PARIS (AP) — The French transport minister is expected to meet with cycling associations on Monday following the death of a cyclist in Paris after a dispute with a driver.
The 27-year-old cyclist, Paul Varry, was allegedly deliberately run over last Tuesday by an SUV driver, who now faces preliminary charges of murder. The incident has sparked protests across France, with demonstrators calling for safer roads for cyclists and an end to “motorized violence.”
Varry, a dedicated advocate for urban cycling, was known for his work improving cycling infrastructure in Saint-Ouen, a northern suburb of Paris. Hundreds gathered on Saturday to honor him, including cycling groups like Paris en Selle, which vowed to continue his fight for safer roads.
Transport Minister François Durovray, in a post on X, expressed his deep sympathy for Varry’s family and said that cyclists “have a place on the road,” vowing to address safety concerns. He called Monday’s meeting an opportunity to listen and act on behalf of France’s cycling community, which has been shaken by Varry’s death. The tragedy has reignited national debates on road safety and cyclist protection as France sees an increasing number of cyclists in its urban centers.
Alexis Fremeaux, co-president of the French Federation of Bicycle Users, said that “Paul’s death, killed by a motorist in Paris, has resonated deeply.
"It stirred such emotion because this kind of murder is exceptional. But the violence that cyclists face on the roads today — every cyclist has experienced it. Whether it’s threats, being put under pressure, being endangered, or even deliberate collisions — every cyclist has a story to tell.”
Cycling advocates hope that Varry’s death will spark action and lead to What they say are long-overdue reforms to improve road safety.
- FILE - A man rides past a bicycle counter in Paris, Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2023. (AP Photo/John Leicester, File)
With just over two weeks to go before the 2024 presidential election and the race in a dead heat, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are hitting the campaign trail in strategic battleground states.
Follow the AP’s Election 2024 coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/election-2024.
Here’s the latest:
Voters remain largely divided over whether they prefer Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris to handle key economic issues, although Harris earns slightly better marks on elements such as taxes for the middle class, according to a new poll.
A majority of registered voters in the survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research describe the economy as poor. About 7 in 10 say the nation is going in the wrong direction.
But the findings reaffirm that Trump has lost what had been an advantage on the economy, which many voters say is the most important issue this election season above abortion, immigration, crime and foreign affairs.
“Do I trust Trump on the economy? No. I trust that he’ll give tax cuts to his buddies like Elon Musk,” said poll respondent Janice Tosto, a 59-year-old Philadelphia woman and self-described independent.
An AP-NORC poll conducted in September found neither Harris nor Trump had a clear advantage on handling “the economy and jobs.” But this poll asked more specific questions about whether voters trusted Trump or Harris to do a better job handling the cost of housing, jobs and unemployment, taxes on the middle class, the cost of groceries and gas, and tariffs.
▶ Read more about the poll.
Donald Trump went to a barbershop in the Bronx section of New York for a segment with commentator Lawrence Jones that aired Monday on “Fox & Friends.”
He took questions from clients at the business about immigration, energy and taxes. The barbers wore a black shirt with the phrase “Make Barbers Great Again.”
One of the clients asked Trump if, once he generated enough revenue with some of his proposals, it would be possible to eliminate federal taxes.
“There is a way. There is a way,” Trump said, adding that in the 1890s, people did not have to pay income taxes.
The business owner, who leases the building, told him his main challenge was paying for his energy bill, which had shot up from $2,100 to $15,000 in the last seven months.
“What?” Trump said. “How many heads can you take care of? That’s a lot.”
Trump asked how much average hair cuts cost and how much they had gone up. He was told they had gone up from a range between $12 and $15 to between $30 and $40.
Toward the end of the visit, Trump told the men “you guys are the same as me. It’s the same stuff. We were born the same way.”
For Rona Kaufman, the signs are everywhere that more Jews feel abandoned by the Democratic Party and may vote for Republican Donald Trump.
It’s in her Facebook feed. It’s in the discomfort she observed during a question-and-answer at a recent Democratic Party campaign event in Pittsburgh. It’s in her own family.
“The family that is my generation and older generations, I don’t think anybody is voting for Harris, and we’ve never voted Republican, ever,” Kaufman, 49, said, referring to Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. “My sister has a Trump sign outside her house, and that is a huge shift.”
How big a shift? Surveys continue to find that most Jewish voters still support the Democratic ticket, and Kaufman acknowledges that she’s an exception.
Still, any shift could have enormous implications in Pennsylvania, where tens of thousands of votes decided the past two presidential elections. Many Jewish voters say the 2024 presidential election is like no other in memory, coming amid the growing fallout from Hamas’ brutal attack on Israelis last year.
▶ Read more about Jewish voters in this election.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump talks during a interview as he attends the New York Jets football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris listens as Stevie Wonder performs "Redemption Song" during a church service and early vote event at Divine Faith Ministries International, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024, in Jonesboro, Ga. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
