WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday will unveil his ticket's plans to improve the lives of rural voters, as Vice President Kamala Harris looks to cut into former President Donald Trump's support.
The Harris-Walz plan includes a focus on improving rural health care, such as plans to recruit 10,000 new health care professionals in rural and tribal areas through scholarships, loan forgiveness and new grant programs, as well as economic and agricultural policy priorities. The plan was detailed to The Associated Press by a senior campaign official on the condition of anonymity ahead of its official release on Tuesday.
It marks a concerted effort by the Democratic campaign to make a dent in the historically Trump-leaning voting bloc in the closing three weeks before Election Day. Trump carried rural voters by a nearly two-to-one margin in 2020, according to AP VoteCast. In the closely contested race, both Democrats and Republicans are reaching out beyond their historic bases in hopes of winning over a sliver of voters that could ultimately prove decisive.
Walz is set to announce the plan during a stop in rural Lawrence County in western Pennsylvania, one of the marquee battlegrounds of the 2024 contest. He is also starring in a new radio ad for the campaign highlighting his roots in a small town of 400 people and his time coaching football, while attacking Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance.
“In a small town, you don’t focus on the politics, you focus on taking care of your neighbors and minding your own damn business," Walz says in the ad, which the campaign said will air across more than 500 rural radio stations in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. "Now Donald Trump and JD Vance, they don’t think like us. They’re in it for themselves.”
The Harris-Walz plan calls on Congress to permanently extend telemedicine coverage under Medicare, a pandemic-era benefit that helped millions access care that is set to expire at the end of 2024. They are also calling for grants to support volunteer EMS programs to cut in half the number of Americans living more than 25 minutes away from an ambulance.
It also urges Congress to restore the Affordable Connectivity Program, a program launched by President Joe Biden that expired in June that provided up to $30 off home internet bills, and for lawmakers to require equipment manufacturers to grant farmers the right to repair their products.
Democratic vice presidential nominee Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks at a campaign event Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
BANGKOK (AP) — World shares were mixed on Tuesday after Wall Street rolled to more records, with Hong Kong's benchmark losing more than 3%.
Oil prices shed more than $3 a barrel.
Germany's DAX gained 0.3% to 19,564.16, while the CAC 40 in Paris dropped 0.7% to 7,547.36. Britain's FTSE 100 lost 0.5% to 8,253.07.
The futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell less than 0.1%.
Chinese shares extended losses after the government reported late Monday that growth in exports fell sharply in September, adding to signs of weakness in the economy.
The Shanghai Composite index lost 2.5% to 3,201.29, while the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gave up 3.7% to 20,318.79.
Weaker than expected data on lending and prices have undermined already fragile market sentiment that has wavered as investors await fresh details on the government plans for stimulus to help rev up the economy.
“Market participants continue to seek for clarity around fiscal stimulus support from Chinese authorities, but the lack of commitment remains a source of reservation for risk-taking in Chinese equities,” Yeap Jun Rong of IG said in a commentary.
Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.8% to 39,910.55, while the Kospi in Seoul gained 0.4% to 2,633.45.
In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 was up 0.8% to 8,318.40.
Also early Tuesday, the dollar fell to 148.89 Japanese yen from 149.83 yen. The euro rose to $1.0915 from $1.0911.
U.S. benchmark crude dropped $3.73 to $70.10 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, skidded $3.79 to $73.67 per barrel.
“The oil market is on a wild ride, caught in a whirlwind of geopolitical tension, OPEC+ strategy shifts and a slowdown from its biggest customer, China,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a report. China's usual growth in demand of about 600,000 barrels per day has fallen to 200,000 barrels.
Despite uncertainty over how conflict in the Middle East might affect oil supplies, “the real threat to crude isn't war, it's oversupply,” he said, noting that many oil exporters are committed to ramping up their output.
Besides oil, prices also have been falling for copper and other commodities that a healthy Chinese economy would devour.
On Monday, Wall Street rolled to more all-time highs.
The S&P 500 climbed 0.8% to build on its record set on Friday, closing at 5,859.85. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.5% to 43,065.22, adding 201 points to its own record. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.9% to 18,502.69.
The gains followed relatively quiet trading in Europe, while the U.S. bond market remained closed for the day because of a holiday.
This week will have few top-tier economic reports outside of an update Thursday on sales at U.S. retailers. That leaves the emphasis on corporate earnings reports, which will pick up the pace this week after big banks began the reporting season last week.
Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson and UnitedHealth Group will all report their latest results on Tuesday. Later in the week will come United Airlines, Netflix, American Express and Procter & Gamble.
Analysts expect S&P 500 companies to deliver overall growth of 4.1% in earnings per share for the latest quarter from a year earlier, according to FactSet. If they’re correct, it would be a fifth straight quarter of growth.
Stocks have broadly rallied to records on relief that interest rates are finally heading back down, now that the Federal Reserve has widened its focus to include keeping the economy humming instead of just fighting high inflation.
Recent reports showing the U.S. economy remains stronger than expected have also raised optimism that the Fed can pull off a perfect landing where it gets inflation down to 2% without causing a recession that many had thought would be necessary.
FILE - People pass the entrance for the Wall Street subway station on Sept. 2, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)
FILE -A passerby moves past an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei 225 index and stock prices outside a securities building Friday, Oct. 11, 2024 in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama, File)
