PHOENIX/ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico: Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris warned voters on Thursday that Republican Donald Trump and his allies would scale back health care programs if he wins the White House and said his comments at a Wednesday rally were offensive to women.
In a brief press conference, Vice President Harris reminded voters that former President Trump had tried unsuccessfully to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, during his 2017-2021 presidency.
“Healthcare for all Americans is on the line in this election,” she told reporters in Madison, Wisconsin, before flying to Arizona and Nevada as both candidates took the campaign to the Southwest.
In response, Trump said he never wanted to get rid of the program. “I never mentioned doing that, never even thought about such a thing,” he posted on his Truth Social platform after she made the remark.
Opinion polls show a historically close contest between Harris and Trump, with the outcome of Tuesday’s US presidential election likely to be decided in seven battleground states.
Reuters/Ipsos polling in October found the race to be sharply divided along gender lines, with Harris leading among women by 12 percentage points and Trump leading among men by seven percentage points.
More than 63 million people have already voted through in-person early voting and mail-in ballots, according to the University of Florida’s Election Lab.
With both candidates campaigning in the Southwest on Thursday, they made their pitches to Hispanic voters.
OBAMACARE AGAIN AT ISSUE
Once again a campaign issue, the 2010 Affordable Care Act provides coverage to roughly 40 million Americans as part of the country’s patchwork of health insurance programs. A political liability for Democrats when signed into law in 2010, it is now broadly popular.
In his 2016 campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to repeal Obamacare and following his election, when the House voted to do just that, he welcomed Republican representatives to the White House for a celebration. But the repeal effort died in the Senate in July 2017 when the late Sen. John McCain cast the deciding vote with a thumbs-down gesture.
Trump has downplayed the issue during this campaign, though on Thursday he reiterated he would as president push insurers to cover the cost of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.
When asked about health care in the Sept. 10 televised debate with Harris he repeated his contention that “Obamacare was lousy health care” but acknowledged he has yet to propose a comprehensive alternative, saying he has “concepts of a plan.”
Harris has made abortion rights a cornerstone of her campaign, while Trump has vowed to dramatically scale back immigration.
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Harris warns Trump will slash Obamacare; Trump says he never mentioned it
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Harris warns Trump will slash Obamacare; Trump says he never mentioned it
- The 2010 Affordable Care Act provides coverage to roughly 40 million Americans as part of the country’s patchwork of health insurance programs
- A political liability for Democrats when signed into law in 2010, it is now broadly popular
Bangladesh police deploy to guard ‘risky’ polling centers
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s police chief said Tuesday that more than 150,000 officers will be deployed for this week’s elections, warning that more than half of polling stations were flagged as vulnerable to violence.
Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign period from December 11 to February 9.
More than 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday’s vote — the first since a mass uprising toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
“We are 1,000 percent confident about doing our part,” Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told reporters in Dhaka.
The country of 170 million has remained in political turmoil since the uprising against Hasina, when police carried out a deadly crackdown during her failed bid to cling to power.
Alam said police had assessed that “more than 24,000 polling centers have been marked as either high-risk or moderately risky” for possible unrest, violence or ballot stuffing — more than half of the 42,000 centers nationwide.
“The location of some centers is very remote, and there is intense competition, and hostility among candidates and their supporters,” he said, adding that 1,300 police guns looted during the 2024 unrest have still not been recovered.
“In high-risk and moderately risky centers, police will carry out patrol duty with body-worn cameras for the first time.”
Rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra counted 158 people killed and more than 7,000 injured in political violence between August 2024 and December 2025.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) raised concerns over the law-and-order situation, accusing parties of forming “mobs” and setting up roadblocks.
Alam said the police were determined to ensure the polls were peaceful, but said he accepted that distrust of his force remained.
“It is quite understandable why people do not trust the police,” he said. “Over the last 15 years, based on what we have delivered — in fact, for the last 150 years, our predecessors mostly beat people.”
Police records show that five people were killed and more than 600 injured in political clashes during the campaign period from December 11 to February 9.
More than 157,000 police officers, backed by 100,000 soldiers and other security forces, will guard Thursday’s vote — the first since a mass uprising toppled the autocratic government of Sheikh Hasina in 2024.
“We are 1,000 percent confident about doing our part,” Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam told reporters in Dhaka.
The country of 170 million has remained in political turmoil since the uprising against Hasina, when police carried out a deadly crackdown during her failed bid to cling to power.
Alam said police had assessed that “more than 24,000 polling centers have been marked as either high-risk or moderately risky” for possible unrest, violence or ballot stuffing — more than half of the 42,000 centers nationwide.
“The location of some centers is very remote, and there is intense competition, and hostility among candidates and their supporters,” he said, adding that 1,300 police guns looted during the 2024 unrest have still not been recovered.
“In high-risk and moderately risky centers, police will carry out patrol duty with body-worn cameras for the first time.”
Rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra counted 158 people killed and more than 7,000 injured in political violence between August 2024 and December 2025.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) raised concerns over the law-and-order situation, accusing parties of forming “mobs” and setting up roadblocks.
Alam said the police were determined to ensure the polls were peaceful, but said he accepted that distrust of his force remained.
“It is quite understandable why people do not trust the police,” he said. “Over the last 15 years, based on what we have delivered — in fact, for the last 150 years, our predecessors mostly beat people.”
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