NPR News Now - NPR News: 11-05-2024 2PM EST

Episode Date: November 5, 2024

NPR News: 11-05-2024 2PM ESTLearn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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 Laxmi Singh. After experiencing a steady barrage of presidential campaign visits over the last few months, swing state voters who haven't already done so are casting their ballots.

Some precincts are reporting record turnout in Philadelphia. NPR's Hansi Lo Wang reports it could take some time to announce a clear winner. Pennsylvania's Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Al Schmidt, points out state law forces election workers to wait until election day to inspect mail-in ballot envelopes, open those envelopes, and flatten the ballots inside. There are plenty of other states, red states, blue states, even Florida, which begin that process earlier. In Pennsylvania, again, it can only begin at 7 a.m. That can slow the process for reporting election results in Pennsylvania, where Schmidt says it may take some patience to see who is a clear winner.

The closer the race, the longer it takes to know who won and who lost. Some Pennsylvania counties have received state funding to hire more election workers and buy new equipment, and they're required to report numbers by midnight that will show how many ballots are left to count. Anzila Wong, NPR News, Philadelphia. Most polls in Pennsylvania are set to close at 8 p.m. Eastern, but a state judge has extended hours in Cambria County by two more hours because of ballot scanning problems earlier.

One of the pivotal Pennsylvania regions to watch is Northampton County. Stacey Justo works remotely for a tech company and says, she's voting in honor of herself and people who for whatever reason can't vote. I'm voting for Kamala Harris. I think as a woman of color, it's important to have that kind of representation and also she is advocating for women's reproductive rights.

Bethlehem resident Paul Johnson was in law enforcement for 44 years. A 71-year-old says his decision to back Trump in part comes down to... Immigration is very important. It's problems that need to be addressed. They've been ignored these last couple of years. And the current path is unsustainable. Election security officials say they're not yet tracking any major national-level disruptions. But NPR's Jenna McLaughlin reports, they're

staying vigilant to spot and respond to many potential threats. Kate Conley is a senior advisor at the Department of Homeland Security Cyber and Infrastructure Security Agency, CISA. Her team has set up an election war room in Arlington, Virginia to respond to any security incidents. So far, Conley says her team is not tracking any new national-level disruptions, like cyber attacks or violence. Power outages in California due to high winds could impact a few polling centers in the Bay Area. Conley says election officials are prepared for those types of localized incidents.

A joint team of U.S. government agencies says Russia and Iran continue to push disinformation about the integrity of U.S. elections. But CISA maintains the election is secure and voters should have confidence their votes will be counted as cast. Jenna McLaughlin, NPR News. From Washington, this is NPR. Also making headlines around the globe, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his defense minister Yoav Galant. A widely unexpected announcement today was made as Israel is engaged

in multiple conflicts against Iran-backed groups, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Gaza's Hamas. Ukraine's defense minister says Ukrainian forces have engaged for the first time with North Korean troops. The U.S. confirms Pyongyang deployed forces to Russia's Kursk border region to help Russia in its war against Ukraine. And in eastern Spain, the search continues for missing victims of last week's historic flash floods. At least 218 lives were lost. Back to election day, some companies and transit authorities are offering free or discounted

rides to the polls. NPR's Camila Dominovski reports people who don't have access to a car tend to be less likely to vote. Uber and Lyft are both offering half-off rides to the polls through their apps. Hertz is offering one-day car rentals for free. In some cities, there are deals on bike or scooter rentals, and some localities are offering free rides on local public transportation. None of these deals require you to prove you actually voted. It's illegal to financially reward voting, but they're designed to make it easier to vote.

Lyft says in the 2022 election, more than 2 million people took Lyft rides to the polls, with a typical rider traveling 4 miles and spending 50 minutes at their polling place. Camila Dominovski, NPR News. US stocks trading higher this hour. The Dow Jones Industrial averages up 370 points, or more than three-quarters of a percent, at 42,166. I'm Lakshmi Singh, NPR News.