NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-28-2024 11AM EDT

Episode Date: October 28, 2024

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Hey there, it's Tamara Keith. I cover the White House. I know this is hard to believe, but one day the election will be over. Then the winner gets a lot more powerful. It's my job to report on what they do with that power. That's public accountability, but it's not possible without public support. So please support our work. Sign up for NPR+. Go to plus dot NPR dot org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. This is the final full week of campaigning before next week's general election. Former President Donald Trump returns to Georgia today for an event in Atlanta. Vice President Harris takes her campaign back to Michigan, as NPR's Asma Khalid reports.

Harris is making a couple of stops in Michigan to highlight the administration's work to boost American manufacturing. She's visiting a semiconductor facility that received an investment through the Chips and Science Act. That law was passed on a bipartisan basis with the goal of reducing American dependence on foreign semiconductors. But last Friday, Trump blasted the law, describing it as a bad deal and said he could have imposed tariffs to get more companies to build CHIPS facilities in the United States.

Harris will also visit a labor union training facility. And this all comes as some progressive Democrats have called on her to focus more on the economy in these closing days. Asma Khalid, NPR News. Trump held a rally in New York last night. A guest comedian called Puerto Rico a quote, floating island of garbage. There's been a lot of criticism. Puerto Rico's Republican Party chair called the comment racist. Trump's campaign released a statement saying the comment does not reflect the view of Trump or his campaign. Meanwhile, Trump is promising to cut

taxes on tips, overtime, and social security, and this weekend he floated the idea of cutting all federal income taxes. NPR's Luke Garrett reports Trump's running mate isn't so sure about that. On Sunday, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance called the elimination of federal taxes, quote, aspirational. During an interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, Vance argued tariffs on foreign countries could fund the federal government instead of taxing citizens. When pressed on whether he thinks ending income taxes is possible, Vance relented. Is it on the table with the Democratic Congress that we have?

I don't think that's realistic, Kristen. But I do think it's good to set an aspiration of what you want the country to look like. And right now we're working on cutting taxes on tips, cutting taxes on overtime. Tax experts say these cuts would severely increase the country's national debt. Vice President Harris also supports eliminating taxes on tips. Luke Garrett, NPR News, Washington. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte says he can confirm North Korea is sending troops to Russia and they've been deployed to a region where Ukrainian soldiers have recently taken

territory. That means the North Korean troops could enter combat against Ukrainian troops. Rutte says North Korea has given Russia more than troops. Pyongyang has already supplied Russia with millions of rounds of ammunition and ballistic missiles that are fueling a major conflict in the heart of Europe and undermining global peace and security. Ruta says Russia is giving North Korea military technology and other support to get around international sanctions. This could mean a threat to South Korea. On Wall Street the Dow Jones industrials are up about 300 points. This is NPR.

President Biden released a statement yesterday, observing the sixth anniversary of a gunman's deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue. The gunman killed 11 worshippers from multiple congregations and injured seven other people. He was sentenced to death last year after he was convicted on 63 charges, including hate crimes, resulting in death. McDonald says Quarter Pounders are returning to its menus following an outbreak of E. Coli in 13 states. The food poisoning sickened at least 75 people in one person died in Colorado and peers Eva Pukac reports. McDonald's says testing

from the Colorado Department of Agriculture has ruled out beef patties as the source of the E. coli outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration says it believes the contamination likely stemmed from slithered onions from a single supplier. McDonald's says the onions came from the Taylor Farms facility in Colorado Springs and were distributed to 900 McDonald's restaurants across 12 states. The chain says it has stopped sourcing onions from the Colorado Springs facility indefinitely. Restaurants that had received onions from the Colorado Springs facility will resume sales of the quarter pounder without slithered onions. Ava Pukac and PR News.

A British cheese distributor says a con artist has stolen nearly 50,000 pounds of award-winning cheddar cheese. The high-quality cheese is worth at least $400,000. Detectives at Scotland Yard are helping search for the thief. Officials say nearly 1,000 wheels of cloth-wrapped cheese from three makers have vanished. This is NPR.