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Organ and cell transplants are potentially life-saving treatments for a variety of medical conditions, but their success depends on how long the transplanted cells or tissues can survive in their new host. Drugs that suppress the immune system to minimize rejection must strike a delicate balance between being powerful enough to hold back the recipient’s immune system from destroying the donated material, without being too potent to cause toxic reactions.

In a study presented at the Summit on Stem Cell Derived Islets in Boston, researchers report on encouraging results using an experimental immunosuppressive drug in people with Type 1 diabetes. People with the disease no longer make enough insulin in their pancreas to break down sugar in the foods they eat, and have to monitor their blood sugar levels and inject themselves with insulin for the rest of their lives. In some cases, the insulin shots become ineffective and patients need more aggressive treatment: usually a transplant of islet cells—which produce insulin in the pancreas—from a deceased donor. But many patients end up rejecting the transplanted cells when their body’s immune system views them as foreign and starts attacking them.

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In the latest study, researchers led by Dr. Piotr Witkowsky, professor of surgery and director of pancreas and pancreatic islet transplantation at University of Chicago Medicine, performed islet cell transplants using a different drug to suppress the recipients’ immune systems. The drug, tegoprubart, was the same one used in the first transplant of a pig kidney into a human patient earlier in 2024. In the current study, three patients received transplants of islet cells with tegoprubart; two no longer needed insulin injections after 18 weeks (and after a second islet cell transplant) and four weeks, respectively, and achieved normal A1C levels, while the third patient reduced their insulin needs by 60% several days after the transplant and is still being monitored.

“We have been doing deceased donor islet cell transplants for the last 24 years,” says Witkowski. “There was a lot of hope at the beginning that patients might come off insulin, but we realized that the immune suppressants we were using were not optimal, and over time, patients were losing the [transplanted] islet cells.”

Read More: The Paradox of How We Treat Diabetes

The small number of patients in the tegoprubart study reported no side effects, and the transplanted islet cells were three to five times more likely to engraft and produce insulin than cells transplanted in people who had received the current immunosuppressive drug tacrolimus. “We don’t need to adjust doses to control toxicity like we do with tacrolimus,” says Witkowsky. “And their islet function is at least three times better compared to patients receiving tacrolimus because there is no toxicity. These results are preliminary, but the hope is great.”

Witkowsky was inspired to try tegoprubart in islet cell transplants after the success among kidney transplant patients—including the first pig kidney operation and more traditional kidney transplants using donated human organs. Studies showed that among 60 kidney transplant patients receiving tegoprubart, there were no rejection episodes and no toxicity. “The kidney function in those transplant patients seemed to be better with tegoprubart compared with tacrolimus, and we think we can get similar results with Type 1 diabetes,” he says.

The new drug is an antibody, given as a 15-minute infusion once every three weeks. It works by suppressing the immune response to foreign proteins in a transplant from a donor. It’s not yet approved; the company developing it, Eledon, continues to study it in clinical trials to assess its safety and efficacy in kidney transplants, animal organ transplants, and ALS.

Earlier versions of the drug studied more than two decades ago increased the risk of blood clots, but continued research has reduced that risk and improved tegoprubart’s immune-suppressing ability. Witkowsky hopes to find funding to continue studying these first patients and add six or so more to better understand how long the islet cells can survive and whether the drug can buy the transplanted cells enough time to engraft and restore patients’ insulin-making functions to be as close to normal as possible. “Unfortunately there is no [real] therapy for type 1 diabetes patients,” he says. “The bottom line is that we know the cells have the potential to work—they do work. The problem remains immunosuppression. And now we have a medication that may help us a lot.”

(NewsNation) — Vice President Kamala Harris delivered her closing message of the campaign, asking Americans to “turn the page” on the era of former President Donald Trump.

Her appearance on the National Mall was the culmination of messages she’s delivered over the course of her campaign. She made the case to voters with a focus on Republican voters who are on the fence about voting for Trump and supporters of former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley who aren’t sure how to vote.

“My presidency will be different because the challenges we face will be different,” Harris told the crowd, promising to work with Democrats, Republicans and independents to make life better for Americans.

“I pledge to seek common ground and common sense solutions to make your life better,” she added.

The event was held in a strategic place in front of the White House for two reasons.

One is to paint a picture of the choice in front of Americans.

The second is a reminder of 2021, as her speech was delivered from very same spot Trump spoke to his supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, just before the riots at the U.S. Capitol.

The latest polling from Decision Desk HQ shows the race still neck and neck. As of Tuesday morning, Harris held a 0.8% lead based on 305 polls. Yesterday, it was Harris at 48.5% and Trump at 48%, still well within the margin of error.

Some Democratic lawmakers and strategists have said they are concerned that Harris is focusing so much on Trump, taking time away from other major campaign issues like the economy, immigration, health care and abortion.

A pro-Harris super PAC called Future Forward has warned that attacking Trump’s character or stamina is less effective than Harris highlighting her own policy proposals.

Voters have also said they want to hear more about her specific policy plans. Others have said they don’t like the fear-mongering and feel it contrasts with her vision of a positive, bright outlook on America.

However, the campaign said Harris chose to make her closing argument on the National Mall to draw a stark contrast between her and her opponent.

“I’ve lived the promise of America, and I see the promise of America in all of you,” she said during the Tuesday address.

A little-known federal group assembled by the Biden-Harris administration is preparing to issue dietary guidelines for Americans that will formally recommend beans, peas, and lentils take precedence over meats like chicken and beef.

Members of the 20-person Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee voiced support for both downgrading meat, poultry, and eggs and moving beans, peas, and lentils into the protein category. The preliminary directive came during a more than five-hour meeting hosted by the National Institutes of Health last week. The committee is expected to submit its recommendations, which would be in effect through 2030, to the Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services in early December, after the presidential election taking place in one week.

The draft guidelines come as environmentalists, animal rights activists, and left-leaning dietary experts continue to ramp up attacks on traditional sources of protein—such as red meat, pork, and chicken—both in the United States and across the world. Meat has been targeted by activists for its carbon footprint and impact on animals, but it is far more protein-dense than other sources of protein.

Under the proposed guidelines presented by committee chairwoman Sarah Booth, beans, peas, and lentils would leave the vegetable category and be prioritized over soy products, seafood, meats, eggs, and poultry. The previous guidelines placed meats, poultry, and eggs at the highest level of protein sources in the American diet and kept beans, peas, and lentils in the vegetable category.

According to the committee—which the White House first announced in 2022 and said would reflect “racial, ethnic, gender, and geographic diversity”—its actions would help to “encourage plant sources of protein foods.”

The guidelines are slated to be finalized shortly after the election but before the winner takes office. The timing is relevant because the recommendations may contradict how a future administration approaches health policy.

“Behaviorally, I think there is sort of a branding crisis when it comes to protein—thinking automatically meat,” Deirdre Tobias, a member of the committee and an assistant professor in Harvard University’s Department of Nutrition, remarked during the meeting last week. “And if there are more plant sources of proteins in the protein category that could help overcome that, you know, mislabeling or misnomer or misinformation by having it more prominently.”

“I also think that that’s where we would probably offer more flexibility—where we would have an increase in plant-based. That’s going to be increasing beans, peas, and lentils at the expense of some of those other meat products, right?” she continued. “Not so much to displace vegetables that are in the vegetable category.”

Those comments were immediately endorsed by fellow committee members Hollie Raynor, a University of Tennessee researcher, and Andrea Deierlein, a New York University professor. “I do think people think just of meat, eggs, those types of sources, and having it in the protein group would, I think, encourage people to eat more beans, peas, and lentils,” said Deierlein.

A majority of the members who commented on the draft guidelines voiced support for reorganizing the protein category, and no member suggested that the prior guidelines should be preserved. Committee vice chair Angela Odoms-Young said beans, peas, and lentils should make up their own category, a proposal that received some support from other committee members.

While the dietary guidelines lack teeth in terms of forcefully changing what Americans eat, they are a key tool employed by lawmakers, educators, and doctors and are supposed to reflect current nutrition science.

“We just think this completely disregards the body of science and the reality of how beef is doing such an important job in helping meet nutrient gaps. So, it really seems out of touch,” Shalene McNeill, the executive director of nutrition science at the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, said in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon.

“We have lots of great, high-quality evidence from randomized, controlled trials that consistently show four to five-and-a-half ounces of beef per day can support good health, and that’s two to three times the amount that the average American is eating right now. Cutting back further on red meat intake is not going to help the American diet become healthier,” added McNeill. “Beef is doing a really important job of helping close nutrition gaps.”

National Pork Producers Council CEO Bryan Humphreys separately said replacing animal proteins with plant proteins “will severely compromise the American diet, as plant proteins are not nearly as nutritionally rich.”

In a statement to the Free Beacon, a Department of Health and Human Services spokeswoman said the draft guidelines “in no way represents the administration’s positions” and emphasized the committee acts independently.

The Biden-Harris administration, led by the Department of Health and Human Services, appointed every member of the committee in January 2023.

“The recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health underscored the need to understand the science of nutrition and the role that social structures play when it comes to people eating healthy food,” Health Secretary Xavier Becerra said at the time. “The advisory committee’s work will play an instrumental role in that effort and in helping HHS and USDA improve the health and wellbeing of all Americans.”

The draft guidelines are only the most recent attacks on the meat industry.

In May 2023, for example, John Kerry, the Biden-Harris administration’s former special presidential envoy for climate, called for “innovation” in the agriculture industry during an Agriculture Department summit. Kerry argued the administration’s “net-zero” climate goals are impossible if the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions aren’t addressed, a claim that was sharply criticized by Republican lawmakers.

Months later, the United Nations published a first-of-its-kind global food systems road map, which chastised certain nations, such as the United States, for over-consuming meat. The document was issued during the most recent United Nations COP climate summit in December 2023.

The Department of Agriculture didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The post Biden-Harris Committee Set To Push ‘Plant Sources of Protein’ Over Red Meat in New Dietary Guidelines—But Only After the Election appeared first on .

Discussion around Ayatollah Khamenei’s successor has picked up for several reasons, beyond just the rumors about his health. Khamenei has been in power since 1989, making him one of the longest-serving leaders in the region, and he plays a central role in Iran’s complex political system. Given his age and recent rumors, the question of succession naturally arises, especially as his position holds enormous influence over Iran’s future direction on domestic and international policies.

Another reason this topic is gaining traction is Iran’s current political and economic challenges. There’s widespread domestic dissatisfaction over issues like inflation, sanctions, and civil rights, making the leadership question even more pressing for Iranians and international observers alike. Some factions within Iran’s political establishment want a say in who follows Khamenei, hoping a new Supreme Leader could align with their agendas, which adds complexity to the succession talk.

Finally, this is a sensitive moment for Iran on the global stage. Relations with the West, ongoing nuclear negotiations, and regional power dynamics could shift significantly under a new leader. Whoever succeeds Khamenei could steer Iran either toward more openness and reform or continue on a conservative path, which would have huge implications for regional stability.

Advocates for reform in Iran, who seek to curb Khamenei’s influence and address his rivalry with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), are intensifying rumors regarding the poor health of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rumors about Ayatollah Khamenei’s health have flared up recently due to a mix of factors, including his advanced age (he’s 85) and occasional periods of absence from public appearances, which often spark speculation. In recent weeks, several reports, particularly from exiled Iranian opposition groups and international media, suggested that he was critically ill or even in a coma. Though these claims haven’t been substantiated, Khamenei’s recent low-profile appearances may have further fueled speculation. Iran’s state media hasn’t addressed these rumors, adding to the uncertainty and curiosity surrounding his health. There’s also heightened interest due to the broader political context: as Iran faces serious domestic issues (like economic struggles, public protests, and debates over succession), many are curious about who might succeed Khamenei if he can no longer serve.

We believe that Iran’s inner circles and elites want clarity regarding the identity of Khamenei’s successor, as it will shape their future influence and standing. While we view the likelihood of a leadership change due to health-related issues as relatively low, a transition driven by an internal power struggle seems more probable. Reluctance to openly acknowledge the possibility of a conspiracy may explain why elites are bringing Khamenei’s health into public discourse. Framing the issue around health concerns could allow for the selection of a successor under the guise of natural, medical anxieties, rather than overt political motives. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, now in his mid-80s, has faced multiple health challenges over recent years. Key concerns have included a history of prostate cancer, for which he underwent surgery in 2014, and more recently, emergency surgery for a bowel obstruction in 2022. Although Iranian officials often highlight his active role in public life, these surgeries and his extended absences from the public eye have fueled ongoing speculation about his health and potential succession plans.

In 2022, the health of Iran’s Supreme Religious Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly worsened. By 2023, reports surfaced that the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution was hospitalized under medical supervision, with his condition described as serious, according to The New York Times. Khamenei allegedly underwent surgery for an intestinal obstruction at that time. Further rumors about Khamenei’s health arose in 2024 after a statement from his medical team celebrated his “good health” in a highly publicized TV segment. This unusual emphasis on his wellness has only heightened questions about his physical stability and future role in leadership. Meanwhile, the Iranian government generally keeps details about Khamenei’s health undisclosed, recognizing that uncertainty around his condition may have implications for both domestic politics and Iran’s role in regional dynamics​. The primary candidate to succeed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is 55 and already holds considerable influence. However, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and key religious figures could influence the final decision, potentially favoring a broader candidate pool. Alternatives might include high-ranking clerics like Ebrahim Raisi, who has had significant political and judicial roles, though succession is complicated by the complex power structures within Iran’s political and religious elite.

President Ebrahim Raisi had reportedly opposed the candidacy of Khamenei’s son as a potential successor, possibly because he himself had previously been promised the position of Supreme Leader.

This raises the possibility that Raisi’s death in a plane crash may have been connected to his aspirations for Iran’s highest office.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) holds significant influence in Iran’s political system and is expected to play a critical role in determining Khamenei’s successor. Although Mojtaba Khamenei is a likely candidate, the IRGC’s stance is complex and strategic: they may support him if his leadership aligns with their interests, especially regarding continuity of current policies. However, the IRGC could also push for a more favorable candidate if they believe it would strengthen their position and secure their influence in Iran’s future power dynamics.Mojtaba Khamenei’s potential succession could be supported by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which plays a pivotal role in Iranian politics and has significant sway in power transitions. Some influential clerics may also back him, especially if they see continuity in his father’s policies aligning with their own interests. The support of conservative factions within Iran’s Assembly of Experts, responsible for appointing the Supreme Leader, could further bolster his position. However, this path is complex due to internal rivalries and differing views within Iran’s political and religious landscape. Mojtaba Khamenei, who was not initially an ayatollah and therefore technically ineligible to inherit the role of Supreme Leader from his father, received an expedited promotion to this title last year amid concerns about his father’s declining health. As a result, the likelihood of Mojtaba being selected as the next Supreme Leader has increased.

With much fanfare, One Brooklyn Health (OBH) – Brookdale Medical Center unveiled a new 1.5 Tesla General Electric (GE) MRI machine equipped with state-of-the-art imaging technology and a weight capacity of up to 500 pounds.

Guyanese-American Sharon Devonish-Leid, OBH director of external/public affairs, told Caribbean Life that the renovation and acquisition of the MRI machine were made possible by funding through former New York State Assembly Member and current US Ambassador to Jamaica Nick Perry and New York State Sen. Roxanne Persaud.

“Over four years ago, they came together to break ground on what is now a modern suite that will better serve our Radiology Department and the community,” she said.

“This advanced machine will significantly improve our ability to provide specialized MRI procedures, including cardiac, breast, prostate, angiography, neurological, and more,” added Devonish-Leid, who organized the ribbon-cutting ceremony in less than five days. 

Perry, who trekked from Jamaica exclusively for the unveiling ceremony, was on hand, as well as Perry’s successor, Assembly Member Monique Chandler-Waterman, the daughter of Jamaican and Barbadian immigrants, representative for the 58th Assembly District in Brooklyn; Sen. Persaud, the Guyanese-born representative for the 19th Senate District in Brooklyn; Assembly Member Latrice Walker, representative for the 55th Assembly District in Brooklyn; and New York City Council Member Mercedes Narcisse, the Haitian-born representative for the 46th City Council District, also in Brooklyn.

Several leading hospital and labor union officials and community figures also participated in and witnessed the ceremony.

They included Dr. Sandra Scott, interim CEO of OBH; Dr. Chris Paras, executive director of Brookdale Hospital; Dr. Kirwon Gibbs, OBH chair of radiology; Wayne Jordan, director of radiology; Dr. Rev. Waterman, vice chair of the OBH Board of Trustees; and Dalis Jean-Baptiste, 1199 delegate.

Dr. Scott thanked Perry and Persaud, stating that OBH has improved its capability with their support.

Dominican-born Dr. Gibbs said that the new, better-quality MRI will allow the hospital to conduct studies twice as fast as the previous equipment.

“This machine is like a God-send,” he said.

Trinidadian-born Jordan, who joined Brookdale University Hospital as the radiology administrator on May 21, 2018, told Caribbean Life that one of his first tasks was to evaluate the department’s needs, including equipment, with an updated MRI machine high on the list.

“The system we had was installed around 1995; it was upgraded some years later and is now at the end of its useful life,” he said. “This unit has served the organization well over time. “However, advancement in technology in the past 30 years have limited our ability to perform new and updated MRI imaging procedures to effectively meet the needs of our patients.”

Jordan said the new GE Signa Artis, 1.5 Tesla MRI system boasts the latest technology design “to increase efficiency, improve productivity, maximize diagnostic potential, and installed to enhance the safety and experience of our patients.

“This new equipment is a testament of our vision, which is to ensure that we provide the best imaging technology to aid in the diagnosis of the various health issues commonly seen in the communities we serve,” said Jordan, stating that the new MRI machine can perform advanced procedures, such as cardiac, breast, prostate, magnetic resonance enterography, rectal cancer surveillance and treatment planning, and small body parts not routinely done on older MRI systems.

He said additional features include the use of Air Coil technology “to aid in a more simplified, faster workflow while maintaining excellent image quality, a wider scanning bore, and a 50 % reduction in procedure scan times.”

“This is an investment in our community,” Persaud told the ceremony. “We will continue to fund as much as possible. We have a number of things we’re funding in the pipeline. We’ll continue to work with OBH.”

Perry said: “I’m really happy we’ve come so far. We’re proud of the job you’re doing here (turning to Dr. Scott).

“I’ve read about Brookdale,” he said. “Things are getting better.

“I was just the vessel,” Perry added. “I had the opportunity to do some things for the community.”

Walker said: “We know how hard Mr. Perry worked. This is his legacy.

“No matter where he is, his heart is in the community,” she added. “It’s a pleasure to stand here and support.”

Chandler-Waterman said she was “glad to acknowledge that $1.5 million come to fruition,” stating that “the community needs the MRI.”

Narcisse said Perry had represented the community well, hoping that “everybody can follow” his legacy.

Jean-Baptiste said his “heart is bursting” and added, “All of you, elected officials, thank you.”

(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Donald Trump on Tuesday called his rally at New York’s Madison Square Garden, an event marked by crude and racist insults by several speakers, a “lovefest.”

That’s a term the former president also has used to reference the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

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Speaking to reporters and supporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Trump claimed “there’s never been an event so beautiful” as his Sunday night rally in his hometown of New York City.

“The love in that room. It was breathtaking,” he said. “It was like a lovefest, an absolute lovefest. And it was my honor to be involved.”

That’s despite criticism from Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign and many who watched — including Republicans — about racist comments made by speakers during the pre-show targeting Latinos, Black people, Jews and Palestinians, along with sexist insults directed at Harris and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s set, in which he joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage,” stirred particular anger given the electoral importance of Puerto Ricans who live in Pennsylvania and other key swing states. The Trump campaign took the rare step of distancing itself from Hinchcliffe’s joke about Puerto Rico but not other comments.

The president of Puerto Rico’s Republican Party, Ángel Cintrón, called the “poor attempt at comedy” by Hinchcliffe “disgraceful, ignorant and totally reprehensible.”

“There is no room for absurd and racist comments like that. They do not represent the conservative values of republicanism anywhere in our nation,” Cintrón said in a statement.

Read More: How a Racist Joke About Puerto Rico at a Trump Rally Could Impact the Election

Trump used the event at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday to criticize Harris’ record on the border and the economy, saying that, “On issue after issue, she broke it” and “I’m going to fix it and fix it very fast.”

With just a week before Election Day, some Trump allies have voiced alarm that the event, which was supposed highlight his closing message, has instead served as a distraction, highlighting voters’ concerns about his rhetoric and penchant for controversy in the race’s closing stretch.

Speaking before the event to ABC News, Trump said he didn’t know the comic who delivered the most egregious insults, but he did not denounce the comments either.

“I don’t know him, someone put him up there. I don’t know who he is,” he said, according to the network, insisting that he hadn’t heard Hinchcliffe’s comments. But, when asked what he made of them, Trump “did not take the opportunity to denounce them, repeating that he didn’t hear the comments,” ABC reported.

Trump is set to campaign later Tuesday in Pennsylvania, a state where the Latino eligible voter population has more than doubled since 2000, from 206,000 to 620,000 in 2023, according to Census Bureau figures. More than half of those are Puerto Rican eligible voters.

He also will hold a rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which has a large Hispanic population, on Tuesday night.

Angelo Ortega, a longtime Allentown resident and former Republican who’s planning to vote for Harris this time around, said he couldn’t believe what he’d heard about Trump’s rally.

“I don’t know if my jaw dropped or I was just so irritated, angry. I didn’t know what to feel,” said Ortega, who was born in New York but whose father came from Puerto Rico. Ortega has been campaigning for Harris and said he knows of at least one Hispanic GOP voter planning to switch from Trump to Harris as a result of Hinchcliffe’s comments.

“They’ve had it. They’ve had it. They were listening to (Trump), but they said they think that that was like the straw that broke the camel’s back,” said Ortega, a member of the Make the Road PA advocacy group.

Trump “didn’t make the comment about Puerto Rico. The comedian made the comment about Puerto Rico. But it is his political forum.”

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in New York, Danica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and Michael Rubinkam in Allentown, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

Democratic strategists are frustrated that Vice President Kamala Harris’s economic messaging “hasn’t broken through” to voters, noting that many are still “wondering about her vision,” the Hill reported.

“Her economic message hasn’t broken through,” a major Democratic donor said. “And the economy is the issue most people care about. She narrowed the gap a little on the issue, but she’s left a lot of people wondering about her vision.”

Harris has struggled to connect with voters on economic issues since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the Democratic ticket in July. With just a week until the election, voters continue to trust Trump’s approach to the economy over Harris’s, 46 percent to 38 percent, according to a Reuters poll released last week. In battleground states, 61 percent of voters say the economy is on the “wrong track” under the Biden-Harris administration.

Democratic strategist Steve Jarding said Harris has not “done a good enough job” countering Trump’s criticism of the Biden-Harris administration’s economic record.

“Where I don’t think she’s done a good enough job is, [Trump] gets away with saying, ‘The economy is the worst it’s ever been, there’s more unemployment, inflation is the highest it’s ever been.’ None of that is true,” Jarding said.

Another Democratic strategist agreed that Harris’s economic messaging “left a lot to be desired.”

“I still think there are folks out there who can’t tell you what she plans to do,” the strategist said. “That should have been something our side hammered home every day.”

Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary under the Bill Clinton administration, on Monday urged Harris to “respond forcefully to the one issue that continues to be highest on the minds of most Americans: the economy.”

“When all of [the polls] show the same thing—that Kamala Harris’s campaign stalled several weeks ago yet Trump’s continues to surge—it’s important to take the polls seriously,” Reich added.

The Harris campaign recently signaled that it would focus more on economic messaging in the final days before the election. 

“[Harris] has to start talking more to the needs of working-class people,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.).  “I wish this had taken place two months ago. It is what it is.”

The post Harris’s Economic Message ‘Hasn’t Broken Through,’ Dem Strategists Say, Sparking Frustration appeared first on .

(NewsNation) — Nearly twice as many Democrats than Republicans have voted early in Pennsylvania — a swing state that played a pivotal role in the outcomes of the past two presidential elections.

Tuesday marks Pennsylvania residents’ last chance to request mail-in or absentee ballots. With more than 1.4 million early ballots cast, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are in a close race that could flip the state.

Registered Democrats had returned 849,849 ballots as of Tuesday, compared to the 468,067 that registered Republicans have returned so far, according to state election data.  

ON EARLY VOTING: The Harris campaign says they are feeling “very good about what we’re seeing.

“We’re confident we’re going to win” a close election.
Focused on their own numbers that show they’re on track to win, they say. per @Jackie_Koppell @NewsNation

— Kellie Meyer (@KellieMeyerNews) October 29, 2024

Early voting data, however, only shows a person’s party affiliation — not how they voted.

Election officials need to process mail ballots before they can count them — an undertaking that varies by state. It often takes several days or weeks to finalize election results and certify a winner.

Trump maintained a narrow lead over Harris Tuesday in Pennsylvania. That’s according to the latest forecasts from NewsNation’s partners Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) and The Hill, which predict Trump has a 51% chance of winning in the Keystone State.

The opposite was true as recently as Oct. 17. The candidates were tied until Trump gained a slight lead on Oct. 21.

Pennsylvania is home to 19 electoral votes — the most of any battleground state this election cycle, DDHQ noted. Pennsylvania hasn’t backed a Republican presidential candidate by double digits since Richard Nixon in 1972.

Trump narrowly carried the state by 0.7%  in 2016 but lost his hold on Pennsylvania to Biden in the 2020 election.

Ronald Raegan was the last Republican to win the state’s electoral votes twice.

Here’s a closer look at Pennsylvania’s early voter turnout as of Tuesday morning:

Total ballots returned:  1,473,825

• Democratic: 849,849
• Republican: 468,067
• Other: 155,909

Total mail-in ballots returned: 1,435,280

• Democratic: 831,501
• Republican: 452,875
• Other: 150,904

Total absentee ballots returned: 38,545

• Democratic: 18,348
• Republican: 15,192
• Other: 5,005

Five police cars in Megion also set aflame, source says

Barnard College is facing backlash for inviting United Nations official Francesca Albanese to speak on campus this week. Albanese has blamed the Jewish state for Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and compared Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Adolf Hitler.

A pro-Israel U.N. watchdog is urging Columbia University’s sister school to cancel Albanese’s Wednesday speech, warning that inviting the “internationally condemned anti-Semite” contributes to the “egregiously anti-Semitic hostile educational environment” on campus. The Wednesday event is hosted by Barnard’s human rights, economics, and anthropology departments, the New York Post reported.

“This is exactly the kind of inflammatory rhetoric that has led to allegations of Columbia fostering an egregiously anti-Semitic hostile educational environment, and to allegations of the harassment, threats, and intimidation against Jewish and Israeli students,” UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer said in a letter sent Monday to Barnard College president Laura Rosenbury and Columbia president Katrina Armstrong.

Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, has argued the Jewish state does not have a right to defend itself against Hamas and liked posts on X endorsing the anti-Semitic trope of the “Jewish billionaire class.” She likened Netanyahu to Hitler in a July X post, and hours after the Oct. 7 attack, she said the “violence must be put into context.” Albanese also said that the victims of Oct. 7 “were not killed because of their Judaism but in response to Israel’s oppression.”

Albanese also accused Israel of committing genocide and advancing a “settler-colonial project in Palestine.”

Columbia University was ground zero for anti-Israel student protesters last spring. In the letter, UN Watch criticized the Ivy League institution for “enabling” hundreds of students, faculty, and others to overtake the university’s South Lawn last spring, where “the harassment and abuse of Jewish and Israeli students only intensified, filled with calls for a global Intifada—the worldwide murder of Jews—and other anti-Semitic slogans and chants.”

“By inviting Francesca Albanese, an internationally condemned anti-Semite and supporter of Hamas terrorism, Columbia will be subjecting itself to additional claims for violations of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, New York Human Rights Law and New York City Human Rights Law, and the Ku Klux Klan Acts,” the letter reads.

Israel banned Albanese from the Jewish state in February. The International Legal Forum, an activist group of more than 4,000 lawyers, called on the United Nations to fire Albanese for her “anti-Semitism and virulent bias” and for “endorsing the murder of Israeli civilians, including children.”

A Barnard spokesperson defended the event on campus.

“Barnard’s educational mission depends on the exploration of challenging ideas. The College has long permitted academic departments to host discussions and debates on difficult topics with speakers who represent a wide range of perspectives and backgrounds,” the college told the Post.

The post Barnard College Under Fire for Inviting Anti-Semitic UN Official Who Blamed Israel for Oct. 7 Attack To Speak appeared first on .