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Top 5 at 5: Road to the White House #5 - All Eyes on Arizona

Dr Sheila Nair, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Northern Arizona University | Dr Stephen Nuño-Perez, Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Northern Arizona University

04-Nov-24 17:00

Top 5 at 5: Road to the White House #5 - All Eyes on Arizona

In this edition of Road to the White House, we focus on Arizona, a pivotal swing state that could determine the outcome of this close presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. We speak to Sheila Nair and Stephen Nuño-Perez, Professors of Politics and International Affairs from Northern Arizona University for their thoughts on voter sentiment and key issues like abortion rights and immigration.

Other stories we covered today:

· UN COP16 Talks: The 16th UN Biodiversity Conference faced a setback when a proposal to establish a new environmental restoration fund for poorer countries was blocked. We speak to Lim Li Ching, a senior researcher from the Third World Network, to discuss the challenges of financing biodiversity and the outcomes of the talks.

· Death Row Inmate Walks Free: After years of developments, Mainthan Arumugam was released from prison last week after spending 20 years on death row following a conviction for an alleged murder in 2004. We speak to lawyer Sherrie Razak Dali for her insights into the legal process leading up to his release and an update on how Mainthan is resettling with his family.

· Reporting from a Trump Rally: Just days before the election, we look at on-the-ground coverage from Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's rally in Virginia provided by BFM's own Dhanya Nair. She observes the overall mood at the rally and speaks to voters for their insights on the reasons why they support Donald Trump over Kamala Harris.

· Popek Popek Parlimen: In Parliament today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim shared Malaysia's plans for the Arab-Islamic Summit happening in Riyadh next week and provided updates on ongoing efforts to remove Israel's membership from the United Nations. Additionally, opposition members led by Sik MP Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman question the sale of MAHB shares to Blackrock, while Muar MP Syed Saddiq called for the increase on excise duty for sugary drinks to help with Malaysia's war on sugar.

Image Credit: Trevor Bexon, Shutterstock

Produced by: Sharaad Kuttan, Juliet Jacobs, Sudais Ferhard, Dashran Yohan, Alena Nadia

Presented by: Sharaad Kuttan, Dashran Yohan


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Categories:  politicsgovernmentinternationalLaw/Activismenvironmentcontroversies

Tags:  UN COP16 Talksenvironmental restorationArab-Islamic SummitRoad to the White Houseus presidential racedonald trumpkamala harrisbiodiversitymainthan arumugamdeath rowtrump rallymalaysia politicssugary drinksparliament





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