Biden trails Trump in 6 of 7 swing states, dogged by primary protest votes – National & International News – WED 3Apr2024

Biden trails Trump in 6 of 7 swing states, dogged by primary protest votes.

Taiwan rocked by biggest earthquake in 25 years.

NATIONAL NEWS

Biden trails Trump in 6 of 7 swing states, dogged by primary protest votes

A new poll shows Trump leading Biden in 6 of 7 key swing states, including several that Biden won in 2020. That year, Biden carried Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada and Arizona. 

The poll showed that in a head-to-head match-up:

• Wisconsin: Biden and Trump tied
• Michigan: Trump leads by 3 points
• Pennsylvania: Trump leads by 3 points
• Georgia: Trump leads by 1 point
• Nevada: Trump leads by 4 points
• Arizona: Trump leads by 5 points
• North Carolina: Trump leads by 6 points

The results were similar in a match-up that included independent and third party candidates, except that Biden took the lead in Wisconsin by 3 points. The primary disadvantages for Biden captured by the polls were to do with his handling of the economy and his age. 

Meanwhile, in Tuesday’s primaries, over 50,000 Wisconsin voters cast “uninstructed” votes in the Democratic primary. This was the Wisconsin version of the “uncommitted” vote cast in February in Michigan, protesting Biden’s political and material support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by only about 20,000 votes. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Taiwan rocked by biggest earthquake in 25 years

This morning, a 7.4 earthquake struck the semi-autonomous island of Taiwan, centered in the mountainous eastern province of Hualien. In the hours thereafter, the semi-autonomous island experienced 29 aftershocks above magnitude 4, 13 of which measured above 5.0 and the greatest of which measured 6.0.

The quake also triggered landslides in the mountains which trapped over 100 people who were traveling through highway tunnels at the time. A similar number were trapped under rubble of collapsed or partially collapsed buildings. At least 9 people are known to have died and there were at least 900 injuries. This toll may rise as rescue efforts continue.

When Turkey experienced two similarly powerful quakes last year, thousands of buildings collapsed, killing over 50,000 people. Unlike Turkey, Taiwan strictly enforces its building codes which meant that relatively few buildings were toppled despite the power of the quake and its long duration. It’s unclear at this moment how many buildings throughout the island were damaged. However, there are some dramatic images of buildings leaning at precarious angles, especially in Hualien where the quake was centered. 

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See footage of the quake and its aftermath (opens in new tab).