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STORY: :: Minnesota voters cast early votes in the US presidential election :: Ramsey County, Minnesota :: September 20, 2024 "The only candidates that make sense - the only slate of candidates that make sense are on the Democratic side. We're not into culture wars and silly conspiracy theories. We as Democrats are absolutely concerned about what is best for the American people, how do we improve our living conditions, how do we improve our economy, how do we make life in this country more equitable for everybody" "I'm voting for all the Democrats, every last one, (Senator Amy) Klobuchar, them all. We need a change. We need sense in the Capitol, in the White House. And we need rights for women. We need a lot of stuff that we're not going to get on the other side." Voters in Minnesota, South Dakota and Virginia can now go to the polls in person; while Minnesota and South Dakota voters can also mail in their ballots. These Democratic supporters in the Midwestern state of Minnesota, were out early to make sure their voice was counted in the tight presidential race. Minnesota is the home state of Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz. The state has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1976. In the national poll, Harris and Trump were tied at 47% among the 2,437 likely voters polled Sept. 11-16, according to a survey by The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena College. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

A federal judge agreed to push back Hunter Biden’s first criminal sentencing three weeks, now scheduling it for Dec. 4. The president’s son’s sentencing was already slated for after the election, but his attorney asked to delay the Nov. 13 date because of overlap with Biden’s other ongoing legal battles.

STORY: From an inflation reading in the U.S., to a snapshot of the world economy, these are the stories to watch in business and finance in the coming week. :: Inflation in focus A reading of the Fed's favorite inflation indicator will show if price pressures have continued to moderate. The personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index is due on Sept. 27. Investors will also get fresh numbers on consumer confidence and durable goods in the week to come. :: Recession watch Flash business activity data, due from Monday onward, will provide the latest snapshot of the state of the world economy. Markets appear happy, for now, that the Fed's half-point rate cut will help avert a U.S. recession, and so, a global one. But it's not all rosy. In Germany, the Purchasing Managers Index moved deeper into contraction territory. And a Chinese economy that is still struggling will likely hurt others. :: Rate-cutting race Central banks in Sweden and Switzerland are next up in the Great Rate-Cutting Race of 2024. Market participants expect both to lower benchmark rates at their meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. Markets are split on the size of the Swiss National Bank's cut. Meanwhile, Sweden's Riksbank is all but certain to deliver a 25 basis point cut. :: Picking a premier Japan's ruling party picks its new leader and, by extension, a new prime minister on Sept. 27. It's a crowded field of nine with three seen as frontrunners though with very different policy views. The leadership race complicates the Bank of Japan's job - no matter who wins. A snap election is likely in late October, making policy action at that month's meeting difficult.

STORY: :: Venezuela's exiled opposition leader Gonzalez says he was warned that security forces were coming for him :: September 20, 2024 :: Madrid, Spain :: Edmundo Gonzalez, Venezuelan opposition leader :: "I had to be free to be able to do what I am doing, telling the world what is happening in Venezuela, making contact with world leaders, telling them about Venezuela's political reality, and to do that I have to be free and have freedom of movement to be able to do all these things. :: "A security agent who worked with me called me to tell me that he had information from the security organizations that they were coming for me and the most prudent thing would be to leave. :: "They are currently in Venezuela. It's a family with two children and I trust, as such I have transmitted this in conversations with the vice president of Venezuela, that there should be no risk whatsoever for them." :: "That is in a document of guarantees that I signed." Gonazalez, whom the opposition insist was the real winner of a July election awarded to Maduro, said it was probable that if he had stayed in Venezuela he would be jailed and possibly tortured. He left for Spain after securing guarantees that his family and property in Venezuela would be safe, he added in the interview, saying he wanted to be free to seek support from world leaders for his case to be president.

STORY: :: Kamala Harris says any intruder in her home is 'getting shot' :: September 19, 2024 :: Farmington Hills, Michigan :: Harris also called for action to stop gun violence at schools "And when you said you have guns know at the debate..." "I'm a gun owner, Tim Walz is a gun owner, .. (Winfrey saying: I didn't know that) If somebody breaks in my house, they're getting shot. (Winfrey saying: I hear that, I hear that.) I probably should not have said that. But my staff will deal with that later. (Winfrey saying: But you have been a gun owner for a while.) Yes, I have." "Let's all agree that the trauma so many children, even those who have not directly experienced the tragedy. (Winfrey saying: Just being in the environment) I cannot tell you the number of young people who I mean, our kids had active shooter drills that the they're concerned that there might be somebody who would kill them while they're at school. This is not the sign of a civil society and it doesn't have to be this way. It does not have to be this way." The Democratic presidential candidate and gun owner made the seemingly unguarded comment in an interview with Oprah Winfrey before a live studio audience when the conversation turned to gun laws. "I probably should not have said that. But my staff will deal with that later," Harris said, laughing. Harris, who has robust protection from the U.S. Secret Service, made the statement amid heightened concern about political violence after a second potential assassination attempt against her opponent in the Nov. 5 presidential election, Republican Donald Trump. Harris mentioned her gun ownership in 2019 when she was a U.S. senator and again in last week's debate with Trump in what seemed like an appeal to more conservative voters. Harris owns a handgun for personal safety reasons, and it is stowed away in a secure location at her California home, a White House source told Reuters earlier. The source declined to identify the make of gun, but said it is the same gun Harris mentioned in 2019 on the campaign trail. Harris, the former district attorney of San Francisco and California attorney general, told reporters in 2019: "I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do - for personal safety. I was a career prosecutor."

Voters in Minnesota, Virginia and South Dakota will begin casting ballots for the 2024 presidential contest Friday as officials work to address concerns about election security and delivery problems with the U.S. Postal Service. (AP video: Mark Vancleave)

The news comes as the recent Venezuelan presidential election result has been disputed and opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez says he was forced to sign a letter conceding defeat.