54
Neighbouring New Brunswick, which has had far fewer cases than Quebec, has already loosened some restrictions, including opening some outdoor spaces and allowing people to form “bubbles” of two families.
Prince Edward Island released its plan Tuesday to ease restrictions. Priority non-urgent health-care services are to begin May 1, including elective surgeries, physiotherapy, optometry and chiropractic treatment. Outdoor gatherings of limited size and activities such as fishing and golf will also be allowed.
Saskatchewan has also previously released a five-phase reopening plan, with expected dates attached to the first two phases.
Ontario plan focuses on how not when
Ontario, which unveiled its plan on Monday, didn’t attach any dates to its framework.
Premier Doug Ford said the framework is about how the province will reopen — not when.
“We’re all missing birthdays, religious celebrations and once-in-a-lifetime milestones. These are all too real, a painful loss of memories, and moments taken away by this deadly virus,” Ford said. “But that is why we must continue.”
A slow, methodical and gradual reopening will help the province avoid another period of shutdown, Ford said.
WATCH | Ontario reveals reopening plan, no timeline:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford revealed details of how the province would reduce COVID-19 restrictions and reopen businesses, but without giving any specific timeline. 1:54
Ford said he wants to see the economy “get going” but can’t risk an escalation in cases if the province opens prematurely.
As of 8 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Canada had 50,026 confirmed and presumptive cases of the novel coronavirus. Provinces and territories listed 19,244 cases as recovered or resolved. A CBC tally of COVID-19-related deaths, which is based on provincial health data, local public health information and CBC reporting, listed 2,958 deaths in Canada and two abroad.
A case tracking site maintained by U.S.-based Johns Hopkins University reported more than three million cases around the world, with over 212,000 reported coronavirus-related deaths.
There is no proven treatment or vaccine for the novel virus, which first emerged in China in late 2019. While most cases are moderate or mild, some people — especially the elderly and people with underlying health issues — are at greater risk of severe disease or death. Public health officials in Canada and around the world have cautioned that reported numbers don’t show the full picture, as they don’t reflect people that haven’t been tested or cases that are still under investigation.
Read on for a look at what’s happening in Canada, the U.S. and around the world.
What’s happening in the provinces and territories
In British Columbia, a COVID-19 outbreak in a poultry processing plant in Coquitlam is responsible for the majority of new cases reported by the province. Health Minister Adrian Dix says 39 of the 55 positive tests reported Tuesday are connected to the spread of the virus at Superior Poultry Processors Ltd. Read more about what’s happening in B.C., including a story about how Haida Gwaii communities are ramping up enforcement of a ban on visitors.
Manitoba says it will now test anyone with COVID-19 symptoms to see if they have the virus that causes the disease. Premier Brian Pallister says even people with mild symptoms, such as a runny nose or cough, can be tested. “What we’re looking to do by broadening the intake here, at least in its early days, is focused on giving … Manitobans that confidence that they need to have that they’re not carrying the disease — that when they move around, when they shop, they’re able to do so safely,” he said at a Tuesday morning news conference. Read more about what’s happening in Manitoba.
Ontario reported 525 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, and 59 more deaths, ending three consecutive days of declining numbers of new cases. Hospitalizations went up, but the numbers of people in intensive care and on ventilators declined slightly. Read more about Ontario’s plan to reopen released earlier in the week.
In Quebec, Legaultsays while the number of deaths have risen in long-term care homes, other deaths remain largely stable in the province. He says that’s why the government is moving ahead with a plan to restart the economy and reopen primary schools and daycares. Read more about what’s happening in Quebec, including a story on the province’s push to do more testing.
WATCH | Parents wonder how to keep kids healthy when school resumes:
A pediatrician is worried that sending kids back to school too soon could undo all of the work that has been done to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. 4:06
New Brunswick’s chief medical officer says it’s possible masks become mandatory in some situations as the province moves forward with its reopening plan. “It’s very important that you get used to wearing masks,” Dr. Jennifer Russell said. Read more about what’s happening in N.B.
Newfoundland and Labrador reported no new coronavirus cases again on Tuesday. The province is still working on a reopening plan. “It’s really important that we do it right, and when we are ready we will make that announcement, and it will be soon,” Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Janice Fitzgerald told reporters.Read more about what’s happening in N.L..
WATCH | Why Canada’s top doctor changed her stance on masks:
Part 2 of 3 of Rosemary Barton’s exclusive interview with Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam about Canada’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. 3:07
From The Associated Press and Reuters, updated as of 2:45 p.m. ET
U.S. President Donald Trump defended his administration’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic Tuesday as he met with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and promised to help states safely begin reopening their economies.
Trump, seated next to DeSantis in the Oval Office, insisted that the United States was doing enough testing to protect Americans reentering the workforce and said he would sign an executive order to address “liability problems” in the nation’s food supply chain. He said the administration was talking to airlines about requiring temperature and virus checks for some travellers as they board flights.
Trump has claimed for weeks now that airlines have been screening passengers, even though they’re not.
And he said the idea of having passengers wear masks sounded “like a good idea.”
U.S. President Donald Trump listens as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis talks about the coronavirus response during a meeting Tuesday in the Oval Office. (Evan Vucci/The Associated Press)
The administration had been sharply criticized for not overseeing widespread testing, but Trump said no amount would ever be good enough for critics in the media.
Florida, with a high population of older Americans vulnerable to the disease, has long been a source of concern, and DeSantis was slower to impose social distancing guidelines than other governors were. But DeSantis, a fellow Republican and close Trump ally, promoted his state’s ability to test its citizens.
According to the Johns Hopkins database, the U.S. surpassed one million cases Tuesday, with more than 57,000 deaths.
What’s happening around the world
From The Associated Press and Reuters, updated at 4 p.m. ET
Italy’s Premier Giuseppe Conte says the risk of a second wave of COVID-19 “is concrete,” as the country moves into a new phase of living “alongside” the coronavirus with the loosening of some lockdown measures starting next Monday. Conte has been visiting some of the hardest-hit communities in the northern region of Lombardy in a sign of institutional support for the sacrifices of medical personnel and solidarity with citizens in their eighth week of total lockdown. The virus continues to spread in Italy, in particular in the north.
Commuters maintaining distance sit next to seats with stickers reading “Please don’t sit here” and “Respect social distancing” in an underground metro line in Milan Tuesday. (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says he hopes his country can scrap restrictions on movement by the end of June but warned the path to loosening limits will lead to a “new normal,” with safeguards such as wearing masks and strict hygiene rules staying in place until a vaccine is found. Spain recorded 301 new deaths, official data released on Tuesday show, bringing the total deaths from COVID-19 to 23,822. The country has 210,773 infections of COVID-19 that have been confirmed by the most reliable lab tests.
People queue as they wait to donate blood, at a Red Cross urgent blood drive, as efforts continue to help slowing the spread of the coronavirus disease in Spain. (Jon Nazca/Reuters)
Turkey’s health minister announced 92 new deaths from the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, raising the total death toll in the country to 2,992. Fahrettin Koca also reported 2,392 new confirmed infections, bringing the total to 114,653. At least 38,809 COVID-19 patients have recovered, according to data the minister posted on Twitter, including 5,018 who recovered in the past 24 hours. Turkish officials say that the number of daily infections is stabilizing and that the country could transition to normal life after a religious holiday at the end of May.
Employees of Ankara Metropolitan Municipality youth center sews face masks, in Ankara, Turkey Tuesday. (Adem Altan/AFP via Getty Images)
Britain is ramping up its coronavirus testing efforts. Health Secretary Matt Hancock says anyone over 65 and their households, and all workers who must leave their homes to work, are now added to the list of those eligible for tests as long as they show symptoms. All hospital patients and staff, as well as nursing home residents and workers, also qualify even if they have no symptoms. Britain is on track to record one of the worst coronavirus death tolls in Europe, after data published on Tuesday showed that fatalities topped 24,000 nine days ago.
Staff at the Mater hospital in Belfast, Northern Ireland observe a minute’s silence Tuesday to pay tribute to the National Health Service staff and key workers who have died during the coronavirus outbreak. (Peter Morrison/PA via AP)
In France, lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a government-proposed plan to ease the country’s lockdown, which has been in place since mid-March to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. The plan entails the progressive reopening of schools, public transport and other businesses previously deemed non-essential by the government from May 11. However, restaurants, cafes, cinemas and concert halls will remain closed. Public gatherings will be limited to 10 people at a time.
A French doctor wearing a protective suit checks the temperature of a woman in a testing site for COVID-19 in Gouzeaucourt, France Tuesday. (Pascal Rossignol/Reuters)
Russia President Vladimir Putin has extended the nation’s partial economic shutdown through May 11, saying the coronavirus outbreak is yet to reach a peak. Lockdowns imposed by Russian regions have kept most people, except those working in vital industries, at home. Russia has recorded 93,558 coronavirus cases and 867 deaths. Putin has instructed the government to prepare a plan for gradually lifting the lockdown after May 11.
A medical worker wearing protective equipment waits near ambulances, standing in line to deliver patients suspected of being infected with the coronavirus to the admissions department at the Pokrovskaya hospital in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday. (Dmitri Lovetsky/The Associated Press)
In New Zealand, surfers greeted a spectacular sunrise in Christchurch, construction workers purchased their favourite espresso coffees, and some lawmakers returned to Parliament in Wellington on Tuesday, as some aspects of life began returning to normal. The country had been in a strict lockdown for over a month to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but those conditions were eased a little on Tuesday to allow some parts of the economy to restart as new infections wane. New Zealand recorded three new cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday, bringing its confirmed total to 1,472, including 19 deaths.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says New Zealand has ‘won the battle’ against the virus but plans a careful, staged return to normal life. 1:23
Hong Kong reported no new coronavirus cases for a third straight day Tuesday and announced a resumption of public services next week and a relaxation of quarantine restrictions on travellers from mainland China. The eased quarantine will apply to students crossing the border daily to attend school in Hong Kong, and travellers deemed economically important to the city. However, an entry ban on non-residents flying into the city has been extended to June 7.
Worshipers wearing face masks to protect themselves from preventing the spread of coronavirus, pray to the King ghost on the outlying Cheung Chau island in Hong Kong to celebrate the Bun Festival Tuesday. (Kin Cheung/The Associated Press)
South Africa — the world’s largest producer of platinum, manganese and chrome ore — is letting its mines run at half-capacity after a national lockdown. The country’s miners are restricting bus loads to mine sites to 20 workers at a time, even though the cages used to transport workers underground hold up to 1,000.
South Africa has more than 4,700 cases and 90 deaths, according to a Johns Hopkins tally.
A man in protective clothing addresses locals queueing ahead of food distribution in Alexandra township, South Africa Tuesday. (Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters)
In Peru, prisoners staged a riot to protest their precarious living conditions following the deaths of several fellow inmates from the new coronavirus, but the revolt in itself proved fatal. Nine prisoners were killed. The inmates were shot to death during a clash with authorities at the Miguel Castro Castro prison in Lima a day earlier. Who fired the deadly shots was under investigation. Peru’s overcrowded jails have been hard hit by the coronavirus: At least 13 prisoners have died and more than 500 have been infected. More than 100 workers have also fallen ill.
Inmates hold a sign that reads in Spanish “We want COVID-19 tests, we have the right to live”,” as they gather on a roof during a prison protest at Lurigancho prison in Lima, Peru, Tuesday. (Rodrigo Abd/The Associated Press)
MIAMI (AP) — Shohei Ohtani looked up at a visiting crowd that turned out to cheer him and the Los Angeles Dodgers — and ended up getting to witness one of the greatest individual performances, and seasons, in major league history.
Fans lifted their phones to capture the moment and chanted “M-V-P!” as Ohtani rounded the bases after he cleared the fence for the 50th time, becoming the first major league player with at least 50 home runs and and 50 stolen bases in a season.
“I almost cried, to be honest,” shortstop Miguel Rojas said. “It was a lot of emotions because of everything that happens behind the scenes that we got to witness every single day.”
The most amazing thing about it? Ohtani’s day wasn’t even finished.
Ohtani raced past the 50-50 milestone in the most spectacular game of his history-making career, becoming the first big league player to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game during a 20-4 rout of the Miami Marlins on Thursday that also secured a playoff spot for the Dodgers.
Los Angeles’ $700 million Japanese superstar hit his 49th homer in the sixth inning, his 50th in the seventh and his 51st in the ninth. He finished 6 for 6 with 10 RBIs while becoming the first big league player to hit three homers and steal two bases in a game.
“It was something I wanted to get over as quickly as possible. And, you know, it’s something that I’m going to cherish for a very long time,” Ohtani said through an interpreter in a televised interview.
Ohtani reached the second deck in right-center on two of his three homers at LoanDepot Park. In the sixth inning, he launched a 1-1 slider from George Soriano 438 feet for his 49th.
Ohtani hit his 50th homer in the seventh, an opposite-field, two-run shot to left against Marlins reliever Mike Baumann. Then, in the ninth, his 51st traveled 440 feet to right-center, a three-run shot against Marlins second baseman Vidal Brujan, who came in to pitch with the game out of hand.
“To be honest, I’m the one probably most surprised,” Ohtani said. “I have no idea where this came from, but I’m glad that it was going well today.”
Ohtani came into the game with 48 homers and 49 steals. He took care of the stolen bases early, swiping his 50th in the first and his 51st in the second. He has been successful on his last 28 stolen base attempts.
He broke the Dodgers’ franchise record of 49 homers set by Shawn Green in 2001. And he became the third player in major league history with at least six hits, three homers and 10 RBIs in a game, joining Cincinnati’s Walker Cooper in 1949 and Washington’s Anthony Rendon in 2017.
Ohtani has 120 RBIs, trailing only Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees (53 homers, 136 RBIs) in both categories.
Ohtani reached the 50-50 milestone in his 150th game. He was already the sixth player in major league history and the fastest ever to reach 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in a season, needing just 126 games.
His previous career high in homers was 46 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2021, when he also made 23 starts on the mound and won his first of two American League MVP awards.
It was another memorable night for Ohtani at LoanDepot Park, where he struck out then-Angels teammate Mike Trout of the United States for the final out of the 2023 World Baseball Classic championship while playing for Japan.
“I’ve had perhaps the most memorable moments here in my career,” Ohtani said, “and this stadium has become one of my favorite stadiums.”
Already the consensus best player in baseball whose accomplishments as a pitcher and batter outpaced even Babe Ruth, Ohtani reached new heights as an offensive player while taking the year off from pitching.
Ohtani signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Dodgers last December. The two-way star, who previously spent six years with the Los Angeles Angels, has played exclusively at designated hitter this season as he rehabilitates after surgery a year ago for an injured elbow ligament.
He finished a triple shy of the cycle on Thursday, adding a run-scoring single and two doubles. He was thrown out at third base while trying to stretch his second double into a triple.
“There’s nothing you really can say because there’s nothing anybody can do about it,” teammate and former MVP Mookie Betts said. “He’s just too good.”
First base was open when Ohtani came up to bat in the seventh, but Marlins manager Skip Schumaker decided against intentionally walking him with the Marlins trailing 11-3.
“If it was a tight game, one-run lead or we’re down one, I probably put him on,” Schumaker said. “Down that many runs, that’s a bad move baseball-wise, karma-wise, baseball god-wise. … I think out of respect for the game, we were going to go after him. He hit the home run. That’s just part of the deal. He’s hit (51) of them. He’s the most talented player I’ve ever seen.”
Preparation was a key to Ohtani becoming the first member of the 50-50 club. He regularly huddled with the team’s hitting coaches and studied video of opposing pitchers to understand their tendencies with hitters and baserunners.
“I see all the work he puts in,” catcher Will Smith said recently. “It’s not like he goes out there and it’s too easy for him. He works harder than anybody. He scouts really hard. He’s playing a different game so it’s fun to see.”
Ohtani appeared to make the 50-50 mark his mission. He increased the frequency of his base-stealing attempts, and in turn his success rate went up.
But that may not be the case next year when he returns to the mound.
“He’s not pitching this year so I think he is emptying the tank offensively,” manager Dave Roberts said. “I do think the power, the on-base (percentage), the average, I think he can do that as a pitcher. He’s done something pretty similar like that with his OPS. But as far as the stolen bases go, I’m not sure about that.”
Ohtani’s teammates have enjoyed watching him crush home runs and scamper around the bases.
“I’m honestly kind of trying to learn from him just seeing the way he goes about his day-to-day business. He’s very consistent, the same demeanor throughout,” outfielder Tommy Edman said recently. “I think that’s why he’s such a good player.”
Third baseman Max Muncy added, “Every night I feel like he does something that we haven’t seen.”
What’s next for Ohtani?
The Dodgers are headed to the postseason in October, which will be another first for Ohtani. He never made it there with the Angels, who never had a winning record during his tenure in Anaheim.
Another potential first could be earning National League MVP honors as a designated hitter. No player who got most of his playing time as a DH — without pitching — has ever won MVP, although Don Baylor, Edgar Martinez and David Ortiz placed high in the vote.
It would be Ohtani’s third career MVP award.
___
AP Sports Writer Beth Harris in Los Angeles contributed to this report.
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris looked for a boost with persuadable and less-motivated voters as she participated in a livestream Thursday evening with former talk show host Oprah Winfrey to focus on her plans to cut costs for the middle class, restore a national right to abortion and address gun violence.
The event, billed as “Unite for America,” and hosted by Winfrey from suburban Michigan, one of this election’s key battlegrounds, sought to tap into the same energy as long-running Winfrey’s talk show, which drove bestseller lists and allowed celebrities to share their softer side and everyday people to share stories of struggle and inspiration.
It leaned on celebrities like Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Lopez and Meryl Streep, but also the stories of ordinary voters to promote Harris’ message over the course of 90 minutes and to draw a contrast with former President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee. More than 300,000 people were watching the Harris campaign livestream on YouTube alone and the event was also being streamed on other major social media platforms.
“We each have those moments in our lives when it’s time to step up,” Harris said when Winfrey asked about her overnight transformation as she went from President Joe Biden’s running mate to being the Democratic nominee in her own right after he suddenly dropped out in July. “I felt a sense of responsibility, to be honest with you, and with that comes a sense of purpose.”
Winfrey told Harris it looked as if a “veil dropped” and she “stepped into your power.”
At one point Harris reminded viewers that she owns a gun — which surprised Winfrey — saying, “If somebody’s breaking into my house they’re gettin’ shot.” She added, “I probably shouldn’t have said that.”
Harris was given the chance to talk about her plans to reduce the cost of housing and lower taxes for the middle class, as she took questions from voters in Michigan and Virginia.
Oprah recognized Hadley Duvall in the audience, a 22-year-old woman who became an abortion rights advocate after she was raped by her stepfather as a child.
“You can’t wait until it’s too late to care about reproductive healthcare, because then it’s too late,” said Duvall, who is featured in a new Harris campaign ad. “Thank you for hearing us and seeing us when the Supreme Court won’t,” Duvall added in praise of Harris.
Harris and Winfrey also welcomed the mother and sister of a young Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill. Amber Thurman’s death, first reported Monday by ProPublica, occurred just two weeks after Georgia’s strict abortion ban was enacted in 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nationwide abortion rights. Harris has blamed her death on Trump.
“Amber was not a statistic, she was loved by a family, a strong family and we would have done whatever to get my baby, our baby, the help that she needed,” said Thurman’s mother, Shanette Williams.
Harris praised their courage in speaking out and called out a “healthcare crisis” caused by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. “They have no right to be in your womb,” added Winfrey.
Natalie Griffith, a student who was shot twice last month at Apalachee High School in Georgia, joined with her parents. Her mother described the fear she felt after learning about the gunfire at her child’s school.
“No parent should go through this,” Marilda Griffith said through tears, describing rushing out of work, then running to the school to learn if her daughter was OK. She appealed for federal action to curb gun violence.
Harris, after pointing out that she herself owns a gun, said assault-style rifles were designed to kill as many people as possible on a battlefield, and “don’t belong on the streets of a civil society.”
The event comes as Harris is working to continue to share her biography and governing philosophy with voters during her abbreviated presidential campaign, with early voting already underway in some states.
Harris has limited her interactions with the traditional media, instead prioritizing digital engagement and casual — and often more controlled — moments that her campaign hopes will reach voters who increasingly get their news from digital sources.
“I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this Black woman president,” comedian Chris Rock said.
The in-the-round stage has the appearance of a college campus, with faux brick pillars and a background of trees and green turf under the chairs of the several hundred guests in the audience. Dozens more supporters were featured on video screens in the hall.
“I look around at these screens, Oprah, and I look at who’s in the room, and this is America,” Harris said.
The event is meant as a unifying event of Harris supporter groups that spun off organically after a “Black Women for Harris” call drew tens of thousands of viewers — and raised $1.5 million — in the hours after Harris took over for Biden after he ended his campaign. They included “White Dudes for Harris,” “Comedians for Harris” and ‘Swifties for Harris.”
The event included a direct call to action to viewers to volunteer for Harris’ campaign and to make calls and knock on doors for the Democrat.
Winfrey ended with a call “for all decent people, for all caring people” to back Harris, saying of Trump, “We’re better than this.”
Both major presidential candidates are making appearances Thursday meant to fire up their core supporters. Vice President Kamala Harris is participating in a livestream with Oprah Winfrey, who has endorsed Harris and spoke at the Democratic convention in August. Donald Trump will be in Washington to address a “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America” evening event with Miriam Adelson, a co-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, who founded the Las Vegas Sands casino and was one of the Republican Party’s largest donors.
Vice President Kamala Harris has grown more open about her gun ownership in recent weeks, but on Thursday she for the first time said what she’d do with the handgun she owns.
Speaking during a campaign event hosted by the talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Harris was addressing her efforts to cut down on violence and pass a new ban on assault-style weapons, when she referenced owning a handgun — surprising Winfrey.
“If somebody’s breaking into my house they’re gettin shot,” Harris added. She continued: “I probably shouldn’t have said that. My staff will deal with that later.”
Oprah and Kamala Harris host town hall
A live stream with Vice President Kamala Harris and talk show host Oprah Winfrey billed as a “Unite for America” rally kicked off with more than 230,000 viewers on YouTube alone even before Harris joined, as the Democrat looks to digital-first events to reach voters.
The event is hosted by Winfrey from suburban Michigan, one of this election’s key battlegrounds, and is leaning on celebrities like Brian Cranston, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Rock, and Meryl Streep, but also the stories of ordinary voters to promote Harris’s message.
“I want to bring my daughters to the White House to meet this Black woman president,” said comedian Chris Rock.
Trump speaks to Jewish leaders in D.C.
Donald Trump is appearing before Jewish leaders in Washington D.C. to talk about antisemitism.
But as the former president is wont to do, he’s taken a large detour at the top of his speech, name-checking his Republican allies in the crowd, discussing the Green New Deal “scam” and pontificating about his polling numbers at length.
Trump was roughly an hour late to his speech, which was slated to begin around 6 p.m.
“Kamala Harris has done absolutely nothing. She has not lifted a single finger to protect you, or protect your children, or even protect you with words… I’m here to tell you today that this ugly kind of antisemitic hate for all of us — bigotry and hate — will be turned back … starting at noon on Jan. 23rd,” he said.
“With your vote, I will be your protector and defender and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House.”
North Carolina representative reacts to Robinson media report
On Capitol Hill in Washington, Republican Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, the chairman of the House GOP’s campaign committee, told reporters the report’s findings were “concerning.”
Republicans are trying a new approach to abortion in the race for Congress
Looking directly into the camera for ads, or penning personal op-eds in local newspapers, the Republicans are trying to distance themselves from some of the more aggressive anti-abortion ideas coming from their party and its allies. Instead, the Republican candidates are working quickly to spell out their own views separate from a GOP that for decades has worked to put restrictions on reproductive care.
It’s a remarkable about-face as the Republican Party works to prevent losses this November that could wipe out its majority control of the House. It comes in a fast-moving election season with high-profile and gripping stories of women’s lives being upended and endangered by abortion restrictions.
Trump has maintained strong support among white evangelical voters. According to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of the electorate, about 8 in 10 white evangelical voters cast a ballot for him in 2020. But a small and diverse coalition of evangelicals is looking to pull their fellow believers away from the former president’s fold, offering not only an alternate candidate to support but an alternate vision for their faith altogether.
Grassroots groups like Evangelicals for Harris have run advertisements and Zoom call to shore up evangelical votes for the vice president. Despite some policy differences with Harris, they argue she is the better choice this election.
“I certainly don’t agree with her on all matters of policy,” said Lee Scott, who identifies as evangelical and is ordained in the mainline Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). “I am pro-life. I am against abortion. But at the same time, she has a pro-family platform,” citing Harris’ education policies and promise to expand the child tax credit.
Trump’s campaign appears to be distancing itself from Robinson in the wake of the CNN reporting, which AP has not independently verified.
In a statement to AP, which reached out for comment on the reporting, Trump campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said that the GOP nominee’s campaign “is focused on winning the White House and saving this country,” calling North Carolina “a vital part of that plan.”
Leavitt went on to contrast Trump’s economic record with that of Harris, but did not mention Robinson by name or answer questions as to whether he would appear with Trump at a Saturday campaign rally in Wilmington, or had been invited to do so.
Harris’ campaign reminds voters of Trump’s ties to North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson
As CNN published a report that Trump ally and North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson posted strongly worded racial and sexual comments on an online message board, Harris’ campaign reminded voters of the gubernatorial nominee’s linkages to Trump.
In one X post, Harris’ campaign played video clips of Trump praising Robinson – including calling him “better than Martin Luther King” – over headlines from CNN’s reporting.
Another showed Robinson and Trump standing side-by-side giving Trump’s signature thumbs up pose, with the campaign adding a corresponding emoji to the post.
CNN reported Thursday that Robinson, who would become North Carolina’s first Black governor, attacked civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in searing terms and once referred to himself as a “black NAZI.”
Robinson has stumped in North Carolina with Trump several times and spoke at this summer’s Republican National Convention. But he wasn’t with Vance as the GOP vice presidential nominee campaigned in Raleigh on Wednesday, and Trump’s campaign didn’t respond to a question seeking comment as to whether he would appear with the presidential nominee on Saturday in Wilmington.
Wisconsin election officials ask Supreme Court to determine Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ballot fate
Election officials in Wisconsin are asking the state’s liberal-controlled Supreme Court to decide whether independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s name should stay on the presidential ballot without waiting for an appellate ruling.
Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Donald Trump. He’s been trying to get his name off ballots in key battleground states like Wisconsin. A Dane County judge ruled Monday that state law mandates candidates must remain on the ballot unless they die. Kennedy has filed an appeal with the 2nd District Court of Appeals.
Attorneys for the Wisconsin Election Commission asked the state Supreme Court on Thursday to take the case directly. They argued that the case needs a fast, final resolution since clerks have started sending absentee ballots to voters.
Georgia election rule changes by Trump allies raise fear of chaos in November
The state that handed former President Donald Trump one of his narrowest losses four years ago is immersed in election controversies even before the first ballots of this year’s presidential race are cast.
The turmoil springs from a revamp of the state election board that gave Trump allies a majority. They have been making changes to election rules that have raised alarms among Democrats and others.
Georgia Republicans say they are just trying to ensure the accuracy of the vote this November. Democrats say the GOP’s tactics are laying the groundwork for another attempt to overturn the will of the voters should Trump once again lose a close election.
President Biden says Federal Reserve’s decision to lower interest rates signals inflation has eased
President Joe Biden said Thursday the Federal Reserve’s decision to lower interest rates was “an important signal” that inflation has eased as he poked at Donald Trump’s economic policies as a failure in the past and sure to “fail again” if revived.
“Lowering interest rates isn’t a declaration of victory,” Biden told the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. “It’s a declaration of progress, to signal we’ve entered a new phase of our economy and our recovery.”
The Democratic president emphasized that there was more work left to do, but he used his speech to burnish his economic legacy even as he criticized Trump, his Republican predecessor who is running for another term.
“Trickle down down economics failed,” Biden said. “He’s promising again trickle down economics. It will fail again.”
Hospitality union is knocking on millions of doors to support Harris’ presidential candidacy
The hospitality union UNITE HERE says it has knocked on more than 1 million doors on behalf of Kamala Harris’ presidential candidacy, saying that it expects to reach 3.5 million voters in 10 states by Election Day.
Gwen Mills, the union’s president, said the ground game has been more aggressive than in 2016 and 2020 campaigns. She said the process started earlier than in previous elections and more of her members are taking longer leaves of absence from their jobs to contact potential voters. The union has roughly 300,000 members and 1,800 of them are active in canvassing for the vice president.
Harris is relying on aggressive union outreach to help drive turnout in a close race against former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.
The Teamsters union snubbed Harris on Wednesday by declining to endorse either major presidential candidate. But the United Auto Workers, American Federation of Teachers and the umbrella organization AFL-CIO are all working for Harris.
U.S. Senator introduces bill to provide security protections to presidential and vice presidential candidates
U.S. Sen. Rick Scott announced Thursday morning that he’s leading a bill meant to provide protections to presidential and vice presidential candidates and spouses at the same level of protection provided to the sitting president.
Scott introduced this bill with 11 other Republican senators, and he said in an interview that he’s been texting back and forth with Trump. He said that from these conversations, he understands that Trump is “committed to winning the race and committed to fighting.”
In this interview, he said that his bill would push these protections for Trump as a major presidential candidate, but he clarified that his bill wouldn’t apply to former presidents, including former President Barack Obama or President Joe Biden after November.
Scott also said he supported the state investigation on the assassination attempt and believes that federal prosecutors needed to be more transparent about details to avoid misinformation.
“Here’s a guy that’s now twice, in what 64 days, somebody tried to kill him,” Scott said. “This is not normal, and we’ve got to figure this out.”
Trump no longer visiting a Polish-American shrine in Pennsylvania
Donald Trump is no longer planning to visit a Polish-American shrine in Pennsylvania Sunday where he would have crossed paths with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
That’s according to a person familiar with Trump’s plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the trip, which had not been formally announced. It’s unclear why the change was made, but Trump will be in Pennsylvania Monday for a pair of campaign events in the critical battleground state.
Duda’s office has said he will attend a Roman Catholic Mass at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa followed by the unveiling of a monument to the anti-communist Solidarity movement.
He’ll be in the U.S. for the United Nations General Assembly happening in New York.
Trump’s campaign argues its case to Hispanic voters
Trump’s campaign is making its argument that Hispanic voters are better suited to pick the GOP nominee over Harris this November.
During a call held with reporters Thursday to mark National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said Harris “has tried to undo” Trump’s achievements that benefit Hispanic Americans and that the “world was just a safer and more stable place” under the Republican president’s administration.
Rubio cited Harris’ co-sponsorship while in the U.S. Senate of a bill aimed at making it easier for the Cuban military to benefit and profit from American tourism and “making all kinds of concessions to Venezuela.”
Trump’s campaign held the call to mark National Hispanic Heritage Month, an annual tradition that showcases the diversity and culture of Hispanic people. The month is celebrated each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Rubio and former California Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado gave remarks on the call in both English and Spanish.
Immigration wasn’t a focus of Thursday’s call, but it has been a major line of contrast between Harris and Trump. Speaking at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual leadership conference on Wednesday, Harris criticized Trump’s promise to deport millions of people who are in the United States illegally, questioning whether he would rely on massive raids and detention camps to carry it out.
Trump has promised to carry out “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country” if he’s elected in November but has offered no details on how such an operation would work.
Kamala Harris steps up outreach to Mormon voters in battleground Arizona
Vice President Kamala Harris is stepping up her efforts to win over voters who belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, enlisting prominent members of the faith to make the case in pivotal Arizona that Donald Trump does not align with the church’s values.
Her state campaign announced on Thursday an advisory committee to formalize the outreach to current and former members of the church, widely known as the Mormon church.
With nearly 450,000 church members in Arizona, about 6% of the state’s population, Latter-day Saints and former church members could prove critical in what will likely be an extremely close race.
Latter-day Saints have traditionally voted Republican and are likely to remain part of the GOP coalition. Clustered in solidly Republican states, they have long been a major force in GOP primaries and local politics across the West, but they have not held much sway in national elections. In 2020, about 7 in 10 Mormon voters nationally supported Trump, according to AP VoteCast, while about one-quarter backed Democrat Joe Biden.
Leaders of Democratic protest of Israel-Hamas war won’t endorse Harris but warn against Trump
Leaders of a Democratic protest vote movement against the Israel-Hamas war said Thursday that they would not endorse Vice President Kamala Harris ’ presidential bid but strongly urged their supporters to vote against Donald Trump in November.
The “Uncommitted” movement drew hundreds of thousands of votes in Democratic primaries earlier this year in protest of President Joe Biden ’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. The group’s leaders urged the administration to change its policy on the conflict, warning that some Democratic voters might otherwise abstain from voting in November, particularly in swing state Michigan.
Harris’ “unwillingness to shift on unconditional weapons policy or to even make a clear campaign statement in support of upholding existing U.S. and international human rights law has made it impossible for us to endorse her,” movement leaders said in a statement.
Group leaders also made clear in their statement that they strongly opposed supporters voting for Trump or a third-party candidate who “could help inadvertently deliver a Trump presidency.” Instead, they urged voters to register “anti-Trump votes and vote up and down the ballot.”
