The 7 states that will decide the 2024 election

A person wears rolls of “I Voted” stickers on their arm with a stack of them in their hand, seen from above with just the arm and torso.

A poll worker holds “I Voted” stickers during the first day of early voting at a polling station in Wilmington, North Carolina, US, on October 17, 2024.

In the seven weeks ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the Today, Explained podcast has been examining the major themes and policies impacting voters this year. We’ve been telling the story of the Donald Trump-Kamala Harris presidential matchup through each of the hard-fought swing states. There are seven battleground states, dotted throughout the country, and they each speak to major issues, themes, and demographic groups that will decide the 2024 election. Our hosts, producers, and reporters have been talking to voters in each of them: Georgia, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, Nevada, North Carolina, and Michigan.

Episodes air every Monday or Tuesday from September 23 to November 4, 2024.


Can Georgia’s MAGA election board actually rig the vote for Trump?

The Georgia state election board’s 11th-hour rule changes, explained.


The strategy that might decide Pennsylvania — and the election

Victory in Pennsylvania might be all about losing by less in the other party’s strongholds.


Will abortion rights help turn out voters in Arizona?

Arizona’s ballot will include a constitutional amendment on the right to abortion up until fetal viability. Both the Trump and Harris campaigns are hoping that gives them an edge with women voters.


Why Wisconsin Democrats are campaigning in places they can’t win

Both the Trump and Harris campaigns need to court and win rural voters to take Wisconsin, a traditionally Democratic-leaning state that Trump won in 2016.


How Hurricane Helene scrambled the election in North Carolina

Will storm damage depress turnout in a key battleground state?

Credits

Executive Producer: Miranda Kennedy

Hosts: Noel King and Sean Rameswaram

Editors: Amina al-Sadi and Matt Collette

Producers: Hady Mawajdeh, Miles Bryan, Victoria Chamberlin, Avishay Artsy, Amanda Lewellyn, and Peter Balonon-Rosen

Engineers: Patrick Boyd, Rob Byers, and Andrea Kristinsdottir

Senior researcher: Laura Bullard

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Fumbling Kristi Noem ends presser when asked whether CPB hit a party balloon with a laser



Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem abruptly shut down a news conference Friday after being pressed about reports that Border Patrol officials may have mistakenly targeted party balloons with a high-energy laser, triggering a brief airspace shutdown over El Paso, Texas.

The moment came during a press conference in Phoenix, where a reporter asked Noem to clarify why the Federal Aviation Administration had abruptly closed the airspace over El Paso earlier this week – a decision that was reversed just eight hours later with little explanation.

When the subject came up on Friday, Noem declined to answer directly.

“This was a joint agency task force mission that was undertaken, and we're continuing to work on the communication through that,” Noem said. “But recognize we’re grateful for the partnership of the Department of War and the FAA as we go forward. Thank you.”

As the reporter attempted to follow up, Noem immediately cut off the exchange.

“All right, thanks everybody," she said, abruptly ending the news conference before additional questions could be asked.

According to multiple reports, the closure followed a test by Customs and Border Protection at nearby Fort Bliss of a high-energy laser against suspected foreign drones, which turned out to be party balloons.

Officials from the FAA and the Pentagon are scheduled to meet on Feb. 20 to discuss the technology and its potential risk to civilian aircraft.

Q: Can you confirm that CBP actually hit a party balloon it thought was a drone with a laser? And why wasn't that coordinated with the FAA?KRISTI NOEM: You know, this was a joint agency task force, um, mission that was undertaken. And um, we're continuing to work on communication*ends presser*

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) February 13, 2026 at 1:28 PM

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