NPR News Now - NPR News: 10-28-2024 9AM EDT

Episode Date: October 28, 2024

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Support for this podcast and the following message come from Autograph Collection Hotels, with over 300 independent hotels around the world, each exactly like nothing else. Autograph Collection is part of the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio of hotel brands. Find the unforgettable at autographcollection.com. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman, former President Donald Trump campaign to New York City yesterday, but his guest speakers at the Madison Square Garden rally are facing criticism for inflammatory comments. One comedian called Puerto Rico a, quote, floating island of garbage.

The Trump campaign issued a statement saying the comment does not reflect the view of Trump or his campaign. In a new campaign video released prior to Trump's rally, Vice President Harris criticized Trump's handling of two hurricanes that hit the island in 2017. Harris says she will create a new task force to support Puerto Rico's economy. To foster economic growth and create thousands of new, good paying jobs in Puerto Rico, including for our young people. Harris campaigned yesterday in Pennsylvania. The key swing state has more than half a million

eligible Latino voters. The Latino Policy and Politics Institute at UCLA says the majority of these Pennsylvania Latino voters are of Puerto Rican descent. Harris will campaign in Michigan today. Trump will return to the Atlanta area. From member station WABE, Raul Bali reports it's Trump's third rally in the region over the past two weeks.

Trump's recent Georgia rallies have been in the Atlanta area while earlier ones were concentrated in Republican-heavy rural parts of the state. Campaign surrogates believe there's a percentage of swing voters they can still get in Atlanta's northern suburbs. Sergant's believe there's a percentage of swing voters they can still get in Atlanta's northern suburbs. Speaking in downtown Atlanta Saturday, vice presidential nominee JD Vance pushed supporters to vote early. So I'd encourage all of us to get out there, vote early if you're able to, because it's how we're gonna, you know, get enough votes in the bank so that we make sure that Donald Trump wins the state of Georgia. More than a third of Georgia's registered voters have already cast a ballot. Trump is also meeting with hundreds of pastors

in suburban Atlanta. For NPR News, I'm Raul Balli in Atlanta. Students in Asheville, North Carolina public schools are returning to classes today for the first time since Hurricane Helene left widespread damage and flooding across the region. Laura Hackett with Blue Ridge Public Radio reports students in Asheville have been away from school since late September. Schools in Asheville have had to restore power and internet, reconfigure bus routes around devastated roads, and figure out a workaround to a city water system that still cannot deliver clean drinking water. Now that they're reopening, educators

are greeted with a new challenge, making up for 20 days of missed classes. School board member Amy Ray hopes to get some tutors. I hope at this point that we would be able to find donors to help us pay for just really robust tutoring. Educators are also preparing for a surge of mental health struggles among students and staff, some who have lost homes and friends due to the storm. For NPR News, I'm Laura Hackett in Asheville, North Carolina. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. NATO confirms that North Korean troops have been sent to Russia to help that country in its invasion of Ukraine.

NATO's new secretary general, Mark Rutte, says some of these North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia's Kursk region. That's where Ukraine seized some territory last August. Rutte says the North Korean involvement marks a significant escalation in the conflict and an expansion of Russia's war in Ukraine. Wall Street investors are facing economic reports and earnings this week including a critical report on jobs. NPR's Rafael Nam has more. The economy so far has held up far better than many had expected. But can that continue? We'll get some big clues this week with a bunch of earnings reports from big companies, including Amazon and McDonald's.

The US will also issue an economic report card of its own on Wednesday when the government reports how much the economy grew from July to September. Then on Friday we'll get the latest jobs data. These two big economic reports come just days before the Federal Reserve's meeting next week. They also come just before another big day for the country, Election Day. Raphael Nam, NPR News. Game three of the World Series is tonight in New York. The Los Angeles Dodgers lead the New York Yankees two games to none. LA Dodgers star Shohei Otani will be in the lineup tonight. In game two on Saturday,

Otani slightly dislocated his shoulder while trying to steal second base. This is NPR.