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u.s. presidential rivals donald trump and kamala harris make their final push to voters as election day nears. >> let's get out the vote. let's win. mr. trump: when we win pennsylvania, we win the whole ball of wax. sumi: nearly 80 million americans have already cast their votes. in a few hours, the first polls will open in one of the tightest races in modern american history. ♪ sumi: a very warm welcome to "world news america." in the u.s., we are one day away from the presidential election. more than 78 million voters have already cast their ballots during early voting. that is more than half of the expected total number of voters based on projections from the last election. despite a massive turnout, the race to the white house is too close to call.

razor thin margins in national polls you -- put kamala harris just above former u.s. president donald trump by 1.48%, that is well within the margin of error. both candidates are focusing their campaign efforts on these seven key battleground states, expected to determine who will become the next president of the united states. donald trump kicked off his last day of campaigning in north carolina, a state he won in 2016 and 2020. he rallied supporters in pennsylvania where he hopes to leverage voters on the economy. the top issue at the ballot box. donald trump will close his campaign at a rally in grand rapids, michigan, before returning home to florida. in north carolina, mr. trump spoke about his plans for the economy. mr. trump: we are going to fire kamala and we will save america. [applause] we will cut your taxes, end inflation, slash your prices, raise your wages and bring

thousands of factories back to america, and back to pennsylvania. we love pennsylvania. sumi: vice president kamala harriss focusing her final day of campaigning entirely on pennsylvania, the battleground state where her campaign has spent the most time and money. harris kicked off her tour in the city of scranton before heading to allentown for a campaign event at a local puerto rican restaurant, where she will be joined by pennsylvania governor josh shapiro, and new york conesswoman alexandria ocasio-cortez, hoping to attract latino voters. she is wrapping up her tour with a rally in pittsburgh before another star-studded lineup for her final rally in philadelphia. lady gaga, ricky martin, the roots, oprah winfrey, are a few of the celebrities set to appear in support of kamala harris. earlier today in scranton, vice president harris spoke about the bigger picture of this election. take a look. vp harris: let's get out the vote. let's win!

[applause] it is about more, it is about strengthening our country, and reminding each other we are all in this together. we rise and fall together. sumi: let's go live to the critical battleground states of pennsylvania and michigan. our correspondence are standing by. tom bateman is in philadelphia. ione wells iin grand rapids, michigan. tom, i want to start with you. as we said, kamala harris is focusing this day of campaigning in the battleground state of pennsylvania. tell us what her closing message has been today. tom: you can see here the philadelphia museum of art, just the stage being set for kamala harris, as she makes that final pitch to the american voters from here. this absolutely critical battleground state. what we have seen hecampaign

do over the course of the last week and reach this crescendo here tonight is to try and pitch the positives, and focus on what her offer, she says, will be. i think a very good example of that is her campaign saying specifically, she will make no mention of donald trump in the speech tonight. she has been moving away from doing that over the course of the last 24 or 48 hours. it is very much a focus on the core messages. we know those for her have been around, for example, defending democracy, and also in this state, that very key focus on reproductive rights, or protecting the rights of abortion. we know in pennsylvania, as part of her attempt to try to sway moderate republicans, particularly in the suburbs and particularly women, that that is a key message she will try to get across up to the finish line.

sumi: one more question, she is also focusing on those latino voters with that stop and allentown. we know reading has a massive latino population. tell us what she is trying to do their. tom: 25% of the population of allentown are of puerto rican heritage. remember, this goes back to the comments that were made by a comedian at a donald trump rally where he described order ricoh as a floating island of garbage. she is trying to capitalize on that. that said, all of that attempts backfired after joe biden appeared to refer to donald trump supporters as garbage. the white house denied that. kamala harris had to distance herself from those remarks. clearly, they feel they have another core constituency in a place where absolutely every vote is going to matter. this could come down to a matter of tens of thousands of votes that persuade it one way or the other. the campaign feels they have an

important message to get through that community tonight. sumi: it will be a real nailbiter. also expected to be close in michigan. you are in grand rapids where donald trump is expected late in the evening. this is where he held his last events in 2016 and 2020. tell us what we can expect to see their tonight from him. ione: that's right. he is not expected for about five or six hours. already behind me, there is a significant crowd drawing for what will be his final rally of this campaign. he ended his campaign into any 16 and 2020. i think he will probably reference that in his speech tonight. this is an area where he did win in 2016. traditionally, it was a strongly republican area. in 2020, it shifted to joe biden, attributed to a number of factors. things like an increasingly urban, more diverse population. some more moderate republicans, shifting away from the party because of donald trump, not

necessarily liking his character or his values. i think we can expect him to reference the local crowd here and what he wants from them, which is for them to come out and vote. a lot of this for both candidates is about shoring up their core base to turn up and vote for them. sumi: at is. a really important. point. what are voters telling you about how they feel about this election into these candidates? ione: in michigan, it is a very divided state at the moment, depending where you go. i have spoken to people who used to vote democrat in the past, ranging from somarab americans who are angry with the democrats over the war in gaza and lebanonl, who have decided to abandon the party this time around. i have stick into other former democrats in areas like macomb county. they used to be strongholds for them, strongly influenced by labor unions. a lot of the blue-collar workers there have shifted away from the

democrats in recent years, in part because of donald trump's economic policies, his pledges to introduce tariffs on foreign trade, and his policies around immigration. you have areas like this in grand rapids, but also areas like oakland county where i was today which have shifted away from the republicans in recent years, and more towards the democrats. partly because they don't particularly like what donald trump stands for. they don't like some of his more socially conservative values, his character, en if they defined themselves as fiscal conservatives. what we are seeing in michigan is a divided state, but also one where people are not necessarily boating along the traditional party lines that they may have done. that. they challenge for both candidates. they can't necessarily rely on what would have been there traditional base in the way they could have done. that is often we will hear from donald trump tonight, a real rallying cry for people to get out and vote for him if they have not already. sumi: ione wells and tom bateman, our correspondents in

you will be there on election night as well. it will come down to the wire. looking forward to talking again soon. we can speak now to new mexico governor michelle yeoh on grisham, a democrat governor. it is great to see you again. great to have you on bbc news. how are you feeling at point about ice president harris's chances? the polls show this race is essentially tied. >> i think most of us, myself included, are cautiously optimistic. we are seeing record turnout of young people and female voters. we know these are good segments of the voting population for the untry that are very favorable to both the vice president and governor walz. i am feeling really good about that. some of the more recent polling is certainly starting to indicate that better than the averages that we are seeing, including in the exit polling, a

number of folks who have voted for or are planning to vote for the vice president. we have known from the onset of these 100 days until right now, that the margins are incredibly narrow. razor thin. the kind of competitive race that i think americans should expect more of in the future. but they are really harrowing for the candidates and the folks supporting each candidate. i'm feeling as good as you can in this moment. sumi: we know donald trump held a rally in your state in the last week. his message to voters has been the question, are you better off now than you were four years ago? if you look at the polls, most americans don't think they are. is this something that worries you going into this election? gov. lujan grishman: i don't know i would use that term, that i'm worried about how people feel and the way in which the question is posed. i think americans are feeling

anxious and still really angry post-pandemic. that there is a lot of angst about what is going on around the world. typically, when you are feeling that way, and you are a bit pinched, in too many states, energy costs are too high. new mexico, that's not the case. in new mexico, we are paying too much for our food, and we are paying too much for house prices and rental prices. we are, as a state, doing incredible work there. which mirrors the commitments of the vice president. i believe new mexicans who are going to vote in higher numbers for the vice president know that those are the facts that make a difference in their kitchen table conversation. sumi: do you think kamala harris has had an answer for people's concerns on these issues? gov. lujan grishman: yes. she has been clear about her

economic agenda. i think maybe the question is, are people hearing it? i think they are. we are seeing that shift in the polls. we are seeing a lot of enthusiasm and optimism about that moving forward. again, we will have to wait until we have counted every vote. but it goes to a broader point, which is, in 100 days, the standards for this candidate gettinall of that information to voters while she is reintroducing herself to america, versus a candidate who is not trustworthy or credible, who frankly lies about his policies. she has got a tougher standard than he does by far. but she, in fact, is making the case and madit very well in new mexico. sumi: she is the vice president, she has been in the administration the last three and a half years. one more question. we saw kamala harris for the last few weeks drawing the contrast between herself and

donald trump. we saw more negative campaigning. the closing message appears to be one of joy. we have not seen donald trump appearing in the final ad from the harris campaign. do you think that is the right strategy? gov. lujan grishman: i do. people want optimism. you said it very effectively. if people have anxiety and anger about where they are in this moment, you want to vote for something that makes those changes. you want an optimistic, forward thinking future. you don't want to go back. i will tell you, as you can see, americans are angry and terrified about losing more of our fundamental freedoms and more women have voted than men in the selection. i think you expect to see that trend continue all the way through election day. powerful optimism, joy, forward thinking, positive future, a to do list, not an enemies list. i think she's closing with the right tongue. sumi: i am sure you will be

glued to your screen as millions of americans will be on election night. great to have you back with us here on bbc news. thank you. gov. lujan grishman: thank you for having me. sumi: let's get more with former white house deputy press secretary under former president trump, three too heavy with us in the studio. you know donald trump well. he has been across battleground states today. north carolina, michigan, pennsylvania. tell us how you think he is feeling? >> he is feeling really comfortable. he is feeling really relaxed. trump is always best when he is in front of crowds like that, taking a message tthem. yes, it is steeped in policy because he can point to the record-setting successes. he was able to give that to the american people, regardless of race, religion, color and creed. the question you posed to the governor before is the one he keeps asking the crowd. are you better off today than you were four years ago? it is a resounding no. you can't afford gas and

groceries, the border is wide the world.e are wars all over kamala harris has been at the home for four years. she has a to do list, that is great to hear but if that governor headed to do list for its four years after holding the office, they would be like, hold on, what have you been doing for the last four years? it is a weird message because she has failed at every turn. sumi: you are saying this is an effective closing message for the trump campaign. if you look at what donald trump has been saying, his closing message has been different from what the campaign has been saying. campaign is saying, this is about the economy, immigration, crime. he has been going about someone shooting through the fake news, talking about different things on the campaign trail like his political opponents. it is a much darr picture. is this what you want to hear from donald trump? hogan: it is not a darker picture. obviously the press will try to glom onto one thing he has said here or there.

the press doesn't have any credibility. there is a reason their popularity since between congress and covid. they have been caught lying to the american people about a ton of things, whether it is covid, or russia gate. may have mischaracterized all of those things in many ways to pretend as though he is saying things he is not. clearly talking to a crowd, he is pointing out to the fact that z cheney and other warmongers on the right used to be hated by the left, are quick to send our men and men into harm's way. he was making the point, if they had to stand on the front lines and take that fight, they would be callous about sending other people to do that work. that is something the left used to hold as a position of their own. sumi: there is concern about whether this election result will be accepted for whoever wins. hogan: d did leave the white house. in that time, he has been vilified. they have gone after his businesses, after him. he has been shot at now.

several assassination attempts at this point. donald trump was in the white house, did a great job for the american people. if he gets back, he will get to work really quickly. sumi: i want to ask about the storm over this one pole from isla showing kamala harris ahead. it appears to be a bit of an outlier. at the concern from what we saw is that the poll suggests kamala harris is gaining strength among women and independent voters. do you think this is something the trump campaign needso be worried about? hogan: how worried they are, i don't think they are. internal polls are strong for donald trump. let's be honest, kamala harris has been losing support among men, black men, hispanics. while she does have more support amongst women, it is not in close to the amount of support donald trump has amongst men. this will me down to these slivers of percentages. the last election was decided in three states, 42,000 votes. it will be really tight. she needs about 31% of the black

vote in georgia. she has 25% of the black vote. she is underperforming with the areas she needs in order to win this election. 700,000 ballots in pennsylvania this time, not requested by democrats. a lot of those votes are off the table for her. that is a real problem for that campaign. sumi: i do want to ask, you will be in florida with the president on election night. give us an idea of what you are expecting this night to be like. hogan: i think these things are always tight, always tough. donald trump has been out working for a long time on the campaign trail. election nights can be a lot of fun, if you comeut on top. if you don't, the family is quite different. the air coat -- goes out of the room quick. if donald trump were able to break through the blue wall, the pennsylvania's of the world, the wisconsin come of the michigan's start to fall into his category, it will be an earlier night than the experts predict. sumi: interesting to get your

take. hogan gidley, thank you for joining us in studio. hogan: thank you very much. sumi: let's move on to other news. the latest from the middle east where unrwa has warned an israeli ban on its operations could lead to the collapse of humanitarian work in gaza. israel has rejected the warning, claiming the agency carries a small percentage of aid work. israel formally told the u.n. it was cutting ties with unrwa after accusing staff of colluding with hamas during the october 7 attacks. the u.s. state department says israel is not allowing enough aid into northern gaza and says unrwa's role is crucial. >> right now, there is no other way to distribute aid insufficient form. that's why the secretary made clear in the letter we were opposed to the legislation. unrwa plays critical role. there are other humanitarian organizations that operate inside gaza, that are delivering

aid. other human agencies operating inside gaza. we see unrwa is continuing to play a critical role. sumi: u.s. is -- has urged israel to take action over violence by settlers in the occupied west bank. it follows the torching of more than a dozen cars. u.s. state department says it is deeply concerned by reports of palestinians being attacked by settlers who damage property, and released docs to attack residents. it has emerged in israel that several people including a spokesperson in the prime minister's office have been arrested for allegedly leaking documents that may have compromised a cease-fire and hostage release a deal. the allegations just classified documents were taken, amended, and leaked to the press to benefit the israeli government's agenda. our correspondent in jerusalem is following the story. reporter: the allegation here is that a spokesperson in prime minister netanyahu's office, as well as three other people

working for israel's intelligence services were involved in leaking stories to newspapers to try and further mr. netanyahu's political aims and goals in gaza. those stores were leaked to two newspapers, the jewish chronicle in great britain and the german newspaper. one of the stories that appeared in the jewish chronicle suggested that hamas was trying to smuggle out the then leader of hamas in gaza, out through tunnels into egypt. that led, and this came at a time when mr. netanyahu was trying to argue that he needed to keep an israeli presence on the border with egypt and gaza, in order to stop that happening. and that then led to cease-fire talks between hamas and israel

not going anywhere. at least that is the allegation. what the families of the hostages still being held in gaza are saying, and what the opposition is saying in israel, is that an effect, these leaks were aimed at undermining those u.n. led efforts to secure a cease-fire deal between hamas and israel. mr. netanyahu has denied that his office was involved in this. but investigation is ongoing. and it is going to be something to watch over the coming weeks and months. as for the jewish chronicle, in great britain, the journalist who wrote those stories has now stopped working for that newspaper, and the were removed from the website because they just were not -- just didn't seem to be credible. as i say, it is a story to watch over the coming weeks. sumi: iran is criticizing what

it calls the destabilizing presence of the u.s. in the middle east, after american b-52 bombers were deployed to the region. speaking at a news conference in tehran, iran's foign ministry spokesperson said the move would not deter iran's resolve to defend itself. the u.s. announcement came after tehran threatened a response to israeli strikes inside iran around 10 days ago. let's get a look of other headlines from around the world. officials in northern india say at least 36 people have been killed after a bus fell into a 15 meter deep forge. -- gorge. the bus was carrying more than 40 people when the accident occurred. several people were taken to nearby hospitals. the local state has ordered an inquiry into the accident. the spanish city of barcelona has been hit by flash flooding, leading parts of the airport and motorways underwater. more than 80 flights have been canceled. some rail services suspended. it comes one week after

devastating flooding in valencia which killed more than 200 people. every efforts are ongoing as rescuers focus on searching underground parking lots. the legendary american mean is it -- musician quincy jones has died. he was 91. >> ladies and gentlemen, mr. quincy jones. sumi: in a career that spanned more than 75 years, he worked with frank sinatra, aretha franklin, and most famously, michael jackson. >> ♪ because this is thriller thriller night ♪ sumi: he produced his 1982 album thriller, the best selling of all time. nile rogers said he was one of the greatest while elton john called him incredible. thank you for watching world news america. stay tuned. ♪ announcer: funding for presentation of this program is provided by... financial services firm, raymond james.

announcer: funding was also provided by, the freeman foundation. and by judy and peter blum kovler foundation, pursuing solutions for america's neglected needs. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ announcer: get the free pbs app now and stream the best of pbs.

wow, you get to watch all your favorite stuff. it's to die for. now you won't miss a thing. this is the way. xfinity internet. made for streaming. ♪ geoff: good evening. i'm geoff bennett. amna: and i'm amna nawaz. on the "news hour" tonight, this election eve, the presidential candidates and their running mates make their final push in the swing states that will determine who wins the white house. geoff: a new pbs news poll shows kamala harris ahead of donald trump nationally, but thth