NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-05-2024 12PM EST

Episode Date: November 5, 2024

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Hey, it's Aisha Harris from Pop Culture Happy Hour. If you love NPR podcasts, you'll want the new NPR Plus podcast bundle. Enjoy an all-you-can-eat selection of NPR Plus podcasts with sponsor-free listening and bonus episodes. Plus, you'll be supporting public radio. Check it out at plus.npr.org. Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakhshmi Singh. Long lines of voters are streaming in and out of schools, churches, community centers, and other polling sites across the United States on this final day of voting in a historic

election. Early in-person voting totals shattered records nationally, but as NPR's Miles Parks reports, a large portion of the American public still votes on the first Tuesday of November. Close to 80 million voters are expected to cast ballots today. And any time that many people are doing the same thing on the same day, there will be hiccups. Whether it's power outages or websites crashing, experts say it's important to realize those are expected and not assume it means the process is rigged. Kentucky's Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams notes this is, after all, a process run by human beings. Most of my counties, people go to church with the poll workers, they go to church with the county clerk, they see them at the grocery, right? Like, it's harder to accuse people of being

crooks and stealing elections when you know them and you see them every day. It could take officials a few days to tally enough votes to know who won the presidency. Miles Parks, NPR News, Washington. Former President Donald Trump is making a third run for the White House. Last night he closed out his campaign, as he did twice before, with a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan. And as NPR's Danielle Kurzleben reports, Trump's lean into familiar messages. He's still saying a lot of the same stuff.

He's promising mass deportations. He's saying tariffs are a grand economic fix, though there are some real doubts about that. He also, though, the last couple of days, has been spreading election disinformation preemptively. He's been spreading false stories about the Pennsylvania system while he's been in that state, which lays the groundwork for him and his supporters to deny the results if they so choose. And PR's Danielle Kurtzleben. And PR's Tamara Keith tells us Vice President Harris

and her campaign are still working to get out the vote. Vice President Harris is calling into radio programs in every swing state today, still trying to reach potential voters before polls close. Campaign Chair Jenna Mallie-Dillon says election day turnout will be key to what they expect to be an incredibly close race. We really feel strong about the fundamentals, but we know we still have to work all the way to every poll closing to make sure every

vote gets in there. And that's why we've built such an extraordinary organization to do just that. That includes mobilizing thousands of volunteers to make calls, send text messages, and knock on doors to encourage likely supporters to vote, betting big on election day turnout. The Trump campaign encouraged early voting this year. Tamara Keith, NPR News. Voters are also deciding the balance of power when the 119th Congress commences in January. Up for election today, all 435 seats in the GOP-controlled U.S. House and 34 in the Democratic-led U.S. Senate. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is

up more than 300 points, or roughly three-quarters of a percent. This is NPR News. Also making headlines around the world, Ukraine's defense minister says Ukrainian forces have engaged for the first time with North Korean units. The U.S. confirms Pyongyang deployed forces to Russia's Kursk border region to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. In eastern Spain, the search continues for missing victims of last week's historic flash floods. At least 218 lives were lost.

In the U.S., voters are deciding on their next president, the makeup of Congress, and many local ballot initiatives. And travelers at the airport in Portland, Oregon were surprised to encounter two unusual greeters recently, an alpaca and a llama. And Pierre's Katie Riddle has details. Benny the llama and Captain Jack the alpaca are part of the Portland Airport's animal therapy program. They usually live on a farm, but they visit the airport every few weeks.

People here say the animals boost their mood, like Sarah Blair, who had been feeling gloomy after the anniversary of her brother's death. It was last Friday, so it's been hanging on for like a week and just real just funky not my normal. I'm pretty happy and I like being happy and sharing the joy and the smiles and these guys they help turn it around. When they're not at the airport Benny the llama and Captain Jack the alpaca have a busy schedule making appearances at corporate events and weddings. Katie Ariddle in NPR News, Portland International Airport.

U.S. stocks trading higher this hour. The Dow is now up 322 points, roughly three-quarters of a percent. The S&P has risen more than 1 percent, up 57 points. The Nasdaq has gained 242 points. This is NPR News.