--:-- Tracy Mumford: From the New York Times, it's the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. Today's Thursday, October 24th. Here's what we're covering.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Let me ask you tonight, do you think Donald Trump is a fascist? Yes, I do. Yes, I do. And I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Last night, Kamala Harris publicly called Donald Trump a fascist, using a term that the country's highest-ranking Democrats had previously stopped short of saying. His former chief of staff, his national security advisor, former secretaries of defense, and his vice president have all called him unfit and dangerous. They have said explicitly he has contempt for the Constitution of the United States.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Harris's remarks during a CNN town hall were meant to amplify new comments from John Kelly, Trump's former chief of staff, who said Trump meets the definition of a fascist and an authoritarian. Kelly made the remarks in an interview with The Times published this week, saying he was speaking out now because he was deeply troubled by Trump's proposal to use the military against Americans who oppose him if he's elected.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: While Trump himself has called Harris a fascist multiple times, the vice president, President Biden, and other top Democrats had previously avoided the charged, provocative term, possibly out of concern it could alienate Republicans.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Now, with the election less than two weeks away, Harris is increasingly framing Trump as anti-democratic. In the CNN event, she repeatedly turned questions about her policy platform into warnings about what she sees as the dangers of a second Trump term.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And next week, Harris is set to deliver the closing argument of her campaign at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., the same spot where Trump encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol on January 6th.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Meanwhile, Elon Musk's million-dollar giveaway stunt to support Donald Trump has caught the eye of the Justice Department. The department has sent a letter to the super PAC founded by Musk about its sweepstakes where one registered voter a day from a battleground state wins a million dollars for signing the PAC's conservative petition.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The letter warns it might violate federal laws against paying people to register to vote. It's not clear what action the department might take against Musk's super PAC.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I want to be very clear as the Maricopa County attorney. Threats, intimidation, or violence toward political officials, no matter what party they are a part of, are completely unacceptable.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: In Arizona, police have arrested a man on terrorism charges in connection with multiple shootings at a Democratic Party campaign office. No one was hurt in the shootings, but the building in the suburbs of Phoenix was damaged, and the Arizona Democratic Party closed the office after it was hit for the third time earlier this month.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: Authorities say the suspect, 60-year-old Jeffrey Michael Kelly, had also placed anti-Democratic Party signs lined with razor blades near his house, and that when they searched the home, they discovered more than 120 guns, 250,000 rounds of ammunition, and a grenade launcher.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: Authorities believe he was, quote, preparing to commit an act of mass casualty. At a court hearing, Kelly's attorney argued there were holes in the case.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: His arrest comes as officials nationwide have been warning about threats of violence around the election. U.S. officials say that North Korea has sent troops to Russia to support the country's war against Ukraine.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: Ukraine's been warning about North Korean troops for weeks, and yesterday, U.S. officials confirmed that at least 3,000 soldiers have been sent to training sites in Russia. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called it a very, very serious escalation.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: When asked why the North Koreans are there, Austin said it could indicate that Vladimir Putin is in quote more trouble than most people realize.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: American officials estimate that 600,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the war so far. The country has been using increasingly unorthodox recruitment tactics to replace them, pulling from prisons and hiring soldiers from Cuba and Nepal.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: Vladimir Putin is looking for mercenaries to help in this fight, and he seems to have turned to one of his allies in this war. Of course, North Korea has already supplied ammunition for Russia. They've supplied short-range ballistic missiles, and now it appears that they are starting to send troops.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: Secretary Austin and White House officials said on Wednesday they were still trying to discern exactly what the North Korean troops would be doing, where they would be going, and when this would all happen.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: Now, the other thing they're trying to figure out is what is North Korea getting in return for all this? They're sending these thousands of troops, presumably to fight in Ukraine. The question is, what's the quid pro quo? What do they get?
--:-- Eric Schmidt: U.S. officials and other analysts believe that the North Koreans may be interested in getting some kind of missile technology and other perhaps advanced weaponry.
--:-- Eric Schmidt: So that's still one of the mysteries that needs to be resolved for American officials is how this relationship is now strengthening between North Korea and Russia.
--:-- Host: I don't like the contract. That's just my personal opinion. And the people that have been here in this leading industry, the biggest aerospace company in the world, we like to see better from them. And we deserve better from them.
--:-- Host: Boeing workers rejected a new contract offer from the company yesterday, extending their nearly six-week-long strike and adding to the company's mounting financial problems.
--:-- Host: The strike has hit the heart of Boeing's commercial airline manufacturing, costing Boeing tens of millions of dollars each day. And that comes on top of other issues. The company shared its quarterly financial results yesterday, which showed a more than billion loss.
--:-- Host: Boeing been struggling to recover from a multi-crisis centered on safety concerns. The strike is the latest setback. The Biden administration has been trying to help broker a deal.
--:-- Host: Boeing is a huge economic driver for the country and one of the nation's largest exporters. The latest contract offer included cumulative raises of nearly 40% over four years, and additional contributions to retirement plans.
--:-- Host: But the proposal did not bring back a pension plan that's a priority for a lot of union members. Several workers told the Times they are holding out for better terms.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: And finally, for anyone who's creeping up at the airport gate and trying to board way before your zone, uh-uh-uh-uh, American Airlines is about to call you out on that.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: The company is testing a new system to deal with those lurkers, swarmers, and line cutters, the people industry insiders call gate lice.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: If a passenger tries to board before their group is called, the system sets off an alarm and alerts the gate agent. The scofflaw will then be sent back to wait.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: It's still in the early days of testing. Anyone flying through Albuquerque, Tucson, or Washington's Reagan Airport may see it in action.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Travel experts say gate lice have become more of an issue in recent years because checked bag fees have gone up, and passengers are now fighting for limited space in overhead bins.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: American Airlines says so far it's been pleased with the system, and so are some travelers, including one who posted online that they had fun, quote, witnessing sneaky passengers getting served embarrassing justice in front of everyone.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, a political roundtable with four Times reporters breaking down this week's campaign news. That's next in the New York Times audio app, or you can listen wherever you get your podcasts.
--:-- Tracy Mumford: I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.
