Harris and Walz to Campaign across Battleground States This Week

 A supporter holds a placard during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A supporter holds a placard during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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Harris and Walz to Campaign across Battleground States This Week

 A supporter holds a placard during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)
A supporter holds a placard during a campaign event for Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris at Wings Event Center in Kalamazoo, Michigan, October 26, 2024. (Reuters)

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will crisscross the country to visit all seven battleground states in the coming days, part of a final blitz before the end of the presidential campaign.

The Democratic presidential nominee will spend Sunday in Philadelphia, attending church services in the morning and visiting a barbershop. Harris also plans to stop at a Puerto Rican restaurant and a youth basketball facility.

Election Day is Nov. 5.

On Monday, Walz, who is Minnesota's governor and Harris' running mate, will campaign in Manitowoc and Waukesha in Wisconsin before heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan for a joint rally with Harris. The singer Maggie Rogers is scheduled to perform.

Harris will be in Washington on Tuesday to deliver what her campaign calls her “closing argument” in a speech from the Ellipse, a grassy space adjacent to the National Mall. It's the same place where Republican former President Donald Trump spoke on Jan. 6, 2021, when he called on his supporters to march on the US Capitol.

Meanwhile, Walz is scheduled to campaign in Savannah and Columbus in Georgia.

Harris is slated to visit North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin on Wednesday. The event in Wisconsin will be held in Madison, and it's expected to feature musical performances by Mumford & Sons and others.

Walz will campaign in Charlotte and Asheville in North Carolina that day.

On Thursday, Harris heads west for rallies in Reno and Las Vegas in Nevada and Phoenix in Arizona. The band Maná will perform in Las Vegas and Los Tigres del Norte will perform in Phoenix.

Walz plans to campaign in Harrisburg and Erie in Pennsylvania and Detroit in Michigan.



Israel Signs $500 Mln Deal on Interception System that Strikes Down Rockets, Missiles and Drones

06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)
06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)
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Israel Signs $500 Mln Deal on Interception System that Strikes Down Rockets, Missiles and Drones

06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)
06 August 2022, Israel, Sderot: The Israeli Iron Dome missile defense system fires an interceptor missile. (dpa)

Israel’s Defense Ministry said Monday it has signed a $500 million deal to begin production of a laser interception system that can strike down incoming rockets, missiles and drones.

The Iron Beam will be produced by two Israeli companies and is expected to be ready in a year’s time, the ministry said.

Israel already has an elaborate, multilayered aerial defense system that relies on interceptors to strike down incoming missile fire and drones. But Israel has said the Iron Beam system will be a game changer because it would be much cheaper to operate than existing systems. It is expected to be operational within a year

The aerial defense array includes the Iron Dome, which intercepts short range missiles and drones, David’s Sling, which intercepts medium-range missiles, and The Arrow, which intercepts long-range ballistic missiles.

“The Iron Beam will complement the Iron Dome, and the combination of laser and missile interception will further strengthen our defense systems against rockets, missiles, UAVs, cruise missiles, and additional threats,” the ministry said.

The vast majority of missiles and drones fired at Israel during the ongoing Mideast wars have been intercepted. However, some have made it through and drones have become a particular challenge to shoot down.