Election

 BBC - Pope Francis has called both major US presidential candidates "against life" and advised Catholic voters to choose the "lesser evil" when casting their ballots in the November election.The pontiff said not welcoming migrants - seemingly referring to Trump - is a "grave" sin, and compared Kamala Harris's stance on abortion to an "assassination".

“Both are against life, be it the one who kicks out migrants, or be it the one who kills babies,″ the Pope said in rare political comments at a Friday news conference as he wrapped up a 12-day tour through southeast Asia. The Pope did not refer to Harris or Trump by name in his comments. 

AP News - The Harris and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.U.S. President Joe Biden, an observant Catholic, shares Harris’ strong support for abortion rights, a stance that prompted some Catholic bishops and other conservatives to call for him to be denied access to Communion.

After meeting Francis in person at the Vatican in October 2021, Biden came away saying the pope told him he was a “good Catholic” and should continue receiving Communion. Francis, asked on previous occasions about some U.S. bishops who want to deny Communion to Biden over his support for abortion rights, has said bishops should be pastors, not politicians. 

The Hill -A survey from the NAACP, in partnership with HIT Strategies and Hart Research, found that 78 percent of Black voters feel the same sense of excitement as when Obama first ran, with 56 percent being more excited now than in 2008. “This election season, we’ve witnessed a surge of enthusiasm among Black voters that we haven’t seen in some time. But we cannot be distracted — there are still voters to be reached,” said Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of NAACP.“Make no mistake, our lives depend on our votes,” Johnson added. “This November, casting our ballots will be more than just us exercising our right to vote — it is the key to the future of our culture, and our community.”

Part of the excitement comes from Vice President Harris’s historic nomination. Fifty-one percent of Black voters said they would cast their ballots for Harris if the election were held today. Only 27 percent said the same of former President Trump.  

But gender and generational disparities persist among Black voters.  While 79 percent of women over the age of 50 said they would vote for Harris, 66 percent of men over 50 said the same. Only 56 percent of voters aged 18-49 said the same.