AP - The Morning Wire - by Sarah Nafta - October 24, 2024 - Key moments from Kamala Harris’ CNN town hall; the RNC is rebuilding its legal operation; and there’s no end in sight for the Boeing labor strike. Also, Hong Kong discovers dinosaur fossils for the first time.

 

By Sarah Naffa October 24, 2024

In the news today: Key moments from Kamala Harris’ CNN town hall; the RNC is rebuilding its legal operation; and there’s no end in sight for the Boeing labor strike. Also, Hong Kong discovers dinosaur fossils for the first time. Kamala Harris speaks during a CNN town hall, Wednesday, as moderator Anderson Cooper listens. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) POLITICS Key moments from Kamala Harris’ CNN town hall Kamala Harris went to a Philadelphia suburb on Wednesday night for a CNN town hall, where she faced questions from undecided voters. The event was arranged after Donald Trump declined to participate in a second debate with her. Read more.

Key moments: Harris says Trump is a fascist. Asked by CNN’s Anderson Cooper if she thinks Trump is a fascist, Harris replied bluntly. “Yes, I do,” she said. Her answer came shortly after John Kelly, Trump’s former chief of staff, used the same term to describe the Republican nominee. Harris widens her break with Biden. The vice president has struggled with questions about how she’s different from President Joe Biden. Biden recently gave her a rhetorical green light to break with him more, saying she would “cut her own path” if elected. Harris appears to have tentatively embraced the opportunity. One voter asked Harris about her weaknesses. Harris said she surrounds herself with “very smart people” whom she pushes for answers on complicated topics. It sounded like a classic politician dodge, but her answer hinted at real criticism that she’s faced over the years. Sometimes Harris has been known to prepare to the point of paralysis, and she’s sometimes unwilling to take risks.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Voters trust Harris on a number of issues. But is that what they’ll vote on? Suspect in shootings of Democratic office in Arizona had over 200 guns in his home, officials find Los Angeles Times editor resigns after newspaper withholds presidential endorsement POLITICS The RNC is rebuilding its legal operation after Trump allies’ failed effort to undo the 2020 race The last time Donald Trump ran for president, the lawyers most directly involved in his efforts to overturn the election wound up sanctioned, criminally prosecuted or even sued for millions of dollars. This time around, Republican party leaders are working to present a more organized, skilled legal operation. Read more.

Why this matters: This year, the Republican National Committee has launched a coordinated "election integrity" initiative that involves the recruitment of thousands of lawyers, polling-place monitors and poll workers, who officials insist will operate within the law. The RNC’s litigation so far has been aimed at ensuring voter ID requirements; asserting that non-citizens are improperly voting; and challenging what they see as lax rules on mail-in and absentee voting. Democrats have sounded alarms about the election integrity initiative, calling it an effort to sow distrust in the process and pave the way to cry foul if Trump loses. The flurry of litigation is hardly surprising in a competitive election between Trump and Kamala Harris that could turn on about a half-dozen battleground states. But there’s no guarantee that a well-credentialed team will deliver better results if the arguments are again rooted in baseless claims, or that the effort, like in 2020, won’t be co-opted after the election by different attorneys.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ The top election official in a politically crucial Nevada county says she was forced out A Supreme Court reshaped by Trump has a low profile in this presidential campaign Speaker Johnson lays out agenda for Republicans as they fight to hold House majority BUSINESS Boeing labor strike remain on the picket lines as workers reject latest contract proposal Boeing factory workers voted against the company’s latest contract offer and remain on the picket lines six weeks into a strike that has stopped production of the aerospace giant’s bestselling jetliners. A spokesperson for Boeing said officials didn’t have a comment on the vote. Read more.

Why this matters: The labor standoff comes during an already challenging year for Boeing, which became the focus of multiple federal investigations after a door panel blew off a 737 Max plane during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. The strike has deprived the company of much-needed cash that it gets from delivering new planes to airlines. On Wednesday, the company reported a third-quarter loss of more than $6 billion. In recent weeks, Ortberg announced large-scale layoffs that will affect about 17,000 people, and a plan to raise enough cash to avoid a bankruptcy filing. Boeing hasn’t had a profitable year since 2018, and Wednesday’s numbers represented the second-worst quarter in the manufacturer’s history.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Workers who assemble Boeing planes are on strike. Will that affect flights? Flying air taxis move closer to US takeoff with issuing of FAA rule ADVERTISEMENT IN OTHER NEWS READ Humanitarian aid: Macron says France will provide 100 million-euro aid package to support Lebanon Former NYC mayor: Rudy Giuliani is ordered to turn over assets to 2 Georgia election workers. How will that work? Major hurricane: Hurricane Kristy strengthens into a Category 4 storm in the Pacific Ocean Ron Ely: TV’s 1960s ‘Tarzan’ the 1960s dies at 86 Grizzly bear No. 399: Grand Teton bear that delighted visitors for decades is killed by vehicle in Wyoming First-time fossil find: Hong Kong discovers dinosaur fossils for the first time Today in History: In 1929, 'Black Thursday' on Wall Street WATCH Commercial jets: Lebanon’s national carrier braves Israeli airstrikes Fast food: McDonald’s customers react to E. coli outbreak linked to Quarter Pounders 'Venom' film: Tom Hardy used earpiece to become 'remote control actor' Toys and games: How toys get into the Toy Hall of Fame A CHANGE OF PACE A recipe for salmon piccata. (Shelly Westerhausen/Chronicle Books via AP) With this salmon piccata, the fish sings in butter, lemon and capers Here’s how to make salmon sing: Pair it with butter, lemon and capers in a move that’s genius in its simplicity. Husband-and-wife food bloggers and podcasters Sonja and Alex Overhiser swap fish for chicken in this classic Italian American dish, making it (dare we say?) even more irresistible than the original.

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