AP Top News at 1:22 a.m. EDT

Two closing arguments show the stark choice between Trump and Harris

NEW YORK (AP) — In the shadow of the White House, seven days before the final votes of the 2024 election are cast, Kamala Harris vowed to put country over party and warned that Donald Trump is obsessed with revenge and his own personal interests. Less than 48 hours earlier inside Madison Square Garden, Trump called his Democratic opponent "a trainwreck who has destroyed everything in her path." His allies on stage labeled Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" and said Harris, who would be the first woman to be president, had begun her career as a prostitute. Two nights and 200 miles apart, the dueling closing arguments outlined in stark terms the choice U.S.

Harris urges voters to reject Trump's efforts to sow division and fear

WASHINGTON (AP) — Kamala Harris stood before an overflowing crowd near the White House on Tuesday and promised Americans she would fight for them every day as she urged voters to reject Donald Trump's efforts to sow division and fear, declaring, "It doesn't have to be this way." One week out from Election Day, the vice president tried to drive home the contrast with Trump by delivering her closing argument from the same spot on the grassy Ellipse where the Republican former president had fomented the Capitol insurrection in 2021, pledging that she would work to improve people's lives while arguing that her Republican opponent is only in it for himself.

Biden suggests Trump supporters are 'garbage' after comic's insult of Puerto Rico

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden took a swipe against Donald Trump's supporters on Tuesday as he reacted to the Republican presidential nominee's weekend rally at Madison Square Garden, which was overshadowed by crude and racist rhetoric. In a call organized by the Hispanic advocacy group Voto Latino, Biden responded to a comic at Trump's rally who called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage." Biden's initial comments were garbled. "Just the other day, a speaker at his rally called Puerto Rico a floating island of garbage. Well, let me tell you something, I don't, I don't know the Puerto Rican that I know, the Puerto Rico where I'm fr - in my home state of Delaware.

Israeli strikes in northern Gaza kill at least 88, officials say

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Two Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed at least 88 people, including dozens of women and children, health officials said, and the director of a hospital said life-threatening injuries were going untreated because a weekend raid by Israeli forces led to the detention of dozens of medics. Israel has escalated airstrikes and waged a bigger ground operation in northern Gaza in recent weeks, saying it is focused on rooting out Hamas militants who have regrouped after more than a year of war. The intense fighting is raising alarm about the worsening humanitarian conditions for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza.

Israel must step in if it bans the UN agency that is a lifeline for Gaza, UN says

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations stressed Tuesday that if Israel puts in place new laws cutting ties with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the Israeli government will have to meet their needs under international law. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press that there is no other alternative to the agency, known as UNRWA. It has been a lifeline during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and the Israeli legislation "will have devastating consequences for Palestinian refugees" in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem, he said. The U.N. agencies for children, health and migration also stressed that UNRWA is the "backbone" of the world body's operations in Gaza, where people have relied on its emergency food aid and health centers during the more than yearlong war, which has killed tens of thousands and left much of the enclave in ruins.

AP-NORC poll finds Democrats and Republicans split on Israel's responsibility for war's escalation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many American voters are concerned that the ongoing Middle East conflict will escalate into an all-out regional war, a new poll finds. About half of voters are "extremely" or "very" worried about the possibility of a broader war in the region. Though there is concern about the conflict growing, according to the survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, fewer voters — around 4 in 10 — are concerned that the United States will be drawn into a war in the Middle East. This poll was conducted prior to Israel's strike on military bases in Iran on Friday.

How Putin views the choice between Harris and Trump, and what the election means for Russia

The question posed to Vladimir Putin in September about the U.S. election drew a wry smile and an arched eyebrow from the Russian president. Asked whether he preferred Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, Putin caught listeners up short with his teasing reply that also included a gentle jab at President Joe Biden. "Our 'favorite,' if you can call it that, was the current president, Mr. Biden," he told the audience at an economic forum in the Far East port of Vladivostok. "But he was removed from the race, and he recommended all his supporters to support Ms. Harris. Well, we will do so — we will support her," he said sardonically, citing her "expressive and infectious laugh" that shows "she's doing well." The election Tuesday carries significant stakes for the Kremlin, and despite Putin's noncommittal and somewhat teasing answer, it appeared to encapsulate Russia's view as a choice between two unappealing possibilities.

China launches new crew to its space station as it seeks to expand exploration

JIUQUAN, China (AP) — China declared a "complete success" after it launched a new three-person crew to its orbiting space station early Wednesday as the country seeks to expand its exploration of outer space with missions to the moon and beyond. The Shenzhou-19 spaceship carrying the trio blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China at 4:27 a.m. local time atop a Long March-2F rocket, the backbone of China's crewed space missions. "The crew condition is good and the launch has been successful," the state broadcaster China Central Television announced. China built its own space station after being excluded from the International Space Station, mainly because of U.S.

Volpe slam sparks comeback after Freeman homer, Yanks beat Dodgers 11-4 to force World Series Game 5

NEW YORK (AP) — Fifteen years after little Anthony Volpe watched the Yankees parade with the World Series trophy, he saved their season and kept alive hopes for an improbable title. New York had moved closer to getting swept in the World Series when Freddie Freeman hit another first-inning home run. Volpe, a New York native whose family idolizes the pinstripes going back generations, turned on a knee-high slider and perhaps reshaped the Series, too. His third-inning grand slam sparked the Yankees to an 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night that forced a Game 5. "The place was shaking.

US economy is believed to have grown at a solid pace again last quarter

WASHINGTON (AP) — Powered by consumer spending, the U.S. economy likely kept expanding at a healthy pace from July through September despite the pressure of still-high interest rates. The Commerce Department is expected to report Wednesday that the gross domestic product — the economy's total output of goods and services — grew at a 2.6% annual pace last quarter, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet. That would be down from a 3% annual rate in the April-June period. But it would still amount to a solid pace as Americans ponder the state of the economy in the final stretch of the presidential race.