Hurricane Helene: Harris to travel to Georgia to survey storm impact – US politics live

Republicans in Nevada are dismissing an effigy of a nude Donald Trump as “deplorable”.

The Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:

A 43ft (13 meters) effigy of an entirely nude Donald Trump on the interstate from Las Vegas to Reno, Nevada, has been dismissed as “deplorable” and “pornographic” by Republicans in the state.

In a statement, the Nevada Republican party said it “strongly condemns” the effigy of the former president, which hangs from a crane, weighs 6,000lbs, is made from foam and rebar, is titled Crooked and Obscene and is expected to be brought to other cities as part of a nationwide tour.

“While families drive through Las Vegas, they are forced to view this offensive marionette, designed intentionally for shock value rather than meaningful dialogue,” said the party’s statement, invoking the name of a city that was essentially founded to capitalize on gambling and sex.

The artists behind the graphic effigy – who want to remain anonymous – told the Wrap that Trump’s nudity was “intentional, serving as a bold statement on transparency, vulnerability and the public personas of political figures”.

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Harris to travel to Georgia on Wednesday

The justice department has launched its first federal investigation of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

On Monday, assistant attorney general Kristen Clarke announced the opening of the investigation under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act.

Under the act, the federal government is able to investigate civil and violent crimes committed before 1970.

“We acknowledge descendants of the survivors, and the victims continue to bear the trauma of this act of racial terrorism,” Clarke said, the Associated Press reports, referring to the tragedy in 1921 where white supremacists killed around hundreds of residents in Oklahoma while destroying around 1,250 homes and businesses.

The event is largely considered one of the most horrific incidents of racial violence in the history of the US.

Joe Biden has urged port operators to increase wages after 45,000 workers went on strike.

The Guardian’s Michael Sainato reports:

Biden has urged port operators to give workers a “meaningful increase” in pay after tens of thousands went on strike, prompting some of the busiest ports in the US to brace for crippling disruption.

About 45,000 port workers represented by the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) began walking off the job after their contracts expired at midnight, with 36 ports along the east and Gulf coasts affected. They typically handle about half of the nation’s ocean shipping.

Talks over a new contract between the ILA and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) have broken down, and the union dismissed a last-ditch offer from operators hours before the strike was due to began.

Hours after the strike began, the White House issued a robust statement calling on USMX to negotiate a “fair” contract that reflects “the substantial contribution” of ports workers to America’s economy.

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Biden to travel to North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday

The day so far

The death toll in South Carolina as a result of Hurricane Helene has now risen to 33, according to WCSC, quoting the state’s department of public safety.

Before Tuesday morning, the death toll was at 29.

At least 133 deaths in six states in the south-east of the US have been attributed to Hurricane Helene so far, according to the Associated Press.

A new survey from AARP published on Tuesday has vice-president Kamala Harris leading Donald Trump 50% to 47% among likely voters in the battleground state of Pennsylvania.

The survey, conducted between the 14th and 24th of September, also showed a significant gender gap, with Harris ahead by 19 percentage points among female voters and Trump leading by 16 points with male voters.

The survey also found that Trump leads Harris by 8 points with voters 50 years old and older.

Majority of voters want to hear Walz and Vance views on immigration and economy – poll

Public health emergency declared for South Carolina and Tennessee over hurricane impact

Lloyd Austin, the US defense secretary, said on Tuesday morning that over the last several days, the Department of Defense had mobilized personnel and resources to support the ongoing disaster relief, rescue, and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

His statement continued:

I am grateful to the over 6,300 Guardsmen from over 12 states, US Northern Command, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and other DOD teammates who continue to work alongside federal, state, and local partners to provide assistance where it is needed most. We continue to stand by the people and communities of North Carolina and all those affected.

Trump campaigning in Wisconsin ahead of VP debate

Kamala Harris’s 2024 presidential campaign is launching a new ad focused on healthcare, it said on Tuesday.

The ad features clips from the presidential debate between Harris and Republican nominee, Donald Trump, last month, in which Trump discussed having a “concept of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act but did not give any details.

In the ad, Harris says that if elected, she will extend the price caps that Joe Biden has signed for seniors, such as the price cap on insulin at $35 a month and a cap on prescription drug costs to no more than $2,000 a year, to all Americans.

As of this morning, there are still more than 1 million homes and businesses without power across multiple states in the south-east of the US, from Florida to West Virginia, as the region continues to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

In South Carolina, more than 600,000 power outages are being recorded, according to PowerOutage.us.

In Georgia and North Carolina, each state is recording over 450,000 power outages as of Tuesday morning.