Tag: vote

Trump says he is ‘medication-free,’ describes Covid battle

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump said he was “medication free” and revealed more details of his fight with Covid-19 in a televised interview aired Friday, one week after he was hospitalized with the virus. The president appeared on Fox’s Tucker Carlson Tonight for what the White House described as an on-air “medical evaluation” conducted remotely by Fox contributor doctor Marc Siegel. “Right now I’m medication-free, I’m not taking any medications […]

Organizers cancel Oct 15 US presidential debate

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The Commission on Presidential Debates said Friday it has cancelled next week’s showdown between Donald Trump and his challenger Joe Biden, after the president said he would not participate in a virtual format. “Each (candidate) now has announced alternate plans for that date,” the commission said in a statement, adding “it is now apparent there will be no debate on October 15.” The move leaves just one more debate […]

Claims of US mail-in ballot fraud threaten confidence in US presidential elections

  by Louis BAUDOIN Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The allegations of potential voter fraud look plausible, featuring US mail-in ballots addressed to dead people or former residents. But the claims posted on social media are inaccurate, and threaten to undermine confidence in the presidential election. “Strange how this keeps happening,” Donald Trump Jr, son of the president, wrote in a tweet sharing a photo of eight mail-in ballots allegedly sent in […]

Trump leaves hospital for White House — removes mask immediately, claims to have beaten COVID

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump checked out of hospital Monday after four days of emergency treatment for Covid-19, pulling off his mask the moment he reached the White House and vowing to quickly get back on the campaign trail. Shortly beforehand, Trump had tweeted that Americans, who have lost nearly 210,000 people to the virus, have nothing to fear. A series of made-for-TV moments allowed […]

Trump criticized for leaving hospital to greet supporters

  by Brian Knowlton and Joshua Melvin Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Donald Trump sparked an angry backlash from the medical community Sunday with a protocol-breaking visit to his supporters outside the hospital where he is being treated for the highly-infectious, potentially deadly new coronavirus. He was masked as he waved from inside his bulletproof vehicle during the short trip outside Walter Reed military medical center near Washington, which appeared […]

Trump, Biden spar ahead of real debate fight

by Saul Loeb with Sebastian Smith in Washington CLEVELAND, United States (AFP) — Frontrunner Joe Biden and an increasingly struggling Donald Trump traded jabs Tuesday hours ahead of a first presidential debate that promised to be as nasty and unpredictable a clash as American voters have ever seen. Before they’d even met on the stage in Cleveland for the first of three 90-minute live television showdowns, Biden made public his tax returns to capitalize on […]

Trump names ‘brilliant’ conservative to US Supreme Court

  by Sebastian Smith Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — President Donald Trump named Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court on Saturday, setting in motion a rush by Republicans to cement a conservative majority on the court on the eve of a tense and potentially disputed US election. Trump stood alongside Barrett at a White House Rose Garden ceremony to announce his decision, calling her “one of the most brilliant and gifted […]

US closes in on 200,000 virus deaths, weeks before election

  by Ivan Couronne and Issam Ahmed Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The United States edged close to registering 200,000 Covid-19 deaths on Monday, the latest grim milestone for the country just weeks before voters decide if President Donald Trump stays in office. According to a rolling tally by Johns Hopkins University, 199,531 Americans have died and 6.8 million have been confirmed infected. The US has had the world’s highest official death […]

Yoshihide Suga wins party vote, becoming likely next Japan PM

by Kyoko HASEGAWA / Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s ruling party on Monday elected chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga its new leader, making him all but certain to replace Shinzo Abe as the country’s next prime minister. Suga easily won the vote, taking 377 of the 534 valid votes cast by Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and regional representatives, significantly ahead of his two rivals. Given his party’s legislative majority, he is expected to […]

Japan ruling party picks successor to PM Abe

by Kyoko HASEGAWA / Sara HUSSEIN TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s ruling party votes Monday for its next leader, with top government adviser Yoshihide Suga all but certain to win and replace Shinzo Abe as the country’s new prime minister. Chief cabinet secretary Suga is heavily tipped to win the Liberal Democratic Party ballot, with a parliamentary vote Wednesday set to elevate him to the country’s top job. Even before he formally announced his run, […]

US vote-by-mail begins as White House campaign turns ugly

  by Jerome Cartillier with Michael Mathes in Wilmington, Delaware Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US election is officially open: North Carolina on Friday launched vote-by-mail operations for the November 3 contest between President Donald Trump and Democrat Joe Biden, which is getting uglier by the hour. With two months until Election Day, Trump is seizing on fears over violent protests in US cities and questioning the integrity of voting by […]

Japan ruling party sets Sept 14 vote on PM Abe’s successor

by Kyoko Hasegawa with Katie Forster in Hong Kong TOKYO, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s ruling party will vote on September 14 on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s replacement, an official confirmed Wednesday, as powerful chief cabinet secretary Yoshihide Suga consolidated his frontrunner status in the race. A vote in parliament — expected to endorse the Liberal Democratic Party’s new leader — is likely to follow on September 16. The new prime minister will face a raft […]