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Voters split on whether Harris or Trump would do a better job on the economy [Video]
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Voters split on whether Harris or Trump would do a better job on the economy [Video]

Going into November’s election, neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump has a decisive edge with the public on the economy, turning an issue that was once a clear strength for Trump into the equivalent of a political jump ball.About 4 in 10 registered voters say Republican Trump would do a better job handling the economy, while a similar number say that about the Democratic vice president, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. About 1 in 10 voters don’t trust either candidate, and a similar share has equal faith in them. Video above: Latest Franklin and Marshall College Poll: Kamala Harris Leads Donald Trump in PennsylvaniaThe finding is a warning sign for Trump, who has tried to link Harris to President Joe Biden’s economic track record. The new poll suggests that Harris may be escaping some of the president’s baggage on the issue, undercutting what was previously one of Trump’s major advantages. The economy has long been a weak issue for Biden: A separate AP-NORC poll conducted in late June, before Biden’s disastrous debate with Trump, found that about 6 in 10 Americans disapproved of his handling of the economy. Earlier this year, Americans were much more likely to say that Trump’s presidency helped the country on cost of living and job creation, compared to Biden’s.The new poll found that the economy is one of the most important issues for about 8 in 10 voters as they consider which candidate to support, dwarfing other top issues like health care and crime.The aftermath of inflation’s spike in 2022 to a four-decade high has pervaded this year’s presidential contest. Shoppers are upset over their grocery bills. Higher interest rates are financially squeezing the buyers of homes and motor vehicles. All that has appeared to matter more to the public than the low 4.2% unemployment rate and stock market gains. According to the AP-NORC poll, only about one-third of voters say the state of the national economy is somewhat or very good, although they’re more optimistic about their own situation, with about 6 in 10 voters saying their household’s finances are somewhat or very good. Both of those numbers have remained steady over the course of the year, despite falling inflation.The candidates have clashing ideas about how best to straighten out the economy, giving voters a stark choice that might hint at how partisan identity increasingly informs views of the economy and policy. But neither campaign has fully explained how its plans would be implemented. Harris insists her plans would be fully funded and not add to the deficit, while Trump’s team assumes in defiance of most economic models that growth will be high enough to offset the cost.Mark Carlough, 33, who works on medical records in Philadelphia, plans to vote for Harris and says he believes that the taxes on imports proposed by Trump would hurt most consumers.”The tariffs would be horrible for the economy,” he said.Richard Tunnell, 32, of Huntsville, Texas, plans to vote for Trump, just as he did in 2020. He’s not sure if the Republican has an advantage over Harris on the economy, but he noted that Trump has been a great businessman who remains one of the “richest men on the planet” even after filing for bankruptcy multiple times.”I believe this country needs someone to reach their hand in it and work it like a game of Monopoly and that person is Donald Trump,” said Tunnell, a military veteran on disability.Chantelle Breaux, 38, a stay-at-home parent from Lafayette, Louisiana, feels neither candidate has much to offer on the economy. She doesn’t plan to vote unless a candidate more to her liking enters the race.”Kamala wants to put a Band-Aid where major surgery needs to be done on this economy,” said Breaux. “Trump wants to run the country as if it’s a business, but it isn’t a business that is going to support all of the people.”Former President Trump suggests growth would come from tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy leading to more investment, while a universal tariff of as much as 20% would direct that investment to building U.S. factories.Harris has campaigned on more benefits for the middle class to be funded by higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy, saying that would help to contain costs and deliver growth. Her team has warned that Trump’s tariffs would lead to higher prices and worsen underlying inflation challenges.The economy is one of many issues shaping public sentiment as the campaigns seek to turn out their voters. More than half of voters said health care was a top concern, while roughly half said that about crime, immigration, abortion policy and gun policy. Only about one-third called climate change one of the most important issues for their vote, and about one-quarter said that about the war between Israel and Hamas.Trump and Harris are evenly matched in the poll on who would better handle crime and the war in Gaza. But the issues soon splinter in ways that reflect the distinct priorities of Republicans and Democrats.Trump has an advantage over Harris on whom voters trust to better handle immigration. This issue was a problem for Biden, as well: Illegal immigration and crossings at the U.S. border with Mexico have been a challenge during much of his administration. Republicans are more likely to care about immigration, the issue where Trump has a clear upper hand.Harris fares better than Trump when it comes to issues that Democrats care more about, including gun policy, health care, abortion policy and climate change.Rosamaria Nunez, a 68-year-old retiree in San Antonio, Texas, identified gun violence as the most important issue facing the country, saying it became personal when her grandson called her last year to be picked up because of a school lockdown.Nunez said she plans to vote for Harris, saying: “First of all, she’s a gun owner, so she can relate to the safety issue. She seems like she’s more in tune with a real person than Trump is.”Overall, voters see high stakes for the presidential election’s impact on the country’s future, the economy, and the future of democracy in the U.S., but they’re less likely to think the election will have an impact on them personally. About 8 in 10 voters say the election will have “a great deal” or “quite a bit” of impact on the country’s future. About three-quarters say the election will have a similar impact on the nation’s economy and the future of democracy in the U.S.By contrast, half of voters say the election will have at least “quite a bit” of impact on them personally. The poll of 1,771 registered voters was conducted September 12-16, 2024, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for registered voters is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Drivers frustrated after Ebert St. pothole damages cars [Video]
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Drivers frustrated after Ebert St. pothole damages cars [Video]

Drivers in Winston-Salem are expressing frustration after a large pothole damaged their cars over the weekend along Ebert Street near Silas Creek Parkway near a construction site. One concerned citizen, Lawrence Vines, says his sister was driving along Ebert Street on Sunday morning when she drove into the hole. It was so bad, it busted my sisters tire rims, he said. After seeing the damage, Vines decided to take matters into his own hands. He went to Ebert Street to see the hole and ended up helping others drive across it.I was slowing them down so they wouldnt tear their cars up, Ebert said. I had several people come by with doughnut tires, spare tires, saying that that hole got them.Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking hereWXII 12 News contacted another driver, Brian Abundis, who says he hit the hole Saturday morning. He says he was driving his car, a BMW, along Ebert Street when he hit what he called a great big trench. Abundis isnt sure of the exact cost, but he estimates repairs will take several thousand dollars. Vines also estimated a four-digit price tag for the damage to his sisters car.What about the people that cant afford to repair their vehicles? Vines asked. WXII 12 News contacted the utility contractor that made the hole, PF Plumbing, a Winston-Salem-based company. A field manager for the company, James Idol, says a private developer hired the company and began work on a sewer tap installation on Thursday, Sept. 12. On Friday, he says the area was stoned and bedded before the day was over. He says its likely that bad weather caused the section of the road to settle, creating the hole. Keep up with the latest news and weather by downloading the WXII app here.Idol says as soon as the company became aware of the issue on Sunday, crews responded to make the area safe to drive on. As for the damaged vehicles, Idol says PF Plumbing is in contact with multiple drivers and will work to satisfy them.This has never happened before, Idol said on a phone call. And were definitely putting in some other policies to make sure it never happens again.Idol said he also wants to reach out to those impacted personally and apologize for any inconvenience the incident caused. Watch: NOWCAST streaming newscastsWXII also reached out to the City of Winston-Salem. In an email, a spokesperson wrote PF Plumbing did not follow the required city permitting process before work began. The required permitting process includes obtaining a street cut permit and road closure permit. It was only after the work had begun that the city became aware of the project and became involved.Idol did not have an answer when asked about the citys permitting process. On Thursday, WXII witnessed crews working on Ebert Street. Around 4:30 p.m., the section of the road was reopened, and traffic resumed traveling along the street as usual. NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Watch NOWCAST TV | Local News | National | News We Love | Trending Stories

Key Bridge collapse victims’ families announce lawsuit [Video]
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Key Bridge collapse victims’ families announce lawsuit [Video]

Families of the construction workers who died in the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge announced on Tuesday they’re filing a lawsuit against the owner of the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge.Video above: Wife remembers husband killed in Key Bridge collapse in her own wordsThe three families are speaking out for the first time at a news conference Tuesday afternoon hosted by national Latino advocacy organization CASA to seek justice and share plans to hold the ship company accountable for the deaths of their loved ones.”It was a long an agonizing night for the families, including the three families who are present right here today, as they waited for the news of their loved ones — most who never returned home,” said Gustavo Torres, CASA’s executive director. “No financial loss can compare to the loss of human life … no legal loophole should ever be able to erase the value of a human life.”The Dali container ship lost power before the March 26 collision and collapse of the Key Bridge that killed six highway construction workers, according to an update from the National Transportation Safety Board released in June.”Based on the preliminary investigation by the NTSB, the ship involved in the disaster had lost power several times before even leaving port, and then just two hours after leaving the Baltimore harbor, it lost power again several times over. We have so many questions of that night. What followed was nothing short of devastation,” Torres said.The six construction workers who died were Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernndez Estrella, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez and Jos Mynor Lpez. All are remembered as beloved members of their community who were devoted to their families.The families announced a claim to be filed by public interest and plaintiff-side appellate firm Gupta Wessler LLP.”We are here today because we seek truth, we seek justice, and nothing should move faster than the pursuit of truth and justice in the face of such an unimaginable tragedy,” Torres said.Video below: Watch the families’ news conference in its entiretyIn April, the companies linked to the Dali filed a petition in court for liability protection.”Not even a week after the bridge fell, Grace Ocean Private filed a court petition to limit the legal liability for the disaster. As if that were not enough, they went further and hired a federal lobby firm working behind closed doors to rewrite the very law designated to protect the vulnerable in trying to reduce the liability and responsibility,” Torres said. “Grace Ocean Private has chosen the path of impunity of the path of justice, driven by profit and self-interest. Their action seeks to erase accountability they owe to these families, to these men whose lives were stolen. But we will not let that happen.”Torres said the families plan to file its court notice by a Sept. 24 deadline to file claims.”We will seek justice in court,” Torres said.The Associated Press reported on April 15 that the FBI started a criminal investigation into whether federal laws were followed. The same day, the city of Baltimore launched “legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible.”The six construction workers were described as Latin American immigrants, most of whom had lived in the United States for years.”Our hearts break for (the victims) — six essential workers who were simply doing their jobs, six men who came to this country with dreams of a better life, better future,” Torres said.El Salvadoran-native Miguel Luna is described as a husband and father who worked in construction for Brawner Builders. His wife, Maria del Carmen Castelln, spoke about her husband of more than 14 years and their dreams.”My best friend, my companion, my husband was missing. Miguel was not just an incredible husband, he was a father of five, he was a grandfather and he was a son,” Castelln said. “That day, a wound was opened in my heart that will never heal, something that I do not wish to anyone.”Residents of Glen Burnie, he and his wife planned on expanding Castelln’s food truck business to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. They visited a commercial space for their business expansion the day before his death.In addition to the lawsuit, it was announced that the families are calling for policy changes to protect construction workers, who are often immigrants.”We should be able to live in a world where our loved ones come home safe and we do not have the threat of losing them to dangerous work,” Castelln said. “We honor our loved ones through this lawsuit, and we honor our loved ones through demanding systemic change that will bring about dignity and justice for immigrants and essential workers because they, too, deserve it in this country.”Torres said they are calling for temporary protective status for immigrant essential workers.

Inside the fateful 12 hours of an apparent assassination attempt outside the Trump International Golf Club [Video]
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Inside the fateful 12 hours of an apparent assassination attempt outside the Trump International Golf Club [Video]

Donald Trump was walking down the fifth hole of the championship course at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, preparing for his birdie putt, when the all-too-familiar sound of gunfire prompted his Secret Service detail to pounce on the former president.This time, however, the only shots fired came from the gun of an agent protecting Trump, and not a gunman who had staked out the former president. Trump was whisked away to safety, unharmed, while the gunman, who officials believe remained near the tree-line perimeter of the golf course for 12 hours, fled the scene by car.Sundays apparent assassination attempt against Trump the second in the past two months has sparked a range of questions, including about the movements and motivations of the suspect now in custody and whether the Secret Service provided adequate protection for a last-minute golf outing.Investigators believe Ryan Wesley Routh, the suspect in the apparent assassination attempt, arrived to the tree-lined fence of the golf courses southern perimeter on Summit Boulevard at 1:59 a.m. Sunday morning, based on the location data from his cell phone. Phone records from T-Mobile that indicated Rouths phone was in the vicinity of the golf course for roughly 12 hours before he was first spotted by U.S. Secret Service, according to charging documents.Jeffrey Veltri, special agent in charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, said at a Monday news conference, said that the cell-phone data indicated he was in very close proximity to where he was spotted by the Secret Service.Authorities found a snipers nest along the fence. Routh allegedly had an SKS-style rifle, with a scope and obliterated serial number. A backpack hung on the fence that contained ceramic tiles like those used in bulletproof vests. A GoPro camera and a black plastic bag with food were also hung on the course fence, according to a photo from the crime scene released Sunday.Its still not clear why Routh went to the golf course that day. There was nothing on Trumps public schedule, and the golf round was a last-minute add to Trumps calendar an off-the-record movement, acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe explained Monday. On Sunday, the former president teed off the along with a donor, Steve Witkoff. By the fifth hole, Trump was having a good start to his round Trump told Sean Hannity he was at even par, the Fox News host said after the incident on Sunday, while a source told CNN Trump joked that he was actually at two-under par and in the middle of a wonderful game of golf.Trump had a putt for birdie awaiting him on the fifth green, Hannity said the former president told him.While Trump was walking along the fifth hole, a long par-three over a water hazard, one of the teams of Secret Service agents protecting him was one hole ahead, sweeping the perimeter of the course on the sixth hole before Trump played it.At 1:31 p.m. ET, the agent on the course the perimeter spotted what appeared to be a rifle poking out of the tree line. He fired in the direction of the rifle, according to the criminal complaint.As former President Trump was moving through the fifth fairway, across the course and out of sight of the sixth green, the agent, who was visually sweeping the area of the sixth green, saw the subject armed with what he perceived to be a rifle and immediately discharged his firearm, Rowe said Monday.Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said on Sunday that the Routh was roughly 300-to-500 yards from the former president.The would-be gunman never had a line of sight on the former president, Rowe said Monday, adding: He did not fire or get off any shots at our agents.Trump publicly recounted the incident for the first time Monday evening during an X Spaces conversation.All of a sudden we heard shots being fired in the air, and I guess probably four or five, and it sounded like bullets. But what do I know about that? But Secret Service knew immediately it was bullets, and they grabbed me, and I think probably the other one, Steve is one of the people. Steve Witkoff, a great friend of mine, Trump said.So were in the group and everybody just, we got into the carts, and we moved along pretty, pretty good, he continued. I was with an agent, and the agent did a fantastic job. There was no question that we were off that course. I would have loved to have sank that last putt, but we decided, lets get out of here.The suspect flees and officers flooded highwayAfter the Secret Service agent fired at his position on the fence, Routh fled into in a black Nissan SUV, driving east toward I-95 and heading north on the freeway, officials said.Crucially, a witness nearby spotted Routh leaving the scene, and took a picture of his car and license plate. That allowed law enforcement officials across multiple jurisdictions to ultimately stop Rouths vehicle about 45 minutes later in Martin County, more than 40 miles to the north of the golf course.The eyewitness provided remarkable assistance leading to the arrest of the suspect, Veltri said Monday.At about 1:55 p.m. ET Sunday, the Martin County Sheriffs Office received a BOLO or be on the lookout alert about a suspect heading north on I-95, with a vehicle description and a tag number.Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said his agency flooded the highway. The area around where Routh was detained Sunday was crawling with law enforcement, he said.Every available unit about 30 in all, he estimated went out to search, Snyder said Monday.One patrol deputy saw the suspect vehicle at about mile marker 110 and alerted others, following it but not trying to immediately stop the vehicle, Snyder said. Instead, the deputy waited for two large F-250 pickup trucks to get in place on the highway and force the vehicle to a stop near State Route 714.Deputies conducted a felony stop at 2:14 p.m. ET, calling Routh out of the vehicle. He came back and was handcuffed, the sheriff said, and taken into custody, Snyder said. Routh was asked if he knew why he was stopped, and he answered in the affirmative, according to the affidavit supporting the criminal complaint.His facial affect was so flat. His demeanor was relaxed, Snyder said of Routh. I honestly thought it looked like somebody that had just left the church picnic and was on his way home.Routh was driving his daughters car when he was detained, according to a law enforcement source. The license plate on the Nissan SUV was registered to a 2012 white Ford truck that had been reported stolen, according to the charging documents.The witness who initially spotted Routh fleeing the golf course was flown by the Palm Beach County sheriffs helicopter to the scene to identify Routh once he was in custody, Snyder told CNNs Erin Burnett Monday evening. The Martin County Sheriffs Office turned Routh over to the FBI and Secret Service once they arrived on the scene, Snyder added.Routh was charged Monday morning with two initial counts: possession of a firearm while a convicted felon and possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number. Additional charges could be brought, law enforcement officials familiar with the matter told CNN.